http://www.yardbarker.com/content/sport/35 Recent Yardbarker articles: Surfing en-us We turn our attention to the ASP World Tour and women's pro surfing. The ladies are competing in Rio De Janeiro this week, and are already in to the quarterfinals of the Billabong Girls Pro Rio. The tournament runs until Sep. 18, with the winner taking home $85,000.check out photos of the Roxy team. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:27:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/331892 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/331892 LIQUID LOVE On September 5, professional surfers and surf industry executives will converge at the annual Liquid Nation Ball - a charity fundraiser benefiting social and humanitarian organizations. This years 'humanitarian of the year' award will be given to Dr. Dave Jenkins, who founded SurfAid International. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:44:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313866 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313866 Tropical Storm Fay makes windsurfing extra fun! Video Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:06:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309047 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309047 I went to Southern California this past weekend to celebrate my 30th birthday. Dirty 30. Manhattan Beach. Big ups to Cyrus and Carrie for letting me crash on their couch for three or four days. We watched the Olympics (congratulations, Phelps) but mostly we drank and ate and drank some more. Occasionally Carrie and I surfed. Cyrus was recovering from a brutal long-boarding accident, and therefore spent our beach time under the umbrella. His exertion was limited to pints, "Phelpsies" and Wii. In this photo, Carrie and I enter the water with her brother Brian, who actually surfs well. Unlike Carrie and I. We're getting better, though, and like Cyrus says about the crowded SoCal waters: "If you finish your session without hurting yourself or another surfer, consider that day a success. " Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:59:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/308164 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/308164 The final 17 heats of the Billabong Pro Tahita will run today. Heading into today's heat, remaining former champions include Bobby Martinez (USA), Andy Irons (HAW) and C.J. Hobgood (USA). The event will be LIVE on the web at www.billabongpro.com and www.aspworldtour.com Thu, 15 May 2008 18:25:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267447 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267447 There was word out there of a bar out in Mission Beach with an outdoor, artificial wave pool with surfers and all. Not only did this place exist, it was an awesome experience. Thu, 15 May 2008 12:19:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267288 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267288 Growing up as a competitive surfer since the age of 11, Blair Marlin (left) has a longstanding relationship with the surfing industry. After retiring from competitive surfing, Marlin went on to co-found Transworld Surf, where he was the magazine's Assistant Editor, before moving on to DC Shoes as a Surf, Moto and Music Team Manager. Nearly two years ago, however, Marlin switched jobs again, this time becoming Director of Surf at WMG Management, a division of Wasserman Media Group. What spurred the transition? It wasn't exactly luck. Rather, WMG went out of its way to reel in Marlin. "When we decided to expand into the surf market and were looking for someone to help lead us, Blair's name kept topping the list," commented WMG President, Action Sports, Steve Astephen. "Having had the pleasure of negotiating many contracts with Blair while he was at DC, I knew he was quite capable of switching roles and joining our WMG." Working out of WMG's Carlsbad, CA offices, Marlin now manages such renowned names as Bruce and Andy Irons, Dane Reynolds, Dusty Payne, Kalani David, and Luke Davis. The highlight of his work? "Playing a small role in helping the guys accomplish their goals is the best part about my job, and the reason I wanted to start working in this field in the first place," he says. The worst part? "It's not all traveling, surfing, high fives and handshakes. It's 9-5 office time when I am home, and a lot of stress is involved on the business side of things." The trick for the surfing industry, Marlin explains, which can be viewed as part of the larger "action" sports industry that includes skateboarding, snowboarding and BMX among myriad other endeavors, and that has increasingly won over advertisers' attention and marketshare, is for the "big industry companies to get together and decide to allow mainstream sponsors to enter into the sport, and not just as co-sponsors of evens to help fund their costs." An industry colleague, Susan Izzo, CEO of the Encinitas, CA based Mosaic Sports Management, notes for instance that skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing is now an $11 billion industry in terms of consumer marketing, and that megabrands such as AmericanExpress and Target are finally beginning to embrace "action" sports figures as bona fide product spokesmen (and women). Marlin is used to catching big waves. Is $11b big enough? Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:10:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261705 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261705 A 24 year old San Francisco man bled to death after being attacked by a gray shark while surfing off of Troncones beach, west of Ixtapa. Though fatal shark attacks are considered rare, this is the 2nd fatality in less than one week. Dr. David Martin, 66, was killed by a great white shark while swimming off the shore of Solana Beach, Calif. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:46:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261688 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261688 Aussie 16-year old Brock Curtis is dealing with the media circus following the death of his friend, Peter Edmonds. Curtis and Edmonds were bodyboarding when Edmonds was attacked and killed by a shark. Curtis attempted unsuccessfully to save his best friend. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:43:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/254260 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/254260 The five entries for the Billabong XXL are unbelievable. All five waves are massive and it will be interesting to see who wins Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:28:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227804 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227804 RoLLer Innovation apparel is an innovative company that seeks to provide a unified creative response to a new generation who let their passions determine the way they live their lives. Many walls have been knocked down over the past two decades, and today young people grow up in an environment where their creativity can take them wherever they want to go. From graffiti artists on the street, to a band playing in their garage, to skaters, surfers, snowboarders and so on. The people who do what they love are taking their skills further than ever. RoLLer Innovation is intended to be an expression of the burning desire to push the limits that unifies creative people in the realms of art, music, sports, and creates one all encompassing culture. Like artists, musicians, and athletes who pursue their goals with incredible dedication, RoLLer Innovation employs that same type of love and enthusiasm in an attempt to create clothing that reflects the passions that make us, as a generation, who we are. RoLLer Innovation Where Innovation meets Inspiration. Our mission is to be the leading lifestyle manufactuer of casual fashion apparel for everyone. We believe our customers want to stay current with, or ahead of, fashion trends and continually seek newness in their everyday wears. We offer a complete wardrobe selection representing fashion trends considered timely by our target customers. Roller's orgins as a surf/snow/skate apparel manufacturer has substantially grown over its first year of exsistence. We will continue to innovate by bringing our customers exciting new extreme sports wears. Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:50:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/164180 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/164180 Some footage from the 2008 Mavericks surf contest. Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:52:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/83132 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/83132 pretty much every surfer's worst nightmare... being on a surf trip out in some remote location and getting nailed by a shark. well almost, he lived, and wasn't torn up too bad. Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:57:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/74294 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/74294 The 2008 contest is over, and the champion is California native Greg Long. The purse of $75k was awarded to him, but this year came with a twist. When out in the water, the guys in the final heat agreed to split the winnings, no matter who pulled it off. So Long took $30k for his 40+ ft wave. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:21:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72391 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72391 Jeff Clark & co have called it for this Saturday, January 10th. A significant NorthWest swell is forming in the Pacific. Coupled with clearing local weather after numerous recent storms, these create conditions sufficient to hold the contest. Current forecasts on wave height are variable, ranging from 20 to 35 feet. Face heights at Mavericks will depend on the specific angle the swell comes in from (among other factors). While the event can be observed from a crumbling cliffside at Pigeon Point, its much too small to hold a crowd, and those who want to get a good view are being encouraged to fork over $20 and watch on a huge screen at AT&T Park in nearby San Francisco. The break is about a mile from my house. Its typically a total circus on contest day, though a lot of effort has been made in recent years to keep things from getting out of hand. If you're determined to get a great view, there are boats that will be launching from Princeton Harbor. See also: http://www.maverickssurf.com/ http://www.sfgate.com/mavericks/ Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:02:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/67570 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/67570 The surfing community witnessed another record payday as Bede Durbidge captured the title at the Billabong Pipeline Mastes. The 24 year old Aussie takes home the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Title with this win at Oahu's North Shore, the combo putting $75K in Durbidge's bank account. Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:21:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49354 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49354 Big Tuesday, December 4th, was a day like few others had seen before in Northern California. Breathless television news reports predicted 18-23 foot swells up and down the coastline, and famed big wave surfing spots like Mavericks at Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay and Ghost Trees near Pebble Beach were set to receive historic conditions. Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:05:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/48560 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/48560