by The Editors on February 20, 2009
Luckily, snowboarding has not gotten to Major League Baseball nor pro cycling levels of drug scandal, but as this LA Times story points out, drug testing is a pain in the ass for everyone who hopes to snowboarding in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency actually requires snowboarders to submit their schedule so they can be available to be tested for 60 minutes every day for three months sometime during the 12 months before the Olympic games. Then there are the surprise visits. . .
Mason Aguirre, 21, recalls the rap on the door of his Mammoth Lakes home by a representative of the United States Anti-Doping Agency during the summer as he slept with his girlfriend. . . . “I wake up in a daze and have to wrap a towel around me, and I open my door and it’s like a 60-year-old dude,” Aguirre says. “And he’s like, ‘Hi, I’m Paul. I’m with USADA and I’m here to watch you pee in a cup.’ “
At the US Grand Prix at Boreal the woman pictured above was there to “chaperone” top female competitors and make sure that only their urine was making it in the cup during post event testing. For a complete understanding of how crazy intrusive the USADA has gotten follow the link.
[Link: LA Times]
by The Editors on February 20, 2009
Cody Behrns, 15, is a skater who is already running his own retail business out of an old train caboose in Pittsford, New York, according to a story in the Democrat and Chronicle.
Cody has managed Small Town Skate Shop for a year, and while the Pittsford Sutherland High School freshman says business has been slow during the winter, he expects sales to increase as the weather improves. . . . He’s planning a new venture for the spring: a line of sweatshirts sporting his company’s logo. The sweatshirts will be in six different colors priced at about $35. He said it’s more cost-effective as a business owner to sell some items that aren’t a national or international brand to eliminate paying a distributor and other fees.
In the business for one year and already he’s seeing the value of going private label? Sounds like Cody is on the road to success.
[Link: Democrat and Chronicle]
by The Editors on February 20, 2009
Check out the images from Billabong’s Design For Humanity runway show/party in Sydney, Australia on February 18, 2009. Looks like the high fashion nobs were turned up a little on this one.
[Link: Celebuzz]
by The Editors on February 19, 2009
The Kelly Slater vs. Andy Irons documentary A Fly In The Champagne premiered tonight (February 19, 2009) at the Legendary La Paloma Theater in Encinitas, California during two packed-house showings.
Through back and forth interviews with Andy and Kelly, the film breaks down the story behind what many consider the greatest rivalry in modern surfing. In a story in the Sydney Morning Herald former ASP President Rabbit Bartholomew spoke of the rivalry and its effect on the entire tour: “Kelly came back but AI was killing it,” Bartholomew says. “The next three years, they just went hammer and tong. They took it to a whole other level and the rest of the tour went with them.”
Kelly wouldn’t disagree. “People don’t get pushed by nothing,” Slater says in the opening moments of the film. “Competitively in sports you get to see what people are made of when they really get pushed with their back to the wall.”
Hearing about what both surfers went through to put the other up against the wall and seeing how much they both hate losing had the audience laughing out loud. Even when Andy and Kelly went on the “bury the hatchet” surf trip together (which is the focus of the movie) they still ended up jocking each other for waves. But at least they were reportedly talking and hanging out together (not that we saw much of that in the film), and that was a big step forward in their relationship.
One thing we couldn’t help feeling bummed about as the movie ended was how much we’re going to miss Andy Irons on the WCT tour this year. Not that we have anything against Taj, Mick, Jordy, or Bede. We just enjoy the drama and emotion that Andy brings to surfing and selfishly hope that this year off will bring him back to the tour better than ever.
Click here for more information on the movie tour, here for a video interview featuring narrator Selema Masekela and Andy Irons, or follow the jump for a couple photos.
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by The Editors on February 19, 2009
It would be easy to say that the Berrics is just Eric Koston and Steve Berra’s private TF. But with the website (which may be the most popular skate site on the web) and the people who roll through, the Berrics has become a holy place to skateboarders around the world.
Who better to send in to check it out than porno reviewer and master of “writing about whatever I want no matter what the assignment was” Chris Nieratko. That’s what ESPN Actions Sports did. It goes a little something like this:
The Berrics is the marriage of two names and two pro skaters Eric Koston and Steve Berra, thus The Berrics. They are both fantastic skaters in talent and in personality but as much as they are equal partners on paper and in bank debt it is Steve Berra that greets you at the door with velvet suit and top hat, swinging his cane and scaring the Sugar-Honey-Iced-Tea out of you with talk of Wangdoodles and Snozwangers. He is friends with aliens. He flies around in a spaceship. He lined the ceiling of the building in space-age polymers so that no infrared helicopter camera can locate the warehouse’s whereabouts. Oh and the warehouse moves like the island on Lost.
You getting the picture? Follow the link for the rest.
[Link: ESPN.com/ActionSports]
by The Editors on February 19, 2009
Fishermen and activists in India’s state of Kerala say that officials are diverting tsunami relief funding and using it to beautify the beaches and tourist resorts rather than funding the rebuilding of the local fishing industry, according to a story on Sky News.
After the tsunami hit activist claim the Indian government said that the tourist facilities in Kerala were “safe and unaffected,” but they changed their minds later and diverted £170 million to tourist projects.
There are now plans to market Kovalam as an international, year round surfing destination by using the funds to construct a 500 metre artificial reef at a cost of almost half a million pounds. . . . It would be India’s first specialist surfing and wave sport destination. . . . “How can such activities protect coastal population and environment from disaster like tsunami?” asks Ajay of Janamunnettam, a network of civil society organizations. . . . “Kerala Tourism is insulting and fooling the affected communities while claiming these activities as coastal protection.”
Then again, no one throws their money around more than tourists, though surf tourists are not exactly who we’d want to go after is we were looking for a steady revenue stream.
[Link: Sky News]
by The Editors on February 19, 2009
The Oakley/Surfing Life Big Wave Awards celebrating big waves ridden in Australia were held last night and surfer Marti Paradisis, 25, walked away with the award for “the biggest paddle-in ride and the award for best overall performance for 2008-09,” according to a story on The Mercury.
Marti Paradisis, 25, of Clifton Beach, won the award for the biggest paddle-in ride and the award for best overall performance for 2008-09. . . . This makes him the first surfer in the history of the national competition to win two awards in one year.. . For this year’s competition, Paradisis continued to surf at Shipstern Bluff but he also tackled the newly discovered wave at Eddystone Rock, near Pedra Branca, off Tasmania’s South-East.
Yeah, that looks pretty big.
[Link: The Mercury]
by The Editors on February 19, 2009
Billabong profits are down 7.1 percent in the “first half” thanks to the US economy, according to a story on News.com.au. Not knowing all the much about currency markets it’s always funny to hear companies saying things like this:
“While the company has experienced margin erosion in its biggest division, the Americas, the effect is being partially offset by strong appreciation in the US dollar against the Australian dollar,” Billabong chief executive Derek O’Neill.
So, if we’re hearing this properly, sales in the US are down, but luckily for Billabong the Australian dollar is going all to hell. Good times in international business, huh?
[Link: News.com.au]
by The Editors on February 19, 2009
The economy didn’t seem to pull Volcom down too much last year according to their 2008 Q4 and full year results released this afternoon. Total consolidated revenues for 2008 were up 25 percent, and probably the best news: “the company generated $24.7 Million in operating cash flow,” has $79.6 in the bank with absolutely no long-term debt. Wooly explains it:
“While the ongoing global macroeconomic turmoil affected our results for the 2008 fourth quarter and full year, the underlying strength of Volcom is well intact,” said Richard Woolcott, Volcom’s chairman and chief executive officer. “In the face of this economic uncertainty, we are working to maintain a healthy balance between being aggressive when we see opportunities and pulling back where we can, including reducing our cost structure. We have a solid cash position and a strong global brand with a devout following. Further, we believe that our product line-up for 2009 is one of our best ever. We plan to approach the year with discipline, commitment and focus, and we remain confident in our ability to ride this period out and prevail as an even stronger company.”
According to the OC Business Journal, however, moving into 2009 things aren’t going so well. Volcom “warned of a big shortfall in profits and sales for the current quarter” . . . projecting “a profit of $3.1 million to $3.9 million for the current quarter, well below the $6.3 million analysts had been forecasting.” That may explain why they cut eight percent of their employees and are giving many others reduced pay.
We would have listened to today’s conference call, but apparently the Volcom audio server doesn’t like Macs, or maybe it’s just us.
For all the press release details follow the jump, or click here for a complete transcript of the call from Seeking Alpha.
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by The Editors on February 19, 2009
Looks like Sole Tech can’t keep a good thing state-side: Etnies moves the GVR to Eindhoven’s, The Netherlands on March 21, 2009 at the in indoor skatepark, Area 51.
Riders from more than 10 countries have already confirmed (UK, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Holland, Germany, Finland, France, Portugal and Switzerland) including Phil Zwijssen (winner European Skateboard Championships 2008), Axel Cruysberghs (winner Simple Session Estonia 2009), Dutch champion 2008 Nelson Mosikili, Rob Maatman (winner AmsterDamn Am) Alex Mizurov (winner Game of SKATE Pro finale 2006).
Sounds like a great reason to visit The Netherlands.
[Link: etnies]
Luckily, snowboarding has not gotten to Major League Baseball nor pro cycling levels of drug scandal, but as this LA Times story points out, drug testing is a pain in the ass for everyone who hopes to snowboarding in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
