Vic employees Justin and Kyle take a moment off to eat and relax after a busy week of Shipping. I hope you enjoyed that company sponsored meal gentlemen, now get back to work!
Happy days in Laguna Beach
Category: Uncategorized
Rippers starting early
Check out this little rocker in his Victoria t-shirt blasting the drums. It is so good to see this type of enjoyment at an early age. Go on little man!
Skim Your Library?
Vic team rider Scooter Hayes loves to have fun and apparently so does his local library. The New Hanover County Public Library served as the grounds for Scooter and his friend Tyler Simmons to “skim” the literature, videos, and information in search of what they desired most – knowledge and fun. Check out the video by clicking here.
Show me the money.
8-18-10
Today I attended a Surf Industry Manufacturers Association symposium on the subject of managing team riders. Apparently the world of surf team management is changing very rapidly due to the explosive growth of sports agents who represent athletes in negotiations with their sponsors. Contracts, clauses, questionable products like alcohol and tobacco, personal behavior restrictions, age minimums for contacted riders, endemic (surf industry)vs. non endemic sponsors (like Redbull and Target) and are they good for the industry were just a few of the many subjects tackled this morning.
Bottom lines: A sports agent will help you. (See Jerry Mcquire movie again) Money isn’t everything, some sponsors like alcohol and tobacco companies, will not be good for your future. Energy drink sponsors are questionable. Sponsored riders should really like their sponsors products or it won’t work out over time. You should like and pre-approve of their advertisements that feature you. In the case of Bob Bernquist, getting on the cover of High Times was not good for his contract with Verizon.
In short, we have a long, long way to go. Even the industry of surfing is still way, way behind the likes of motocross, or skateboarding, or snowboarding. Again, money isn’t everything, but is certainly is driving a lot of the decisions in sports these days.
20 billion dollar companies are now competing with the 20 million dollar core surf industry companies. It’s a whole new world.
Tex
Victoria Skimboards WCS 2011
The dates for the Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding 2011 have been set. Mark your calendar, get your flight, and practice as next year will be here before you know it.
Victoria Skimboards WCS 2011
July 16 – 17, 2011
We will see you there!
Who in the world?
Any idea who this strapping young lad is?
Be prepared, always carry a sand wedge.
Today’s lesson is all about club selection. First question is where are you going to play? Makenna Beach, Maui, Hawaii, or Aliso Beach with a trough and small waves, or maybe you are hitting the pier at Virginia Beach and the waves are just big enough to carry you?
Different places require different boards, or if you play golf, different clubs.
Case #1 Makena, Maui is characterized by a 24” tall, vertical wall, as the wave always hits a trough and creates a horrendous transition from sand to water. Adaptive evolution is at work here, the locally made Maui Skimmers are perfect for this wave. They have huge rocker and pointy noses for minimal drag going over the big curb at Big Beach.
Case #2 You are engaged in mortal combat at Aliso, money is at stake, the waves are small, the transitions are brutally short and you are prepared because you brought your sand wedge. What you have is an Ivan Ashauer special, something two sizes smaller than you normally ride. The judges will love you, albeit with some understanding of your wisdom, as you rip, tear and lacerate the little buggers with total abandon. Good club choice, perfect distance, your caddy reminds you, as you mount the victory stand.
Case #3 The Virginia Beach Pier is your venue today, great running skills are a must, deep water takeoffs required, super smooth transitions onto the board, and off the wave are critical. Here’s where you pull out the Big Bertha, Bubble Burner, Al Haig Warhead for some serious plane time. Extra low loft, that means rocker, is a must for distance driving, along with having an oversized board. This would also apply to an older skimmer going at it anywhere, or a session at 10th St. with it’s dicey sidewash that is barely big enough to support Rob Machado, let alone a 200 lb. wannabe wedge rider. Wider tails are great for this, whatever shape you choose.
Moral of the story: Fit your stick to the situation. If you can afford more than one club, back up your game with a small wave basher, or a distance driving big board. Pro rider tip: Ride your big board as practice for a contest, then switch to the regular size board for your heat. You will turn effortlessly. Learned that from Kai Bond, former pro longboarder. Tex
Don’t cheat, move your feet.
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| Tex at the plane research facilities, 1964. |
“Weather” tis “write” to ride big and flat or small and chippy, that is the question. If you are from around here, the weather has been terrible for quite a spell. It’s easy to say how great a board turns with tail rocker. But does this board plane far, AND turn. For those of us that only ride one board, the answer is going to be a happy medium. My medium said I was going to be happy, and I am. A board that has tail rocker, is going to be easier to turn. The price is a noticeable loss in speed. Sure you can turn the board sideways to make up for the tail rocker, but a lot of your riding is with the nose forward, not sideways. My theory is to maximize the potential of the board by making the tail flat, and training the rider to move his foot further back to control the board in turns. Likewise, a small board turns on a dime, but it won’t carry you far. The bigger a board you can handle, the more waves you are going to get. To cheat is to retreat. Back in the day when we were intensely focused on rocker, a board with as little as 1/16th inch tail rocker felt like it was pulling a trailer compared to a completely flat tail. Your boards rocker should be committed to a written record somewhere and you should recheck your rocker twice a year, and record the changes. Rocker is the key to happiness young grasshopper. Next we will explore ze connections between golf and skimming. Stay tuned. Tex
First foam skimboards shaped here.
8-12-2010
1981 The little red shed on the left was the Vic shaping room, and push lawn mower storage bay. This house was Lynn’s and my first house together next door to Victoria’s first official shop at 2535 Laguna Cyn. Road. It was part of the Timothy Leery property, who was Mr. LSD in the 60’s. A pigsty, drug den, 8’ tall ivy sproutting out of the roof shingles, parrot guano 6” high in the living room front window, syringes here and there, broken glass, shattered toilet, etc. We persuaded the owner to let us manage three other units and got cheap rent in exchange for our efforts to clean it up. Learned a ton about property management in the process. The previous tenant (speed freak) had a run in with me one day at the shop, which led to a skuffle, and later that day my first date with Lynn. Bingo! My adrenalin was gone and I was abnormally relaxed for once, and had a great evening together. Later he got evicted and we moved in. Strange how fate works.
This is our American Gothic photo after the transformation. Got married while living there. Good times.
Victoria Skimboards Retail Wall – Acapulco Mexico
Victoria Skimboards is pleased to have taken part in designing the wall for a new shop opened by our Mexican Distributor X3M in Acapulco, Mexico. This 15′ x 10′ wall showcases all of the disciplines that Victoria Skimboards covers (Flatland, Ocean, Wake) and pays special homage to some of the local Victoria Skimboards riders (Chopa, Tule, and Tripas). Of course it would not be complete without the likes of Bill Bryan, Matthieu Thibaud, Morgan Just, and Brandon Rothe.
If you are in Acapulco, drop into the Break Point Skimshop and have a look. Thanks X3M for doing such a great job!
If you would like to see the wall design in smaller format, Click Here
