by The Editors on December 21, 2011
Flagging, old media, tits and ass magazine Sports Illustrated recently had a contest that would allow fans to pick the best sports moment of 2011 and have it featured on the magazine’s last cover of the year.
Kelly Slater winning his 11th ASP World title was up for that spot, along with a soccer player named Lionel Messia, Yankees player Derek Jeter, but the cover apparently went to football player named Eric LeGrand who was paralyzed when he used his head to tackle a guy returning a kick off and has finally returned to the sidelines in a wheelchair, according to a story in the Orlando Sentinel.
On a snowy Oct. 29, he led the Rutgers football team onto the field for the first time since his accident during the opening moments of the Scarlet Knights’ game against West Virginia. He was surrounded by his teammates and coaches. . . That moment has been voted as Sports Illustrated’s Best Moments of 2011 by the fans.
We’re not really sure what it says about SI’s readership when the world’s greatest athlete gets snubbed in favor of a guy who broke his neck plowing head-first into a kick return specialist. Then again, it’s only print. And who reads that anymore anyway, aside from fans of college football, apparently?
[Link: The Orlando Sentinel]
by The Editors on December 21, 2011
The first member of what we hearing will be solid skate team was announced yesterday when Praxis Footwear welcomed Karl Watson to the family.
“We at Praxis are excited to have a skate legend and pioneer like Karl Watson as the foundation of our team” comments co-founder William Rienzi. “We believe he is the perfect embodiment of the Praxis brand. Karl stands for both breaking boundaries and bridging communities in his daily life — this is theory driven action. We look forward to a long term partnership with Karl as we rise together to build Praxis.
We’ll all get a chance to check out Praxis’ new line of skate shoes at booth #E3 of the Agenda Show, January 5-6, 2011 in Long Beach, California. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 21, 2011
The good news is there appears to be a floor stopping Billabong’s two-day free fall. Yes, on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 shares bounced up 10.16 percent to close at $1.95, according to a story on Business Spectator.
Surfwear retailer and manufacturer Billabong International Ltd has lifted over 10 per cent, clawing back some of its massive losses from earlier in the week.
And though it’s not exactly back in solid terrain, at least the stock didn’t fall below a dollar. That may be thanks to IOOF Holdings 1.1 million share purchase on Monday, December 19, 2011.
[Link: Business Spectator]
by The Editors on December 21, 2011
When we think of hard-charging snowboard boarder cross racers bumping and hopping down an icy race course, we don’t exactly think L.L. Bean. But it appears the Maine based maker of all things classically backwoodsy is trying to change that by signing up two-time Olympic Gold medalist Seth Wescott as a “brand ambassador.” Apparently:
“Seth and L.L.Bean share many of the same values – a love and respect of the outdoors and a passion to educate and inspire youth to enjoy the outdoors,” said Steve Fuller, L.L.Bean Chief Marketing Officer. “He will be a great brand ambassador both here in Maine and around the world.”
The deal is for three years. It would be kind of epic to see Seth flying down a world cup BX course in this. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 21, 2011
Winter hasn’t even really gotten started, but ERGO is already looking forward to summer. Can’t say we blame them at this point.
[Link: ERGO]
by The Editors on December 20, 2011
We doubt there is anyone who types words about surfing who hasn’t made some kind of comment or 10 about Dane Reynolds and what he should or should not be doing with all that raw talent. We’re guilty. Sometimes we start thinking like old high school principals. We see Dane’s crazy, insane surfing skills, his dashing personality, and star power and we believe he has a responsibility to perform on the ASP world tour. Anything less is complete and utter waste of all that potential. Or something like that.
Thankfully, Dane has decided that rather than let all of us “twitter impostors, eggy surf bloggers, overzealous surf photographers” continue to speculate, he’ll just lay it all out in one blog post. It begins like this and includes no capital letters (shift key must be broken):
i’ve been getting some pressure from various people and/or websites to write something, sorta like an official statement concerning my exit from the world tour. my dismount. my pirouette. ‘an opportunity level with your fans.’ that’s what they tell me. people wanna know whats goin on. be up to date. i can understand that. i like knowing whats going on. i like being up to date. . . .one thing to remember is that i have a heart and i have bones and muscle and skin and eyes and teeth. i have emotions. sometimes i act according to emotions. sometimes i think and make a conscious decision. i usually do that. in fact i usually think too much. sorta neurotic. i make mistakes, and i deal with them. i have fears and i have anxiety and i have insecurities and i have vices which i often give in to. social situations enhance all of these qualities. i could probably use some discipline, and lots of things bum me out, but generally i’m happy, and i enjoy making other people happy. sometimes all it takes is a smile. sometimes it takes a lot more than that. i try to be honest. especially with myself. i know that i’m fortunate. i’m sitting here and i have a pulse and i can breath and i hear birds outside and the buzz of the freeway and the suns about to set and it’s a friday. that’s fortune. i also know that i’m fortunate in many other ways. three brands support me and enable me to surf every day and travel and eat and have a house to live in. in return i represent their company in a positive way. i feel like i do a decent job. but that’s obviously up for debate. surfing is my passion in life. i always think about how lucky we are that there’s even an ocean, and its not too hot or too turbulent and it’s not made of acid that burns our skin off. and how lucky is it that the land tapers into the ocean in just the right way so that when lumps of energy approach from a thousand miles away they gently rise up and crash at just the perfect speed so that we can wave our little arms and match their speed and hang at the crest weightless for just a second before sliding down the face. free to ride it in any way you please. and there’s not just one of them. there’s tons of them. they keep coming. all different sizes shapes and speeds. everyday they’re different. endless joy.
As usual, it’s very difficult to argue with Dane because he’s always so honest and witty and, well, right. Click the link to read the rest. We don’t want to put any more words in his mouth.
[Link: Marine Layer Productions via Stab Mag]
by The Editors on December 20, 2011
Stainless steel water bottle maker Mizu has announced today (December 20, 2011) that Ride Snowboards co-founder Tim Pogue is their new CEO, according to Mizu’s Jussi Oksanen.
“We’ve built the Mizu brand on a strong foundation in action sports with several industry partnerships and new pro bottles,” said Mizu founder, Jussi Oksanen. “Tim’s extensive experience with brands like Mizu will help us take the company to the next level in 2012.”
Sounds like exactly what the company needed. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 20, 2011
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Grant Taylor sums up what it’s like to win a Thrasher Magazine Skater Of The Year award pretty well.
[Link: Thrasher Magazine]
by The Editors on December 20, 2011
For the past year photographer Julian Bleecker has been documenting women skateboarding with the hope collecting the photo in a book titled, Hello, Skater Girl. Like many independent artists, he has turned to crowd source funding site Kickstarter to raise money for the project.
I’ve been working on this project since November of 2010 and plan on finishing by the end of 2011. I’ve already made two “prototype” books as a way to experiment with design, layout and to communicate my intent for the project and to test the way that the photography works within the context of a book.
With 11 days left in his Kickstarter project Bleecker is only $1,800.00 short of his $13,000 goal. If you’d like to support the book and the girls in it, click here. For a pledge of $60 you’ll get a 16 x 20 archival quality print plus a limited edition Kickstarter art edition book.
[Link: Hello, Skater Girl]
by The Editors on December 20, 2011
Artist Michael Sieben (of Internet Shack fame) believes Shaun White and Target have appropriated his original designs and used them without payment or attribution on Shaun White’s kids clothing line. Yesterday he used his Vice.com column Kill the Engine to outline the similarities between Target’s clothing and his art in a piece titled Who Shaun White Is. Here’s Sieben’s take away:
As a freelance graphic illustrator, it has always been my dream to land a large commercial account that would catapult my career into the mainstream collective conscious. And I think that these t-shirts might have just done that. . . BUT… I totally didn’t have to deal with filling out a bunch of contracts, or worry about invoices, and I for damn sure didn’t have to think about collecting royalties. And what would I have done with all of that money? Seems like a huge headache to me. So I got all of the benefit of having my imagery available at one of the largest retail outlets in the United States without having to deal with any of the financial benefits. Total win for me.
Yeah. Total win.
[Link: Vice.com]
Flagging, old media, tits and ass magazine Sports Illustrated recently had a contest that would allow fans to pick the best sports moment of 2011 and have it featured on the magazine’s last cover of the year.
