Rip Curl Girls Tour
Stop No 4 of 10 on 2009 UK PST
Bournemouth UK
28 June 2009

Rip Curl Sponsor the biggest Women’s Event on the 2009

The Rip Curl Girls Tour will this year feature a series of Women’s surfing contests in England and Wales. Three of these events; Bournemouth, Croyde and St Ives will combine to make a two star event on the Women’s UK Pro Surf Tour, with £1,000 prize money available. The surfer who accumulates the most points over these three competitions will win the only two star women’s event on the UK Pro Surf tour

In addition to the Pro events each venue will host a Newbie event. If the girls have not competed in a surf contest before they will have the opportunity to compete for the first time against surfers with the same experience as themselves. The finalists of these events will be put in the draw against the top Pro Surfers in the UK along with winning prizes from Rip Curl and the other sponsors.

The first event will take place at Bournemouth 28th June, at the location of the UK’s first artificial reef. There will be many activities taking place throughout the day to entertain the competitors. World Champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia will be in attendance giving advice and supporting the development of the sport for Women.

The second stop on the Rip Curl Girls Tour will be Llanglennith on the Gower Peninsula, 23rd July. This event will not be part of the Pro Tour Series, due to the expected number of Newbie entries for the first timer’s competition. For the last 3 years over 200 female surfers have taken the opportunity to attend this event.

Stop three is at Croyde Beach, North Devon. Widely recognised as one of the best beach breaks in the country. It will give the best surfers a good opportunity to show their skills in quality surf.

The final stop is Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, situated below the Tate Gallery; Porthmeor is possibly one of the most popular beaches in Cornwall. In addition to the First time and Pro Event there will be a Women’s Longboard Event, the only Women’s Longboard event on the UK Pro Surf Tour. At this event we will crown the winner of the Rip Curl Girls Tour and give away £1,000 prize money.

• Bournemouth   28th June
  Llanglennith Wales  23rd July
  Croyde Devon   26th July
  St Ives Cornwall   28th 29th July

story via

Rip Curl International today announced the appointment of Olivier Cantet as its new Group Chief Executive Officer. The appointment will be effective from July 1, 2009.

Olivier has been with Rip Curl since 2003 in his current regional role of European CEO and he will continue to manage that business alongside his new group responsibilities. Olivier takes over as Group CEO from Francois Payot, who has held the group position since 2006.

Chairman of the Rip Curl Board of Directors, Ahmed Fahour today said “We thank Francois for his outstanding leadership of the past two years, for stabilising the Rip Curl Group and for preparing Olivier and the new generation of leaders to take the company to its next level of success.”

Francois will resume his former role as Founder Director on the Rip Curl Board alongside Brian Singer and Doug Warbrick.

In announcing Olivier’s additional responsibility as Group CEO, the Rip Curl Founder Directors said, “Olivier has been a great leader in Europe and he has grown our business there in an impressive manner. We are proud to have appointed an internal candidate who lives the Rip Curl values. Over the last six years this keen surfer and expert mountaineer has dedicated his passion to Rip Curl and all the brand stands for. We are extremely confident in him.”

On his appointment, Olivier said “I have so far enjoyed my time with Rip Curl which is a great Australian born company. Our international group is in solid shape after Francois Payot’s term and the executive team and I are focussed on growing the business globally. I look forward to continuing my personal search inside the ultimate surfing company and to continuing my work on the Board with Brian, Doug, Francois, and Ahmed in their ambitious plans for Rip Curl’s future.”

A MELBOURNE man has accused surfing giant Rip Curl of stealing his concept for the world’s first heated wetsuit.

The battery-powered wetsuit with a heated panel could be worth millions of export dollars.

Rob Vassallo, who heads family-owned company Jett Performance Products, is trading allegations with Rip Curl.

He said he designed the core technology for the surf specialist in 2006.

“Rip Curl shouldn’t be selling this wetsuit as their own. They’re taking credit for my ideas, ” he said.

Torquay-based Rip Curl, whose global wetsuit sales are said to have topped $30 million last year, denied Mr Vassallo’s allegations. It has sold 200 heated wetsuits since last year for $1500 each.

“We absolutely refute the idea that we have stolen anything from Rob Vassallo or Jett,” spokesman Gary Dunne said.

“If Vassallo believes he has a legitimate claim against us he should launch an action against us, because the only appropriate forum to resolve this issue . . . is with an independent arbitrator.”

Mr Vassallo said he was inspired to make the wetsuit after a jockey mate wanted to lose weight but not spend hours in a sauna. He wrapped him in an electric blanket and cling wrap and after six, 10-minute sessions he had lost 2kg.

Mr Vassallo said he spent 18 months designing a battery-powered heated vest and showed it to Rip Curl in 2005.

“They loved the technology and, after I provided mock-up samples, they sent prototypes to the US for feedback and finally, in 2006, they ordered 500 units,” he said.

Rip Curl unveiled the wetsuit last year as the H-bomb using a surfing video shot in Iceland.

Mr Vassallo said that a week later Rip Curl told him it had lost faith in Jett’s ability to make the wetsuit.

“We gave them the idea and they made up excuses because they wanted it all on their own,” Mr Vassallo said.

story via