Sector 9 Sold to Billabong Surf

[Stubbs]

HA! Too funny.

[mrpauliepants]

UGH.


It all makes me sick.

[Joaquin Stick]

You're over reacting... And why did you quote me for that?

Sorry Reece Man. I just got all newbed-out. I'll tell you what though, Snubbed just moved to #106 for laughin'.

[BUboarder]

(this used to say something else negative and condescending, but my better judgement kicked in and i retract my comments. it's a free country, think what you'd like. i'm not gonna stomp you just cause your opinion is different than mine and i don't like how you're presenting it)

look, everyone always complains that longboarding is frowned upon, or looked down on, or forgotten or ignored by the public. so how's that gonna change? when someone with a recognizable name and lots of money and plenty of stoke gets into the game and makes it *gasp* popular. it's the way it works with anything. take longboarding's close cousin, surfing. i'm sure it didn't really catch on right away, and i bet at first most people thought "look at those crazies on those boards out there...they're gonna get themselves killed!" but then, it gradually caught on, and look where it is today! yes, most events are sponsored by the "evil corporate giants" *oh noes!* but did someone tell you that has to kill your stoke?!? there's still plenty of guys out there who ride custom, small-batch hand crafted boards, and there's many more out there who would've never even gotten into the sport to someday buy that custom board if it weren't for the big mass-produced boards.

i mean...heck, look at cars, motorcycles, boats, planes, bicycles, etc. etc...it all works the same way. you have some big companies who dominate the mass market, sponsor a lot of events, and get products into the hands of many eager recipients at a cost they can afford, thereby furthering whatever activity they're a part of. Then, in that same activity, you have small, "boutique", craftmanship-oriented companies (or even just a single person) who labor over their products to meet their own high personal standards, and why do they do it? because they love it. i'm sure that most of them realize they're not making a huge mark on the industry, and most don't make much money either, but they love their sport and enjoy seeing people love their product.

you can whine and complain all you want, but it's just the way the world goes 'round. i'm sure plenty of people who get labeled "posers" (and yes, there are plenty who actually are posers, but forget about them) by us "sooper hard core" guys don't think they're posing. to them, longboarding is about cruising around and having fun chillin' on a board. so what? it doesn't affect you at all. no need to kill their stoke cause you don't like how they're enjoying their longboard. leave them be. don't discourage them from, perhaps, seeing something better in the future and jumping on a higher-quality board. who knows, the guy you just told off 'cause you thought he was a poser could've been the next k-rimes.

let's everyone just do our own thing, what makes us happy, and then let everyone else do what makes them happy.

[boardbuster]

ok if he is spreading capitalist propoganda you just showed us the exact opposite, Idealistict-socialist propoganda. Its funny you bash this change and yet I just spoke with Greg at Arbor (oh btw owned by sector 9) and thwy are all still hungover and or drunk from celebrateing. reason why you ask this is opening up lots of jobs for them and giving them the capital to make more progressive skates. As for people loosing their jobs at S9 and Arbor everyone is staying, thats the way Billabong does it. Sorry that you don't like capitalism, but seems to be working... Oh and Billabong was just an idea your right but they found other people that believed in their idea as well and together they made a great company. And in turn helped other companies make it, and get their ideas out there. Element was nothing, they were dead and Billabong came by and saved them, their idea is still going and the people from element....still there. Same with VZ and Nixon. Before you rip on all corporations but your head out bro. Everyone else be stoked because S9 and Arbor are and thats all that matters. If you don't like capitalism get out or come up with a change, so far no one has come up with anything close yet though so I hope your as great a thinker as those from the past were...Good luck

[098Mindstate]

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.

You could say that about many surf brands.


I see plenty of people wearing rip curl, quiksilver that have never surfed before.... or people that wear jordans that have never picked up a basketball


I can see where some of you guys are coming from, to me longboarding is special and important so if i see some douche bags riding longboards like retards --initially I felt a little less awesome but I came to realize that I was that same goofy kid only 4 years ago and that if they really enjoy longboarding they will stick with it and if it's a fad then it will fade.

[098Mindstate]

billabong has hardcore sponsored many surfing events and surfer, there should be no bashing of billabong from surfers here...and for those that want to seperate surfing and longboarding completletly...well, you must have never surfed before.

[Warren]

Billabong will treat this no differently than any of their other acquisitions.
The people will continue to work at S9 and will continue to operate as they have.

If anything it will give S9 more operating capital to grow their business - - in which ever way they want.

[cuna123456]

People who think Longboarding isen't already mainstream are kidding themselves. Consider most people here part of the "Core" group. We, (for the most part) use are boards not only for transportation but for sliding, racing, slalom or other diciplines.
But many people not on this site own longboards and use them soly as a form of transportation. I think it will lead to a growth in that area which should help companies invest more monney into bigger production runs and better quality. (Bulk is cheaper, you can afford to buy better quality)

I think that all in all it is a good thing for the industry. It's just hard to see that when some annoying 11 year old brat is telling you your Comishin looks "Stupid" compared to his kicktail S9. But once you look passed that, it is good news.

[beeong]

My only thoughts are that if this spreads the stoke, longboarding / skateboarding laws could bend either way. On one hand we have what some might consider a surge in growth of an activity that is associated with property damage and trespassing.

On the other hand, in combination with the rising price of gas, cities and their police might welcome longboarding with less sirens and tickets.

[whiskeyhill]

It all depends how its played out. If you say that S9 will continue operating the way they have and only increase the size of their distribution through capital funding it could be bad since they are known for bullying other brands out of stores. With the Billabong brand as leverage they are more powerful, but i highly doubt this will happen.

The way i see it, more publicity, more events, better perception, and more people to skate with. Also the growth of the sport is slightly more insured.

[BigDaddy@TactisSkates]

I think it a move away from the core market... Coming to a Target and Walmart near you soon... Not showing up at a racetrack ever again...

Good luck to the Billibong Guy's... Better make some cool T-shirts to make up sales!

Dano

[king edward]

The only ? I care to have answered in this entire matter is...
WHAT ABOUT ERIK LUNDBURG???

Sponsored by S9 and Quicksilver. Not possible anymore I don't think. Does no one care about that?

Skategeezer? E?

[shredthegnar]

Sector 9 is going to keep it roots, and still spread longboarding to everywhere they can in the world.

The idea would be to make longboarding more popular, with better equipment, which enables a larger variety of people to experience the stoke... every person on this site loves the feeling of effortlessly speeding down a freshly paved road. Theres nothing better. Why not share it with the world?

Spread the concrete fo' life!!


I can see it already.... 3 years from now.... Downhill skating will be back in the X-Games.... 5 years later.... 2016 Olympics Summer Games, in San Diego, California... Gold Medal, Erik Lundberg..... hahaha

[BigDaddy@TactisSkates]

Sector 9 is going to keep it roots, and still spread longboarding to everywhere they can in the world.

The idea would be to make longboarding more popular, with better equipment, which enables a larger variety of people to experience the stoke... every person on this site loves the feeling of effortlessly speeding down a freshly paved road. Theres nothing better. Why not share it with the world?

Spread the concrete fo' life!!


I can see it already.... 3 years from now.... Downhill skating will be back in the X-Games.... 5 years later.... 2016 Olympics Summer Games, in San Diego, California... Gold Medal, Erik Lundberg..... hahaha

Yep... Erik will get the gold ... on reflex flys and a carbon fiber EVO

Sector nine will be the Billibong sponsor...

And they will only take VISA!

Priceless8)

Dano

[hybridtheory20]

im guessing that s9 will become bigger gaining money while the quality of the boards will go down which will be better for other companies because if anyone know what they are doing is going to buy a different board as a starting board which will give a more diverse range of boards ridden out there

[Teh_Zak723]

As hate as people give them for "selling out", you have to make your paper somehow. I cannot blame them for taking a good opportunity.

[mrpauliepants]

People who think Longboarding isen't already mainstream are kidding themselves. Consider most people here part of the "Core" group. We, (for the most part) use are boards not only for transportation but for sliding, racing, slalom or other diciplines.
But many people not on this site own longboards and use them soly as a form of transportation. I think it will lead to a growth in that area which should help companies invest more monney into bigger production runs and better quality. (Bulk is cheaper, you can afford to buy better quality)

I think that all in all it is a good thing for the industry. It's just hard to see that when some annoying 11 year old brat is telling you your Comishin looks "Stupid" compared to his kicktail S9. But once you look passed that, it is good news.

PUH-LEESE!

I doubt they would invest in "better" materials. If a company could get by using cheap materials that do their job, and create larger profit, vs better materials with smaller profit, which do you think theyre gonna do?

Granted, perhaps their race decks, or other special order decks will see higher qualities, the general population shall see the same old crap.


I have a hard time seeing past that 11 year old kid whos ready to try and fight me on the bus because he thinks his Sector 9 bullcrap board is "faster" or "better" than anything else I ride.

My only thoughts are that if this spreads the stoke, longboarding / skateboarding laws could bend either way. On one hand we have what some might consider a surge in growth of an activity that is associated with property damage and trespassing.

On the other hand, in combination with the rising price of gas, cities and their police might welcome longboarding with less sirens and tickets.

Nah, we will see increase of damage and trespassing, etc. and it will only give lawmakers further ammunition to make more anti skating laws. In return, people will still skate, and destroy more stuff, and we will all suffer.

Sector 9 is going to keep it roots, and still spread longboarding to everywhere they can in the world.

Is there any proof that they will keep their roots?

Are those roots really all that great to begin with?

/DEVILS ADVOCATE

[hybridtheory20]

PUH-LEESE!I have a hard time seeing past that 11 year old kid whos ready to try and fight me on the bus because he thinks his Sector 9 bullcrap board is "faster" or "better" than anything else I ride./DEVILS ADVOCATE

thats where being only 2 years older than him comes in handy to put a board acrost his face

[AJ]

oh yeah BTW, Landyachtz got a call a few months ago from Old Style Pilsner, a division of Molson Brewery. They now sponsor their events and riders.

I can't say to what extent, because i dont know the details, I just think its pretty rad to have a beer company spons' a longboard company.