Sector 9 Sold to Billabong Surf

**Valiant** · 07-01-2008 10:28 PM

First off i'm not trying to start a S9 hate thread,

i see this changeing of hands as good and bad. Bad, in that now us real longboarders will have "more" of these longboard wanabes out there to put up with. Good, in that when they are out there we can show them other board stuff. OR, if they are still think they say S9 an beat anything, we can smoke them on our other "good" boards.

Valiant

**RyanTheDagger** · 07-01-2008 10:29 PM

Longboarding has now sunk it's teeth into the alternative mainstream! Billabong to sponsor some races maybe? What's that I hear? Exposure? Party time.

**southshorelocal** · 07-01-2008 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by RyanTheDagger

Longboarding has now sunk it's teeth into the alternative mainstream! Billabong to sponsor some races maybe? What's that I hear? Exposure? Party time.

Yea I like Billabong

**worldridr768** · 07-01-2008 10:35 PM

nice contradiction there, buddy.

**RyanTheDagger** · 07-01-2008 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by southshorelocal

Well this puts all arguments to rest. S9 is a sell out and I will never but another one of their products.

Originally Posted by southshorelocal

Yea I like Billabong

LOL

You are such a sellout.

**corylewandowski** · 07-01-2008 10:45 PM

Coming soon on Spike TV: The Billabong McSector 9 flavor of Gatorade!

**boomboy** · 07-01-2008 11:00 PM

Why is every seeing this as a bad thing? With billabongs marketing we could see a whole new group of people introduced to the sport we love. Sure there are probably going to be a lot of "posers" but theres also going to be just as many people like us that love long boarding. It would get longboarding to more people though out the world.

Whos to say that S9 boards wont get better? With billabong behind them they could increase their R&D. This would mean they could spend more time developing new boards and that can only be good.

Im hoping this means a lot more stores down here start stocking S9 gear and then maybe with the increased popularity of long boarding the stores will stock other brands gear and we can stop paying the ridiculous prices for boards.

Or it could be the end of longboarding as we know it.

**J Griff** · 07-01-2008 11:07 PM

Anyone who is a member of Silverfish should be excited about this transaction. The Fish is all about spreadin' the stoke right?

Although there will be many negative things the more 'core' group of longboard skateboarders will have to deal with, there will be more positive as a whole for the sport.

A lot of our now unrealistic dreams might be able to come true in the next couple of decades. What is even cooler is that we can all say that due to our commitment and stoke we brought longboarding to the next level.

**bucksaw87** · 07-01-2008 11:11 PM

it's a double-edged sword

longboarding WILL gain more mainstream exposure...meaning, more people doing it...faster advancement of techniques, technology, etc.

but with that comes more "posers", douchebags, "sectorniners", as well as more reckless asshats blowing out good spots like maryhill, more injuries, more negative press media, more of a traditional skateboard appearence to the general population.

i own one billabong t-shirt...purchased as a gift, so i had no say in the item. but, i digress. i have already chosen not to support s9 until they put something out that caters to ME...and i still don't see this happening anytime now.

**southshorelocal** · 07-01-2008 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by RyanTheDagger

LOL

You are such a sellout.

no Im not I like billabong but i hate the fact that S9 sold out it wouldnt matter who to

**worldridr768** · 07-01-2008 11:38 PM

Stop acting like you care as much as you do.

**chutimnspitimout** · 07-01-2008 11:56 PM

there are already plenty of longboarding posers out there, hopefully it wont go worse but instead just spread longboarding to other countries

**leafdarking** · 07-02-2008 12:03 AM

This does not please me. Maybe it's because I live in California and Billabong pushes nothing other than t-shirts that high school kids wear and bikinis, but it makes me worry that Sector 9 will turn into another "hardcore company" that kids that aren't actually into skating at all will wear shirts and hats and flipflops for and not even look into the company. Maybe some of those kids really will get into longboarding, and I do see how this has the potential to help the company, but I'm afraid you'll be able to go into JC Penny's and buy a pink S9 babydoll t-shirt off the sale rack at one point. To me, that does not spread the stoke. It spreads "hay I can wear this and look cool!" attitudes and ignorance.

**PimaBombz** · 07-02-2008 12:08 AM

Seriously, who cares if a bunch of lame high school kids buy a S9 shirt but know nothing about boarding? The only people they will embarass are themselves. I see this thread with way too much hate in it. If you don't like Billabong or S9, or think that S9 are huge worthless sellouts that's your opinion. Is it really going to negatively impact your life that much? I mean, if you hate them that much I bet you've already distanced yourself from them as much as possible, and if you didn't mind their products or even rode them, then this could be a step in the right direction for new technology and more exposure for people who may really be interested.

Stop hatin', go skatin'.

**Alpha06** · 07-02-2008 12:12 AM

Yeah I agree. Nobody can really tell what will happen, maybe things will just remain exactly the same...Longboarding isnt going anywhere and to worry about something like this is to mis-prioritize more important things in life, like skating and chilling

**Hill Fiend** · 07-02-2008 12:14 AM

Whatever happens here I just hope that it does not mean an INCREASE in s9 sales, rather that it opens more peoples eyes to the world of longboarding, not the world that s9 promote (imo) which is a world with only one brand...

**Alpha06** · 07-02-2008 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by Hill Fiend

Whatever happens here I just hope that it does not mean an INCREASE in s9 sales, rather that it opens more peoples eyes to the world of longboarding, not the world that s9 promote (imo) which is a world with only one brand...

S9 was my first board and because of it I discovered this place and all the other cool companies out there. Theres always two sides to stuff like this. I'd figure an increase in S9 sales would indirectly lead to an increase in the sales of landy, rayne etc...

**PimaBombz** · 07-02-2008 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by Alpha06

S9 was my first board and because of it I discovered this place and all the other cool companies out there. Theres always two sides to stuff like this. I'd figure an increase in S9 sales would indirectly lead to an increase in the sales of landy, rayne etc...

I second that. A lot of my friends' first boards were S9, and they loved them, but have since moved on to better boards made by smaller, less "mainstream" companies. S9 is to longboarding as weed is to other drugs; if you start small, you're likely to find your way into bigger and better things.

P.S. I am not in any way saying that hard drugs are better than pot, or good at all. It's just how my head works

ENJOY YOUR COCAINE AND HEROIN BOARDS!!!!!

**kurdt** · 07-02-2008 12:46 AM

Billabong, for me, caters to most of the extreme sport wannabes/dude-bros.. So I've just gotten used to the idea that wearing Billabong means jack sh*t, because of which it does not matter to me no more.

And this latest purchase? Easier access to boards, bigger exposure, and expect your local dude-bro squad to increase membership,

Now that S9 is probably an even bigger economy of scale - somethings are gonna change, good or bad

I guess what is important is to just still chill and skate

Its probably the end of an era - when the rider from "rider owned" gets pwnd by shareholders
I guaranfucktee it