60 seconds with Dragon’s Den contestant and inventor of the Ollypop surf aid, Olly Daglish:
Essex boy Olly got into surfing after studying International Business at Plymouth University in the nineties. Olly got the idea for his invention the Ollypop towel whilst working at a Cornish surf school. Constantly telling pupils to practice their pop up technique at home by taping lines on the carpet to mark where hands and feet should go, Olly’s brainwave was towel to help beginners get to their feet correctly. Ollypop is the only surf product to be showcased on the hugely popular Dragon’s Den. Although the TV investment bid was unsuccessful, Ollypop has been endorsed by the British Surfing Association! Olly’s local break is Trebarwith, and if he’s not surfing you’ll find him working - rumour has it he has another invention in the pipeline.
Here are Olly’s answers to questions on the BA surfboard ban:
1. Besides the obvious ‘inconveniences’ of flying with alternative airlines, do you believe the ban will impact significantly upon the industry?
It could change the industry quite dramatically, and if other airlines follow suit then it would be disastrous. I’m sure mass board manufacturers such as Surftech would benefit by setting up hire stations around the globe so that you can hire the same board shape and size abroad. But this in turn would ruin local board shapers and that would be bad for the industry. Plus what about travelling pros? I can’t imagine Kelly Slater charging Pipe on a hire board!
2,Do you think charging for boards would be a fair solution?
Only if they also charged for golf bags, bikes and other oversized luggage. If the problem is arising as a result of costs from damaged board claims then I think the best solution would be to train the baggage handlers to handle surfboards with care, or even fine them if caught taking out their frustration on poor innocent surfboards! Some airlines in Oz make you sign a disclaimer before flying absolving them of any responsibility for damaged boards, which on the face of it seems unfair but is a far better solution to an outright ban.
Essex boy Olly got into surfing after studying International Business at Plymouth University in the nineties. Olly got the idea for his invention the Ollypop towel whilst working at a Cornish surf school. Constantly telling pupils to practice their pop up technique at home by taping lines on the carpet to mark where hands and feet should go, Olly’s brainwave was towel to help beginners get to their feet correctly. Ollypop is the only surf product to be showcased on the hugely popular Dragon’s Den. Although the TV investment bid was unsuccessful, Ollypop has been endorsed by the British Surfing Association! Olly’s local break is Trebarwith, and if he’s not surfing you’ll find him working - rumour has it he has another invention in the pipeline.
Here are Olly’s answers to questions on the BA surfboard ban:
1. Besides the obvious ‘inconveniences’ of flying with alternative airlines, do you believe the ban will impact significantly upon the industry?
It could change the industry quite dramatically, and if other airlines follow suit then it would be disastrous. I’m sure mass board manufacturers such as Surftech would benefit by setting up hire stations around the globe so that you can hire the same board shape and size abroad. But this in turn would ruin local board shapers and that would be bad for the industry. Plus what about travelling pros? I can’t imagine Kelly Slater charging Pipe on a hire board!
2,Do you think charging for boards would be a fair solution?
Only if they also charged for golf bags, bikes and other oversized luggage. If the problem is arising as a result of costs from damaged board claims then I think the best solution would be to train the baggage handlers to handle surfboards with care, or even fine them if caught taking out their frustration on poor innocent surfboards! Some airlines in Oz make you sign a disclaimer before flying absolving them of any responsibility for damaged boards, which on the face of it seems unfair but is a far better solution to an outright ban.
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