If you’re in Honolulu, HI, head over to the Surfrider Foundation Fundraiser this Saturday, Nov. 26, at Tiki’s Grill & Bar. Don’t miss out on good grub, drawings for SPY prizes every half hour, and a chance to win an Alana Blanchard prize pack complete with Channel Islands surfboard and Sticky Bumps leash, wax and travel board bag in the silent auction. All donations go to Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter.
SPY Professional Surfer Cody Thompson answered the call of the night, out-boosting five top east coast surfers to claim first place and $5,000 at the 2nd Annual Red Bull Night Riders tow-at event in Flagler Beach, Florida, Nov. 12. More than 6,000 spectators gathered after sundown to cheer on the competitors as jet skis launched riders at waves and into the air where an expression session of aerial proportions exploded in combat against the illuminated night sky.
Cody Thompson’s lofty alley-oop earned him a score of 8.17 out of a possible 10 points from the judges, a standing ovation from the crowd and the win over 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood.
Nate is a classic original, a surfer with timeless West Coast style and a knack for lofty front-side punts and blowing minds in the water. The Foundation line is coming out in ‘12, taking the SPY brand back to its roots at the beach through core shops nationwide, and a team of undeniably authentic, talented personalities is championing the cause. Perfect timing. Nate rips, he has incredible depth of character, his style is his unparalleled, and there’s not a better ambassador for The Foundation line as SPY reaffirms its heritage.
Tyler joins the current elite SPY surf roster that includes Wade Goodall, Parker Coffin, Mike Losness and John John Florence. Between road trips and boat odysseys, the Central Coaster will be updating fans on his weblog, www.simonsmoothballs.com, administered from his off-the-grid yurt in Templeton, Calif. To see Nate, stop by Encinitas, CA and check-out his billboard at the intersection of Encinitas Blvd and the PCH.
It was a beautiful afternoon on the North Shore last Saturday as The Surfrider Foundation Oahu hosted a beach clean at Haleiwa Beach Park. A crew of close to 70 people came out to lend their support. Within a few hours of collecting, the results were very impressive. All in all, an estimated 700lbs of garbage was collected. A big thanks to Stuart and the Surfrider Foundation Oahu for hosting the successful clean. To find out how you can get involved in your area, please visit Surfrider.org.
If there was a mechanic on hand it may have been possible to rebuild a car from the garbage collected: Perhaps a hybrid of sorts.
Pro surfing phenom Parker Coffin just got back from a Bali trip where he scored some great waves. Check out Parker in this three-part series from the man behind the Coffin’s website, Young Wise Tails, Ryan Perry.
Introducing the John John Signature Kubrik. ROCK ON THE ROCK. Inspired by classic rock and life on The Rock, John John’s signature Kubrik features a matte black frame, matte grey temples with gunmetal accents and bold black mirror lens.
Shaper Tim Stamps provided the weird boards challenging the competitor’s versatility for Nixon’s inaugural Weird Surf Contest held at 9th St. Huntington Beach. No strangers to “getting weird” the SPY + Active Ride Shop team easily adapted to win the team division and sweep the podium with SPY’s Torrey Meister and SPY’s surf ambassador Chris “Cha Cha” Abad winning the individual and expression session respectively.
The winning SPY + Active team went home with weird boards, a weird trophy and their weird selves.
(L to R) Jay “Bottle” Thompson, Leigh Sedley, Chris “Cha Cha” Abad, and Torrey Meister
Torrey’s explosive surfing and calm demeanor was a perfect match for the weird board contest.
BK, the man behind the contest, congratulates Weird Expression Session winner Chris “Cha Cha” Abad.
Cha Cha consoles Torrey after beating him in the expression session.
The 7th Annual Active Willabong Surf Team Challenge went off in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif. with nine talented teams battling it out in clean, rippable 3-foot surf.
The Willabong is a group format surf competition that puts 2 company employees, 2 team riders and 2 Active employees in team heats. Each rider’s top score goes into the cumulative team point total.
SPY guys Mike Losness, Chris Abad, Andrew Valentine, and stand-in Ryan Burch paired up with Active’s Brent Fudagaki and Bill “BK” Keller to round out the lethal SPY + Active team.
Team SPY was pitted against 3-time defending champions Chemistry Surfboards, Brixton, Dragon, Filtrate and other standouts. It was never a question of “who’ll stop the Raen” en route to the finals. As the final seconds of the contest ticked into the history books, the flaring SPY crew proudly paddled in and claimed the coveted Willabong trophy and 365 days of bragging rights.
Despite the irony of the white elephant trophy the victorious SPY + Active team stands proud.
(left to right) Ryan Burch, Chris Abad, Mike Losness, Brent Fudagaki, BK, Andrew Valentine.
Ryan Burch’s self-shaped assymetrical surfboard integrates intricate design elements essential to the SPY team’s victory. It doesn’t hurt that he can surf switch-stance also.
You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure this one out: SPY + Active = winning.
