Posted: February 25, 2011 by
Francesca
We are all about the be glued to our computers watching the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro Gold Coast, which are about to start in Coolangatta, Australia. The contests are the opening events for the ASP’s dream tour 2011. However, we are going to need a few more events to keep motivated during the last few weeks of winter. To help us all get in the mood for surfing, bright sunny beaches and our next
surf holiday, here is the March round up.
Event: Burton Toyota Pro 4*
Location: Merewether, Newcastle, Australia
Dates: 15 - 20 March
Prize money: $85,000
Last year’s winner: Glenn Hall (IRE/AUS)
25 years and counting, the Burton Toyota Pro is part of the surf festival that happens annually in Newcastle, Australia. Watch out for top 10 surfers Taj Burrow, Bede Durbidge and Ace Buchan as they battle it out in the waves.
Event: Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack’s Surfboards 4*
Location: Huntington Beach, California, USA
Dates: 23 - 27 March
Prize money: $85,000
Last year’s winner: Dylan Goodale (HAW)
The Van’s Pier Classic is your Californian opening event for the west coast of the USA. The contest has been injected with some much needed prize money, moving it from a 2* to a 4* this year.
Event: O’Neill Coldwater Classic New Zealand 6*
Location: Gisbourne, New Zealand
Dates: 23 - 29 March
Prize money: $145,000
Last year’s winner: Event didn’t exist
In the chilly waters off the coast of Gisbourne, New Zealand, O'Neill are going to hold their first Coldwater Classics contest. It will be the first time that the event is held in New Zealand, so it should be exciting to see what the north island surf breaks have to offer.
Event: Legendary Pacific Coast Pro 6*
Location: Merewether, Newcastle, Australia
Dates: 15 - 19 March
Prize money: $35,000
Last year’s winner: Kirby Wright (AUS)
The women’s contest was saved only this month from possibly being dropped altogether. Thankfully some much needed sponsorship has been set up by the Commonwealth Bank, who also sponsors the Beachley Classic each year. Things are looking good now, with 12 of the top 17 female surfers in the world confirming that they will compete.
Posted: February 24, 2011 by
Francesca
Spring is just around the corner, the new ASP dreamtour is about to start at the
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, and it’s time to start getting some new clothes ready for our next
surf holiday. To help you on your way to knowing what to pick out and to pack, we have chosen the best collections for Spring. Check them out online, and get packing.
- Quiksilver, Roxy and Quiksilver Women
Whether it’s
Roxy for the teenagers, or the fresh new line from
Quiksilver for the women, there are some elegant shapes and some much needed colour featured in the collections. The
men’s range takes inspiration from the 50s and 80s with its striped or graphical t-shirts for the coming season.
Colour and more colour is the theme for the men’s and women’s ranges from
Rip Curl this Spring. They’ve done us proud with their rainbow hues, that will have us feeling a whole load more upbeat and ready for the surf in no time. Make sure you check out the new
Mirage boardshort range, for those warm water surf sessions over in Fuerteventura this summer as well.
One of the more elite surf brands, as they combine surf style with up market beach apparel. Look out for the urban and cowboy influences in the
Billabong women’s range and the retro 70s vinyl cover feel to the men’s t-shirts.
Take a look at
Billabong’s Spring video for inspiration for your next beach outfit.
Posted: February 23, 2011 by
Francesca
The winter wait is over- it is finally time for the 2011 ASP world championship tour to start over in the Gold Coast, Australia.
Quiksilver is hosting the 10th annual Gold Coast Pro at the world famous right hand break of Snapper Rocks. The worlds best male and female surfers will be coming together to compete in the sand bottom beach and pointbreak of the Gold Coast that makes it so famous.
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Between 26th February and 9th March the first of the eleven scheduled ASP dreamtour spots will take place. The elite surf season opener will see the top 34 men, and the top 17 female surfers compete in the Quiksilver Pro and the Roxy Pro. It will be the first time that only 34 men have competed together at the Gold Coast Pro, as this time last year the field was still at the larger 45 competitors. The changes beg the question as to whether the smaller group will mean that the competition will be heightened for the best of the best, or whether a wildcard and rookies could upset everything?
Last year it was Australia’s own Taj Burrow who cleaned up and won the event. He was on fire, after winning the Billabong Pipeline Masters, the Breaka Burleigh WQS 4* event and then completing the hat trick with 2010’s Gold Coast Pro. Can he do it again?
Burrow may not have won the Billabong Pro last December, but he’s just claimed the title at the Breaka Burleigh contest... So keep a close eye on his inventive aerial maneuvers and progressive surfing that always scores highly with the judges.
When watching any of the Quiksilver events, there will always be talk of the king of surfing and Quiksilver sponsored Kelly Slater. Now boasting 10 world championship titles under his belt, everyone will be watching Slater to see how hungry he is for the win, and whether he is going to go in for another title this year.
Along with Burrow and Slater, ones to watch will always be the local boys and best friends Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning. They know the waves like no one else, and have put on some of the best performances over the years. However, there are two unknown factors this year: Alejo Muniz from Brazil and Julian Wilson from Australia.
Muniz has just won the WQS Prime Hang Loose Pro in Brazil, so is off to a great start already this year. Wilson on the other-hand, has grown up in the Quiksilver camp, having been sponsored by them for years. Both of these surfers are starting their rookie year on tour, so they will be hungry to make their mark on the circuit.
On the women’s circuit, it will be all about the Gimore factor. Stephanie Gilmore claimed her 4th world title out of 4 last year, and now she has controversially changed sponsors from Rip Curl to Quiksilver. As defending champion, Gilmore will be the one to watch at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast.
Check out all the action as it happens at:
Posted: February 22, 2011 by
Nicky
As soon as the first wave was surfed, there was someone setting up a
surf shop to sell you a surfboard. Surf Shops are located around the globe, providing you access to great info about local surf spots, daily surf reports, surf lessons, surfboards, and gear that let's you embed yourself in the surfing lifestyle. Surf Shops are institutuions of the surfing community and a beacon of the culture itself. Here's a lookm at 5 original surf shops
1. Thalia Surf Shop
A
California Surf Shop, located in Laguna Beach. It originally launched as Toes On the Nose Surf Shop. Renamed in 2001 as Thalia Street Surf Shop, it prides itself in being a collection of new and upcoming brands. With its new partnership with Vans, Thalia is a California Surf Shop to be reckoned with.
2. Sweetwater Surf Shop
In Wrightsville Beach, it is a
North Carolina Surf Shop established in the year 1976 by Jim and Diane Skiba. In 1995 it switched hands when it was bought by Chuck Bourgeois, father of Ben Bourgeois who has surfed on the ASP-WQS and once on ASP-WCT.
3. Nomad Surf Shop Boynton Beach
A
Florida Surf Shop that carries everything from surfboards to wetsuits, and brands like Roxy and Billabong. Started in 1968, they have been custom making surfboards since they opened there doors. Get the local Boynton Beach surf report by calling the shop at (561)278-Wave. They also provide surfing and paddle board lessons, with over 40 years in the surf business they got you covered.
4. Salty Dog Surf Shop
Daytona Beach, a Florida Surf Shop launched in 1979 which has grown into over 6 locations in Florida.
5. City Beach Surf Shop
In 1985, they launched their first shop off Queen Stree Mall in Brisbane, Queensland. An extremely popular
Australia Surf Shop, it prides itself on making some of the coolest and fun surf shops in all of Australia. They've expanded into Australian cities: Perth, Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Browsing there online site they have the vibe of a Pac Sun in the USA more of a lifestyle shop for inlanders than an actual surf gear shop.
This post was written by our friends over at surfshop.com
Posted: February 18, 2011 by
Francesca
Name: Clifton James Hobgood
Nicknames: CJ, Ceej
Hometown: Satellite Beach, Florida
Age: 31 (dob 06.07.79)
Stance: Goofy
Sponsors: Globe, FCS Fins, Dakine Accessories, Smith Eyewear, Vestal Watches, To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) organization, and Quiet Flight Surfboards
Name: Damien Hobgood
Nicknames: Damo
Hometown: Satellite Beach, Florida
Age: 31 (dob 06.07.79)
Stance: Goofy
Sponsors: Fox Clothing & Optics, Globe Footwear, Dakine Accessories, FCS Fins, and Sun Diego Boardshops
The East coast of the USA isn’t the first place that you’d think of as the home of some of the world’s best surfers. However, the sunshine state of Florida has produced not only Kelly Slater (possibly the greatest surfer ever) but the Hobgood brothers.
CJ and Damien Hobgood are twins from Melbourne, Florida, who have made a massive impact on the world surfing scene over the past 12 years. At 31 years of age, they are both still going strong on the ASP’s world championship tour and showing the rookies how it’s done. So what is it about the Hobgoods that has kept them competing amongst the dream tour for so long and still being able to rip apart any wave in the world?
Even though Florida and the East coast of the USA is renowned for its small waves, when you have a roll model like Kelly Slater, and the sibling rivalry that only twins can conger, even small surf wont stop you. The Hobgood brothers grew up surfing, and it showed in their podium finishes when they started competing from the late 80s onwards.
There wasn’t much between the brothers in terms of just how ridiculously good their surfing was. It wasn’t until they made it to the WQS tour in 1998 that any type of gap started to emerge. CJ managed to finish 11th on ‘the grind’ and qualify for the ASP’s world tour in 1999. However, Damien had to stick out another year on the WQS in order to join his brother.
CJ’s first year on the dream tour saw him blaze his way to become rookie of the year, and demonstrate his goofy foot skills at charging massive barrels at Teahupoo. In 2000, the ASP had a double act on their hands. The brothers were both on tour, and were to begin the most successful twin surfer career on the dream tour.
In 2001, with the curtailed event schedule after the 9/11 bombings, CJ was declared the World Championship winner, an accolade that Damien has not yet achieved. However, over the following decade CJ and Damien have claimed their fair share of ASP event titles. CJ has won the Hossegor Rip Curl Pro in 00’, the Japan Quiksilver Pro in 04’, and Billabong’s Pro Teahupoo in 04’ and Mundaka in 08’. Damien on the other hand has won the Quiksilver Pro Tavarua 04’, the Nova Schin WCT Brazil 05’, the Globe WCT Fiji 06’ and the Billabong Pro Teahupoo 07’.
Over the past 5 years the brothers have struggled with injuries, but are both back on fighting form. Last year Damien finished 12th and CJ at 16th in the rankings, ensuring their continued presence on the tour. Watch out for the boys this year, especially after witnessing CJ’s amazing performance at the Volcom Pipeline Pro in January this year... it looks like the Hobgoods are going to start this year’s dream tour in fine form.