Over a year after it's first offer, Volcom has added a little more ‘motivation‘ to the contest. US$10,000 is now on offer for the first person that can offer recorded proof of them selfs pulling off a kick-flip on surfboard. But even with the stakes raised, they are yet to get anyone that can produce a fully landed kick-flip on a surfboard. With this much on offer many people have tried and but no one has yet to pull it off.
The contest, which began on November 21 2006 and will run until a winner is produced, has inspired countless attempts from surfers all over the globe willing to give it a shot. There are many documented attempts on YouTube, some have come very close and some are way off the mark. But as you can understand almost anyone is willing to give it a shot for the chance of $10,000.
This is the closest attempt to be shown so far. As you can see it is almost a textbook kick-flip, but unfortunately the landing was not so smooth.
Volcome's definition of a kick-flip is, “proper” and “above-the-lip”, Volcom is very clear that one must launch in to the air, use their front foot to flip the board, then land on it and ride it out cleanly an smoothly. There is a long list of rules that the winning entry must full under. some of these rules include some very strange restrictions along with some very understandable ones, including no tow-ats, no grabs of any kind, no wakeboards, boogie boards, or trays, no shoes (booties are okay apparently), and the one that is most unlikely to turn up in the winning entry, no dolphin-assistance?. Strange but fair I guess.
Although this is yet to be pulled off, I think it's only a matter of time before it happens. Surfing has always been known as a sport of progression and it’s only a matter of time until someone is filmed pulling off and riding this one out. When it happens they will receives 10,000 reasons to justify the many “sickies” taken from school or work in order to paddle out and have a crack. I can see this becoming more of a race for glory then a race for money. Some surfers out there would love nothing more then to have there name on the first surfboard kick-flip in record history and it should make for some interesting viewing in the coming months.
