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Sanuk teamrider,  Matt Pagan, has been on a tear lately, slicing his dicing his was across the map and world of competitive surfing. This is what happened when our Grizzly Adam caught up with him in between flights:

Grizzly Adam: Yeah Matt! We’ve seen you all over the place the last few weeks. Photos. Web videos. Contest wins. Blogging. You’re everywhere these days! What’s the scoop?

Matt Pagan: Well, last month I ended up winning the overall season in the South Bay Surf Series and won a free trip to El Salvador. At the beginning of this month, I went down to Mazatlan, Mexico and competed in the Quiksilver 4 Star ASP WQS event. Then I went down to Salina Cruz with Body Glove for a film/photo trip. We scored some great waves

GA: Mazatlan eh? How’d that shake out?

(Photo: Bryce Lowe-White / www.photoblw.com)

MP: I made the man-on-man quarterfinals and placed 5th. I also scored a photo on SurferMag.com by Bryce Lowe-White at the Manhattan Beach Pier a few days before I left.

GA: Any good taco spots?

MP: Is a piñata filled with candy?

(Photo: Bryce Lowe-White / www.photoblw.com)

GA: Touché. What so else is new?

MP: The day I arrived home, Ian Cairns (Pacsun USA Team Coach) asked if I could compete on the ISA USA surf team at the end of this month in Panama. There will be 32 countries competing and I am so excited to represent my country. I can’t wait! The march will be on the 25th and the first day of competition will be June 26th.

GA: USA! USA! USA! (Awkward silence). Anyways, beyond that where can we expect to see you this summer?

MP: I fly home on July 3rd and then leave for the 4 Star in El Salvador on July 5th. Beyond these two events, I plan on competing in the Nike “Chosen Crew” video contest, Innersection.tv, some local pro ams and the 6 star WQS Europe Leg in August.

GA: Sounds like some stiff competition… Got any tricks up your sleeve?

MP: Let’s just say, I’ve been working closely with Bryce (the assistant photo editor for Surfer) and my younger brother, Mike and we’re working some cool angles. It’ll text you the link.

And with that Matt had to split, but check out what he sent over before boarding his flight…

From the twisted mind of Sanuk Teamrider, Brendan Buckley:

In 2004 (or something), Mick Fanning tore his hamstring (or something) and came back to win the Fosters ASP WCT Top 48 Men’s Championship Qualifying Series Word Tour Title (or something).

Last month, I sprained my MCL. With Mick paving the road for gimps such as I, I knew I could come back hot.  So I committed myself to a strict training regimen.  Next stop: NSSA Explorer Sr. Men Regional Semi-final showing.  I know I got what it takes…..

More Brendan @ embracethegoose.com

Looking to break out of the norm, Sanuk teamriders, AJ Collins, Taylor Pai and Eric Tomlinson find a new hemisphere to explore. Struck with a sudden case of déjà vu and an urge to dance, the trio venture into new territory to find freshly harvested wine, an odd topless creature* and all of Australia in the Snapper Rocks line up.

Watch it here: http://vimeo.com/20417994

*Warning: Parts of this short contain nudity and are not work appropriate. If that sort of thing wrinkles your feathers, this one may not be for you.

Hide the candy, lock the door, and runs for the hills… the groms are on the loose!

This last weekend, a handful of Sanuk’s little monsters went on a competition rampage in a few of the local surf series here in Southern California.

At the WSA West Coast Championships in San Clemente, Ryland Rubens, took home the 12U – first place trophy! Word on the beach says Ry was so relaxed the whole event, he didn’t even take his PJs off. The big victory qualifies Ryland for a coveted spot in the USA Championships in July. Here he stands with another addition to the hardware collection.

At the same event, our little lady shredders, Ashley Beeson and Malia Faramarzi, made the finals in their division and locked down 2nd and 4th place respectively!

Over at the NSSA Explorer our pal, Zach McCormick, won the Super Grom Conference title! Don’t let his miniature stature fool you, because the win seats him in first place in the rankings going into regionals.

Dagan Stagg hoisting the goods at the WSA Championships with Ian Carnes.

Best of luck to all as they continue to kick major patooty!

The following is an excerpt from the travelogue of Sanuk surf teamrider, Torrey Meister.

I was really looking forward to traveling and checking out New Zealand. This year, there was a 6-star WQS event in Gisborne, so I knew there were no excuses not to go. My Mom and step dad also have a place in New Zealand and they always rant and rave about how beautiful it is with fun uncrowded surf. I was really excited to go down there with them and get the New Zealand experience.

The first part of the trip was a bummer. I showed up to Auckland, NZ with no boards or bags. We ended up staying the night in there waiting for the bags but they did not show. The airline “promised” us that the bags would be transported to the house we were staying at in Gisborne (a good 6 hour drive from Auckland) the next day.

With the contest starting in just two days and the promise we were given, we decided to start our long journey down to Gisborne hoping the bags would show up. Unfortunately, they didn’t they didn’t show up at all while we were in Gisborne. I had to borrow a board and a wetsuit from a local New Zealand guy so I could surf my heat. I ended up losing and we left Gisborne the next day on our way up to Bay of Islands, which is where my mom and step dad have a house. It’s an 10 hour drive to the Bay of Islands from Gisborne and we had to pick up my luggage in Auckland on the way. We spent all day and night in the car arriving to the house in the wee hours of the morning.

This is where the trip got good… I had a week to spend with them before I headed up to Western Australia for another surf contest and we took full advantage of the time we had. Surfing fun beach breaks every morning with no one around watching the sunrise and set everyday on the beach, I remember just being in awe of how beautiful this place was. We went on hikes in rainforest that had more different shades of green then I thought possible and we also hiked to a big waterfall and the best part about it was there wasn’t a soul around

We checked out a few historical sites where there were Maori canoes that were 70 years old. They were carved with all kinds of faces, animals, and symbols painted with reds and blacks. The Maoris reminded me a lot of the Hawaiians so I guess I felt right at home in New Zealand.

The last day the waves got really good which was just an exclamation point on how much fun we had in the Bay of Islands!

Smile…pass it on!