August 16, 2009 - Last Monday New York skateboarding pioneer Andy Kessler died from a wasp sting he received while surfing in Montauk. He was 48 years old. As skateboard technology advanced through the introduction of rubber wheels and trucks, Kessler joined other New York kids in developing new forms and styles of skating, including the use of ramps, often consisting of plywood leaned against a park wall or building. He was a leading figure among NYC boarders and helped found a skateboard group which became known as Zoo York.

Kessler headed up efforts to create a skatepark in Riverside Park, which opened in 1996. Built with the help of teenagers from Harlem and the Upper West Side, Riverside Skate Park became the city's first municipal park facility constructed solely for skateboarders and rollerbladers. The skate park transformed an obsolete and disused playground, and provided thousands of city kids a place of their own to skate. Kessler also headed up the design and construction of skateparks in New York's outer boroughs, Long Island, California and other states, and the Caribbean Islands. He recently designed and hand built, with the help of two friends, a skatepark for the Youth Center on Rock City Road in Woodstock, New York.

Skateboarder/writer Bret Anthony Johnston remembers Kessler here.

July 27, 2009 - In yesterday's final 24 year old Brett Simpson of Huntington Beach beat out Australia's Mick Fanning to claim the top $100,000 prize in the US Open of Surfing... at Huntington Beach. Earlier in the day Adriano de Souza upset nine-time ASP world champion Kelly Slater in the quarterfinals. Slater who was favored to win the contest told the LA Times, "It's sudden death here, so if you don't go out and perform for that 25 minutes, you're done."

On Saturday, in a huge upset, 16 year old Courtney Conlogue, whose home break is Huntington Beach, beat out reigning champion, 15 year old Malia Manuel of Kauai. Manuel scored her own upset win at last year's event.


Read the full stories and see some photos of last weekend's magnificent west coast swell at Surfline.com

July 26, 2009 - For the past week the US Open of Surfing has been taking place in Huntington Beach. As the week has progressed water conditions have gone from decent to superb. Yesterday saw solid 6-8' swell with double and triple overhead faces. On Friday Kelly Slater was not surfing his best and it looked like he might not even make it to today's finals. On Saturday that possibility vanished on the first wave of his heat when he scored a perfect 10 with a tube ride. Slater told the LA Times, "I think it’s the biggest wave I’ve caught in Huntington... The big ones is a coin toss, really, whether you’re going to make a wave like that or not. Most of them close out quickly." Slater will be surfing in today's finals along with Mick Fanning, Michael Bourez, Adriano de Souza, CJ Hobgood, Patrick Gudauskas, Nathan Curran and Brett Simpson. The winner takes home $100,000.

June 3, 2009 - Last weekend in Cornwall, England, 33 year Vicky Clarke's marriage ended up on the rocks even before her wedding night. After saying "I do" she went surfing with her brother. A powerful rip tide carried the pair into a rocky area where they were battered by strong waves. She said, "I knew we were in trouble. I kept getting sucked under by the strength of the current and was then smashed onto submerged rocks... They were ripping me to pieces. I thought I was a goner, it was so bad. I was running out of strength." Lifeguards John Craze and Ben Salter were preparing to go home for the day when they spotted the two in trouble. They saved them using rescue boards.

Bring on the champagne!

This story comes from Manchester Evening News.