Latest Update: March 23, 2006

From The Sacklunch Boards
Looks like our little plan is working. Check them out for yourself.

Jake Burton, Icon
Inc. Magazine gets behind the business and runs a glowing profile on Jake Burton, the man who has turned Burton Snowboards into one of the largest movers in action sports.
- A little back story

Skatepark Designer in Town Scandal
When Colby Carter, a skatepark designer at Site Design Group "pleaded guilty earlier this year to possessing marijuana for sale," among other charges, he probably didn't realize it would create a scandal involving a Tempe, AZ police chief and the questioning of 5 to 10 city employees.

You Know, JC Was A Shredder
A new "music and action sports channel" called JCTV (and brought to you by Paul Crouch of Trinity Broadcasting Network) will change the way you think about being a Christian. . . action sports. . . pop music. . . reality TV show viewer. Praise the boards.

Paul Frank Lawsuit
Paul Sunich is suing his former business partners claiming he was "fired without reason and is being denied a share of the profits." (Thanks, Snow Deep Throat)

Sal Embraces Celebrity
Former Transworld Media receptionist Sal Masekela is co-hosting a new "latest celebrity gossip" show for the E Channel called The Daily 10. (Thanks, rsrbSP06).

Danny Way Bombs
Skateboarder Danny Way will attempt to break the bombdrop world record on April 5, 2006 by dropping from the Hard Rock Hotel guitar onto a ramp to announce the launch of Ignition a mobile content company. And you thought there was nothing left after the Great Wall.

Johnny Utah Loves Bodhi
Seems like ever since Brokeback Mountain every buddy film has become a "Brokeback buddy" film. Now surfers have one to call their own, Point Brokeback.

SL8R Right On Schedule
Uh oh. He's back and he's on fire. Kelly Slater takes Taj Burrow in the finals of the 2006 Quiksilver Pro at Duranbah. Making everyone wonder even more about number eight.
- Nick Carroll's take on Slater's win

Frequency A Maggie Finalist
Frequency The Snowboarder's Journal has been nominated as a finalist for the Western Publisher Association’s Maggie Award for Best Quarterly. Jeff Galbraith and crew should get prepared to win.

Berra Casting for New Film
Pro skateboarder Steve Berra is casting for extras for his move The Good Life which he has written and will direct.

K2 Beats Quik In Medal Count
The athletes of K2 Sports Inc. pulled in 43 medals in the Torino Games. That's seven more than Quiksilver. Is there a medal for most medals won by a sponsor?
- Oakley athletes take 52 medals in Torino

San Diego's Skate Landmarks
Yes, skateboarding has made many San Diego structures world famous, and here The Skateboard Mag's Dave Swift and Kris Markovich talk about just how that happened. Oh, those were the days, weren't they?

Clark Auctions Off The Rest
In an auction set to roll today (March 8, 2006), Clark Foam is selling off what little remains of the former biggest name in surfboard foam. Here's the complete list of what's for sale.

City Bans Backyard Skate Ramps
The city council in Fullerton, CA has just voted to ban skateboard ramps from backyards. All existing ramps must be removed. Guess you'll just have to move them indoors.

Invented by Jake
According to the Miami Heald "Americans are dominating the sport invented in New England by Jake Burton, considered the James Naismith of snowboarding." Ah, a little hyperbole never hurt anyone.

Matasi Honored by Ottawa Art School
The Ottawa School of Art is honouring Lee Matasi, the skater/artist who died in a Vancouver, BC shooting in December, by renaming a gallery in his honor and kicking off the National Artists Against Violence campaign.

Math Moves Tony Hawk
It's a program that uses celebrities to encourage students to learn math. Tony says math helps him "successfully land tons of tricks," but we think he uses math most when he's counting his money.

Action Sports Media "Objectivity"
Alison Berkley is not afraid to bite the hand. But what does it mean to be objective when you're writing for snowboard magazines and the X Games? Not much, as it turns out.

Time4 HIres VP of Digital
Time4 Media, the parent corp of TransWorld Media hires Todd Unger, former online GM at LIfetime Networks as Vice President Time4 Digital. Apparently that interweb is the next big thing in publishing.

Hollywood White Skips Vans Contest
Shaun White was planning on competing in this weekend's Vans Cup at Northstar-at-Tahoe, but then he got a "last minute" invitation to the Academy Awards in Hollywood. It's all about priorities.
- Cougar bait
- Vans Cup Results

String of Deaths at Resorts
Franz Seifert, a Reno man celebrating his 40th birthday died at Northstar after snowboarding into a tree. He is the second snowboarder to die this week at a Tahoe resort.

Free Snowboard Trip for War Wounded
Vail Resort hosted 24 wounded service men and taught them how to snowboard (and ski). And surprise: Donald Rumsfeld, one of the men most responsible for thier injuries, joined the men on the slopes.
- Vail opens slopes to wounded

The Trovata Story
They work out of a boathouse in Newport Beach and have "stunned the fashion world." But Trovata is not making surf trunks. Who are these guys?

SurfersVIllage Steals Joke Post
When those wacky editors at TransWorldSurf.com wrote a joke press release about Rip Curl's The Search WCT event being held at Swami's, the content theives at Surfersvillage.com bought it hook, line, and Swami. Guess that's what you get when your entire business model is "cut and paste." (Editor's Note: The post has been removed, however you can see a .jpeg of the page by clicking the link.)

Cult Industries Going for Number Five?
Doug Spong is turning a Billabong wetsuit license into a top brand, apparently. Here's his story of the glamorous life in the surf rag trade.

Mayor Slams at Skatepark Opening
When Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly tried to show his support for skateboarding at at a press conference to announce funding for a new Halifax skatepark he ended up slamming right on his ass. Luckily, he didn't get hurt.
- Mayor apologizes for stunt

Nike's New Sports Culture Czar
The Swoosher has named Sandy Bodecker, 52, the former head of Nike skateboarding, to serve as vice president of sports culture. His mission will be to figure out authentic, credible, ways to pry money from the pockets of trendsetting teens using the ruse of skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding. You just do it, Sandy.

Quik's Heavy Medal Winter
We were trying to figure this out last night, and thankfully Quiksilver did it for us. The little surf trunk company's athletes won 36 Olympic medals in Torino. That's not bad at all.
- Hawk clothing now in Kohl's

The Merchant of Billabong
Gordon Merchant sold off 5 per cent of his stake for a cool AUS$200 million on March 1. He apparently wanted to "balance his portfolio" back into the mind-blowingly rich category.

White Joins Celebrity Circle . . .
Shaun White and Burton celebrated the gold medal at Hollywood's LAX Club with Sasha Cohen, Tony Hawk, Wooly, and new celebrity friends like Pamela Anderson, Travis Barker, and other moths attracted to Shaun's growing flame.
- Party on Shaun
- Shaun was supposed to be a surfer
- Is there a Wheaties box coming?

Surfing's Black Knight Book
Dora Lives, the new authorized biography of Miki Dora gets reviewed by Jamie Brisick in the LA Weekly. I bet he hated it. . . just kidding. To buy the book, click here.

Colt Cannon Blows Up Pacifica
While filming a new Krux trucks commercial for Colt Cannon the beach at Pacifica gets exploded and stuff.

Slater Gets High Score
Can you believe it? Quiksilver surfer Kelly Slater got the highest score in the first round of the Quicksilver Pro at Snapper Rocks. Reminds us of how well he scored on that last wave at the (Boost Mobile Pro presented by) Quiksilver Pro at Trestles (Thanks for the correction, Mr. Carroll).

Lovett Fundraiser Photos
The surf industry raised $110,000 for Richie Lovett’s battle with femur cancer. Who says surfers don't care?
- Surfer Mag auctions off full-page ad in support

Rat Finks Return
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth may be gone, but his creations are getting a third wind as the boomers who grew up with his modified cars attempt to relive their youth. Damn, why didn't we have him sign that Kustom Kulture book when we had the chance.

Olympic Cash Scramble
After the Tornio Olympics it looks like the biggest sponsor whores are going to be the snowboarders as corporate America loses it's panties over those cool kids.

Zumeiz Up 52.9 Percent
Zumiez announced that total net sales for the four-week period ended February 25, 2006 increased 52.9 percent to $14.4 million, compared to $9.4 million for the same time last year.

Lochtefeld Outstanding in His Wave
At 53, Tom Lochtefeld has built a thriving business out of blowing water up a slope. Here is his story in the San Diego Union Tribune.

Jealous Shark Attacks
Nikky Raleigh, 15, was "wrestling" with boyfriend in a two feet of water when a jealous 8-foot-long shark knocked the boy off his feet and ripped into Nikky's lower right leg. But she's okay now.

Snowboarder in Court over Ski Death
Greg Doda, 17, of Crownsville, Md. has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in the death of Heather Donahue, 29. His maximum fine is one year in prison and a $2,000 fine. That is not enough.

Snowboarder Run Over at Aspen
An Aspen Ski Company snowmobile ran over 22-year-old snowboarder Chris Robinette as he was rolling into a jump causing a broken leg and broken kneecap. Cha-ching.

Snowboarder Dies at Squaw Valley
The parents of 16-year-old snowboarder Thomas Reyneri have released a video of the accident scene and are hoping someone witnessed that events that lead up to their son's death.

Nemo's Nike Videos
Murph The Surf Gets Saved
Shaun White the Highlight
Harold Hunter Dies of an Overdose
A Sacklunch Editors' Letter to Lindsey J

Previous Bags o' Crapola:
- February 24, 2006
- January 31, 2006
- January 6, 2006
- December 2, 2005