Quick Hits Archive: September 13 - September 19, 2007

Sep 27 2007 / Los Angeles, CA

September 19, 2007

DC Moto Releases New Video With Pastrana, Adams, Carmichael, McGrath
Published: 1:22 p.m. PT by Greg

Hot off the presses: DC continues to pump up its Moto offerings -- we told you about the launch of its TeamWorks line last month -- by releasing a new video featuring the team showing off the goods.

The vid features Travis Pastrana, Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath and Nate Adams talking about one another and the gear they have. Has some nice action shots and lots of interviews, which I actually liked. Specifically, Pastrana and Adams talking about one another.

Pastrana, always the humble one, says of Adams, "Nate Adams... by far he's the best freestyle rider in the world... he's really the first person who came into freestyle a freestyler."

Nice. Nate, your thoughts on being called the best freestyle rider in the world?

"Pastrana's obviously a crowd favorite and a showman and he does so many things. It kind of makes me mad," Nate said. "I practice freestyle all year and he does ten different things and can still show up to a freestyle contest and still beat me. It makes me mad."

Doh!

Watch the video below. Check out the DC website at www.dcshoes.com for more about DC Moto TeamWorks.

DC Moto TeamWorks Podcast


Sheckler Tat Generator
Published: 2:19 a.m. PT by Greg

Speaking of Surf Expo (see item below), the guys at Skatepark of Tampa, who produced the Volcom event, always take great photos and Surf Expo is no exception. But there was one that caught my eye of a little ryan sheckler tat envy (okay, maybe not envy) that I pulled part of below (see all the photos).

Turns out there is a Sheckler Tat Generator where you can imprint young Mr. Sheckler with any written word you'd like. It's hilarious. Check it out...


Volcom Big Gig AM Results
Published: 12:40 a.m. PT by Greg

We told you about Rune Glifberg winning the Volcom Big Gig Mini Ramp Contest on Saturday at Surf Expo in Florida. Well, we are reminded that we didn't give you the AM results from Sunday. So here you go:

Results of the Am contest on Sunday
1. Mark Clements - $500
2. George Evans - $400
3. Chris Lehman - $300
4. Dustin Blauvelt - $200
5. Dalton Dern - $100
6. Josh Folley - $100
7. Shawn Hale - $100
8. Alex Brunelle - $100
9. Timmy Knuth - $100
10. Jordan Price - $100

Check out a couple of photos below from Volcom plus some video, too.  Click here for more...




Element Demo/AM Contest in Torrance
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

Element's got a pretty interesting event coming up in Torrance, CA on Sept. 29 at the Del Amo Mall. There will be an AM Contest with the winner receiving a year's supply of boards. The contest will be followed by a team demo featuring Chad Muska, Tosh Townend, Tony Tave, Ray Barbee, Chad Tim Tim and more, along with a team signing inside the Beachworks store.

Click here for more or see the flier below.

September 18, 2007

Behind the Scenes at the Surfer Poll Awards
Published: 3:22 a.m. PT by Greg

We were all over the Surfer Poll & Video Awards last week with a huge photo gallery and a recap of the show. But one thing we definitely were not was backstage. But that's what we have Ben Marcus for, who was backstage and gave us glimpse into what some of the craziness was like from back there.

Here's what Ben had to tell us:

In 1996 I dreamed up the Surfer Magazine Surf Video Awards, as a way to sort through all the dozens of surf videos, movies and DVDs produced every year, and whittle it all down to the best of the best. The first show went off at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, and it was a huge success.

The Video Awards were a lot of work every year, and I directed and helped edit them for four years, from 1996 to 2000. After leaving Surfer, Jesse Schlunz took over and the show has now blown up into a big night, held in front of thousands at the Grove in Anaheim. Fuel TV broadcasts the show and there is also a webcast.

I went to the Surfer Poll and Video Awards this year with some friends, because I told them backstage was always the most fun place to be. I had helped put together the intro clips for Brock Little to present the Heavy Water award, and a grateful Surfer staff flowed me four yellow bracelets that allowed all acces..

This year, it was the most fun place to be and hear are some photos I took in between clapping and whistling – and shielding my wahine’s eyes from the Naked Guy.

And here is his great gallery with captions. Check out a tease below.


We're Still Watching "Life of Ryan"
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

We hope you appreciate the fact that we're still watching "Life of Ryan" so that you don't have to. We have completely given up any hope that this show will feature skating. Of course, next week will be the X Games episode so we'll have to watch that and see if we're in the background.

Anyway, this week Ryan struggles with landing a girlfriend. He might hit some paydirt but it comes at a price with his younger brother, Kane, being left out.

Read the recap and then check out the photo gallery from the episode.

September 17, 2007

Poker Tourney to Benefit Chris Ackerman, Stephen Murray
Published: 1:29 a.m. PT by Greg

Before Stephen Murray and Tara Llanes there was Chris Ackerman, the motorbike rider who broke his neck in 2003 at the age of 21. Ackerman wasn't a pro, but still heavily involved in the Metal Mulisha, which has put on poker tournaments to help raise money for The Chris Ackerman Trust. Ackerman was also featured in Brian Deegan's recent film "Disposable Hero,"

This year the 3rd Annual Chris Ackerman Poker Tournament will take place on Friday, Sept. 21, in Lake Elsinore (see a flier below). This year's event will also raise money for Stephen Murray's Family Foundation.

There will be a FMX demo and among those scheduled to appear are Brian Deegan, Todd Potter, X Games winner Kyle Loza, Ronnie Renner and more. Additionally athletes will sign autographs and there will be a silent auction. The specific details about the poker tourney are that it has a $40 buy in plus a $20 re-buy. Tourney starts at 7:30 p.m. (demo is at 6:30 p.m.).

Visit http://www.chrisackermanpoker.com/schedule/ for more info.

If you want to donate to The Chris Ackerman Trust, send a check or money order to:

The Chris Ackerman Trust
24869 River Oak Ct.
Wildomar CA 92595

Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen on our Stephen Murray update page and visit www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com to donate to help Stephen and his family.

And if you're feeling charitable, maybe you would like to help out Tara Llanes, as well. To support Tara through donations of any type, visit the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery website. To get updates on her condition, check out our update page as well as Tara's MySpace page.



Some Sick Scotty Cranmer Video
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Greg

Speaking of BMX, check out some new video from Felt that shows Scotty doing a crazy front flip. Last year Cranmer was hot on the Dew Tour and this year he's not been much of a factor in contests (except the X Games) but as his videos always show, he's certainly still one of the best.

Check out the video on the FeltBMX site and you can also remix it on Jumpcut (just follow the link).

NORA Cup Will Honor the Best in BMX During Interbike
Published: 12:33 a.m. PT by Greg

Some details about the NORA Awards, which honors the Number One Rider in BMX (street, ramp, dirt, flat, race, and best video part, specifically). This year it will be held on Sept. 27, the second night of Interbike, and be hosted by TJ Lavin.

It's open to the public and put on by RideBMX, which has the riders choose the best among themselves. It will take place in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino -- which means no oneunder 21 allowed, kiddies.

Check out the flier below.


Mountain Dew Revamps Website: 'We're Not Just About Action Sports'
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg

Brandweek has a big long article about the relaunch of MountainDew.com, which positions the brand as more than just an action sports brand. How are they going to do that, exactly? Well, but copying everyone else of course.

According to the article, the site will try and succeed where sites like Coke.com and Bud.tv have failed, by interacting with the audience and asking for them to create user-generated content. Novel idea.

"The challenge is to show that we're not just about action sports," says Jason Thalappillil, interactive marketing manager at Pepsi-Cola North America.

Some of the "sports" apparently featured on the site are parkour and mountain unicycling. I say apparently because there's no way I will go to MountainDew.com to look for myself. Parkour? Please.

September 16, 2007

Rally Car Racer Colin McRae and Son Killed in Helicopter Crash
Published: 4:04 p.m. PT by Greg

Legendary rally car racer Colin McRae and his five-year-old son were killed yesterday when a helicopter McRae was piloting crashed near his home in Scotland. Two friends also in the helicopter were also killed.

McRae won the world championship in 1995 and placed second in the rally car race at X Games 12 last year to Travis Pastrana.

Read the full story here and you can see a Colin McRae photo gallery here.

PLG, Tabron Win in San Diego
Published: 2:10 a.m. PT by Greg

Okay, we've said it before and we will say it again. Whenever Shaun White and Jamie Bestwick do not compete, you'd better watch out for Pierre-Luc Gagnon and Simon Tabron. Well, lucky for those dudes White and Bestwick don't compete (yet) on the Action Sports World Tour, which came trucking into San Diego this weekend after opening up in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago (Guess who won there? Yep, you are right). Note to all you vert fans out there -- looks like Bucky Lasek just isn't the same skater he used to be since he got that knee surgery in June.

Anyway, here are the final results for Skate Vert and BMX Vert. Apparently there was some inline, but we honestly didn't sit around to watch.

VERT SKATE FINALS RESULTS
1.Pierre- Luc Gagnon
2.Rodrigo Menezes
3.Andy Macdonald
4.Bucky Lasek
5.Jean Postec
6.Elliot Sloan
7.Buster Halterman
8.Neal Hendrix
9.Alex Perelson
10.Danny Mayer

VERT BMX FINALS RESULTS
1.Simon Tabron
2.Steven McCann
3.John Parker
4.Koji Kraft
5.Jay Eggleston
6.Austin Coleman
7.Mike Mancuso
8.Danny Williams
9.Ben Snowden
10.Tom Stober
11.Tom Haugen
12.Tony Campos

Should have some nice photos coming soon...

Stephen Murray Update: An Update From Cynthia Murray
Published: 1:13 a.m. PT by Greg

Stephen Murray's mother is back in the UK after a visit with him in Denver. She has posted an update along with photos from her visit on BMXTalk.com:

Hi,

I am now back from Denver after an emotional week with Stephen. To carry on from my last posting Stephen had horrendous neck pain after his teeth extractions. His neck muscles locked and he had to have a sheepskin collar and heat massage to loosen up the muscles alongside his pain medication. He had a very sleepless night on Thursday and so Friday he was extremely tired and a bit down. He hadn't managed to do any physio or occupational therapy all week and it seemed as though he couldn't progress forwards at all.

However, he asked me to go and visit the children's hospital in Denver and organise with the co-ordinator on the oncology ward for goody bags of stickers/posters/videos to be sent to the children. This was a very humbling trip and we are organising it so I can deliver them on my next visit in October. I then went on to visit Tara Llanas at the Denver Health Clinic. Unfortunately I didn't see her as she had just come out of a second surgery but I did speak with ther Mum and good friend Polly for an hour or so. It looks as though she will be going to Criaig with Stephen in a couple of weeks when a bed becomes available. I gave Tara's mum Stephen's best wishes and told her that he was looking forward to competing in the gym against her!.

Over the last few days Stephen has started to get back to where he was a few weeks ago, prior to the developemnt of asthma, the lung infection and the wisdom teeth extractions. As you can imagine, this was a bit of a set back in his recovery but everything now appears to be under control and he is really motivated to work as hard at possible at getting off the vent.

I am so proud of my son for the way he has conducted himself throughout this tragic ordeal. He is a true Brit!

Please continue to give him your support. Not only Stephen but all the family appreciate it so much. It is surprising where you can gather strength from when you need to.

Thank you
Cynthia

You can see the photos Cynthia posted below with her captions.

Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen on our Stephen Murray update page and visit www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com to donate to help Stephen and his family.


Rune Glifberg Wins Volcom's Pro Mini-Ramp Jam at Surf Expo
Published: 12:42 a.m. PT by Greg

Rune Glifberg took another contest Friday, winning a Mini-Ramp Jam at Surf Expo put on Volcom. Full results below. There will be an AM contest today starting at 12 noon ET and it will be webcast live on Volcom.com.

Here are the results plus a couple of photos from Volcom following...

FInal Standings: Volcom Mini Ramp Jam
Sept. 15, 2007

1. Rune Glifberg - $10,000
2. Kyle Berard - $7,500
3. Mike Peterson - $5,000
4. Chet Thomas - $3,000
5. Remy Stratton - $2,000
6. Donny Barley - $1,500
7. Tyler Mumma - $1,000
8. Justin Strubing - $1,000
9. Will Powers - $1,000
10. Ben Schroeder - $1,000


Kelly Slater's on the Road to Domination
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg

We told you yesterday about Kelly Slater winning the Boost Mobile Pro and jumping to No. 2 in the Foster's ASP World Tour rankings right behind Mick Fanning. More importantly, perhaps, is that the win marked Slater's 34th career tour win, breaking his tie with former world No. 1 Tom Curren. It took Slater 16 months to break the tie. Curren's record stood for 16 years and at this time it looks like Slater is in good shape to hold on it for just as long or longer, especially since Slater doesn't seem like he's slowing down anytime soon.

Any way, we have a good recap of all the action from the finals right here and a photo galerye of action from throughout the entire event.

With four events to go, including the Quiksilver Pro in France starting on Sept. 20th, the race for the Foster's ASP title is on.

September 15, 2007

Slater Wins Boost Mobile Pro Over Sullivan
Published: 4:45 p.m. PT by Me

Kelly Slater has won the Boost Mobile Pro in Lower Trestles. The win over Hawaiian Pancho Sullivan thrusts Slater right back in the hunt for the Fosters ASP World Championship.

More on the win, including photos, coming soon!

THE FINALS
Kelly Slater (USA) 13.40 def. Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 10.60

BOOST MOBILE PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 15.24 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 5.33
SF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.83 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.33


Life is Good When You're Ryan Guettler
Published: 1:33 a.m. PT by Me

No doubt Ryan Guettler is one of our favorite BMX riders. No matter what he does, you know you're going to get a show. There is an update about what's going on in the next couple of week with Guettler on Colony BMX. Now, Dew Tour is no surprise, but Guettler in Vegas for Interbike? That's something that would be fun to follow...

Anyway, here's a shot of Ryan with his new pimped-out bike -- look for a similar model coming in '08 from MirraCo.


You Can Make a Living Skateboarding?
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Greg

Apparently the town of Silverdale in Washington is pretty small. It has about 15,000 residents and was settled way back in 1854. People there like to sit in their rocking chairs and watch the boats during the whaling festival.

The pride of Ketsap County, Silverdale is home to Kitsap High School where the Christian punk band MxPx formed. That's about it for this town.

So you can imagine how the locals react when one of the lads about town looks like he could actually be a pretty good skateboarder -- maybe good enough to go pro. Send out the reporter! Discuss the obvious!

Ah well, maybe 14-year-old Mikee O'Friel does have what it takes to be a star. But don't exactly look for him to "live fast die young"...

"I have to be getting A's and B's in school or the skateboarding goes away. C's are not good" he says in the article. "I want to go to college eventually and I know skating cannot be forever."

"My dad has made it clear that drugs and smoking and drinking would be the end of my skating days," he continues. "It goes on, but I stay away from it."

Well, maybe there's no Baker sponsorship in his near future. But Plan B's always looking!

Seriously, this kid rips as you can see in the video below. Maybe he's the next Curren Caples or Nyjah Huston. Well, they're younger so that doesn't quite work. Still, we're looking forward to seeing more of him.



Action Sports World Tour Hits San Diego
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

The Action Sports World Tour came barrelling into San Diego today with the start of a three day celebration. The first tow days will be the actual tour, with the third day celebrating the ladies with a "Supergirl Jam" featuring Skate and Snow and a show by the Donnas.

Today was the qualifying round of skate and BMX Vert except there weren't enough riders to eliminate and BMX riders so that didn't go down. The skate qualifiers went down and no surprise who led the charge:

1. Pierre-Luc-Gagnon
2. Rodrigo Menezes
3. Andy Macdonald

PLG seems to be dominating any contest that doesn't include Shaun White. Much like Simon Tabron does on BMX with Jamie Bestwick. Expect Tabron to win tomorrow in the BMX finals and for PLG to do the same in Skate Vert.

Apparently there is some inline action going down tomorrow. Our intrepid man on the scene said he'll go surfing when that starts so I won't know if we'll have results for you. Sniff.

Some photos to come at some point! Meanwhile, we actually have some video from LevisBMX.com for the first stop of the tour in Phoenix.

Boost Mobile Pro to End Today
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg

Set your alarm clock -- starting at 3:30 p.m. PT the final in the Boost Mobile Pro is expected to go down. Of course, there are a few rounds of action that need to take place before then, so look for Round Four to take to the water starting around 8 a.m. Watch it Live at the official site!

There was no action yesterday for the Boost Mobile Pro (where you at?) but there was a "Keys to the Continent" contest (part of the Foster’s Surf Showdown) won by Team USA, comprised of Kelly Slater and Rob Machado -- opponents in Round Three, now comrades fighting for the good of the USA (keep in mind in the surfing world Hawaii is not part of the USA, so this for surfers from those other 49 states).

The USA leads Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Hawaii in the rankings of the Foster’s Surf Showdown.

September 14, 2007

All About Billabong's "Trilogy"
Published: 1:35 a.m. PT by Greg

Better late then never, but in the spirit of the Boost Mobile Pro's upcoming finale this weekend, there's a nice review of the premiere of the new Billbong film "Trilogy" that took place last week during ASR in San Diego. The movie follows Andy Irons, Taj Burrow and Joel Parkinson in action across the world in a movie filmed by the legendary Taylor Steele over the last two years.

The movie will get a premiere in Europe on Oct. 5 and 6 during the Billabong Pro Mundaka and down under at Cremorne Orpheum on Oct. 25th (invite only -- sorry).

Read more here....

Quiksilver to Shed Rossignol?
Published: 1:06 a.m. PT by Greg

Quiksilver is apparently considering selling its Rossignol division. The company, which specializes in selling skis and snow gear, was purchased by Quiksilver in 2005 for $500 million but has struggled. The possible sale was brought up in a French newspaper, which indicated the company's skil business may be sold but the name still kept by Quiksilver for clothes..

A little more info here....

Burton Snowboarders Tour to Support "Thanks in Advance"
Published: 12:42 a.m. PT by Greg

Members of the Burton Snowboards team will be hitting the road this fall to promote the company's new film "Thanks in Advance." Each stop will usually be accompanied by an autograph signing, screening and afterparty.

Currently dates for the US and Japan are announced with Europe to soon follow.

Among those featured in “Thanks in Advance” are Keegan Valaika, Nicolas Müller and women riders like Elena Hight, Kelly Clark and Victoria Jealouse (pictured). Locations include North Cascades, Winter Park and Mt. Baker.

Here are the dates announced so far...

9/28 Burlington, VT
10/1 Bay Shore, NY
10/2 New York City, NY
10/3 Chicago, IL
10/4 Denver, CO
10/5 Calgary, Alberta
10/7 Seattle, WA
10/8 Salt Lake City, UT
10/9 Sacramento, CA
10/11 Irvine, CA
11/2 Osaka, JPN
11/3 Osaka, JPN
11/4 Ehime, JPN
11/5 Tokyo, JPN
11/6 Seoul, Korea
11/7 Seoul, Korea

Check out Burton's website for more details about each stop.

Boost Mobile Pro Round Four Gets Ready
Published: 12:01 a.m. PT by Greg

We already talked about the huge upsets yesterday. Now round four of the Boost Mobile Pro is set to take place later this morning with a few interesting matches, including Kelly Slater vs. Freddy Patacchia and CJ Hobgood taking on wildcard Dane Reynolds (right). The other wildcard, Jordy Smith, takes on Aussie Ben Dunn.

“I’m excited – I came into that heat thinking I was going to have to get 9.0s to beat him because that’s what he consistently posts,” Reynolds said after his defeat of Fanning. “I know Mick holds the No. 1 seed, but I tried not to really think about it in that way. I just did what the waves called for.”

Reynolds’ win came after knocking out World No. 2 Taj Burrow yesterday. He scored the the highest single-wave score of the event, a 9.93 out of a possible 10 in the first 10 seconds of his heat against Fanning.

“His whole heat was that one wave,” Fanning said. “When someone comes out and starts with a 9.93 it’s pretty difficult to catch up. Congratulations to him though, he surfed insane out there. I’m looking forward to having him on tour, he’s smartened up a lot in the last year, it’s great, it’s people like that that push the sport of surfing. It’s great to have those guys on tour.”

Slater is the only top 10 surfer still left in the competition and he has a real chance to catch up to World No. 1 Fanning.

“I think I’d actually be a little bit more intense about my focus if Mick was still in this because I’d have no choice but to win the event if he were to finish equal 5th or better,” Slater said. “It does take a bit of the pressure off if I look at it the right way.”

“I need to get, at worst, a 3rd in this contest to put myself into striking contention through Europe. If I were to win here and then better Mick and Taj in France I’d probably be right there in the hunt, same thing with Andy. That said, if Jordy knocks out Andy it might put all of the pressure back on because then I’d really need to capitalize on the situation,” Slater said. “Either way, I like the situation.”

Yeah -- that said, you'd better like the decision. Slater has made the finals at Trestles for the last three years and lost last year to upstart Bede Durbidge, who has already been eliminated.

You can watch all the action today on the live webcast with the first call at 7:30 a.m. PT. Let's hope the waves pick up...

BOOST MOBILE PRO ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Troy Brooks (AUS) 13.70 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.00
Heat 2: Chris Ward (USA) 11.50 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 9.60
Heat 3: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) 14.50 def. Ricky Basnett (ZAF) 11.73
Heat 4: Neco Padaratz (BRA) 16.73 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.00
Heat 5: Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 16.77 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 9.77
Heat 6: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.33 def. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 13.97
Heat 7: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.00 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.27
Heat 8: Dane Reynolds (USA) 17.70 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.50
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.67 def. Rob Machado (USA) 9.73
Heat 10: Frederick Patacchia (HAW) 12.27 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.90
Heat 11: Taylor Knox (USA) 16.90 def. Victor Ribas (BRA) 11.66
Heat 12: Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.94 def. Michael Campbell (AUS) 13.47
Heat 13: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.67 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 12.40
Heat 14: Ben Dunn (AUS) 13.00 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 11.93
Heat 15: Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 13.90 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 12.83
Heat 16: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 13.50 def. Leonardo Neves (AUS) 10.50

BOOST MOBILE PRO ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: Troy Brooks (AUS) vs. Chris Ward (USA)
Heat 2: Pancho Sullivan (HAW) vs. Neco Paearatz (BRA)
Heat 3: Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 4: C.J Hobgood (USA), Dane Reynolds (USA)
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Fred Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 6: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 8: Shaun Cansdell (AUS) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)

September 13, 2007

Fanning Ousted by Reynolds in Boost Mobile Pro
Published: 1:43 p.m. PT by Greg

UPDATED 2:39 p.m. - We barely wrote the update below and Andy Irons gets knocked out by Jordy Smith...  15.67 to 12.40.  Only two of the top 10 surfers going into this contest remain...

Mick Fanning has been knocked out of the Boost Mobile Pro in the third round by wildcard Dane Reynolds. The loss means Fanning will still have a grip on the top spot in the World Tour rankings, but the door is open for Andy Irons or Kelly Slater to make up some real ground -- unfortunately for World #2 Taj Burrow, his loss in round two is that much more devestating as he would have had the opportunity to really make it a two-man race.

Winning the event would give Irons or Slater 1200 more points in the overall standings. Irons is currently 1349 points behind Fanning while Slater is 1430 behind. Fanning currently has 5270 points. Only the best eight scores out of ten are kept so Slater, Irons and Burrow are all still in the mix, though Burrow has two low scores (17th, 33rd) tod drop, compared to one for Irons (33rd). Slater has not finished worst than 9th place this season.

There is still a lot of surfing to be done in the Boost Mobile Pro, including Andy Irons facing off against another wildcard, Jordy Smith. Kelly Slater dispatched wildcard Rob Machado earlier in round three.

Dew Tour to Expand to Winter Starting in 2008
Published: 6:00 a.m. PT by Greg

The AST Dew Tour has done a great job establishing itself as a major action sports tour over the last two years. Now it's taking that experience and extending it to Winter. Starting in December 2008, the AST Winter Dew Tour will feature snowboarding and freeskiing in three cities over three months. Additionally, each event will be open to men and women.

Similar to the regular AST Dew Tour, the Winter Dew Tour will have a points system for the three stops with overall tour prizes in addition to prizes each stop. Also, coverage of the events will probably air on NBC and USA.

Read the full press release here....

Tara Llanes Update: Physical Therapy Begins
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Greg

There is an update on Tara Llane's condition on her MySpace Page:

Tara has started her second day of physical therapy at Denver Health. Fitted and wearing her turtle shell with the help of her PT, she was able to get out of bed and sit upright in a chair. Finally able to get out her room, she is very excited to see what the rest of the hospital looks like. We will be posting some photos later today.

Her spirits continue to stay strong and she becomes more anxious to start her rehab at Craig (still the front runner for inpatient rehab).

If you are considering sending flowers and/or gifts to her hospital room, we ask you make a donation instead to her Road To Recovery Fund (tarallanesroadtorecovery.com). If you are interested, Tara still loves to receive hand-written notes/cards. You can send these directly to:

Denver Health Medical Center
777 Bannock Street, Room B336
Denver Colorado, 80204

For the latest on Tara Llanes' condition, check our update page for Tara.... Be sure to support her by visiting tarallanesroadtorecovery.com.

Oakley Girls Visit New Zealand
Published: 12:44 a.m. PT by Greg

Oakley girls Gretchen Bleiler and Kristi Leskinen were in New Zealand last weekend to teach 50 lucky girls who were taking part in Oakley Chicks Day Out at Snowpark. The Olympic snowboarder and champion freeskier gave lessons and worked with the girls, most of whome were invited or won an opportunity to take part in the event.

Of course, there was another purpose for this -- each participant received a free pair of Stockholm: Oakley's first snow goggle specifically designed for women. Oakley is also prepping it's second women's 'Uniquely Collection' of sport-inspired fashion sunglasses.

More info here....

Surfer Award Winner 'Down the Barrel' Screening TONIGHT
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Greg

If you have some time tonight you can check out the new surf film "Down the Barrel" at a screening at Huntington Beach Pierside Surf City 6 Cinemas at 7:30 p.m.. The movie was honored with a Best Cinematography award at the Surfer Poll & Video Awards on Tuesday and features Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Kalani Robb and Joel Parkinson in action.

If you miss the screening tonight, you can watch it in Encinitas on Thursday, Sept 27th at 7:30 p.m. at the Encinitas Fabulous La Paloma Theatre.

More about the movie here....

Older Archive: September 5 - September 12, 2007