Three months ago I suggested that the surf
journalists of the world should form an academy and awards worthy
of our high calling. That honored our very important craft. I have
thought much about it since then and would like to officially
announce The Graham Stapelberg Academy for Excellence in Surf
Journalism™
The categories for consideration are:
The Brodie Carr Award for Best Contest
Reportage
The Sam George Award for Being Unnecessarily
Poetic
The Richard M. Nixon Award for Best
Headline
The Billabong Award for Best (biggest) Industry
Schill
The Negatron Award for Best Commenter
The George Clooney Award for Best Profile
The Zach Weisberg Award for Best Story about
Avocados/Surfing Pugs
Story of the Year
Editor of the Year
Lifetime Achievement
It is an edge-of-the-seat affair that depends on your input! Who
would you like to see holding a coveted Grahmmie™ at the
end of the night? Who would you like to heap praise upon? Some
names to mull…
Steve Shearer
Matt Warshaw
Rory Parker
Jed Smith
Brendon Buckley
Taylor Paul
Morgan Williamson
Nick Carroll
Cori Schumacher
Sean Doherty
Tim Baker
Sam George
Marcus Sanders
Joel Patterson
Chris Cote
Tell us below! The Grahmmies™ will be announced to
the world on July 4th.
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Gimme: T & C surf x Le Coq Sportif!
By Chas Smith
Iconic Hawaiian brand and iconic French brand join
forces!
Town and Country, out of Pearl City on Oahu, is
certainly one of the most iconic brands in surf. It was founded in
1971 but really his stride in the 1980s, perfectly capturing the
zeitgeist. Bright colors, bold prints.
I remember as a young child thinking that T & C had invented the
yin-yang symbol. I would go to the beach and lust after those thick
rail’d surfboards and thrill playing Wood and Water Rage
with Joe Cool, Tiki Man, Kool Kat and Thrilla Gorilla.
T & C was everything!
I don’t know what happened to the brand through the ’00s. Did it
get licensed by some conglomerate? Marketed exclusively in Hong
Kong? I don’t know. But I know today they are collaborating with
French brand Le Coq Sportif on a shoe and ooh la la!
Let’s read about it!
Hawaiian surf brand, Town & Country Surf Designs, joins
forces with French footwear label, Le
Coq Sportif, as the duo release two iterations of the brand’s
signature LCS R800 silhouette.
Utilizing the surf label’s signature graphics and black and
white checkerboard pattern as the base of its design scheme, pops
of pink are prominent on one pair, while the second sports a white
and grey finish, alongside turquoise and violet accents.
Additionally detailed with co-branding throughout, each pair
also flaunts a multicolored outsole to perfectly coordinate with
its respective colorway. Furthermore, a special coconut scent has
been injected into the outsoles of the kicks, as a nod to surfboard
wax.
80s checkerboard? Special coconut scent? Gimme gimme!
But what was your favorite childhood surf brand?
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Couldn't you just watch Kelly Slater at biggish
Cloudbreak (and Teahupoo and Pipe for that matter) all day long?
And his real talk? Even after all these years, Kelly is still
number one in our hearts! | Photo: WSL
Fiji: Slater Looses Tongue! (Watch!)
By Rory Parker
And the best waves, surfing, of the season!
What a day! Magic in the water. Much better
than yesterday.
Round 4 fired from the get-go. Medina, Slater, JJ stood out from
the pack.
Medina picked up the first ten of the day with a long long long
double barrel. Backed it up with a 4.6 that was, honestly, pretty
neat. Mushy take-off, linked turns along what looked like a
garbage. Either luck, or spark of genius, saw it stand up big along
the inside, providing the brash Brazzo with an ugly steep section
to blast off. Full roter ‘oop, flowed into a paint by numbers front
rev.
Fair game on the low score, but it was really cool to see.
Impressive demonstration of ability. Not that we need to be
reminded Medina’s an amazing surfer.
Slater looked like his old self, near perfect heat. Rolled the
dice on a vicious late drop and came up snake eyes, unleashed a
couple f-bombs right into the camera.
Wonder if that’ll be edited out of the heat analyzer? Wonder if
he’ll be handed a fine?
Article 177: Other Miscellaneous Violations and
Penalties
Using profanity on broadcast of Event or media interview at
Event- $10,000 monetary penalty to be considered by the
Commissioner and the Discipline Director
And you’ve gotta be impartial. Especially when the offender is
so openly keyed in on the business end.
Just to get out in front of the inevitable take down notice.
This is totally fair use. Doesn’t matter how many times it’s
removed, I’ll just repost it. Don’t make it a whole thing for me,
just leave well enough alone. The internet’s attention span is all
of twenty minutes. It’ll be forgotten soon, unless you give people
a reason to remember.
Florence did best but lost on the numbers. 9.93 that should’ve
been a 10 that wouldn’t have made a difference, 6.5 that was
properly scored.
Yellow jersey outpointed him, paired a high seven with a high
eight. Not a problem, really. John John got to surf another heat,
we got to see him do it.
Early Round Five slowed down. ADS and Payne did the best they
could with what was on offer. Great surfing, but not as spectacular
as early day. ADS came out on top.
Next heat got better, but Bourez and Dantas couldn’t do much
with it. Bourez grabbed gems but couldn’t seal the deal.
Dantas looked on track to continue Forrest Gump’ing his way to the
finals, but started heating up midway through.
Out surfed Bourez, but didn’t need to. The Tahitian forgot how
interference rules work. Boned himself by bottom turning around
Wiggly before conceding priority.
I was thinking yesterday, it’d be kind of cool if they allowed
each surfer one 30 second time out in each heat. Stop the clock.
The other surfer wouldn’t be allowed catch a wave during that time,
if they have priority. If the person who called time out holds
priority the clock would resume when they start paddling for a
wave. Add a new level to tactics, allow guys to stop time while
they wait for a last second buzzer beater.
I can think of a million reasons why it’d be nearly impossible
to implement. But if someone figured it out it’d be neat.
Kerr/Buchan featured the agony of two of my fantasy team members
facing off in an elimination round. I have no idea how seeding
works.
Buchan dominated Kerr. Ol’ Ace has got some mighty fine tube
ridin’ skills. Put Kerr in a combo, out of which he barely clawed
out. 6.33 with four minutes left Kerr needing a 9.34. Which didn’t
appear. Tick tock tick tock. Buchan into the quarters.
Last heat of the day was Jug Handles and J-Flo. Really looking
forward to that one. JJ on fire even though he lost last round.
Jadson’s barrel game seems inversely proportional to his hairline.
Hoped that Double John’d push him hard to push himself. Turn it
into a battle.
Slow start until Florence grabs a, by my count, ten-second
barrel. Which used to be the stuff of legend. Now it’s an 8.5.
Crazy how far tube riding has come.
Bedroom Eyes Blakey on John John Florence, “Broad shouldered,
six foot tall, a pretty solid unit.”
JJ backed it up with another eight and a half while Jadson
languished in a combo sitation. Came real close to a big score on a
runner but couldn’t make it out the end.
Jadson is trying hard, and paying for it. Gets a very long and
tight tube, kick-out rev at the end. Six won’t get him out of
combo.
Great heat. But John John takes it easily with his insane
ability.
Decision to put the event on hold until tomorrow, run quarters
through finals in what’s supposed to be bigger and better, is
pretty damn ballsy. Slater said it himself, bird in the hand. But
the gamble could pay off.
Of course, if the WSL had any sense they’d keep streaming the
rest of the day’s free surf. I buy the idea that the wind is
switching and it won’t be perfectly contestable and that tomorrow
most likely will be. But I know I’m not the only one who’d like to
see the tour descend on the lineup and pick apart every good one
that rolls through
Fiji Pro Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.60, Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.16, Michel
Bourez (PYF) 10.23
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.77, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 13.34,
Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.60
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.07, Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.07, Jadson
Andre (BRA) 13.43
Heat 4: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 16.56, John John Florence (HAW) 16.43,
Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.16
Fiji Pro Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.34 def. Dusty Payne (HAW)
10.37
Heat 2: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 14.27 def. Michel Bourez (PYF)
3.77
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.67 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.66
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 17.00 def. Jadson Andre (BRA)
10.17
Fiji Pro Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA)
QF 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
QF 4: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
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Mason Ho, the 27-year-old surfer from Sunset Beach,
Hawaii, has spent his entire pro surfing life travelling with his
book of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee. If it works for Mason, it'll
work for you, right? Here, Mason reveals seven profound lessons
that will improve your life and your surfing.
BeachGrit TV: Mason Ho Reads Bruce
Lee!
By Derek Rielly
How to improve your surfing with the Kung Fu master
Bruce Lee!
For the past seven years, the Hawaiian Mason Ho
has travelled the world with the Bruce Lee book Jeet Kune Do.
The book, which was published in 1975 and bought by Mason at
Singapore airport in 2009, contains notes and essays by Lee and, as
well as kung fu techniques, is heavy on Zen and enlightenment.
Mason, who is 27 years old, adores Lee’s philosophies and
applies the teaching to his own surfing. Examine the ways in
which Lee’s words can pertain to surfing.
On practising turns:
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but
I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000
times.
On living a good life:
If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is
made up of.
On individuality:
Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always
more important than any established style or system.
In this episode of Like Bitchin, Mason gives you, me,
seven lessons you can learn from Jeet Kune Do. And it’s
totally random! Mason throws the pages open, stabs a finger, and
jabs Bruce Lee’s pistol words straight down your throat!
Watch here!
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Power: BeachGrit breaks FCS!
By Chas Smith
Fin manufacturer goes into hiding after fun
making!
This morning I wrote a story about a
dead snake that washed up on a little surfed
California beach one year ago. It was not my finest moment, of
course, but let us be very honest. None of these past two years
worth of moments have amounted to much more than a hill of beans.
In any case, as part of the narrative arc (pretend it had one!) I
included a ditty about Kolohe Andino changing his fins by banging
them on a bench.
Do you remember that video? It came out 3ish months ago and
starred your fourth favorite blonde pro surfer under 26 smashing
his FCS II fins on a boat bench in order to get them to pop out of
his board.
I can’t recall specifically what I was drinking at the time but
the whole thing seemed very funny and so I made fun of it. Knowing
me I made fun of it a few more times. And when I went to make fun
of it again today I realized it had been ripped down! Scrubbed off
the entire Internet. Scrubbed from Vimeo, from Facebook, from YouTube. Like it
never existed!
I almost fell off of my kitchen stool laughing. It means that my
gentle barbs so disturbed the content producers at FCS that they
had the thing pulled down. They had it vanished like a poor Italian
shopkeeper who couldn’t pay his protection money!
Poof! Gone!
But once I stopped laughing I realized the potential power of
mighty BeachGrit. I realized that with enough fun making
anything can happen. How then should we use this power? What would
you like to see made fun of until it goes away?
