SPY WINS AT THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK U.S. OPEN


Spy Optic is pleased to congratulate Grant Langston on his overall win at the US Open in Las Vegas! We’d like to give HUGE props to Jake Weimer on his Saturday night win on a 250f!!

Once again, Spy Optic was the presenting eyewear sponsor of the U.S. Open, and was onsite presenting fans with the latest and greatest products available. Our tent also provided a place for Spy athletes to relax and chill out with the crew while signing autographs and giving interviews. Josh Grant was one of many Spy athletes to stop by the booth and hang out.

Grant Langston also just so happened to win the Outdoor National title a few weeks earlier at Glen Helen. Congrats Grant, we are stoked to have you onboard! For more Langston, US Open and Outdoors coverage, visit motocross.com

WADE GOODALL WINS BILLABONG PHILIPPINES CLOUD 9 INVITATIONAL SURF CONTEST


Wade had only one week to relax between shooting for the Spy ’08 ad campaign in Europe and the Cloud 9 contest in the Philippines. Squeezing in a big bash at his house in Sunshine State, Australia, to celebrate his 21st birthday, he dusted off the surfboards and headed off to the Philippines.

Wade kept the good birthday vibes coming all week, defeating 48 of the world’s best tube riding specialists to win the coveted Billabong Cloud Nine Invitational in absolutely perfect 1.5-2m tubing waves located on the island of Siargao.

The tournament decider against close friend Vasicek was a one-sided affair in the end. Scoring a near perfect 9.10 on his opening ride before following up moments later with yet another long draining tube ride which was rewarded with an 8.30, the newly turned 21-year-old led from go to whoa in the 30-minute final.

“It was an amazing day, what more could I ask for,” said Goodall. “I turned 21 on the barge on the way over and the last three days have just been full of perfect barrel rides. None of my heats were easy the whole way through the draw. I guess I was just so happy to be getting tubed that I found a way through every heat.”

Goodall’s birthday treat earned him the accolade of 2007 Billabong Cloud Nine Invitational champion and a $7,500 pay day. Event beer sponsor San Miguel even donated 20 cases of beer to ensure he celebrated his birthday milestone in true form.

For more information: http://www.billabong.com.au

LEVEL 1’s “REALTIME” PREMIERES!

Level 1 has unleashed its latest film, “REALTIME,” upon the world. After a successful world premiere a few weeks back in Boulder, “REALTIME” continues to tour the globe, starring Spy athletes Corey Vanular, Liam Downey, Stefan Thomas,Travis Redd and many more, capturing a chronological portrayal of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the ‘06-07 exactly as it happened. In a winter quite unlike any other to date, Level 1 throws down a fresh new format with their trademark style, and nothing short of the best cinematography in action sports filmmaking.

Level 1’s “REAL TIME” is now available. Order your copy herenow!


TWITCH WINS 2007 LG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS of FMX


On September 29th, in Pomona, California, Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg defeated not only a solid field of contenders, but a broken ankle in the three-way final round to claim the gold medal and $30,000 at the 2007 LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross.

The championships were contested in a head-to-head, three-round format. The best FMXers in the world were seeded one through twelve, based on their performance in a preliminary round held earlier that afternoon to compete for the top prize.

In the first round, all six of the higher seeded riders won their heats, setting the stage for highly-competitive second round pairings. Stenberg advanced against recent X Games medalist Adam Jones to land in the finals. Overcoming his broken ankle suffered the prior week at the AST Dew Tour stop in Salt Lake City, Twitch landed Indian and Candy Bar flips against finalist Mat Rebeaud to take home the gold. Congrats!

Check out Twitch’s cool spotlight interview with motocross.com


SPY SURF TEAM WRAPS UP FRANCE PHOTO SHOOT


For three weeks in September, the Spy surf team posted up in the south of France to gather photos and video for next year. The team’s house was located in the small Basque region of Acotz which is just outside of St. Jean de Luz near the Spain-France border. The house was incredible—built in the late 1700's, it was situated on a cliff overlooking the ocean, but the whole crew swore that it was haunted. Doors mysteriously opened and closed--some people even woke up in the middle of the night to sounds of steps around their bed and all about the house!

While the house was full of stories, the waves did not provide the same excitement. Going on a three month flat spell for Europe, anything in the mid thigh to waist high range was considered decent! So much for epic action shots. Time to party European style! Ben Bourgeois, Clay Marzo, Cory Arrambide, Erica Hosseini, Nathan Carroll, Wade Goodall and the rest of the crew took the down time to go wild. As the saying goes "When in France..." well, maybe it's really “Rome” but that became our catch phrase for this trip. Some good times went on, but our lips are sealed against the scandalous details...sorry!

In last days everyone was getting grumpy from long hours of lifestyle shooting, homesickness, creepy mansions, language differences, etc....Then, we finally got surf! With two days left on the trip and the World Championship Tour rolling into town, suddenly there were ten-to fifteen-foot faced waves in Hossegor. It was Hawaiian-style power breaking right on the shore.


With Dean Morrison in town, we found waves in Caberton just 20 minutes down the road from Hossegor. Now this was what France was all about—only minus the topless girls on the beach. There were eight-to ten-foot faced waves breaking everywhere, with clean peaks with minimal crowds. The crew was out there faster than a blink of an eye—we surfed four hours before finally getting out. Those feelings of being burnt out and annoyed melted away, peeling away the layers of frustration before we got to enjoy fourteen hours of airtime traveling home. It was definitely a teaser of France's potential; just enough to get us back there again!

Check out the video blog of the trip here and here at TransWorldSurf.com

TRADESHOW WRAP UP


September was a busy month for Spy Optic, as we hit tradeshows coast-to-coast.

At ASR in San Diego, we showcased our upcoming Spring ’08 styles to a packed booth. We also just happened to throw the hottest party in town along with our friends at DC Shoes and Sun Diego. The line snaked around the corner at 4th & B where the crowds clamored to get a piece of Mickey Avalon.


The following week at Surf Expo, in Orlando, Florida Spy treated a few of its key retailers to a night-time surf sesh at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Retail attendees included Sweetwater, WRV, Parrot Surf, Ocean Magic, IWS, BC Surf & Sport, Maui Nix, Waterboys and Red Dog. Thanks to the crew for coming out to surf and hang with Spy!

See you in January!



PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
Coming soon!

The all-new LOGAN fits like a glove and follows you into the mix. This is your sneak peek at the piece that will be on heads everywhere in a few short months. The new Logan is poised to steal the title for coolest shades that won’t break your bank. Look for the Logan in your favorite shop soon!

ATHLETE OF THE MONTH!

CLAY MARZO
This 18-year-old phenom from Lahaina, Maui continues his successful run. Clay holds a handful of NSSA National Championships titles, one of them as the only surfer to have a perfect finals heat score of two “10's.” Also under his young belt, Clay has two impressive years of starring roles in Quiksilver's “Young Guns” DVDs. Clay gained respect from his peers and within the surfing community as one of the most innovative and explosive surfers of his generation. Clay only has one more thing to accomplish as a junior in the surfing world—the prestigious Junior Pro World Championship title. This invite-only contest gathers the top Jr Pro's in the world, and at the end of a week long contest, a king is crowned. More often than not these champions continue on to become the best surfers of their time. Clay has three tries to get this title and January 2008 will be his first. If his past is any indication of what is to come, Clay will absolutely be a top contender for that crown.

SHOP OF THE MONTH




November shop of the month is XLR8. With multiple locations in central Florida, they carry a wide variety of Spy’s Optic’s premium eyewear. As of early November, the independently-owned XLR8 stores will have Spy’s new Spring ’08 styles in stock! Chris Turck from XLR8 says, “What do I have to say about selling Spy in our seven central Florida locations? The quality product and high level of service make it a no brainer!” Spy is the number-one-selling eyewear brand in all the stores. Later this month, store #7 will have its grand opening in Daytona Beach. Be sure to check out their locations in Orlando, Ocala, Altamonte Springs, Sanford and Viera.
Visit www.ridexlr8.com for more info.

COLLECTION of the MONTH!

SPRING ’08 SNEAK PEEK!
Spy’s brand new shades are sure to turn some heads this spring. The Blok is bold with unique lens angles, the Eliza has a plush luxury fit for a celebutante, and the Paycheck keeps your money in the bank and your eyes on the prize. Soon to be landing in a store near you!


SPY BUZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

SURF BUZZ... Mitch Coleborn has claimed the Australasian Pro Junior Series Title. There is still one event remaining (Bells Beach) but Mitch is so far ahead on points now that no one can overtake him. A huge achievement for the Aussie lad....Also along on the France photoshoot, Alana Blanchard made good use of her time in Europe. A week before the Spy shoot, she won the Jr Pro Rip Curl Girls Festival event in Liencres, Spain, and scored a wild card slot on the women's World Championship Tour event later that week. The sixteen-year-old Hawaiian kicked some butt in the process, beating #3 rated Chelsea Hedges, twice knocking her out of the contest. Eventually Alana was eliminated in the quarter finals against Peruvian powerhouse Sofia Mulanovich who ended up winning the contest. Overall, an impressive result in the big leagues for Alana! Congrats girl!....Nathan Carroll, also on-site with the rest of the crew in France, placed fourth in a 3-star World Qualifying Series Zarautz Pro Surf contest in Zarautz, Spain…check out Newport surf sensation Erica Hosseini and her profile on Surfline... MOTO BUZZ… Jeremy McGrath just finished up his final CORR race out in Primm, Nevada last weekend and is off to Bercy, France for the Bercy SX….Twitch stepped off the plane from Orlando and grabbed second in FMX with a sixth place finish overall at the Dew Tour, and is now prepping for the last stop of the 2007 LG Action Sports Championships on November 9-11th in Dallas….Factory Yamaha riderGrant Langston won the Outdoor national title in a points battle that came down to the final moto at Glen Helen Raceway. He also padded his pockets winning the Las Vegas US Open of Supercross finishing second the first night and fifth on Saturday night, ending up 1st overall and collecting $100,000 in the process….Rookie sensationTrey Canard turned heads as he competed in the last four nationals of the season placing 18th in the overall point standings. He is now gearing up for the Supercross Lites East Championship next year…both Andrew Short andKevin Windham finished out their Motocross season inside the top five in overall standings. After taking a week off, Shorty has moved back to California to test for Supercross and the Bercy Supercross in November...Josh Grant is coming off a nasty concussion during the first moto at Glen Helen and will be ready to show his Supercross skills at Anaheim 1. He finished the Motocross season in third… WAKE BUZZ... On September 13th,Shane Bonifay kept it all in the family, winning the Parks Bonifay Red Bull Double or Nothing contest. The worlds most sought after double up event of the year, took place in Lake Alfred, Florida, where the world’s twenty biggest names in professional wakeboarding competed over a $10,000 pot for biggest air and best trick. Shane Bonifay took home best trick with a TS BS 720. An honorable mention goes toDanny Harf who was trying nose grab 1080’s and even 1260’s….Danny also just came back from Cancun, Mexico where he competed in a “skins” format and took second in the men’s division at the 2007 Tigé Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships….Spy’sJimmy La Riche took 3rd in the junior men’s division…SNOW BUZZ... The recent flurry of snowboard video premieres is a tell-tale sign that the snow season is just around the corner... Marc Frank Montoya and Erik Christensen both have head-turning parts in Absinthe’s video, 'Optimistic,' while DCPand Darrell Mathes hold it down in Mack Dawg's newest creation, 'Picture This,' while young gun Meghann O'Brienhas her first breakthrough full length part in the all-female snowboard flick 'Float'... speaking of the ladies, MissPriscilla Levac is back at 100% after two seasons in a row thwarted by injuries. Priscilla was chomping at the bit this summer, and did some riding at COC and Hood and said "I just can't wait for next season; I just can't wait to get out, have fun, and show everyone what I am capable of!" A third place finish at the Australian Open Slopestyle a few weeks back is proof that 'Percy' is back and ready to ride... Louie Vito and Erik Christensen are both back after a few weeks in the southern hemisphere chasing the snow. You can see Erik in a teaser for the full length 'Billabong in New Zealand' video to be released soon onTransworld... Stevie Bell and Euro AM Kareem El Rafieboth make appearances in the Special Blend free Team Vid 'First Chair, Last Call,' available almost everywhere ... DCP andTodd Richards were both south of the equator searching for snow to shoot for upcoming sales catalogs for their respective clothing companies...Spy also welcomes Kiwi shredderAnthony Leffelaar to the AM team....With the Winter looming on the horizon, the snow team is getting antsy T-minus four weeks and counting... SKI BUZZ... With the onset of "spring" in the Southern Hemisphere, Stefan Thomas, Adam Delorme, JF Houle, and Charles Gagnier have wrapped up their summer training sessions and contest schedules and are back in North America watching the snow start to fall....Fall of course bring with it a fresh crop of movies and long-awaited issues of everyone's favorite ski mags. Spy's ski team holds it down in nearly all of the biggest and best flicks, including Level 1's"REALTIME" (Wiley Miller, Matt Philippi, Mike Clarke, Sean Decker, Rich Permin, Mike Hornbeck, Ahmet Dadali, Adam Delorme, Tom Wallisch, Corey Vanular, Liam Downey, Stefan Thomas, Travis Redd), Poorboyz's "Yeah Dude" (Charles Gagnier), Plehouse's "Save" (JF Houle, Charles Gagnier) and Rage Film's "Enjoy (Ahmet Dadali, Wiley Miller, Mike Hornbeck)"... Corey Vanular is wrapping up a lengthy ACL reconstruction rehab, and is stoked to pick up where he left off when the snow starts falling, "My knee is feeling really good," Corey said. "I'm not sure if I'll get right back into the contest thing, but I'm looking forward to filming, one step at a time!"... Everyone else is gearing up for the early winter contest season and hitting up their local hills for some training."... until next time--OUT!