November 1, 2006 at 8:17 pm | Spongercity DVD Reviews, Reviews News
TENSION 8 // Chris White
Tension 8 : “Crouching tension hidden camera”. The dvd is as nuts as its title : it’s awesome ! Once again Chris White came up with a great video. Probably not as good as Tension 7 because Tension 7 was very well edited and had a special ‘vacation’ mood which was really really nice. Tension 8 is action packed with great sessions, great riders and great locations.
The crew is pretty much the same : Virtue, Toby and Benny Player, Hardy, Rawlins, Whitey, Winny, Hughes, Jackson etc. You’re guaranteed to burst out laugh with the stupid ideas White and his mates have when they dont surf. The music is electro oriented this time with old school dance stuff and house shit. Like it or not, those crappy songs set a special mood in the video which you will enjoy (or get used to at least) very quickly. Only Tension videos have the right to use such crappy music in bbing dvds. Dont try to imitate this at home kids !
October 6, 2006 at 5:59 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
SPONGERCITY INTERVIEW with Tyge RICHARDSON – INTERVIEW done by Dave L. for Spongercity in Oct 2006 – Last Words
We decided to Interview a few australian Rookies (you’ll discover the next interviews during the next few weeks) on Spongercity with my good mate Dave and among them there was Tyge Richardson. I’m wondering what’s the definition of ‘Rookies’ now when you see Tyge charging more than most of the pros in the lastest magazines and videos. Remember that crazy wave Tyge caught on Oz East coast last April ? a good 15 to 20 footer, towed by Alex Leon. He charged a bomb and received the “beating of a lifetime” as you might have seen and read in Movement Mag issue 12. Althought Tyge seems to think that his parts in the latest videos where just ‘average’, i’m telling you they’re definitely not ! Tyge is a cool cat, really humble and talented and i bet you’ll see Mr Richardson more and more on the international boogie scene…
1. Last surf you had : punta colarado, 3 ft closeouts
2. Last mind-blowing barrel : about 2 weeks ago. Zigatella, Puerto. Backdoor on sand. Ask sam grey about it. Poor some more salt in the wound.
3. Last board you loved : a royal blue 4play. Shaped by jarrod Gibson. It was’nt even mine. Haha, my mate [bryce Thurston] gave up bodyboarding..so I started riding it. And fell in love. He took it back though. bastard.haha.
4. Last trip you went on : im on a trip in mexico as we speak
5. Last bodyboard movie you watched : I forget, been watching more standup movies. New mick fanning movie is good. Stand up movies tend to have more quality footage, more creative too. Like 16mm and stuff. Which is what I enjoy watching.
6. Last rider who blew your mind : slater. and scarlett hitting 8 ft sections at Puerto. Bang.
7. Last time you got dropped in on : few weeks ago, by a longboarder..haha it was dangerous. Cracker wave too. Spewin’.
8. Last time you were scared : bodysurfing colarado shories, paranoid about driving my neck into the sand.
9. Last thing you bought yourself : food last night
10. Last car you rode in : clives bullshit black 4WD truck.
11. Last time you got lucky : every morning I wake up, I feel I am lucky. But to answer the question directly, well lets just say the spa has been getting good use.
12. Last injury you had : popped shoulder month ago
13. Last song you loved : walking with the ghost, by tegan and sarah.
14. Last thing that made you cuss out loud : 10 footers on the head at Puerto. I’m sure The whole beach heard me roar.
15. Last punch you threw : 10 minutes ago, training. Incase a Mexican tries to steal my cash. golpearé su concha del asno con el pie.
16. Last time something changed your life : travelling has changed my life. For many reasons.
17. Last video part you were stoked on : none yet. Been pretty average I thought.
18. Last time you stand up surfed : 2 days ago. On my bodyboard. But on a fiberglass stick was a few months ago. Was with my dad at home one the south coast of NSW.
19. Last thing you broke : both my boards, here in mex.
20. Last time you took a picture : yesterday. Self portrait Of my tan, haha. Fag.
21. Last book you read : angles and demons. Dan browns work. The best.
22. Last website you visited : myspace.com
23. Last magazine you read : tantra ‘how to last 10 hours’
24. Last time you lied : can’t remember…try not too.
25. Last girl you kissed : a german, named Cynthia wilson.
26. Last time you wished you were alone : surfing a wave at home. I would pay good money to be alone there…
27. Last time you wished all your mates were here : last night on the mescal. Would’ve been siik to have all the fellas here.
28. Last time you thought you were gonna die : walking off the beach after being with a groce Norwegian chick I fell down this old well in the ground. Then a dog attacked me wen I was climbing out. Like an unfortunate string of events. I thought I was in a dream.
29. Last time you felt inspired : after reading angels and demons
30. Last time you said « it’s the last time » : I don’t plan shit like that. If its gonna happen it will. No last time for anything, just the beginning of something new. If u didn’t like the way u did it the first time, Do it a different way.
Thanx a lot Tyge – Dave & TC at Spongercity.com
June 7, 2006 at 12:38 pm | Spongercity Boards Tests, Tests News
NMD WINNY – POLYPROCORE – Crescent Tail – One stringer – Size 42 – About 368 AUS. Dollars in Oz – 260 Euros in Europe
Dimensions : 42 x 12 x 21,5 @ 18 x 17 7/8
NMD boards are made by Mez and his team in Java with some of the best materials you can find, a hi-tech CNC machine and buzz laminator technology. The PP core and PE deck & rails are the perfect combo for a reactive and fast board in cool to warm water and smaller waves.
The shape of the Winny model is more prone oriented than dk oriented even if Dave Winchester seems to be riding his board pretty well in DK. I found the board weird when riding in DK but it wasnt too bad. Anyway, it’s a fast and easy to surf board for prone, it generates a lot of speed and carves well, and it’s also quite easy to spin and hit lips with that shape. I think i was slightly too light to use the board to it’s full potential. I recommend it for bigger guys. I’m 5′11″ (1,80m) but quite light. The length of the board is good if you’re 5′11″ but the board was slightly thicker than the board i usually use and i think it was floating too much for me. Heavier guys would’ve loved it though.
Definitly a good all terrain board for prone guys who still wanna drop the knee once in a while. Really solid construction and long-lasting board.
June 6, 2006 at 12:35 pm | Spongercity Boards Tests, Tests News
NMD PLAYER – POLYPROCORE – Crescent Tail – One Stringer – Size 41,5 – About 368 AUS. Dollars in Oz – 260 Euros in Europe
Dimensions : 41,5 x 11,75 x 21,25 @ 18 x 17 3/8
NMD boards are made by Mez and his team in Java with some of the best materials you can find, a hi-tech CNC machine and buzz lamainator technology. The PP core and PE deck & rails are the perfect combo for a reactive and fast board in cool to warm water and smaller waves.
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The shape of the Player was perfect for bigger waves and i enjoyed how easy it was to control the board in bigger waves. In smaller waves the board lacked of speed and i guess the shape was more oriented for bigger waves and hollow pits control. Easy to release the rails, easy to spin, easy to get used to it since it’s quite a basic shape. I even tried to DK with it and it wasnt too bad if you place your knee in the right place.
The board was slightly too small for me, i need a longer board to get more speed but i guess all guys under 5′10″ (1,77m) will love the board. Perfect thickness, super nice construction and long-lasting board.
June 5, 2006 at 12:32 pm | Spongercity Boards Tests, Tests News
PRIDE – BRENDON NEWTON Advantis Model – POLYPROCORE – Crescent Tail – One Stringer – Size 42
About [price not available] AUS. Dollars in Oz – 260 Euros in Europe
Dimensions (probably those) : 42 x 12 x 21,5 @ 17,5 x 17,75
PRIDE boards hail from France but are now are made by Mez and his team in Java with some of the best materials you can find, a hi-tech CNC machine and buzz lamainator technology. The PP core and PE deck & rails are the perfect combo for a reactive and fast board in cool to warm water and smaller waves.
The shape of the Newton was really fun to surf, i mostly surfed small waves with it and i loved the speed and control that this board offered. It’s an easy board to surf and it carves easily. Not too bad for DK either even though it’s not really “its thing”. The few bigger waves i surfed with the board were really choppy and i found the board less easy to drive in bigger waves than smaller waves. If you’re a bigger and heavier rider than me then you’ll probably dig this board for bigger waves as well. Right now i use this board in small waves for prone and it’s awesome.
Perfect thickness, nice construction and long-lasting weapon. The Brendo got him self a nice stock board from Pride.
May 1, 2006 at 5:41 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
SPONGERCITY INTERVIEW Dave”WINNY”WINCHESTER – INTERVIEW done in May 2006 – Last Words
Dave Winchester has been rippin’ for years now, getting insane coverage in about every video and magazine coming out these days and it was high time we interviewed the phenomenon. Like his buddy Ben Player, Winny opted for the LAST WORD kind of interview, keeping the questions and the answers more fresh and spontaneous. So here we go, here’s what’s going on in Winny’s life on May 06 :
1. Last surf you had : At the box 2 days ago, about 4 foot
2. Last mind-blowing barrel : North point 3 days ago, got one good one.
3. Last board you loved : The board im on now, still loving him.
4. Last trip you went on : To west aus yesterday
5. Last bodyboard movie : You watched 
ennis
6. Last rider who blew your mind : Rawlins
7. Last time you got dropped in on : 3 days ago at north
8. Last time you were scared : Last night when simon ormerod told me a ghost story
9. Last thing you bought yourself : A boat
10. Last car you rode in : My little hyundai excel
11. Last time you got lucky : Not betting on the mundine/green fight, i was all for green but mundine won
12. Last injury you had : A hangover
13. Last song you loved : Nasty girl by biggy
14. Last thing that made you cuss out loud : My boat motor not starting
15. Last punch you threw : At guy trying to hook up with my girlfriend
16. Last time something changed your life : Hawaii
17. Last video part you were stoked on : Tension 9
18. Last time you stand up surfed : A week ago
19. Last thing you broke : My toe
20. Last time you took a picture : Yesterday of a toy
21. Last book you read : David Beckham
22. Last website you visited : Qantas
23. Last magazine you read : Fishing world
24. Last time you lied : To Ben Player the other day about a girl’s name ha ha
25. Last girl you kissed : Girlfriend amiee
26. Last time you wished you were alone : This morning
27. Last time you wished all your mates were here : Everynight when enjoying a beer
28. Last time you thought you were gonna die : Hawaii
29. Last time you felt inspired : Everyday something new
30. Last time you said « it’s the last time » : 2 weeks ends ago, massive night drinking…
Thanx a lot Winny – TC at Spongercity.com
February 17, 2006 at 3:46 pm | Spongercity Music Reviews, Reviews News
MATCHBOOK ROMANCE – Voices
Style : Emo
Good new record, following another good record (in 2003) with melodic and creative Emo songs. I’m wondering if this record is not softer than the previous one, not sure though. MR are really developing their own style of Emo and all the songs are good on this record. Will definitely get ya amped before you go surf. Nice tunes for a video soundtrack i reckon.
January 30, 2006 at 3:43 pm | Spongercity Music Reviews, Reviews News
YELLOWCARD – Lights and Sounds
Style : Pop punk
I reckon Yellowcard went a little bit softer on this record. It’s good but less punchy than the previous one. This time I didn’t really find the little something that made the band a little different… Nice and melodic tunes though thru out this record. A few songs are really good.
January 10, 2006 at 5:49 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
Spongercity INTERVIEW with NICK”MEZ”MESRITZ
INTERVIEW done in January 2006 – 20 Questions with Nick Mesritz aka MEZ
Nick Mesritz has been shaping boards for more than 15 years and is now running one of the biggest bodyboard factory out there as well as his own label : NMD (Nick Mesritz Design). Nick is kind of a guru shaping-wise and a wise man business-wise. His experience in the boogiboard industry and his skills in the shaping room are great. This is the longest interview i’ve made so far, and it’s quite rare actually to get to interview Mez coz’ he is such a busy man. Mez took the time to answer my questions thoroughly and if you wanna know how a good board is shaped or what’s going on in the boogie industry today it right here :
1. Hey wassup Nick ? Where are you right now ? What are you up to ?
I just flew back to Indonesia tonight after a good Christmas holiday with my family in Australia. Back to work at the factory tomorrow.
2. First of all can you tell us how you ended up being one of the most famous shaper out there these days ? What’s your background ? How did you get into shaping ?
I guess a lot has to do with luck, plus heaps of hard work and long hours. I have been fortunate to work with legends like Mike Stewart, Ben Severson and Jack Lindholm and also modern day versions such as Ben Player, Dave Winchester and Andre Botha. These guys all know what works and Mike especially, has been great to bounce design and construction theories off. I got into shaping by working my way through several factories from my start in the Broady factory in New Zealand, to running Rheo in Aus, then working with Buzz and the Toobs team in Cali, back to Aus to set up Mez customs and Toobs Australia, Morey with Broady again in NZ and now I live between Indo and Aus. It’s all been an amazing trip and learning experience. All along the way I worked with the industries best shapers and the sports best riders, which has defined my ability and refined my skills. I don’t know about being famous, but now that I’m an old man, I guess enough people have heard my name to recognise who I am 
.
3. NMD has a solid reputation all around the globe and a solid team now but i guess it wasnt easy to built your own brand, what does it take to build one’s board brand and make things happen ? As the history of our sport shows it’s not just marketing and team riders that make a good brand even when the products are good…
I had been making other peoples brands for long enough and I always wanted my own label, so NMD was a natural progression. By knowing the history of most of the bigger companies, I could see what I needed to do to hopefully succeed and what I needed to be careful to avoid. Basically learning from other peoples mistakes and triumphs. I think I also have a distinct advantage in that I am still involved, and oversee, the day to day production of my boards. There is so much that goes into keeping the brand fresh, its not just materials and designs, but the graphic aesthetics of the branding and packaging is very important. Then you’ve got marketing through team riders and magazine exposure. It’s full on, but also fun.
4. What does it take to be a good shaper ? You learned all the basics with Buzz from Toobs. What did he teach you ? Toobs pretty much set the standards of todays shaping – all good shapers learned with Toobs or 4play pretty much but very few people know it. What makes your shaping method one of the most effective design-wise and quality-wise ?
Buzz Morasca is the one who showed me how to actually custom shape a bodyboard, designed most of the machines and laminators I use and taught me all about materials and their interactions with other materials during both fabrication and actual surfing. He’s a bloody genius! Both Brian Peterson and I worked for Buzz in the early 90’s and from there went on to spread the love. Brian headed production for EBW making the initial Science boards, then started Vortex. I went back to Australia and started up Mez Boards, which included my custom business and stock Toobs and Quik production. I had a falling out with my partners and I left to head design at Morey. Both Todd (Quigley) and Jarrod (Gibson) were working with me before the 4Play brand was launched, with Todd learning the Buzz method directly from me and in turn, teaching Jarrod. in reality, 4play is simply a brand and now that its owned by Manta, it no longer has any physical connection with Buzz methodology or his manufacturing techniques. As for the actual shaping method and its effectiveness; the cutting process is quite simple, and can be repeated time after time to produce accurate templates. Its the lamination that’s the real skill. With Buzz’s laminators, you can calibrate the rockers during both slick and deck applications, which allows you to build tension into the board. One of the reasons why a flat board works best, is because it has optimum balance between the deck skin and the slick skin. When you laminate a board, you apply the slick skin first and the combination of heat and pressure causes the core to form negative or reverse rocker. The same thing happens when you laminate the deck skin, this time causing positive rocker. When they are balanced, the final board rocker is almost flat and the positive deck rocker is equal to that of the negative slick skin rocker. The net effect of this is that the board has built in tension caused by the opposing forces of the deck and slick skin. This gives the board awesome recoil and projection properties. There are a few other things, but those are trade secrets. As for board quality, I believe that simply comes down to materials and machinery, and I use the best I can at all times.
5. Do you still surf as much as you want to ?
I have a young family in Australia and Indonesia is not the safest place at the moment, so I travel backwards and forwards between Indo and Aussie. Also, the factory I run in Indo has been growing like crazy over the last 4 years and the more work we do, the less surf time I get. As a result, I only got in the water 6 times last year. I hope to surf a lot more in 2006 !
6. Do you test a lot of things in the water or do you leave the test thing to the team riders ?
I mainly leave this to Ben and Winny, but sometimes its hard to get them to try the stranger designs. I also use the groms on the NMD team to try new ideas, as they tend to have an unbiased opinion on things..
7. What’s your board right now ? (precise dimensions / materials – stringers or not – PP or PE etc…) Are you picky for your own boards ? have you got any little things you like specifically ?
I’m a big guy (186cm and 105kg) so I need a thicker board for my weight. My current board is Nose : 12.75″ – Width: 22″ – DFN: 19″ – Tail: 18.75″ – Length: 43″ – 51mm PP Core, Surlyn Slick, Sealed Air Deck and Rails, Bat Tail,12″ long x 3.25″ wide Graduated Channels, Nose Bulbs, Double Stringer, Concave, IXLPE Nose and Tail Bumpers. It’s finishes out at @ 58mm thick, which works well for me. I like simple shapes, so there’s nothing too tricky going on. I am trying out a concave hull, Ben’s been riding them for the 1.5 years and Kingy swears by them. Though I haven’t had any really good surf to test it out in yet.
8. Ben Player who rides for NMD just won the ultimate title, he’s the world champ,that’s awesome. Did you throw a party with Benny ? How’s that, a world champ in your team ?
Yeah, I’m so stoked for Ben. It’s been awesome watching him grow. I was there when he went for his first photo shoot for Quik back when he was @ 14, and we lived in the same house during his 1st Hawaiian winter in 95/ 96. Since then we have both worked with Quiksilver, then Morey and finally he joined Crawley and I on NMD. During those 10 years we have both learnt so much working as a team and to see him take out the big one is just awesome ! We have a party planned for when he gets back to Aus and I am flying back to join in the fun, it’s going to be huge!
9. How do you come up with a Rider’s pro model ? Let’s say i’m Ben Player or Winny, i want a board and i have specific ideas on what i want – dimensions etc… What are the different steps to chose my model ? Do you refine little things until i find the board perfect ?
Ben and Winny ride boards that are quite similar. You will notice that most of the top Aussie pros, like Ben, Winny, Hardy and Rawlins all ride Sealed Air Deck, Surlyn Slick, Dow core, Crescent Tail, Channels and a Stringer. They all have subtle differences with their board dimensions, but the construction is virtually the same, which tells you that this material combo works well for all 4 of them. That doesn’t mean its going to work well for the average rider. These guys are mostly riding waves with real power, so they aren’t looking to generate speed as much as controlling it. The Dow combo allows them to do just that. When we make a pro model, we have to take into consideration that the boards need to work well in all conditions, not just 10 foot Pipe. Once we know what works, lets say for Winny, then we take a look at his actual board and see if it’s going to work for the masses. Sometimes it will, other times it wont. You have to remember too, that Winny has a number of different boards for various conditions. So, we take his most versatile template that works best in most waves and modify it so that it will work well for the average rider straight off the store shelf, but keeping it true to Winny’s actual board so that he could also ride it if he has to. It’s usually bullshit when companies say “this stock board is exactly the same as what our Pro Rider rides”.
10. Do the pros you work with know what they want or do you propose things ? also do the pros often change things on their boards and try new things or do they stick with what they like ?
Most know what they want, the Aussie’s have been getting customs from either myself, Todd or Jarrod for most of their carrers so they know what works for them. I do propose various features for them, or suggest dimensions if I feel they are getting to radical with their specs. I like to push them to try different things, otherwise we would never get progression. We both learn from each other and slight adjustments from year to year usually add up to big changes when you look back at what you were shaping, say 3 years ago.
11. Who’s the most picky team rider ? the most annoying one ?
Ben and Winny are pretty picky, but that’s not a bad thing. They know what they want and what they need to help them perform. They certainly keep me on my toes. The mosty annoying one doesn’t ride for me anymore, so someone else has to deal with his shit – ha ha ha !
12. What’s the typical Mez day ?
6am – 8am: Wake up to the sound of prayers (Indo is the largest muslim nation on earth and they prey 5 times a day). Eat some nasi goreng and then have my driver, Pak Mujab, drive me and Dan to the factory.
8am – 10am: Quick check of the morning’s e-mails and then a briefing on the previous day’s production with my production supervisors. Then a rundown of new orders, shipments due to go out and outstanding orders plus any pending issues that need my attention. Then its time to reply to the e-mails.
10am – 12pm: Walk the factory floor, checking production quality etc. More e-mails and check material stock control.
12pm – 1pm: Lunch, more rice and unidentified meat substance.
1pm – 4pm: If there’s team customs on order, then you’ll find me in the air conditioned shaping bay. It’s 30-33 degrees celcius everyday in Indo, so the AC is a must. Otherwise its more office work.
4pm – 5pm: E-mails yet again. Another walk of the factory floor. Check with production plan for the following day then it’s home for dinner, or off to a movie (cheap in Indo @ 2 Euros) or off to the gym. Most free nights are spent designing NMD artwork etc.
10pm – 6am: Lights out.
13. The reasons are probably obvious for a lot of people who work in the BBIng industry but maybe not for the average 15 year old sponger: why did you chose to build your factory in Indo ? What are the advantages & drawbacks ?
We could no longer compete with Asian made boards and were pretty much forced to move offshore. We chose Indonesia because the business was basically going bankrupt in New Zealand and Indo offered us the benifits that go with manufacturing in Asia (cheaper labour, rent and quicker, more cost effective shipping for our raw materials, which are mostly made in Asia). When you are making a board for X and someone moves offshore and offers virtually the same board for half of X, then you will loose your business to the cheaper competitor every time. It’s sad, but very true. Either you stay where you are and go broke or move offshore and put yourself in a position to feed your family.
14. It seems that a lot of companies nowadays decided to either move their factory abroad / have their boards built by someone else or regroup their production with another brand. Do you think it’s a ‘normal’ evolution in the Bbing industry because you need to stay competitive? What’s your opinion ?
As with question 15, its getting harder and harder to keep production in places like Australia and the USA. Once the first real bodyboard brand moved their prodcution to Asia, then the writing was on the wall for the rest of us. I wouldn’t say its normal, but it is definatley a worldwide trend and is not limited to just bodyboards. Clothing, shoes, wetsuits and accesories. These are all made in Asia and most of this production was moved there way before the boards. I’ve seen two major Australian brands stay loyal and try to carry on their production in Australia, both have gone bankrupt and are now owned by someone else who has moved their production to Taiwan to remain competative. It comes down to price, and no matter how good your boards are, if you are even a few dollars higher than your competitors then you’re going to find it had to sell your product. Small, local factories with a solid custom program are the only ones that have a real chance to survive in Australia and the USA. They can keep their overheads low, as they are generally soul operators and don’t need massive amounts of factory space.
15. You’re in a more confortable position maybe because now a lot of brands come to you and ask you to build their boards. You build a lot of boards for famous brands, i dont know if we can name them in the interview though (let me know). How does it feel ?
I can’t name all the brands, but I am privilleged to be building boards for most of the top names in the Industry. They all push us to build better boards each and every year, which means that the riders are getting the benifits. Most of these companies come up with fresh design ideas and that also pushes our production capabilities, which is a good thing. You never want to get stale. Progression is the key.
16. Do you have your own little habbits compared to what you learned with Toobs ? Do you use any computer programs etc. to help you build perfect boards now ?
I pretty much still use the basic techniques Buzz taught me back in 94. There are little things, like the way I shape the channels and concave’s, which I do my own way and the way I finish-roll the open seams, but the bulk of my shapping habbits are Buzz-Tech. As for computer programs, all the stock boards we manufacture are shaped by a custom made robot profile machine. Its one of a kind and people trip out when they see it. Part of my job is to transfer the handshaped Master Boards into computer code and enter that into the computer. It’s a time consuming process to build the codes, but once that’s done, the robot can reproduce any specific template at the push of a button.
17. Do you wish you had another job sometimes ? What would you be doing if you werent a shaper ?
I wish I could still be in Aus fulltime, but I love my job. I guess if I wasn’t a shaper I would be a chef. I love to cook and that’s what I was going to do before I started making boogies.
18. What’s the craziest board you’ve ever shaped ?
Probably a giant board for my brother’s best friend. He is the captain of the New Zealand Basketball team and plays pro ball in Europe. He’s over 2 meters tall and weighs @ 140kgs. The board was massive and super thick. Almost 70mm finished. I shaped it with all the latest performance features and it looked just like a regular board, only super sized. He actually surfed on it too, which would have been quite a thing to see.
19. Ever thought about shaping a surfboard ?
Been there, but it didn’t interest me at the time. I have been thinking about shaping a few more sometime soon. Just to keep the mind fresh and test the shaping skills.
20. Who are the next wave of Shapers ?
There’s Todd and Jarrod @ QCD who are killing it down in Australia. Tully @ Function and Eddy @ Unknown make some great boards. Dan Sivess is an up and coming shaper who worked with me In NZ and has been here in Indo for the past 4 years running the production with me. He’s shaping all the HB team boards and some of my NMD’s too. Definitely one to look out for in the future. I know Brian Peterson has a couple of protégés under his wing @ Vortex and I’ve seen a couple of nice Primo boards from France. Rossi rules it in South Africa and PMA is still going strong in Cali. I think the riders are in good hands for a while yet.
THANX A LOT MEZ – Theo – Spongercity.com
December 20, 2005 at 5:38 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
Spongercity.com – INTERVIEW with BRANDONFOSTER
INTERVIEW done on the 20th of Dec 2005 – 20 Questions with Brandon Foster
Brandon FOSTER has been travelling the world for a couple years now. We’ve seen him everywhere, from Icy barrels to tropical locations, the Old Dirty Brandon is living the dream. Well, almost, coz’ the ODB ain’t travelling in 1st class seats and ain’t staying at 4**** hotels either. From being an underground South Af’ ripper to getting worldwide coverage and his peers respect (4th place in the DK Riptide Peer poll) there’s a lot of commitment, talent and frequent flyer miles… Enjoy the ODB interview :
1. Hey wassup Brandon ?
MMMM Nothing much bru just chillin gettin amped to surf Waimea Shorey in the next few days.
2.Can you introduce yourself for those who dont know you ?
Well my name is Brandon ‘ODB’ Foster. I am originally from Durban, South Africa but i now live wherever my OWA board bag is. I have traveled all over the world surfing mainly remote areas of this wonderful world God has given us. I am a 98% dropknee rider who prefers bigger waves. I love life and Jesus Christ who allows me to live this wonderful life as a professional bodyboarder.
3. Where are you right now ? what have you been up to ?
Well as i said i am in the Second Nature house on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Just finishing up my year of travel. I have been down in Mexico filming for the new Second Nature Film. Then i was over in New York doing the tourist thing with David Hubbard and Chuck Guarino, while also competing in the Ricky Miller Contest in North Caroline.
4. You just got 4th in the Riptide peer poll, how’s that dude ? congrats’
Well thanks definitely one of the pinacle events in my bodyboarding career. It feels great that my peers think that of me and makes me real proud that all my hard work is paying of
5. You’ve been travelling a lot and it seems that you’ve become famous for that, where have you been so far ?
HAHAHAHA well that could take all day but let me just full you in on my year: Oahu, Maui, California, Baja Mexico, England, Iceland, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Rarotonga, Tahiti, Puerto Escondido, New York, North Caroline. Yeah its been a good year.
6. What was the best destination among all your trips ? The best wave you’ve surfed ?
Well outa everywhere i would say Iceland was top of my pops. Its got sick waves, incredible terrain and scenery, nicest people and some beautiful ladies ha. The best wave ever surfed would be a secret wedge in Australia.
7. You got a lot more coverage the last couple years and you’re now considered as one of the main guys on the knee. Was it hard to prove everyone you were as good as them if not better ? Did it come naturally, after a few trips and a lot of time spent in Hawaii ?
Well i never was really competing for the number one spot or any real spot among the top guys. Just kinda happened really. I just wanted to get as much coverage to try make it as a pro so that i could get paid to travel and see the world and as it happened along the way i managed to break into the top ranks of the world dropknee pool. So no complaints, i still cant believe a small fry from North Beach, Far Bowl, in South Africa could get paid to see the world and bodyboard some of the best waves God has given us.. I thank God every day for that.
8. You got really nice waves in ABC, how was that trip ? You just met the guys for the “Middle Earth” section of the video did you ? Tell us about the waves & the experience.
Well the idea was great i love guys who are thinkers and explore as this crew was. I have a lotta respect for Mickey Smith and we are good mates so i love traveling with him. The other riders, Brendo, Crashy and Dixon all rip too and pushed my DK to other levels. Love that. So yeah we scored sick waves and i will return to middle earth. If you can figure out where it is, go, its sweet.. one of my favourite trips ever. yeahhhhhhhhhhh A BLANK CANVAS
9. You surfed in Iceland too, did you ? I guess that was a cool experience as well.
As i was saying best ever bru, cold as hell but soooooooooo sick. I mean i loved it. I cant explain you will have to go to experience what its like to get shacked with huge glasiers in the background and pufins swimming round you. aaaaah i gotta go back. So much to do sooo little time. All i can say is get of your asses readers turn the computer off and get out there.
10. You live in SoCal. when you’re not on a plane or somewhere on the planet looking for waves but you’re from South Africa. You grew up in SA ? Where about ? Did you start surfing there ?
Well yeah i stay in california for part of the year but its only about 2 weeks at a time and about 2 months in total a year. Yeah i grew up in Durban, South Africa still live there 2 months of the year. Waves are sick there and its one of my favourite places to go hang out. I started surfing when i was about 0 my dad was a surfer so he got me on a board when i was not even 1 y.o. yet. I surfed from young but fell in love with bodyboarding and now i do it for a living… finished story ha.
11. Why did you choose to DK ?
As i was saying i used to surf so when i bodyboarded i loved doing dropknee cause i got the same feeling as surfing but i could still prone too thats what i loved about bodyboarding. I changed to almost full dropknee outta the challenge i feel dropknee brings to me i mean its sooooooooo hard to dropknee its nuts i love it, just getting up and bottom turning takes incredible timing and balance.
12. What kinda board do you ride ? dimensions ? Shape ? materials/stringers ?
Well i ride a custom x ODB/FOSTER model available at all good websites like actionbeach.com the dimensions are 43inch long, nose 9.25inch, 21.25inch wide point and the tail is 18.25inch its made of high density polypropylene core white lightning deck high density surlyn slick bottom v tail. Its a mainly dropknee shape with a little prone ability too. My boards are shaped by John Castro, a incredible shaper, i am soooo happy with him, thanks man.
13. Are you picky with your boards ? do you try different things or do you stick with the same board & shape all the time ?
I am very picky and i have a great shaper who has stuck with me over the years, John Castro of Custom X has helped me get the sickest board and i am sooooo happy.
14. What is Second Nature ?
It is a crew of dropknee guys, Matt Lackey, Mason Rose, David Hubbard, Luke Hall and me who joined up with Ralph Sanchez to make an all dropknee video on the riding, adventures and lives of the top dropkneers from around the world.
15. Favorite guy to watch surf ? Who’s got skills on the knee ?
Wow, i like a lotta people, stand outs are definatly Jeff Hubbard, Raffi Meyer, Roach, Lackey, Mason Rose, Luke Hall and David Hubbard.
16. Do you think anyone will be as good as Roach or Lyman anytime soon ?
Well on their days some of the boys like, lackey, Mason etc.. can rip just as hard but we will have to see those two seem to have been enigmas that came and have been hard to replace.. God gave them sooooo much talent.
17. Who inspires you ?
My Dad and Jesus Christ in life but in the water anyone who is having fun in the surf can get me amped to rip.
18. What are you projects for the future ?
Well i have my range of travel bags coming out from Nuisance called OWA (ODB WORLD ARSENAL) bags. Then we’re also working on the Second Nature Video at the same time doing the Road Warriors Tour in South Africa.. busy year.
19. There are 20 questions in the interview and the next one will be the one where i ask you if you wanna thank anyone etc. but this is question number 19 and it’s an open one. You’re gonna choose the question here. What would you like me to ask in this one?
Mmmmmmmmmmm ha. So Brandon can you give us something cool you just read ?
Sure man i have cool things : (Put your name where the dots are !)
Dear ………….I saw you walking and laughing with your friends today. So i painted you a beautiful sunset and created a cool breeze to bless the end of your day. As you lay in bed that night i used the moon to light your face only to see tears. Tears i wished you would allow me to dry. How i longed for you to call I raised the sun the next morning for you and protected you on your way. I shouted out to you through my crashing waves and pounding water falls and yet you still did not call. How i would love to tell you how much i love you and show you the plans i have for your life. As you walked with your friends again and i re painted the sunset you love so dear, my heart broke. But i will never turn from you or forget you. I will always be there for you. JESUS
20. Any thank you’s ? love you’s ? Fuck you’s ?
Well first off i would like to thank my sponsors who help me sooooooo much thank you so much : www.custom-x.com , www.actionbeach.com , www.nuisance.net , www.transformedclothing.com , www.xcelwetsuits.com .
Then i would like to thank Jesus Christ my saviour for giving me freedom from this worlds rule to live the life he created me to live.
THANX A LOT BRU – Spongercity.com
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