Steph Gilmore and other action sports stars pose nude in this years Body Issue produced by ESPN.
“It’s daunting for female surfers to match the image of being a tan, fit beach girl in a bikini, so posing naked for these photos was liberating, and helped me stop stressing about my insecurities.” — Steph Gilmore
Hawaii will soon become the first state in the U.S. to call surfing an official high school sport.Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state education officials said Monday that riding the waves will join the likes of football, basketball, volleyball and swimming as a state-sanctioned prep sport in public schools, starting as early as spring 2013.
“It’s quite clear, when you think of Hawaii, you think of surfing,” Abercrombie said with a scenic backdrop of sunbathers and surfers along Waikiki beach behind him. The news conference was held near the statue of island icon Duke Kahanamoku, an Olympic gold medal swimmer known as the father of modern surfing.
“Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing. From Duke Kahanamoku to the thousands of residents and visitors who surf both recreationally and competitively, the sport is rooted in our culture and way of life,” the governor said.
The Aloha State is known for its world-class surf breaks and competitions. It is home to many pro surfers and has produced several world champions including Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, who this summer became the youngest world champion at 18.
The maverick, the pioneer, the legendary man behind the wetsuit and first surf shop, Jack O’Neill, celebrates 60 years of pioneering a revolutionary brand that changed the surf industry forever. O’Neill will be releasing a biographical coffee table book following the journey of the man whose passion drove him to create an innovative suit that allowed surfers to be the first in the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay and the last out.
The 256-page, hardcover book written by Drew Kampion and published by Chronicle Books will be released on oneilleshop.com and other selected retail shops starting October 1. “Jack O’Neill, It’s Always Summer on the Inside,” will retail for $40 USD with a portion of sales going to Jack’s own non-profit environmental education program, O’Neill Sea Odyssey.
In 1952, Jack O’Neill opened the doors to the world’s first surf shop offering wetsuits, surfboards, surf wax, travel bags, and more. Originally located in his garage, the successful O’Neill shop was relocated from his home, to San Francisco where the business began to boom, to finally Santa Cruz simply because according to Jack, “it had the best waves in California.” The O’Neill Surf Shop is still located at 41st Avenue in Santa Cruz, California.
