We're expecting a strong turnout, so please RSVP by Tuesday 8/14 so we can roll out plenty of couches, food & beverages. Arrive early to get your 15% off shopping sticker, get your shopping done from 6pm-8pm, enter the raffle & score seats.  Registers close at 8pm.  See you there!

Join us for a Surf Movie Madness III at  Sports Basement's new 54,000 square foot Potrero Hill store on Bryant Street in the former Hamm's Brewery on Wednesday, August 15th.  Enjoy a fun night of gear shopping -- everything's 15% off -- plus microbrews, food and live music by the Lava Rats from 6pm-8pm.

At 8:15pm, head downstairs for a private film screening of the X-Dance 2007 standout,  CHASING THE LOTUS:  The Lost Reels of Weaver & Wills with director Gregory Schell ("The Far Shore") and producer Chris Bell, who will be on hand for Q&A.  We'll first kick off the screening with Roberto Vezzone's short documentary on local SF shaper Danny Hess and his eco-friendly line of  Hess Surfboards made from wood and sustainable materials.

Narrated by Jeff Bridges (a surfer himself), Chasing the Lotus is a documentary that examines the evolution of surf culture and surf discovery, as captured over the last 40 years by pivotal underground filmmakers, Greg Weaver and Spyder Wills.  See legends like Corky Carroll in Newport in 1965, Gerry Lopez discovering Bali for the first time, and never-before-seen Z Boys footage as Dogtown's Stacy Peralta tells where radical surfing really started. Our film staff will tell you this is a must-see film and a quintessential DVD for your surf movie library.
 
SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!  Arrive on the early side to check out Sports Basement's cool new store.  Mention Zuna Surf at check-in for your  *15% off everything* sticker.  Registers close at 8pm. 

With a purchase receipt of $20* or more, get free movie admission and be entered to win raffle prizes - including a movie DVD, gear from Carve Designs, and more!  (see rules below).  

Also, the Chasing the Lotus DVD will be available at the screening for $20 (normally $29.95).   More event info & film trailers follow below! 

Wednesday, August 15th, 6pm - 10pm
 
at Sports Basement - the new Potrero Hill Store
1590 Bryant St, San Francisco (between 15th & 16th St)
Tel: 415.437.0100

parking is plentiful  |  directions  | RSVP by Tuesday 8/14 advised

Please kindly RSVP by Tuesday, August 14 so we can ensure plenty o' beer, couches & food.

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Chasing the Lotus fuses rare super 8mm film, photo stills and contemporary interviews and delivers a rare, in-depth look at the evolution of surf culture and surf discovery.   Narrated by Jeff Bridges, the film captures not only some of the best surfers in virgin locations, but also the cultural movements that were emerging at the time. 

Chasing the Lotus won the best original score award at the 2007 LAT34 X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival.  For more, visit www.chasingthelotus.com

• Featured athletes/riders:  Gerry Lopez, Sunny Garcia, Rob Machado, Rory Russell, Peter King, Buttons, Chris Brown, Donavon Frankenreiter, Craig Peterson, Kevin Naughton, Stacy Peralta, Mark Occhilupo, Buddy Boy, Allen Sarlo, Ronnie Burns, Rick Griffin, Herbie Fletcher, Joey Cabell, Corky Carroll, Munga Barry, Wingnut, Joel Tudor, Steve Pezman and Randy Rarick.  Plus Tony Alva, Jay Adams and Joey Cabell.
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• Shot on location in:  California, Cabo San Lucas, Mauritius, Bali, Costa Rica, South Africa, Reunion Island, Secret Reef, Maui, North Shore and Westside Oahu.
   

• Music:  Chris Bell, Ithaka, Tim Bluhm

Film length: 88 minutes. 

Get the Chasing the Lotus DVD at the screening for $20. 
Or BUY'EM HERE: Chasing The Lotus DVD  and The Far Shore DVD

about Greg Schell & Chris Bell

Gregory Schell, also director of “The Far Shore,” is a graduate of UCSB and San Francisco State’s Film School. Chris Bell, producer and composer of music for the film, hails from Napa.   Schell moved to Ocean Beach in autumn '97 and surfed Ocean Beach, Fort Point, Pacifica and breaks north of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

"I have a healthy respect for the surfers up here who surf Ocean Beach. I couldn't believe how much water was moving around and how large the waves were in the winter swells.  Having surfed OB, Fort Point, Pacifica and breaks north of Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Area seems like the polar opposite of the Southern California/Beach Boys surfing experience that I was used to.  But I came to love those early morning, fog-laden trips through the redwood groves into remote surfing spots.  Northern California is a true frontierland with a rugged coastline that beckons the hearty surf adventurer," noted Schell.

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“Greg Schell excavates the brilliance of two of surfing's most important and perhaps most underrated filmmakers, Greg Weaver and Spyder Wills. From LSD dropping into Laguna Canyon to Buttons in Costa Rica, it's classic. Don't miss it...legendary."

- Scott Bass – Surfer Magazine

"Filmmaker Gregory Schell has a talent for turning scraps of lost history into riveting narratives... Seriously high grade surf documentarism." 

- Nathan Myers - Surfing Magazine

Chasing the Lotus photos courtesy of Greg Schell

Sports Basement is one of our all-time favorite gear stores. The new mega 54,000 square-foot store has just about everything you need for outdoor fun and fitness, whether you're going surf camping, cross-training, or heading to the mountains.   They carry many of the brands you love, including BodyGlove, Burton, NorthFace,  Ugg, Teva, Dakine, Pearl Izumi, Asics, Shimano,  Timbuk2, Hind, Salomon, Thule, Marika, Isis, Petzl, ClifBar and tons more.  

Be sure to check out ocean-influenced footwear from O'Neill, Sanuk, Simple Shoes, and Olukai...and women should check out surf apparel by Carve Designs and Lole's great summer skirts and tanks. 

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Check out more about the Lava Rats' Bill Bergstrom, Rodd Escobar and Taylor Still here:  www.thelavarats.com

Carve Designs, an apparel company focused on water wear, apres-surf, and lifestyle collections for women, is now available at Sports Basement.  Founded by San Francisco surfers Thayer Sylvester and Jen Baker,  Carve Designs is determined to push the boundaries of women's outdoor apparel and prove that functional can be fashionable and well-fitting.   The clothes are designed to be as inspirational and versatile as the women who wear them while carving their life paths.