by The Editors on December 22, 2011
Manhattan’s Coleman Oval Skate Park is going to get a complete overhaul thanks to a design competition that asked firms to re-work the park as part of the New York City Parks & Recreation Department’s Adopt-A-Park program, according to a story on Bustler.net.
The winning design was created by HAO / Holm Architecture Office working with VM Studio and it looks frightening in a way that only modern design corporations can communicate it. Hopefully, only half the stuff will actually make it to construction.
“By creating a park that emphasizes and underlines local diversity, Coleman Oval Park has the potential to become a one of a kind city park simply by accommodating the potential of the dense urban area it sits within: the secret is in the mix,” said Jens Holm, founder, HAO.
We’re just hoping skateboarders were included in design competition judging committee. But you never know. Follow the jump for more design comps.
[Link: Bustler.net via Curbed NY] [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 22, 2011
Eric Tarantino, a Monterey, California surfer, who was attacked by a shark in October while surfing at Marina State Beach is now reliving the story for the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
“The first few seconds seem to happen in slow motion,” recounted Tarantino, who had only been in the water for a few minutes when he was attacked about 150 yards offshore at about 7 a.m. on Oct. 29. “I was still half asleep because I literally had just rolled out of bed about 20 minutes earlier. When it happened, when the shark hit me, it was kind of surreal, but I didn’t really feel scared.”
The shark pulled him under and when he finally got free and saw all the blood in the water, that’s when he got scared.
“I managed to get back on my board and started paddling, and that’s when I noticed my arm was bleeding,” he said. “I wasn’t feeling any pain at that point — I’m sure I was already in shock and probably gone into overdrive a little bit. I started paddling in, moving slowly, seeing all the blood in the water and realizing that if he decided to come back and get me, there would be nothing I could do about it. That’s when it became really scary.”
We have to admit–stories of escaping from the jaws of a shark are our favorite shark attack stories and we’re glad Tarantino is still around to tell it. Click the link to read the rest.
[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]
by The Editors on December 22, 2011
The Santa Cruz, California surf community gets their ASP World Title tour stop back as the O’Neill Cold Water Classic secures a November 2 – 12, 2012 spot on the ASP Elite Tour calendar. It will be stop number 10 on the 2012 tour.
“We are excited to see a World Tour level event return to Santa Cruz as part of O’Neill’s 60 Year anniversary,” Pat O’Neill, President & CEO of O’Neill Wetsuits, said. “Santa Cruz, with its rich surf history and tradition, is the perfect venue for this pivotal event. Mainland surfing started in Santa Cruz, Jack O’Neill developed many pioneering surf inventions here and it’s been home to the O’Neill brand for over half a century. . . With a World Tour event in 2012 and the possibility of the World Champion being crowned, we expect to see an exciting chapter in surfing history written right in our front yard.”
We’re just happy that NorCal can hold on to a world tour event two years in a row. For the official word from the ASP follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 22, 2011
New Smyrna Beach, Florida’s Friction surf and skate shop is using Apple FaceTime technology to “bridge the gap” between online and brick and mortar shopping. Every day, between 12 – 7 PM EST, customers with an Apple device can speak directly with sales people on the floor.
“I’d been implementing social media and in-store / online connections for about a year at my other store before opening Friction,” Friction partner and executive buyer Evan Rebadow says. “To me this is the evolution of a concept where small boutique stores like ours can compete online by offering personal interaction. It’s one thing to read about a surf board on a static website, it’s something completely different to be able to dial us up on your iPhone from anywhere you have service and talk to us one on one about what kind of surf you’re going to be riding it in and how it performs for your skill level.
Seems like a phone call would be just as effective, but then that wouldn’t have caught our attention. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 22, 2011
Street Canoe takes a cool lo-fi holiday cruise through the streets of LA. Righteous ornaments, ya dig?
[Link: Street Canoe]
by The Editors on December 21, 2011
Our Vans Waffle Sole iPhone case arrived today and it’s like a shoe for our phone. The case, which appears to be all silicone, slipped right on. It is not a rigid, snap on case, but it hugs the phone nicely. We were worried that the case would make it difficult to slide the phone in and out of our pockets smoothly, but so far that has not been a problem.
The cases are currently out of stock in the Vans store, but you can keep checking. We don’t really know why we’re so into this case, but we are. And judging by the traffic these posts are getting, we’re not alone.
Follow the jump for the topside view featuring the signature black foxing stripe. . . [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 21, 2011
Here’s a little Josh Hawkins skate session for your Wednesday afternoon. Crazy. Might as well skate if it’s not going to snow, right?
[Link: Powell-Peralta]
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]
