For the action sports industry in 2009, it’s all about keeping your head above water.
Already struggling with a glut of inventory, the $14.4 billion industry is forecasting sales to fall as much as 25 percent this year. Some surfboard makers say their business is down 30 percent to 40 percent as consumers put off larger purchases.
With numbers like that, industry insiders say some brands will disappear and the economic undertow will pull down a number of mom-and-pop shops, considered the backbone of the business because of their connection to the core action sports customer…. More info
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Money is an emotional issue, especially during economic hard times. Social scientists have always warned that once a person’s basic needs are met money doesn’t buy happiness. But if you’re wondering, or maybe even arguing over, what to do with any precious discretionary income these days, a new study suggests how to get the biggest emotional bang for your buck.
Ryan Howell, an assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, found that buying experiences — such as vacations, going to the theater or renting a sailboat — gave people more happiness than buying material things. The study, of 154 people ages 19 to 50, showed that experiences increase happiness …Â More info
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PRESS RELEASE
WHO:
Project Save Our Surf (Project SOS) was launched by actress Tanna Frederick and world-renowned surfer Shaun Tomson, both avid surfers concerned about the world’s oceans. They were inspired to embrace the surfathon concept as a fun and rewarding family event, bringing together the legendary sport of surfing and beach lovers who want to make a difference. Project SOS is collaborating with a number of generous local and national sponsors including ZJ Boardinghouse, Quiksilver, Rocker Board Shop, Kreation Café, Charlie Palmer Restaurants and American Latino TV… More info
Fifty years of Hollywood surfing movies is the topic for a new doc in the works by Greg MacGillivray. The untitled project, currently in production, will include a central look at writer, director and surfer John Milius’ “Big Wednesday.â€
“It’s really about how Hollywood’s superficial view of surfing culture has influenced popular culture,†MacGillivray said in a statement, “and the story of what happened when real surfers tried to change that.†Described as an “answer to Hollywood’s exploitative surfing films of the previous decades,†Milius’ 1978 “Big Wednesday†had a … More info
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