| Surfer and Surfing mags publisher filing for bankruptcy | |||
Surfer and Surfing magazines publisher filing for bankruptcy Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 April, 2009 : - - The economic situation in our country has not only hit the retailers and brand name companies in our industry, it has also taken its toll on the material we read. Source Interlink, the company that publishes Skateboarder, Snowboarder, Surfing, Surfer and five other action sports magazines and web sites, said today that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The special interest media company, in total, publishes a total of 75 magazines and 90 web sites, described the bankruptcy as a prepackaged filing. According to the company’s website: “A “pre-pack” is a court proceeding in which the creditors will be paid in full or have agreed to take less. It is used to implement a restructuring of a company’s capital without disturbing its daily operations. A “pre-pack” is the quickest and easiest form of restructuring through the bankruptcy courts. Using this method, we expect to complete our restructuring in about 30 days.” The statement also addresses the status of the companies immediate operation, “First and foremost, Source Interlink Companies wants to assure you that Source is continuing to operate its business without interruption.” The statement also goes on to say, “While we restructure, we plan to continue providing our customers with the outstanding service they have come to expect. We will continue to partner with our advertisers, publishers and vendors to ensure that the reorganization process is transparent to those we serve.” According to Shop-Eat-Surf.com, in documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware yesterday, Source Interlink estimated that its assets range from $1 million to $10 million, but that its liabilities exceed $1 billion, and that it has 50,000 - 100,000 creditors. While business is to remain as usually, it is just another example how the domino effect from small business trickles up to effect larger businesses. Marketing and media are usually the first avenues to feel the crunch when times are tough, it will be interesting to see if this move effects the content at all in some of the action sports industries go-to publications. |
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Full results for Volcom's 2009 VQS European Champs..
VQS European Champs
VQS
Anglet Beaches France
25 - 26 April 2009
Full results for Volcom's 2009 VQS European Champs
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 April, 2009 : - - Well yall we just finished off the last of the moonshine at VQS European Championships here in Anglet, France that was held over the weekend in our small hillbilly village in Marinella beach utilizing both days in challenging weather with plenty of wind and rain.
All the hillbillies had to take cover in the tents sitting on their hay bails chewing backy waiting for the chance for the sun to shine.Contestants came from all over « Europe » to compete, the trip was not easy for everyone, with hours spent in the cars, train’s or plane’s/. With people coming from Andalusia, Norway, Galicia, England, Reunion Island, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Brittany, Denmark and Portugal.
The conditions were solid to say the least with the Bootleggers (Opens) starting the competition on the Saturday morning followed by the Night Crawlers (Juniors) and we managed to get a few rounds down despite the difficulty on being able to punch through the frequent closeout sets.
It was decided by head judge Didier Piter to difficult to continue with the other categories so we decided to re start on the Sunday with what looked like more favorable conditions for the showdown.
Finals action : photo courtesy Volcom Europe
So to keep all the hillbillies at ease we organized a shindig at La Poste Saturday night with hotdogs, corn and beverages to keep everybody happy. If that wasn’t your piece of corn then you could check out the band Xubung that rocked out on top of the skate ramp while it was being sessioned.
While waking up in the sand next to my bottle for a pillow I noticed the conditions had cleaned up a little and also had dropped in size compared for the day before. To save time the decision was made to run two podiums with the Mountain Mommas (Girls) running simultaneously on the northern podium and the Porch Babies (Groms) on the southern one.
The Mountain Mommas made the most of the left running into the dig with some long waves and some nice lines being drawn. In the end it was Anne Peres (FR) who prevailed in first position and clenching the airplane ticket to compete against the other Mountain Mommas in the US for the World Championships. Marie Mitsuko Bouchaton (FR) finished in second place in front Joana Giansanti (FR) in third and Virginia Giansanti (CNY) in fourth place.
The Porch Babies (Groms) had a nice peak to shred and it was Paul César Distinguin (FR) who was the strongest pushing his tail through into to first ahead of Andy Criere (FR) that chased him in second with Vigo’s own Lalo Diez (ES) in third followed by little Charly Thermeau in fourth.
Finals action : photo courtesy Volcom Europe
The Night Crawlers were in amazing form considering that they looked like they had a lot of fun at the shin dig the night before in was the hair show not the air show with Lewis Saint John (BAR) doing enough to keep his lead and hang on to the ticket to the States in first spot with Medi Veminardi (RUN) fighting till the end in second with little PV Laborde (FR) in third and wishing the contest was held in Seingosse and Pierre Rollet (FR) taking fourth spot at home.
Last but by no means least was the Bootleggers (Opens) final with Adrian Toyan (RUN) even beating Lewis Saint John in the hillbilly hair show was solid through out the event and claimed his ticket to the States in first position in front of Miguel Mouzinho (POR) in second, who was happier than he was after his fourteen hour train ride from Lisbon to here in France to compete.
Hugo Palmarini (RUN) was strong enough to hold third position from local homeboy Romain Laulhé (FR) who rounded out the final in fourth place.
Thank you’s: Everyone that came, Anglet city council, Anglet surf club, staff and judges, lifeguards, Bastienne, Tom from Surf Europe for filming under the rain, Pacome from Electric, companies that helped us with prizes Electric , Red Bull , FCS, Vans, Nixon ,Skullcandy, Hoff and Surf Europe.
Thanks as well to the Bidassoa surf club and Hendaye city council for giving us the option to run some heats there. Stay tuned for the World VQS champs in 2 weeks Newport Beach, CA, live web cast on volcom.com.
RESULTS:
Open:
1. Adrian Toyon / RUN
2. Miguel Mouzinho / POR
3. Hugo Palmarini / RUN
4. Romain Laulhé / FR
Junior:
1. Lewis Saint John / BAR
2. Medi Veminardi / RUN
3. PV Laborde / FR
4. Pierre Rollet / FR
Groms:
1. Paul César Distinguin / FR
2. Andy Criere / FR
3. Lalo Díez / ES
4. Charly Thermeau / FR
Girls:
1. Anne Peres / FR
2. Marie-Mitsuko Bochaton / FR
3. Joana Giansanti / FR
4. Virginia Giesen / CNY
Adrien Toyon / RUN
Monday, April 20, 2009
Finlayson to miss Shakedown Stages
Confirmation from the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) that English businessman Paul Bird's entry is the latest to be received on-line for its blue riband event, Sol Rally Barbados 2009 (May 29-31), brings to seven the number of World Rally Cars entered, equalling last year's record . . . and there are more still on the horizon.
Winner of the UK's ANCRO National Rally Championship in 2005, 'Birdy' finished second to Kris Meeke in the Caribbean's biggest annual motor sport event on his first visit last year, and is targetting victory this time round. He will again be partnered in the SuperCasino.com/Kick Energy/Vent-Axia Subaru Impreza WRC S9 by Ian Windress, co-driver in his title-winning year, and also in Britain this year, where he is chasing a second ANCRO crown.
Both he and arch-rival, Rally Barbados regular Steve Perez (ANCRO Champion in 2004), are this year campaigning Ford Focus WRC 07s, but Bajan fans will have to wait a little longer before they get to see one in action on island stages. The timing of Sol RB09 does not work well for either driver - through his company VK, Perez is the title sponsor of the increasingly-popular Chatsworth Rally Show, which falls this year on the first weekend on June, and it is important for him to have his ex-Marcus Gronholm Focus on hand for his local audience . . . he will be in Barbados with his Focus WRC 05.
From Bird's standpoint, success in the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship (the title under which the ANCRO series now runs) is the priority, so the Impreza, which he described earlier in the year as his "Barbados car", will make the trip across the Atlantic.
Yesterday (April 19), in the notorious forests of Kielder in the far north of England, Bird looked set to celebrate his 42nd birthday with his first win of the year, leading comfortably after setting fastest time on the first three stages of the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria; a massive "schoolboy error" overshoot at a chicane on the fourth stage, however, cost him around 50 seconds. Despite setting the fastest time on the remaining three stages - the fourth stage in the second loop was cancelled following a major fire which destroyed the S2000 MEM Proton driven by reigning British Rally Champion Guy Wilks - Bird finished second, only 4.6secs behind Marcus Dodd (Hyundai Accent WRC) despite the lost time, and 5.7secs ahead of Perez.
Afterwards, Bird said: "I'm disappointed to miss out on the win; I just keep messing it up . . . but I have to say that's the best I've ever driven. Now I feel at home in the car and I'm delighted to have set fastest time on all of the stages bar one. Roll on the Manx and we'll see what we can do on tarmac!"
The Manx falls on the first weekend of May, a few days after the European entries for Sol Rally Barbados sail from Portsmouth. Bird and Perez are tied on 43 points in the ANCRO standings, eight behind multiple Champion Dodd; all three failed to finish the opening round, Rallye Sunseeker in February, while Perez and Bird finished second and third to Dodd on the Border Counties Rally in March. As both Bird and Perez will miss the Severn Valley Stages, which clashes directly with Sol RB09, 'Birdy' will be pulling out all the stops . . . and that means the Focus needs to stay in the UK.
Finlayson disappointed to miss Automotive Art Shakedown Stages
Rally Barbados regular Graeme Finlayson will be a disappointed non-starter for the Automotive Art Shakedown Stages (May 3); after making early preparations to ship his latest acquisition, an ex-Quick Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III RS, to the island for a shaekdown, last-minute dramas intervened.
A downhearted Finlayson said: "We had the car mapped and the valve springs done before shipping, and all was looking great. Then the cam belt went on the way to the port; we bought a second engine, had that dropped in, then the turbo seized, we sorted that, and then the clutch seized!"
Despite the dramas, Finlayson is set on expanding his Caribbean competition programme: "Assuming I can get everything in order, I plan to leave car in Barbados for three or four months and do the rest of the tarmac season out there, before shipping it back to prepare for what I hope might be a full season in the region in 2010."
Sol Rally Barbados 2009 (May 29-31) and Shell V-Power King of the Hill (May 24) are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; title sponsor is the Sol Group, the Caribbean's largest independent oil company, and both events are rounds of the Virgin Atlantic BRC Driver's and Class Championships. Associate sponsors include the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association.
Media enquiries: e-mail - robin@bradfax.com
web site - www.rallybarbados.bb