Week in Review

Random Happenings in Surf from the Week of March 7

In case you’ve been under a rock this week, here are some awesome and/or random things you may have missed.

Alana Blanchard Turned 21
Guys drink beers on their birthdays. Alana Blanchard, Laura Enever, Nage Melamed, Monyca Byrne-Wickey, and Coco Ho do this.

The Future of Surfing?
Spain research giant Technalia teamed up with Spanish surf company Pukas to design SurfSens, a sensor-laden surfboard connected to a computer program that tracks the movement and torque of the surfboard as the surfer rides the wave. The hope is that this technology could help shapers design better boards, allow surfers to better critique themselves, or judges to more accurately score competitions. Or, it may be just another way to overcomplicate the simple act of riding waves.

Everyone Loves Infographics
For the Roxy and Quiksilver Pro events on the Gold Coast last week, the ASP introduced a GPS tracking device that would provide viewers with each competitor’s length of ride and speed. While the info was certainly interesting, the nonsensical scribbles parading as a simplified graphical depiction may need a little work.

The speed/distance graphs that appeared on the Quik and Roxy Pro webcasts.

Aint Life (10) Grand?
Set up in 2007, the Volcom Kickflip-Off offered $10,000 to the first person who stuck a kickflip on video. When footage of Zoltan Torkos’ kickflip went viral last week, we all but assumed that Zoltan (who’s a third generation magician by the way) had just cashed in and won the contest. Well, it turns out there was some fine print involved and the flip had to be above the lip to count, and the powers that be at Volcom initially deeming it ineligible. Well, there’s a happy—dare we say almost magical—end to this story. Upon further review, Volcom has decided to award Zoltan the 10 grand after all. To boot, they’ve also upped the prize money for the first above-the-lip kickflip to $20,000.