April was bueno

April was a good month. As evidenced by the above marquee shot of Conor Willem on Eastern Surf Mag's website. They posted one of his most recent clips, seen right below, and it's credit waaayyyy overdue. Now the entire world will know what we've been saying about Conor since he was just a tiny Willem: that he freakin' rips! Good on ya C-Will.

the 1st LBI Winter Warrior is...

Mr. Randall Townsend. He's that guy on the side of their building and on the billboard on 72 you pass by every time on your way to the Island. And we're not that surprised he took the event.

T'was a day of smotings, beams, and dry heaves. In the end, a great kick-off to what will become a perrenial event here on the Island. A job well done to our very own Conor Willem for the vision and stoke to put something great like this together. From Conor himself:

"4 Broken boards, 0 injuries, 100 beat downs and some sick barrels... the final scores were close.... top 10 break down..."

1st Randy Townsend
2nd Josh Law
3rd Peter George
4th Conor Willem
5th Ben Mcbrien
6th Pete Machotca
7th Brian Bowker
8th Tim Raimo
9th Ben Raimo
10th Brian Coen

wastedyouthsurf.com

C-Willem has decided to throw all his video edits and shots up on a blog—a long-time coming really. Here's a quick little clip and an accompanying dictionary of terms that get used on this Island everyday. Check out what's going on over at wastedyouthsurf.com. 

Conor Willem. Photo: Kyle Gronostajski

LBI Winter Warriors

Longtime Shack rider Conor Willem has never been one to go with the norm. Plus the kid can get slotted for no end.

Which is why he's endeavoring on a newfangled surf contest idea. He's calling it 'LBI Winter Warriors' and it'll take place sometime during the month of March this year. With a true waiting period, he will look to utilize the best late winter/early spring storms the Atlantic can dish out—and cold and barreling will be the ideal conditions because this thing is strictly a barrel riding contest.

It's limited to the first 24 entries and will consist of only LBI locals. Depending on the swell it will take place at either 73rd Street in Harvey Cedars or 25th Street in Surf City. Conor is certainly mixing things up. This is the start of something revolutionary in the realm of competitive surfing, especially on the local scene. Here's Conor's description of the event, and stay tuned to our site and LBI Winter Warriors Facebook page for updates:


NOT A NORMAL CONTEST...

• Nobody loses or gets knocked out of heats..
• There are 3 rounds, 6 heats in each round, and 4 surfers in each heat. Each heat runs for 20 min.
• The surfer's single highest wave score from each round is added up at the end and the highest wins and so on. So each surfer will have 3 scores at the end of the day. The main goal is to get a really good score in each round.
• Everyone has an equal opportunity.
• Entry fee is 110$.
• The top 3 surfers at the end of the day will be rewarded $$$$.
• If this year turns out good then next years waiting period will be a 3 month waiting period with the top 5 getting money.
• Its going to be BIG COLD and BARRELING, those 3 things are Guaranteed
• If you CHARGE and love to TUBE RIDE than this is contest for you.

a surf talk with Conor

Longtime Shack rider Conor Willem had a chat with SurfTalkNJ recently. The interview is classic Conor and gives some insight into his ripping ways and the Island (man it's crazy how much he sounds like older brother Brendan without seeing him talk...). Check it out and check out more of SurfTalkNJ's stuff here.

it's 8 f—ing degrees

hope you're enjoying those boardshorts down in Puerto Rico Conor, because when you get back you'll be back in the head-to-toe neoprene like the rest of us. unlike the rest of us you'll probably be getting shacked, sending 'em, and throwing down meaty hacks like the one below...

2 more for the Willems

The Willem family trophy mantel needs to hold a lot of hardware. And even more after this year's ESA Easterns championships. Conor grabbed the Men's title while Big Bill racked in another Legends title. A huge congrats to the both of them. Above is Conor's big takeaway from North Carolina this year, well done sir, well done. And stay tuned for more info on Conor's upcoming skim movie premiere dates...

does Conor still skim?

That's a question we get asked a lot about Shack team rider Conor Willem. It's no secret that he's been killing it on a surfboard for years, and always has on a skimboard. He never stopped skimming, he just continues getting better and better at surfing that his surfing almost outshines his abilities on a skimboard these days. He's starring in a surf movie that hits this week, You Look Swell, and is also putting out his own skim vid soon. Here's the final teaser for it, Stoked Or Die:


Stoked Or Die final Tease from Conor Willem on Vimeo.

off to California

Longtime Shack family member and team rider Conor Willem (seen above stomping that slob air) just left for California today for eight days. He's heading to Lowers to reap the benefits of the Pacific's infamous south swells and grind down some of the best Mexican food in the world. He's collecting some final clips for You Look Swell, and though it's his first time in SoCal (he usually ventures to the more rugged hollowness of Ventura) we're sure he'll be coming back with some A clips. Stay tuned for the fruits of his labor.

well, don't you look swell

You Look Swell Official Trailer from rick starick on Vimeo.

Our friend and old Shack rider Morgan Gore of After Eleven is putting out a surf flick this summer starring fellow Shack rider Conor Willem, as well as Long Beach Island locals Royce Weber, Randy Townsend, Danny Mears, Ben Raimo, Will Sweeny, and Petere George. It's called You Look Swell and the trailer above has got us excited. The movie drops this July and will be playing in New Jersey and New York. Stay tuned for more details on local showings.