It’s officially official and so we will be posting new stuff only at: blog.komunityproject.com

The guys sat down after a surf at Pipe. (Kinda wind slopped northeast swell. But Off the Wall had a couple of fun ones.) They had a little down time and punched out few words for us. (Photo A.J. Neste/A-Frame – Taken at  T-Street obviously!)

Dane Gudauskas
Dane has been looking to quench his thirst for competitive prowess by traveling around the world doing WQS events. “I want to qualify to be on the WCT surfing at my best, against the best, in the best waves of the world!!!” Dane will continue his pursuit to become a championship surfer by surfing world-class waves while also competing on the WQS in hope of a CT berth in the near future.

Tanner Gudauskas
Tanner, the youngest of the Gudauskas Trio has been blazing his own tracks to become one of the best junior surfers in the world. He proved this on the international stage of the 2008 world Junior Championships. At the North Narrabeen Tanner surfed on point in testing 6 foot + conditions to finish an equal third and secure himself with this years World Junior WQS Seed. In this year of 2008 he hopes to make his mark on the WQS and Qualify to be a player on the championship level while continuing his junior pursuits.

Patrick Gudauskas
Patrick’s wants to crush the WQS in 2008. And he’s off to a running start after the first event of the season where Patrick clinched victory at Sebastian Inlet to take home the largest purse in East Coast history. He is no stranger to the Winner’s Circle with 2006 WQS victories in France and Spain. 2006 saw Patrick come a breath away from a WCT berth finishing three spots out of the prestigious tour. Instead of Defeat, this secret agent saw opportunity to grow. He suffered an unfortunate ankle injury which took him out of the race in 2007. However with his confidence and health back, Patrick looks like a bat out of hell hungry to climb the charts to the top.

All about the Komunity Project Brand. As if world domination was not enough!

Komunity Project is a select group of world-class competitive and free-ride athletes joined together to inspire the evolution of their sport. Komunity Project, is owned by world champion surfer Kelly Slater and includes team member and surf aerialists Dane Reynolds as well as a band salt water rock stars Jeremy Flores, Luke Davis and Kiron Jabour and their signature series traction pads. Komunity makes and designs custom traction pads (deck grip), world-class travel board bags (surfboard coffins and daybags), leashes (leg ropes), and technical accessories and is based in Huntington Beach, California. Komunity Project, “The Next Generation, Now in Progress”.

For more information, visit komunityproject.com

Trials Champs Tamaroa McComb and Carissa Moore into Quiksilver and Roxy Pros

COOLANGATTA, Australia (Friday, Feb. 22, 2008) – The Kommunity Project and Roxy Pro Trials have been completed in two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Snapper Rocks and Tamaroa McComb (PYF) and Carissa Moore (HAW) will receive the final seeds into the Quiksilver and Roxy Pros respectively.

After two rounds of intense competition, the Kommunity Project Trials whittled down the 16-man field to the final four.

McComb was nigh unstoppable in his finals clash against local powerhouses Troy Brooks (AUS), Dale Richards (AUS) and Blake Ainsworth (AUS). The young Tahitian displayed a maturity well beyond his 17 young years, mixing futuristic fin-free turns with classical rail work.

“The waves have been pretty fun the past few days so I am stoked I could come here today and win,” McComb said. “I’ve been surfing a lot around here at Snapper and Kirra and D’Bah – all good waves.”

McComb now draws reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) in the opening round of Quiksilver Pro competition.

“I actually feel more relaxed competing against Mick (Fanning) than I would meeting a girl,” McComb said. “This is the best thing that has ever happened to me and even competing against Troy (Brooks) was great. I am very much looking forward to the event.”

The women’s final was a hard-fought bout between up-and-comers Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and Arini Mason (NZL), powerbroker Laurina McGrath (AUS) and last year’s Roxy Pro runner-up Carissa Moore (HAW). Although Fitzgibbons opened up to a strong lead early on, it was the Hawaiian who answered back with the only perfect 10 of the day and put her competitors on the ropes.

“Snapper is such a good wave and I am always stoked to surf here,” Moore said. “I felt a little bit of pressure earlier today, but after the first two heats I felt pretty good.”

Moore will open up her 2008 Roxy Pro campaign against reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) in her Round 1 heat.

“I’ve never competed against Stephanie (Gilmore) before, but I have enjoyed watching her a lot,” Moore said. “She had a really good year last season so I’m just stoked to have the opportunity and I look forward to it.”

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pros pres. by LG kick off the 2008 ASP World Tour and ASP Women’s World Tour seasons.

Event organizers will convene tomorrow at 7am local time to assess the conditions and make the official call for the day.

Both the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and the Roxy Pro Gold Coast will be webcast LIVE via http://www.aspworldtour.com/quikpro

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Kommunity Project Trials Final Results
1 – Tamaroa McComb (PYF) 16.60
2 – Troy Brooks (AUS) 15.75
3 – Blake Ainsworth (AUS) 10.90
4 – Dale Richards (AUS) 10.70

Roxy Pro Trials Final Results
1 – Carrissa Moore (HAW) 15.60
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.40
3 – Arini Mason (NZL) 13.75
4 – Laurina McGrath (AUS) 8.65

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 1 Match-Ups
Heat 1: Bobby Martinez (USA), Royden Bryson (ZAF), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 2: Dean Morrison (AUS), Daniel Wills (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Bruce Irons (HAW), Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 4: Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Ricky Basnett (ZAF), Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW), Frederick Patacchia (HAW), Mikael Picon (FRA)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Leonardo Neves (BRA), Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS), Michael Campbell (AUS),Tamaroa McComb (PYF)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 11: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adriano de Souza (BRA), Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 12: Kai Otton (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 13: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 15: Damien Hobgood (USA), Luke Munro (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA)
Heat 16: Luke Stedman (AUS), Tim Reyes (USA), Jordy Smith (ZAF)

Roxy Pro pres. by LG Round 1 Match-Ups
Heat 1: Layne Beachley (AUS), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Serena Brooke (AUS)
Heat 2: Samantha Cornish (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW), Nicola Atherton (AUS)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Jacqueline Silva (BRA), Carissa Moore (HAW)
Heat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
Heat 5: Silvana Lima (BRA), Megan Abubo (HAW), Julia de la Rosa Toro (PER)
Heat 6: Amee Donohoe (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Karina Petroni (USA)

Amid the networking, chaos and cocktails that make up ASR, was the premiere of Kelly Slater’s new brand Komunity Project. Komunity is a core surf accessories company and now available in stores. In the short three months on the surf shop shelves Komunity is getting serious attention.

ASR gave Komunity Project a chance to show off its down-to-earth vibe. “Our tradeshow booth is a garage” National Sales Director Scott Farnsworth said. “Antiqued and exposed wood walls, random tools, pegboard, wrenches, used boards, and new Komunity leashes, board bags and traction pads, it’s a “surfer’s” sanctuary and a great way to show off our new product.” Team rider’s Dane Reynolds, Luke Davis and Kelly Slater had a few of their personal boards stacked in the corner. The booth (and boards) were a huge hit with groms and gave our new International accounts a solid brand experienced.

With Quiksilver as his licensee, Slater has a solid team behind him, his new venture is taking off. This weekend, the Komunity crew is in Florida for Surf Expo and is making waves on the East Coast: “We’re having a great response here. Equally as good if not better than at ASR,” Farnsworth said.” People are stepping up.”

In addition to Kelly, Dane Reynolds, Luke Davis and Jeremy Flores are team riders for Komunity Project. New riders will be added in the future and there is no shortage of surfers that want in. In fact, some established pros were overheard at ASR asking how they could get on board.

Komunity is considering its impact on more than just the surf industry. Almost all the Komunity packaging is made with post consumer recycled material. Core Accessories Designer Chris Pitts recognizes that Kelly is environmentally conscious and is seeking ways to incorporate that into his designs: “We want to deliver innovative products with eco-friendly materials… It’s a long term approach that all companies should take.”

Everything Kelly Slater touches tends to turn to gold, and Komunity Project is looking no different. With a positive approach, the team is making its presence known in a short period of time. “We want to have fun with it,” Farnsworth said. “That’s coming directly from Kelly. Kelly, I think, is probably a looser more fun guy than people give him credit for. We want to be light and fun and deliver serious product.”

By Kristina Ackermann – From Transworld Surf Biz – Posted 08.15.2007

As if winning eight world titles wasn’t enough, Kelly Slater is branching out into the retail market with a new brand of surf accessories called Komunity Project. With a complete line of leashes, board bags, and traction pads, Komunity Project is a reincarnation of the K Grip brand of traction pads that was first launched in the early 90s. A lot has changed in the surfing world since then, and Komunity s products reflect those changes by incorporating features designed by the riders themselves, primarily by Slater and fellow Komunity teamrider Dane Reynolds.
Products truly designed by its riders are number one, Slater says about the brand s development. I think Dane s one of the future leaders and one of the most exciting surfers in the world right now, so we thought he d be great for the company to design things that work for him and that other kids would want to use.
Although Komunity Project is owned by Kelly Slater, it is a division of Quiksilver, so Komunity has the benefit of an experienced team of managers and reps backing it. But VP Dave Lester (former owner/manager of Pro-Lite) points out that the goal is to grow Komunity Project beyond the realm of Quiksilver’s familiar territory.

We really looked to be involved with Kelly on a larger accessory company and then expand from there, Lester explains. The important thing about Komunity is that it s not being limited to just Quiksilver accounts and retailers. There s a separate sales force and dedicated reps that are specific to Komunity Project. International Sales Director Scott Farnsworth says response to the brand has been overwhelmingly positive. So far there s been a lot of interest and excitement from the retailers, Farnsworth says. The category has been a little flat these past years. There s been a couple brands producing a few things here and there, but nobody has really encompassed it.

Besides Slater and Reynolds, the athletes currently signed on with Komunity Project are Jeremy Flores, who also rides for Quik, and fourteen-year-old Luke Davis. We re looking at a few other riders to be involved long term for the company and make it part of their lifestyles and designs, Slater says.

As for the future of Komunity Project, designs are already underway for gear bags, backpacks, and roof racks, while Lester says there s also potential for the brand to expand beyond surf-specific gear. One predominant goal for everyone involved is to find ways to give back.

One thing Kelly was very interested in from the beginning was giving back to the industry and to the environment, so that s something that we ll be looking into as the brand progresses, says Farnsworth.

Slater explains that the idea of giving back was how the name Komunity Project came to be. Obviously the spelling keeps in line with K Grip and myself, but it s more of an idea that it s a group coming together for a bigger reason, he says. Maybe not so much just for a company, but for the world. It s in line with philosophies of life for me, connecting people and broadening our perspectives.
Website: komunityproject.com

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