TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 For more info click on: http://surf.transworld.net/1000146804/news/mick-fanning-surfs-with-special-needs-kids/   Check more about Ben on his website: http://www.benhowardmusic.co.uk/music/     Dragon Alliance Announces Sale to Marchon EyewearCarlsbad, CA (May 1, 2012)– Dragon Alliance announced today that it has been acquired by Marchon Eyewear, Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of eyewear, carrying many of the top fashion and lifestyle brands. This acquisition will increase the global reach of Dragon and reinforce the growing objectives of the brand. Dragon is a leading goggle and eyewear brand in the action sports market and is distributed in over 40 countries worldwide. Dragon’s premium eyewear products appeal to the youth market and push outside the boundaries of the status quo. Will Howard, founder and CEO of Dragon, started the brand in 1993 from his garage in Capo Beach and has seen it grow into an internationally recognized brand. “We are very excited about becoming part of the Marchon family,” said Howard. “With their support and shared vision for Dragon, we will become an even stronger company, while remaining true to our heritage.” Claudio Gottardi, Marchon President and CEO said that Marchon plans to extend Dragon’s reach and further develop their designs and leadership in the eyewear market. He asserts, “This new partnership with a young, dynamic team at Dragon will significantly increase Marchon’s presence in the action sports market. Dragon is a first-class company in this category. Dragon’s emphasis on quality products and innovative design completely aligns with Marchon’s.” Dragon’s recent growth has been fueled by innovative products in all eyewear categories. There is an emphasis on creating high-quality, uniquely designed products that appeal to the youth market. This includes the recent ground breaking launch of the frameless Advanced Projects snow goggle line which debuted this winter. The Dragon team will continue to be based in Carlsbad, California, with Will Howard remaining as CEO, leading Dragon’s growth and the team into the future For media inquiries, please contact Jessica Yearton at Dragon Headquarters (760) 931-4900 or via email: jessica.yearton@dragonalliance.com Find out more about Dragon at www.dragonalliance.com About Dragon Alliance Established in Southern California in 1993, Dragon is a premium eyewear manufacturer with a deep heritage in the action sports market. The brand is internationally recognized as a youth, lifestyle brand and is distributed in over 40 countries. Dragon has a world class team of athletes which help inspire the design and technology of a range of products including sunglasses, snow goggles, motorsport goggles, and select softgoods. About Marchon Eyewear, Inc Marchon Eyewear, Inc. is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of quality eyewear and sunwear. The company markets its products under prestigious brand names including: Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Flexon®, Jil Sander, Karl Lagerfeld, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Nautica, Nike, Nine West, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sean John, and Valentino. Headquartered in New York, with regional offices in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Venice, Marchon distributes its products through numerous local sales offices serving over 80,000 accounts in more than 100 countries.       MICK FANNING - "Got the barrel of my life today. HAHA." OWEN WRIGHT - “Shooting for MX cover." ROB MACHADO - "My hood circa 1912” MICK FANNING - “Coin toss for the big game!!” EVAN GEISELMAN - "Packing for Indo....:)" ACE BUCHAN - "Home is where the heart is."Contest wins, world titles and editorial coverage are just a minor glimpse into the real lives of our day-to-day surfing gods. With arguably the best surf team out there, Dragon is giving you the chance to see what these guys are doing in-between prepping for heats and putting stickers on their boards. In this month’s installment, check what Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, Rob Machado, Evan Geiselman and Ace Buchan have been doing…’In between the heats.’   Ace Buchan on a recent Western Australia journey with his good mates. Frontside carves on a rippable left hander. If this doesn't get you excited for a surf, i don't know what will.      Mick takes out Slater in arguably the best ASP final in tour history! A lead change that went back and forth numerous times, but it was Mick's tack sharp surfing that triumphed over the 11-time champ. “I’m so pumped,” Fanning said. “Kelly (Slater) did that Hail Mary for the 10 and I thought, ‘oh, here we go.’ I just caught waves and I’m stoked it all paid off. I’m really at a loss for words and I’m just pumped. It doesn’t get any sweeter. The crowd’s been amazing with the whole amphitheater and the history that comes with it. I always picture this event and have had some seconds over the years, so to get this one, I’m so pumped.” Fanning moves to #3 in the ratings. Event number 3 takes place in Brazil on May 9th.   On a recent surf adventure with friends.....From CA to Puerto Rico.   SWINGIN' STICKS AND DOIN' TRICKS.... Get a glimpse into the day-to-day life of New Smyrna's best and Junior standout, Evan Geiselman. Surf, golf, golf, surf......All in a day's work. Editing: Nick Damen Filming: Duncan Henville  Andrew Jacobson wins the first Prime event in extremely challenging Huntington Beach conditions. With roque waves washing through the pier and heavy rain and conditions, the Malibu native ousted a strong playing field. Just coming off of hip surgery and being out of the water for 3 months, this is exactly what Andrew needed to get his confidence level back where it should be. MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012Final Results: GIRLS U16 1st – Frankie Harrer – Malibu 2nd – Kulia Doherty – Rancho Santa Fe 3rd – Meah Collins – Costa Mesa 4th – Avalon Johnson – Carlsbad GIRLS U18 1st – Meah Collins – Costa Mesa 2nd – Emily Ruppert – Indialantic FL 3rd – Lulu Erkeneff – Dana Point 4th – Kulia Doherty – Rancho Santa Fe BOYS U18 1st – Andrew Jacobson – Malibu 2nd – Taylor Clark – Encinitas 3rd – Colin Moran – Costa Mesa 4th – Thelen Mckinna-Worrell – Malibu BOYS U16 1st – Nic Hdez – Santa Cruz 2nd – Pat Curren – Santa Barbara 3rd – Kanoa Igarashi – Huntington Beach 4th – Jacob Davis – Capistrano Beach BOYS U14 1st – Griffin Colapinto – San Clemente 2nd – John Mel – Newport Beach 3rd – Jordan Collins – Carlsbad 4th – Griffin Foy – Fullerton  Contest wins, world titles and editorial coverage are just a minor glimpse into the real lives of our day-to-day surfing gods. With arguably the best surf team out there, Dragon is giving you the chance to see what these guys are doing in-between prepping for heats and putting stickers on their boards. In this month’s installment, check what Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox and Ace Buchan have been doing…’In between the heats.’  OWEN WRIGHT- “Fun surf with Taylor Knox and Xavier Rudd at Lennox today!”
 TAYLOR KNOX – “Great day with the kids down at the ‘School of Hard Knox.”  ACE BUCHAN- “Today was up there….Right up there.”  ROB MACHADO- “Thanks for the loaner….Early 70’s Greenough inspired kneeboard.”
 MICK FANNING- “Boards are ready for the Margs event!”   Evan got a few scraps from a recent boat trip to Indo. Video by Michael Lopez    Power Surfing..... A lost art form? Well we've partnered up with Taylor Knox in an attempt to bring it back.....starting with the youth! "The whole idea is to implement power surfing back into the youth, especially in a day and age where the focus is on the whole above the lip mentality,” Taylor states. “It seems like any kids these days can go out and do an air. But the majority of them – 99 percent of them – can’t do a proper, functional rail turn with power flow and style. It’s almost become a lost art form these days. It’s a new era dominated by progression of the sport but at the same time, it seems like power surfing has been put on the back burner. We’re trying to integrate that back into the youth so the next generation can have those qualities.” “Now the judges are putting more emphasis on the carves, because airs are so common – so now the power and rail surfing is more rare,” says Knox “We’re looking at technique with these kids. A lot of it is where your arms are, how your rotation is with the upper and lower body, a lot of it is using your core. It’s not always about how big you are; technique has a lot to do with your power – something I valued as a surfer growing up.” There's been two events so far. The first was held at Ponto Beach in Carlsbad with Carlsbad High, Taylor's Alma Matter, and San Dieguito Academy. The following day it was held at the Huntington Beach Pier with HBHS. More to come......#SAVETHEPOWERTURN    After a long winter of not knowing whether he was going to win, Reef got bombarded at LAX with a surprise $25,000 check after officially winning 'wave of the winter.' Not a bad days worth of work if you ask me. "I noticed they were filming me and I was like, 'Wait a second.' Then everyone came running out," a surprised Reef McIntosh admitted after being greeted with a check at LAX around midnight. "$25 Gs -- it's going to the wedding fund, for sure. That wave happened so long ago that I've been waiting to find out who won for about three months. I don't know if I can go to bed now. I'm fired up!" Photos courtesy of Surfline   I know we've posted plenty of photos and video of this 13 year-old superstar before, but this day-in-the-life video will give you an inside look at how gnarly the kid actually is. Not only him, but the entire family. Sit back and enjoy....  Contest wins, world titles and editorial coverage are just a minor glimpse into the real lives of our day-to-day surfing gods. With arguably the best surf team out there, Dragon is giving you the chance to see what these guys are doing in-between prepping for heats and putting stickers on their boards. In this month’s installment, check what Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, Rob Machado and Balaram Stack have been doing…’In between the heats.’  ROB MACHADO- Shaping Alaias is fun.   The kid comes out of the gates on fire! Wrapping up a 2nd place in the Australian Open in Manly. He's off to a great start to the 2012 season, rated 12th on the World Ranking. Let's go Evan!   Owen Wright wins 'Male Surfer of the Year'! The awards went down this last week and it was the 21 year-old taking home top honors in the Australian Surfing Awards. Good on ya' Owen!   The Maryland kid is at it again. He spent most of his winter in Hawaii and was able to compile this edit. He's got it made in the shade at the moment.       Rob Machado and frontman of Switchfoot, Jon Foreman, hanging out one sunny afternoon collaborating on shaping ideas for Alaia boards. The boys chopping wood, check it out!    ½ inch away from being paralyzed after a near career ending fall at Pipeline last week. Ricky broke his L1 vertebrae in his lower back during warm-ups for the Volcom Pipeline Pro. Ricky recalls the experience: "I woke up at dark to warm up before the contest which was rumored to run. Usually i get up super early to beat the crowd and sneak into some bombs but this morning was packed to the rim before light even peaked out. I ended up sitting an hour and a half before i caught my first wave. They announced over the intercom that it was a lei day. So everyone stayed out and the crowd did not thin. After about 2 and a half hours i finally got a bomb. I made the drop, pulled in then all of a sudden i was on my stomach and getting sucked up and over with the lip. There was no tension on my leash so I curled up into a ball and came down like a bag of bricks on the reef on my tailbone. I heard and felt everything crack in my lower back and instantly knew i was hurt bad. I tried to kick my feet as i swam up but i couldn't tell if it was kicking or the wave thrashing me around. I got on my board and could barely breathe from the pain in my lower back and stomach. I made it to the beach and walked up the sand and collapsed. The lifeguards weren't on duty yet but thankfully a guy ran up when he saw me collapse. The same guy happened to be a guy that i saved last year when i was warming up before the contest. He ran and got help and they came and put me on the stretcher and got me in the ambulance and off to the hospital. I spent 4 days in Queens hospital before i was released. I got beyond lucky. (Unlucky but lucky) I broke my L1 vertebrae. It compressed and broke outwards. If it would of broken any other direction I would of been paralyzed. God was definitely watching over me! Now i am in a back brace for 4-6 weeks then I will be doing all the rehab and whatever it takes to get back in the water asap! WOW, lucky man!   During the Pro Bowl this last week. Reef took a few of the NFL athletes out for a surf with Kelly Slater. Saints quarterback Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham and former NFL quarter Doug Flutie to name a few.
In a quote by Reef, "I'm just blown away. I mean, Jimmy Graham is texting me right now!"
Not a bad month for Reef..... winning the Backdoor shootout, then straight into hobnobbing with NFL pros.     "Castles, Slabs, Perfect Waves and the most amazing trip of my life." -Evan Geiselman  Contest wins, world titles and editorial coverage are just a minor glimpse into the real lives of our day to day surfing gods. With arguably the best surf team out there, Dragon is giving you the chance to see what these guys are doing in-between prepping for heats and putting stickers on their boards. In this month’s installment, check what Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, Evan Geiselman, Ace Buchan and Taylor Knox have been doing……..‘In between the heats.’  OWEN WRIGHT - Couple newies from Byrne....Frothing!  ACE BUCHAN- Australia Day. We're doing it!  EVAN GEISELMAN - Just got home from Ireland. How's that Slab?! Love this place.  MICK FANNING - Happy Australia Day!  TAYLOR KNOX - So what!? I grew my hair out.  | The Blog Archive 2012 (25)May (3)April (7)March (6)February (5)January (4) |
