TSJ member John Ravitch sent me this great link to a set of
online videos called "The Evolution of Skateboarding". From 1965 to
2008, a nice look at skateboarding's history.
Man Stabbed Self To Keep Job...The 27-year-old Denver man, a
Blockbuster employee, was skateboarding yesterday afternoon when he
fell and ripped his uniform pants. ...the rest of the story.
Skateboarding Hall of Fame Inducts First Class. See the
wrap-up at Mark Water's site Skatepunk.com
Viva La Costa...If you skated slalom in the
1970's, you know the Mecca for slalom were the legendary hills of
La Costa. It's where racing was born and refined by the likes of
Hester, Yandall, Schufeldt, Piercy, Schaub, Ryan, Highes,
Skoldberg, Dootson and many others. On December 5th the La
Costa Boys reunion will take place in Carlsbad. How many times in
one's life you do you get a chance to race and rub elbows with
legends? All the details are right here.
As skateboarders I'm sure members of TSJ will appreciate
Swift.Silent.Deep the first true historical
documentation of hardcore ski bum culture in North America.
Pros inducted into Skateboarding Hall of Fame...Logan, Alva, Hawk and Way. The Inaugural
celebration and fundraiser to honor and induct pro skateboarders
from four decades. Tickets now available.
The Great TSJ Treasure Hunt. We have a winning answer. The
wheels are hidden at the classic California surf spot
Rincon. The winner of the Oranatang Free Rides is Pops
Arnold. You can find a review of previous clues here.
THE ALLI SHOW TO PREMIERE ON MTV2 THIS
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th At 11PM EST Seven-Episode Series Will
Feature a Look into Lives of Action Sports Athletes
GS Outlaw at Poway Pump Station Results 1st Richy Carrasco
2nd Brent Kosick 3rd Jonny Miller 4th Lynn Kramer
Russ Pope Interview...I use to haul Russ to
skateboard contests back in the 1980s, and flow him wheels when I
was working as the Kryptonics promo guy.
A couple of days ago I was talking with skateboarding historian
Dale Smith and he said that I should check out Sk8face.com. And I'm glad I did, now it's your
turn. SK8FACE is a feature film about the evolution of skateboard
graphics, watch the trailer here.
Skate
Like a Girl is teaming up with Skirtboarders and Girls Riders
Organization in NYC for Halloween! Details.
The guys over at Sporting-Sails sent me one of their units to try
out...stay tuned for test ride report.
1960's Skateboarding Great Danny Bearer Has Passed Away. He
was an Original Makaha and Hobie team rider, as well as being
skateboarding's first International Champion. More about Danny.
Skateboarding's History in Graphics...Artist Sean Cliver has
published "The Disposable Skateboard Bible," a coffee-table
book that documents five decades of skateboard graphics. Check the
slideshow on the Wall Street Journal website.
Update...here's a link to the WSJ interview.
TSJ member Dave Cornthwaite is about to embark on his next
adventure...The Great Big Paddle. Dave's the chap who
skateboarded across Australia a few years ago.
TSJ member Palmer has a great interview in the newest issue
of Juice Magazine, he mentions co-TSJ members Stubbs and Ronny Ripper in the piece. Thanks to Stone Bennett for the tip!
Downhill Sliding Lessons from the folks at Purple Skunk
A lil' bird from Loaded let me know The New Yellow 86a Freeride
wheels will be shipping mid to late next week - expect to seem them
in shops around October 5th. First available in the 75mm Durian
& the 70mm Stimulus. The Fat Free will be available roughly 1-2
weeks later. Kent over at Freebord sent me a note about a video his crew
made on their Freebords the other night in SF. They tried to
re-create a giant falling block video game….. 36 riders with huge
pieces of neon lights on our heads. Take a
look.
TSJ member Robo has just informed me that his friend Roofy died
today from injuries sustained in a skateboarding accident. He was
on his way to pick up his young daughter. He was not wearing a
helmet.Please wear your helmet.
Check out my good friend, Scott's Rootamental
blog...chock full of good surf and skate stuff. Haggy Strom Interview on ABC radio...Haggy
did this interview for ABC Radio regarding the new Queensland laws
for recreational vehicles. The second track is the listener
comments after the interview.
Dollars For Dave T-Shirt Benefit...Celtek
designer and well-known Salt Lake City artist Dave Doman suffered a
severe head injury while skateboarding in San Clemente, California
just over a week ago.
The crew at Original Skateboards sent me a note letting me know
that their "Go Longboarding" video just hit number
1 as the top rated sports video on YouTube.
Skate the Lake: Locals do just that to promote
fundraiser.
Dirtbag Lawyers. They actually have a website that lists accidents/injuries/deaths.
Members of the website use the listings to decide which ambulance
to chase. A nine year old who was recently killed while riding a
skateboard is listed on the website. As Don Henley sang in "Get
Over It"...The more I think about it, Old Billy was right Let's
kill all the lawyers -- kill 'em tonight. Well, maybe that's a
bit harsh, but you get the idea. As the saying goes, "some of my
best friends are lawyers", in my case this is true, but I would add
"just not the personal injury, ambulance chaser type."
Eco Cars: Retired auto mechanic builds electric car for just $500...The car,
dubbed B.O.B or Balanced-Over-Batteries Car, was designed
following the example of skateboard trucks, which adjust the
angle of the wheels according to the tilting movement produced.
Thanks to TSJ member Jay LaPalm for this tidbit.
Green Life: It's go time for commuters. As summer winds down and
regular schedules resume, consider getting into the habit of
walking, biking - or even skateboarding - to work.
The skateboarding community is in shock over the sudden death of
legendary East Coast skateboarder, Andy Kessler.
UPDATE: Priority registration for Epic International
Skate Fest (September 26, 2009 in Mishawaka, IN) ends on August 15.
Register by then and get 20% off the entry fee! More info and sign-up here.
Ok, it's not skateboarding..If you were alive when men first walked
on the moon you can relive that incredible event, and if you
weren't you can live it now at "We Choose the
Moon". All 109 hours of the original audio feed between Mission
Control and the Apollo 11 spacecraft.
Oh, how
times have changed, I remember the days when the only time you saw
the word "skateboard" in in the NY or LA Times it was usually
followed by "injury". X-Games article by TSJ member and New York
Times reporter Matt Higgins: Skateboarders Return to Roots With Park
Event
I saw this sad news over on the Australian Skateboard Racing Association
website...On Friday night, Anton (Anthony Fricker, AKA Skate Australia)
was skating on the Gold Coast and had a tragic accident. At the
bottom of a run he came off his board and fell. His head took the
full force, knocking him out. Emergency services were immediately
called and Anton was rushed to hospital. He is currently on life
support, while his family and friends say goodbye. It is expected
that life support will be removed in the next few days. A funeral
service and memorial will be announced.
Skate Like
a Girl presents Winnipeg or Bust!, a van full of international
female skaters weaving in-between the US and Canada to skate...get
the full scoop here.
Argonay, France- Scoot Smith (CAN)
nearly crashed out in the final about 25 meters (75') from the
finish line but was able to gather it back together to win The
Graveyard Call World Cup. He had to win it the hard way racing head
to head and beating Adam Yates (AUS), Yvon Labarthe (SUI), James
Kelly (USA), Patrick Switzer (CAN) and finally Mischo Erban in
seperate two-man heat races. It was the first win for the reigning
IGSA World Champion of the 2009 season. Complete story at IGSAworldcup.com
Sheckler, Lasek take skateboarding titles
BOSTON - Three-time Dew Cup champion Ryan Sheckler won the skate
park finals and Bucky Lasek won the skate vert finals on Saturday
at the Dew Tour's Skate Open.
TSJ sponsor Kicker Films is offering TSJ members 40%
off all DVDs until July 1st, (one per customer). Just
enter coupon code "skate" (lower case) at the checkout for the 40%
discount.
Take a look at some new gear from Loaded Boards, Rayne
Longboards, Sk8Kings, 161 Trucks and Venom
Wheels in the all-new TSJ New Product Releases
Section.
Koston & P-Rod switch sports...sign with
the LA Dodgers Maloof Money Cup Makes Its Videogame Debut in the Critically Acclaimed
Skate
2Copenhagen Pro - Skateboarding Competition
THE
SECOND COMING In this follow-up to Disposable: A History of
Skateboard Art, Sean Cliver has assembled what is undoubtedly the
most comprehensive visual overview of skateboards in print. In
addition to board galleries showcasing everything from the steel-
and clay-wheeled planks to the modern day 7-ply popsicles, The
Disposable Skateboard Bible continues where the first book left
off, featuring all-new anecdotes from the likes of V. Courtlandt
Johnson, Mark Gonzales, CR Stecyk III, Rodney Mullen, Mark "Gator"
Rogowski, George Powell, Mike Vallely, Tony Hawk, Art and Steve
Godoy, Bruce Walker, Christian Cooper, Lance Mountain, Greg Evans,
Steve Caballero, Chuck Hults, Claus Grabke, Rich Harbour, Cris
Dawson, Skip Engblom, Russ Howell, Stacy Peralta, David Hackett,
PD, Tony Magnusson, Don Brown, Francesco Albertini, David
Bergthold, Jim Gray, Steve Steadham, Bernie Tostenson, and more, as
well as an in-depth look at the nostalgic madness that is
skateboard collecting. Hardcover; 368 full-color pages. Available
from gingko presswww.gingkopress.com. You can also
visit the Disposable site for more info.
Public Skateboarding, Drinking Banned In Dushanbe...No fun allowed!
Take a look at this strange pool the Slap magazine crew recently
visited.
After a one-year hiatus, WinSport Canada in partnership with the
Speed and Longboard Association of Calgary (SLAC) is proud to bring
back the Paskapoo Downhill Rodeo at Canada Olympic Park July
24th-26th, 2009.
TSJ member Robbo just added the Newton's Playground - IGSA
World Championshipsevent page.
Pierre Andre Senizergues, CEO of Etnies, and Joe Maloof, owner of Sacramento
Kings and Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, have teamed up to put on the
Maloof Money Cup skateboard competition...the rest of the story.
Recently my son, Dylan, and I had the pleasure of spending a few
hours with Rick and Chet from SoulArc here in Morro Bay.
After a quick demo ride at a local parking lot we drove up the
coast to one of my favorite hills and put the SoulArc boards to the
test...they passed with flying colors! I haven't had this much fun
on skateboard in a long time. I would compare the feeling of riding
one of these boards to surfing or snowboarding in deep powder. If
you have a chance to demo one of these, do it, you won't be
disappointed. You can follow Rick and Chet's tour on their blog.
Orangatang In Heat wheels recall shows up in the
LA Times
Woodward is SO ON!!! We have had a busy
and productive 3 days here and the kids are stoked that we're here.
We have set 5-6 different courses and everyone is digging it! Read
more from
Wentzle's Woodward Blog. Check out Woodward Skateboard Camp
Slalom Photos
“Reckless! Totally Insane!”
Oscar nominee Josh Brolin is Thrashin’ the big screen – again!
(Editor's note: TSJ members Jack Smith and Beau Brown appeared in
the downhill race scene, sporting Haro pads and nifty jumpsuits.
The $100 a day was cool also.)
It turns out that our 1,000th member is Kevin,
who happens to be a designer at Pro Tec. He's currently doing
some research on how you guys deal with lids and pads and what you
think of protective gear. He's posted a
survey on TSJ, and he would be stoked if you gave him some
feedback on the questions, and any other comments you want to
share. He'll definitely appreciate your help!
Slalom St. Louis 2009 Saturday GS: 1. JBH 2. Paul Graf 3.
Stephen Lavin Sunday TS: 1. JBH 2. Paul Graf 3. Jeff
Goad
TSJ member
Pam
Miller sent me a note about her son Sky, regarding his recent
participation in the
ProTec Pool Party...Sky broke his right arm 2 weeks before
the quailifier to the ProTec Pool Party. As you can guess he was
totally bummed thinking he would miss it for the second year due to
a full arm cast! We decided to go down anyway and Sky could "skate
around" and get to see everyone and be there. Sky is usually not
very strong on bs tricks and that was all he had in the bowl with
the weight of a huge heavy cast on the other arm. He decided to do
the qualifiers "just for fun". He qualified 5th! Went into the
biggest pro bowl contest for his first time with a heavy plaster
cast on up to his arm pit. Determination and drive of a crazy
skater took over and he placed 13th against the best bowl riders in
the world. This would be a victory for anyone with two arms and all
their tricks. I think we're seeing what he's made of! Results are
on the World Cup Skateboarding
site.
Take this skateboard controller for a 'Tony Hawk: Ride'....from
USA Today
Read the LA Times Review of 'Crips and Bloods: Made in America' --Directed by Stacy
Peralta. Editor's note: This documentary is now airing on PBS. I
recently had the opportunity to view it this, I highly recommend
that you watch it. A definite eye opener, over 15,000 deaths in the
history of "black on black" gang wars.
Morro Bay Boulevard Repaved - Let's Race For those of you
who have raced in Morro Bay, you are probably familiar with Morro
Bay Boulevard, it runs parallel to Pacific Street, one block north.
The city just finished repaving it on Friday, May 8th, 2009. It's
butter smooth, perfect fresh black. I will soon announce a date for
a major race this fall, probably the second weekend in October.
More info soon.
Orangatang announces the release of three new wheels...The
75mm “Durian”, 70mm “Stimulus”, and 65mm “Fat Free”. Currently, all
are 83a duro: Orangatang loves making you say ridiculous names.
More info
here.
Check out TSJ member Judi
Oyama's profile and video interview on The Santa Cruz
Design and Innovation Center website.
A New
Book From Vans Footwear...features original photography from
such luminary photographers as CR Stecyk, Grant Brittain, Bryce
Kanights and more, and tells the oral history of the many
subcultures that Vans helped to influence and shape, including '80s
BMX, punk rock and skateboarding.
Loaded Boards, Inc. Recalls Orangatang In Heat
Wheels...more
info here. Loaded Boards, Inc. of California is recalling all
Purple (83a) Orangatang 75mm In Heat wheels purchased between
2/27/09 and 4/29/09 as well as all Orange (80a) Orangatang 75mm In
Heat wheels purchased between 3/14/09 and 4/29/09.
Young man's death translates into new life for three
strangers...Three lucky people and the parents of a man killed
while skateboarding all met recently to mourn a great loss
and celebrate a simple but profound concept: with death, comes new
life. Read
the entire article.
2009
Rayne Hellcat The crew at Rayne sent along a note about their
new 2009 Hellcat model featuring increased foot space, a more
symmetric shape and the addition of a Pleasure Dome to an already
inspiring deep tub concave. Get the full scoop at Rayne Longboards.
The PUZZLE March/April 2009 is online at puzzlevideo.com. Includes 5th
district tour in Japan filmed by Mark Nickels, and the Volcom tour
in Alicante.
The crew at
Daddies Board Shop posted up some info on the Bones Bearings
Giveaway Contest...more info
here.
Hog Hill Hot Cross Slalom Dual-Lane Hybrid Slalom Redbridge
Cycling Center – London, England April 5 Final Results - Provided
by Daniel Gesmer, Official Timekeeper 1 Louis Selby 2 Sam Gordon 3
Bruno Olivera
TSJ member
and my skating buddy, Jon,
sent me this photo...and best of all it's not far from us. Looks
like a recon run is in the offing.
Surf-Rodz Announces New E-Commerce
Website Surf-Rodz LLC announced the relaunch of surf-rodz.com, a new e-commerce
website specializing in the production of high quality longboards,
snowboards and surfboards. Encouraged by the high demand for custom
and quality decks for action sports, President Wayne Gallipoli
decided it was time to launch a website dedicated to showcasing the
design and custom manufacturing capabilities of the company.
Parking Garages Provide Adrenaline Rush - Florida Skaters Featured
in TV News
Clip.
The Skateboarder's Journal 2009 Calendar is now available.
Here are the monthly images. Also includes IGSA World Cup and ISSA
event listings. Size is 11" x 17". You can have your very own, for
just $20.00, which includes shipping.
For more info or to order click here.
Di
Dootson wants everyone to know that the National Skateboard
Review site has been updated. I just checked it out and truly
enjoyed the interview with skatepark pioneer and TSJ member
John
O'Malley.
This is a test, only a test, do not adjust your radio dial.
Listen in on the first
TSJ radio interview with Stan Strocher of Bahne
Skateboards. In the near future we will begin offering live
interviews with skateboarders from all areas of the
sport/lifestyle. The shows will allow members of TSJ to call in and
interact with the interviewee. Stay tuned!
Texas Sizzler - March 28 Final Results provided by Daniel
Gesmer, Official Timekeeper Giant Slalom, Group A
Full results here 1 Martin Reaves 2 George Pappas 3 Jason
Mitchell Giant Slalom, Group B
Full results here 1 Chris Favero 2 Greg Stubbs 3 Jordan Adler
Giant Slalom, Masters Group
Full results here 1 Marty Schaub 2 Bruce “Norski” Bjortvedt 3
Marcus Soulsby-Monroy Downhill Speed Trap
Full results here 1 Wes Coleman 2 Tommy Watson 3 Tanner
Lesser
Texas Sizzler - March 29 Final Results provided by Daniel
Gesmer, Official Timekeeper Hybrid Slalom, Group A 1 Joe
McLaren 2 Martin Reaves 3 Jason Mitchell Hybrid Slalom, Group
B 1 Keith Hollien 2 Brad Jackman 3 John Stryker Hybrid
Slalom, Masters Group 1 Marty Schaub 2 Steve Lavin 3 Marcos
Soulsby-Monroy Hybrid Slalom, Group C 1 Chris Favero 2 Trish
Erickson 3 Chad Hegerty Single-Lane Tight Slalom 1 Martin
Reaves 2 Jonathan Harms 3 Joe McLaren
TSJ member Cat passed this note along to me...As you all know, a
little over five months ago, Peter Ramirez lost his life in
a very tragic skateboarding accident. Janet Ramirez, Peter's mom,
asked me to post a link to the homepage dedicated to raising money
for a scholarship in his name. Please visit the website and
read how your donations can help make this scholarship a reality.
Publisher's note: I urge all TSJ members to support this
scholarship.
"The Classics - A Slalom Series" - Fall 2009 Imagine this if
you will...The Capitola Classic, The Catalina Classic and The Morro
Bay Classic. More info soon.
Tracker Trucks founder Larry Balma and his wife Louise help
upgrade the California
Surf Museum which features a mounted display of skateboards in
recognition of the connection between skateboarding and
surfing.
TSJ member
Judi
Oyama is working on reviving the Capitola Classic race in
Capitola, California. She is working with the city government on
this project and they are interested in knowing the amount of
interest in the skateboarding community. Please visit her website and vote for the type
of racing you'd like to see. Hopefully we can convince the city to
repave the streets so we could see a downhill race return to this
classic venue. This was one of my favorite races, even though it
wasn't "hair on fire" fast, it was very competitive and very up
close and personal with the fans lining the race course.
"Guitar Hero" TV commercial...Tony Hawk...the only "clean one"
The roster of mega-stars: Alex Rodriguez, baseball star. Admitted
steroid user Kobe Bryant, NBA star. One-time rape suspect Michael
Phelps, Olympic gold medalist. Bong aficionado Tony Hawk,
skateboarding champion. The only clean one in the bunch.
Foundation
Skateboards announces the launch of their new site. "It's
about f**king time!," states Foundation founder, Tod Swank. We
dumbed it down making it simpler to use with less useless crap that
nobody cares about.
NEW ANGLES...The geometry of skateboarding and the
political struggles of Central America are being explored in two
new exhibitions from overseas artists at an Oxford gallery.
Long Treks On Skate Decks...an update on the incredible
South American skateboarding adventure of Paul Kent, Aaron
Enevoldsen and Adam Colton.
A Skateboarding and Surfing Mayor Surfers are not novel in the
Solana Beach City Council. But Mike Nichols, who is manning the
council's gavel for 2009, is the city's first surfing and
skateboarding mayor.
The National Skateboard Review Returns Back in the mid
1970's when slalom skateboard racing was in full bloom on the hills
of La Costa, Di
Dootson not only organized, timed and raced in the events, she
also published The National Skateboard Review. This newspaper gave
coverage to races and contests all around the USA. I remember hand
writing the results of our local races and mailing them to Di, and
then waiting to hear the UPS guy pull up at my house a few weeks
later with a box full of the newest issue. The local racers were
always stoked when I showed up at the hill with the new issue. Di,
with help from Chris
Yandall has recently started putting some of the old issues
online, take a look at the National Skateboard
Review website when you have a moment.
TSJ member Bob Haro was a skateboarder before he became a BMX
Legend. Check out this very insightful
interview.
Better late than never...TSJ member Rick
Floyd has just posted an incredibly detailed account of the
2008 National Slalom Skateboarding Championships...Take
a look.Thanks Rick.
Please take a look the incredible
videos by TSJ member Rob
Thomson's 12,000km journey by skateboard.
Children of conflict zone jump aboard for
Skateistan
Maryhill Freeride - March 28th & 29th...Get the full
scoop here
A must
read...Dora Lives:
The Authorized Story of Miki Dora by C. R. Stecyk and Drew
Kampion. I have been fascinated by Dora since I
first heard about him back in the 70's, and read everything I could
find about him over the years. The combination of Stecyk's words,
Dora's writings, haunting photos and Kampion's editing create
probably the most complete and factual account of Da Cat's
life.
I was checking out some sites this morning and ended up on the
RollsRolls site,
guess I hadn't been there in awhile, Peter and his crew have
updated the site quite nicely. Take a look at the Woody 97.
Abbey Swaps Pews For Skateboards One of Britain's most
beautiful religious sites is to swap its pews for skateboards in
the New Year.
Dan from Seismic just let us know that Seismic is now offering new
sizes in the Hot Spot wheel line-up...63mm and 66mm sizes are now
available. Read the press release
here, or visit the Seismic website.
Here's an update from Board
Rescue, and also a new forum
for interacting with the organization. You can also visit their
site by clicking here.
Former Kryptonics front man and Action Now Magazine editor,
D. David Morin, aka the
man who killed skateboarding is also the reader of the audio book
"Dude,
Where's My Country?" by Michael Moore.
Touchgrind
brings finger-boarding to the iPhone Almost a digital version of
finger-boards, Touchgrind is essentially a skateboarding app of
sorts that is both a toy and a simulator at the same time. Players
position their two fingers on an on-screen board and then mimic the
motions of a skater's legs with their fingers to execute tricks.
Skate Like a Girl Presents Wheels of Fortune, the
Biggest Skate Contest for the Ladies in the Pacific Northwest
Around the world in 850 days - on a skateboard...
Research and Markets: New Trends of Youth Culture that are Shaping
the Snowboarding, Skateboarding, Skiing Markets
Revealed
Christian
Reality Shows Debut on Cable - Features Christian Hosoi.
"The Uprising," which launched on the Inspirational Network,
features a trio of Christian pro skateboarders who try to convert
people on the street. The cast includes Christian Hosoi, who said
he got out of prison a few years ago after being locked up for
possession of and intent to distribute crystal meth.
This just in...The new Orangatang website has
launched. Prepare for a surrealist adventure into the mind of the
Orangatang.
Glenn Phillips Scores Upset Win In South Africa Fair Cape,
South Africa - Relative unknown Glen Phillips, who has recently
moved from Luge to Downhill Skateboarding, pulled a big surprise by
beating some of the international top ten riders to win the Fair
Cape Downhill Challenge. He led from the start and there was
nothing they could do to catch him!! Mischo Erban finished in
second with Mike Zietsman in third. Anton Pratt was also charging
and got the better of some of the top internationals as well to
finish in fourth. Definitely two riders to watch for in the future
. The rest of the story...
Learn to skate like a girl...No really, check it
out
The Skateboarding Councilor...Meet
Jeff Erickson: skateboard designer, stay-at-home dad,
substitute high school teacher, laundromat owner and new Scappoose
City Councilman