Nike 6.0 Blog

12 Miles North Online Premiere

EvanInstrument — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:58:29 GMT

The capricious ocean so very strong,
Robust, powerful, can I be wrong?
Pounding, beating upon its cousin shore,
Comes it clapping, rapping with a mighty roar.
-Nick Gabaldon, May 31, 1951

In the 1940s, behind where Shutters and Casa Del Mar stand today, there was a beach known as The Ink Well - the only place on the Westside of Los Angeles where people of color could congregate.

A teenager named Nick Gabaldon frequented the beach with friends and family. Borrowing a lifeguard’s paddleboard one day, Nick was immediately hooked. But segregation being what it was at the time, the hot spot of the time, Malibu, was off limits because of the color of his skin. So, one day Nick paddled the 12 miles from the Ink Well to Malibu. He earned himself a spot in the iconic lineup, becoming friends with local legends like Ricky Grigg, Bob Simmons and Buzzy Trent. But to and fro he paddled still.

In June of 1951 a large swell was bombarding the Southern California Coast. Nick wanted a piece of it. On June 6 he took off on a Malibu point wave, some say as big as tenfeet, shot the pier but hit a pylon. His body was found three days later.

Nick Gabaldon’s undying passion is an inspiration to anyone who has ever had the courage to dream. The waves belong to all of us, and so does the memory of Nick. Find out more at facebook.com/NikeSurfing.

The full-length 12 Miles North film will be available to download on February 16th at 3pm PST.

Nike Surfing: Public Access

EvanInstrument — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:19:18 GMT

Coming to you from the North Shore of Oahu, Nike Surfing is proud to present Public Access. A program that takes you behind the curtain to offer a raw and real look at life and surfing along the “Seven Mile Miracle.”

From Haleiwa to Sunset, Pipeline, Waimea and the outer reefs that fringe the island, it’s open season on the most exposed piece of rock in the Pacific, and you can follow Julian Wilson, Kolohe Andino, Alejo Muniz, Michel Bourez, Gabriel Medina, Carissa Moore, Laura Enever, Lakey Peterson, Coco Ho and the rest of the Nike athletes as they endure the trials and tribulations of a big-wave winter. In some cases it’s their first crack on the Hawaiian stage, for others destiny hangs in the balance. All those stories shall be revealed in due time.

Through the Nike Surfing page on Facebook, Public Access brings you video highlights, explosive sessions and, most notably, live webcasts. On Wednesday, 12.7.11 and Wednesday, 12.14.11, look for resident personalities Sal Masakela and Chris Cote to host, while the Nike Surfing team diligently entertains even their most off the wall questions.

You can get your burning questions answered, as well, just log on to the live webcast and fire away. If you’ve ever had a question about Julian’s boards or what carried Carissa to World Tour glory, scribble it down when the time comes and they’ll answer it.

There’s only enough room on the island for so many surfers, so if you couldn’t scrounge up a ticket to Hawaii this winter come join us on Nike Surfing’s Public Access and we’ll take you through the paces.

Wave of the Winter

EvanInstrument — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:54:54 GMT

This winter Nike Surfing and Surfline.com are proud to bring back the "Wave of the Winter" contest for its second incarnation. As you can tell by the title, the concept is simple, best wave of the winter wins.

With a waiting period from Nov. 12, 2011 through Feb. 29, 2012, the Seven-Mile Miracle is sure to deliver. Last year it was North Shore resident Kalani Chapman that took top honors for his Andy Irons tribute in the pit of a nasty Pipeline wave he caught in Nov. 2010.

Taking things to a new level this season, this year's winner walks away with $25,000, with an extra $5,000 going to the filmer that captures the action. And just to make things a little more interesting, Clif Bar's throwing in $7,500 for the Overall Performance Award‚ $2,500 of which will go to the surfer, and a $5,000 donation will go to a local charity that benefits the community and/or environment.

As far as how this whole thing's judged, wave size, degree of difficulty, style and overall "heaviness" are all deciding factors. And none other than Gerry Lopez, Mr. Pipeline, will be heading up the three-person judging panel.

For more information check out "Wave of the Winter" on Surfline.com.

Filipe Toledo - Bali Bagus

EvanInstrument — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:05:24 GMT

Synonymous with warm water, perfect swells, tubes and lots of fun, Bali and the surrounding islands are a real treat for any surfer. Filipe Toledo made good use of his first time there to enjoy himself and acclimate before the 1st round of the World Pro Junior Tour that took place on Keramas and Canggu beach. Check out Filipe during his first trip to Indonesia...

2011 U.S. Open of Surfing: That’s a Wrap

EvanInstrument — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:10:18 GMT

In no uncertain terms, it was a successful week in Huntington Beach at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing. Crowd attendance records were shattered, on the Nike soundstage bands like Surfer Blood and MGMT put in top-flight performances, the skating and BMX action was insane, 10-time world champ Kelly Slater assumed his rightful top spot, and as for Nike 6.0’s surf squad, the results were nothing short of defining.

The morning of the final broke with Dusty Payne in the water facing Tanner Gudauskas. Needing a positive result at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing to hold onto his spot on the ASP World Tour, Payne epitomized a man surfing with purpose. Last winter it was a mind-blowing 10-point ride at Backdoor Pipeline that vaulted Payne back on to tour, and while his actions wouldn’t be quite that dramatic this time around, he did post two solid scores to slide into the semifinals.

On the other side of the draw was 17-year-old Kolohe Andino, who’s spent the better part off the week proving that his time his now. Facing a personal hero in Dane Reynolds, the matchup was billed as the ultimate aerial dogfight. And it didn’t disappoint. The two traded waves and above-the-lip blows, back and forth the heat went, and when the spray finally settled it was Andino that edged our Reynolds by a tenth of a point. Shaves don’t get any closer than that.

Moving into the semis, Payne drew Slater, while Andino drew surging West Australian Yadin Nicol. As the remnants of Hurricane Eugene faded, the surf became a little less consistent than it had been the previous two days, and competitors were forced to stalk the lineup like big-game hunters. Unfortunately, neither Payne nor Andino were able to find the scores they were after.

Not to worry, it was still a very successful event for both Payne and Andino, who finished with equal third place results. Payne now shoots up the ratings and will more than likely be on tour come the second half of the year. As for Andino, he proved that he’s more than grown-up enough to run with the big dogs. Considering his quarterfinal finish at the Nike Lowers Pro earlier in the year, and now this, it’s only a matter of time before he joins Payne amongst the elite ranks of the ASP World Tour.

“It’s been a good week,” told Andino at the end of it all. “I would have been stoked to make the final, I was so close, but it’s been an amazing event. Surfing in front of a crowd like this, against the best guys in the world, it’s what you dream about.”

As for the ladies, what’s left to say about Lakey Peterson’s showing this week? On Saturday she took out the women’s pro junior, upsetting “Leave A Message” co-stars Laura Enever, Malia Manuel and Coco Ho. That would be enough statement-making surfing for one event, but she wasn’t done.

Facing 2011 women’s ASP world champion Carissa Moore in the women’s semis, she was undaunted. Surfing with all the vim and vigor she could muster, she blew past Moore into the final. The 16-year-old wildcard was poised to sweep the entire Nike U.S. Open of Surfing, but Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons had other plans, and gleefully played the role of spoiler. In the end Peterson would lose by less than two points, but still she would come away with the confidence and experience that she, like Andino, is ready for prime time.

“I’m stoked with the way this week has turned out,” said Lakey at the end of it all. “It was an honor to surf against Sally and I’m really happy to make the Final in my first World Tour event. Winning yesterday was what I wanted to do, to win in the Juniors and do well in this event. My heat against Carissa felt like no pressure and I just wanted to go for it and I’m just so excited to win that heat. I’ve always wanted to surf against Carissa. She really pushes my surfing to the next level and is an amazing friend.”

As for what’s next? The women’s ASP season has come to a close. Peterson’s looking to keep up with her school studies and put herself on “a couple good surf trips.” No doubt she will continue to progress and take her surfing to the next level in the process.

And the men? “I’m heading to England with my family,” says Andino. “There’s a six-star there, which should be fun.”

And Payne? “I’m heading to Tahiti for the next tour stop. This has been a great result, but I gotta keep the foot on the gas in the next two events.”

So for now the sun has set on Huntington, the Good Year blimp has sailed off to some other sporting event, the hordes of humans have all gone back to their respective corners, and after a week of near chaos, all is quiet in Surf City.

To watch the final recap of the surf action go to: http://vimeo.com/27591202

Nike CHOSEN crew contest: Round 1 Recap

EvanInstrument — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:50:56 GMT

Over the past 8 weeks we've seen over 1,800 crews in 12 countries who submitted videos for the world to see. Many thanks to all the crews who took the time to share their creative vision with us. Everyone obviously put blood, sweat and tears into their video, so without further delay watch the video above and let's see who made it into round 2.

Round 2 takes the CHOSEN to a whole new level. From now on it's all about votes. To win crews will be hustling to get as many votes as they can from across the world. Vote for the crew that catches your eye at ussurfing.com/nikechosen, nike.com/chosen or our Facebook app. You have until 6pm PST on August 6th to cast your vote for the crew that catches your eye at http://usopenofsurfing.com/nikechosen

We'll be reporting live from the US Open of Surfing with live updates on who is holding on to the top 3 positions and how the battle for world domination shapes up. http://www.usopenofsurfing.com

Nike CHOSEN: Week 5 Recap

EvanInstrument — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:21:27 GMT

Check out our fifth weekly recap. It's turning into a fireworks show, folks. Don't miss the crews and videos that have put the rest of the crews in the contest on notice.

This week saw the Brasilians join the party in a big way and our first women's crew entered the fold. With a little under two weeks to go in the competition, it's not too late to sign-up your crew and get noticed by the global community. Just ask Reverse from Brasil, coming out of nowhere to Noticed in a few days!

For more information go to ‪http://www.nike.com/chosen

Nike CHOSEN: Week 4 Recap

EvanInstrument — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:47:33 GMT

Each week, we'll show you the top crews from around the world that are bringing fresh and unexpected creativity to the Chosen crew video contest or creating buzz in Facebook.

See more and find out how your crew could be chosen to live like a pro at http://www.nike.com/chosen

Watch the Nike CHOSEN Trailer

EvanInstrument — Thu, 26 May 2011 05:04:27 GMT

On June 2 Julian Wilson, Kolohe Andino, Garrett Reynolds, Louie Vito and team will take the stage in the NIKE CHOSEN.

Watch the trailer above and RSVP on Facebook to see and exclusive view of the full "CHOSEN" commercial and tune in June 2nd to see how you and your crew can be chosen to live like a pro.

Choose the Nike 6.0 page for your country to get started:

Nike 6.0 Surf USA & Canada
Nike 6.0 BMX USA & Canada
Nike 6.0 Snow USA & Canada

Nike 6.0 Surf Australia

Nike 6.0 Snow Belgium

Nike 6.0 Surf Brasil

Nike 6.0 Surf Deutsch
Nike 6.0 Snow Deutsch

Nike 6.0 Snow Finland

Nike 6.0 Surf France
Nike 6.0 Snow France

Nike 6.0 Surf Italy
Nike 6.0 Snow Italy

Nike 6.0 Snow Nederland

Nike 6.0 Snow Norway

Nike 6.0 Surf Spain
Nike 6.0 Snow Spain

Nike 6.0 Snow Sweden

Nike 6.0 Surf UK
Nike 6.0 BMX UK
Nike 6.0 Snow UK

Medina Smashes the ISA Championships

Gronamo — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:09:04 GMT

Emerging as one of surfing’s hottest young geniuses, 15-year-old Gabriel Medina just tallied his latest and greatest win to date: Dominating the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships at Piha Beach in Auckland, New Zealand.

Backing up his third place finish at the ASP World Pro Junior Championships in Narrabeen just two weeks ago, Medina was at his brilliant best with a near-perfect final score. In true Medina fashion, the Brazilian wunderkind unleashed a barrage of effortless back-to-back aerials and powerful rail surfing with calculated purpose, netting the highest individual wave score (10) and two-wave combined total (19.90) of the event, finishing with an amazing 5-point lead on the closest competitor.

Other noteworthy 6.0 finishes included Koa Smith who got 3rd in the under-16 division and flow rider Lakey Peterson who took 4th in the women’s under-18 division.

6.0 salutes all the competitors at the Championships in NZ and of course wants to take an extra minute to recognize our own, Gabriel Medina, for the huge win and incredible 1st-place performance.