OIL SPILL = NO BUENO + MAG PROJECT NEWS!

Please check out this linked article on Surfermag.com (environmental awareness is important for all surfers, regardless of what country they live in):

Oil Spill in Southern Oaxaca [MEXICO]

AND SPEAKING OF MAGAZINES--my new e-zine, which I'm collaborating on with close friend Jonas Nakas, should drop in roughly a month.  More details about the magazine project--and a PROMO ONLINE VIDEO SPOT--are forthcoming.  Be prepared to get stoked!

--FIN--

Adam Dumas' Dropknee Destruction Impresses & Unidentified Redheaded Riders (along with Kim Magin and Michael Birch) Go the Distance at the Wedge

 Adam Dumas was executing very swift and interesting maneuvering today.  From late drops on the forehand dropknee stance, to smacking oncoming sections in an non-traditional fashion, he impressed me with his riding today.  It wasn't necessarily what he landed that inspired and intrigued me as much as what he didn't.  Sometimes, seeing an uncompleted maneuver--that is a radical departure from the norm--is far more interesting than seeing someone ride out of the typical redirection.  While I posted a standard backside dropknee shot for this blog post, see some photographic evidence of his unique approach to the Wedge in the upcoming issue of the magazine project...

 One redhead (riding a bodyboard) wheelie-stalls...

...while another (a highly skilled skimboarder) steps on the gas.

All the while, Kim Magin (above) and Michael Birch (below) were busy demonstrating--through their wave selection--how the Wedge earned it's name.  (For the uninitiated, note the pointy peak of each wave, forming a more-or-less wedge-shaped breaker in both cases.)

 --FIN--

"Occupational" Hazards & A Magazine Project in the Works!

While this misstep was not in vain, it surely was funny!  Before eventually landing his trick, here skateboarder Mike "P-Wire" Piwowar (pictured in the red t-shirt, stepping on the ledge mid-trick-attmept) and one of his regular skateboard filmers (pictured below, nearly copping a board to his fisheye-adapter equipped camcorder) do the all-too familiar dance in action sports: the "avoid-the-fisheye" filmer-athlete tango.  And what's the dancefloor for Piwowar?  In this case, the stage is a slippery concrete ledge.  The danger was heightened by the ledge's edge--which Piwowar has a single foot on--being coated in a candle-wax like substance by previous visiting skateboarders.  This wax allows for faster slides (sliding on the surface of the wooden skateboard plank) and grinds (sliding on the metal trucks' hangers)--but also makes for a dangerously-slick surface to perform on.

This scene is a common action-sports occupational hazard to be sure--but usually one that eventually pays off.  Luckily, no skateboarders were seriously injured in the making of this shot--and neither was the filmer, nor the photographer, nor the equipment!  It was a close call for both videographer and skater, however.

Pictures of made tricks from this session (two sequences and one still)--along with a still of Piowowar flinging himself off of a banked loading dock--are to be seen in the upcoming edition of Jonas Nakas' and my new magazine project.  Stay tuned for more details!

S U C C E S S -- CoachArt/Ohana O Kekai/Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation event goes big!

The Free and Easy screening @ Redondo Union High School's auditorium--an event I was promoting on this blog--was an overwhelming, stoke-and-shock-inducing success!  I wanted to thank EVERYONE involved in the screening of Free & Easy to support the non profits CoachArt and the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation!  Whether you bought a raffle and/or screening ticket, were a surf-celebrity guest (Pete Townsend, Mike Purpus, Joel Tudor and Tyler Hatzikian all showed up to support the cause), narrated the movie (that credit goes to Mike Purpus), worked hard to get the event going (CoachArt staff and myself worked alongside Ben and Sofia of Ohana O Kekai; Mike Purpus also did much great behind-the-scenes work), or donated prizes (see below for an index of prize donor websites), you ROCK!  A very special thanks goes to the unsung heroes of the film screened--MacGillivary/Freeman films, who captured all of the amazing action of the movie on celluloid in the 1960s, with MUCH heavier equipment than is used today--for letting everyone enjoy the fruits of their hard labor that crystallized the essence of a bygone era.

Many thanks to the Easy Reader for running a preview feature on the event.

SPONSORS'/PRIZE DONORS' WEBSITES:

BODY GLOVE

LIQUID SALT
LONGBOARDS DESIGNED BY DAVENPORT
TYLER
DIVE N SURF
AMOUREUX VINTAGE
MarcusBockmanPhoto.com (site coming soon, or contact me through this blog in the meantime if you won the free print from me!)

 COACHART & THE JIMMY MILLER MEMORIAL FOUNDATION benefited greatly from this night.  Thanks again, all you blog fans!

Pagan, Zaun, and Anzivino strike again, along with a victory from Sara Kohrogi! South Bay Boardriders Club (SBBC) Surf Series Spyder Contest #6 @ Hermosa Beach *RESULTS IN NOW!*

SBBC South Bay Surf Series Spyder Contest #6 05.12.12
	Open Mens			Open Womens			Juniors (18 & under)
1st	Matt Pagan		1st	Natalie Anzivino		1st	Kelly Zaun
2nd	Chris Broman		2nd	Rachel Tominaga		2nd	Jordan Robinson
3rd	Kelly Zaun		3rd	Becca Rosen		3rd	Dimitri Paparasslliou
4th	Dimitri Paparasslliou		4th	Tamara Lentz		4th	Wyatt Boyd
5th	Dane Zaun		5th	Sara Kohrogi		5th	Chris Stimphl
6th	Shaun Burrell		6th	Mackie Albertson		6th	Dryden Brown
	Boys (14 & under)			Groms (12 & under)			Micro-Groms (9 & under)
1st	Henry Kinson		1st	Nick Ferrara		1st	Shane Moseley
2nd	Chris Stimphl		2nd	Dylan Hord		2nd	Luke Snyder
3rd	Jack Rowan		3rd	Sam Reichel		3rd	Noah Steinmetz
4th	Kyle Beatty		4th	Ryan Ulrich		4th	Joey Samuelian
5th	Ron Sannes		5th	Jake Johnson		5th	Kelly Murphy
6th	Dylan Hord		6th	Sebastian Kuhr		6th	Mathew Hahn
	Open Longboard (all ages)			Masters (40 - 49)			Legends (50 +)
1st	Mike Siordia		1st	Warren Kushner		1st	Roddy Williams
2nd	Tom Seth		2nd	Donny Wilson		2nd	Scott Daley
3rd	Spencer Parker		3rd	Ted Robinson		3rd	Scott Johnsen
4th	Frankie Mazzotta		4th	Chris Wells		4th	Nick Christensen
5th	Tim Ferguson		5th	Tom Seth		5th	Mark Theodore
6th	Jason Leeds		6th	Scott Johnsen		6th	Mike Purpus
	Junior Girls (18 & Under)
1st	Sara Kohrogi
2nd	Jessie Rowan
3rd	Saralyn Troeger
4th	Rachel Tominaga
5th	Mackie Albertson
6th	Linea Fuller

Enjoy Mike Purpus' narration of the '60s Free & Easy surf flick, while SUPPORTING the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation & CoachArt! *FUNDRASIER*

Wow!  It's been in the works for awhile, but thanks to Mike Purpus and Ohana O Kekai, CoachArt (a charity that provides lessons in the arts and athletics to children (AND the the siblings of children) with chronic illnesses; I intern at CoachArt) and the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation will benefit from a surf movie night with a '60s surf star & live narrator extraordinaire, Mr. Purpus himself:

CLICK TO ENLARGE FLYER!

In addition to Mike Purpus, extra special thanks to Ben & Sofia @ Ohana O Kekai!  And many, many thanks to the sponsors of the night (click the links to see sponsors' websites):

BODY GLOVE
LIQUID SALT
LONGBOARDS DESIGNED BY DAVENPORT
TYLER
DIVE N SURF
AMOUREUX VINTAGE

I hope to see all you blog readers @ Redondo Union High School's auditorium on the 18th of this month, May!  I've been working alongside many other great people towards making this benefit night happen for CoachArt/Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation for months, so come on down, check out the shindig, and say, "Hi!" if you see me!

$5/(pre sale) ticket, $7/(at-the-door) ticket, $1/ticket for RAFFLE tickets!

Matt Pagan, Natalie Anzivino, and Rachel Tominaga reign supreme at South Bay Boardriders Club (SBBC) Contest #5 @ El Porto (Results IN NOW!)

SBBC South Bay Surf Series Surf Concepts Contest #5 04.21.12
	Open Mens			Open Womens			Juniors (18 & under)
1st	Matt Pagan		1st	Natalie Anzivino		1st	Kelly Zaun
2nd	Kelly Zaun		2nd	Rachel Tominaga		2nd	Codee Stamis
3rd	Derek Brewer		3rd	Becca Rosen		3rd	Kent Nishiya
4th	Shaun Burrell		4th	Sara Kohrogi		4th	Will Reid
5th	Ted Robinson		5th	Sayuri Kameda		5th	Conner Beatty
6th	Dane Zaun		6th	Jordan Wible		6th	Noah Collins
	Boys (14 & under)			Groms (12 & under)			Micro-Groms (9 & under)
1st	Noah Hill		1st	Noah Hill		1st	Shane Moseley
2nd	Will Reid		2nd	Dylan Hord		2nd	Billy Atkinson
3rd	Chris Stimphl		3rd	Cody Purcell		3rd	Charlie White
4th	Jack Rowan		4th	Ethan Ward		4th	Kelly Murphy
5th	Kyle Beatty		5th	Declan Solomon		5th	Kieren Walls
6th	Peter Healey		6th	Alex Fry		6th	Kalani Rusher
	Open Longboard (all ages)			Masters (40 - 49)			Legends (50 +)
1st	Dave Schaefer		1st	Ted Robinson		1st	Scott Daley
2nd	Hudson Richie		2nd	Warren Kushner		2nd	Nick Christensen
3rd	Dylan St. Germain		3rd	Chris Wells		3rd	Mike Purpus
4th	Cosmo Flynn		4th	Scott Whitmer		4th	Kevin Holmes
5th	Tim Ferguson		5th	Steve Howe		5th	John Ward
6th	Steve Compass		6th	Cosmo Flynn		6th	Mike Boyd
	Junior Girls (18 & Under)
1st	Rachel Tominaga
2nd	Sara Kohrogi
3rd	Jessica Rosenfeld
4th	Maddie LaMonaco
5th	Ailidh Shelden
6th	Chloe Kleinman

The Eject Button: Sometimes You Have to Know When to Bail

 One of the things a surfer quickly learns--in and out of the ocean--is when to ride things out, and when to bail.  Local Stand Up Paddleboarder Tamara Lentz demonstrates (by way of diving off of her too-thick-to-duckdive board while a lip looms above her) that when the going gets tough, sometimes the tough just have to get the hell out of the way of the ocean.

  A visual Redondo "B-wall" surf-check elicited an all-too-common mental response from myself: "good from afar, but far from good," (as my surf buddy Kim Magin would say.)

 An aquatic optical illusion presents itself down-the-beach.  It's a peeling barrel--right?  If you're dubious, your skepticism serves you well.

Another momentary mirage--they can be tempting, but are ultimately likely be trying.

The verdict?  The surf wasn't worthwhile today.  But that's the magical thing about the ocean: it can be depressingly flat one day, and overhead the following day.  Let's hope that when I check it again, it's overhead (and that the water quality has improved).

Until next time...

--FIN--

THAT'S whose Sharp Eye surfboard this is! [Sequence]

Marcelo Malinco, approaching the top of the pictured wave with poise, follows through with a great tight-radius turn at a Los Angeles break:

Majestic Creature

[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

 

The South Bay's most beautiful commonly-found shorebird, 5-10 feet above my head.

--FIN--

Contorted Breaker

A wave--photographed at the previous post's spot--stretches out like a Yoga practitioner.

--FIN--

BOOM! goes the dynamite

--FIN--

Pier and Cyclist

Wild, Unruly Surf and Swell-Sheltered Curls

 El Porto's erratic, huge waves' height clocked in at "if you have to ask how big these waves are, you shouldn't go out"...

 ...while a well-known South Bay proving ground for surfers was also large, but not as potentially life-threatening...

...and this zone proved to be "just right" for this surfer shooting the curl.

More photos from today may be posted on the blog soon; I am submitting the best of the beastly barrel shots to media outlets.   Links will be provided to off-site published shots!

--FIN--

Nathan Gocke--Quadriplegic Surfer and Inspiration to Wave Riders

Being a quadriplegic doesn't slow inspirational Nathan Gocke down--he still surfs as often as possible.  Check out his story/photos here on Patch.com online news Hermosa Beach.  If inspired, you can CONTACT & DONATE TO GOCKE--CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING FINANCIAL HARDSHIP DUE TO EXORBITANT MEDICAL COSTS--BY EMAILING HIM (see note below email to properly enter email, it is purposefully written incorrectly to deter spammers from flooding Gocke's inbox!) AT:

Gocke Rider [@] Hotmail.com

(NOTE: REMOVE THE SPACES IN THE ABOVE EMAIL, ALONG WITH THE "[" and "]" in order to make the above email address valid).

--FIN--