ASR Blog

Happy New Year

Wanted to wish everyone a wonderful New Year. Have fun and be safe tonight, and I hope you're feeling okay in the morning. Thanks to everyone for reading the blog, I appreciate it. And keep the comments coming--it's always great to read everyone's view on what's happening in the Industry.

Happy New Year!

Start the New Year prepared

I was just exploring Swell’s new (well, I just discovered it) blog, and there’s a great article on how to help out your hangover. Yes, it really doesn’t have anything to do with action sports, but on the other hand, most of those in the Industry partake in their share of the Drink, so I thought it would be helpful. Especially since we’re embarking on New Year’s Eve, where the alcohol usually flows aplenty. Read on, and may it work for you!

A Win for those against the Toll Road

Even if you don’t live in Orange County, CA, you’ve probably heard some kind of news about the Transportation Corridor Agency trying to complete the Foothill South (241) toll road. Basically, they want to continue the existing 241 from where it ends at Oso Parkway to meet the 5 South at Trestles, in San Clemente. (You can read a past blog here). Well, as an update to the ongoing saga, it looks as if an amendment, introduced by Congresswoman Susan Davis, D-San Diego, will be signed by President Bush. The amendment would eliminate a clause that prevented state lawmakers of having any jurisdiction over the portions of the road that cut through federal property.

I received an email on the update, the most important part excerpted below:

Foothill-South Toll  RoadRepresentative Susan Davis, D-San Diego recently introduced the amendment to
the Defense Authorization bill that would require the to comply with state law. The Amendment has passed both the House and Senate and is expected to be signed by President Bush before the New Year.

"This will put the proposed toll road under the same state laws that other transportation projects in the state must follow," said Davis, a member of the Armed Services Committee. "There is no reason why it should have received a special exemption from the standard process and environmental safeguards, especially when such unique natural resources are at stake."

This is fantastic news for those against the road; I’ll make more updates as news comes in, so keep checking back. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Trestles will be saved.

 
For more information on those against the road, click here.

For information on Transportation Corridor Agency, click here.

Surfing becomes a mainstream sport

First, Jordy Smith gets a call from Tiger Woods, offering advice on how to go about his sponsorship offerings. Now, fellow surfer Gabe Kling will be honorary captain of the Jacksonville Jaguars for their last home game of the season against the Oakland Raiders this Sunday, December 23rd. Kelly Slater has always been known as a staple amongst the mainstream, but now it seems as if it may start to be a trend for all pro surfers. It’s great, surfing isn’t an Olympic sport, but it looks like we’re getting the recognition of the mainstream population anyways. And, getting that recognition only grows the sport and offers more opportunity for the Industry; a win/win for all.

Surfboards are Outcasts

I just got back from taking my friend to the airport. She’s going to visit her mom who lives on a golf course in Florida, so she, of course, is bringing her clubs. We pull up to the curb, we haul the clubs out, and as she’s getting situated, we say simultaneously, “Can’t believe they charge for surfboards and clubs are free.”

Then, I come home and see that British Airways is still banning surfboards. All the other airlines charge you both your arm and your leg, but at least you can still take them on. But why is it a big deal at all, when you can take things such as 25 pounds of golf clubs, absolutely free, no questions asked. You can also take a snowboard, loaded down with all your gear and clothes for the trip, and you don’t get charged a cent. Why are surfboards causes for such a ruckus? Can you imagine if you couldn’t take your clubs to Great Britainand not be able to golf on the beautiful courses? Of course not, they’ll allow that, but you can’t take your surfboard to surf their waves. It makes no sense.

Phonebook on Steroids

Malakye, the job site for the action sports industry, has just launched their business to business site. Described as a “phone book on steroids”, it helps action sports companies find a vendor. Checking it out, there are vendors for all sorts of categories: photography, printing, financial services, marketing—you name it, chances are it’s listed. This is a great tool when trying to find someone to get the job done; especially if you’re going into something for the first time—say that first promotional key chain or a new easy up tent. Cruise Malakye B2B, and BAM!, there you have your share to choose from. As owner Chad Mihalick states, "MalakyeB2B works for any company in need of a new vendor - big or small!"

Check it out, www.b2b.malakye.com.

Are the Poachers winning?

A couple weeks ago I wrote about Burton’s campaign to poach the four American ski resorts that still don’t allow snowboarding. The idea is to get on one of the four resorts, snowboard down the mountain, and capture it all on video. Best video wins. One of these aforementioned resorts is Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico and on December 14, Taos put out a press release that stated, beginning in March, snowboarding will be allowed. Is it coincidence that the press release was out just days after the Burton Poaching Campaign was announced? Or, is the campaign actually helping make a change? I guess those Burton marketing dollars are wisely spent.

To see the Taos press release, as shown on Transworld’s site, click here.

A Double Win for Rip Curl

As you probably heard, Stephanie Gilmore clinched the world title last week. Ever since Stephanie came on to the scene of competitive surfing, she’s been turning heads. Back in 2005 as a non-ASP surfer, she made headlines when she won the Roxy Pro WCT event at Snapper Rocks, Australia. Stephanie did another “first” in 2006 when she won the Layne Beachley Classic World Tour event as a wildcard; this second win made Gilmore the only surfer to have ever won two WCT events, when she wasn’t even on the official tour. So, it’s no major surprise when Stephanie broke records a third time winning the 2007 surfing world title. The record this time? She’s the only rookie to have ever won the coveted title—amazing.

Rip Curl must be happy. First, team rider Mick Fanning wins the men’s world title, and now fellow rider Stephanie has won the women’s. I did a bit of research, and as far as I could see, the last time both the male and female world champions had the same sponsor was in 1999 when Occy and Layne Beachley, both sponsored by Billabong, won. We’ve talked about Rip Curl and Reef producing commemorative merchandise to celebrate Mick’s win, but what about a male/female win? What will Rip Curl do, if anything? Any suggestions?

Richest Skate Contest, Ever

For those of you who remember, the Boost Mobile Pro of Skate, held June of 2003, boasted the richest prize purse in skate history. As everything that Boost Mobile did when it was first launching, it went over and beyond the call of duty and made the skate contest huge. It was all out—not only was it held at the Hard Rock, Las Vegas (which turned out to be a tiny problem since the sun was melting the coating on the ramp), but it was one non-stop party with celebrities attending, beer flowing, and Linkin Park playing. (This was the night after the VIP party where Nelly performed for a few hundred special guests.) Yes, it was a fun time, but now it looks as if it may be overshadowed by the Maloof Money Cup. Like the Boost Mobile Pro of Skate, it will be a skate only contest (separating it from the X-Games or Dew Tour), but the prize purse will be more than $400,000 (for comparison’s sake, the Boost contest was $250,000).

Put on by Joe and Gavin Maloof (Joe owns the Sacramento Kings), the two brothers have wanted to give back to skateboarding, but from the article in Transworld Business, it doesn’t look like they skate themselves, they just like the sport. Originally wanting to do a skate camp, they decided to take it one step further and have the two combined—there will be the contest and then 40,000 square feet with booths, clinics, etc.

The whole thing sounds pretty cool. Skateboarders don’t often get the chance to perform in a contest just for them, that’s so big, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate the support. Since it is such a gigantic prize purse, and seeing who’s funding it, I’m sure it will have a large mainstream presence as well, which will help grow the sport. (Which of course, many skaters argue for and against, but that’s another blog. . .)

The first annual Maloof Money Cup will be held July 11-13, 2008 at the Orange County fairgrounds, in Costa Mesa, CA. For more info on Transworld Business magazine, click here.

Burtonology

I like to go to the Adidas outlet to buy my running shoes. Each pair that I’ve gotten has fit, they’re comfortable, and I like the way they look. However, every now and then I have a question for the sales staff; something like, “Does this have a lot of cushion for the front part of the foot?” Or, “Which shoe is best for trail running?” And, I’ll get an answer, where, nine times out of ten, I feel like the person knows no more than I do. Ever get that feeling? So, I was interested to read in the December issue of Transworld Business that Burton has launched what they’re calling “Burtonology.com”. It’s an online resource for their dealers—it helps educate the dealers on all of Burton’s products, so the sales staff can be the most knowledgeable that they can be. Genius, especially since the majority of Burton goods are tech—the buyer will feel much more comfortable dropping their $300 if they feel secure that the shop employee has steered them in the right direction on what product is best suited for them. Now if only Adidas outlet employees were as educated. . .