by The Editors on July 9, 2008
Anyone who has tried doing anything 38 days in a row knows that it takes crazy kinds of will power. That’s why it still amazes us that Tony Hawk can get out there and do a 24-city, 18-state Boom Boom Huckjam Tour in 38 days. But starting July 18 in San Antonio, Texas he’s going to do it again.
Huck Jam — which includes skateboarding, BMX bike jumping, freestyle motocross stunts and lots of loud rock and rap music — is now an independent show that uses outdoor venues. . . . “It was a huge thing, hauling all that equipment to arenas,” Hawk says. “The outdoor shows are more manageable.”
If you ever read us inferring that T. Hawk doesn’t earn his money, smack us. The man is obviously indefatigable. Be sure to watch the video at USA Today.
[Link: Boom Boom Huckjam via USA Today]
by The Editors on July 9, 2008
Steve & Barry’s LLC, the 276-store Port Washington, NY-based clothing chain that recently signed a clothing deal with big wave surfer Laird Hamilton, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today according to a story on NBCSanDiego.com.
The company announced that it was considering a plan to sell all or some of its assets to repay outstanding debt, and was eliminating 172 corporate and field staff positions immediately. The parent company and 63 of its affiliates filed for protection from its creditors in the U.S. bankruptcy court for the Southern District of New York. . . .”The generally poor environment for apparel retailers has reduced funding to our suppliers, landlords and to our company,” Steve Shore and Barry Prevor, co-founders and co-CEOs, said in a statement. “It has become increasingly difficult for us to continue operating normally under these circumstances.”
Somehow, we’re not surprised.
[Link: NBCSanDiego.com]
by The Editors on July 9, 2008
Hermosa Beach’s Spyder Surf has begun communicating with their customers via text message using technology from Sumotext, according to a story in the Easy Reader.
“This is a way to reach our customers right where they’re at. We’ve had huge success with spydersurf.com and other ways of spreading the word about Spyder Surf like newspaper advertising.” Spyder’s Richard O’Reilly said. “But, people don’t usually take their computers down to the beach or to the mountains for snowboarding. The Sumotext system allows us to reach them with messages they want to hear at the time they’re at the beach, skateboarding, or snowboarding.”
Kind of makes it sound like O’Reilly’s never heard of Twitter. If you’d like to check out what Spyder is doing just text SPYDER to 76704 and you’ll be signed up.
[Link: Easy Reader]
by The Editors on July 9, 2008
In a pre-recorded call today Zumiez Inc reported a “wider-than-expected 3.4 percent fall in June sales at stores open at least a year.” This sent the stock down eight percent.
Footwear and skate hard goods posted positive comps for the month, offset by negative comps in accessories, juniors, men’s and boys apparel,” Zumiez CFO Trevor Lang said in a pre-recorded call.
The good news: total sales were up 10.2 percent to $34.7 million.
[Link: Reuters]
by The Editors on July 9, 2008
Visitors to the Transworld Media website today were greeted by a list of stories featuring “Amateur Porn Teens,” and a long list of “Recent Articles” with links to the following (NSFW) page: http://rfdantos.transworld.net/.
The site appears to be offering up user generated content and hancock plot twist (probably a bot) looks to have taken advantage. Ouch. (Not safe for work screen shot after the jump). Apparently, anyone can sign up right here.
[Link: Transworld Media]
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 9, 2008
Tony Hawk fans can literally drink him up when Jones Soda Co. releases their Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Huckjam Limited Edition four-pack of soda featuring photos of T. Hawk himself.
The Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam four-pack will be available this summer at retailers across the country and at www.JonesSoda.com. The bottles feature four different images, one of which will highlight the Tony Hawk Foundation supporting recreational programs for youth, such as the development of public skateboard parks in low-income communities. . . .The limited edition Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam four-pack will only be available through the summer.
Collectable sugar water. Hard to believe.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 8, 2008
by The Editors on July 8, 2008
The game nerds at Kotaku have skated the new Skate It for Wii with the game’s balance board and they say it’s a pretty fun way to play a skateboarding video game.
Still, I left Skate It pretty impressed, admiring the control scheme and seemingly smart implementation of the Balance Board. We’re looking forward to spending more time with it at E3, but for now we’ll just soak in the screen shots and become more familiar with the controls.
If only we had a Wii. Guess we’ll just have to wait for the DS version.
[Link: Kotaku]
by The Editors on July 8, 2008
Arthur Swidzinski and Mike Kosclesza just spent the last 36 days skateboarding from Chicago to Manhattan, pushing all 900 miles as part of a documentary film titled Shred America.
In June 2, the foursome left Millennium Park and began their adventure- and drama-filled trip. As they zigzagged across the country on small roads and bike paths, they faced painful wipeouts (“The Appalachian Mountains were brutal”), one hospital visit, scorching heat, a tornado, mechanical problems with the bicycles, and at least a dozen encounters with police who were not impressed with their plans.
They arrived in Manhattan late last night and were hoping to hold their skateboards over their heads, hug, and share a “Shred America High-Five.”
After a month and five days we have finally arrived at our destination! . . . New York City is incredible. At night, Time Square is as bright as day. And it seems like this city never sleeps. . . .We are enjoying our stay and still taking it all in. This whole trip has been unbelievable and it’s definitely an experience we will never forget. . . . We would like to thank everyone back at home for the support and everyone we have met on the road.
[Link: Daily Herald and Shred America Blog]
by The Editors on July 8, 2008
ASP number six CJ Hobgood isn’t saying that no one can stop Kelly Slater. He’s just saying that it would take something very special, according to a story in Florida Today.
“But Slater can be touched,” C.J. said. “It’s still early and someone can get on a roll like he has. But, like I told him, if someone was to come back, it would be one of the greatest comebacks in surfing history. It’s really his to lose now.”
“He is definitely getting better, but it’s like in a different sense,” C.J. said. “He’s surfing more like a kid and acting like a grom. He’s just enjoying himself. You can see it in his interviews. He just has that more-free, more-loose go-for-it attitude. I wouldn’t know if he’s actually surfing better than he ever has, but he’s certainly having more fun.”
Guess that’s what happens in sports journalism: the rest of the guys get interviewed about the number one guy.
[Link: Florida Today]
Anyone who has tried doing anything 38 days in a row knows that it takes crazy kinds of will power. That’s why it still amazes us that Tony Hawk can get out there and do a 24-city, 18-state Boom Boom Huckjam Tour in 38 days. But starting July 18 in San Antonio, Texas he’s going to do it again.
