Quick Hits Archive: December 13 - December 19

Dec 29 2007 / Los Angeles, CA

December 19, 2007

Pretty Soon We'll Have a Snowboarder Take The Nobel Prize
Published: 1:42 a.m. PT by Me

Boy do the Norwegians like their snowboarders, just a little while ago we mentioned how Andreas Wiig was up for Athlete of the Year by some Norwegian newspaper (up against a stunning list of who-the-hell-are-they candidates). Now this time it's another Norwegian Newspaper but instead they've got Terje Haakonsen on a ballot of get this...2007 Citizen of the Year. I'm not familiar with any of the other candidates and I can't really read Norwegian to find out who they are but I'll keep from insulting them since they seem like pretty respectable people (one person's labelled what I'm guessing is "Anti-Racist"). Either way here's your chance to effect the outcome as and push for our man Terje. To help rig the vote for Norwegian Citizen of the Year for 2007 check the link here.

Seriously We Can't Get Enough Of The Berrics And Fully Flared
Published: 1:01 a.m. PT by Me

If you're a fan of skateboarding or a fan of redundancy you'll probably have no problems with what were posting in this entry. But if you tend to not like skating or talking about a subject more than once then you can skip this entry...we didn't want you reading it anyway (you probably hate kittens and kitten-looking puppies too). That's because this one revisits territory we've covered before but that we just can't get sick of: The Berrics and Fully Flared.

In terms of The Berrics the newest trasmission from their squad is footage of the City Skateboards team at their hideout. The footage features Jimmy Cao doing his best to look like old school Willy Santos/Pat Channita (us Asians all look the same), Alex Klein, Tony Montgomery, Dave Bachinsky, Jeremy Reeves, and the previously featured Eduardo Craig all of whom hit up the spots that aren't only the rails (except Reeves and Craig). You can check out the smooth-ass footage at The Berrics site here.

For Fully Flared it seems someone has leaked footage that didn't make the final cut of the film. The said footage features Anthony Papparldo (who killed it in the video by the way) and Alex Olsen (also killed it...screw it pretty much everyone stomped their parts) sessioning god knows where in Black and White throwing down tricks that could have easily fit in the final cut but didn't. No need to worry though 'cause the footage is right here:



Transworld SNOWboarding Releases Its Nominees For 9th Annual Riders Poll Awards
Published: 12:39 a.m. PT by Me

It's that time of the year again...well actually it's the prelude to that time of the year again. I'm talking about end of the year awards season and particularly the 9th Annual Transworld SNOWboarding Riders’ Poll Awards, presented by GORE-TEX, which just announced its nominees list. Among those up for some awards include Andres Wiig, Nicolas Muller, and Wolle Nyvelt for Male Rider Of The Year, Hana Beaman, Torah Bright, and Marie-France Roy for Female Rider Of The Year. Wiig will also be up for Standout of the Year for his X Games Gold Medal win where he will also face Terje Haakonsen for his Record Breaking Air at the Oakley Arctic Challenge, and the crew of Torstein Horgmo (who's also up for Male Rookie Of The Year), Eddie Wall, Jonas Carlson, and Ken Block for their part in the DC Snow Park Session. The actual award ceremony will be held January 31st during the SIA Trade Show at Las Vegas, so you still have plenty of time to throw some good karma at those you want to win. To see the full nominee list check out the official from Transworld announcement here.

The Rich Get Richer Part 4: Bede Durbidge Gets $10,000 Watch
Published: 12:11 a.m. PT by Me

Like Manoa Drollet, Kelly Slater, and Bobby Martinez before him Bede Durbidge is getting a nice little gift for his outstanding performance at the Billabong Pipeline Masters courtesy of Nixon Watches. Durbidge was handed a one-of-a-kind Nixon 51-30 tide watch as part of Nixon's WTA Series. The series is an event that awards surfers who accomplish certain feats at four ASP World Tour stops each year. Previous winners this year include Drollet for pulling the heaviest wave at the Billabong Pro Tahiti in May, Kelly Slater for the highest heat score at the Billabong Pro JBay, and Bobby Martinez for the longest tube ride at the Billabong Pro Mundaka. Durbidge was added to the list on account of his taking the Vans Triple Crown. The watch itself (pictured) is custom-fitted with a white diamond baguette adorned bezel including two red rubies and a blue sapphire to represent the Hawaiian flag with a value of over $10,000 (like all watches in the series).

December 18, 2007

Shaun White: Stone Cold Criminal (Try To Read That While Staring At The Picture Below)
Published: 2:30 p.m. PT by Me

It's been a long standing rule within the hiphop community that if you want to up your reputation (and thus your record sales) you should have some type of run in with the law (preferably of the "getting shot" variation). It's one of the reason 50 Cent has done so well with his career and one of the reason why Brian Austin Green hasn't. Well it looks like that unwritten rule is seeping into all aspects of pop culture including snowboarding, and the one leading the charge is Shaun White according to recent reports. That's because Shaun White was cited by the Breckenridge Police Department this past weekend for his role in "second degree criminal tampering".

Sounds serious huh? I think I remember hearing similar charges in regards to members of the Gambino Crime Family. In those cases it involved wise guys trying to influence jury pools to get them off on charges of racketeering and murder. But as we all know White is in no way involved in La Cosa Nostra and his citation proves so, because what White was accused of tampering with is...get this...a fire extinguisher. Nope no guns, no blood, no corpses, just some gaseous powder that does nothing but save lives and make bears happy.

The citation stems from White's recent trip to the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge (where he competed in and won the Chevy Grand Prix opener last week) where, according to reports and security camera footage, "a white male with long red hair" was seen chasing down a female friend in the game room of the resort and eventually pulling a fire extinguisher from the wall, putting it on the ground where a "large cloud of smoke" discharges. The incident gets further Saved By The Bell-like when later that night White was detained by the same police department in connection with a stolen vehicle (though White was later ruled out as a suspect).

Now remember when I wrote "preferably of the 'getting shot' variation" well obviously White didn't read that part of the manual because this type of run in with the law will do nothing for his reputation except possibly...no wait, NOTHING. It actually might have an adverse effect, sort of like when Eddie Murphy got caught soliciting a transvestite or when Kevin Costner came out with 'Waterworld' (man that joke never gets tired...kinda like Kevin Costner's character in 'Waterworld'). Read more about White's newly minted criminal past check out the hilariously straight-forward news report on the incident here (my summary of the events couldn't have been any better).

The Love For Occy Keeps Coming
Published: 1:09 a.m. PT by Me

The honors keep coming for Mark Occhilupo. Occy may have retired from the Foster's ASP World Tour following the just-wrapped Billabong Pipeline Masters but he won't soon be forgotten. First off, word comes that his sponsors Globe and Billabong are sure to grant some wildcards to contests next season and Occy also has been given a lifetime wild card into the Triple Crown. But perhaps most interesting is a tribute shoe being produced for Occy by Globe.

The Occy Tribute Edition will be available from Globe in May 2008.

Check out the official Occy tribute site (named Icons Never Die) for more about the event.

Nelscott Reef Gets Extended
Published: 12:33 a.m. PT by Me

The 2007 Nelscott Reef Tow in Classic has seen its holding period extended through March after having its original holding period extended through December. The Classic takes place off the coast of Oregon near Lincoln City and optimum conditions call for 30+ foot waves.

Read more about the extension and contest here.

Anthony Napolitan Talks 2007, Levis and Winter Plans
Published: 12:18 a.m. PT by Me

Anthony Napolitan had a huge '06 but '06 was a little bit of a letdown, but not that much... After all, he did get a bronze at the X Games in BMX Big Air and placed twice at the AST Dew Tour. Now there's a good interview over at BMXUnion with him that's worth a read. No big news, but he does talk about his younger brother Ronnie, who is on the Levis team with him and what he plans to do back at Woodward...

Read the interview...

December 17, 2007

Durbidge Wins Pipeline Masters and Triple Crown
Published: 6:45 p.m. PT by Me

Bede Durbidge has won the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Hawaii, besting Dean Morrison, Joel Parkinson and Pancho Sullivan in a four-man final held at the Off the Wall break on Oahu's North Shore. The event normally takes place on the Banzai Pipeline but conditions forced the move of the event.

Durbidge set the bar high by scoring a 9.50 on his second wave and cemented his lead with a 7.17 on his fourth wave, leaving Morrison, Parkinson and Sullivan fighting for some good waves -- which were actually few and far between. Durbidge also secured the honor of being crowned the winner of the Van's Triple Crown of Surfing, which adds a $25,000 Chevy Colorado truck and a custom $10,000 Nixon watch to his $30,000 prize money. The actual trophy for the event was a custom-shaped board from Gerry Lopez using an original Clark foam blank and inlaid with Abalone.

The Masters contest is the final event in the Foster's ASP World Tour and many of the biggest names in surfing were on hand to compete> Today's action kicked off with round four and one by one the top names started to fall, starting with Andy Irons, world champ Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater, CJ Hobgood and Taj Burrow.

The event also played a key part in the requalification of surfers for the 2008 Foster's ASP World Tour and many surfers failed to make the cut, including Greg Emslie, Cory Lopez, Phil Macdonald, Josh Kerr, Troy Brooks, and Bernardo Miranda. Chris Ward, who eliminated Bruce Irons and Kelly Slater, has requalified.

Check out our photo gallery from Pipeline here and also the Pipeline Masters site for more on the event. Full results from today are below.

Billabong Pipeline Masters Final Results:
1st Bede Durbidge (AUS) 16.67
2nd Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.OO
3rd Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 9.6O
4th Joel Parkinson (AUS) 7.43

Billabong Pipeline Masters Quarterfinal Results:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.50 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.73
Heat 2: Dean Morrison (AUS) 11.00 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.50
Heat 3: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 9.10 def. Chris Ward (USA) 8.70
Heat 4: Bede Durbidge (AUS) def. Taj Burrow (AUS)

Billabong Pipeline Masters Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: CJ Hobgood (USA) 12.26 def. TJ Barron (HAW) 10.50
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.00 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 9.00
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.83 Ian Walsh (HAW) 7.40
Heat 4: Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.10 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.44
Heat 5: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 14.93 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 6.26
Heat 6: Chris Ward (USA) 12.33 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 11.50
Heat 7: Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.90 def. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 12.17
Heat 8: Bede Durbidge (AUS) def. Fred Patacchia (HAW)

Foster’s ASP World Tour Final Top 27
1. Mick Fanning (AUS) 8136 points
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 7104 points
3. Kelly Slater (USA) 6516 points
4. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 6432 points
5. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 5774 points
6. Andy Irons (HAW) 5151 points
7. Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 4938 points
8. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 4770 points
9. Dean Morrison (AUS) 4690 points
10.Bobby Martinez (USA) 4582 points
11. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 4580 points
12. Kai Otton (AUS) 4563 points
13. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 4493 points
14. Taylor Knox (USA) 4309 points
15. Damien Hobgood (USA) 4274 points
16. Luke Stedman (AUS) 4177 points
17. Michael Campbell (AUS) 3987 points
17. Chris Ward (USA) 3987 points
19. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 3982 points
19. Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 3982 points
21. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 3934 points
22. Leonardo Neves (BRA) 3797 points
23. Frederick Patacchia (HAW) 3675 points
24. Bruce Irons (HAW) 3660 points
24. Ricky Basnett (ZAF) 3660 points
26. Daniel Wills (AUS) 3617 points
27. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 3612 points


Pipeline Masters Will End Today
Published: 3:44 p.m. PT by Me

UPDATE: Bede Durbidge has won... See the story above

The Pipeline Masters is underway in Hawaii and there have already been some surprising upsets and careers changed as action moved into the fifth round. Perhaps most notably, defending champ Andy Irons was knocked out in round four by TJ Barron (10.87 to 9.67) but Barron's nice day was cut short by CJ Hobgood in round five. Also moving on are Joel Parkinson and Adriean Buchan, with plenty of action yet to go including surfers like Kelly Slater, Bede Durbidge and Taj Burrow.

Surfers that were eliminated in action and will not requalify for the 2008 ASP World Tour are Greg Emslie, Cory Lopez, Phil Macdonald, Josh Kerr, Troy Brooks, and Bernardo Miranda. Chris Ward, who eliminated Bruce Irons, has requalified.

Check out the Pipeline Masters site to see the live webcast. The event is expected to end today.

"Rob & Big" is Coming: Season Three Trailer
Published: 1:02 a.m. PT by Me

It seems like forever since we got to follow the adventures of Rob Dyrdek and his bodyguard -- well, we're less than a month away from the show's return (January 8th at 10:30 p.m. on some network called MTV). You gotta love the "movie-esque" quality of the trailer and once you watch it you will see that this show's not slowing down at all...

Maas Wins European Roxy Chicken Jam
Published: 12:41 a.m. PT by Me

The Chevy Snowboarding Grand Prix happened in Colorado this weekend but there was another pretty big event for the ladies in Europe at the Roxy Chicken Jam in Austria. Cheryl Maas of the Netherlands took first, followed by Jamie Anderson of the US. Claudia Fliri of Switzerland took third with Jenny Jones of England in fourth.

The win was Maas' second at the event. The next Chicken Jam will take place in the U.S. early 2008.

Check out the official site for more about the event.

Pipeline Masters Readying For Big Finish
Published: 12:11 a.m. PT by Me

The Pipeline Masters has been quiet for the weekend but it's getting ready to wrap up this week with only one day of competion left with four days left in the holding period.

The contest may not seem as important with Mick Fanning already having the title in hand but it is for those surfers still fighting for a spot on the Foster's ASP World Tour next year. The names include veterans and rookies like Cory Lopez, Phil MacDonald, Josh Kerr, Bernardo Pigmeau, Fred Pattachia, Chris Ward, Neco Padaratz, Bruce Irons and Troy Brooks.

Also still to be determined, the ASP Rookie of the Year honor, which will come down to either Jeremy Flores and Kai Otton and how they finish at the Billabong Pipeline Masters.

Check out the Pipeline Masters site to see the live webcast (when the event is on).

December 16, 2007

YOU MUST WATCH THIS: Cuban Skaters Documentary
Published: 1:08 a.m. PT by Me

Gotta thank EuropeSkate for bringing this to my attention, check out this amazing short documentary about skateboarding in Cuba. The film is essentially a breathtaking testament to the passion these Cuban skaters have for their sport because it chronicles how the cards are stacked against skaters in Cuba from all sides.

Now I have never been to Cuba myself nor know much of its history so it would be irresponsible for me to get any sort of political on the Cuban issue, but from what is seen in the film it's obvious that politics in a major way factor into the equation though not in an entirely one sided way. That's because, as seen in this film, skaters in Cuba are limited from one side because the system (some of the skaters mention "oppression"), whether economically or bureaucratically, prevents the existence of skate companies which can thus sponsor skaters, and from the other side because the embargo placed upon Cuba prevents the skaters from getting regular access to skate supplies (from decks, to trucks, etc.). In this way it becomes almost heartbreaking to see, as the film shows, one of the skaters in the film (supposedly one of the best in Cuba) break his board while trying to land a trick (we also get to see the length at which these skaters will go to piece together a board from broken parts). The same skater also talks about the determination he has to win an upcoming contest just because the top prize for the contest is a brand new deck. So to watch this film is really to see skaters with an entirely authentic love of skateboarding. Check it out below (the film runs for 16+ minutes:

Chad Knight Is American And Gladiatorial
Published: 12:44 a.m. PT by Me

Here's something to that's you won't find on most skater's resumes (assuming though that they even have resumes): American Gladiator. Yep apparently 1031 rider Chad Knight is a contestant on the new season of American Gladiators which will premiere January 6th. If you aren't up on American Gladiators you we're missing out on life in the 90s, and don't think you'll catch up with the rest of us who were up on it back then by watching this newest version of it (hosted by Hulk Hogan). Now I wonder if Chad's going to change his name to something powerful like Titan or Thrust or Sparkle.

December 15, 2007

White, Bleiler Win Grand Prix Gold
Published: 7:22 p.m. PT by Me

Shaun White showed some of that Olympic form as he won the halfpipe competition at the kickoff event of the Chevy Grand Prix of snowboarding in Breckenridge, Colo. Gretchen Blelier, also an Olympic medalist, took the women's title over Kelly Clark and former gold-medalist Hannah Teter. Teter's brother, Elijah, was third for the men after Steven Fisher.

For full results and more details check this out. Some photos follow...

Shaun White celebrates.  cr. Jennifer Huskey

Gretchen Bleiler after the contest.  cr. Jennifer Huskey

 

Taos Ski Valley Takes A Step Forward...Into The 90s
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Me

Shortly after we mentioned Jake Burton's poaching campaign against snow resorts that prohibit snowboarding we may have our first example of the campaign bearing fruit, that's because Taos Ski Valley Resort, pretty much the top snow resort in New Mexico, has announced that it will allow snowboarding on its slopes starting March 19th next year. Keep in mind this is after an Amish-like period of 55 years where snowboarding wasn't allowed on their resort and even still this will only amount to about 2 1/2 weeks of snowboarding allowed for this season. But still its definitely a step into the 90s (nevermind the fact that we're nearing 2008). Maybe Taos'll start playing that hip hop music all the kids seem to be listening to.

For more details on the opening up of Taos Ski Valley resort to snowboarding check the announcement here.

The Berrics: Recruits And Clinical Research
Published: 12:51 a.m. PT by Me

The Berrics just keeps churning out material as this week they've released stuff on two separate skaters who paid their Neverland-Valley -Ranch-like premises recently. First it's City Skateboards rider Eduardo Craig who got to attack the warehouse with fellow City skater Jimmy Cao and film the results (apparently Cao's footage is coming later). As can be seen from the clip Craig has a special fondness for the rails at The Berrics, with back-to-back-to-back- and-so-on tricks on the different rail set ups Berra and the Berrics team built. Check out Eduardo's fun time at the Berrics here.

Following that The Berrics have also put up an interview with Baker Pro Erik Ellington. The interview is done by Steve Berra himself so you can expect both out-of-the-ordinary questions (check the exchange between the two about hardflips and impossibles) and out-of-the-ordinary (or rather, honest) answers. Interesting...but where's the footage?

Canadians In China
Published: 12:29 a.m. PT by Me

If you've been paying attention you'd have already noticed the way China has stepped onto the scene recently as a place to tour for plenty of teams from Zoo York to Lakai (China's all over 'Fully Flared' in case you haven't seen it). This time around it's the Canadian crew of Strange Brew who hit up the city of Shenzhen (near Hong Kong...the city with the rollercoaster ledge/spot that's all over Fully Flared) to take advantage of some of the virgin spots Asia has to offer (ok I realize that that sentence can be easily misread...ahhh who cares). You can catch plenty of photos along with some video of their trip featuring the skating, the architecture, and the food including dog (alright as a Chinese-American of Taiwanese descent I gotta mention that Taiwanese people DON'T eat dog as opposed to some people in China....I repeat we DON'T eat dog). You can check the various features on the Strange Brew team in China here, here, and here.

 

Have Fun With Your Dad's Credit Card
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Me

Two quick shopping-related events to keep in mind for this weekend and the coming week for those in Southern California:

First clothing label WESC (Chris Pastras and Jason Lee's sponsor) in conjunction with Vestal Watches (Chris Haslem and Danny Kass' sponsors) are holding a warehouse sale this weekend. Like most warehouse sales they'll be offering things at really low prices compared to normal retail. Stop by if you have a chance 'cause they got like really nice cut & sew type clothing and watches as opposed to the regular stained t-shirts you be sporting. The sale will take place at their warehouse near LAX, check the link here for details.

Next Tuesday Active in Santa Monica has got a really cool promo event, skaters from the Fourstar team including Eric Koston, Mike Carrol, Guy Mariano, Sean Malto and others will be making an appearance where instead of just doing the simple meet & greet they're actually gonna be on hand as customer service for the store. This means they could be fitting a deck for you, or ringing you up at the register like a normal employee of the store would, and it also means you could probably treat them like the lower class citizens you usually treat retail workers. The 'Four On The Floor' event will take place from 6pm to 8pm details of which you can catch here.

December 14, 2007

Gilmore Wins Billabong Pro Maui; Megan Abubo Takes The Vans Triple Crown; 2008 WCT Tour Set
Published: 1:56 p.m. PT by Me

We mentioned Stephanie Gilmore's win of the World Title as a rookie at the Billabong Pro yesterday but today she finished the job by winning the overall contest over Jessi Miley-Dyer.   The other major result from Maui was that Megan Abubo bagged the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing after her Quarterfinals finish at the Billabong Pro (which is the third leg of the Triple Crown). Abubo was buoyed by her win at the Reef Hawaiian Pro (the first leg of the Triple Crown), as well a semifinal finish at the Roxy Pro (the second leg). This is Abubo's first ever Triple Crown.

For more on Abubo's win as well as new World Champ Stephanie Gilmore check the link here.

One last thing -- the finished contest now means the field is set for the 2008 women's world tour.   The ones to make the cut are listed below.  There are two rookies, Karina Petroni and Nicola Atherton, and one wildcard spot.  Dropping off after this season are the saucy Aussie Claire Bevilacqua, the retiring Rochelle Ballard and French surfer Caroline Sarran.

1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
3 – Silvana Lima (BRA)
4 – Samantha Cornish (AUS)
5 – Layne Beachley (AUS)
6 – Amee Donohoe (AUS)
7 – Chelsea Hedges (AUS)
8 – Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
9 – Rebecca Woods (AUS)
10 – Melanie Bartels (HAW)
11 – Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
12 – Megan Abubo (HAW)
13 – Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS)
14 – Karina Petroni (USA)
15 – Serena Brooke (AUS)
16 – Nicola Atherton (AUS)
17 – ASP Wildcard

 

Plan B's Crib & The Return Of '...Ryan'
Published: 1:24 a.m. PT by Me

So we've seen lots of skaters, from Ryan Sheckler to Eric Koston to Rob Dyrdek, do the little house tour thing on MTV Cribs but we've yet to see a whole skate company featured on Cribs...and we won't for now. On the other hand we got something that's pretty close as Plan B has put up a photo tour of their team house where the likes of Sheckler, Danny Way, and P Rod, can come hang out as if they didn't have a plush pad themselves. Pat Duffy acts as the guide that demonstrates all the nice comforts of the house that Plan B is supplying to their skaters including the ability to hit the mini-gym or the sauna, make music, edit footage, play multiple pinball games, and so on and so on. Either it's a effort born out of hubris ("Man screw those rich yuppies, I eat fried dough for dinner!") or an attempt to inspire success in the younger generation ("I wanna be rich like them Daddy!"), still it's worth checking out which you can do here.

Oh and speaking of MTV and Plan B riders: if you've been watching MTV lately you'll notice some new promos for the upcoming second season of 'Life Of Ryan', full of more family drama, girl drama, skate drama, and him autographing a chicks torso with no real autograph showing up on her skin (wha???). For more on the Season 2 premiere, which airs January 8th at 10pm, check out the official 'Life Of Ryan' site here. Also check out a brand new season of 'Rob & Big' premiering the same day.

Lakai + Epicly Later'd = Giddyness
Published: 1:03 a.m. PT by Me

VBS' Epicly Later'd is back with a new episode and after covering Emerica's Wild Ride Tour in an lengthy story arc O'Dell comes up with a new type of topic to cover in future episodes: "Regrets". O'dell is now gonna start asking skaters he profiles which trick caught on video/photo do they regret in hindsight, and what a perfect way to start then with the team that's on everyone's mind now because of their newly released nothing-short-of-amazing video 'Fully Flared', Lakai. Given that Lakai has a team stacked with veterans, from Mike Carroll to Rick Howard, there are ample examples for the Lakai riders to choose from with the running theme being fashion choices (particularly from the 90s). Howard goes back to his Plan B "Questionable Video" days to talk about the baggy pants, and Greg Olsen points to his hessian-like look, meanwhile Carroll and Eric Koston focus on the trick part of the question by pointing out tricks that they now feel are lame to see in a video or photo (made all the more funnier by O'dell who cuts in said regrets as the skater is talking about it). Brandon Beibel hilariously gets the last word though...

You can check out the "Regrets" episode of Epicly Later'd here.

Shaun White, Balls, Nuggets...It's Not What You Think
Published: 12:55 a.m. PT by Me

In a case of top notch athletes watching top notch athletes (that is if you consider certain players on the Denver Nuggest *cough* Kleiza *cough* top notch athletes) Snowboard Mag's got riders from the Burton team including Shaun White, Elena Hight, Danny Davis, Kevin Pierce, and Mason Aguirre checking out the recent Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets NBA game in Denver. The Burton team came down to the game from Breckenridge where they were probably getting ready for the Chevy Grand Prix that starts today, and lucky for them they probably didn't have to pay a cent for their tickets thanks to that all-powerful Shaun White clout (I wonder if that guy even uses the American Express card he hocks). Don't know who all of them were rooting for though but it looks like they were having a merry ol' time.

Jackass 2.5...Free
Published: 12:32 a.m. PT by Me

Good News for those who love humanity not only will Jackass 2.5 be coming out soon, it'll be coming out free. Yep that's because the producers of the newest installment of Jackass (which as the title indicates is more of a continuation/what-you-didn't-see of the first sequel) have decided to release the film online for the first two weeks free starting December 19th courtesy of Blockbuster via JackassWorld.com (if you can't smell cross-promotion then you're probably missing nostrils either that or your mom's been cooking that good curry) with the film going on sale in DVD form, through iTunes, and on pay-per-view Christmas Eve. By the looks of the trailer (which we've included below) Jackass 2.5 will not only have more bullfighting, cobra play and missing teeth, but also a bazooka, and some gorillas which makes the prospect of Jackass 3 all the more exciting.

News And Notes
Published: 12:11 a.m. PT by Me

• First and foremost our friends at the Stephen Murray camp have given us a heads up on where you can buy some Steven Murray merchandise and thus help support Stephen Murray. Online retailer Dan's Comp has on sale things like the "Stay Strong" Stephen Murray tshirt (the one you saw Cory Nastazio and a grip of BMXers rock in the Zoo York ad), as well as a Stephen Murray Benefit Fund wristband, and the Ogio Stephen Murray Back Pack. It's a good way to show your support for Stephen Murray (you can learn about him here in case you weren't paying attention before). For a list of the Stephen Murray good at Dan's Comp go here.

• In news that'll hopefully inspire you to do something charitable (if not purchase those Stephen Murray goods) etnies has given out more than 1,200 pairs of shoes to needy kids in California, Oregon, and Arizona for the holidays. etnies brought in kids from local Boys & Girls Clubs throughout those states to their different etnies:EXS outlet stores as well as to their headquarters in Lake Forest, California, to hand out the shoes (the kids had a choice of etnies, eS, or Emericas). The kids who showed up to the Lake Forest event even got to catch a demo featuring appearances by the likes of Ryan Sheckler, Kyle Leeper, Lauren Perkins, and some fat bearded dude in a red coat. That's not to mention the fact that outside of these specific giveaways etnies has already donated more than 1,600 pairs and 525 pieces of clothing to the New Orleans Mission and also more than 1,800 pairs of shoes to to the Miracle On 1st Street Christmas Toy Giveaway in Los Angeles. For more on etnies' kind gesture check out this out.

• In giving of another type Thrasher is running a contest in which you can win Chris Cole's custom designed guitar. Winners of the contest (which ends on February 15th) will also be flown into San Diego by Thrasher to take part in the premiere of Fallen's upcoming video where Cole will hand the guitar over personally. For details and entry form to the giveaway go here.

• Think Skateboards have seemingly bounced Lizard King from their team, and it doesn't look too amicable. Check out how Think let the world know here.

• In more uplifting team news bag makers Dakine have announced the addition of Austin Smith, Phil Damianakes, Wille Yli-Luoma, and Annie Boulanger to help round out their snowboard team. Check out Dakine's 2009 lineup here.

 

December 13, 2007

Stephanie Gilmore Wins ASP World Title
Published: 8:30 p.m. PT by Me

ASP world tour rookie Stephanie Gilmore has clinched the world title today in Hawaii at the Billabong Pro Maui. Gilmore earned the title when her two pursuers for the title, Sofia Mulanovich and Silvana Lima, were defeated in round three by Keala Kennelly and Roseanne Hodge, respectively.

Aussie Gilmore is the first surfer, male or female, to win an ASP World title as a rookie. Thanks to three wins so far on the tour, at the Rip Curl Pro, NAB Beachley Classic and Mancora Peru Classic, had a strong edge over Mulanovich, who won two events this season, and Lima, who had no wins but five top-three finishes.

To watch the event live (when it's on) check out the event website

Round three reuslts for the Billabong Pro Maui follow.

Heat 1: Layne Beachley (AUS) 11.75 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 7.75
Heat 2: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 10.25 def. Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 7.50
Heat 3: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 18.65 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 9.75
Heat 4: Keala Kennelly (HAW) 15.90 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 7.50
Heat 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 18.55 def. Rochelle Ballard (HAW) 10.25
Heat 6: Claire Bevilacqua 15.00 def. Amy Donohoe (AUS) 12.00
Heat 7: Megan Abubo (HAW) def. Samantha Cornish (AUS)
Heat 8: Roseanne Hodge (ZAF) def. Silvana Lima (AUS)

Gilmore celebrates

Garcia Among Those Ousted at Pipeline Masters
Published: 8:20 p.m. PT by Me

Action continued at the Billabong Pipeline Masters today with many local surfers advancing and some major names being sent home. Among the departing are former world champ Sunny Garcia, Damien Hobgood, current Worl No. 10 Taylor Knox and top South African surfer Royden Bryson.

Among the surfers to advance were Kai Otton and Chris Ward, along with former event winner Jamie O'Brien.

Round three will feature Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, CJ Hobgood and other tour pros in action.

To watch the action live, check out the event website

Melrose Checklist: Burton Store? Check. D.C. Store? Check.
Published: 1:41 a.m. PT by Me

About a week and a half ago we had the opening of the Burton Flagship store in Los Angeles, this time around we got that other giant of action sports, D.C. Shoes, opening up its store just a few blocks away. Though Burton opened its doors with a party in full on Hollywood style (I mean Amanda Bynes showed up, c'mon) D.C.'s opening seems much more subdued (unless a party is planned soon) though the store itself obviously isn't. See what we mean as Bobby Hundreds, owner of streetwear brand The Hundreds, stopped by the DC Shop (which is also blocks away from his shop) and snapped some photos which can be viewed over at The Hundreds blog here.

Photo courtesy of The Hundreds

Thrasher Gets Inside The Actors Studio-ey With Marc Johnson
Published: 1:20 a.m. PT by Me

If you're too poor or too lazy to go pick up the latest issue of Thrasher (or both) especially after watching "Fully Flared" (amazing, amazing video by the way) and especially after hearing that Marc Johnson has been named Thrasher's Skater Of The Year for 2007 then you're in luck (even when you probably don't deserve any luck) because Thrasher has put up their Marc Johnson interview from the January 2008 issue up on its site. The interview starts out in pretty personal territory forgoing the direct skateboard questions and looking more at Marc's outlook on the "Big Picture" which is carried over into even the skate questions (check out his answer to the question, "How much of your progression on a skateboard is terrain dependent?"). Actually, outside of the questions about the Lakai team itself, the interview never really gets specific but stays on a trajectory that leads to this final question/topic: "Describe the universe as you see it."

For the whole Marc Johnson Interview check the link here. And keep in mind when you read it that the interview was done prior to the release of Fully Flared and prior to him knowing he was named Skater Of The Year (they'll be getting at him for the actual SOTY issue).

Jake Brown's 15 Minutes Of Mainstream Fame Isn't Up Yet
Published: 1:01 a.m. PT by Me

Earlier this year within the span of a few minutes Jake Brown became one of the world's most famous skateboarders due to his now-ubiquitous X Games slam. With broken bones in tow Brown found his way onto shows such as Larry King Live shortly after the fall to talk about the Knievel-like (R.I.P.) experience. Well the Today Show decided to invite him down to their Rockefeller Square studios to get a quick update on him post X Games Dubai (where he placed 7th this past weekend).

And when I wrote quick I meant quick, Brown's time on air was only about a minute long, but as sort of like a make-up NBC also interviewed him post-camera time where they get more details (though still pretty short) on his recovery, what his plans are next, and just more about him in general. Check the interview with Brown including links to the televised interview (did he say he was checking out Meredith Viera's ass on air?) at MSNBC.

The Holy Grail Of Graffiti?
Published: 12:55 a.m. PT by Me

Though this isn't something directly related to what we usually cover I figure it might interest some of you art/graffiti heads. According to an AP story the owners of a historic SoHo loft have discovered hidden in its space a historic wall of graffiti that features the work of renowned artists (yes artists) Jean-Michel Basquiat, Futura 2000, and Fab 5 Freddy (who was a graffiti legend before he became the well-known host of 'Yo! MTV Raps'). Apparently the graffiti wall had been long rumored to be in existence despite no concrete (no pun intended) details of its location, and it was only discovered after developers that own the 10-story building that houses it were in the process of converting the building into luxury condos (read rich people homes). The graffiti is thought to have been created on the wall when that area of the building served as a loft to art critic Edit deAk in the late 70s and early 80s. After discovering the wall the developers (luckily they're culturally sensitive people) stopped construction and started work on preserving it which has allowed it to be unveiled publically this week at a gallery show in the same building's Gallery 151. The developers further plan to donate the wall to a major museum (amazing considering the prices Basquiat's work alone go for) after the exhibit.

To read more about the graffiti wall including more of the history behind the wall check out the AP report here.

LG Action Sports Championships On TV and Birdhouse's Tour On Video
Published: 12:33 a.m. PT by Me

Forget a 5-second delay the LG Action Sports World Championship is looking at a 1-month delay as finally the event is hitting the air courtesy of CBS and Spike TV. The event will be pieced up and aired as 18 separate episodes starting from this past weekend all the way into January. If you don't remember the Championships was an event (***SPOILER ALERT***) that saw Pierre-Luc Gagnon take Skate Vert, Rodolfo Ramos win Skate Street, Jamie Bestwick take BMX Vert, and Morgan Wade come in 1st in BMX Street. Also part of the program will be the live musical performances from Kanye West, Ludacris and others that took place at the Championships in Dallas. For details on the broadcast including airtimes check the link here.

Oh yeah in other Event-to-Video news check out the teaser Birdhouse has released for "The Beginning Tour" which made the rounds througout our country earlier this year. As usual the footage contains some nice skating and usual tour mayhem (is that Klein skating in an Abu Gharaib outfit?) so check it out here:

 

Quiksilver Pays $65,000 For Moustaches
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Me

As a follow up to something we mentioned a little while ago, it looks like the Quiksilver Foundation helped raise $65,000 "Movember" Prostate Cancer Initiative. The initiative had members of the Quiksilver family (surfers, employees, etc.) vow to not shave their moustaches ("mo" in Aussie slang) for a whole month with family & friends sponsoring them monetarily for the occasion, with even Kelly Slater and Quiksilver CEO Bob McKnight taking part. As part of the closing ceremony for "Movember" Quiksilver hosted a wrap-up party with awards like "Best Mo" being handed out. For more on Quiksilver's great gesture check the Movember wrap up announcement here.

December 12, 2007

Scott Snook, R.I.P.
Published: 5:16 p.m. PT by Me

From our friends over at Redline Bicycles comes this sad news:

For all of those who knew Scott Snook; whether it be as famed ABA track operator of Emerald Valley BMX in Eugene, national announcer, promoter of Oregon’s Governor Cup, or owner of national-race-vendor R&C, as well as the graffiti-inspired Bomber number plates – the sport has lost one of its finest promoters.

Scott’s long history with BMX racing in his state virtually made him the "Godfather of Oregon BMX." As an ABA National announcer throughout the mid-80’s to late 90’s, many of his famous "snook’isms" are still used today.

Scott passed away on Tuesday, December 11th – after a long battle with his illness.

For more info on his services – or to send condolences, please contact the Lovegrove family at: RhonaLovegrove@aol.com

The BMX world will truly miss him; NW BMX racing would not be what it is today without his decades of dedication to the sport.

Travis Rice Victorious At Nissan X Trail Jam 2007 In Tokyo
Published: 1:45 p.m. PT by Me

Oops we're a little late on this but still it's definitely worth mentioning that the second TTR SIX(6)STAR event of the 07/08 season wrapped up this weekend with the Nissan X-Trail Jam in Tokyo. The event featured lots of top riders grasping at both a piece of the $150,000 total purse as well as the all-important TTR points. After a weekends worth of riding Travis Rice came out the overall winner with a 1st place showing in the quarterpipe event as well as a 2nd place finish in the Big Air event which saw him throw down landed three variations of a double cork. The winner of the Big Air competition was Finland's Risto Mattila whose win helped propel him to the Silver in the overall event standing. Despite their finishes Rice and Mattila though are still behind in the TTR Rankings (currently No. 21 and 20 respectively in the rankings). Meanwhile overall TTR leader was able to fend off Kevin Pearce, who after winning the Air & Style in Munich last month finished 4th in Tokyo, and remain atop the standings.

For more on the Nissan X Trail Jam 2007 in Tokyo check out the official recap here.

Andy Irons Dominates Round 1 Of Pipeline Masters; Competition On Hold For Today
Published: 11:46 a.m. PT by Me

After a days worth of action yesterday that saw Andy Irons impressive return to the Vans Triple Crown and Adrian Buchan's defeat of Kelly Slater, The Billabong Pipeline Masters is off today due to small surf.

As mentioned yesterday featured a completion of Round 1 action where a newly married Andy Irons reinserted himself into the Vans Triple Crown conversation with a event high score of 17.50 that boosted him straight into Round 4 (all first place finishers and the top 8 second place finishers in Round 1 heats at Pipeline get a direct line to Round 4). The defending Triple Crown winner Irons had been AWOL from the O'neill World Cup Of Surfing two weeks ago in order to get married, but with his Round 1 score at Pipeline he's looking to end his WCT year on a high note.

While Irons pulled off the event's highest score for a heat Aussie Adrian Buchan came through with the event's highest single wave score with a 9.63 in Heat 6 of Round 1 which was good enough to push Kelly Slater into Round 3 action (the middle 16 finishers at Round 1 head to Round 3 while the last 16 finishers head to Round 2 to face HPSU qualifiers). Buchan had re-qualified himself for the 2008 Dream Tour after the first two legs of the Triple Crown so he was riding some personal momentum when he faced Slater.

Also of note in Round 1 action was Mick Fanning finishing 2nd in his Round 1 heat, though it was a high enough finish to jump straight into Round 4. Though he's already clinched the World Title Fanning is also in the hunt for the Triple Crown as he's currently 3rd in the race. Currently the frontrunner in the Triple Crown Race is Bede Durbidge who kept himself ahead of the pack with a first place finishe in his Round 1 heat where he faced the likes of Freddy Patacchia and Mark Occhilupo.

For more on yesterday's Round 1 action check the official recap here including full results, and again keep in mind that today's action has been called off due to conditions.



Sheckler & Nixon Sasses Up Christmas
Published: 1:55 a.m. PT by Cary

Man, most company Christmas parties I've ever been to involve boredom, long conversations with Richie from the administrative department about his love of fish tacos, some form of karaoke, and me thinking of excuses to leave early (best excuse yet: that my chlamydia was acting up). But this isn't the experience of most people, especially riders for Nixon Watches as attested to by the photos from Nixon's annual Christmas party that Plan B has posted up on their blog (a damn near majority of Plan B skaters are sponsored by Nixon). You'll get what I mean when you see Pat Duffy at the company poker table or Ryan Sheckler admiring the gigantic Foreman grill Decenzo won, as opposed to what I saw at my last company Christmas party: Bradley from the IT Department lick prime rib au jus off co-worker Aaron's barbed wire tattoo. Check out better times at better places (Christmas at Nixon Watches) here.

Video Roundup
Published: 1:30 a.m. PT by Me

• Emerica's put up video from their Simi Valley demo that happened last month. The clip features skating from Andrew Reynolds, Leo Romero, Kevin Long and others from the Emerica team hitting up an Active built course, you can check out the clip here.

• The resurgent Rasa Libre has released a teaser on Youtube featuring skating from their whole team including Kenny Reed, Matt Field, and Mike Daher. Check out the Rasa Libre (that's Spanish I believe) here.

• Bones Wheels (which sponsors Ryan Sheckler, Ronnie Creager, Adam Dyet, and others) has a multiple clips up of their jaunt through the west. Most of the clips feature their Ams (particulary John White) hitting up random spots in Arizona. You can check out the clips at their blog here.

• Matix has recently put up some clips of their European skaters hitting up South Bank in London. The footage is on a smoothed out black and white tip (kinda like Color Me Badd), check it out here.

• As a follow up to a clip we mentioned awhile ago of the Roxy Snowboard team having a bad day, Roxy his put up the opposite clip of the girls having a good day, fully equipped with DIY special effects and plenty of riding. Watch "A Good Day with the Roxy Girls" right here.

• Finally why don't you see what it's like shopping at a swap meet with Sunny Garcia.

More Berrics Coverage: Steve Berra Interiew
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Me

Falling in line with the seemingly never-ending, but truly-deserved, Berrics coverage comes an in-depth, and I mean in-depth, interview with the man who puts the "Ber(r)" in The Berrics, Steve Berra. The interview was conducted by 48 blocks in anticipation of the opening of The Berrics site and as I mentioned twice above the interview is in-depth. In it Berra gives readers the complete lowdown on things like the events that led to the building of The Berrics, what he think of critics of the manufactured skate spot aspect of The Berrics (who are these critics?), what his current relationship with acting/movie making is, and even his religion, Scientology (he goes into pretty full detail about it). Check it out, it's a damn good interview.

Why Does Laird Hamilton Have To Be Such A Good Man? Part 2
Published: 12:50 a.m. PT by Me

Looks like surfer/hero/incredibly-lucky- husband Laird Hamilton is trying to broaden his horizons and start his own clothing line, and he's taking the Stephon Marbury route by hooking up with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch a low-cost surf and skate collection called Wonderwall. Having grown up in a single-mother household Hamilton aware of the financial hardships some families face and is thus seeking to help out lower-income families with the launch of Wonderwall which will offer all its items at a price of $14.99 or less. So far Wonderwall will start off with a 200-item collection that will include t-shirts, board shorts, woven shirts, cargo shorts, accessories and much more.

As mentioned above Steve & Barry's gained a lot of notoriety with their partnership with basketball player Stephon Marbury's award- winning Starbury shoe line which line started to offer customers a high-quality but low-price alternative to the well- known brand name shoes (which as everyone knows is usually made with sweatshop labor and has an insane price-to-cost ratio). Others who have launched similar low-priced lines at Steve & Barry's include Sex And The City actress Sarah Jessica Parker, actress Amanda Bynes, tennis star Venus Williams, and basketball star Ben Wallace. For more on the launch of Wonderwall check the official announcement here, and kudos to Hamilton for this effort.

The San Francisco Skate Club
Published: 12:33 a.m. PT by Me

The San Francisco Chronicle has done a cool little feature on the San Francisco Skate Club, a youth program dedicated to help mentor Bay Area kids from the age of 8 to 13 in the world of skateboarding. The program, which runs four times a year (four weekends a piece), was started by skaters Shawn Connelly, 31, and Thuy Nguyen, 28, in an effort to help youth learn about skateboarding, inside and out.

A weekend schedule for the Club (which goes from 10am to 5:30pm every other Saturday) usually involves meet-and-greets with local skateboard industry heads who through well thought out Q&A session seek to help the kids learn more about the industry aspect of skateboarding (past guests have included Keith Hufnagel, designer Benny Gold, videographer Mickey Cruez). Along with this there is also the skating that the Club does each weekend of course, with trips to area skateparks (not necessarily only those in San Francisco) where the kids not only get to visit new spots but also get taught tricks by guest pros as well as the program leaders. All of this is wrapped up at the end of the weekend with a kind of pow-wow session where the kids can express what they've learned as well as do random skate-related stuff (I'm guessing some video watching is sometimes involved). The S.F. Skate Club also works in partnership with the HealThier Foundation which provides scholarships to underserved Bay Area youth for health and life skills activities.

The total cost for the four-week session is $340 (plus an insurance fee of $25) and from the sounds of it is 100% worth it. For more details on the S.F. Skate Club including contact details check out the Chronicle's feature here.

Random News & Notes
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Me

• Gravis Footwear has signed one of the best female snowboarders out to there team, Hanna Teter. It's worth noting that Teter (who will be seen next at this weeks Chevy Grand Prix in Breckenridge) is now the only female on Gravis' Snowboard team, which shows you how much they respect her riding. For the official announcement from Gravis check the link here.

• Plan B Am Scott Decenzo has attached himself to Momentum Wheels where he'll join his Plan B compatriot Jereme Rogers. Scott was previously sponsored by Bones Wheels. Check out the obligatory congratulations ad Momentum put up here.

• Apparently WCT rookie Josh Kerr is planning to quit the World Tour after this week's Pipeline Masters (the last event of the 2007 WCT season). Kerr (who is currently #35 in the rankings) says he's quitting because he feels the "Dream Tour" is a little to stiffling in terms of what he wants to do as a surfer and that he isn't allowed to surf as freely as he wants while competing. This has always been an issue when it comes to sports like surfing, skating, and snowboarding which makes Kerr's decision totally understandable. But here's to hoping Kerr, who's only 23, will make it back on the Tour someday and get a piece of that huge financial pie the ASP's got. For more on Kerr's decision including words straight from the horse's mouth check the official announcement here.

• And finally as part of the monthly bikini quota (a completely self-imposed quota), Transworld Surf has announced its Miss November, and it's Heather Rosenthal (as if you know her anyways) from San Clemente, California. Rosenthal (pictured) claims to be a regular at San Onofre and that in the future she hopes to become a...ah what the hell here's the link to photos of her plus the other Miss November contestants.

Older Archive: December 12 - December 6, 2007