Archive for the 'Surfing' Category

Poppa P
May 28th, 2008

Deathwatch for Old Media Dinosaurs in the Sports, Outdoor, Athletics & Recreation Industries

I’ve now been “officially” working in the Sports, Outdoor, Athletics and Recreation industries for slightly more than 3-and-a-half years now, and I must say I continue to be shocked at the overall lack of new media sophistication I see within these industries.

Understand that this is not meant as a slam against all companies in these markets (although it may come across as such).

I also recognize that almost every company I now find in any industry has a Web site. But for many companies, that’s it. And in some instances, companies have little more than a brochure-ware Website.

Others are beginning to step forward and are beginning to embrace newer forms of interactive media, sometimes known as Web 2.0 technologies. These solutions and tools include

  • Blogging,
  • Online video,
  • Social networks (MySpace and Facebook being the most popular, but not the only ones),
  • Microblogging (through such tools as Twitter and Pownce, to name two), and
  • Podcasting.

What’s even more amazing to me, however, is the seeming lack of interactive / Web 2.0 sophistication among the media companies serving the outdoor and recreation industries. Here again, I’m not attacking every media-publishing company serving clients and/or end-users in the recreation, sports, athletics and/or outdoor industries. Just most of ‘em.

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Poppa P
Sep 8th, 2007

Chip & Poppa P visit ASR 2007

In spite of a brutal travel day (departing from Salt Lake City for San Diego at 6:40 a.m. and landing back in SLC at 11:55 p.m.the same day), Chip and I had a great Friday in southern California.

The purpose of our trip? Checking out ASR 2007 — the Action Sports Retailer show which attracts top manufacturers in the surf, skate, snow, swim, style, moto and youth industries and the shops/dealers (and distributors) that sell/distribute such goods. (ASR is a Nielsen Business Media show, the same company that produces Interbike and Health+Fitness Business Expo, two SOAR Communications clients.)

As California natives now living in Utah, it was fun for both Chip and me to A) soak up the wonderful early September weather in San Diego, as well as B) reconnect with our skateboarding/surfing roots.

One of my pastimes as a teenager was riding on a three-foot long wooden skateboard, what today would be considered a “long board.” Conversely, Chip learned to surf in the Pacific swells off the southern California coast.

Although we both got a real eye-full at ASR, five “new” products caught my eye at ASR.

1.    The carbon fiber surfboards from Aviso Surfboards are very cool. Certainly more expensive than a typical surfboard, but dramatically stronger, lighter and more durable.

2.     The Spinners from Skubs take the concept of those crazy spinning rims from expensive wheels/cars and bring them to the skateboard and skater worlds.

3.    Yoga Stick-e Socks from Libby’s Luxuries are a patented new look at sock for wear while practicing yoga (naturally), as well as in any other exercise or sport where going barefoot is appropriate but wearing socks would be better.

4.    The brand new Si-Boards from Si-Boards take a whole new approach to balance
boards.

5.    And finally, the AquaSkipper from Inventist, which is probably weirdest-looking personal watercraft I have ever seen in my life. (They call it a human-powered hydrofoil.) Inventist also was showing off some wheeled products at the show: