Easter Bunnies and Surf Monkeys


The egg hunt is on at Monkey Cove! Every day this week, Easter eggs will be hidden across the four sims that make up the Monkey Cove area. While you hunt for eggs, you may want to explore what Monkey Cove has to offer. Two of the four sims are dedicated solely to surfing. You'll find a rolling four-panel epic running 3/4 of the epic sim and unbelievable pipes 2/3 of the sim wide and running 95% of the pipe sim.



Monkey Cove has a new market place opening April 1st to join the surf shop that's been open almost a month featuring Analog, Reaction, Namiko and SSI. Be sure to stop in for your free seashells and grab some board wax while you're there! The residential section is almost full, but you'll find some choice spots still available. And Monkey Cove's new live music stage will be opening this week featuring the newest and best of SL live music. Be sure to visit this week and find those eggs! Monkey Cove, Syx (55, 92, 22). Contact Syx Toshi for more information.
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SURF JAM RESULTS

Socks and Desi Knock Colleen Down a Peg!

Photos courtesy Colleen Brennan
Surf Results and photos courtesy VW Sands














After winning 4 Surf Jams in a row, Colleen Brennan's first place streak was ended by the excellent surfing of Desi Beaumont and Socks Clawtooth who tied for first. Colleen took a close second place and O'Neill Auer took a tight third. Kim Henig took high score of the event with a 17.50 in the 4th preliminary heat, giving her a place in the semi finals. In describing his winning combos, Socks stated, "On my last wave, I went from far pipe to close pipe and just as I hit the end of my run, I hopped onto the hammock (smiles)...VERY intentional. It's SJ - it's all good."
Final Results:

First place tie - Desirae Beaumont - 16.50
Socks Clawtooth - 16.50

Second place - Colleen Brennan - 16.00

Third place - O'Neill Auer - 15.50














Congratulations to the finalists and all the participants!









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Reflections on a Founder...

by Abel Halderman, special correspondent


Once in awhile, a great idea appears. Once in awhile, a great person makes it happen. It takes courage to do it, but at the same time, it gives a lot of satisfaction to the people involved. When I first met Barchan Paderborn, I didn't know who he was. During our first conversation, it became clear to me that he was a real journalist, even if only in SL. He had that "thing".




Do you know who was the first person that made Team Tsunami think that having their own beach was not just wishful thinking? Yes, it was Barc. His help with this is impossible to overrate. I found myself trying, along with my teammates, to develop a surf beach. And after we created it, Barc was there again, but this time as an objective journalist writing a story about a nice beach and a new team.

Since then, a lot of things have changed for me, both in RL and SL. The organization I belong to, the SLSA, has changed, too. Barc remained the same: devoted to his mission and extremely professional. He gave all of us a lot of excitement when we read his stories. He motivated some of the most talented people in SL to write about SL surfing. While he always had his own opinions about what was going on, he stayed objective in all his stories. It's a model all journalists admire.


Thank you, Barchan Paderborn. We will try to continue your mission.


(Editor's note: Barchan Paderborn founded SurfWatch and continues to advise and participate in the operations.)
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SLSA Round 2 Results



Round 2 of the SLSA Santa Teresa Comp finished in a record 5.5 hours, with 2 of 3 on the podium surfing their way in thru the new Round 1 competition format. The overall champ and 2nd place both surfed in thru the Round 1 qualifying round. A total of 55 competitors surfed a total of 9 hours in the Round 1 and Round 2 events held on two consecutive Saturdays, including 10 different officials staffing the events. There was plenty of excitement and involvement by members of the surf community spreading across both Round 1 and Round 2. Sally LaSalle, SLSA Director, summed it up, "It has been a full-on team effort by everyone, outside the Board as well. I think that the story of this comp for me has been all the contributions!" Congratulations to the winners of today's event and all the surfers and officials who helped make it a success!


Top Round 2 Finishers:


1. Sexyboy Oh - 17.333


2. Bobbi Laval - 16.667


3. Desirae Beaumont - 16.500


4. Wilfrid DeCuir - 16.333


4. Socks Clawtooth - 16.333


6. Sunrize Mornington - 16.000


7. Bonheur Chenaux - 15.667
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St. Pat's Pro-Am: Socks Jigs his way to Victory!



reported by Colleen Brennan

Special Correspondent



WOI (West of Ireland), a non-profit organization that benefits Project Children, hosted this first St. Pat's Pro-Am Surf Competition held at Neart on Friday, March 20. Analog and Bounty Reef sponsored this exciting and closely matched event, combining 18 pro surfers and amatuer surfers. The new surfers hung with the pros and no one was far off the mark on scores. And the big winner, with surfers and spectators donating over 6KL , was Project Children.

RESULTS:

Pro:
Socks Clawtooth - 26.4
Kimmy Jigsaw - 25.2
WickedV Carver - 25.1
Blood Klotzel - 24.6
Triston Mayo - 24.1
SweetCajan Voom - 24
Mojo Manamiko - 22.3
Following Waves - 20.8
Rick Galli - 16.8
Am:

Asyah Thorne - 25.8
Velvetori Twine - 24.9
Sienna Velinov - 24.2
Michael Pelazzi - 24.1
Corey2 Beck - 23.8
Loken Jewell - 23
Conall McGinnis - 22.3
Sparrow Letov - 20.8
LuckyMoon Jiagu - 20.6
Congratulations to all the surfers who participated in tonight's event and the organizers and officials who made it such a success!



















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Down Memory Lane:

Heat Draws from the very First SLSA Competition

(provided courtesy Colleen Brennan)



Heat 1

Polysilox Apogee

Jhuriel Hax

Sunbeam Jewell

Samyjo Ah

Thor Bishop



Heat 2

Mishy Damask

Bobbi Laval

Colleen Brennan

Tightline Kidd

Gypsie Summers



Heat 3

Craig Stallion

Rani Decosta

Frankie Miles

Idios Kappler

Benjamin Curtiss



Heat 4

Fireboy889 Kingsford

Desne Aabye

Hunter Cortes

Oroonie Oh

Ritch Goalpost



Heat 5

Christine Daffodil

Portia Roelofs

DeVinna Toll

Kathy Heberle

And the winner is:

1. Tightline Kidd (Editor's note: ended up Season Champion the first SLSA season)
2. Frankie Miles
3. DeVinna Toll
4. Craig Stallion
5. Thor Bishop
6. Ritch Goalpost
7. Colleen Brennan
8. Samyjo Ah
9. Oroonie Oh
10. Christine Daffodil
11. Mishy Damack
12. Juriel Hax
13. Bobbi Laval
14. Gypsie Summers
15. Rani Decosta
16. Kathy Heberle
17. Polysilox Apogee
18. Hunter Cortes
19. Idios Kappler
20. Sunbeam Jewel
21. Desne Aabye
22. Benjamin Curtis
23. Fireboy889 Kingsford
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High On a Wave

With Season 1 of the SLSA 2009 competition surf circuit in full swing, new surfers will be looking for advice on how a competition works and how to win, and veteran surfers will be trying to hone their edge. There are any number of classes, training opportunities, coaches, and sources of advice on a number of beaches. Spot a distinctive straw beach hat out in the distance, head towards it, and you'll find Mick Lunasea under that hat, sitting on his board, available to train anyone in need of learning or refreshing their surf skills.

Mick, a former director with the SLSA and long time RL and SL surfer, has been running informal training sessions for going on two years. He does this absolutely free of charge, just to help surfers and the surf community. It first started as a new surfer class but quickly evolved into adding the element of competition prep. Mick discovered helping entry level competition surfers get comfortable with the process - where to go, what to expect - had the benefit of calming the surfers on competition day and helped the competitions themselves run smoother.

As a testament to how well his classes are doing the trick, Sunrize Mornington and WickedV Carver - two of his prized pupils - were ranked 7th and 9th respectively after 2008 Season 2 competition circuit. SurfWatch recently caught up with some of Mick's pupils to discover the secret of Mick's coaching success. WickedV said a critical lesson she learned early on from Mick was control of the surfbaord and how to maneuver. One of the most important lessons she felt he taught her was to never get frustrated and always have a great time. He also taught her how to flip, how to crouch, how to go faster and how to make turns without bellying - lessons any surfer would agree to be valuable.

Sunrize Mornington added that he showed her how critical it is to keep the mini map up. He also talked about staying with the wave, crouching, and turning. After observing a student surf, he follows up with specific input and encouragement. She said Mick stresses to slow down if you get ahead of the wave and stay high on the wave. He ends the class with a Q&A session, taking as long as he needs to answer each question fully so his students come away with a thorough understanding. Bo Ohmai, new to surfing altho coming from a long simboarding background, said it was so helpful to learn from Mick how surf competitions work in terms of waiting in the line up for the marshall to put you in a wave.

So if you're new to surfing and want to know the secrets of successfully riding the waves, or if you're a veteran who wants to brush up on their skills, look for a straw beach hat floating in the distance and head on over. Odds are Mick can show you how to stay high on a wave.

Contact Mick directly to schedule a time for a lesson.
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SLSA Round 1 Format First Impressions

The changes to the SLSA competition format (editors note: see SW 3-12-09 SLSA New Competition Format) made an impression on the surfers competing at the event. SurfWatch caught up with some of the competitors, seasoned and new, to get their impressions.

Bobbi Laval currently ranked 3rd in the SLSA rankings after Season 2, 2008, and advancing to the next round of competition:

I had a great day yesterday. The qualifier and new formula worked great. It was all over in less than 3 hours. People actually hung out after the comp and danced and chatted. At the end of a 7, 8, 9 hour day, that just wasn't happening. It was almost like in the old days where there was always a big after-party following the comp. The new formula, the seeding, seemed to work great. A little element of luck, but mostly the top scores are moving on to next Saturday. I feel bad for Pova. He surfed well and is not moving on, but I think only one or two out of the top 10 scores did not move on. Running in the last heat, I was expecting more lag than there was. I think the restarts helped, especially the restart right before the comp.
Locksley Blitzstein currently ranked 44th in the SLSA rankings after Season 2, 2008, and not advancing to the next round of competition:
I think the new format gives more people a chance to compete and that is good. However, a bit more notice would have been nice! Also, many people may have a hard time coming up with two Saturdays every month to devote to competition.



Pova Rustamova, Season 1 2008 Grand Champion and currently ranked 4th after Season 2, 2008, and not advancing to the next round of competition:
I'm very happy with the new layout. It shortens the time required for the day to compete. Yeah, it requires a two weekend commitment, but you can work it out because the time constraints are easier. I also like it cause it will allow more people to participate for this reason. The only thing I think the SLSA can improve on is letting the riders know how they score during the competition. The judges' scores are tallied at the end of each ride. That gives you an idea of how they are scoring. It also gives you an idea of where you stand - a go-for-broke ride or a conservative ride.
Kimmy Jigsaw, co-founder of the SLSA, currently ranked 44th after Season 2, 2008, and not advancing to the next round of competition:
I am very happy with the amount of surfers per heat. And if we can rip out that many surfers in such a minimal amount of time (compared to other comps), I say, open the comps to 60 people and no more prelims. It went very good as far as time.



Robbin Ember, currently a Director with the SLSA and ranked 21st after Season 2, 2008, and not advancing to the next round of competition:
It was great the way that it worked, and I really hope everyone agrees, less time and a great line up. I just hope that everyone still comes out next week to support and cheer for their teammates and favorites and, more importantly, have a good time. I know I will be there, and it will be a great time, a Big and Rich, good time (giggles).
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RESULTS OF MARCH 14 SLSA ROUND 1 COMPETITION

The results of today's Round 1 Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) competition and the surfers moving ahead to the main event next Saturday 21 March 2009:

HEAT 1
SexyBoy Oh: 13.83 points
Robin Mapp: 13.00 points

HEAT 2
Abel Halderman: 14.16 points
Bo Ohmai: 11.83 points

HEAT 3
VW Sands: 15.16 points
Mathews Bluebird: 13.66 points

HEAT 4
Triston Mayo: 15.16 points
Wilfrid DeCuir: 14.66 points

HEAT 5
Bobbi Laval: 16.83 points
Dixson Martian: 14.00 points

Congratulations to the surfers who participated today, the finalists moving on to the semi final heats next Saturday and the SLSA for the successful new format for competitions! (Refer to the SLSA website for all the scores from all the competitors.)
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SURFING CALENDAR

To see the latest updates on surf competitions and beach events, click on the "Surfing Calendar" link along the right side of the page - new events are being added all the time!
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SLSA SEEKING SPONSORSHIPS

The SLSA is currently seeking sponsorships for 2009 surf season. The sponsorships pay for various expenses the SLSA incurs, but the bulk of the funds goes to pay surfers placing in the top ranked positions and officials to work the competitions. The program also benefits retailers, venues, performers, etc. in giving them a place to advertise their product with high exposure - the SLSA currently has close to 500 members and growing, and the involvement of SL surfers on a recreational level is estimated to be in the thousands.

The sponsorship program for the SLSA is set up with 3 different levels of sponsorship: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each level effects price and exposure. With the new Surf In/Main Event competition format, the sponsors now get double exposure for the same price as the original sponsorship. Sponsorship provides banner placement at the events, live DJ announcements of your product, and logo placement on the website sponsor page. For program details, refer to the SLSA website. Or contact any SLSA director to explain the program to you.
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SLSA NEW COMPETITION FORMAT

This Saturday the SLSA will roll out their new competition format with the Playa Santa Teresa event at Pacifico Norte taking place as a Round One "surf in" or "qualification" or "preliminary" competitition. The top 10 surfers move on to compete for 10 open spots in the Saturday, March 21, competition also at Playa Santa Teresa. Surfers in the top 20 SLSA ranking are already guaranteed a spot in the March 21 event and are not required to surf this Saturday.

56 surfers signed up during the registration window for this SLSA competition. The top 20 will not compete in Round One, so this Saturday will have 36 surfers competing to fill those 10 open slots for the following Saturday, competing against the SLSA ranked top 20. There will be no semi final or final heats - just the initial qualification heats of 3 waves each. This format serves to allow more surfers to compete and cut the competition time to a reasonable level.

In addition, this format enables the top 20 ranked surfers to participate in officiating an event at the Surf In, and surfers who did not qualify to participate the following Saturday, spreading the tasks of judging, marshalling, security and MC amongst the surfing population. Trainees will be shadowing officials at this preliminary competition to learn the behind-the-scenes of how to perform these vital functions.

For more details on the new competition format, refer to the SLSA website.
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Boneyard Buried in Unstable Economy

Sudden loss stirs up wave of surprise in community.

by Ashleigh Dickins



Fog rolls over Boneyard's Surf Shack as the waves crash on the deadly rocks.

It appears as though most of the surf community must know by now about the Boneyard's closing earlier this year. It came as quite the shock, sending ripples through group chats as surfers questioned what had happened, where the SLSA Hall of Fame could now be found, and what about the Reaction store.

SurfWatch sat down with Radical Twang, owner of both Boneyard and Reaction and prominent surf community member,to get the scoop on this shocking development!

Surf Watch: It recently has come to the community's attention that Boneyard is no more. Is it safe to assume it's a casualty of the unstable economy?

Radical Twang: In a way no, in a way yes; it's more the fact of lack of interest. It seems not as many people are as interested in the same activities they were before. I had new career options, my social life keeps getting bigger and bigger, which has led me to no time for Boneyard. I didn't feel the need to keep investing $300.00 USD a month for it, if I'm barely even going to be on it to update it, let alone maintaining Reaction to keep increasing profits to maintain, add new things, even finish things. Reaction still makes profit, but with less headaches.

SW: The Reaction and Reaction Girl main store has been relocated back to Alternation. What are your plans for the future of the stores?

RT: Unfortunately, the only future plans are leading towards selling or just simply closure. Due to lack of time, I can't create anything new for Reaction, but I'd still like for my creations to keep inspiring, therefore I left it up in Alternation.

SW: In addition to the store, Boneyard also hosted a great and innovative surf break, the Boneyard Surf Shack hangout, and the Hall of Fame. Are any of these also moving to Alternation, though perhaps in a smaller incarnation?

RT: Unfortunately no; I really have no time to try build or add new implementations. So at the moment, I just at least want to keep Reaction there for everyone. I did offer to put the Hall of Fame on my roof, though, since Boneyard used to be the only place with the up-to-date version.

(SurfWatch Note: Craig Stallion currently is the head of the Hall of Fame, and can be contacted for information on how to place a copy of the most current version on your property.)

SW: The style of the surf break with the scripted rocks was poised to be the next big thing. What possessed you to come up with and execute this amazing idea?

RT: I wanted something new and different, and wanted to be known for bringing in such a unique style. No one had thought of making a reef break, yet they're so common. You read and see a lot of people getting torn up because of wiping out on the reef. I wanted to do something like it at Boneyard, but with a twist to it, which lead me to think up the rocky obstacle course. That way it was also something extra for the “pros;” something you actually needed skill for, not just a bit of luck with catching a wave and spinning along it. I had spoken with Heather to get it done. She came and played around with the scripting while I was finishing up Boneyard. She did an awesome job, and the feedback I got was always awesome; especially the ones who declared me being an evil prick (laughs). It's good to see there's a few following my trend and really did get inspiration from my ideas, too.

SW: Comparing the opening of Boneyard to the closing, what kind of emotions were involved in this, and how has the experience changed you?

RT: The opening was an exciting but stressful thing. I wanted to have Boneyard opened a month after purchase, yet I had no idea how I was going to make it. I had made a pre-model, though it never turned out the same. It turned out 10 times better. I kind of just kept experimenting as I built. I had a few ideas and wanted to try to make them work. Getting everyone's reactions to the opening was an awesome feeling.

When I came to decide to close it, I was hesitant at first. Boneyard was my pride and joy. It was the most unique beach spot. Though I had to do what I felt was needed, I didn't want to have massive news flying around everywhere and 100 people whispering in my ear not to close it. So I did it fairly discreetly, telling only a few people. I got what I wanted for it fairly quickly, too. Since Boneyard has been gone, it's as if I have a lot more free time on my hands.

QUENCH Spotter narrowly misses a rock shortly after Boneyard's opening.

SW: What is your favorite memory of the sim?

RT: SLSA's competition at Boneyard would have to be one of my favorites. Seeing tons of surfers practicing day after day, constantly trying to find the best path through the rocks; them swearing at me for making those rocks, and everyone giving me so much good and fun feedback on Boneyard. People were coming together, and I had my visions of Boneyard complete. Everyone was having a blast.


SW: What advice would you give to the residents looking to own a place like Boneyard of their own?

RT: Do something unique that will cause you to have regulars. If you have an idea, don't be afraid to use it. A successful place comes from originality, though have it all themed. A lot of places can have a lot of everything everywhere. If everything is easily accessible, people will enjoy exploring.

SW: You've been a big influence in the way the surf scene has been shaped, from your apparel and gear to your time as a SLSA director. What can we expect from your future?

RT: I keep thinking maybe I should invest that time and get Heather to finish scripting the quad wing boards. The sculpt is the smoothest and most unique surfboard sculpt I ever made, along with ultra sharp styled fins to go with it. I'd just need to get Heather to finish the scripting and release the 9 designs I already have. Though I think that would be the last release I'd do, so I'd want to see the surf community pulling through hard for me to release those.

SW: Any last comments?

RT: Sorry to anyone who misses Boneyard, though. I miss it. too. It was my pride and joy.

General comments in the surf community indicate Boneyard is missed, and many are pulling hard for those quad wing boards to come through. SurfWatch will keep you posted on any updates on the development of those long awaited boards.

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PCX TANDEM COMP RESULTS


FINAL HEAT RESULTS:

1. Triston Mayo - Sexyboy Oh: 15.33 points
2. Socks Clawtooth - VW Sands: 13.33 points
3. Buffy Munro - Abel Halderman: 12.83 points
4. WickedV Carver - Quench Spotter: 12.67 points

Congratulations to the finalists and to all the competitors in this very challenging and unique event!

Photo courtesy of Colleen Brennan
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NEW SLSA DIRECTOR BOARD SEATED

The March 1, 2009, Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) election produced a newly elected Board combining some familiar faces with some new faces. SurfWatch recently caught up with them to get their goals for their coming terms:

VW Sands was re-elected for another six month term. Sands has been a staple on the Second Life surf scene, inducted into the Second Life Surfing Hall of Fame just after last season and hosting and judging surf comps for the nearly two years he's been in Second Life. He's the owner of Vibrations Surf Alliance and Vibes surf team, and the estate manager of the now dissolved Bishara Estates and the new Mori Pwani/Tuli surf beaches. He states, "My main goal for the upcoming season is to restore some of the spirit that we seem to have lost, encourage sportsmanship and fair play, stress FUN and try and get us back to the simple things we love about Second Life surfing."

Albel Halderman is new to the Board for a six month term, altho not new to the Second Life surf scene. Halderman was a founder of Team Tsunami and involved in the development of the Livestrong set of sims and the old Tsunami beach sim. Regarding his new Board position, Halderman states, "I am new on the Board, but all the directors that have been serving for a long time welcomed the new directors - Robbin and myself - in a very nice way. The current directors are very open minded. I enjoy participating in what is happening in the SLSA and trying to help with making things work and improve. It's a great challenge for me. The SLSA's main goal is to promote surfing. In order to do that in an effective way, we need to make it more open to people which means let more people compete. That's the first and main thing."

Carennah Ku and Mick Lunasea left the Board, unable to complete their six month terms for personal reasons and requiring the SLSA to hold a bi-election to fill the remaining three months of their terms.

Colleen Brennan served a previous term as an SLSA Director, serving as an advisor before being re-elected to fill an incompleted three month term. She has been involved with the start up of GR Board, a prominent surf team in the 2007 season, and later helped found Team Tsunami. She, along with Bobbi Laval (long time surf champion), are the only two competitors who have surfed in every single SLSA competition since it's inception. With an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the SLSA, Colleen wants to deal with the pressing issues of competition registrations, the ongoing challenges of sponsorship, competition judging and allowable board scripts (editors note: look for more in-depth coverage with Colleen later in SurfWatch on these issues). Brennan states, "The absolute most important thing I can hope to accomplish, tho, is getting us through a season and having most people think, 'that was fun - I had a good time surfing with my friends.'"

Robbin Ember is new to the Board, elected to fill an incompleted three month term. She had been involved with the now dissolved Cornish Surf Team and the Montego surf team and is still involved with the development of Montego Beach at Sands Point. Ember states, "I guess that I have no preset goals except to realize the issues that need to be addressed and then listen to the advice and opinion of the members and implement the best and most effective alternatives, and hopefully promote and give back to the community that has given me so much in such a short time."

A familiar face remaining on the Board to complete the final three months of her current six month term, Sally LaSalle has been involved in Second Life surfing since the very first competition which was held at her island of Chi back on March 24, 2007. Sally was inducted into the Second Life Surfer Hall of Fame in December 2007. Her involvement has included design and development of the surf competition judging HUD and judging at virtually every SLSA event since the SLSA was formed. LaSalle states, "I would like to accomplish world peace and solve world hunger and world climate stabilization (grins). But realistically, I would like to see a painless path for the association to grow along so that more people can enjoy and have fun with surfing, but with less stress on the organizers. I think that the newly elected Board is a great mix of personalities and viewpoints, representing all the members, and also a good mix of experience and new blood. So I'm looking forward to a fun season with lots of people in the mix, and most important, some great surfing!!"

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URL: SLSA
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