KellyMay 2005OK, haven't really got time to go into this in detail but from my point of view this is exactly what we need in our sport.
The brand will never grow if they are only going to target the bodyboarding community.
These guys won't forget where they came from, who supported them in the early days - well, at least lets give them the benefit of doubt before calling foul.
We've had a few labels arround which call themselves "whatever bodyboarding" and in my opinion they are not going anywhere fast - by tagging your label with bodyboarding you are effectively deciding not to market your label to the rest of the population. Not smart!
That's my views! I think No Friends is making a smart move and it is a good thing for our sport. Hopefully we will see them being able to pump more money back into bodyboarding.
And above all - DON'T ever make this into a bodyboarder vs surfer issue - we got ourselves into this position through not supporting the brands which do support our sport. I bet there are very few guys out there who do buy from the companies which are supporting us. We are only crying now because of the lack of money being put back but if we supported the right companies we wouldn't be in this situation. Simple!
So carry on supporting No Friends until such time as you see them withdrawing sponsorships/support for our sport and then re-address the issue.
May 2005
Well i agree and disagree at the same time...
I understand your point / view of trying to get more coverage sponsors by supporting surfing. BUT we arent that big a community yet for companies of that size sponsor to notice bodyboarder buying expensive products no? If you see the sponsors most of us look for are big sponsors which dont get me wrong is good. BUT whos going to be able to afford most there things from our comunity when there is no TV coverage. There is no physical way they can tell that the sponsor to Bodyboarding got there sales up 13% or whatever the case might be.
NF have built up a sterdy foundation and there should be no reason for them to leach up to surfers. Why not take that opertunity to brake through and accomplish something huge ! If worst comes to worst they fail at that and they are where they are now....
You hear and see brands like NF out there, but where realistically???Dont see it in the shops here and mainly what seems to be focused around the States. IF some kid wants a NF shirt for his birthday, where are the parents supposed to find one for him? I believe thats where one of the biggest lacks to that brand is. Why not sell a franchise here in the UK to spread it or send one of there team members out here to get it going????
Mark
May 2005
I think NF has a good plan,they milk the bigger industry (surfing) for money and put the money back into bodyboarding.As simple as that.
Have you ever seen a NF surfing DVD? No???? And I dont think you will ever.
$eRENITY
Forbes
May 2005
nofriends are doing exactly what it must take to survive... not to sound like a know it all but, do u guys think that billabong, quiksilver etc would have grown to be as big as they have if they only targeted hard core surfers? nope. They opened their company to a much wider demographic. skaters, snowboarders and biggest audience of all.. girls. all the money that they made out of bodyboarders who bought their clothes, they put back into surfing...
nofriends is in a way, just playing the surf industry at their own game, their roots is bodyboarding, this is just purely business. If they only sold their gear to bodyboarders they would be on a very small budget year after year. opening their company to a wider audience (music bands, skaters, motocross and yes surfers) they can get their foot through the door and start expanding, and all that money wont be going back into surfing!
SmTMay 2005No Friends are still and always will be a core bodyboarding brand!!!
Its just evolution, following the trends that dictate your brand! Can you honestly see the creators of NF (Roach, Ross, Skippy, Hubb) selling out Bodyboarding?
Why is it just surfers that you're irritated with? What about the Bands, snowboarders and MX Riders that NF support?
Useless rant out the way, i'll still support NF as long as I bodyboard!
Jared HoustonMay 2005puku
May 2005
ja well i must say thats quite a kiff plan. play the surf industries at their own game. no friends have always been top and now they gonna be even topper as long as they put the money back into bodyboarding. WOO HOO
TAMEGA
June 2005
I might be corrected to here so please do correct but i think it was Churchill who said to defeat your enemy is to know him! ( not that surfers are the enemy) think it would be good for the sport hey, in my eyes which may seem contraversial to most is, you gotta be in the water no matter what you doing, we always slay surfers but what about paddle skiers or windsurfers, sure they dont snake our waves as much as surfers do, i think im gonna spend a while debating this haha. i for one will never pick up a surfboard and hate it all together.
T
SmTJune 2005 Just to re-iterate the fact that NF are looking to move the brand forward here's a quote from Damian King, who started REJECTED CLOTHING, from there website:
"we're happy to expose the label to mainstream buyers as well as bodyboarders. Why not, we produce cool gear and of course we want everyone to wear it, that doesn't mean we're selling out on bodyboarders. Rejected will always have it's roots in bodyboarding and will continue to support and promote the sport. Catering to a larger market will simply ensure that Rejected continues to grow from strength to strength. It's a very competitive market out there and there is absolutely no advantage in painting yourself into a corner as so many small alternative labels do, only to vanish into obscurity after one or two seasons. That wouldn't be good for us or for bodyboarding."
I think that sums it up, like I said before, are the guys who started NF really going to sell us out? Kingy's sentiments I think would be pretty similar to those of NF!!!
June 2005
Yes definitely agree to milk the surfers and exploit to the unmost potential what we can..... but dont you ever wonder in the back of your mind that most people are doing it for the fame and image now days??? What happened to the old days when everyone knew everyone in the water and had a good time and stoked to see some chargers hitting there spot with them?Everytime i head back to SAfrica i find the standards are dropping and the image is growing big time...im seeing and know lots of contest been altered not because of who you know...not just me but seen this happen to loads of other riders... predict that theres going to be a long road before we clearly reach where we want to be and im sure most will agree... ahhh whatever actually im over it ! Too much debating and not enough action ! Here in the UK the sport is really taking off and its because theres no attitude in the sport and everyone is stoked over it!I was at the XT Bodyboarding event in London beginning of the year and was a sweet night as everyone was friendly and open and chatted to random people they didnt know... break that attitude beofre it breaks you! Thats where SAfrica need to change there attitude to start ...
SmTJune 2005 I know what you're saying, it seems as though SA is being hardest hit by whats been a global slump in Bodyboarding! Everybody just needs to get back to grass roots level and do it for the stoke!
It's almost as if there's nothing we can do???How do we get big companies to support us? How do we attract international companies to support us? It's like an uphill struggle but i've said it before, Bodyboarders will never take the easy way out! There will always be Bodyboarding and I bodyboard because I want to!
We need somebody thats going to unite the sport in this country, we can't compete against each other, it's futile!
Ummm, I don't even know what i'm saying??? I'm too tired to make sense?
June 2005
Agree with you SMT >
Good old days of being stoked about getting a good surf with your friends is gone.. now days is the surf is jut everyone skipps a sech and would rather do something else which can agree with sometimes or they go out there and lose it and take it out on each other...like where the guys lost it at the last pipe contest and lowered himself to the same level as the surfer and lost us the greatest event we used to look forward to! When there was the Coca-Cola 5A in durban it didnt have the best conditiions all the time but we had the backing from Coke and we let some random other guy who didnt know much about the sport run it and he messed up and Coke bailed out! So that was one of the first big blows!
I dont know why there isnt a bodyboarding comitee held once every few months around the country anf then AMGs for the country to get together and work on the current issues and how to take things forward. Also arrange more events for the bodyboards like movie nights similar to premiers - latest dvds, freebis, raffles etc to get everyone together. I still remeber when we had them behind the Barren Stander surf museum on the beach front...
Wayne Du Preeze (think thats how its spelt) Was really good at that stuff and organising it but had too much to cope with and no one would help out or pull finger so he had to stop cause he had a life to attend also and was too much for him to do everything...but no one wanted to help and that was a hard blow to the SA bodyboarding comunity! Im travelling around the world eploring waves etc, but the older school bodyboarders should be putting back into what they took out! But what do you hear of them no days??? Nothing as they have milked it and gone...so a big thanks to them also!
Watch out as the UK scene is going to be big and maybe SA should learn from it....
Later
SmTJune 2005 Okay, first thing I want to say is you're wrong with regards to what Kainoa did with that surfer!!!! Oros, who was on the North Shore that season, had a first hand account and from the beginning the guy refused to vacate the contest area after being asked several times by the water-patrol eventually becoming verbally abusive, then Kainoa decided to paddle out but he was warned by the Contest directors NOT to fight!!! In the Bonus section of NF Multiple Choice you can see how it escalates! The surfer throws the first punch and Kainoa actually takes about 5 more hits before he retaliates, would you have waited that long??? Then those guys on the beach that meet up with him aren't even Bodyboarders, the guy who ends up on the ground is Kala Alexander, main guy in the Wolf Pak and he's a stand-up surfer!!! So it's got NOTHING to do with bodyboarders versus surfers!!!
PLUS the stupid fool surfer paddled out again the next day, straight into the contest area????
Having been in Hawaii this season and staying abreast with news about the contest not being held at Pipe, I found out it was aparently because there's a certain number of days they close Pipe down for contests and unfortunately when it came to our contest all the days allowed had been taken, dunno who to blame for that???
Wayne Du Preez is still doing everything he possibly can for CKZN Bodyboarding but as you say it's hard when you're trying to juggle a full time career as well! I definately agree with your sentiments that the old school guys should be trying harder, but who knows???
I think Bodyboarding in South Africa is on the verge of huge changes, I mean we've got one of the only Specialised Big Wave Bodyboarding contests! Brandon Foster who, even though he lives in the states, still comes here and tries to get as much exposure for his home country as possible!
People are trying, it's just a matter of time!
tauriq
June 2005
Hi Guys, i know this isn't really on the topic but it sort of is.
Just wanna know where i can get hold of NF clothing here in CT. Which shops sell NF clothes and goodies. If anyone out there knows please let me know.
shot
Mark
June 2005
Surfwear house in belville
Justin H
June 2005
What about surfwarehouse in belville?
KellyJune 2005 Justin - this is page 2 of the topic. If you go back to page 1 then you will see that Tauriq asked where he could find No Friends gear in Cape Town.
Polypro Online Boardshop
July 2005
You can order worldwide from us. We have the most extensive outlet of NF gear anywhere. We ship anywhere in the US free and anywhere else in the world for a good rate.
NF is exposing bodyboarding to the general conversations with other sports. Pro Surfers do respect bodyboarders cause they see how far they have come. Shutting out bodyboarding is only gonna make it worse. Having all the sports in the general realm will show that bodyboarding is like any other extreme sport.
Steve
September 2007
it means that they will make more money and that then means that they will be able to put more money into bodyboarding which in turn is better for bodyboarding whitch in turn is better 4 all of us its a win win situation
Marthinus
September 2007
Hit the nail on the head Steave
Spy Dude
September 2007
Show respect to earn respect. Easy as that. Peter Lambert and Mr Moo are a living testoment to that mentality... trust me, its not easy getting "in" with the tow crowd in this town. Those okes are paving the way right now, not only going big on boogers and tow boards (note i dont call it a surf board cos it isnt), paying heavy dues in the impact zones, but also being humble and respectful of those stand up tow crews who have come before, even when shown disrepect and negativity... as is the case with cape town surfers, anyways they are always the First to arrive, last to leave. Ahoy boys.. respect.
That dude from the board shop hit the nail on the head... boogering at its best is an extreame sport... and at its worst, a recreational sport for kook vaalies in the summer... hahhaha... peace out!
lyle
September 2007
i always hear about "support those who support b/boarding". but to be honest, i never see b/boarding brands here in el. so i can only buy what is available to me. anyone have ideas of how to get these brands into areas such as el? or how to go about openning a b/boarding store? which retailers to contact, who to speak to etc... i think we are a hugely untapped market.
Len at ScienceSeptember 2007lyle, there are a guy in east london called Andy Austen. 0824540179 who sells Reef Clothing and he will order some Science clothing if you ask him. Reef sponsered SA bodyboarding for the second year, sponsors cape classic, the wedge, onrus classic and most of the top riders like Mark McCarthy, vaughn harris, daniel worsely and many more. Reef does a t-shirt, boardshort and walkshort range and will have a full hoody zip thru and hoody range for winter 2008.
http://www.factory7.co.za also does the reef tees and Science tees. new range of tees will be available as from October. you can alway contact me on
[email protected] is you need info on where to get our clothing.
just go with the lip, like this!!!
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