After my previous Medina entry he managed to crash out at the earliest possible exit point. How fickle the world of surfing is!

John John Florence is where our money’s at for the underdog winner – at the moment Fanning and Parkinson are thrashing it out, and we reckon it’ll come to a Parky Florence final.

In other news, watching the stream of the event we came across the helicopter set-up used to film.. check it out

Strange helicopter surf camera arrangement!

If you’ve been following the Trestles event you’ll need no further explanation as to how Medina came through to the final stages and won the thing. For those of you that haven’t managed to catch up you can see 5 days worth of highlight reels on the Nike Lowers Pro website.

To summarise; he got air.

Not just on the sheen of the almost overhead waves on the second and third days, but even on the single foot slush towards the end of the final. He found kickers in every wave – slops or hollow. I suppose it proves that we (and the judges) continue to be fanatical of the gravity barrier. As ever, good waves – well executed – score high, it’s true, but nailing any kind of aerial with a sure-footed landing is getting the red-hot points. It’s fair to note that Medina wasn’t the only one up and away, John John Florence and Dane Reynolds were among the show stoppers on the final day.

You can’t take away from Medina though, he’s got some serious technical ability. He can carve so ridiculously tight, whipping the board hip-crunchingly fast, but he also manages to draw on fluidity the likes of which Jeremy Flores would have to think twice about. I for one haven’t been able to see any differentiation in skill between his front and backside riding.

Here’s a showreel of his journey through the competition:

Some of the interesting things from the competition not shown in the event, MVP and “that drop in”:

MVP – check out the MVP section of the Lower Pro site. Users were able to get on Facebook and vote for who they wanted to receive the MVP vote. That surfer would then enter the water with a yellow jersey on his back – as you’ll see from the show reel Medina was not only stealing the show with his surf, but doing so in yellow (THREE days out of five!).

[...]you the viewer will have the chance to choose the MVP, which will reward the surfer who pushes the boundaries of the sport by completing the most radical maneuver. To qualify for an MVP nomination, any single turn, air, or barrel must be performed on a critical part of the wave and display exceptional skill and flawless style.

“That drop in” – Glenn Hall was up against Medina in the final. He only managed to put together a 10.87 against Medina’s 15.67, but one single moment caused frustration for him. Readying for a nicely peeling A-frame he found himself impeded by Medina, see the screenshot below. Who do you think is deeper here? (Medina in yellow heading left, Hall in the pink heading right).

What’s interesting here is that, although it didn’t seem up to scratch for Medina’s aerial acrobatics (one of the few waves he didn’t use as a launch pad) it may well have suited Hall’s preferred style and pulled in some big points. We know from his success in China at the start of the year (where he pulled in the highest ranked ASP event for any Irish surfer to date) that he finds his big points in this kind of wave – concentrating on higher areas and drawing clean lines. Who knows, it may have made very little difference.

Hall’s not entirely chuffed by it!

You can see the video for the final day, and all other days, here.

Check out the surfing events section to see highlights of previous event and what big ‘uns we’ve got coming up next.

Having visited a press day recently I stumbled upon an absolute gem.

Among the boots and coats of Burton, shirts and t’s of Volcom and the re-wired retro versions of Vans “Classics” there were endless colours and textures of the next season.

Above – see some of the old-school designs making a come-back for designers at Vans.

Above – the Reef corner of the building. Beach ready.

At the corner of the building was the Reef section. Let me begin by saying – I’ve never been massive on shoes. Don’t get me wrong – I like a nice pair – for style or comfort, but it’s never been a main concern of mine. I’ve never lusted after a pair of anything for my feet. The Spiniker from Reef, mind you – got me thinking.

They fit like a dream and they boast style and performance. Before I start sounding too much like I’m being paid to write this, let me clarify. You can see just how cool they look, they’re made with leather and they’ve got a funky insole that means you should be fine to go ahead without socks. See the blue bit?

Designed for jumping from the water into your kicks – the Reef team put on a fairly convincing show that these boots will last through the salt and the sand. Proper wear and tear.

This was the Canoe press day on the 18th-19th April at the Vinyl Factory in Soho.

It’s been a long wait (months – don’t get me started), but the time is eventually upon us. There are trips backed up for the next few months, and it all starts next Wednesday with an 11 dayer in Woolacombe (including the bank holiday weekend, erp).

Now then, what’s first? Surfingnewsdaily.com have hit the nail on the head with a really brief, punchy post about improving your upper body strength for surfing. Check out the story here.

A couple of us have been in the gym a few times a week, swimming as regularly as possible. Remember to stay fit and fresh, folks. There’s nothing worse than a big trip without any power in the old appendages.

From here you can expect to read about:

Stay onboard, we’ll all be flashing across glass faces and basking in the sun – driving the hard yards for content for the site. Hard life!

Rip Curl Pro Bells is just around the corner. If you don’t have the buzz yet; read on.

The fun starts on the 3rd of April (of course, you’d know that if you followed the surfing events page!). We’re happy to whet your appetite with the official teaser video. Check:

The competition, sponsored by.. Ford Ranger (brand vs event really not sitting well for me there, thoughts?).. is the second event on the World Tour schedule and takes place at Bells Beach, Victoria.

Last years Bells finals – April 24th 2011 – saw Slater knocked out by Adriana de Souza in the Quarterfinals. But it was a Parkinson/Fanning final among overhead to 8ft waves. It was a bit of a barnstormer, actually; Joel Parkinson taking the win

Parkinson looks in great shape to make an impact again this year. With Taj Burrow leading the pack out of the first event he’s also in for a really good shot. It’d make another show-stopping final. Place your bets now!

In the meantime, check out the status of the New Zealand Rip Curl Pro. Courtesy of the dudes over at surf.co.nz.

Box Park is an innovative shopping “pop-up” (using the term loosely – you’ll see why) based out of East London. Literally nestling alongside Shoreditch High St rail, the project is a number of shipping containers (those garage sized boxes you see on massive boats (think Tony Hawks levels circa 2002)) that have been stacked on top of one another and filled out with shops and restaurants.

Marked as a “retail revolution” Box Park makes up the first ever Pop Up Mall.

BOXPARK strips and refits shipping containers to create unique, low cost, low risk, ‘box shops’. Put them together with a unique mix of international fashion and lifestyle brands, galleries and cafés and you’ve got the world’s first ‘pop-up’ mall – so named because its basic building blocks are inherently movable: they can, and will, literally pop up anywhere in the world!

The opening was a frenetic buzz of brands sharing gifts and talking about some of their most innovative products/designs, and a whole heap of press and customers taking it all in. For a “mall” experience it was all very personal and insightful.

Brands include some of the classics – Nike, Oakley, Clavin Klein etc – but also some that really caught our interest. Vans, Volcom, DC, Etnies and some other classic members of the street/skate/surf scene now sit amidst the edgy territory of East London, making their mark on a culture otherwise sodden with bars, clubs, vintage shops and market stalls.

Volcom in particular are going hell for leather; opening their second shop in amongst the boxes. Why am I telling you this? Because if you’re around this weekend (18th-18th March) you could win yourself a host of clobber.

Have a look at some of the graffiti laden, collage touting interior shots and clear your diary for a weekend of prize winning.

To celebrate the store opening, on March 16th – 18th Volcom will be offering free gifts and a gift with purchase in the form of a customized cap or tote bag. For these limited three days, the shopper will be able to customize their unique Volcom cap in the store there and then to create a one-off and individual hat.

The shop opens Friday evening. If you get on over, send us a snap of your free hat!

The Pro Gold Coast competitions come to a close with Taj Burrow and Stephanie Gilmore coming out on top. Get hold of the highlights here:

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast finals:

Roxy Pro Gold Coast finals:

You’ve heard of Noosa, maybe you’ve even been before; it’s as significant to “Golden Coast trekkers” as Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. Resplendent in go-until-you-sleep living, the bars are kicking, any patch of grass in a several mile radius is crammed to the hilt with loungers and Frisbee’ers and you’ll find it hard to go far without meeting a “bloke” who’s got some “chat” for you. Really friendly, equally fun. (Well, it’s the Golden Coast – what else were you expecting?).

What you may not know is that once a year, (11th-17th March), Noosaville plays host to what is fast becoming one of the biggest global surfing festivals. As a matter of fact the organisers are already claiming it is the biggest surfing festival. Ever. Thousands descend on the headland wearing boardies and Leis around their necks, and the place turns upside down.

You can expect to see gear demos, art exhibitions, entertainment of all kinds and, of course; surfing. There are a whole host of surfing events and whether you’re 15 or 115 you can take part. In-fact, if you’re a dog you can even get onboard. The plan is to get the locals up and out, as well as providing services for the 5000+ expected.

Quoted from ABC Australia:

The full program for the festival will be published as a wraparound in the Noosa Journal on Friday, 9 March.
This year dog surfing comes to the Noosa Festival of Surfing, thanks to Chris De Aboitiz’s dog training program. With council permission, an exhibition event will be held prior to the opening ceremony on Sunday, March 11 at 4.30pm.
The Festival will also feature acoustic guitar legends Peter Howe and Tim Gaze, and Mayor Bob Abbot’s Green Machine blues band on opening night, with performances from Band of Frequencies, Transvaal Diamond Syndicate, Guthrie and Asa Broomhall Band during the week.
Movies to be screened include Sons of Beaches 72 and the world premiere of Californian film-maker Steve Cleveland’s Paradigm Shift.
The Noosa Festival of Surfing runs from 11 March – 17 March.

Check out the main website for more details: Noosa Festival of Surfing 2012.

Areas such as the “Festival Village” and Beach Expo” will open their gates for visitors. If you decide to head down expect a host of bars for your drink, restaurants for your chow, movies for your glassies and musicians galore for your audial delectation. Whether you’re a surfer, related to one or a total stranger to the game – there’s enough going on for everyone. And there’re charitable causes left, right and centre.

Why would I have such a high opinion of the event? Because I know that it’s a hell of a laugh, and we can’t go – so I implore you to go in our stead. Make it a big one!