~SOUTHEAST BLAH BLAHS••• •Where do we start with all the Kelly Slater news? First, in February, RVCA announced that The Champ had teamed up with ANP artist Kevin Ancell on a new surfboard collection called #ThePod that paid homage both to fallen friends like Todd Chesser and to cetaceans currently held in captivity. The collection debuted at Pow! Wow! Hawaii on February 13th. In March, rumors started rumbling that Slater would purchase a controlling stake in Firewire Surfboards, followed by an announcement later in the month that Pottery Barn would team up with King Kelly for a sustainably sourced line of decorations for teens. Then, Kelly's name was thrown into the hat for the inaugural Icons Cup 2015, an international all-star golf tournament featuring athletes like Ken Griffey Jr., Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Savannah, GA's, Doug Simpson with his latest Fin Sciences creation Ray Allen. And let's not even get into April Fool's Day, when REAL Watersports broke the Internet by announcing the Kelly Slater Wave Company pool would be coming to Cape Hatteras - and Slater himself dropped a last-minute lnstagram joke about how the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach would be his last CT contest ever. Thanks for always keeping us on our toes, Kelly. •Big ups to New Smyrna Beach charger Devon Tresher for translating his lifelong commitment to all things surf into a visual merchandising and marketing job for Reef. •In other industry news, Stacy Moser and Doug Simpson of Fin Sciences relocated recently from San Diego, CA, to Savannah, GA, where they've put their low-drag, highperformance, double-foil fins to the test on local waterways. Inspired by boat keels and packing patented Winglet Technology, Fin Sciences boasts a wide range of fins for SUPs, shortboards, and longboards. Find out more at FinSciences.com. •The Cinco de Mayo Longboard Pro will return to N. Packery Channel in Corpus Christi, TX, on May 1st-3rd. Visit CincoDeMayolongboardPro.com for more info. •Liquid Tube Surf Shop owner Eduardo Oropeza checked in after a team trip to the Dominican Republic in February, when he and his crew explored some little-known spots and lucked into overhead glass for the duration of their journey. Look up the shop at LiquidTube.com and 1ell 'em ESM sent you. •A wide variety of female Puerto Rican artists gathered for the "Sea of Art" exhibit, held on February 28th at Tuluum Restaurante & Tequila Bar in lsabela. On hand were Shannon Mcintyre, Diana Vazquez Rivera, Rachel Tanner, Maria Kuzmovich, Yvette Rosado Creach, Fiore DeCastro, Lacy LaShe Gibson, Jana Marie, and Farideh Fell, among others. •The ESA-North Central Florida Chapter dropped some big news in March, when they announced major sponsorship from Fiat of Daytona Beach. Other fresh ESA-NCFL sponsors include Nectar Sunglasses, Waves Of Love, Witches Rock Surf Camp in Costa Rica, Chilly Surf Industries, and Aloha Plumbing. All of that support is being maximized for the chapter's Nica Challenge, AKA the Battle of the Americas, scheduled for July 20th-25th at Popoyo. The first qualifier for that major event was held on March 21st, preceded by a 2014 awards ceremony on March 7th that honored big winners like Braeden Kopec, Rachael Kopec, ESA-North Central Florida Chapter celebrates the 2014 season Gavin Silver, Bill Whatley, Lily while kicking off 2015 Whatley, Josh LaSalle, Kiely Gregor, George Alfred, Frank Gilday, Eric Worley, Willey Gilreath, Starr Gilreath, and Eddie Clements. •Thanks to South Carolina photographer Cary McDonald for sending us photos of the 4th Annual Ocean Surf Shop Ice Box Challenge, which went down in late February at The Washout in Folly Beach. Between McDonald's images and Ocean Surf Shop manager Bates Hagood's input, we were proud to compile a Fight Club report on the contest, which was won by Kyle Busey, Jenny Brown, and McHenry Jackson with other solid performances by Erik Kirby, Evan Tanner, and William Davis. Check full results at EasternSurf.com . •Even bigger ups go out to Bates Hagood for pointing another Palmetto State photographer, Paul Mulkey, in our direction . •14-year-old Central Florida longboarder Saxon Wilson checked in with a raft of new sponsors, including Neilson Surfboards, Wellen Clothing, Core Surf Shop, Rainbow Fin Company, and Matuse Wetsuits. Saxon's style game is already on lock, so we're excited to see how he progresses in the years to come. •Cory Lopez received an invite to the 4th Allianz Perfect Chapter Annual Powered By Billabong one-day barrelriding contest, held February 20th at Carcavelos, Portugal. Frequent CT wildcard Bruno Santos emerged victorious. •Big ups to the International Surfing Association for welcoming Haiti into the fold as the 94th member of the ISA. Since its formation in 2011, Surf Haiti has used surfing to contribute to the country's social and economic redevelopment. A relationship with ISA will only further that goal. Find out more at Facebook.com/SurfHaiti. •South Carolina native Nate Dorman spent a good chunk of his winter and early spring chasing the WSL Qualifying Series grind in Australia. Good on Nate for following South Carolina's Nate Dorman goes big in the his dreams while also squeezing in a little Land Down Under a: ;