Like almost no surf writer so far Feeney sums up Andy Irons’ death, Kelly Slater’s number 10, and what it means both in and out of the “insular” world of surfing. He also has some ideas as to why Kelly isn’t a bigger mainstream celebrity like, say, Shaun White. But it is Feeney’s final paragraph that especially hits home:
So maybe the final limit to Slater’s fame is that he’s the dashing and deific king of a sport that is, in the wider world of athletic pursuits, something of a rogue nation. Surfing may seek attention, on occasion, but mainly so that it can invite that wider world to kiss its ass.
Luke Kennedy, editor of Tracks Magazine is lucky to be alive today after getting speared with his board at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore at 11 AM on Thursday, December 9, 2010, according to a stories on Waves Mag.com.au and Hawaii News Now.
The nose of his board had pierced him in the the front of the neck, just above the collarbone. Ross Clarke-Jones stood beside the ambulance and looked almost white. “I didn’t even realise it was Luke. It’s looks really bad. I tried to stop the bleeding, but when I tried that he couldn’t breathe,” said Ross. From all reports Luke’s board had snapped while he was in the shorebreak. How he impaled himself is unknown.
Luckily, there were bystanders on the beach who were able to stabilize him before he was transported to Queen’s Medical Center where he was reportedly in critical condition, according to the Honolulu Star Adversier. We wish Luke the best and hope for a speedy recovery.
[Editors’ Note: This story was updated from its original (and erroneous form) at 2:25 PM after we got a link and the following kind note from a commenter: “WTF kind of reporting is this? Read the story, the surfer has been named.” It’s that kind of team work that we depend on.]
The last thing we need while stumbling though one of our favorite snowboard parks is more distractions. Apparently, Mammoth, AR4T and the JLA Project aren’t building their new Round Robin Art Park for us.
“Snowboarding has always been about creativity – finding your own line. Art is the exact same. That’s why cultures like snowboarding, skateboarding and art have always gone hand in hand. The great part about the Art Park is that there are no rules; we can get as creative as we like. The artists can go nuts, Dustin – the person who makes the rails come to life and who is an amazing artist himself – can push the limits, and hopefully the folks who come through the park will have fun and go home inspired, feeling a part of the whole experience” said Torrey Cook, AR4T’s curator.
Torrey may be right. It could be quite inspiring to see something beautiful moments before folding into a face whip halfway through an up/flat/down. For the rest of the details, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Black Box and The Doogood Conservatory are presenting a Food and Card Drive for Domestic Violence at the Bill and Maxine Wilson Memorial Skatepark at 702 South 30th St. in San Diego on Saturday, December 11, 2010 from 11 AM to 4 PM. The event will feature skaters James Brockman, Donovon Piscapo, Jimmy Carlin, Ryan Bobier, and John Rattray.
Bring any non perishable food item to be traded for raffle tickets to win presents from Blackbox. Make a holiday canrd and receive a raffle ticket. Top 10 Cards receive special presents.
The Food and Card drive is in support of the San Diego Rescue Mission and the YWCA. Click the graphic for more info.
Quiksilver stock rocketed up this morning on rumors the company may be taken over by French multinational holding company PPR, according to Reuters.
French newspaper La Tribune reported that the owner of the Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Puma and Bottega Veneta brands is looking to buy a sports brand and could be attracted by the Huntington Beach, California-based seller of adventure sports apparel.
The stock was up nearly 18 percent on the news. The French certainly do love them some Quiksilver, don’t they?
How easy it is to sit back while watching the Billabong Pipeline Masters In Memory of Andy Irons and talk about it not being “classic Pipe” or how great it would be if it was, and then a backdoor barrel like Dusty Payne’s (above) comes slamming though and it’s obvious that it is a better wave than most people will ever surf. But that’s how Pipeline is. And that’s how it was today.
Following his emphatic Round 1 victory, including the day’s high heat total of a 15.10 out of a possible 20, Payne notched in some late heroics in Round 2, netting a rare barrel up the beach at Gums. . . “I nearly started the heat at Gums but decided not to and ended up at Backdoor,” Payne said. “Then I was watching these really good barrels come through up there and decided to head up there. There’s not any current at Gums so I was just sitting there by myself and Andy (Irons) sent me a good one. I didn’t think I was going to get barreled in that heat, but there it was.”
If he can make it to equal 9th the 21-year-old Hawaiian is on the tour. Tomorrow round three lights up with heats including Kelly Slater vs. John Florence in R3 H6.
Kevin Pearce was interviewed by Fox Boston at the opening of his father Simon Pearce’s Newbury Street store grand opening on Thursday, December 2, 2010. It’s good to see Kevin doing so well at getting his head around his injury and his recovery.
Using her new ESPN Women blog as her launch pad Gretchen Bleiler has announced that she is eliminating “most of the halfpipe competitions from [her] schedule this season.”
Just as the decision I made in high school wasn’t easy, this one isn’t, either. Competing in the halfpipe is what I know and love, and what I’ve been great at for the past 10 years, which is exactly why it’s time to forge into this new territory. It’s time to learn and time to grow. Seeing snowboarding differently, seeing the mountain differently, and riding with creativity and style — that’s my new goal.
Sometimes the transition from athlete to spokesmodel can be difficult, especially when sponsors’ memories for why they sponsored athletes in the first place seems so short these days.
Activision would like to remind everyone that even though Tony Hawk Shred had a less than stellar first week on the shelves that it’s a little early to “close the book on Tony Hawk Shred,” according to CEO Eric Hirshberg, quoted on Computer And Video Games, because they are marketing the game for holiday gift giving and we’re done with that yet.
“The one question that I can answer, and remarkably so, is that Tony Hawk does really still have relevance and tremendous appeal for people,” Hirshberg added. “He is a lasting icon. He has that Michael Jordan-ish or Jordan-esque staying power, seemingly.”
Jake Burton outlines his “life as a pioneer” with Burton for Fortunemagazine and offers up some solid business start-up advice.
“I underestimated the cost and time it would take to get the business going.”
“Once I became focused on growing the sport, instead of just getting rich, things took off.”
To go global, live global. Three years living in Innsbruck “opened my eyes to being a global company.
Own it if you want to control it. “I’m fortunate that I didn’t take on shareholders who would expect numbers, or Burton wouldn’t be the success it is today.”
“Plan lots of lead time for starting any business. It will take longer than you think, and it will cost more than you imagine.”
Slate.com’s Matt Feeney has written a surprisingly insightful round up of professional surfing circa December 2010 titled You Should Worship Kelly Slater. 
