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OC Beach Blog ~ The latest news on all things along the 42 miles of beach in Orange County, Calif.

Archive for the 'SIMA' Tag

OC surf brands take majority of awards at SIMA

October 5th, 2009, 1:55 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

We all know Orange County dominates the surf industry, and that was proven again at this year’s SIMA Image Awards held down in Cabo San Lucas last week.

 The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) has put on the awards for seven years, and allows the surf industry the chance to recognize fellow surf companies for their contributions to the culture.

According to SIMA, the goal of the SIMA Image Awards is to identify the most influential companies and recognize them for their efforts to advance and grow the industry over the past year. There were 15 categories, and here were some of the OC standouts:

It was a huge year for Newport Beach-based Atwater, which took home the win for Breakthrough Brand of the Year. This brand has blown up in the past few years, and will no doubt continue to grow. The segment recognizes the small- to mid-size men’s or women’s brand that experienced breakthrough growth the previous year. Atwater beat out brands such as Skullcandy and Von Zipper.     

Scott Madison and Dean Bradley of Atwater accept their award

Scott Madison and Dean Bradley of Atwater accept their award

Billabong, headquarters in Irvine, took home a number of awards, including Men’s Apparel Brand of the Year, Women’s Apparel Brand of the Year, and Environmental Product of the Year for their Recycled Boardshort.  

Hurley won the segment for Men’s Boardshort of the Year with their Phantom design, and if were anywhere near the Hurley U.S.  Open of Surfing this year or the Hurley Pro, you should be pretty familiar with the boardshorts. Here’s an image of HB’s Brett Simpson in an ad for the product. The segment recognizes the most exciting design, appeal or innovation in 2008.

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Surfside Sports in Costa Mesa won the Men’s Retailer of the Year award, and Huntington Surf & Sport took home the win for Women’s Retailer of the Year.

Make sure to check out the brand L*Space, based out of Irvine. They won two awards this year, beating out major companies Billabong, Hurley,  Roxy and Volcom for the Women’s Marketing Campaign of the Year, and also took home the award for Women’s Swim Brand of the Year against the big brands.

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Irvine-based Lost won the Men’s Marketing Campaign, and O’Neill captured the win for the Wetsuit of the Year for their Psychofreak by O’Neill Wetsuits.

Accessory product of the year went to San Clemetne bsed Electric Visual for their iPhone Application.

Congrats to all our local companies for an extrodinary year! Check out the coverage done by shop-eat-surf.com at the event.

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Events • Surfing • | 3 Comments »

Things to do on the O.C. coast this weekend

August 28th, 2009, 7:28 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Just when you thought summer was winding down, the heat wave hits. With this crazy weather hitting the county as we kick off the weekend, you can bet the beaches are going to be packed.

If you are headed to the coast, make sure you use extreme caution, especially Friday. A big hurricane swell sent pounding waves to the coast Thursday, and novice swimmers are being warned to be careful of big waves and rip currents through the weekend.

So if you’re looking to find out what’s going on - to either join the festivities or to avoid the crowds - here’s a glimpse of what’s happening along OC’s coast this weekend:

SIMA Surfing America USA Championships:

dsc_00381A surf contest that showcases some of the best amateur surfers from around the nation is going down in Huntington Beach this week, where competitors are trying to nab the USA championship title.

The 2009 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships presented by Verizon Wireless kicked off Tuesday south of the Huntington Beach pier, and runs through Sunday.

There’s 18 divisions in the contest, everything from young groms to seniors, longboarders and shortboarders.

Read more about the event here, and check out a slideshow of the first day of the contest here.

When: Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Where: Huntington Beach Pier

Battle of the Brands surf contest in HB

Come out to check some surfing athletes from top surf brands battle it out for bragging rights in Huntington Beach on Aug. 29.

Athletes from Billabong, Quiksilver, Rip Curl and O’Neill (and the zany editors from Surfer Mag, Surfing Mag, TransWorld Surf, Surfline and Fuel TV) will be going head-to-head during the 3rd annual PacSun Battle of the Brands.

When: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29

Where: South side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

swim1-mile swim at Corona Del Mar this weekend

The Don Burns 1-mile scholarship swim is happening down at Corona del Mar on Saturday.

The event is held in honor of Burns, who was a lifeguard for 47 years before he died 16 years ago.

The race - which typically draws hundreds of swimmers - will be held at 10 a.m. at Big Corona Beach. Check in starts at 9:15 a.m. at tower 3, next to the jetty.

Swimmers go out to a buoy 100-yards offshore, then go down coast along the swim lines, past cliff side homes and the rocky coastline to the secluded cove of Little Corona. They then round buoys on their right shoulder, return up coast to the first buoy, and swim to an onshore finish at the starting line.

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: Corona Del Mar State Beach

Catalina Classic paddleboard race

If you can head up the coast a bit, head up to Manhattan Beach to check out the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race. There’s plenty of Orange County paddleboarders to support who do the 32-mile race.

The paddler must have completed last years race by the 9 hour cut-off time or competed in another notable paddleboard competition with a solid standing.

When: Sunday August 30, 2009

Where: Manhattan Beach to Catalina Island

Posted in: Competitions • Events • More things to do on the coast • Uncategorized • • • • | Post a Comment »

SIMA Surfing America USA Championships kick off

August 25th, 2009, 3:31 pm by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

A surf contest that showcases some of the best amateur surfers from around the nation is going down in Huntington Beach this week, where competitors are trying to nab the USA championship title.

The 2009 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships presented by Verizon Wireless kicked off Tuesday south of the Huntington Beach pier, and runs through Sunday.

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There’s 18 divisions in the contest, everything from young groms to seniors, longboarders and shortboarders.

I chatted with Rockin’ Fig Fignetti out on the sand, where he was getting pumped up for his heat in the Legends division. He’s come in second-place for two years in a row.

“For some people, it might be for fun. For me, I’ve always wanted the title,” he said.

The conditions were better than he expected, with 3-to-5-foot waves coming through.

“I’m stoked because it’s a bit more peaky today,” he said. “It’s a good size, the sun is out, and the wind isn’t too bad.”

Read more about the event here, and check out a slideshow of the first day of the contest here.

Read more on surfing:

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Competitions • Events • Sand Shots • Surfing • • | Post a Comment »

Surfing America USA Championships

August 22nd, 2009, 3:05 pm by Jeff Malanca, contributing writer

usa-surf-teamThe Nation’s best amateur surfers are about to take over the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier in a couple of days.

The 2009 SIMA Surfing America USA Championships presented by Verizon Wireless is an invite only event.

The elite group of athletes comes from several competitive surfing organizations including the NSSA National Scholastic Surfing Association, WSA Western Surfing Association, ESA Eastern Surfing Association, HSA Hawaii Surfing Association, TGSA Texas Gulf Surfing Association and the WSA Prime Series.

Some of the top talent from Orange County competing next week includes San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino, Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue, Newport Beach’s Kaleigh Gilchrist and Victor Done, Costa Mesa’s Colin Moran and Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi.

The 2010 PacSun USA Surf  Team will also be announced following the 2009 Surfing America USA Championships.

When: Monday August 24-Sunday August 30, 2009

Where: Southside of the Huntington Beach Pier


Posted in: Beach news • Competitions • Events • Latest surf news • Local surfers recognized • More things to do on the coast • Surf Junkie Jeff • Surfing • • • | 1 Comment »

SIMA celebrates 20 years at upcoming Waterman’s Weekend

August 4th, 2009, 9:28 am by Laylan Connelly, staff writer

Back in 1989, the surf industry was still in its teenage years.

Most surf retailers were operating as low-key, mom and pop shops. Brands like Gotcha hit the scene, and no one could have guessed just how successful the surf industry would be.

The manufacturers needed a unified voice, a group that could tailor their niche products to a broader marketplace. So a large group of industry executives – including O’Neill’s Kelly Woolsey and several editors of surf magazines – got together to figure out how to make their industry grow.

In 1990, SIMA (Surf Industry Manufacturing Association) became formally recognized, with Quiksilver’s Bob McKnight as president and Gotcha’s Michael Tomson as vice-president.

“Over the years the surf companies have not only grown in size, but they also got very smart, very savvy,” said SIMA’s Executive Director Sean Smith. “They really started to see more than just in their back yard. They really tried to think broader and bigger.”

And that they did. Twenty years later, the surf and skate industry hit $7.88 billion in revenue.

“I think this organization has brought unity to a group of businesses – wholesale, retail, marketing and media – and kept it special, kept it unique,” said Paul Naude, president of Billabong USA. “I think that’s what makes the industry what it is.”

SIMA does more than serve as a cohesive glue for the surf industry. It has many branches, giving workshops and boot camps for retailers and manufacturers, doing independent reports on the state of the industry, and raising money for environmental and humanitarian causes.

There are two major benefits held each year by SIMA. The Liquid Nation Ball, which started six years ago, raises funds for its Humanitarian Fund.

This weekend, the Waterman’s Weekend will be held, where industry leaders and well-known surfers gather for a few day of fun over a golf course at Monarch Beach in Dana Point, and at a formal Waterman’s Ball (yes, they actually trade in their board shorts for suits for this one) at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Beach culture • Beach news • Environment • Events • Local surfers recognized • Surfing • • • • • | Post a Comment »

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