by Board Retailers Association | Jan 7, 2022 | Awards, Community, Industry, Surf, Trade Shows
Photo: Mez/ESM The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame inducted its esteemed class of 2021 yesterday in a ceremony at Surf Expo in Florida. A star-studded class featuring world champs, matriarchs, shapers and media moguls. Congratulations to all those who’s names are now etched in history. East Coast Surfing Hall Of Fame class of 2021: Jeannie Chesser, Bill Hixon, CJ Hobood, Chris Lundy, Danny Melhado, Kristy Murphy, John Parton, Eric Penny, Kathy Philips (Cecil Lear President’s Award), Matt Walker (Media), Spyder Wright (Legends). Learn more Coast Surfing Hall of Fame by clicking this link: https://eastcoastsurfinghalloffame.org We, at Board Retailers Association, love the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center (SHACC). We absolutely appreciate the entire staff for everything that they do to preserve the remarkable culture and history of Surfing and to promote surf shops. BRA would like to sincerely thank Glenn (former SHACC Executive Director) and the epic staff at Surfing Heritage and Culture Center for hosting the BRA Retailer Roundtable Event in November 2019 as well as each of the Supporting Event Partners including Solite Boots, Exchange Collective, Locally, Action Watch and Sambazon. Board specialty retailers from throughout Southern California and beyond as well as board sport related manufacturers and trade organizations participated in this open forum solutions-oriented discussion about the issues and opportunities facing our industry today and in the future. – Doug Works, BRA Executive Director If you are a board specialty retailer interested in either Regular or Distinguished BRA Retail Membership, please complete this super simple join...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 25, 2021 | Awards, Skateboard
The world may have exploded twice over in last year but we weren’t really paying attention because 2021 was a historic year for skateboarding. Not only was it the first time that our hobby/sport/whatever was showcased on a worldwide scale, but it was also the year Tony Hawk sold his blood and his tricks. We saw Supreme expand their empire to Italy and Germany, while brands like StockX entered the skateboarding zeitgeist.To properly highlight the good, the bad, and the even worse of 2021 we sat and thought about it for like 45 minutes and decided to come up with this list. There might be some awards on here that you don’t understand, but as long as you get a laugh and prepare for another year full of unfathomable trends, hard slams, and then we’ve done our job! Previous Winners: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. BEST SPONSOR The US Government SKATE EVENT OF THE YEAR Milk Crate Challenge LAMEST BEEF Kelly Hart vs. Rad Rat TEAM OF THE YEAR 917 BEST FLICK Louie Lopez WHEN WILL IT END? Big Boy trend 7TH PLACE Nyjah Huston PLEASE, NO Jagger Eaton WHERE’D THEY GO? Business and Company MOST “FOR ME IT’S CRAZY LIKE” Leticia Bufoni MOST DEAD END Straye Words: James LeeIllustration by: Michael GiuratoShare this with a winner on FacebookReport this as uncounted votes on Instagram or Twitter If you like fun and intelligent skateboarding related articles, be sure to visit and bookmark: Jenkem Mag If you are not yet a BRA Retail Member, you can easily opt in to either Regular (no cost) or Distinguished ($100/yr.) Membership via this super simple join...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 14, 2021 | Awards, Community, Industry, News, Skateboard
2021 SOTY = Mark Suciu Everyone loves to say contests and awards don’t carry any weight in skateboarding, but every year, skaters seem to give a lot of weight to Thrasher’s Skater of the Year award. “SOTY Season” gives us a lot to debate about, like whether someone shotgunned enough beers in their b-roll clips, if their handrails had enough kinks in them, or if they even released enough footage to “really deserve it.” It all seems silly and trivial, but that’s the nature of this thing of ours that we all love to overthink. Now that the dust has settled, and all the congratulations and angry rants have been sent off into the void, I hope we can all agree there’s no denying Mark Suciu deserves his win. We’ve spent the year watching as he released a full-length’s worth of footage featuring marathon lines, multi-stair bangers, and a silly amount of handrail tricks. Our friend James Thomson spent a couple of days with Mark filming this 16mm edit for our “Ground Glass” series – Don’t think of this as yet another part of his “SOTY run,” but rather as a victory lap, and a showing of our appreciation for one of the best skaters of our generation. Intro by: Alexis CastroVideo by: James ThompsonShare this with a film freak on FacebookReport this as too analog on Instagram and Twitter If you like fun and intelligent skateboarding related articles, be sure to visit and bookmark: Jenkem Mag If you are not yet a BRA Retail Member, you can easily opt in to either Regular (no cost) or Distinguished ($100/yr.) Membership via this super simple join...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 1, 2021 | Awards, Industry, News, Surf
Anyone with even the faintest interest in surfing can likely remember where they were, what they were doing, when the first video of Kelly Slater’s wavepool dropped. (I was on the couch, soaking in the reality of Adriano de Souza’s World Title win, which happened the day before, and watching the clouds begin to brew from what would become the Brazilian Storm.) It was a bombshell; it signified a new era, the second coming of surf parks. But that was just the beginning. That was 2015, just six years ago. And since then, an explosion of innovative technologies, new constructions, and worldwide interest has detonated in the artificial surfing space. Noticing this shift in surfing, a group called Surf Park Central began their annual summit back in 2013 to bring together visionaries and supporters in the field. And in early October, the group came together once again in San Diego to talk about the future of wavepool surfing. Guest speakers at the 2021 edition of the Surf Park Summit included Shaun Tomson, CJ Hobgood, Shane Beschen, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, Matt Biolos, Timmy Patterson, and more movers and shakers in the wavepool space. Surfline’s own VP of Wave Venues and Progression, Pete Joszi, gave a talk on the future of wavepools and, particularly, the potential they offer for surfing progression. “If you’ve been following what’s been going on at places like BSR and a few other places,” Joszi said, “you can see that these things are synonymous with progression.” Joszi went on to discuss the future of Surfline’s involvement in facilitating progression at surf park venues – through hi-def cameras with...
by Board Retailers Association | Dec 20, 2020 | Awards, Industry, News, Wakeboard
The 2020 Wake Awards are live, and you can watch the show here: If you’re looking to read about the winners, you’ve come to the right spot. Celebrating the highlights, achievements and progression over the past year, this year’s Wake Awards honors an amazing group of winners who have pushed boundaries despite the obstacles faced in an unprecedented year like 2020. wakeboardingmag.com/story/videos/2020-wake-awards-the-winners/ For more wakeboarding related news and articles, be sure to visit and bookmark: wakeboardingmag.com/ If you are not yet a BRA Retail Member, you can easily opt in to either Regular (no cost) or Distinguished ($99/yr.) Membership via this super simple join...
by Board Retailers Association | Mar 13, 2020 | Awards, Industry, Resources, Surf
WINNERS FROM THE 16TH ANNUAL SIMA AWARDS More than 300 attendees from surf companies, specialty retail shops and friends of the industry attended the 16th Annual SIMA Awards on March 11, 2020 to cheer on and celebrate the outstanding innovations and contributions made to the industry by the 86 finalists. Be sure to scroll to bottom of page to see PHOTOS of winners, finalists and attendees of the awards ceremony. Congrats to the Winnersfrom the 16th Annual SIMA Awards! PRODUCT CATEGORIESAccessory Product of the YearWINNER: Surf Sessions by SurflineOther Category Finalists:FinPuller by FinPullerSearch GPS2 Watch by Rip CurlSurf Boot Mid by VansThe 4ocean Bracelet by 4ocean Environmental Product of the YearWINNER: The 4ocean Bracelet by 4oceanOther Category Finalists:Billabong Recycler by BillabongMen’s & Women’s Yulex Wetsuits by PatagoniaAlgae Traction by Slater DesignsUpcycled Coconut Boardshort Collection by Vissla Footwear Product of the YearWINNER: UltraRange Hi DL MTE by VansOther Category Finalists:Alapa Li by OlukaiRivi Slide by QuiksilverCushion Bounce Collection by ReefPair O Dice by Sanuk Eyewear Product of the YearWINNER: JJF12 by ElectricOther Category Finalists:Sampan by Costa SunglassesRob Machado Resin Collection by DragonOMAR by Otis Eyewear Wetsuit of the YearWINNER: Infiniti LTD by XCEL WetsuitsOther Category Finalists:Hyperfreak Series by O’Neill WetsuitsFlashbomb Heat Seeker by Rip Curl7 Seas Wetsuit Collection by Sisstrevolution7 Seas Wetsuit Collection by Vissla Surfboard CategoriesPerformance Shortboard Model of the YearWINNER: Cymatic by Slater DesignsOther Category Finalists:Seaside by Firewire SurfboardsBlack Baron by JS IndustriesAstro Pop by Pyzel419Fish by Rusty Surfboards Alternative Surfboard Model of the YearWINNER: Shadow by PyzelOther Category Finalists:Monsta Box Hyfi by JS IndustriesThe Blade by Rusty SurfboardsFRK by Slater DesignsDisco Inferno by Surftech x Sharp Eye...
