From CNN: Sunday’s New York City Marathon canceled due to Sandy
The New York City Marathon – scheduled for Sunday – was canceled Friday due to lingering effects from Superstorm Sandy, the city’s mayor said. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (11.03.2012): Run Won’t Go On, Fit to Rule, Surfing Sandy, Redneck Runs in Armor
The problem with many fitness and athletic products is that there is little that can be done with the material once it breaks. Some products can be recycled – such as metal bicycle frames – but all too often the broken parts and equipment is simply abandoned or tossed in the trash. For surfers this is a problem because even when thrown in the trash broken boards can end up as floating garbage.
But Southern California residents Ed Lewis and Kipp Denslow came up with another solution. They’re taking old and broken surfboards to create handplanes, essentially miniature boards that bodysurfers can strap onto their hands while catching waves. They’ve created a new company, dubbed Enjoy Handplanes, as well to sell their upcycled products and as a way to spread the word that a broken board shouldn’t mean the end of the materials usefulness.
From Cycling News: Nike terminate Armstrong’s contract
In a sudden change of stance, Nike has announced it has terminated Lance Armstrong’s contract because of the “seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade.” Continue reading Weekend Reading (10.20.2012): Armstrong Doesn’t Do It, Reality Bytes, Endless Wave, Ice Ice Leggy
We heard about Danny Hess of Hess Surfboards and like what he’s doing a lot. He saw that a lot of commercial surfboards are full of petrochemicals and carcinogens – not exactly the kind of materials that surfers probably think is good for the waves.
Instead he is using salvaged wood, natural finishes and organic resins to craft his boards, which are built to last – ironically unlike many boards made of synthetic materials. The other irony is that when Hess’s boards reach end of life they should decompose naturally, whereas those synthetic boards can’t ride the waves but won’t exactly biodegrade anytime in the next dozen lifetimes!
From Surf Magazine: Summer’s End
They say Labor Day marks the end of the summer, and what better way to end it then with a sizable south swell tearing through California.
Continue reading Weekend Reading List (9.15.2012): The Ending Summer, Cycling Apps, Shoe Tests, US Army and NFL Team Up
From Triathlete: Gear From The Future: What’s Stopping Us?
Aero brakes are evolving, giving you more choices than ever. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (9.1.2012): Future Tech, Behind Bars, Raw Sewage, Honorable Riders
From The New York Times: Riding the Wave of Surfer Fitness
To the casual spectator, surfing seems to involve primarily balance, grace, nervy insouciance and a certain laid-back, ineffable oneness with the powers of the deep. But a series of newly published studies of the actual physical demands of surfing reveal that other, sometimes surprising aspects of fitness may be as important to surfing success as the ability to judge and remain upright on a swell. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (8.25.2012): Wave Rider, Printable 3D Bikes
From the Washington Post: Olympics 2012: Innovations going for the gold
When you think innovation and the Summer Olympics, you probably don’t think of architecture, medicine, media and fashion.
You should, since the innovations featured at the games are relevant in all of these fields. In terms of pure technology, the 2008 Beijing Games featured new computerized scoring and time-keeping technology and new motion-sensing and GPS tracking technologies. So, what are some of the most exciting innovations to watch out for at the London 2012 Summer Games? Continue reading Weekend Reading List (7.21.2012): Olympic Technology, Steel Bikes, Pre-Ride Check List, Surfing Goat
While no one would probably want to be “waterboarded” or experience “waterboarding” we think a lot of wave riders might want to experience the Waterboard. These new eco-friendly boards are made of partially-recycled material and are hand crafted in the USA.
Designed Mike Olson and Lib Tech have created the boards, utilizing their experience in the snowboard and skateboard industries. Instead of fiberglass, which remains the de facto material for many surfboards, Lib Tech uses Volcanic Organic Basalt Honeycomb Technology, which takes advantage of the Basalt organic fiber that is damp, impact resistant, and unlike traditional fiberglass, contains no boron and other harmful additives. Continue reading Waterboard – Not Just For Interrogation
As if anyone really needed an excuse to skip out of work and hit the beach – but just in case, today is now officially “International Surfing Day.” So how did this get “official” exactly? Thank California, or more accurately the California Assembly, which on Monday approved a resolution declaring June 20 International Surfing Day,while the head of the sport’s international advocacy group has gone on the record to urge people to take the day off to hit the waves.
“You have my permission to skip work,” Surfrider Foundation Chief Executive Jim Moriarty announced on Twitter. “I’ll even write your sick note.”
In other words, surf’s up!
International Surfing Day Official Website
From PNJ.com: Surf’s up at the Pensacola Museum of Art
The start of summer is still two weeks away, but if you can’t wait that long, consider attending “The Beach Ball,” an outdoor party from 5 to 7:30 p.m. today at the Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. With live music and refreshments, it celebrates the museum’s new exhibit “Surfing Florida: A Photographic History.” Continue reading Weekend Reading List (6.9.2012): Surf Exhibit, Take a Drink, Powered Skateboard
While all eyes in the world of video games maybe on Los Angeles and E3 this week, last week i-Surfsimulators – who have been making surfing simulations since 1992 in their native Hawaii – have announced the launch of a new line of portable event systems that provide virtual “waterless” surfing, including two-player-on-screen interactive games.
The software was designed so that it can be easily custom tailored by anyone who has access to any standard PC – no programming skills needed. And while i-Surfsimulators is about events, we think that if this company talked to those at E3 it could easily be converted into a game worthy for home play as well.
The surf culture knows that protecting the waves is necessary to ensuring that the waves will be there in the future. To this end Kitson Boards has changed the way boards are made. Instead of the usual foam and fiberglass, Kitson’s team is utilizing carbon fiber for boards that will last a lifetime.
Michael Kitson, the president of the company, along with engineer Travis Dodge told us why carbon fiber is the way to catch the wave. Continue reading Sunday Q&A: Kitson Catches the Carbon Fiber Wave
