Sunglasses by Kaenon Polarized

Baseball Never Looked So Good

kp — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:40:22 +0000

Seattle Mariners OF Raul Ibanez in his new Hard Kore All-Star White G12

NY Mets OF Marlon Byrd batting in his new Hard Kore All-Star White C28.

Cleveland Indians IF Mark Reynolds in Hard Kore Matte Red C12.

Dodgers 2B Mark Ellis wearing Hard Kore Matte Blue G12.

Washington Nationals OF Jayson Werth is off the DL and ripping it up in Hard Kore Matte Red G12.

Washington Nationals ace Gio Gonzalez in his new Hard Kore All-Star White G12.

Eric Sogard continues to get it done in Kaenon optical frame 401 Tortoise Crystal.

Toronto Blue Jays all-everything Emilio Bonafacio in Hard Kore White G12.

Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion in Hard Kore Graphite Green Hit G12, with Bonafacio in background.

Dodgers OF Scott Van Slyke was all over the field making diving catches yesterday wearing Hard Kore Matte Blue G12.

Share/Bookmark

Will Tiller: Stronger, Fitter, Faster

Kaenon Polarized — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:00:57 +0000

Check out Will Tiller and how he is put through the paces. This short clip shows the importance of the physical work that goes into manning the AC45s. The Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is all about getting stronger, fitter, faster. For more, watch Will on the Kaenon “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” at www.kaenon.com.

Share/Bookmark

Charlie Buckingham: Frisco Bound

Kaenon Polarized — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:12:38 +0000

With the car fully loaded, his laser on the roof and Newport Beach in his rear view, Charlie Buckingham heads to San Francisco to begin the journey. Stay tuned for more updates from Charlie and his teammates from ORACLE Team USA/USA45.

Share/Bookmark

Will Tiller: Battling the New Zealand Winter Blues

Kaenon Polarized — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:52:21 +0000

For us, summer is kicking into full gear but south of the equator, winter has just begun and Will Tiller is experiencing for the first time in a long time, the trials and tribulations of winter. We sat down with Will to get an update on his travels, training and everyday life for this young sailor.

Kaenon: Where are you now and what’s new with you?

WT: I have been back home in NZ for almost a month and it has been a bit different as it’s the closest I have been in a number of years to experiencing winter.

Kaenon: For most of us, it’s hard to picture winter right now as we are in warm and sunny weather mode, how are you handling this cold weather transition?

WT: I am quickly realizing that I don’t have any winter clothes and how lucky I’ve been in the past to travel from summer to summer. The winter blues have caught up with me. For a period over the past few weeks there has been a lack of motivation from my part. It hasn’t stopped me from getting done what I need to do, but rather than enjoying, its been toughing it out and scraping through.

Kaenon: We can certainly relate to toughing it out, what helps you push through?

WT: My teammates. They were onto me and after kicking me into gear and shaking me up I’m fully re-motivated and energized to take it on. We all know each other well and our strong team bond keeps us all on the right track.

Kaenon: What is keeping you busy and how are you preparing for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup?

WT: My days are taken up with the gym, team admin jobs and A-class sailing. I try to balance all this just hanging out with friends and family as much as possible which has been cool.

Kaenon: What’s been one of the funnier moments of the week?

WT: The noises I made getting towards to the end of my 2km rowing – “urg”

Kaenon: Wish we could hear that personally, but leaving to our own imaginations might be even funnier. On the flip side, are you battling with any fears or concerns relating to the upcoming event?

WT: Funds for sure. Raising the funds to get to the cup is a constant.

Kaenon: Anything you are currently listening to or watching?

WT: I’ve been listenig to a lot of Lorde – Royals and when I can, I’ve been watching State of Origin

Share/Bookmark

Pete Burling: Video Confessional

Kaenon Polarized — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:17:02 +0000

Share/Bookmark

Noa Ginella: Some OC1 Fun

Kaenon Polarized — Fri, 31 May 2013 00:06:58 +0000

Noa Ginella is one of those guys that likes to keep things interesting. With a pod of playful dolphins, a couple strikes on the fishing pole, and a few curious Humpback whales, Noa’s day in the office is much more interesting than most. Whether it be biking, running, swimming, cross-fit, SUP, prone paddle or good old OC1, he thrives on finding the perfect workout for any condition.

Designed for gliding across flat water and keeping a fast pace, the OC1 (one man outrigger canoe for those not familiar with the term) provides a great workout and doubles up as the perfect craft to pull a fishing line behind.

Below is a couple clips of Noa on a beautiful summer day on the Ocean. Hope you Enjoy!

Share/Bookmark

Pete Burling: Maintaing Balance

Kaenon Polarized — Thu, 30 May 2013 21:37:54 +0000

We connected with Pete Burling to see what was new in his world. Here’s what he had to say, “Last weekend I had a few days at my hometown of Tauranga – I was guest speaker at my yacht club prize giving and had a bit of time with my parents. We struggled a bit with lack of wind for our scheduled 49er training but made up for that with great fishing and lots of mountain biking.”

Kaenon: What does it mean to you to have “balance” in your life? How important is that?

PB: Balance is a really important part of competing at a high level. For me, it’s a balance between keeping it fun and getting everything done that I want to. As soon as it’s not fun my performances seem get a bit worse.

Kaenon: How do you find balance between the rigors of competitive sailing and your personal life?

PB: With the last 3 years of my life entirely focused on winning a 49er medal at the London Olympics, this year (as the first year in the new Olympic cycle) is my opportunity to widen my focus for a while. The YAC this year is ideally timed for me (and my team, most of who are also in serious Olympic campaigns).

In addition, I have returned to University after a 2 year break to progress my Engineering degree. Russell Coutts took 7 years to get the same 4 year degree – I think mine is going to be a lot longer than that.

So life at the moment is a bit of a juggling act.

Kaenon: What sacrifices do you have to make (on either end of the spectrum, personal or athletic) in order to keep yourself healthily balanced?

PB: Organizing our 49er 2013 Europe campaign, we leave for Europe in about 5 weeks time and our boat went a few weeks ago – feels good to be back in the 49er again. We are also organizing our YAC campaign (a bit short on team training at present with most of our team competing in their Olympic classes in Europe). We’ve been working on getting the new foiling Moth set up – aiming to try to beat the Aussie boys at the Moth worlds in October.

Kaenon: What has been keeping you most occupied recently?

PB: Competing over the past 3 months in the Extreme sailing series – Oman, Singapore and Qingdao. As always, maintaining fitness, nutrition and conditioning. It would be great to have a few extra hours in the day sometimes.

Kaenon: What advice would you give to those pursuing the competitive sailing route so that they can maintain that competitive fire without burning themselves out?

PB: Advice to others? – For me – enjoying what I do is hugely important.

I love sailing. I try to work with people I enjoy being around – definitely including my 49er sailing partner and the ETNZ YAC team. I find doing boat-work satisfying and enjoyable.

Kaenon: What take-away from recent events in the sailing community have made an impression on you?
PB: It’s been a really sad week for yachting, losing one of our legends of the sport, Bart.

Kaenon: What’s next on your agenda and where do you go from here?

PB: At the moment we are just getting back into a bit of 49er training. We are up north in NZ at the moment, in Blair’s home town of Kerikeri. No wind today meant a bit of fishing.

We are also trying to get some financial help for our Youth AC campaign, great opportunity to support us at http://www.thrillpledge.com/projects/support-nzl-sailors-for-youth-americas-cup

I try to keep my fitness as much fun as I can – e.g. our mountain biking this week in Rotorua – (acknowledged as one of the best mountain biking areas in the world) followed by a very cold river swim down some rapids on the way home. Keeping it fun -enjoying the fantastic opportunities that come along.

Kaenon: Anything you’d like to share?

PB: Yes – check out this video:

Share/Bookmark

Noa Ginella: Featured Artist

Kaenon Polarized — Tue, 28 May 2013 00:16:45 +0000

Last week Noa Ginella was a featured Artist for the Grand Opening of the North Shore Watershed Store at Turtle Bay Resort. To say Noa loves the ocean is an understatement. He grew up at Kawela Bay fishing, diving and surfing. A talented young waterman and artist born and raised in Hawaii on the North Shore of Oahu, he’s comfortable catching fish by spear, throw net, bow or pole. Noa immortalizes his prize catches by a centuries old technique called Gyotaku.

Gyotaku (Japanese, from gyo “fish” + taku “rubbing”) is the traditional method of Japanese fish printing. He has developed his own style over several years and his prints are becoming highly collectable.

Below is an original, 52 lb. Ulua shot with his Browning fishing Bow. The prints were a big hit and good time was had by all.

Share/Bookmark

Charlie Buckingham: Balance & Sacrifices

Kaenon Polarized — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:07:50 +0000

We caught up with Charlie Buckingham this week and got his take on the balances and sacrifices that go into the sport of competitive sailing. Last week, Charlie did five days of F18 sailing, followed by two days on an extreme 40 with team USA45 racing in preparation for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.

Kaenon: What does it mean to you to have “balance” in your life? How important is that?

CB: To me, having balance is staying in touch with multiple aspects of my life in a way that keeps me happy and motivated. I think this is hugely important in anyone’s life and leads to greater happiness in the long term.

Kaenon: How do you find balance between the rigors of competitive sailing and your personal life?

CB: When I’m not in training or competition and have a little bit of time to myself, I try to switch my mind off from sailing completely and revisit things that are important to me – family, friends, surfing, and the ocean.

Kaenon: What sacrifices do you have to make (on either end of the spectrum, personal or athletic) in order to keep yourself healthily balanced?

CB: The biggest sacrifices come from my personal life since sailing takes up most of my time, so sometimes I need a break from sailing to keep things healthily balanced. It’s easy to forget when you are in the moment, but taking breaks help me stay fresh.

Kaenon: What advice would you give to those pursuing the competitive sailing route so that they can maintain that competitive fire without burning themselves out?

CB: Plan your schedule to maximize your training and competition, but don’t forget to make time for yourself every once in a while.

Kaenon: What take-away from recent events in the sailing community have made an impression on you?
CB: It’s inspiring for me to read and hear the celebrations of Andrew Simpson’s life. Not only was he a talented, successful sportsman, but also a noble character respected by everyone he came in touch with.

Kaenon: What’s next on your agenda and where do you go from here?
CB: This week, I’m back to Laser sailing until I move to San Francisco in the beginning of June.

Currents:
Currently Listening to: Reggae, Drum and Bass
Currently Watching: NBA Playoffs, Billabong Pro Rio

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Matt Meola’s Video – The Isle 2: Jaws

Kaenon Polarized — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:35:59 +0000

Insane, intense, gnarly. It is none other than Jaws. The latest episode in The Isle, a video project created by Rockstar shows the ups and downs of big wave surfing. Albee Layer and Matt Meola share their personal insights into what it was like leading up to and after, Meola’s two wave hold-down at Pe’ahi, the reef break on the island of Maui known as Jaws.

One of the greatest dangers in big wave surfing, is the risk of being held underwater by two or more consecutive waves. These waves move at incredible speeds often 30mph which can push a surfer down 20 to 30 feet. A major issue argued between big wave surfers is the necessity of the leash on the surfboard. In many instances, the leash can do more harm than good to a surfer, catching and holding them underwater and diminishing their opportunities to fight towards the surface. That’s exactly what happened to Matt Meola when he got hog-tied by his leash.

Watch this incredible footage and hear firsthand the emotional narrative on Matt Meoala‘s life changing experience at Jaws this year. This video highlights surfers’ ability to remain physically and mentally prepared at all times. It shows the importance of precision, timing and execution in this sport and the pure guts it takes to face the fate of Jaws.

Share/Bookmark

Will Tiller: Gear Talk/Embarrassing & Inspiring Moments from Qingdao

Kaenon Polarized — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:39:47 +0000

5/7/13

On the AC45s the sailing gear we wear is critical to our performance, with the speeds of the boat water is constantly spraying the crew similar to a fire hose, adding to this the cold temperatures of San Francisco and you need quality gear to get the job done. Our team is lucky enough to be sponsored by Events Clothing, specifically Line 7 gear, we wear a number of layers made from a similar material to that of wetsuits. With the extremeness of the boats we also wear some safety equipment, with padded gear, helmets and wake boarding life jackets. Our team wears Kaenon Hard Kore sunglasses to give us the best eye protection and the SR-19 clarity advantage to pick up the wind on the water first.

Sailing-specific recap of events
I am currently in Qingdao, China competing in Act 3 of the Extreme Sailing Series, our team is in third place overall after two days racing and we are just about to begin day 3. We are constantly developing as a team in this series and getting stronger with every race. Our goal is to gain a podium finish at one event this season and then push for a podium finish overall next season.

Turning Point
This event, our team has been concentrating on routines and sticking to them. The reason for this is that for sailing, you need to be consistent as there are a number of races that form a regatta. To help us with being consistent, we feel that the off the water activities need to be as much of a routine as possible to put you in the right mind set going into racing.

Funniest Moment of the week
On the first day racing here in Qingdao I fell overboard in between races trying to pick up a plastic water bottle out of the water, little bit embarrassing but I did my bit for the environment.

Fears/Concerns/Doubts
If we can maintain our solid performance here in Qingdao and pick up our first podium.

Inspiration/Motivation
The chance to drive our sponsors Ferrari in Hong Kong next week. (We’d say that was motivation alright!)

Currents:
Currently Listening to: Eminem
Currently Watching: Any movies on in the hotel.
Currently Reading: Rulebook again

Share/Bookmark

Charlie Buckingham: F18 Training in Long Beach

Kaenon Polarized — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:20:58 +0000

Charlie Buckingham is back in town and doing some F18 training and getting a feel of the catamaran during the team’s second training session.

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Will Tiller: Update From Qingdao

Kaenon Polarized — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Will Tiller, coming to us live from Qingdao with an update from the second day of racing in the Extreme Sailing Series. As the team gets better acquainted, the results improve.

Back to the Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Charlie Buckingham: Gear Talk/Reflecting on Europe

Kaenon Polarized — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:13:56 +0000

5/1/13

Charlie Buckingham, who just returned home to Newport Beach, CA from Europe, breaks down the gear he uses while sailing, and gives us an inside scoop on the way he views his events leading up to the Olympics and Worlds.

Gear:
“Team USA45 racing and I will be wearing Magic Marine technical gear and Kaenon sunglasses. Due to the dynamic nature of our movements around the boat, it will be key to be wearing streamlined, flexible gear. As always, glasses will be a key part of our kit, as it will protect our eyes from spray and allow us to read the wind better.

We need gear that allows us to move well around the boat, while also keeping us warm because of the cold SF bay temperatures. During our last training camp, the Magic Marine farmer john wetsuits and fleece rashguards seemed to do the trick. In terms of glasses, I will most likely wear the Trades or Kores on the water because the big lenses don’t hinder my peripheral vision and provide good protection from spray.”

Reflecting on Palma and Hyeres:
“I just finished up two events in Europe, the ISAF sailing world cup events in Palma and Hyeres. While I didn’t achieve my greatest results, the events provided me with insight on what I need to work on moving forward and I am motivated to get to work on them.

Pretty much all events beside the Olympics and World championships are used as a barometer of your skills. Obviously, it is good to go out and post results at World Cup and other high profile events, but at the end of the day it is most important to learn and improve to the best of your potential leading up to the Olympics and/or Worlds. Less than ideal results force you to look at your current skill set and evaluate your areas of weakness if the results wasn’t good. From there you can implement a training plan aimed at improving those weaknesses before your next important event.”

Currents:
Currently Listening: The Jamaicans – Ba Ba Boom
Currently Watching: Skyfall

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Noa Ginella: Desert Alaia

Kaenon Polarized — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:08:21 +0000

Noa Ginella recently put together a new website NoaGinella.tv, loaded with video and first-hand accounts of his travels around the world. Check out his most recent post below, and visit his site for everything else. We can’t wait for the next installment….

From NoaGinella.tv:

“Here is a short edit I put together of my last trip to Abu Dhabi(UAE) where a SUP exhibition was held on the Wadi Adventure WavePool put on by the Watermans League. It has always been a dream of mine to surf / design a good wave-pool so when this event came up I was quick to say “count me in!” After watching footage of the wave pool on youtube prior to heading over there, I decided it would be crazy not to bring a few more toys with me to play with in the pool. Of those toys were my 7’6″ Naish SUP, a 5’10″ Short-board, a hand-board and fins, and my newly made 5’9″ Alaia(thanks to the help of Trent Johnson and Tommy Nellis).

Going there I wasn’t sure what to expect about the wave-pool but after catching my first few waves I was impressed. There were many wave shape options. A left point-break, right point-break, A-Frame, and close out, with a consistent ‘desert swell interval’ of a wave every 100seconds; the place never got old. Its the perfect place to fine tune your small wave surfing being that every wave that rolls through is pretty much identical.

After 3 long days of surfing the wave pool and riding every craft I brought with me, I decided that the wave was pretty epic for everything. For SUP, the pool was a blast and I really got to work on the different approach you need to take on sections; due to the large board size. Short-boarding and bodysurfing were also a bunch of fun on the pool except I only managed to ride a few waves on each. I must say though that the perfect craft for the pool(in my opinion) would have to be the Alaia. Since the waves were smallish and generating speed was somewhat difficult for the other boards, the Alaia excelled. With its perfectly flat bottom, creating little to no drag on the water, the Alaia was able to go lightning speed in the slower sections of the wave. For me, this was a blast.

I would love to go back one day with a group of friends and catch 100 of the same waves on each board. If that ever happens again, I will guarantee you that my Alaia will be right there with me. If anyone that reads this manages to go to this wave pool in the Middle East any time soon, I recommend throwing a plank of wood into your board-bag as-well. You wont regret it!

ALOHA!” – Noa Ginella

Pete Burling: Upcoming Stop at Qingdao

Kaenon Polarized — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:04:07 +0000

4/25/13

See a preview of the upcoming event on the Extreme Sailing Series Pete Burling and his team they make a stop in Qingdao, China. Pete will continue to compete against the competition with his Team Korea crew as he prepares for the Youth America’s Cup.

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Paige Alms’ New Video for Sanuk

Kaenon Polarized — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:28:18 +0000

Pro surfer Paige Alms recently put together a video for Sanuk, letting us in on her surf beginnings and plans to continue charging big waves like Jaws, Todos and Mavericks. See it all (and keep an eye out for Gauge!) in the video below:

Charlie Buckingham: Hyeres 2013 – Laser, Day 1 Recap

Kaenon Polarized — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:48:49 +0000

Charlie Buckingham is currently competing in Hyeres in the Laser class. Check out his Day 1 Recap, with all the highs and lows that come along with competition:

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Alabama Shakes Perform in the White House

Kaenon Polarized — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:20:41 +0000

Brittany Howard and Alabama Shakes recently performed at the White House for the President and other prominent members of his staff. It’s amazing to see how far the band has come as they continue to remain true to their roots.

“In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul” (on PBS) honored the memorable soul sounds from the mid- to late-1960s that came from Memphis, Tennessee and legendary labels like Stax-Volt Records, featuring artists such as Al Green, Mavis Staples, Ben Harper, Alabama Shakes and many more. The evening payed homage to Memphis, a segregated city in the 1960s where many whites and blacks nonetheless came together to make soulful music, a mix of gospel and potent rhythmic grooves – known today as “Memphis Soul.”

See Albama Shakes perform below, just after the 22 minute mark.

Brittany Howard wears the Kaenon 405 Optical Frame in Olive Cream.

Page Alms is an XXL Big Wave Award Nominee

Kaenon Polarized — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:58:15 +0000

Paige Alms is charging. And the surf industry is taking notice.

In the upcoming Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards, Paige is nominated for the Billabong Girl XXL Performance Award. If you haven’t watched the above video of Paige paddling into Jaw back in October, take a minute and check it out. Congratulations on the nomination, and good luck at the awards. You’ve got our vote.

Paige Alms wears Kaenon Eden sunglasses.

Pete Burling: After Singapore’s Extreme 40 Series Event

Kaenon Polarized — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:51:48 +0000

Pete Burling recently returned to New Zealand after a 6th place finish at the X40 event in Singapore. He quickly checked in with us to let us know how the event went and where he’s off to next:

What successes/disappointments did you face during the X40 event?
“We were a little off the pace for a few reasons, made the week pretty tough. Really frustrating when you put the boat in a good spot a don’t have the speed to hold it. And the speed problem is caused by the hardware.”

Where is your head at right now?
“Just got back to NZ, and we are putting our 49er campaign back together so I’m spending a lot of time on that.
Next up is Qingdao in the Extreme 40 before we’re off to Europe in the 49er.
Right now I’m off to pick up my new moth, before a few lectures at uni.”

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Will Tiller in Singapore – Extreme Sailing Series

Kaenon Polarized — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:40:13 +0000

Will Tiller checks in during the Extreme Sailing Series stop in Singapore on April 12.

Back to the Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Charlie Buckingham: An Injury in Palma

Kaenon Polarized — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:28:08 +0000

4/10/13

“I got injured on the final day of competition and had to go to a Spanish hospital to get eight stitches in my shin. The doctors, nurses and I cracked some smiles trying to speak broken English and Spanish to each other while I was getting treated in the hospital.

One of the hardest things to do as an athlete is to forgo training because of injury. For the next week, I’m not allowed to use my leg strenuously or go sailing as a precautionary measure to ensure my cut doesn’t open up or get infected while I’m over here. In the short term, idle time is hard to endure with stuff like this, but I need to put this in perspective and do what is right for the long term.” – Charlie Buckingham

Currents:
Listening: One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx (Listen Here)
Watching: Hoosiers
Reading: Sport Psychology

Charlie just completed competing at the ISAF World Cup Palma de Majorca where he finished 12th overall.

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Will Tiller: Selection Process

Kaenon Polarized — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:38:07 +0000

4/4/13

“After returning home a couple weeks ago from our month-long stint overseas with the RBYAC Selection Series and ESS Act 1, I have been taking it easy sailing wise. I competed with Mike Sanderson over the weekend in the Elliot 5.9 Nationals, I was in charge of ‘adventure land’ (Bow) and had a bit on just quietly. It was awesome racing and although we didn’t do as well as we had hoped with a 3rd place finish it was great event and so much fun to be involved with grass roots NZ sailing.” – Will Tiller

Currents:
Listening: Watch the Throne – Kanye West & Jay Z
Watching: Breaking Bad
Reading: Eating Dirt – Steve Gurney

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark

Charlie Buckingham: Recap of Palma de Majorca, Spain

Kaenon Polarized — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:36:04 +0000

Charlie Buckingham gives a recap of his event at Palma de Majorca, Spain on April 3.

Read more from the “Road to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup” here.

Share/Bookmark