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!
Breaking News, called in from our good friend Garrett Hurley of GFH Boards, comes regarding three new Southern California multi-millionaires! Years of work, marketing, posturing, stoking and the occasional bullying, thuggery and destokification have paid off and well:
Billabong Buys Sector 9!
Hey, it's a joke. Lighten up. (The pic, not the news.)
You read that right and the news has just started spreading around the industry. Ten Million Dollars, each? Nobody knows that part, yet, but the news is the acquisition also includes GullWing Trucks. We don't know the effect on Dregs or Arbor. Here's the release, hot off the Austrailian presses:
Billabong International Ltd has acquired Californian-based skateboard brand, Sector 9. Billabong said the US skateboard company, founded in 1994, has emerged as a market leader in the design and manufacture of skate longboards - a niche segment within the skateboard market. The Queensland-based company said it expects Sector 9 to contribute around two per cent to its sales in the 2008/09 financial year and the acquisition is expected to be earnings per share accretive in year one.
Billabong chief executive Derek O'Neill said Sector 9 operated in the specialty board sports channel with a unique product offering. "Sector 9's products, primarily its longboards, really differentiate it from other brands in the board sports channel and have appeal to surfers, skateboarders and the broader youth market," he said. Co-founders and owners Steve Lake and Dennis Telfer and co-owner Dave Klimkiewicz are being retained as part of the acquisition in their current roles.
Click through for industry reactions and our thoughts:
Orangefiist (the crew behind both the amazing footage tease from Maryhill '07 and the groundbreaking documentary 'Livin Free) are set up to do what they do best: shoot amazing high quality footage and deliver it in mesmerizing, truer-than-life quality. To get more support for the project they are reaching out to the community to help deliver their vision, get involved, give them money. They are in a position to deliver what we all know can be amazing video content to a new audience. This could do more for the notoriety of downhill racing than just about anything else we can think of.
Manufacturers & Shops:
Sponsor the 2008 Maryhill Festival of Speed Movie!
Hello, my name is Marc McCrudden with Orangefiist. We're excited to announce a new 1 hour HD Documentary that we will be producing at the 2008 Maryhill Festival of Speed. Our Doc will highlight downhill skateboarding athletes and their love for the sport. We are planning on shooting on the Red Camera in 4k(4x's HD and capable of 120fps) with 35mm film lenses.
While the time and dollars associate with producing this documentary are many, we at Orangefiist pride ourselves on our efficiency and are adept at completing jobs on budget. We want every company associated with the 2008 MFOS to have a strong, positive representation in our documentary. We also need help from sponsors with pinpointing the athletes you want to shed light on. Whether it's an up and coming young rider you've added to your team this year or a rider with a unique story, you as the sponsor gain considerable value by helping us shed light on riders that illuminate your brand image.
Longwood’s new line of boards for 2008 reflects modern values—conserving our planet while keeping the ride engineered for the most soulful skater.
2 new decks for 2008, each with Longwood’s distinctive and classic style and both available in sustainably harvested woods.
The most progressive shape in our line-up is the “008 ZIPPY”, a 27 inch WOW! for skate and surf enthusiasts. It embodies a total old school feel, but employs today’s modern hardware. It features a teak wedge tail block for more moves on the street or in the pool. It comes in 2 beautiful and sustainably harvested woods: Wenge or Zebrawood.
Keith Hollien recently sent us an introduction to his 2008 line of skateboards, and we think you'll appreciate reading it right from him. So, check out the...
'08 Keith Hollien Signature Series Boards
From Keith Hollien:
Let me start out with some history of the Keith Hollien Signature Series. The concept for my boards is not new. The cut-away shape that they are based upon has been around for a long time, as we all know, but my signature series shapes for 2008 are the result of what began over 25 years ago...
I started skateboarding in 1964, started slaloming in 1976 and I began riding a cutaway shape in 1978 (Thanks to an article by Henry Hester). In 1979, I met Mark McCree of Radikal Trucks and he had a cutaway board that was the starting point for my models. Over the next 8 years, we worked on the shape until we were satisfied with everything. In 1988, Mark made my first Signature Model under the Static Racing Systems name. The board was wood, flat and very stiff. It measured 24" x 8".
In the 80's I had been working on a couple of different models, but nothing was produced before I retired in 1993. When I came back to racing in 2003, I found my old model to be too short and I had to come up with something to race with. I started work on my Signature Series and today I have 4 models to cover all aspects of slalom skateboarding.
Boulder, Colorado - Seismic Skate Systems, a 15-year-old Boulder-based manufacturer of high-performance boards, wheels and trucks, is pleased to introduce wheels poured with a revolutionary new urethane compound, code named "Black Ops".
"It's a racer's dream, the perfect combination of grip, speed, and super rebound with no compromises," said Seismic Wheels Team Member and 2003 World Slalom Champion Kenny Mollica.
According to Team Member Gary Fluitt, the 2004 World Slalom Champion and 2007 World Slalom Champion Runner-Up, "the new formula has a surprising combination of grip and rebound like I've never felt before. These grip so well that I run out of road before I can get them to slide. The roll feels superior, too."
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