Not all skate shirts are black! Check out the Silverfish Gear Page . There are new men's, women's and kids' shirts! (Some are even black.)
We're using "spreadshirt", so you order straight from them. Dig through the listings and you'll find some classic 'Fish designs, including shirts with art taken from member Ryan's art-pen drawings. Have an idea for a shirt? Send it in!
There is so much that is contrary to writing coverage of an event in the safety of one’s own space. No more the whistle of mortars singing earthbound the buzz and twang of shots fired, scrambling for safety as you hurriedly load another clip. No instead, it’s a quick walk to the coffeemaker, a glance out the office window at the blowing leaves. The time and place so calm and so devoid of stressors or catalysts that it's hard to even imagine a pointed write-up could be made about a hectic event from the seat of a serene one. Or, maybe it's the chaos and bedlam that blur the perceptions and mar the recollection of the day’s event. Either way, coverage needs to be done. This is the recap of Surf Expo 2009 .
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Surf Expo 2009
This is a general rundown of the most notable, interesting and unique things that were run across at the convention. We're not going to go into specifics about the show itself, as we are planning to run a comparison article outlining the primary differences between Surf Expo and Action Sports Retailer. We want to make sure you are informed about where your money is best spent in regards to convention attendance and displaying.
In all honesty, our resident hater really didn’t find much he fully loathed, true there was still a great deal of faceless softgoods shops, the same weird collection of cheesy beach decorations and gift shop crap. These however don’t arise ire, or fury. No in this case they are just looked down on with contempt and generally ignored. Is it unusual that he didn’t find anything that boiled him to rage; yes, are we gunna keep poking him with a stick till he freaks out and flips over a table covered with 1,000 hermit crabs; no. With that, please enjoy the conclusion to our coverage of Surf Expo 2009.
The coverage continues. Unbroken for three days straight, our intrepid reporter has combed Surf Expo from corner to corner, brought to our attention some things worth checking out, a few things worth avoiding, and at least one or two things we really just wish he had kept to his sleep-deprived, neurotic self. All things considered, the coverage seems comprehensive. He called in this morning on his satellite phone asking if we felt covering the last day, "was really essential?" We flicked open a zippo and let the silence answer that question. He really wanted his ticket home and we really wanted him to do his job. He agreed as but told us that day 3 coverage may come up lacking; he couldn’t believe he could find anything new. Apparently, we know him better than he knows himself, because against all odds. Surf Expo Day 3.
Surf Expo Day 3
Beating The Bushes
This lucky lady; a delightful rep from Puerto Rico made out like a bandit, and she knows it.
Orlando, Jan 17th. Not much to say about the dawn of the day, fell asleep to 300 and dreamt of slaughtering Persian hoards. Dreams like that usually leave me happy, this one did too. With the wretched editors of the ‘fish forcing me to cull coverage from Surf Expo like trying to chew moisture out of tin foil, I was more or less dropping my typical literal standards from highly informative straight to quasi-comprehendible. I would be fretting my situation more expect that after sleeping in this hotel bed; I now have scabies. Nothing puts misery in perspective like scabies, am I right or am I right?
Before I get into the pictorial coverage I want to talk a little about the actual act of searching a convention for what your readership wants to see. As a retailer, attending is a much more simple process. For we journalists however, if you think you know what you will cover before you get there you might as well be trying to read the VIN number on a passing Bugatti Veyron because the reality is, journalists think they know what people want of them and on the average they are sorely mistaken.
Have you seen the movie "The Day After Tomorrow", a sortof climatology armageddon story where the world freezes over? Well, it's happening in Orlando, Florida, right now: ice dripping off oranges, freezing weather, cold stares... and crampin' our style at what is traditionally the first party of the skateshow season: Surf Expo. Normally dripping with scantily-clad bikini models and European hipsters, this surf/skate/lifestyle trade show is the biggun for the East Coast and the place where some companies roll out new ideas and products. Our longboad literati, the dreadly Malakai Kingston is there to send us back coverage. He tells us the photos may be blurry, because the whole town is shivering like a freezing chihuahua dog...
Surf Expo Reports: Day One
Welcome to Sunny Orlando!
Orlando, Jan.15th. This is supposed to be a big show, and I'm already seeing people from FlexDex, Never Summer, Honey Skateboards and Concrete Wave floating around, but this first day of the Surf Expo is supposed to be just "resort, boutique, coastal home, swim, souvenir & gift only"... the skate and surf show starts tomorrow. So, why the hell am I in this frozen wasiteland today?? Note the term "frozen" because it's not Florida. This morning, I scraped ice off of things that should never be icy and the hoards of bikini models I should be dutifully recording for 'fishheads back on the site are covered in long coats and huddled together around cups of decaf, nonfat latte'. What did I do to deserve this?
Anyway, my report from Day One follows, and I'll update it as I take more pictures and see more things.
Is this just another piece of retail news? We don't think so: take an insane skater that has literally been the face of Tracker Trucks for over two decades and you've got a guy that has defined Tracker, run the factory and much more for longer than some of us have been alive, much less skating. Now, pair him up with the inventor of the "truk" that arguably led Balma to create Tracker in the first place and you've got news:
Buddy Carr teams up with Bennett!
Former Tracker Trucks CEO joins the Bennett
brand as its new President.
Oceanside, CA, January 12, 2009.
Bennett Boardsports, LLC, manufacturer of Bennett Truks™ and Alligator™ Wheels, announced today that Buddy Carr has joined the company and will serve as it’s new President. Carr will oversee all aspects of brand and product development, including Bennett’s Lightbeam™ and Spacedeck™ Skateboards.
“We are absolutely thrilled. Buddy Carr’s reputation and experience will ensure that our brands will continue to remain authentic and grow for many years to come,” said Mr. Bennett, the company’s founder.
“It was just time for me personally to move things to the next level,” said Buddy Carr. I had a good run the last 23 years, but the opportunity to purchase part ownership in a brand with such a rich history was the right thing for me at this time. Having been in the industry since 1975, I feel like I have had a front row seat to Bennett’s heritage and ties to the birth of modern skateboarding. I see tremendous potential in that legacy,” Carr explained.
Brian Bennett, Bennett’s CEO added, “Buddy’s industry knowledge will be an invaluable asset and I look forward to working with him to expand and market Bennett’s product line. We will be busy in 2009 with complete skateboards, the Viper™ Speed Truk, Supergator™ racing wheels and distribution of the current Vector™ Truks and Alligator Wheels.”
Holly Lyons, the top female skateboarder in the world, has released her first instructional video, teaching her students Madylin, Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten, the children from the hit sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, how to skate. But you already know how to skate, right? Yeah, but this one's available for FREE, so you can score one for the groms in your life or just send a copy to Chaput so he can go over the Ollie section... Check it out.
FREE LEARN TO SKATEBOARD DVD
Filmed entirely in California and independently produced by Eric Muss-Barnes, veteran skateboarder and artist, Learn To Ride A Skateboard is a new skateboarding instructional DVD which showcases the teaching talents of professional skateboarder Holly Lyons - ranked the #1 Female Bowl Skateboarder in the World according to her standings in the 2006 World Cup Skateboarding.
Although there have been entertainment-oriented videos featuring female skaters explaining tricks in brief segments, with the Learn To Ride A Skateboard project, Lyons earns the historical distinction of being the first woman ever featured as a teacher in an instructional skateboarding video.
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