Latest Update: June 19, 2001

Editor's Note: It has been brought to our attention numerous times in the past few weeks that we have been somewhat remiss in updating The Sack. As in all relationships, sometimes you just don't feel like it. Please consider this update as the clearing of the throat or the evacuating of yesterdays corn. You'll also notice that many of the links listed below have already expired. We'll be back on track soon. If you've heard anything lately, please e-mail us.

Ben Gets The Sad News
NEWLY UPDATED: Before Ben is able to leave for the road he gets the news that Santa Cruz surfer Jay Moriarity has died in a diving accident in the Maldives. It is a sad day for surfing. Now Ben gets an update from a photographer who was on the island when the tragedy occured.

Jay Moriarity Dies In Diving Accident
"News of Moriarity's death began to trickle into Santa Cruz on Friday morning, and by late afternoon grief-stricken friends had gathered in stunned mourning around Moriarity's widow, Kim, on the Pleasure Point bluffs," said the Santa Cruz Sentinal.
-Official O'Neill Moriarity press release

Travels With Ike: Ben Marcus Hits The Road
It is our favorite time of the year. The time when Ben Marcus, the world's greatest living surf writer, gets stir crazy, loads up his van and heads north toward Alaska. This time, he has replaced his old traveling companion, Mr. Walther, with a new one: Ike. Who is Ike? Read on and you'll learn.

Op Pro Boat Trip on Surfermag.com
It's not a Bluetorch live satellite broadcast from Teahupoo, but there are satellites involved. Surfermag.com's Scott Bass is off the coast of West Sumatra, Indonesia in the Mentawai Islands madly dialing up his satellite phone to upload images and updates. So far so good.

Donna Frye Sworn In
She won the votes and a seat on the San Diego City Council now major politicos are trying to figure out how the wife of surf legend Skip Frye was able to beat out the entrenched politicians and if she'll be able to stay around for a win in the next election.
-Election Day Coverage

Dr. Beach's List of Beaches
Every year Stephen Leatherman a.k.a Dr. Beach releases his list of the top 50 beaches in the world. This year he gave the nod to Kauai's Poipu State Beach. Of course he left California completely out of the top 10. The OC Register's Gary Warner doesn't like that and in this story he explains exactly why and gives his own top ten list.

Quiksilver on the Down and Up
While the Orange County Register was running a story about the surf being up for apparel companies, the LA Times points out that Quiksilver's stock (ZQK) was down $3 earlier this month even though sales are up. Luckily for Quik they closed at $24.01 on June 11.

Hamrock Wins Oside
She may have been twice as old as her competitiors, but Kim Hamrock didn't care about age as she dominated the competition in the first stop of the Margaritaville Longboard Open Series on Sunday at the Oceanside Pier.

Brian Wilson Back on Tour
He's got a new bath robe, a new album and a new babysitter (Paul Simon). The two will be touring together this summer. Simon will help point Wilson at his piano, and Wilson's genius will spill forth.

Sacklunch Fan Mail
"Glad that the web provides an outlet for such sorry, unimaginative pieces of shit as yourself. Shame if you ever had to do something that required thought." -George Hurchalla, creator of a Backcountry CD-ROM that got a bad review in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Gravity Games Relaunches Site
The Gravity Games a.k.a NBC's slower, dimmer version of the X Games has a completely new website. And guess what? They lost most of the flash and followed the three column format (just like the Sack). It appears that some people finally are catching on.

Emap Still On The Rocks
According to Inside.com Emap, financial director, Gary Hughes, practically admitted that the purchase of Petersen Publishing (Surfer, Snowboarder, and Guns & Ammo, among others) was a colossal failure when he fired CEO Kevin Hand, This coupled with extremely disappointing earnings could mean their price has dropped low enough for the carrion of the publishing world Primedia to step in.

Colorado Has Best Season In 2 Years
Leave it to the PR wonks at Colorado Ski Country to send out a press release claming that 2001 was the best year since 1999. How hurting do you have to be to make that claim? "The nation's No. 1 ski state reported a big comeback this year from two straight dismal skiing seasons, but much of the gain came at the cost of reduced revenue from lift ticket sales resulting from discounted season passes." If you pay them, they will come.

Op Bloat Trip
Last year, in some strange act of soul/socialism Occy and Rochelle Ballard decided to split their Op Pro Boat Trip Challenge winnings with everyone on the trip. Talk about peer pressure. This year Op is splitting the money up themselves in a win-win situation for all surfers. Click here to read the rest.

Seven Arrested In Block Stabbing æ
Seven men who police say are Los Angeles County gang members have been arrested in the October stabbing death of a rival out in front of the Vans Skatepark at The Block in Orange, California. Sure, the Combi pool is dangerous, but it's nothing compared to walking back to your car after 9 pm. æ

Skate Literature We Haven't Read
The LA Times asked readers for reviews of good books kids have read and someone turned in a review of this gem: Skateboard Tough by Matt Christopher. It's a fantasy story about a boy who finds a skateboard owned by former champion Lance Hawker and meets an old woman who decides to build a skatepark in her backyard so the neighborhood kids have a place to skateboard. Yes, we said fantasy.

Randomly Quoted
"Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt looked like refugees from the skateboard park--wearing the appropriate gear, with caps turned backward, of course--who happened to wander over to the French Open."

Hoityville Gets Skatepark
La Canada/Flintridge decided to give it's juvenile delinquents a place to skateboard when the city's Joint Use Committee approved a plan to build a temporary skate park at Foothill Intermediate School. The park is scheduled to open in July and operate for at least 60 days. Wow, 60 whole days? What about the other 305?

Hirata Meets Discusses Skatepark
Purkiss Rose-RSI is building the new park in Arcadia and Frank Hirata was there in person to explain to the kids exactly why this park was going to be great. "We want to build something where you're never bored, you're never at a dead end," Hirata told the crowd of youngsters. æ

Costa Mesa Gets Mobile Skatepark
You'd think that all the local taxes that the action sports industry pours into Costa Mesa city government that they city would come up with something better than a "mobile skateboard park". But no. In a perfect answer to the "not in my backyard" problem, the city will open a park that can be moved from spot to spot staying one step ahead of the angry neighbors.

Purkiss Ross-RSI Builds Upland Park
The Fullerton, CA based landscape architecture firm has been retained to design a park for Upland, former home of the most famous skateboard park in the world. Upland's Memorial Park will play host.

Tandem Surfers Tango Twice
When Craig Stromsoe hoists girlfriend Andi Broccoli over his head it's not to look up her skirt. Well, he may do that sometimes, but not while he's tandem surfing with her. Click for the story.

First Timers Hit the Water
Whittier Elementary's Surf Day brings 30 third-grade students to Sunset Beach to learn how to catch a wave. Of course, they really should learn how to swim first.

Catching Up With ... Scott Morlan
Ever wonder what Newport Harbor High surf coach Scott Morlan's been upto lately? Didn't think so.

Surf Industry Pulls It's Pants Up
Sales have been down, but after that wonderful SIMA trip to Cabo it looks like everyone is giddy with excitement for the coming back to school boom. This story by Chad Hoctor includes quotes from Dick Baker, TransWorld Surf Business, and Pac Sun's Greg Weaver. PT even got to mention what a great success Surfing Girl has been. Really, now?

The Airshow Series

The Vans/Surfing Magazine Airshow Series, gets written up in the LA Times. "In the airshow we only judge ATL, which means 'above the lip.' It's unique and totally different," said Darren Brilhart, director of the series. "We only score on aerials." Hey, maybe that's why it's called an air show.

Kiteboarders? Please God, No.
First it was Windsurfing, then came the strap on crowd, now it's flying a kite while standing on a surfboard. If this isn't a definite sign of the apocalypse I don't know what is. In this LA Times article you can get all the latest news on "a sport so new most people don't even know what it is." But then again, I guess all those over-the-hill Windsurfers do deserve to make a living.

Fact: Surfing Keeps You Young
Blending interviews with solid archival footage, writer-director David L. Brown's movie Surfing For Life profiles bronzed enthusiasts in their 60s, 70s and 80s, including John "Doc" Ball, John Kelly, and Woody Brown among others.
-Laguna Beach's Eve Fletcher Profiled

Do Not Go In There
Summer is just around the corner so the Orange County Register decided this would be a perfect time to remind everyone just how dangerous it is at Orange County beaches. Obviously, these are glass half empty editors.

Another Memoir Worth Reading
Filmed in Jaymovision?
Onboard Launches Surf Europe
Pacific Sunwear See Saw

Previous Bags o' Crapola:-
-May 9, 2001
-April 27, 2001
-March 30, 2001
-February 23, 2001

Special thanks: to Jim Romenesko's MediaGossip.com