FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Carlsbad, California – July 30, 2010 –SPY joins the Block party! Consummating a relationship that has over 10 years of history, SPY has joined an elite stable of brands to support and promote Ken Block and the Monster World Rally Team.
Block began his career in rally with a bang in 2005, being named the Rally America Rookie of the Year. He continued racing in the national series with much success and a long list of podium finishes. Then in 2010, Block moved on to the big leagues, racing all over the globe in the World Rally Championship with the newly formed Monster World Rally Team. This was history in the making, since Block is the first American to ever campaign a WRC program.
The partnership establishes Ken Block as an official Ambassador for the SPY brand in the sport of Rally and aligns the brand with one of the best marketing machines action sports has ever seen. “The SPY brand was born of motor sports and our history with Ken runs deep,” says Matt Harkins, VP - Brand Management for SPY. “We surround ourselves with athletes who look good going fast and Ken does that better than most. This partnership solidifies a longstanding relationship and positions us all to drive forward into greatness and have lots of fun in the process!”
Look forward to Ken rocking SPY in and out of races and SPY signature style to grace the now infamous Gymkhana video series. Coming Summer 2011, SPY will release a signature collection of product that reflects the spirit of all things Block. Stay tuned to spyoptic.com for more details.
“I’ve been wearing SPY sunglasses for a while; I have always been a big fan of their frames,” says Ken Block, “So I am really stoked that I finally get to design my own pair. As with everything related to myself and the team, I really value the ability to have a say in the look and feel of the products that represent us. That said, this is going to be an awesome project.”
Look for Ken to hit the X Games by storm this weekend in LA in both the Rally Car Racing event and the all-new Super Rally event, where drivers race door-to-door moto-x style around the track instead of against the clock. It will be a rally royal rumble at the Coliseum this Saturday. Rally is expected to be the most anticipated event in the X Games schedule and SPY and Ken Block will be making lots of noise. Check out all the events on espn.com.
SPY is the brand that invites you to Live Thru Our Lens…
SPY Optic was created by a passionate group of action sports and motor sports enthusiasts who quickly attracted the attention of the world’s best athletes. Based in Southern California, at the crossroads of an emerging Action Sports culture in the mid-nineties, the SPY brand was born. The Cross, a symbol commonly used to denote faith, is for SPYa signal rather than a symbol. Representing our unique position as a nexus entity immersed in Boardsports, Motor sports, Fashion and Culture. SPYis the Brand that invites the world to “Live Thru Our Lens.”
The SPY brand has supplied not only the fashion to suit your passion; it has been a market leader in eyewear related technology. The SPY Scoop® venting system combats lens fogging by promoting airflow between the lens and the wearer’s face. SPY’s polarization treatments supersede existing eyewear standards with its premium injected Trident polarized lenses. The lenses effectively eliminate more than 99 percent of blinding glare for precise, unobstructed vision. Look for SPYto keep pushing the boundaries for both taste & technology! Stay on top of all the biz at spyoptic.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or future financial performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “feel,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Comments in this press release regarding, among other things, our future prospects, new opportunities, the success of our brand and the success of our new partnership with Ken Block are forward-looking statements and are subject to inherent risks. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the general conditions of the domestic and global economy, changes in consumer discretionary spending; changes in the value of the U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar and Euro; changes in commodity prices; our ability to source raw materials and finished products at favorable prices; risks related to the limited visibility of future orders; our ability to continue to develop, produce and introduce innovative new products in a timely manner; the performance of new products and continued acceptance of current products; our execution of strategic initiatives and alliances; uncertainties associated with intellectual property protection for our products; and other risks identified from time to time in our Orange 21 Inc. filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Although, we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results. Moreover, we assume no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking statements and undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
More than 200 of the best action sports athletes in the world will compete in Skate, BMX, Moto, and Rally competition.From July 29 to Aug. 1, ESPN will celebrate its 16th annual action sports event entirely downtown between the STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre, the Los Angeles Coliseum and L.A. LIVE.
The 2010 event marks the seventh consecutive year that the X Games will take place in Los Angeles. Thirty-one hours of live HD programming on ESPN and ESPN2 will be aired over the four days of the event, as well as on ESPN International, ESPN.com\action, ESPN Classic, ESPN3.com, and SportsCenter.
Yeow Benny B! Congrats on taking a 2nd place finish at the 6th Annual Sweetwater Pro Am Surf Contest in his hometown of Wrightsville Beach, NC! The inconsistent chest to shoulder high waves and steamy hot weather made for yet another successful event. Both sand and ocean was jam packed with sun soakers and surf enthusiasts throughout the entire event! Despite Spy’s Mike Losness not making it to the finals on Sunday afternoon, he was out and on the jet ski afterwards towing contestants for the Red Bull Tow At Challenge huckin some dudes at some high tide surf.
The SPY crew spent a few days in Wrightsville Beach out to support Sweetwater and the SPY team riders. Between our SPY bat signal, our snow cone giveaway in the 90+ degree weather, the human corndog contest, the human water weenie contest, a Friday night dance party with DJ Lord Walrus at Red Dogs followed by some impromptu midnight body surfing. You could say we managed to keep pretty busy!
In true SPY fashion it was time to puke and rally when a SPY Saturday night jam featuring Organix at Red Dogs came knocking…SPY made sure EVERYONE walked away with sore feet and sweaty armpits as once again the house was packed and the dance floor was jumping. We can’t wait to come back next year!!!
Gorilla Marketing in Wrightsville Beach!
Benny, double fisting as usual!
SPY Surf Segment Manager John Oda is always down to share!
The SPY base camp in Wrightsville Beach, NC
Spy team rider Wade Goodall with a public service announcement!
Back lot of the surf contest
Nothing is cooler than a snow cone. Not even The Fonze!!
Mike Losness does a signing in between heats
Corn dog anyone? You know your hungry!
Corn Dogged Contestants
Benny B as the judge - voted the gal as the winner! She beat out her comp by taking an entire bottle of mustard in the face!
She earned her SPY’s!
SPY’s Nick Rupp wears the Kubrik in black
Rumor has it that Josh from Spy is really into tying guys up. Here he demonstrated his skill set.
As his suit fills up with water, he must sprint a 30 yard dash and back
Weenies!
Testing the SPY bat signal out for two solid nights of debauchery at Red Dog’s…
At Red Dog’s for Friday and Saturday night, the $50 fishbowl was THE drink of choice for people looking for a long painful morning.
Mike Losness and Paul Fisher saying what’s up
The Spy/Reef model search quickly turned into a search for open space!!
Reef Model contestant
Benny B gives the thumbs up
Inside Red Dog’s
Try getting to the bar…good luck! Benny B and Mike Losness on the back screen in their latest Reef film ‘Cancer to Capricorn.’
In its 4th annual showcase, Billabong presented on Thursday, June 10th “Design for Humanity” event that blended a perfect concoction of fashion, art, music, surfing and featured charity to benefit Invisible Children. This year the massive block party took over the NY Streets Backlot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, CA with a bikini fashion show, Kid Sister, Fischerspooner, DJ dance parties, gourmet food trucks, art galleries and more. Let’s just say it was one RAD dance party and all for a good cause!!! For more info check out http://us.designforhumanity.com.
Just wait till next year!
The NY Streets Backlot
Main stage
Runway bikini show
Artists on the streets of NY
The space
Headliner Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner and his theatrical performance. This reminds me of ‘Spies Like Us’…
Memorial Day Weekend was off and popping for the K-5 Klassic Pro/Am this year with a host of high profile competitors mixing it up with the local talent in some rippable 2-4 ft surf throughout the day. D Street in Encinitas was the spot and the Spy crew was on hand for the first real glimpse of summer 2010. Fun waves and the ever elusive sun showed up on what ended up being a proper summer kickoff day. The temperature on the beach was in the mid seventies and the ladies of summer finally started showing off those curves they have been working on all winter long!
The surfing talent pool seems to grow deeper every year as names like John John Florence, Corey Lopez, Aaron Cormican, Teddy Navarro, Evan Thompson, Tyler Newton and all of them had a target on their back. As the afternoon went on, the inside ramps starting transitioning up nicely with the dropping tide and a full aerial onslaught ensued. With all the chaos in the water the Spyrates took to land shenanigans in the form of a human water weenie race for a fresh new pair of Spy sunglasses. The crew filled a zip tied wetsuit full of water with a small human body enclosed and proceeded to put them through a series if physical challenges that The Biggest Loser couldn’t hold a candle to!
Floridian Evan Thompson was absolutely crushing it before falling in the semis and calling it a day. At the end of the day, local Darrel Goodrum put on a sick display of hometown talent winning every heat going into the final, but fell to a hungry man on a mission that goes by the name of Killian Garland. Ricky Whitlock took second and Darrel Landed a more than respectable 3rd with Teddy Navarro finishing fourth.
In the land of the great white north, there is an event taking place right now that no parent should ever want there kids to aspire to go to. Daryl Trinidad and myself sailed up from Vancouver and docked the boat in Whistler Village, at the Monster Hotel. We walked right into a our room, which had been trashed by Danny Kass and The Dingo the night before, to give us a warm welcoming. After seeing the hamster cage that we will be staying in all week, we dropped our bags off and headed off to the Sushi Opening dinner. Then next morning we woke up to some rain and clouds so we took our time heading up the hill. The event for the day was called “Search and Destroy” which entailed 4 different locations on Black Comb and Whistler. Once you get to the location, there is a obstacle that you need to perform a maneuver on. Once you completed all the stops, you race to the bottom and get your time clocked. After the race was over, the finalists battled over a game of Asteroids. Our boy Darrell Mathes came in second. After the event was over, Trini and I decided to paint the village red. Today we woke up and headed up Blackcomb for the Dual Mogul slalom race. The sun was out and the course was soft and perfect. People were sending it down this steep bumpy run. Blood, sweat and tears were shed. Tonight is the “Dark-side of the Grenade” A full 80’s dress up party. Stay tuned to see more of Spy Pirating the Grenade Games 2010.
The Hamster Cage
Sushi Village Dinner
Another beautiful day in Whistler
Search and Destroy Event: Snow Skate stop
Darrell enjoying the mountain scenery
Trini hard at work... HA
Darrell ready to hit the streets
Trini and the Dingo getting ready to MC the Dual Salmon
Darrell and the course of craziness
Darrell rocking the Murena.. Looking smooth
We woke up today and the sun was finally shining. Its was day three of the Grenade Games which meant we would be venturing to the Super Pipe on BlackComb Mountain. As we exited out room in the Monster Hotel we happened to run into the man, the myth, the legend: Todd Richards. Todd needed some fresh goggles, so we returned to the room, so I could give him some new Hip Heather Trevor. As I was giving Todd his new goggles, Trini and I had him sign some of his pro models to hook up a couple retailers that have been dying for his John Hancock. Once Todd was all set up, he joined our Motley Crue (Myself,Trini,Darrell Mathes, Eero Niemela). Once we got up to the pipe, we convinced Todd to get in the mix and bust out his bag of tricks. In no time at all Todd was crushing the pipe with his effortless style, and his wizard wisdom of half-pipe riding. Half way through the contest Dingo and Todd had to leave due to their appointment with a rehearsal for West 49’s dinner, so my good friend Trini passed me over Dingo’s microphone and the Spy Team took over the annoucing for event. After the pipe was all said and done, we returned down into the village for some apres ski shanagins, then out for a nice dinner with the team. As the boys cleaned their plates, we decided to roll over to the monster party. We were sure to sticker up all everything and everyone, leaving our mark in true pirate fashion. Check back for part three of Spyrating the Grenade Games.
Todd Richards signing some of his Pro Model Goggle
That's a good little Todd, sign away
Todd and Eero filming for the new Todd Cast
This is how you Spyrate an event, give them what they need
Everyone loves Coozies
Todd rocking the Hip Heather Trevor
Trini heckling Todd in hope of him shredding the pipe
Trini!! It worked, Todd mellow Hakkon Flip
Frontside Body Jar by Todd Richards
Eero slashing down the hills of BlackComb
MC Trini & Casillo photo courtesy of www.monsterenergy.ca shot by Russell Dalbly
Spy BGP's (background props) photo courtesy of www.monsterenergy.ca shot by Russell Dalby
Darrell like eating good, and being full
Darrell making Spy walking billboards..
Considered him tagged
She tagged herself.. Huge Fan of Spy
We even tagged The Dingo.. boom
Saturday night was the grand finale of Grenade Games: A slopestyle contest under the lights of Whistler. The air was cold and the snow was firm. All the athletes were all warmed up and ready to go. Once again we had a strong crew killing the course. Between the likes of Eero Niemela, Darrell Mathes, Colin Spencer and Kareem El Rafia hammers were being dropped left and right. With Trini on the mic and the boys killing it, you could feel that the night was going to be amazing. After the contest was over and all the awards were handed out, everyone quickly changed and head back out to see “Savage Blade” play at the monster party. The screaming 80’s metal band was insane, kids were moshing, spitting drinks, and getting wild. As the night progressed so did the idea of Trini and I getting a little midnight snack. As you can see Trini’s idea of a little snack is not the same as most peoples. HAHAHA….. I want to give to a big thank you to everyone at Monster for putting this event on, as well as all of our boys who killed it rocking that Spy logo.. Whistler hope to see you next year!
The beginning of the end
Trini warming up his vocals
Darrell Mathes ready to rock
Eero Niemela over hiking up the course
Kareem El Rafia getting in the mix
Up coming AM Colin Spencer was ready to chuck some meat
A one kinda Eero front one of the log, moving at the speed of light
SPY+ teamed up with Spyder Surfboards and a heap of other great sponsor’s for Surf Fest 3 this past Saturday at the Hermosa Pier Plaza.
The crowds showed up by the truck load for a little fun in the sun and hours before the festivities began Pier Ave. was packed! Activities included live performances by Donovan Frankenreiter, Musket, Brenden Lynch, and Latch Key Kid. The fashionistas shook what there mama gave them at the live fashion show and Tyler Makin was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame.
The SPY+ crew was there offering some SPY-tastic prizes for those who took a shot at our bean bag toss. Stickers, shades, and shwag…the whole shabang!
All in all it was a perfect day, can’t wait till next year!
Headbands, face paint, Silversun Liquor, and electro-pop rock…..we must be talking about the many attractions in Silverlake, CA.
A sight not to miss last week was one of SPY’s favorite up and coming trios, We are Wolves. The group is already a huge groupie magnet in their homeland of Canada and they are starting to gain momentum here in the states. If you haven’t heard of them yet, then you should probably crawl out from under that rock you call home and give your ears a treat.
So throw on your extra skinny jeans and enjoy the pictures from their latest show at The Echo in Silverlake, CA.
MMmm…nothing tastes better after a stellar show then a slice of pizza in your mouth and some SPYs on your face!