Last Friday (June 17, 2011) Lastnamefirst.tv staged a softboard take-over of Trestles saying the following:
June 17th 2011, a day that will be remembered in history. Our leader, Captain Riley Metcalf, called upon the pirates of San Clemente and beyond to take over the peak at Lower Trestles. Pirates and other characters gathered for this glorious stand-off, where after hours of vicious warfare… we captured and dominated the peak at Lowers!
On Fathers Day Sunday (June 19, 2011) at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk, New York the Rev. Michael Rieder held his first ever surfboard blessing ceremony, according to a story on a Wall Street Journal Blog.
Rieder, better known as Father Mike, led a group of about 30 town residents, some fresh from the beach in wetsuits, in prayer over boards of all kinds, from regular longboards to boogie boards, snowboards and skateboards. One man even brought over a two-by-four, saying that he planned to use it to build a new home. . . “Dear God, your son walked on water but we know it would have been a lot more fun if he had a surf board or boogie board,” Rieder said as he splashed holy water onto the boards and their owners. “Let’s ask his blessing as we play in the waves.”
If we would have said something like that as kids we would’ve hauled out of church by our ears. Nice to see the Catholics loosening up a little. Praise the board!
The July issue of Playboy Magazine (which mistakenly introduces the world to Mrs. Crystal Hefner) reportedly features something much more interesting: a short profile on surfer Anastasia Ashley. No, she’s not naked, but she is striking a familiar pose in this Daniel Russo photo. The blurb is exactly what you’d expect from Playboy.
With her bronze, taut exterior and her compulsive need for adrenalin, the surf Betty is the modern sea goddess. (The Greeks can have their sirens.) Lately, however, cynics have complained that todays’ female surfers are better known for their looks than their athletic abilities–they’re more Anna Kournakova than Annika Sorenstam. But Anastasia Ashley, the 2010 Women’s Pipeline Pro champion couldn’t care less; at competitions she unapologetically prefers bikinis to the traditional wet suit. “By its nature surfing is sexy,” she says, “because you do it in your swimsuit. I love the sport because it’s both physically demanding and physically appearling. Plus, spending most of my day in a bikini isn’t a bad thing.”
It’s summer, so this must be Windells. Check out what the skate kids are up to in Windells Concrete Jungle (and other Oregon spots). Kind of makes us want to visit when the kids are somewhere else.
Aside from a little sensationalism at ABC 7, it seems like LA was happy about skateboarders rolling through the streets today. LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith told the LA Times:
“Anytime someone calls an event ‘Wild in the Streets,’ it’s something we want to pay attention to,” Smith said. “Right now they are laying down in the heat or goofing around in the skate park. There’s been no trouble. They’ve been very well-behaved so far.”
LAPD Capt. Todd Chamberlain of the Central Division told LA Downtown News that there looked to be about 400 skateboarders in the streets.
“Our main goal was to ensure the safety of the participants and of the community,” said Chamberlain. “There were a lot of unsafe actions and a lot of foolishness, and we wanted to curtail that.” . . . Though no injuries or arrests were reported, some tickets were handed out for violations including skating against traffic or traveling on the sidewalk, said Chamberlain. The number of citations was not disclosed.
It’s not often that we get to hang out with Alana Blanchard while photographer Chris Straley shoots her. In fact, we never have. But in some kind of sad way this sort of makes up for it.
It must have been a sad day in the Thrasher Magazine office today as they said goodbye to another of the company’s founders Eric Swenson (August 4, 1947 to June 20, 2011).
People talk, but seldom act. Eric Swenson got things done. Never one to clamor for the spotlight, he preferred the hard work, orchestrating the show from behind the scenes. It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of a dear friend and one of our founders. His mark on skateboarding is extraordinary. Without him there would be no Thrasher Magazine, Independent trucks, or Spitfire wheels, to name a few.
He is shown in a 1983 MoFo photo on the left with Craig Stecyk and Fausto Vitello in 1983 in San Francisco. Our thoughts are with Swenson’s family and friends.
Well, according to a memo reportedly sent out today (June 21, 2011) by Deckers CEO Angel Martinez, it appears that they thought their mix was getting a little strange as well and have decided to “cease distribution of the Simple brand, effective December 31, 2011.”
The memo continues:
While it is difficult to say goodbye to Simple, it no longer fits in our portfolio. We have before us a number of major opportunities that require our focus and investment, and we are consolidating our energies and resources in support of these opportunities. . . .We are at a point in our company’s growth where it’s critical that we invest in brands and initiatives with the highest global growth potential in both the short- and long-term. With UGG Australia’s global expansion opportunities, Teva’s move into closed toe footwear, the recent Sanuk acquisition, and exciting prospects on our emerging brands, it’s become clear that focusing diligently on our very best opportunities will create the results we’re looking for to continue to fuel Deckers’ growth.
While we were really into several of Eric Meyer’s shoe designs at the beginning, we kind of lost track of the brand along the way. Guess we’re not the only ones.
The troops have gathered at emerica’s Wild In the Streets event at LA’s Hollenbeck Skate Plaza. And now, we just have to see how far this goes before the guys in the riot gear show up to slow things down. And yes, there was some interaction with the police. Follow the jump for more photos. . . . [click to continue…]
