Quick Hits Archive: March 16-22, 2007
Apr 19 2007 / Los Angeles, CAMarch 22, 2007
Dew Tour Nominated for Emmy
Published: 1:11 p.m. PT by Me
Yep, you heard right, the Dew Action Sports Tour (now called the ASPT Dew Tour) has been nominated for a Sports Emmy. the nod comes in the "Outstanding Broadband - Long Form" category. Don't ask me what that means, but it's a nomination. The Dew Tour is up against:
- The Real Frozen Tundra - Barrow, Alaska - ESPN.com
- Football In Chicago - ChicagoTribune.com/Chicago Tribune
- Vintage Baseball - MLB.com
No contest to me.
No nominations for the X Games (Booo!) but 10 for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino. ESPn led all nets with 26 nominations, followed by 24 for NBC and 16 for HBO (five of which were for "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel").
Here's a list of all nominees.
New Treatment For Surfer's Ear
Published: 1:04 a.m. PT by Me
Okay, I guess you need to be a surfer to appreciate this, and it's not something I was totally aware of, but there's this malady called surfer's ear that can afflict those who live their life in water more than out.
What happens is exposure to cold water causes bone to grow in your ear canal. Let me repeat that: bone grows in your ear canal. And they way they normally treat this? With a DRILL! Damn.
Now, a Santa Cruz, CA, doctor has come up with another treatment.
Instead of a drill (in your EAR), she uses a little chisel. Much better.
Seems like it works, though -- she's getting a lot of surfers coming to her to experience relief. Good for them. You're not putting a drill, chisel, or any other shiny metal object in my ear.
Female Pro Surfer Mauled By Shark!Published: 12:44 a.m. PT by Me
Heh, I bet that got your attention... So here's the story, Australian surfer Jodi Cooper (pictured, in an undated photo), who was once ranked as the No. 2 women surfer in the world, was attacked by a shark while surfing near her home.
The shark bit her on her hand, tearing off "a couple of knuckles" and leaving deep cuts. More interesting was how 42-year-old Cooper handled the situation.
"It just came up from underneath me and just bit me - just like in the movies, it's pretty classic, except lucky it was small shark, a little five-foot thing," she said.
Um, yeah - just five feet.
"There doesn't appear to be any ligament damage ... and I can sort of wiggle my hand," she went on to say. "I'll give it a couple of days and then I'll go surfing for sure."
Aussie women. Tough as nails. Read it.
Phoenix AM is Coming
Published: 12:24 a.m. PT by Me
If you live in or near Phoenix, you should go check out the Phoenix AM this weekend. Here's more info
I've been to this skate park before -- it's pretty cool. Check out the course pictures, too
Cops v. Skaters in Charleston
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Me
Video of a cop shoving a skateboarder in Charleston is getting some people bent. A skateboarder was on a seating area near a fountain when a police office shoved him over into a headge.
The skateboarder wasn't hurt, but people are questioning why the cop hasn't been punished and why he isn't focusing on more important things like, say, murders and rapes.
There's only one skate park in the city limits, and one "exper" in the video clip says it's so small it's more like a skate "area." That sucks.
Read a story or check out the video here...
Headlines: All Surf All the Time
Published: 12:02 a.m. PT by Me
It's Thursday -- time for an all-surf edition of headlines.
- Transworld Business just posted its Surf Exposure-O-Meter™ : 2006 Year-End Award Extravaganza. Guys -- it's almost April. Who gives a crap? Same goes for the other meters... How we doing in 2007?
- A new movie, "Season of Surf," chronicles the surfing conditions during the 2005 hurrican season in Texas. Sounds crazy.
- Transworld Business has a very looooooooong article.about the state of Surfing America and the International Surfing Association (ISA). My take? Needs more pictures.
- I forgot to mention this - Jay "Bottle" Thompson Wins the Maitland Toyota Open. Congrats.
- The 16-year-old Aussie longboarder shows the old-timers how it's done.
March 21, 2007
Checking Out the "Stuntwood" Festival ScreeningPublished: 11:54 a.m. PT by Me
Lat34 was there at the free screening at Cinespace in Hollywood of "Stuntwood, The Birth, Life and Death of a Skateboard" that I mentioned here yesterday.
It was the March feature of the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival’s monthly series, which last month showed "Let it Ride" (about Craig Kelly). The film (which won Best Documentary at the X-Dance film festival earlier this year) drew fans of skateboarding and action sports, as well as industry insiders, and director Jeff Roe was on hand and mingled with people before and after the screening.
After the screening, Roe did a Q&A with Brian Wimmer X-Dance director (pictured, left, with Eric Barrett). Roe's team of producer Tatiana Bliss and director of photography Kara Stephens were also on hand, along with one of the film's featured subjects, Paul Schmitt, PS Stix President.
As for the movie, it tells the story of skateboarding through the lifecycle of the board itself. From maple forests to concrete streets, it shows how skateboarding affects all aspects of culture. You get to see how a skateboard is made then hear from riders about how skateboarding defines who they are and how it has changed their lives. Riders include Bob Burnquist, Sean Cliver, Jeremy Fish, Tommy Guerrero, Ocean Howell, Bryce Kanights, Paul Schmitt, Ryan Sheckler and Kristian Svitak. ‘Stuntwood’ was financed by FUELTV for $100K as part of FUEL’s new film makers series and took Roe five months to make.
Each month the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival screens the best new action sports films free to the public at Cinespace. We'll let you know when April is announced!
Here's more about "Stuntwood" -
American Hardcore DVD Traces History of Punk
Published: 12:54 a.m. PT by Me
I really enjoyed this article MetalUnderground.com about the release of the DVD "American Hardcore." The site interviews director Paul Rackman and Steven Blush (on whose book it was based).
Worth the read is a small exchange at the end about whether or not they will be making a skateboarding movie at some point. Short answer -- no, they think it would be better for a skateboarder to tackle it and neither really considers themselves one.
Tony Hawk 2007 Boom Boom HuckJam DatesPublished: 12:35 a.m. PT by Me
I probably just missed it, but dates for the 2007 Boom Boom HuckJam tour have been announced.
If you live in one of these towns, get ready for Tony Hawk and his action sports spectacular to make your life worth living this summer!
- June 2-3, 2007 - Six Flags St. Louis/ St. Louis, MO
- June 5-6, 2007 - Six Flags Over Georgia/ Austell, GA
- June 9-10, 2007 - Six Flags Great America/ Chicago, IL
- June 13-14, 2007 - Six Flags New England/ Springfield, MA
- June 16-17, 2007 - Six Flags Great Adventure/ Jackson, NJ
BREAKING NEWS: Oakley Invents Greasless Glasses. Okay, Not Really.
Published: 12:12 a.m. PT by Me
Gotta love this blog: The OC Register's Gadgetress (yea, nice name) waxes poetically about Oakley's new Radar sunglasses, and how it can repel grease (and an apparent Sharpie) through the magic of Hydrophobia. Then she suggests we watch the accompanying video to see how it works.
Yeah, well, a couple of problems here. Number one, the video isn't there. Number two, as two quick comments below point out, Oakley's "invention" ain't quite that inventive.
"I'm getting a little tired of hearing about how Oakley says it "invents" stuff that they don't actually invent." wrote one poster. "Good quality sunglasses like Martini and Maui Jim have been using Hydrophobic and Oleophobic coatings on their lenses for at least 8 years."
Yeah good point! You tell her, comment guy...
Ummm, what does Hydrophobic mean?
Okay, well, if you have $150, you, too, can be the proud owner of a pair of Radar glasses from Oakley...
Headlines: Surf, Snow and Ellen DeGeneres
Published: 12:07 a.m. PT by Me
Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. Right behind Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
- Snowboarders -- it hasn't ended with the US Open -- Last Call with Eastern Boarder keeps the fun alive in New Hampshire.
- Usually big waves are good for a surf competition. Not in this case.
- It's happened again. A 12-year-old dies while doing Motocross.
- Landing the Dew Tour could mean as much as $2.8 million in economic impact for the city.. Judging from what I see on "The Wire" that town could use every penney!
- HostelBookers.com wants you to know that it knows the Rip Curl Pro is coming up on April 3. Thanks HostelBookers.com. Now if I could only find a place to say in Bells Beach...
- Kelly Slater have a fling with a model? Of course not!
- You want some more Slater? How about this recap of the celebrity race he took art in -- he placed third.
- This sneaker artist has big dreams of getting Ellen DeGeneres to wear her shoes. Okay, good luck with that..
March 20, 2007
Stuntwood Gets X-Dance Screening Treatment
Published: 12:05 p.m. PT by Me
Hey - if you're in the L.A. area, you won't want to miss the special screening of "Stuntwood, The Birth, Life and Death of a Skateboard" at CineSpace tonight at 8 p.m. -- and best of all, it's FREE!
Show up by 7 p.m. for the best possible seat.
It's all part of the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival's Hollywood Screening Series. Find out more about it here.
And for more X-Dance, check out our full coverage.
Baltimore Officially Awarded Dew Tour's Panasonic Open
Published: 11:35 p.m. PT by Me
The ASPT Dew Tour's Panasonic Open, happening in June, is officially coming to Baltimore. The announcement was made this morning in the city with skate Bucky Lasek, a Baltimore native, on hand.
Over the last few days word had leaked that Louisville would not see a return of the Dew Tour and Baltimore was the next stop, but it wasn't official until today.
Read more about it here.
Hundreds Come to Mourn Shane Cross
Published: 11:12 p.m. PT by Me
Hundreds of mourners turned out for skateboarder Shane Cross's funeral last week in Friends and family from inside and outside the skating world turned out to say goodbye to the 20-year-old, who was killed in a motorcycle accident earlier this month.
Check out the whole story.
Louisville Loses Dew Tour but Skate Park Gets Shade
Published: 1:04 a.m. PT by Me
Yeah, it doesn't quite seem like a good trade-off does it? Well, for those skaters who us Louisville's world-famous Extreme Park, which features a 24-foot-long full pipe, it's been a long time coming.
The city of Louisville is finally installing a shade structure at the park, which can get blazing hot in the summer. As anyone who has been to Louisville during the summer months knows (yep, been there, done that), the humidity along with the sun are a pretty rough combo.
So skaters will finally get some relief when one, and possibly two (if cost permits) structures are built.
The park was built in 2002 for $2.5 million, but restrooms and drinking fountains weren't initially included and were later added.
All I have to say -- finally! Read more.
This 7-Year-Old Girl Skates Better Than You. Really...Published: 12:32 a.m. PT by Me
I have been meaning to post something about this story, which was submitted by one of the members of Lat34's social network The34th -- it's about a girl, Alize Montes, who is only seven yet is throwing it down better than most adults. There are some great pics and sequences from the Block in Orange, CA. And from what I see, this girl looks like the real thing!
March 19, 2007
Slater, Machado to Appear in "Surf's Up" GamePublished: 2:58 p.m. PT by Me
Kelly Slater and Rob Machado are going to be showing up in the new video game based on the upcoming June film "Surf's Up," which is all about surfing penguins. The two are also in the film, and their appearance in the game may be limited to clips from the film.
Penguins are hot stuff, with "Happy Feet" making bundles of money last year. That follows another big penguin hit, "March of the Penguins." Still, I don't know if this artcile was completely accurate in calling "Surf's Up," which hits theaters in about three months, a "blockbuster." No offense, but who the hell needs more penguins?
Read more.
Snowboarding is Dead
Published: 2:22 p.m. PT by Me
So says some marketing dweeb from a resort in Wisconsin (they have resorts there?).
"Snowboarding is dead. It's totally passe. Skiing is red hot again. It's a shift back to more of the sport's roots, but with new technology tuned in."
Um, whatever. If you care, you can read more here.
Koston Wins Tampa Pro; Janoski Best TrickPublished: 12:45 a.m. PT by Me
Congrats to Eric Koston on winning the Tampa Pro 2007 this weekend -- he beat out a field including Jereme Rogers (#2) and Paul Rodriguez (#3). Koston took home $20K, while Rogers got $15K and Rodriguez $10K. PLG took home Saturday's vert final.
Stefan Janoski took home best trick for his switch flip crooked grind on the rail
Get all results and read all about it with some Koston video here.
Shaun White Headed into Space?
Published: 12:22 a.m. PT by Me
So Shaun White may not actually get up into space, but he's going to go up to 40,000 and experience weightlessness courtesy of NASA and one of his (unidentified) sponsors, according to the NY Times.
The most interesting part of this story, to me, is not just White but the fact that he will be joining six other athletes, representing five action sports. Who are these other six? Why aren't they mentioned?
I searched back and forth trying to find out who these people are with no luck -- if anyone out there knows who it is, officially starts at 62 miles up and then take a series of dips that will lead to about 30 second spurts of weightlessness. You know how that works -- you've seen those "Girl's Gone Wild: Ultimate Rush" previews!
So more on this as soon as I track down those other athletes.
Aussie Bra Boys Savor Success
Published: 12:05 p.m. PT by Me
A documentary about the Bra Boys, an Australian "surf gang," is gaining rave reviews. Narratted by Russell Crowe, the film is codirected and written by bro Sunny Abberton, and had its premiere in Sydney, Australia, this weekend.
The red carpet did have an interesting cross-section of people, including swimming champ Ian Thorpe, singer/model Nikki Webster and Crowe himself.
The focus of the film, the Abberton brothers, were born into poverty and squalor to a heroin-addicted mother, and have three different fathers. Yet, Sunny is a pro surfer while Koby is one of the world's top big-wave riders.
Read more about the premiere and check out the official website.
No word on a US release date at this time -- maybe DVD will be the only way folks here will check it out.
Headlines: Women's Moto, BMX Wannabes, Snowboardcross
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Me
See, I promised some more headlines for Monday -- and I never lie.
- We talked about had bad NZ was for Motocross riders lately, but a NZ woman, Katherine Prumm, scores two wins at the Australian Women's Motocross Championships.
- Check out the story of a couple of Canadian teens trying to get to the 2008 Olympics in BMX.
- Hey, did you know final World Cup snowboardcross race of the season happened this weekend. Sure you did.
March 18, 2007
Motocross Lovers: Stay Out of New Zealand
Published: 10:45 p.m. PT by Me
Okay, I'm not a superstitious guy, but this story gave me pause. Sure there are accidents and deaths (unfortunately), but how many times have you heard about three happening in the space of 24 hours.
That's what happened in New Zealand Sunday. The strangest thing is that two cousins were killed when they collided on a homemade track -- and these weren't complete amateurs. They were wearing protective gear and known to be above average riders. Hours later, an 18-year-old was killed in a quadbike rice at a speedway.
So maybe put any trip any NZ to hold -- or at least stay off the bike while you're there.
Headlines: Aaron Fotheringham, Anthony Napolitan and VolcomPublished: 10:24 p.m. PT by Me
Okay - got some headlines for you to close out Sunday. I got a few more coming to you Monday.
- We love this kid: the AP does a story on Aaron Fotheringham.
- Boroletto, Baum win at South Africa's Volcom Stone Age Champs.
- Check out some cool video and photos of Anthony Napolitan in a Las Vegas session.
March 17, 2007
Big Air Finals Canceled at US Open of Snowboarding
Published: 5:23 p.m. PT by Me
Breaking news -- the Big Air finals from the Burton US Open of Snowboarding have been canceled due to weather (high winds).
Sniff! No Travis Rice to fly through the air. This means the webcast Lat34 was going to do at 11 p.m. tomorrow is similarly canceled, though we will be showing the Halfpipe Finals starting at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday morning...
White Wins US Open Halfpipe, Open Series & TTR Titles Published: 3:29 p.m. PT by Me
Shaun White (pictured with Pat Moore at the Zumiez 100K Party) is the halfpipe winner of the US Open of Snowboarding. With the win (and yesterday's third-place Slopestyle finish) he also took over the TTR title and the Global Open Series title.
A bit overshadowed in all this was Kelly Clark's triumphant return to the top of the podium as winner of the women's halfpipe. Read more.
Why We Still Love Commercials
Published: 10:54 a.m. PT by Me
Say what you will, commercials still give a lot of people a great way to show off their mad skills -- usually in an artistic way, though. Here are some commercials I have seen recently (some already featured here).
- I like this one that shows someone using a Nissan as a skateboard
- This PES clip for Sneaux is just super cool. See it to believe it.
- You may know this Jeep commercial featuring Tony Hawk, but I like the appearance of David Loy.
ASP News
Published: 10:22 a.m. PT by Me
Notes from the ASP's latest newsletter (you can sign up at the ASPWorldTour website).
- Surfers Jake Paterson (recently retired), Tom Whitaker (on the tour) and Luke Munro (tour rookie) apparently went fishing after Mick Fanning's win at the Quik Pro at Snapper Rocks and found themselves in trouble after their motorboat died. They were stuck miles off shore with no radio but at least a cell phone, which got a text message to Joel Parkinson, who alerted the Coast Guard of the problem. All are well.
- Congrats to tour rookie Josh Kerr and his wife Nicole on their new daughter Sierra, born mere days before the Quiksilver Pro kicked off. They join other surfers who have had newborns recently, including Mick and Amanda Lowe (Samuel Phillip), Troy and Leanne Brooks (Bodie) and Mark and Mae Occhilupo (Jonah). Those expecting include Greg and Chante Emslie and Joel and Monica Parkinson.
Some Headlines For Today
Published: 9:37 a.m. PT by Me
Here are a few headlines from across the world -- hope everyone's having a good Saturday.
- Check out this interview with FMXer Mat Rebeaud in advance of the Red Bull X-Fighters next week.
- A newspaper in Louisville is saying the Dew Tour is not coming back this year to the city. There is a press conference on Tuesday from the ASPT Dew Tour that should make things official.
- Mick Fanning Out at the Maitland Toyota Open -- the WQS event continues.
March 16, 2007
Rice, Anderson Win US Open Slopestyle
Published: 2:22 a.m. PT by Me
Wow - did you catch the live webcast of the US Open of Snowboarding Slopestyle Finals? We had them right here on Lat34.com -- fun stuff.
Anyways, it was Travis Rice's day as he took the finals over competitors like Shaun White. Jamie Anderson took the women's title.
Read the full story And don't miss the US Open webcast tomorrow!
A Few Headlines For Now!
Published: 4:37 a.m. PT by Me
Here are a few headlines to keep you happy until a little later! Should have a bunch of news today with the US Open underway, as well!
- This is just awful. Five-year-old killed in Motocross accident. There's no good result in this sort of situation.
- Check out Scotty Cranmer in a new Felt ad. Cool
- This SF blogger ranks the best skate parks.
