The deep pockets of Nike accelerated the integration process of their Nike 6.0 brand into the surfing industry. Their willingness to dig into those deep pockets means they’re probably going to be around a while.

16 yr. old Carissa Moore appears to be the latest of surfing’s bumper crop of young phenoms going with the brand that Jordan built. Evan Slater from Surfing wrote that “according to her longtime agent, Bryan Taylor, she’s agreed to terms on two major deals – one with Red Bull and the other with Nike 6.0….All said and done, the 16-year-old Punahou junior will likely be enjoying one of the most lucrative contacts in female pro surfing history (estimated to be in the range of three-quarters of a million dollars by one anonymous source).”

Nike 6.0 has already grabbed onto a solid number of up and coming rippers, such as Dusty Payne (recent winner Oakley Junior event in Bali), Koa Smith, and Nat Young (recent winner at O’Neill C.W.C.). They held nothing back and brought out all the stops (phone calls from Tiger, soccer kicks from Ronaldinho) in an unfruitful and well-publicized attempt to sign Jordy Smith last year. Their first ASP surf comp., the 6.0 Lowers Pro, went off smoothly in May and becomes a 6-star ‘QS event in ‘09. Now with the addition of Carissa to the women’s side of things, there are plenty of clear indications that Nike’s venture into the surf industry is one they are seriously committed to.

What does all of this mean? Nike wants in on the surf industry and is willing to freely drop the money to do it. By snagging onto as much of the junior talent as possible, as well as getting involved with the ASP tour circuit via the WQS, they are hoping to set themselves up for big things down the road. Will it work? It’s hard to say right now. While it’s cool to see surfing’s youngsters get financially rewarded in ways we’ve never before seen, the surf industry as a whole can be pretty fickle and it’s going to take more than star power and loads of cash to get the respect of surfers worldwide.

Whatever the outcome, Carissa Moore has to be seriously pumped on her huge new deal. She’s definitely quick to realize the magnitude of joining forces with a company that has all of the assets that Nike currently holds, even if they are unrelated to surfing, “It’s just an honor to be a part of such an incredible team. It’s very humbling when you look at the caliber of the athletes Nike sponsors.” Carissa Moore is now the newest one of those high caliber athletes and we all look for big things from her in the years to come.

It had been more than eight years since Hawaii’s 19 yr. old surfing prodigy Dusty Payne last won an event. Although he’s finished near the top many times over this span, most recently with his 3rd place finish at the Oakley Pro Junior Challenge this past May at Trestles, the highly-touted Payne has been unable to find his way to the top of the podium. That streak came to an abrupt end today as Dusty surfed like a seasoned pro on his way to a huge victory at the Oakley Pro Junior Challenge in Bali. “I haven’t won an event in so many years,” said Payne. “It’s the best feeling in the world. That’s why I still compete.”

Keramas was firing near 6-8 ft. surf for the final, and the chance to surf the flawless right was as equally rewarding for Payne as the $20,000 prize Payne will be taking back to Maui. “It’s the best contest I’ve ever surfed in,” said Payne,”It’s been my dream to surf a contest at Keramas. The waves were just so good, I’m so stoked with how it turned out.”

Almost as stoked with the results of the event was runner-up Marc Lacamore from France. Lacamore, a goofy-footer from Hossegor, jumped out to an early lead in the final but was unable to withstand Dusty’s methodical shredding at Keramas. Although he won’t be going home with the win, Lacamore was all smiles after the event and received $7,500 from Oakley for his efforts. “I’m really happy right now,” said Lacamore. “Although I didn’t win I still posted a really good result against the world’s best juniors. Dusty has been surfing amazingly all week, so to go up against him in the final was incredible.”
All of the boys put on quite a show in Bali and our hats are off to every one of them. Congratulations to Hawaii’s Dusty Payne on his impressive victory at the Oakley Pro Junior Challenge in Bali!

If you’ve yet to see just why it is Dusty Payne is turning heads with every wave he takes off on, take a look at this dirty little diddy from the Surfline Rising Stars series. The Nike 6.0/Volcom/Body Glove ripper is pure fire when he surfs!

Put your hands together and help us welcome Elena Hight to the Nike 6.0 Crew.

“Elena is a great addition to our team. Nike 6.0 has always been about the youth and capturing the energy and enthusiasm of this culture on and off the snow. Elena can ride it all, but is best known for her explosive halfpipe runs. Despite her age, Elena has the confidence, focus, and talent of a seasoned pro. She is pushing women’s snowboarding to a new level, and has the kind of style that earns her the respect and recognition of snowboarders young and old.” –Barrett Christy, Snowboard Mentor

High amplitude and high style pipe runs mark Elena Height’s take on snowboarding. Elena’s aggressive yet refined style and consistent bag of tricks have brought her to contests around the globe— earning her a worldly perspective past her years, and a spot at the forefront of the next generation of women riders, pushing the sport, further, faster and higher. Welcome to the crew Elena.

Elena joins Nike 6.0 snowboarders Mason Aguirre, Broc Waring, Matt Ladley, Ellery Hollingsworth, Trevor Jacob, Bryn Valaika, Ben Watts, and Ross Baker.

Nike 6.0 and punk stalwarts, Alkaline Trio, joined forces to translate the energy of action sports and punk rock into a pair of collaborative kicks. The Heart and Sole Air Zoom Cush and a limited run of messenger bags will be released June 27th exclusively at Jacks Retail Shop in Huntington Beach. Alkaline Trio recently kicked off their summer tour, supporting their new album Agony and Irony and the release of the shoe. The Heart and Sole Air Zoom Cush will be available at select retailers nationwide on July 11th.

“The collaboration between Nike 6.0 and Alkaline Trio was a natural fit. Punk rock’s independent spirit is a common thread with action sports, and the band member’s live the lifestyle we support.” said Tim Reede, Nike 6.0 Product Line Manager. “We were able to create unique materials and details that reflect the band’s history, resulting in a collaboration that truly tells a story.”

“We chose red and black as the main colors to reflect our Chicago roots and pay homage to the Bulls. We are huge fans,” said Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio. “I’m also into sneakers, so seeing the swoosh and our logo on one product is unbelievable. The shoe looks amazing and provides some insight into who we are.”

Custom design elements include reflective details and bike-tread inspired graphics, correlating to the band’s formative years in Chicago where the members met while working as bike messengers. Distressed materials translate the punk ethos, and the Alkaline Trio logo is featured on the heel cup. The Heart and Sole Cush is constructed of all synthetics, supporting select band members who are vegetarian.

(more…)

We all know Nike is already present in the Skateboard industry with its SB and 6.0 lines. But, is there yet to be another addition to their skate influenced shoe invasion? By the looks of things, it seems there truly will be. Jordan skateboarding shoes are the newest addition to their onslaught of various sub-brands. The first shoe they will be releasing will be called the “flipside”. Rumors of them working with professional skateboarder Stevie Williams are said to be proven correct. Will he be the first team rider?

Jordans have always been pricey shoes to begin with, so it makes me wonder what these kicks will sell for on the market. Personally, I don’t really feel there’s a need for so many skateboard sub-brands on Nike’s behalf. If they are going to make Nike skateboarding shoes, then they should just keep it under one name. One more point that I feel would be worth bringing up, is the fact that the Jordan logo is still the same - the all-familiar icon of Michael Jordan going for a massive basketball dunk. It almost feels wrong to see someone skateboarding in this shoe. I will remember Michael Jordan for what he was, a legendary Basketball player. Definitely not a former skateboarder or anything even close related to that.

The conditions and performances held on the final day of competition for the 6.0 Lowers Pro proved to be almost perfect, highlighting an overall successful debut onto the WQS scene for Nike 6.0. ASP Top 45 member Ben Bourgeois took out a loaded group of finalists on his way to victory in surf that could be classified as ‘almost’ perfect Trestles. Fred Patacchia, Joel Centeio, and Pat Gudauskas all came to battle it out with Bourgeois in the final but none were able to overcome the consistency and power displayed by the Carlsbad, Ca. resident. After the event, Bourgeois let it be known how excited he was to be taking home this huge win - “I’m stoked, it’s always good to get a win, and all those guys in the final are good friends of mine. My last win was in England, and Lowers is always a great event.”

Formerly known as the Body Glove Surfbout, the 6.0 Lowers Pro will move from a 4 star event as it was this year to a 6 star event in 2009. This is huge, in that the results have a significant meaning to competitors trying to qualify for the WCT. There is currently only one other 6 star event in North America. Adding another and holding it at the famed break of Trestles is a big step in helping to bring back relevance to the ASP North American leg of the WQS. Nike 6.0 is undoubtedly thrilled to be a part of that.

Congratulations to Ben Bourgeois- The 2008 winner of the 6.0 Lowers Pro!

nike 6.0wqstrestles

Nike’s push into the action-sports industry took another large step with the recent announcement of the upcoming 6.0 Lowers Pro. It will be held at Trestles in San Clemente, Ca. for the first stop of the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series April 29 to May 3, 2008. The ASP and WQS event will initially launch as a 4 Star for 2008, and as part of a three-year deal, will upgrade to a 6 Star in 2009 and 2010.

Nike’s venture into the action-sports world has been fun to watch. They went pretty hard after Jordy Smith, only to lose him to O’neill. Their signing of Dusty Payne to their surf team was huge for them, and their continued progression in this direction will bring a lot of positives to the world of surfing.

While the money for sponsorship contracts continues to move northward, the prize money for tour events has been relatively stagnant over recent years. Having an ‘outsider’ company with the deep pockets of Nike throw their name onto the tour scene will put pressure on the big boys(i.e. Quiksilver, Rip Curl, Billabong, O’neill) of the action-sports industry to up the ante. Production value for the WCT events still leaves a lot to be desired as well. As Nike 6.0 continues in this direction and eventually makes a move for ‘CT events I look forward to seeing what they will bring to the table when it comes to putting on events, as well as their production of webcasts.

nike 6.0