Fabrizio Santos, one of the friendliest guys in skateboarding, has signed on to represent KLeN Laundry.
A fun loving, outgoing and engaging personality, the Breeze has a style of skating all his own: smooth, fluid and explosive wrapped into one. Fabrizio cruises the streets and skate parks alike with dreadlocks flying wild, but always in complete control of the board under his feet. Breeze finished last year with an 8th place ranking on the Dew Tour and most recently had a strong showing at Ryan Sheckler’s Skate For A Cause event in Lake Forest.
Fresh socks are always good. . . follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
On Friday night, May 20, 2011, US Open winning snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo was on his way to LA from Mammoth on US 395 when he lost control of his vehicle, entered the center median and flipped three times, according to a story on Turnto23.com.
The driver of the vehicle, 22-year-old Kazuhiro Kokubo, was wearing his seatbelt and suffered minor injuries. . . He was transported to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. . Alcohol was not a factor in this collision, officers are investigating the possibility that Kokubo fell asleep while driving.
In a world where Zumiez is winning and certain teen apparel departments within department stores are winning, there has to be a loser, and Pacific Sunwear is a loser. When I look at their balance sheet, if they cannot show signs of life by the back-to-school shopping season, which I think is going to be the case, I’m wondering if they’re going to have problems getting supply for the holiday selling season.”
“A lawyer in Dallas, operating without authorization from the family, made a unilateral decision to request a delay on behalf of the family as a way to provide sufficient time for the 10-page toxicology report to be translated into laymen’s terms and prevent the risk of its being misconstrued or misunderstood. … Unfortunately, this delay has now caused a firestorm of media speculation about the intentions of Andy’s family.”
In the statement the family also wanted to clear up some other issues relating to things Andy’s wife Lyndie was quoted as saying:
Firstly, Mrs. Irons has long regretted her previous remark about the truth “tarnishing Andy’s brand,” which she attributes to her confusion and grief at the time of learning of her husband’s passing. Secondly, Mrs. Irons’ quote that she believes the autopsy results will “contradict the rumors [of] a drug overdose” does not reflect Lyndie Irons’ or the family’s beliefs today. We know that Andy’s life and death were tainted by drugs and are ready to accept the Medical Examiner’s findings.
We’re looking forward to all of this being over. Click the link for the entire statement.
Edward Culhane, 35, should be old enough to know better, but that didn’t stop him from towing behind a car on his skateboard Saturday afternoon, May 21, 2011 in Santa Clarita, California. He ended up with a “serious head injury” according to the LA Times and a trip to the hospital.
He was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Medical Center and was reportedly in critical condition. . . Ryan Howell, 33, [the driver] was booked on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, deputies said.
Sadly, Culhane is now just one more of story on this growing list of people who didn’t know. Hopefully, he will recover.
[Update: Culhane, has reportedly died (May 24, 2011) from his injuries, according to a story on The Signal}
They chuckled when they saw Owen Wright over-surfing a small wave, and then their jaws-dropped as Adriano blasted his now infamous 8.23 point floater. After watching all four waves we asked them who won. They gave it to Adriano. What we realized from our completely non-scientific research was this–no matter how the ASP attempts to quantify their judging system it really comes down to whose wave was more impressive. Our test subjects agreed with the ASP judges.
The ASP Judges, however, didn’t seem to want to leave it with their scores, and yesterday (May 22, 2011) they released a statement regarding why the heat was scored the way it was. The number one reason they give for the controversy is that the Heat-on-demand don’t show Adriano’s wave properly. It was “a lot bigger than what was shown online,” they say. While, that can be argued all day long, it seems their best response is the following:
Our job as the judging panel is to score the surfers that are pushing the criteria to the limit. Both of Owen’s airs were good maneuvers (they are also the bread and butter for nearly every surfer on tour these), but executed on the easy sections of the waves. Where as Adriano’s floater was done on such a critical part of the wave. I would probably add that if Owen’s first turns on both scoring waves were bigger or more critical, then both waves would have been scored higher. . . I pose the question, would you, as a fan of top-level surfing, prefer the surfers to do a good turn on a small easy wave or a good turn on a wave that is going flat-out with a heaving, unforgiving closeout section?
As much as we got caught up in the discussions, when they put it this way we have to agree with the ASP Judging panel. Follow the jump for a more detailed explanation [click to continue…]
Pro Results
1. Pedro Barros
2. Rune Glifberg
3. Andy MacDonald
4. Nolan Munroe
5. Alex Perelson
6. Omar Hassan
7. Steven Pineire
8. Mike Owen
9. Sky Siljeg
10. Sandro Diaz
Masters Results
1. Chris Miller
2. Steve Caballero
3. Lance Mountain
4. Tony Hawk
5. Eric Nash
6. Duane Peters
Read more: http://www.boardistan.com/#ixzz1N8GmBYaOToday (Saturday, May 21, 2011), at 3 PM PST the 7th Annual Pro-tec Pool Party kicks off live from the Vans Skatepark at The Block in Orange, California.
This year’s Pro-tec Pool Party should prove to be one for the ages with a wide open pro division led by past winners Rune Glifberg and Omar Hassan and a master’s field that features 5-time winner and Combi master Chris Miller, defending champ Steve Caballero and late entry Tony Hawk competing in his first Pro-tec Pool Party.
Turns out Danny Fuller isn’t simply a handsome man with nice abs and a penchant for dropping in way deep on really big waves. No, he’s an artist, too. And, though we apologize in advance for sounding surprised, his photos are compelling. We’re mentioning this because Fuller has a show opening tomorrow, Saturday, May 21, 2011 at the Known Gallery in Los Angeles titled Night For Day.
Fuller shot the photographs for his Night for Day body of work between midnight and 5 am during the brightest full moon at waters edge in Hawaii and Mexico. Fuller’s long night time exposures capture the hauntingly beautiful locations such as “Insanities,” “Keiki’s,” “Three tables,” “Hanakapi’ai,” “Monster Mush,” and “Playa Las Viudas.” The choices of these spots were based on the predicted effects that the tones of the sand and the clarity and depths of water would have on the eventual exposure to moonlight.
The opening reception begins at 8 PM. The Known Gallery is located at 441 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA. Night For Day which includes work by Kevin Ancell runs through June 11, 2011. Follow the jump for a video interview with Fuller regarding the show (or click here for photos from the opening.
The deadline for getting the Tony Hawk Foundation to help fund your local skateboard park is July 1, 2011.
Tony Hawk Foundation grants are available for the construction of free, quality public skateparks serving at-risk youth in low-income communities in the U.S. The deadline to apply for a Tony Hawk Foundation Skatepark Grant for the Summer 2011 season is July 1. This will be the last opportunity to apply for a THF grant until 2012.
Tony has been giving away money for 10 years, isn’t it about time you put some of it to use in your neighborhood? If you know of a skatepark that fits the above requirements, then click here and request a grant online. How could it be any easier. Follow the jump for more information. [click to continue…]
After the emotion that Adriano de Souza displayed following his complete dismantling of Taj Burrow in the final of the 2011 Billabong Pro Rio on Friday, May 20, it was impossible not to be moved. It was a slow final. The waves were hardly consistent, however, de Souza soldiered through snagging the best of the waves and attacking and claiming them in his typical style.
By the halfway mark of the 35 minute heat de Souza was leading with a 6.5 and a 2.17. Burrow had a 7.0 on his first wave, but then completely fumbled his next two good waves. The crowd cheering wildly each time he fell couldn’t have helped. Following the falls it appeared that Burrows was broken. Though he got an okay wave in the final minutes, it was not enough.
“When you’re in a final you want to win it,” Burrow said from the podium. “I’ve been in two this year. I’m still happy. I love the Brazilian crowd. It was a good event. I’m happy to be in Rio. Thanks everyone for having us.”
De Souza kept the title at home in Brazil, won his second Elite Tour event, and moved into the lead of the ASP World Title race going into J-Bay. Through tears, a nearly emotionally incapacitated de Souza said the win was just too much for words. “It’s no words to say right now,” he said. “Thank you so much. I want to say thanks to my manager for believing in me. Thank you to Red Bull. And to all my fans down the beach. Thanks guys watching.”
It was an uplifting end to a interesting week on the ASP World Tour. While there may still be discussions about who won or should have won heats during the week, there is no doubt who won the final. Felicitações, Adriano [click to continue…]
Fabrizio Santos, one of the friendliest guys in skateboarding, has signed on to represent KLeN Laundry.
