I love my job. There is a number of reasons why,  and one of them is product. The actual product i get to work with. Order, buy, sell, all of it is fun to me. Well lets just say this has been a great week for product. There was so much good stuff i'm not even going to get into it! Just going to mention two things that got me amped the most.
 
1) Castles In The Sky/  The new Taylor Steele movie is amazing. It is one of those rare movies that has a better sequel than the original. Sipping wasn't bad-it wasn't great- but i think they nailed it this time. It is super artsy-fartsy and i don't know if i'm just getting soft with old age or what, but i really dig the movie. Stunning scenery footage that tells a story in itself and the surfing is good. Really good. Five stars for sure, if you have a big HD tv screen with surround sound and don't own a copy of this movie your blowing it. Heres a link to the movies on website. http://www.castlesinthesky.tv/ 

2)New batch of Firewire El Fuego's that we just got in. As most of you know i am a fan of another epoxy brand that the shop carries,  although the 5'6 FW Dominator helped me win the geriatric division at regionals this year, but i still know a good board is a good board and these look sick! We have them in every size from 5'5 to 6'5 and if your looking for a shorter wider shape, like everybody in the universe, then come by the shop and check em out! Heres a link to the firewire site http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/quiver_boards.php?boardid=el_fuego

Waves this weekend! Hope to see everyone in the water

Well i've watched this heat a couple times and i still think Slater should have won it. I'm a fan of Sean Holmes because hes been the wildcard, dreamcrushing, giant killer here at j-bay for years now, but i don't think he got this one? It was close for sure and heats like this make it tough to be a judge so i could be wrong.  http://billabongpro.com/jbay10/videos-view/round_3_heat_8/

Other than that i would have to say this was Jordys event from the start. He knew he could win and proceeded to do so posting an average of 16 points a heat! The Saffa lion was definitly feeling comfortable at home and while he surfed solid his "modern c"  cronies (Dane and Dusty) ,although having moments of brilliance, were just inconsistent and flaky throughout the event. Looks like Jordy might just be taking the title this year if he can keep this up. Congrats to Adam Melling, the cat who surfs like Fanning, for making the final!! Think its his first CT final so right on ya!! heres a clip of the final highlights
http://billabongpro.com/jbay10/videos-view/final/

The Billabong Pro started today at Jeffereys Bay in S. Africa. The waves were epic and flawless, the round one standouts were the usual suspects- Dane won his heat, Jordy, Kelly, Owen Wright, Taj, and Mick all did the same. I have watched all the heats and i must say everybody is ripping, even Marco Polo, so its tough to say who had the heat of the day? A couple guys got between 16.5-16.75 . I hate to say it but i think Bobby Martinez surfed the best in round one.It looks like all those Rincon sessions this winter paid off. When you get to the site watch all the heats especially Bobbys, but the link below is actually to Slater and Damien Hobgoods heat. Partly because Damien gets it together for his 2nd wave and throws down a brutal beating upon a perfect 6 ft boneyards runner, mostly because Slater does a carving 360 that is 100% bulls*#t!!  I'm sorry folks, but this guy is here for blood and a 10th world title. Its not gonna be easy for Jimmy Slade, but watch this video and tell me its not possible.

http://billabongpro.com/jbay10/videos-view/round_1_heat_8/

Last year Alek Parker, Cory Lopez and a small crew of other dudes started making the "hurricane chasing" videos.  They are sick little web vids, tightly packaged in a little series type deal, good music, good editing and overall good surfing. Their webisodes are definitly worth watching. Well they are back for 0'10 with their first one-- The Hunt. They chase hurricane Alex to the hellfire state of Texas! yeeehaww!!  Check it out, like i said, its a great webisode.

http://www.surfline.com/video/webisodes/the-hunt-hurricane-alex_45418

Joel Parkinson had another freak foot injury while surfing recently. He was out at Snapper a couple days ago and got pinched in a tube, the board flipped over and his foot was sliced by one of his fins. Watch the video link below, they said hes going to need something like 30 stitches, cut his foot straight through the muscle. Must be devastating for Parko considering J-Bay starts in a couple days. He won that event as a wildcard in 2001 and unfortunately this is the second year that a foot injury is taking him out of the title race. Bummer for one of the most stylish surfers alive 


 http://vimeo.com/13256022   

Three things inspired this post. The article in the new Transworld Surf mag, all the custom Cannibals we have been ordering and our new batch of Teqoph surfboards that  Bill Johnson shaped.  Go to the links below. At the Teqoph site check out the Bullistic, the Module and the Capsule- we just got some of those in with a couple thumb tail shortboards as well. Then check out the Cannibal site, there is to many good boards to mention, the Conduit, RPG, the 5-fin R.Price; if you want an epoxy board those are the way to go!! As far as the Transworld article goes you have to get the mag to see it- Biolas basically says "for every inch you go shorter, you should add a quarter of an inch in width and an eight of an inch in rail thickness"  thats a shortboard shape basically, not a wide nose fish, and of course its a little different for every surfer depending on where they are at.You have to go talk to a professional who knows whats they are talking about to figure out what will work for you. Go to the sites, then come check out some of the new boards at the shop, they still smell like fresh fiberglass  
      
 http://www.teqophsurfboards.com/boards.htm

http://www.cannibalsurf.com/boards.html

heres a link to a quick video of Flynn Novak popping a little flip air at rocky point. I would consider Flynn the opposite of a stylish surfer, as mentioned in the previous blog, his surfing screams tacky and gross all the way down to the giant back tatt. For the record i must point out he gets ridiculously shacked at big pipe, something i have and never will do, and i guess this video shows he can boost some sick little airs. The wind definitely made this thing possible, but nonetheless he did it without towing or winching. I like it, right on ya Flynnie! 

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/no-category/flynn-novak_44987

 I am a complete magazine junky, i love magazines, have them scattered everywhere throughout my house. Transworld Surf, and Skate, Thrasher, Surfer, Surfing and The Skateboard Mag to name a few. Recently while devouring some of these publications i stumbled across a couple articles focused on style. Arguments being made that style has become overlooked a little in this day and age of tail whip recoveries and flyaway non-flyaways (you know the ones where they fly out, land on their back, pet the kitty, roll up the windows, etc. etc.. then stand up a hundred yards in riding a dooky little dribbly piece of whitewater)  Skating isn't as bad yet, style is still considered important, hell some pro skaters make careers off being steezy characters who just chill and crush it, with style, when their sponsors need them to. Rob Machado would be the surfing version of that, but hes paid his dues making it as a top level competitor, so its different.
I don't know, its a tough subject for me, i feel like i surf pretty decent, can squiggle through a heat, can boost a little air and maybe get a shot, but being a stylish surfer? Not my thing. I think my style is likened to a drunken gorilla? Kinda flaily and wild, but i get the job done, clear the woods so to speak? Anyways, coming in July the ASP is going to J-bay, a wave that really prefers a stylish surfer who can go fast and draw smooth lines. I'm going to pay close attention to how the judges award the stylish surfers who are making things look good, compared to the ones who are just completing manuevers getting the job done. Maybe if i study this enough i can start surfing as stylish as a sober chimpanzee.           heres a couple examples of style in action, let me know what u guys think about it? important? not so much?   







  Mark Appleyard- one of most stylish skaters ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlgsYpFStSA,     heres a link to video of him killing it, watch his style, arm placement, smoothness

                                                                     
Joel Parkinson- stylie master conneisuer/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIhwbT3zrQQ link to Parko video, it has the sickest 50 cent remix to it! The song is great, its horrible really, but in a great way!

Luckily Reef packaged their new movie, Cancer to Capricorn, with this months issue of Surfing magazine free of charge. Why you ask? Because this movie is one of the most mindless, commercial pieces of dribble i have ever been forced to sit through. Forced by who you say? Forced by my need to see something new and good besides Modern Collective. I'm over Kai Neville, the MC crew and everybody else whos jumped on that bandwagon, i have no room to talk i loved that wagon, haha . Unfortunately this was not the movie to watch hoping to be inspired and amped from something new. Its like a really bad tv commercial that keeps going. Crappy soundtrack, tons of slow-mo (stick a fork in my eye before making me watch the same standard air slow-mo'd over and over) throw in some shameless commercial clothing advertising and you have Cancer to Capricorn. Its enough to make me sick, shame on Reef for allowing this horrendous piece of boring garbage to ever be released.  Tonino, Ben, Fanning and Nick rip! Not taking anything away from them. The guy who made this movie completely sucks.   

Check out Birdmans grovel to glory video that surfline just posted. I'll put the link to that below, i think its also on www.911surfreport.com with a rad Sunrise commercial before the video. The surfline take doesn't have the commercial at the beginning, but its got a little suprise sunrise love at the end! (trust me, make sure you watch it through, its hilarious!!) The video highlights Gabes 6.0 win, the volcom camp contest and some slow-mo t-tribe ripping at salt creek and lowers. Once again the birdman fly's in any weather and makes jax proud!

http://www.surfline.com/video/locals/grovel-to-glory_44261