by The Editors on July 2, 2008
You’ve have to go back all the way to Tigerbeat photos of Leif Garrett on a skateboard to come up with someone with the ability to drive teen girls wild like Cryin’ Ryan Sheckler. And USA Today is all over the story.
He also has become a teen heartthrob who attracts hordes of squealing, screaming female fans to his competitions and public appearances. “I think of myself as a skateboarder first and a guy on TV second,” he said in an interview after the June 19-22 Dew Tour Panasonic Open in Baltimore, where the crowds of girls seeking his autograph were so huge, organizers had to post signs near other athletes’ tables reading “Not Ryan Sheckler.”
Confession: we watch Life of Ryan religiously. So we know what they’re talking about. Okay, not really.
[Link: USA Today]
by The Editors on July 2, 2008
by The Editors on July 2, 2008
Hurley International has now doubled the reward for information regarding the death of intern Dane Williams to $20,000, according to a story on CBS8.com. The 23 year old went missing in San Diego’s Gaslamp district last January during the ASR Show.
Notices seeking tips in the case have been posted on 45 bus shelters in San Diego and Orange Counties.
Williams’ mother is pleading for the public’s help. “I’m hoping that somebody that knows something about this is brave enough to come forward and not be afraid of it and do the right human thing,” Valen Williams.
Info should be be sent to CrimeStoppers at 888-580-TIPS.
[Link: CBS8.com]
by The Editors on July 2, 2008
Tracker Larry’s retro-craze marches with two more reissue decks from Lester Kasai, and our personal favorite, current Sole Technology web content maker Gary Scott Davis. As Skate and Annoy’s Kilwag says:
Me, I’m waiting for the Tracker Man watch reissues. (No, I’m not.) Available at Tracker Trucks. I hope those boards turn… Yes, I’m phoning it in today.
We like the GSD model because it holds up well to board throwing meltdowns. At least that’s what we’ve heard.
[Link: Skate and Annoy]
by The Editors on July 2, 2008
Most of this is old news (especially after all the conference calls last month), but hard times in the financial world have impacted teen fashion spending according to a story on Blumberg.com.
“There is absolutely a slowdown in teen spending,” said Holly Guthrie, an analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in Philadelphia.
Retailers dependent on that group are feeling the pinch. First-quarter net income at American Eagle plunged 44 percent because of discounting, and the retailer may post its first annual profit drop in five years. . . . At Gap Inc.’s Old Navy chain, sales in May were off 25 percent from a year earlier. Abercrombie’s same- store sales dropped in five of the past six quarters.
“While we believe the teen customer has slightly more discretionary income than their parents, they’re still impacted by the sluggish economy,” Zumiez Inc. Chief Executive Officer Richard Brooks said on a May 22 earnings call.
Zumiez’s 309 stores . . . reported its first quarterly profit drop since going public in 2005.
[Link: Bloomberg]
by The Editors on July 2, 2008
And the latest in Billabong’s run to soak up every solid brand in the US comes news that the company has purchased Sector 9 for and undisclosed sum.
Queensland-based Billabong expects the business to add about 2% to group sales, implying the business generates $25 million to $30 million in sales.
“Sector 9’s products, primarily its longboards, really differentiate it from other brands in the boardsports channel and have appeal to surfers, skateboarders and the broader youth market,” Billabong chief executive Derek O’Neill said.
Steve Lake, Dennis Telfer and co-owner Dave Klimkiewicz will continue on with what we’re guessing are nice looking buyouts for increasing sales down the road. Watchout, Burton.
[Link: The Age]
by The Editors on July 1, 2008
The new ad campaign for the Summer X Games features an evil overlord named Darkmane (a featured member at Vitalskate.com, way to go Brad) who wants to destroy the X Games and convince people not to watch them. His plan, ironically, is to kill all the creativity involved with the X Games athletes by creating rules and regulations and forcing all athletes to wear uniforms.
The X Games universe it about to get the proverbial beat down Darkmane style. I will crush originality at the X games with conformity and these new heavily starch heather gray athletic uniforms.
Aside from the fact that ESPN already did Darkmane’s job for him years ago and the reality that the athletes are wearing uniforms more corporately emblazoned than a NASCAR racecar, we don’t really get what The Martin Agency was going after with this campaign.
Maybe being based in the action sports mecca of Richmond, Virginia has a little something to do with their misguided sense of pseudo insider irony, but they seem to have forgotten that this event is one of the least creative, most corporately controlled sporting events this side of the WWE. And to point that out to kids in advertising messages seems, well, almost retarded.
Then again, if the whole point of the Darkmane ads is to discredit and make fun of any form of credible judging or authentic competition in the minds of the audience and just let the event producers choose winners based on which athletes have the highest Q score, then maybe, just maybe Darkmane is genius advertising.
Either way, the guy’s got us convinced: we’re not watching.
by The Editors on July 1, 2008
This is how far our relationship with Tony Hawk has slid. We’re about to quote a United Press International report that quotes People.com as saying that. . . yes Lhotse has given birth to a baby girl.
Hawk’s wife Lhotse gave birth to Kadence Clover Hawk Monday at Scripps Memorial Hospital Monday, the athlete’s publicist told People.com.
For those tracking the stats this is Tony’s first girl. His fourth child. He has three sons from two former wives. From the video clips we’ve seen of Riley this girl is going to have skills. We couldn’t be happier for T.
[Link: UPI.com]
by The Editors on July 1, 2008
Okay, so what if the Burton and DC stores on Melrose have been a little as one person described them “crickets.” We know there was a ramp there for the opening party, then no ramp for the next party, and now, according to the website the LAist.com the roof, the roof, the roof is all ramped.
This isn’t a skate-park, and access to the ramp will be limited to who-ever the skate manager says can skate it. (Does he take bribes?) For the most part they intend on having Burton employees and Burton’s pro skateboarders doing their thing on it.
Maybe after we apologize for all the bad things we’ve said, they’ll let us up on the roof. We’ll get back to you on that.
[Link: The LAist]
by The Editors on July 1, 2008
Tomorrow a “lifestyle and entertainment network for men” called MEN7 is launching with a new Red Bull sponsored webisode series called The DNA of Sport.
Each of the 15 Webisodes demonstrates how action sports push boundaries, documenting athletes as they perform seemingly impossible feats through discipline and daring. . . The series take a soft-sell approach, and the integrations don’t showcase specific Red Bull products or overtly push the brand. Instead, interactive contextual overlays give viewers the chance to explore the world of actions sports and — hopefully — forge deeper bonds with Red Bull, said Darren Chuckry, COO at MEN7.
No, they won’t push the product, but we’re guessing only Red Bull athletes will be featured in the shows and they will be covered in Red Bull logos, and Darren should probably just get a job at Red Bull because if they’re paying him, he’s working there already.
[Link: Adweek]
You’ve have to go back all the way to Tigerbeat photos of Leif Garrett on a skateboard to come up with someone with the ability to drive teen girls wild like Cryin’ Ryan Sheckler. And USA Today is all over the story.
