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SurferHangout favorited a video
(1 month ago)
Burton Snowboards is proud to congratulate Burton team rider Kevin Pearce on his first day back on a snowboard since he suffered a traumatic brain ...
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Burton Snowboards is proud to congratulate Burton team rider Kevin Pearce on his first day back on a snowboard since he suffered a traumatic brain injury while training for the Olympics in 2009.
Kevin has been a part of the Burton family for years, receiving his first snowboard from Jake Burton himself back when he was just five years old. In 2004, Kevin earned his first official sponsorship with Burton Snowboards after a Burton team manager was impressed with his riding during summer camp at Mt. Hood. From that point on, Kevin started showing up on podiums everywhere, with career highlights like consecutive Arctic Challenge victories, a pair of Air &Style wins, multiple X Games medals and back-to-back European Open wins.
Everything changed in an instant when Kevin suffered a traumatic brain injury while attempting a Cab double cork during a halfpipe training session on December 31, 2009. Since then, Kevin has spent nearly two years putting all his energy into rehab, re-learning things we all take for granted like eating, walking, talking, balancing and seeing.
Until recently, Kevin didn't know if he would ever be able to snowboard again. So when he got the green light from his doctors it was a dream come true, and everything came together yesterday as he strapped on his board for the first time since the accident. Jake Burton was honored to join Kevin for his inaugural runs at Vail yesterday, before Kevin headed to Breckenridge to ride with friends and fans.
"To get to this point in his recovery, Kevin has worked harder and has had more determination than anyone I know," said Jake Burton, Founder and CEO of Burton Snowboards. "His positive attitude and sense of humor through it all has inspired millions of people, including me personally in a big way. I couldn't be happier to be here with Kevin to get back on snow with him. It was a day I'll never forget."
In a pretty historic moment yesterday, Jake switched out his 'I Ride for Kevin' snowboard sticker (the grassroots campaign Burton created back in 2009 to show support for Kevin) with a new Burton sticker that says 'Ride with Kevin'. The new message pretty much says it all.
In honor of Kevin's amazing milestone, today on Wednesday, December 14th Burton will donate 10% of all proceeds from its sales on http://burton.com to traumatic brain injury research.
For a look back at Kevin's snowboard career and recovery process, check out his timeline at http://burton.com/kevinpearce and at his new website http://kevinpearce.com
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SurferHangout favorited a video
(1 month ago)
TEAHUPO'O, Taiarapu/French Polynesia (Saturday, August 27, 2011) -- The surf world has been waiting and now the wait is over; some of the biggest, ...
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TEAHUPO'O, Taiarapu/French Polynesia (Saturday, August 27, 2011) -- The surf world has been waiting and now the wait is over; some of the biggest, scariest waves seen at Tahiti's infamous Teahupo'o have been tackled today by an elite crew of tow-surf specialists.
Teahupo'o is the primary site of Event 5 on the 2011 ASP Men's World Tour, the Billabong Pro presented by Air Tahiti Nui, which is midway through its 12 day waiting period, yet the world's top rated surfers were denied the opportunity to compete in historic conditions after the French Government last night issued a 24 hour "Code Red" advisory warning that prevents water craft from legal operation.
But with the 'swell of the decade' hitting the dangerous Teahupo'o reef, nothing was going to stop the tow-in aficionados who tracked the swell and flew in from all corners of the globe to ride it. With four-to-five metre waves slamming onto Teahupo'o's dangerously shallow reef, surfing's elite put their lives on the line as they chased the ultimate thrill.
Among those in the line-up were fearless Australian chargers Dylan Longbottom (Forrester's, NSW), Laurie Towner (Yamba, NSW), Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW), Koby Abberton (Maroubra, NSW) and Dean Morrison (Gold Coast, Qld).
Visiting Hawaiian surfers included Bruce Irons (Kauai), Kamelai Alexander (Kauai) and Kalanai Chapman (Oahu).
While Frenchman Ben Sanchis (FRA) and Californian Nathan Fletcher (USA) also made the last minute trip to the South Pacific.
Injuries were inevitable. Local legend Raimana Van Bastolaer (PYF) was among the first to get hurt, he was slammed and dragged onto the reef, cutting his back despite wearing a wetsuit vest and life jacket.
Former world tour surfer Dean Morrison was forced to shore and received medical attention for an ankle injury.
Assuming the French Government lifts the "Code Red" ban, organisers of the Billabong Pro hope to resume competition with Round 3 heats tomorrow, Sunday August 28th.
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SurferHangout favorited a video
(6 months ago)
The US Open of Surfing is one of the greatest events in surfing. Catch all the action at usopenofsurfing.com and daily photos at orangecounty.com ...
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The US Open of Surfing is one of the greatest events in surfing. Catch all the action at usopenofsurfing.com and daily photos at orangecounty.com July 30th - Aug7th, 2011
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SurferHangout favorited a video
(6 months ago)
The US Open of Surfing is coming to Huntington Beach July 30th - August 7th.
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SurferHangout uploaded a new video
(11 months ago)
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