Meet the Contour Finalists! Find out what they did or "wrote" to get here.
Remember, all you have to do is go the ASN Facebook page, "Like" ASN, click the poll left hand button, and vote for your favorite entry. Who ever has the most votes on Sunday, July 3rd at 5pm EST will be our winner. Somebody is going to have a very Happy July 4th!!!
Lizabet Latvala supporting T Patterson Surf Shop, San Clemente CA
Sociologists claim that these days, most have a third place. A spot, if you like. Home, work, and somewhere else. Advertisers act like your best buddy and spend fortunes trying to wave a flag in your spot. But my spot is far removed from trendy suburbia. My spot is an oasis, a dreamy-like place, free and natural (aside from a nominal annual pass.) It is a place of belonging. Not socially, but personally, like a retreat where all is well. But there are others…
My spot is full of kooks and characters, who all seem to get along. Here, the up and coming, the old and has beens, and the new and clueless gracefully converge. You’ll see So Cal sun kissed surfer girls in ponytails and bikinis hanging 5 down the line, Velzy era hot-doggers proving themselves with perky cross-steps and soul-arches, parents inviting their little ones out for an impromptu tandem session, pre-pro shredders, and a SPF shiny Barney from the valley who’s too slippery to stay on his board. You may wonder: what’s the common denominator shared by this diverse group? The answer is a love of sunny glassy days, a hot pee in a cold wetsuit, playful peaks, dolphins in the water, salty postsurf nasal drip, and sandy tan lines- all part of the surfing experience.
At my spot, you’ll smell the tropical aroma of suntan oil and surfboard wax. You’ll feel the warmth of the sun and the crunchy sand beneath you. You’ll taste the salt on your lips and gaze through salt-fringed eyelashes at the horizon wishing for another well-traveled set to appear. Viewing the other patrons of this liquid church, you’ll be reminded to be nice, respect our differences, use your manners, and that the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun. As you step off the shore and paddle towards the horizon, the pesky worries of the day melt away. You’ll think "This is my spot. I’m so frickin’ lucky!"
Brandon Schweitzer supporting AFJ Race Shop, Cincinnati OH
The date was Aug 2005. I had a past of riding dirtbikes and was bored on a rainy day and went into the local powersports store to kill some time. Well as many of us do I could not help, but walk out of the store with my brand new motorcycle and a fresh helmet. I had never been on a streetbike before and as I pulled out of that lot my life was changed FOREVER!!! The addiction was very very powerful and one motorcycle did not seem like enough lol. So one night watching discovery channel they had a special on the TL1000S and it sounded like it was the bike to have so I began the search. Within 24hrs I had found one locally and went to the bank got a loan and headed to get my new bike. I had thought my first bike (V-strom 650) had changed my life, but this TL transformed me 1000 fold. I now was out riding wheelies with friends and just basically being a squid all over the public roads with one friend of mine. One day the father of one of our friends contacted us to meet up for a ride in the "twisties" and off we went.
Well I had not known, but twisties were my calling and I loved it more than anything I have ever experienced and now I was a junkie. After about a year of backroads I heard that there are tracks we could go ride on so I loaded the bike up in a truck and off I went to Putnam Park road course. I signed up for novice and quickly was bumped to intermediate and then by day 2 I was in Advanced. After my trip to the track I realized I would need more people to ride with and while at work one day while shoveling asphalt I decided to start a group here in Cinci called Assfault Junkies. Little did I know it was going to blow up over the years. We are now 2000 strong and have our own motorcycle shop. I am loving life and recording all of it with my Contour.
Chris Comstock supporting T Patterson Surf Shop, San Clemente CA
My favorite spot is on the nose of my Daddy’s board. I beg him to take me surfing with him. I have my own wetsuit, and my own floaty shirt. The low tide rocks cut my foot, so now I have booties, too. We have a flower board. Flowers are feminine, but my Dad calls the board a Beast. He says it’s huge. I think he means floaty and fast. Anyways, I crouch near the flowers and hang on tightly as we paddle out to the lineup. I LOL as we fly and crash and get airborne paddling over the whitewater. Then my Dad waits for the perfect wave, and we’re off! Pushing into the wave, I hop up. I love cruising down the line like a racecar speeding towards the finish line. I’m not that good yet. To help balance, sometimes I hold onto my Dad’s head. He doesn’t like it when I hold onto his hair. It’s unbelievable how fun it is to surf with my Dad. However, if I had a nifty Contour camera, everyone would believe me. Plus, when I’m a famous surfer, my fans will enjoy the Contour footage of me as a grom. Surf-rat, age 5
Andy Hallock supporting Outkast Sports, Vernon NJ
There is this place I love to be,
It just so happens it’s in Jersey.
I can ride all day just having fun,
But I dread upon the words ‘last run.’
If you don’t understand I’ll give you a hint,
I’ve left a couple times wearing a splint.
But I always go back because it is great,
You can do anything there–you can even skate.
Enough of the guessing I’ll tell you were to go,
So you can enjoy the nice perfect snow.
My favorite is place is Mountain Creek,
It’s in Vernon NJ. I’m there 7 days a week.
Me and that mountain have been through a lot,
Our good days and bad days and the times we fought.
And all the times I tried new things,
Like trying to fly without any wings.
When you are there you become so free,
There’s no boundaries or rules and no referee.
The people around are just like you,
There to have fun and do what they do.
From learning the basics to frontside spins
To backside rodeos and frozen skin.
And camping out for the first chair,
Just to show how much we care.
It’s not too hard if you’re trying to find me,
I told you already it’s in Jersey.
It’s like my home with my family and friends,
The only bad thing is when the season ends.
Travis Knapp-Prasek supporting FTC Skateshop, San Francisco CA
What’s my deal? I wake up, check the waves, skate a mile downhill to the beach with a board under my hand, dodging traffic, smashing through intersections, hitting the bumps in the sidewalk, and just blasting. Then I change underneath a rotting wooden staircase in my friend’s alleyway, stash my clothes, and trek off to good ole Ocean Beach here in San Francisco. From there it’s a barrage of pure awesomeness.
My favorite shop? Most definitely FTC Skate shop. I eat at my home cause it’s cheap and healthy to cook!
I make skate films, shoot photos, manage a skate team, shit, I just love being on a board.
Charlie Payne supporting Clairemont Surf & Skate, San Diego CA
I am the Manager at the Mission Valley YMCA Skate Park and I plan to use the camera to film our summer skate camp. We have 25 to 30 kids show up daily from the Y summer camp program to learn Skateboarding. We see it all, the kids who are amped, shy, afraid, over the top, and everything in between. It’s always cool to try and document the action for them to see after they have completed the camp. Pics of them, video of them dropping in for the first time or doing and ollie or turn. We try and document the look on their faces and the emotion that goes into accomplishing something despite the fear they felt or the obstacles they had to overcome to land that trick. It’s something they can show their parents and friends with pride which in my opinion leads to a positive can do attitude and promotes a healthy lifestyle. The possible $500 would go to buying skateboards and skate gear from Clairemont Surf and Skate which is our local shop. I would use those boards and gear to hook up the kids that have junk gear or to offer as prizes, and I would like to buy myself a new Clairemont Surf and Skate t-shirt. So I hope you pick me to win the contest because the return I get from the kids at our park far outweighs the camera or the $500 I would use to hook them up. If you skate and are ever in the area, come see me at the park, we will session.
Great job Charlie payne
Charlie Payne, keep inspiring the young minds of tomorrow like you did to so many back here in Springfield, MO. It’s people like you that encourage children to follow their dreams that will shape them into who they are as an adult. Keep up the hard work and never lose sight of your dream. Thanks and hope to see you soon. Go Payne!