CONTENTS >>
Yoni Ettinger. Photo: Yair Hasidof
SUMMER 2012
16 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2012
30
EDITORIAL
34
LETTERS
42
NOTEWORTHY
52
BONES BRIGADE
58
THE WORLD ROUND-UP
62
GREENSKATE 2012
64
ARTIST PROFILE
68
MANUFACTURER PROFILE:FIVE MILE
70
SEARCH/SPARK/STOKE
72
STARVING ARTIST GUIDE
74
LONGBOARDING & SERENDIPITY
78
WHY I DO WHAT I DO
80
THE NEWTON INTERVIEWS PART ONE
88
GIRLS CAN DEFINITELY RIDE
92
ROAD TRIP TO CALIFORNIA
98
LAGUNA SECA INVITATIONAL
102
CATALINA CLASSIC
106
SLALOM REPORT
108
IGSA REPORT
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Vol. 11 No. 1 SUMMER 2012
SEARCH/SPARK/STOKE
SENIOR EDITOR ART DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS DOWNHILL EDITOR PHOTO EDITORS IGSA WORLD CUP EDITOR SLALOM/FREESTYLE EDITORS CONTRIBUTING EDITORS CORRESPONDENT I.T. DEPT. HEAD COPY EDITOR PROBLEM SOLVER HEAD OFFICE SKATESHOP DISTRIBUTION
PUBLISHER/EDITOR Michael Brooke | mbrooke@interlog.com Blair Watson Mark Tzerelshtein | MarkintoshDesign.com Buddy Carr Karl Bornstein Pam Clark Jon Caften Jon Huey | Dan Bourqui Marcus Rietema Richy and Maria Carrasco Erik Basil Malakai Kingston Jim Kuiack Rick Tetz of CalStreets.com Jonathan Harms Bud Stratford | budstratford@aol.com 1136-3 Center Street, Suite 293 Thornhill, Ontario L4J 3M8 ph: 905.738.0804 Buddy Carr Designs PO Box 1895, Carlsbad, CA 92018 tailtapinfo@yahoo.com ph: 760.722.4111
CONTRIBUTORS (In order of appearance): Erik Abel, Adam Colton, Lee-Ann Bigwood, Rob Sydia, Suzanne “Ponyta” Nuttall, Warren Bolster, Ray Rae Goldman, Patrick Labitzke, Neil Wieland, Dan Hays, Chris Hultner, Larry Pauley, Jeanna Justice, Dusty Ray, Brad Edwards, Don Cudney, Jim Goodrich, Arian Chamasmany, Fabián Gutiérrez Roa, Edu Beker, Gabriel Pascual, Jack Smith, Federico Barboni, Gilles Lafaurie, Nicole Fleck, Trevor Vannoy, Claudio Uribe, Lorenzo Galimberti, Silvio Endrizzi, Rick Fitzpatrick, Harris Wallmen, Fernando Pieracciani, Marcin Eckert Barbara (Baka) Flur, Marcel “Off Axis” Robert, Kevin Carleton, Chantelle Heroux, Michael Scholl, J. Nefzger, Pierre Moatti, Eytan, Ron N. Buliung, Scott Norcott, Joel Goodman, Alex Newton, KJ, Oliver Seguin-Leduc, Mike DiPietro, Crystal Graves, Brian Babish, Valeria Kechichian, Juan Ramos, Spaceman Spiff, Lanny Headrick, Kyle Wester, Connor Welles, Keith A. Wilson, Tim Piumarta, Kurt Nischel, Mark Newsham. concretewavemagazine.com Concrete Wave is published by North of La Jolla Inc. Subscriptions (5 issues) are US$26 FIRST CLASS or CAN$26. Address change? Mag not arriving? Email us... don’t go postal. We can sort it out. mbrooke@interlog.com. We will notify you when your subscription expires. Publisher’s permission is required before reproducing any part of this magazine. The views and opinions expressed in Concrete Wave are not necessarily those of the publisher. We happily accept articles and photos. Please contact the publisher directly at mbrooke@interlog.com before you submit anything. We are looking for a variety of stories and images as long as they are skate related. COVER: Artwork: Erik Abel OPENING SPREAD: Adam Stokowski. Photo: Adam Colton FINE PRINT. Ralph Bissonnette died riding his longboard on May 14, 2012. A vigil was held on May 16. Here are some excerpts from three speeches that were given. Lee-Ann Bigwood: “Like many of you here, on Tuesday morning, when I found out on my Facebook newsfeed that a 28-year-old longboarder had been killed at King and Jarvis, I was in a state of shock. I am a 29-year-old longboarder and have been riding for almost seven years. The majority of my best friends are also longboarders, or are deeply connected to the community. When I started, if I saw a longboarder go by on the street, it would be certain that I would either know that person or would meet them within a couple weeks at a group session; and though the number of boarders in Toronto has increased greatly since then, I was certain that I knew the victim and was terrified to find out who it would be. I do not know Ralph Bissonnette, but when I read the article that announced his tragic death, I felt no relief that it was someone I didn’t know; because we are all Ralph Bissonnette, and we all know and love a Ralph Bissonnette. It could have been our best friend, our brother, our son, our co-worker, our partner, or one of us … We are here tonight, as a loving and respectful community, to recognize that ache that comes from the loss of someone special, and to let the loved ones he left behind know that Ralph Bissonnette will be remembered and honored by us, always.” Rob Sydia: “Longboarding is not just an activity or a sport; it is a lifestyle that encompasses every aspect of who we are and how we live our lives. Ralph shared this passion, and all of us are lucky for having found something that offers all this and more. All of us — drivers, pedestrians and those who use alternate forms of transportation — need to re-evaluate our roles on the road and to think about the people around us, treat them how we expect to be treated. Every human life is sacred. In this time of sadness and frustration, I know we all want to do something to bring some sense to this tragic event. Please concentrate on continuing to act positively and respectfully. Over the past few years we have lost a number of skaters to accidents with vehicles: Hilton Byrne and Aaron Beamish died doing what they loved and are sorely missed. Ralph is one more name added to this list of people whose lives were taken way too early and should never be forgotten.” Suzanne “Ponyta” Nuttall: “There are positive actions that each one of us can take to make a difference every day: wearing our helmets; making ourselves visible when riding on the road; skating safely and offering our collective knowledge and advice to new riders. Everyone needs to share the road and keep calm at all times. Events like this do not need to happen if we care for and respect ourselves and each other. Thank you again for joining us today to honor Ralph Bissonnette, the young man whose life ended tragically on Monday. By all accounts Ralph was a young man who enjoyed life, traveling, cooking, and longboarding through the streets of Toronto. Today he is no longer with us, and we feel this is a tragedy. Our condolences go out to his friends, his girlfriend, his co-workers and his family in Quebec.”
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SEARCH/SPARK/STOKE
EDITORIAL >> n May 2012, the third annual Skateboarding Hall of Fame Ceremony took place in Anaheim, California. As you can imagine, it was a pretty amazing time. Congratulations to new inductees Danny Bearer, Jay Adams, Mark Gonzales and Peggy Oki. Frank Nasworthy, John Humphrey, Glen E. Friedman and Black Flag also picked up awards. These folks are truly deserving of their awards, and it was an emotional experience watching the event unfold. Dozens of skate legends showed up, and I had an opportunity to meet up with a number of skaters who have had a massive impact on my life. One of the legends I met was “Mr. Incredible,” a.k.a. Ty Page. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ty, he is one of the most innovative skateboarders ever to step on a board. He invented more than 50 tricks and was great in freestyle, vert, downhill and slalom. Ever wonder where the pop shove- it came from? You can thank Ty (who called it the TyHop). His high-speed standup Ty Slide laid the foundations for the new crop of freeriders. And his footwork was so fast that SkateBoarder magazine had to purchase a very expensive high-speed camera just to try to capture it. Ty took second place in the freestyle contest at the Bahne-Cadillac contest at Del Mar back in 1975 (Steven Picciolo took first and Jay Adams took third). Ty was part of the California Free Former team. Two key teammates were Bryan Beardsley and Mark Bowden. The team performed demos around the world, including at the Cal Jam 2 rock concert, where they skated in front of 300,000 people. Ty always struck me as the kind of guy who let his skateboarding do the talking. That he was a brilliant skater in all areas just added to my appreciation of his abilities. It took more than three and a half decades to finally meet Ty Page face to face. Back in 2004, I had interviewed him for CW, but this was a different experience. Ty is a very humble guy. He was very generous with his time and we spoke about many things. While I didn’t spend as much time with Bryan and Mark, they too are very friendly folks. We are living through a truly unique time in skateboarding. The product is phenomenal. There are hundreds of skateparks and places to skate. The Internet gives skaters a perfect way to communicate. There are hundreds of events. There is a true sense of community. It feels like you are part of a movement. On top of this, we are lucky to have so many exceptional skaters who both amaze and deeply inspire us. Perhaps one day, you’ll have a chance to meet up with a skater whose abilities and talents have captured your imagination. I can only hope for your sake they are as friendly and warm as Ty Page.
I
Bryan Beardsley. Photo: Warren Bolster
Ty Page. Photo: Warren Bolster
Mark Bowden. Photo: Warren Bolster
Beardsley, Page and Bowden in 2012. Photo: Michael Brooke
AN INCREDIBLE PAGE RIGHT OUT OF HISTORY
Enjoy the issue! Michael Brooke, Publisher
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LETTERS >> BONDED BOARDERS Thank you for the very enjoyable mag. The pics are awesome! The direction of your pieces is really interesting. Who would have thought longboards and spirituality? My son showed me the article, I read it and then most of the other ones too. I dig it and WE have our subscription in the mail. Thanks for the chance to do some bonding with my boarders. Renee C.
THE LAUGHING LONGBOARDER Having found it necessary to put aside my bicycle and dying for exercise, I considered a board, which would be an entirely new venture for me. When I saw a hooded person carrying a board on the subway, I approached to chat. The young woman, as she turned out to be, was very helpful in recommending longboarding and where to get one. I went to Longboard Living in Toronto a couple of days later, tried a few for feel and balance, and spent much more than I intended to. As I left with my purchase, the store owner shoved the Spring 2012 issue of CW into my knapsack. The first thing I read in it was the editorial, “Groms & Geezers: Bridging the Gap.” I could only laugh. I’m 65. All the best, Brian T., Etobicoke, ON
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RECONNECTED How are you? How’s the weather back east? I am sitting here at work and I just read your intro in the Holiday 2011 issue. It came with the delivery of a board from Bustin that my co-worker just received. One sentence in your intro really resonates with me: “In fact, what I’ve found is that sometimes the best part of longboarding is sharing it with others.” That is exactly how I feel lately. A few months ago I got back into longboarding again, full stop. But it was through my co-worker whom I introduced to the idea of longboarding. He ended up Kenny “Knucklehead” Nelson ordering a few completes from Landy for . Photo: Ray Rae Goldman Christmas presents for him and his kids. He ordered them back in the fall, but couldn’t bring them out until X-mas. He was getting stoked, though, always talking about the latest Eh Team video on YouTube or what new products companies were coming out with. Through my work, I do a lot of travel, attend conferences and do a lot of client site visits. This has given me the opportunity to skate in a lot of new places, but equally important, it has allowed me to spread the stoke of longboarding. We’ve connected with several colleagues who used to skate or surf and now want to get into longboarding. I am amazed at the product variety now and the technology that is going into the boards, but really it all comes down to feeling I get from the flow of linking together a few carves. Lastly, I highly recommend trying the Kahuna Big Stick, if you haven’t already. It has re-sparked my obsession with longboards. Keep up the great work. Best regards, Steve M. Victoria, BC
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NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS LANDYACHTZ
All new this year, the Peacemaker is here to dominate your board quiver. They’ve designed and built this board using the concept that one board can do it all: freeriding, speedboarding and popping ollies. Massive CNC-cut wheel wells allow you to set up with nearly any truck and wheel combination. They have added molded contours, providing even more wheel-well clearance, increased torsional strength and a nice foot-placement indicator. landyachtz.com ARBOR
Influenced by team rider Kody Noble, Arbor has developed a new series of skateboards designed around enabling riders to skate whatever they like, whenever they like. The Shakedown comes in three sizes including a 32”, 35” and 38” deck. Each skateboard has a kick tail and nose and an appropriately paired wheelbase and width. Riders can simply pick a size suited to their comfort and style and then get to shredding parks, streets, hills, boardwalks, cities and everything else in between. arborcollective.com
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KEBBEK
KebbeK Skateboards are back with a slalom board in their lineup for their 20th anniversary. The Pierre Gravel Slalom is an all-maple laminate with features like a rocker profile, a spoon tail and the famous KebbeK flat-cave, but adapted for slalom with a narrower flat center for optimal foot placement in the courses. kebbek.com
TRIPLE 8 Giant heads everywhere can finally lay their gargantuan melon down on their oversized pillow and sleep well. The Heed XXL helmet is now available. The HEED boasts a larger shell size to accommodate an XXL-sized noggin. Now available in our original rubber finish in both Black Rubber and White Rubber. triple8.com
LOADED
RESTLESS
Sama is the Whirling Dervish ceremony focusing on active meditation as a tool for the individual’s spiritual journey. The Dervish Sama features a slightly wider platform and more pronounced concave than its predecessor. A six-piece grip tape pattern uses coarser grip at the kicks for extra control and mellower grip across the standing platform. Loaded has also introduced a third flex rating to allow more riders to dial in their ideal balance of comfort and liveliness. loadedboards.com
This season, Restless Longboards comes out with the Furabu, a downhill deck, developed in between Montreal and Japan by their team rider Flavien Vidal. It took about two years for the board to be given the green flag for production. Instead of starting with a preconceived design, Flavien started just with a basic shape and worked a bit blindly from there – keeping the best, leaving the rest. “Lots of prototypes for sure, but an awesome result in the end,” says Restless coowner Christian Chenard-Lemire. restlesslongboards.com
HAWGS
SEVEN SUNS
After months of R&D, the Kyle Martin FSUs are finally out and ready to shred! Designed from the ground up with a new core and unique urethane profile, FSUs will be the longest-lasting and most consistent freeride wheels on the market. Available in natural glossy and stoneground finishes, these wheels are ready for any high-speed, technical run out there. landyachtz.com
Seven Suns Longboards is proud to announce their new 2012 lineup of highquality handmade longboards. They are based in France and each board is hand made using ash wood coupled with bamboo veneer, triaxial fiberglass and carbon fiber, glued with epoxy resin and coated with polyurethane gloss varnish. Each deck is signed and numbered by the shaper. sevensuns.fr
VENOM
More stable than a barrel and less restrictive than an Eliminator, the Venom Freeride bushing has a wide, stepped design that can be flipped for different turning response. For extra stability and a more defined center, put the wide end toward the hanger. For deep turning and juicy rebound, run the narrower end in the hanger. Either way, it’s ideal for going fast and doing big slides. Also new are the Venom Thug Life Six-Fours – big enough to roll smoothly over cracks and rocks, light enough to ollie and stone-ground for a smooth slide. fullcircledistribution.com BAREKNUCKLE
The beauty of woods, simplicity, performance and sustainability ... these are the words that best describe Bareknuckle Longboards, a young longboard brand that is 100% made in Germany. Launching its three models – the Yungas, Pan Am and the Lombard – in early 2012, Bareknuckle offers limitedseries boards that focus on the beauty of nature through wooden intarsia. bareknucklelongboards.com
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RAYNE The Amazon is Douglas Dalua’s Signature Series model, one of the few Rayne has ever made. It will now sit in history with Chris Dahl’s Agent, K-Rimes’ Killswitch, Brianne’s Isis and the Long Treks Demonseed. The Amazon has some design similarities to the recently released Rival and Supreme as a symmetrical, radial drop deck, but has some distinct differences. raynelongboards.com
new, but its creator and master shaper has been skating since 1971. Blue Sky has introduced four shapes that cover the spectrum of what riders are looking for today. The Arara is an all-around carve, dance and trick deck. The Coruja is a hill bomber and slider, the Woodpecker is a beach ride and the Finch is a campus/city cruiser. blueskylongboards.com MADRID
JET The Hellfire Super Slider 36.5 is a limited-edition, midseason release designed by Sergio Yuppie and the crew at JET Skateboards. This 36.5” JET deck features multiple wheelbases and oversized wheel wells so you’re ready to take those megaslides to the next level. Handmade in the USA! jetskateboards.com ABEC 11
The Pink brand by Abec 11 has just released its Powerball wheel models in 81A. That’s right – Powerballs are now available in blue. abec11.com
Madrid Skateboards has launched an entirely redesigned website featuring a new blog section packed with downhill videos, a team page with bios, photos and videos of each team rider, and interactive 3D product views for all longboards. madridskateboards.com
reversible and double-tapped for multiple axle locations to perform as a quick-turning front or an offset traction rear truck solution. The hanger features a spherical bearing and machined ball pivot that integrates with existing Randal-style baseplates. Outfitted with screw-in replaceable axles, the hanger width can vary from 4.0” to 4.5” to 5.0” – and the extra-long axle widths offer even more adjustment options. Aircraft aluminum CNC with black anodized finish. sk8kings.com
DTC The Frenchbased company DTC has just released the Gecko. This 75mm x 67mm wheel features massive grip and progressive behavior, without losing the famous DTC slide feel. Performance in its pure state, which will be appreciated by the most demanding riders in competitions all over the world. dtc-wheels.com
BUSTIN The Bustin Yoface is a 35” bowl-riding, tech sliding, street skating, ollieable city cruiser featuring a comfortable but aggressive concave and curves throughout the deck that add to its stiffness as well as its pop. Many of today’s city skaters are finding themselves eyeing bigger, softer wheels, unwilling to give up their double kicks and being forced to add loads of riser pads to compensate for wheelbite. The Yoface drastically reduces the bite potential by using a custom mold with wheel wells pressed into the shape and then further sanded out for maximum clearance. The radial tail retains a mild concave outside of the bolt holes and provides for more grip and extra stiffness for added pop.
BANGFISH
The Bangfish™ Springer™ truck eats the cracks so you don’t have to. More than four years of R&D and four international patents pending, designed in Redondo Beach, California, to redefine the ride. Besides soaking up the bumps, Springer™ brings a Pivot Axis Control (PAC) system that allows the steering geometry to be shifted from super carvy to super stable in seconds. Coming in August. bangfishtrucks.com TAILTAP.COM
SK8KINGS
BLUE SKY LONGBOARDS
Blue Sky Longboards is “Pushing Wood and Doing Good.” This company may be
Sk8Kings introduces the highly versatile 2X Truck Series. The 2X hanger is
The 70mm Swifts come in a 75A duro that makes them ideal for fast, controlled sliding when downhill speed control is a high priority. These wheels melt into the pavement like chilled butter, pushing back for control and sliding smoothly over just about any surface. Bustin has also just launched a brand new Surf-Rodz/Bustin Collabo 159 INDeeSZ truck. bustinboards.com
Tailtap.com is pleased to announce the launch of their new updated Web shop. After nearly 10 years, the shop has received a total makeover, making it easier than ever to navigate and grab those hard-to-find items. Still familyowned and operated, the shop continues to source unique skate products and accessories and offers unsurpassed customer service and board knowledge. tailtap.com
SUMMER 2012 CONCRETE WAVE 43
NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS TECH DECK Finally, Tech Deck’s muchanticipated line of “finger” longboards is here! The new designs have authentic details like reverse-kingpin and drop-through trucks, dual-durometer wheels, and top graphics with clear grip. The unique board shapes represent the different styles of riding like speedboarding, cruising and freeriding, and some even have realistic flex for carving and pumping! And of course, all the graphics are licensed from real longboard companies. Look for them in stores in August! techdeck.com DEVILLE New for 2012 from Deville Skateboards is the Dominator, a 36” x 10.25” topmount optimal for high-speed freeriding or competitive downhill racing. The Dominator features a progressive concave, ridged 9-ply maple core and carbon stringers with a 1mm fiber wrap. The variable wheelbase (28” or 29”) and gas pedal cutouts make this board ample for a variety of different riding conditions. For more info on the Deville Dominator, please visit us at skatedeville.com. LA COSTA OPEN The La Costa Open was first held in 1975 and is the longestrunning skateboard race in the world. Continuing the La Costa Open legacy, the 2012 Seismic US Open at Oceanside will take place July 14-15 in San Diego, Cali-
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fornia, at the infamously steep Loretta Street venue. Top racers from the U.S., Canada and Europe will compete in head-to-head hybrid, a highly technical tight slalom and a 40 mph giant slalom in this ISSA Main sanctioned event. lacostaboysracing.com POGO PARTY Photo: Patrick Labitzke
People of all ages gathered in the tiny village of Hößlinsülz, the cradle of German longboarding and hometown of POGO and longboardshop.eu. Many riders from all over Europe enjoyed shredding the new mini ramp or taking an easy cruise around the village. The Triple-I POGOSlalom was started from a huge ramp with pro riders like Matze Ebel, Sebastian Hertler and winner Oliver Dehmel. Overall an amazing day with nice people and a great atmosphere! Check out the video: vimeo.com/42506562
OKLAHOMA SCENE REPORT By Neil Wieland and Dan Hays Photos: Chris Hultner The Great Plains of America’s Midwest are well known. The rolling hills are gaining popularity every day. Our goal is to seek out and find all the concrete waves that the Sooner State has to offer. Oklahoma’s longboard scene is growing rapidly. From the small towns to the mini-metros of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okies are learning to skate, shred and slide at all ages. Longboards are beginning to replace more and more bicycles on campuses state-wide. Stillwater may not have the population numbers of OKC but a passionate enrollment helps feed the Stillwater Longboard Crew (SLC) events and gatherings, some of the largest in the state. The Student Longboard Association at OU keeps Norman shredding. In fact, one of the best and busiest garages is in the heart of campus! The UCO Longboarding Group carves up Edmond and two groups cover Tulsa. Then there is the Oklahoma City Longboard Crew. The OLC is just a baby on the scene, but they’ve grown quickly.
Small groups hit local garages and paths nightly, just hosted a race in April and have one for May ready to go. We all use social networking to stay connected and up to date on all the events around the state, nation and abroad. Core Extreme Sports has been a backbone for the scene, joining Flip’d Board Shop nearly two years ago. Mitch Skate Park in Edmond and Industrial Skate Park in Norman have been hosting slide jams and best-trick events regularly. Among our regular sponsors, BC Longboards has the largest global reach. They started right here in OKC less than five years ago have exploded into an internationally recognized board company. The list of killer skate spots in Oklahoma starts with Mount Scott. This tall, steep beast will test the endurance of any rider and, more importantly, the ability to communicate when bombing in groups. It is by far the best view from the top and one of the longest runs in the state. Every city has its garages and towers. Red Rock Canyon, Switchbacks , Talimena Drive and Hiwassee Road can be a drive for some, but are all worth the trouble!
HALL OF FAME
Neil Wieland and Jack Hanna on their Lightbohrds.
Congratulations to 2012 Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductees Peggy Oki, Danny Bearer (represented by his brother), Glen E. Friedman and Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag. Not pictured: Jay Adams, Mark Gonzales, John Humphrey and Frank Nasworthy.
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NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS
KENTUCKY OUTLAW Words: Larry Pauley Photo: Jeanna Justice On Saturday, April 14, 2012, approximately 30 skaters attended the second annual Lexington Outlaw Push Race. This four-mile race drew longboarders, street skaters, slalom racers and derby girls from Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia and Indiana. True to outlaw tradition, no streets were closed and no police were to be found. Organizer Tom Weisenbach supplied each registered skater with a course map and then it was on! Bombing through the streets of Lexington, racers were greeted with high fives, cheering, honking, cursing, traffic, old ladies, and of course road construction. No serious injuries were suffered during the race, although some skin and blood were left on those Lexington streets that morning. Once all the racers made their way back to the park, the festivities began. Winners received homemade trophies and the sponsors came through in a big way. First Place Men’s award went to Eli Miller from Cincinnati, and Jackie Stark, also from Cincy, took home the First Place Women’s trophy. Weisenbach supplied enough food for an army of shredders, and everybody got something from the swag tables. As the grilling wound down, racers could be found ripping at the nearby concrete skatepark or running the slalom course set up by the skaters. Racers are still stoked from this year’s event, and many are already looking forward to the third annual Lexington Outlaw Push Race. See you there! CARVING A CULTURE IN SPRINGFIELD By Dusty Ray On May 5, 2012, I went to cover the “Push for the Park” longboard race that was
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held to benefit the Springfield Skate Park in Springfield, Mo. Springfield is smack dab in the middle of the Midwest, but I felt like I was back in Carlsbad, Calif. There were skaters everywhere! The turnout was amazing. I knew right then I was here to cover more than a longboard race, I was here to show how longboarding was already winning the race. As I made my way across the parking lot, it felt like I was at a tailgate party before a big concert. I met Matt and Joe from Kansas City and Steve from St. Louis; I met Bills going down hills and long beards on longboards. Everyone was getting fired up and hanging out. It was so awesome to see the spark had landed in my home town. I grew up here and, honestly, the vibe was never this thick. I talked with Sean Melton, one of the founders of the Springfield Longboard Club and organizer of this event. He was stoked; more than 100 longboarders had came from all over the state to represent. Melton had successfully launched the first annual SPFD longboard race. As I talked with Sean, I could feel his passion for longboarding. Sean and his band of gypsies were riding the concrete wave that is sweeping the
nation and they were representing it well. Longboarding is becoming the foundation of so many communities from coast to coast. I have seen longboarders all over this country; now I was longboarding in the country. Growing up in the Midwest, I always knew we were a few steps behind for the next big thing, from clothing to music. My wife and I have three amazing children; we are all longboarders, that’s how we roll. This longboard race was so much more than just another skate event. To me it is a sign that the entire world is finally getting on the same page from young to old. Longboarding is rolling into every town, city,
state, province and country. Events just like this one are popping up all over the world. The amount of support for longboarding is gaining momentum like an avalanche coming down a mountain. Where will you be when the crest peaks? Riding the waves or sitting on the sand watching the world roll by? Grab your longboard and carve it up. The race is on. Some other important wave makers of this event include Dave Parker, founder of Hellbender Longboards, a local longboard manufacturer (check ’em out on Facebook); Brian Oliver, owner of Classic Boards skate shop for 14 years;
Jess Heugel, owner of Landlock Boards; Curtis and Christy Claybaker for holding down the fort and giving up your pad for all the great backyard bonfires. And a shout out to Bill Angus: You made me realize the Midwest is not just about hillbillies – it’s about Bills on hills. Thanks for all your energy and dedication. Keep carving those concrete waves. HEARTCHILD
HeartChild is a documentary film about 29-year-old Crys Worley, who is the mother of a 9-year-old autistic child, Sasha. It is a remarkable story about a mother’s struggles, not only with her own health, but for the well-being of her son. This film documents her extraordinary journey and her founding of the A.Skate Foundation. heartchildthemovie.com BOOK REVIEW – CHRISTIAN HOSOI The tale of legendary skater Christian Hosoi is one of rise, fall and redemption. This book, coauthored by Chris Ahrens, takes readers on a pretty tumultuous journey. If you ever wanted to understand just how excessive things were in the ’80s skate scene, this book provides the perfect opportunity. Hosoi is frank about his addictions and the destructive nature of his personality. But he also balances the dark side with a huge amount of stoke for skateboarding. The five years he spent in prison for drug trafficking eventually brought him a new life. For those who have seen the documentary Rising Son and wanted to know more about Hosoi’s life, this book is definitely recommended.
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NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS OBITUARY – SHANE HIDALGO By Brad Edwards | Photo: Dan Bourqui
No, no, no, not Shane, not Shane … I muttered, screamed and wept through these words for hours after I heard the tragic news that our beloved friend, brother and son, Shane Hidalgo, had passed away on May 20, 2012. My thoughts and sadness were quickly redirected to his friends and family. Shane was being lifted into the cozy confines of
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the heavens. We, left behind, had been touched by an amazing soul and suddenly had to deal with its absence. I met Shane skating the North County San Diego parks. From the moment I saw him skate, I was struck by his style. Once I got to talk to him I knew I had to try to befriend this “rootsy” kid. He just had that big warm smile, “old soul” personality and was someone I could see myself admiring as a human being. It didn’t hurt that he was throwing huge airs and tricks with immaculate style on my borrowed longboard. Another thing that was really admirable and attractive was his apparent love and closeness to his family. He was always helping kids at the park, especially his little sister, Alexis, who shared his lust for life and beautiful smile. Also his mom and dad were present many of the times I rode with him. They were clearly supportive, attending all his contests and events. I told him Gravity would be stoked to give
him some stuff to ride and he took the ball and ran with it like a grateful grom, visiting the G factory every week and asking about any events and wanting to go on skate trips. Meeting his friends and watching him hang out with them in recent months, I could tell he had the same effect on all of them as he did on me. It’s not often in life we encounter someone we just trust, love and want to support from the minute we meet them. Shane definitely had that effect. Shane embodied a pure and genuine spirit that will live in many of our hearts forever. But now he’s ripping with all the surfers and skaters in heaven’s golden waves and silver-lined skateparks. Shane Hidalgo – April 9, 1988-May 20, 2012 – NEVER FORGET “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” – Kahlil Gibran “The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.” – G. K. Chesterton
KARL BORNSTEIN, RIP Photo: Michael Brooke
Karl Bornstein (left) with Tony Alva and Pamela Clark of Strategic Concepts at the 2012 Pro-tec Pool Party. Tragically, Karl passed away on May 23. He leaves an incredible legacy and will be greatly missed.
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SKATEBOARD SHOPS LIST ARIZONA Sidewalk Surfer 2602 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale 480.994.1017 admin@sidewalksurfer.com • www.sidewalksurfer.com CALIFORNIA IFYI Inc 1083 Bedmar Street Carson Board Gallery 3333 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach 714.902.3769 Cellular Skate 6787 Carnelian Street Alta Loma 909.941.1004 Mike McGills Skate Shop 335 First Street Suite #S Encinitas 760.943.7730 Ollie Angel 235 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach 619.575.7357 Mike’s Bike Shop 5507 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles 323.935.4338 Viva Skateboards 1709 Howard Road Madera 559.664.8997 Bill’s Wheels Skateshop 1240 Soquel Avenue Santa Cruz 831.469.0904 Purple Skunk Purpleskunk.com 5820 Geary Blvd. San Francisco 415.668.7905 CCMF/Toyland 1260 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805-801-6653 ccmfjay@yahoo.com The Trading Post 622 Upham Street San Luis Obispo 805.801.6653 ccmfjay@yahoo.com Sonoma Old School Skate and Surf 1001 Broadway Sonoma 707.938.5500 skatesos.com Cellular Skate 287 Mountain Ave Upland Tel: 909.981.8856 cellskate@verizon.net Maui and Sons 1415 Ocean Front Walk Venice Beach mauiandsons.com COLORADO All Board Sports 1750 30th Street Boulder 303.415.1600 Diabolical Boardshop 4255 S.Broadway, Englewood CONNECTICUT Skate Pusher 57 McIntosh Drive Bristol 860.593.4550 Skate Valencia 68 Leonard Street, Bristol 203.524.4675 GEORGIA Feral 190 Park Avenue, Athens 706.369.1084 Skate Madness 13800 Hwy. 9 N., Ste. D 145 Alpharetta 770.410.3456 skatemadness.com Woody’s Halfpipe 6135 Peachtree Parkway Suite # 603 Norcross LOUSIANA Board Lords Mall of Louisiana, 6401 Bluebonnet Blvd. Suite # 2044, Baton Rouge, 225.769.1222 MASSACHUSETTS Boardroom 6 Armory Street Northhampton 413.586.8857 MICHIGAN Ollies Skate Shop 120 ½ E Maumee Adrian 517.265.2031 Dubz Bikes and Boards 14 North Washington,Suite A, Oxford, MI 48371
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Want to know where to find Concrete Wave мagazine? Would you like to find all the amazing skate gear you see in these pages? Look no further than our shop list. If you’d like to have your shop listed here, it’s easy. Simply send a check for $115 to Indaba Group PO Box 1895 Carlsbad California 92018 or PayPal tailtapinfo@yahoo.com, ph: 760-722-4111. You’ll get 10 copies of 5 issues mailed out along with this complete listing. For international rates, please email us. Yes, shipping is included. If you think your local shop or park should be carrying Concrete Wave, email mbrooke@interlog.com. MINNESOTA Old School Skaters 1119 NW 2nd Street Faribault 612.578.3326 www.oldschoolskaters.net MISSOURI Genesis Skateboarding 13 NW Barry Rd. #147 Kansas City 816.456.1307 genesisskateboarding.com MONTANA Wheaton’s 214 1st Avenue West Kalispell 406.257.5808 wheatonscycle.com BlackTop Surfshop 176 5th Avenue West North Kalispell 406-752-6006 NEW JERSEY Black Diamond Skatepark 400 Route 38 Unit 1610 Moorestown NEW MEXICO Koa Nalu Surf Shop 8254 Menaul Blvd NE Albuquerque 505-332-SURF koanalu.com Timeship Raicing 825 Early Street Suite H Sante Fe 505.474.0074 timeshipracing.com NORTH CAROLINA Soul Ride Skatepark 6049 Victory Lane Concord 704.454.7433 soulrideskates.com We’re Board Inc Skatepark and Shop 1423 North Church Street, Ste 104 Burlington NC 27217 OHIO Old Skool Skateboards 19E College Avenue, Westerville roxtar55@hotmail.com OREGON The Uprise 1110 NW Van Buren Ave, Corvallis 541.754.4257 541.480.4254 thelongboardstore.com The Longboard Store 1238 SW Wheeler Place Bend 541.480.4254 thelongboardstore.com Daddies Board Shop 7126 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland 503.281.5123 daddiesboardshop.com Gorge Performance 7400 Southwest Macadam Avenue Portland 503.246.6646 The Mountain Shop 628 NE Broadway Portland Rip City Skate 1510 NE 37th Ave. Portland PENNSYLVANIA Rayzor Tattoos 4 South Front Street Steeltown RHODE ISLAND Seven.Ply 3 Canal Street Westerly 401.348.0656 TENNESSEE Planet Sk8 7024 East Church Street Suite 2 Brentwood 615.377.1947 Sk8sations Skate Shop 3032 N.John B.Dennis Hwy. Kingsport 423.245.0994 tbec@charter.net VIRGINIA EastCoast Boardco. 10358 Fairfax Blvd. Fairfax 703.352.4600 x:8 213 25th Street Va Beach Black Cat Skateshop 1325 A West Main Street, Charlottesville 434.244.0014 WASHINGTON Gravity Sports 126 Rainier Ave South Renton 425.255.1874
Mountain Goat Outfitters 12 W. Sprague Avenue Spokane Motion Boardshop 8316 Aurora Ave N., Seattle, 206.372.5268 motionboardshop.com ALBERTA Avenue Skateparks 9030.118 Avenue NW Edmonton 780.477.2149 Easy Rider 4211.106 St., #153 Edmonton 780.413.4554 Pipeline Surf Co 780.421.1575 Comasports 10B-200 Barclay Parade SW 403.233.8841 powerinmotion.ca Royal Board Shop, 814 Edmonton Trail N.E., Calgary, Alberta 403-277-3601 Royalboardshop.com BRITISH COLUMBIA Area 51 191 Station Street Duncan 250.746.8869 a51.ca Raven Skate Shop 411 Campbell Street Tofino 250.725.1280 ravenskateshop.ca Salton Rides Saltholidays Island, BC 250.537.4984 saltonskate@canada.com Switchback Longboards 4385B Boban Dr. Nanaimo 250.751. 7625 ONTARIO Hammer Skate Shop 2225 Queen Street East Toronto, 416.698.0005 Hogtown 401 King Street West, Toronto 416.598.4192 McPhails 98 King Street North, Waterloo 519.886.4340 QUEBEC DLX/Deluxe 2480, chemin Ste.Foy Ste.Foy 418.653.0783 dlxdeluxe.com OVERSEAS AUSTRALIA Boardshop Australia — boardshop.com.au 04 15883371 — friendlyfolks@boardshop.com.au Cre8ive Sk8 — 5/244 Ross River Road Aitkenvale — Queensland 4814 Australia BRAZIL Ultra Series Skate Shop Tel.:55(41)3023-2480 — ultraseriesskate.blogspot.com FRANCE hawaiisurf.com GERMANY seasondistribution.com, concretewave.de Hackbrett Longskates Im Wechselfeld — 12 St. Peter hack@customlongskates.com longboarders.de — Gustavstrasse 49 90762 Furth kontakt@longboarders.de — Tel: 0911 9772500 JAPAN Y & T Fussa Fussa — 2348 Fussa Fussa City — Tokyo — 1970011 Clover Skateboard Shop — 1-21-3-1201 Befu Jyounan Fukuoka 8140104 — Japan ITALY The Skateshop via A. Grossich 11, 20131 Milano Italy theskateshopmc@gmail.com ph: 0039 (02) 706 019 71
NETHERLANDS Sickboards Marcelisstraat 80b, 2586RX Scheveningen, The Netherlands, 31-70-7533548. Sickboards.nl NEW ZEALAND Serenity Island Surf & Skate Café 202a Wainui Road — Gisborne — serenityisland.com Ultimate Boards 3/1043 Great North Road Point — Chevalier — Auckland 1022 New Zealand — ultimateboards.co.nz UK octanesport.com skateboardsofchoice.co.uk Bath, United Kingdom — Tel: + 44 1249 715811 Sk8s Go — General Juan Cano 40 — Colony San Miguel Chapultepec — Mexico, D.F 52-55-58132448 Soul dh Alameda Picaflores — 245 San Borja — Lima 41 — Peru Skate of the Nation — Unit 6 GYY Building # 1 Tomas Morato 1100 — Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines Indiana Sports GmbH — Elbestrasse 14 — Wald, 8636 Switzerland — Contact: Christof Peller ON.LINE RETAILERS allboardsports.com blackholeboards.com covertskates.com coldwarskateboards.com daddiesboardshop.com denverskateshop.com ffashop.com genesisskateboarding.com longboardskater.com longboardshop.de longboardstore.com longboardskater.com milehighskates.com motionboardshop.com muirskate.com oldschoolskates.net pressuredroplongboards.com sickboards.nl sidewalksurfer.com sk8supply.com socalskateshop.com tactissk8.com tailtap.com vslboardshop.com
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BONES BRIGADE:
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Photo: Don Cudney/Wonderful Machine
INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL BROOKE
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S
TACY PERALTA’S first skate documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys, fascinated both skaters and non-skaters alike. It inspired many to get back on a skateboard, and it even helped Vans re-establish itself. His latest effort, Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, takes you behind one of the greatest skateboard teams in history. It’s full of surprises and revelations that make for a truly passionate and riveting tale. For Peralta, the experience in creating the film proved to be deeply soul-searching. “This film from day one seemed to want to be much more personal than Dogtown,” he says. “Because of the surprisingly vulnerable interviews given by Rodney Mullen and Lance Mountain and Tony, the film took on a much more nuanced tone than Dogtown; it’s much more psychological and you get to know the characters much better. The film delves into their own personal struggles as each one of them fought off their demons to become great skateboarders.” Peralta says one of the key highlights in creating the documentary was the discoveries he made while researching skateboarding during the decade of the ’80s. “I rediscovered all of the historical moments we lived through and pieced them together,” he says. “I lived through that decade of skateboarding in a very intimate way … [yet] I didn’t necessarily piece all of the turning points together as I was busy living through them. This film gave me the opportunity to witness the trials and tribulations of our shared history from a different perspective.” One of the key surprises in the film is the very emotional and humorous interviews with Lance Mountain. “Lance” says Peralta, “if not prepared or conditioned in advance, can actually be a terrible interview, as many
times he will talk on three levels simultaneously, not finishing any one train of thought but mixing them all together, which can become confusing and unsatisfying if you’re listening.” But this didn’t happen, and instead Peralta really captured some incredible insights. A week before they shot the interviews, Peralta met up with Lance and told him he was going to have to focus and talk very clearly during the interviews. “He ended up showing up on the set early the day of his interview, which allowed him to witness others in the process and how they spoke,” Peralta says. “This seemed to help him understand the process very much, as he gave the best interview I’ve ever heard from him.” Peralta says he knew Mountain was capable of talking emotionally and passionately, as skateboarding is so utterly and completely important to his life. “I was also acutely aware that I desperately needed a great interview from him to make the film complete,” Peralta says. “He delivered in ways that surpassed my expectations.” Peralta says he feels lucky to have been in the position to both contribute to skateboarding and document the history of skateboarding. “I’m humbled by it. I also know that getting a film right is so beyond difficult, is so ridiculously hard, that when I get a film right I feel as though I’ve escaped a bullet,” he says. After viewing the film, you’ll appreciate that Peralta has more than escaped a bullet; he’s pieced together more than a decade’s worth of history in a way that packs quite an emotional punch. The film contains multiple interviews with a variety of celebrities, including Shepard Fairey, Fred Durst and Ben Harper. But the interview with Dhani Harrison, son of former Beatles guitarist George Harrison, left the
biggest impression on me. As a youngster, the Bones Brigade was the biggest thing in Dhani’s life, and Peralta captures this brilliantly even though the screen time is brief. “Dhani’s line in the film gets a great laugh every time we show it,” says Peralta. “His place in the film, who he is and who his father, George Harrison, was, helps the audience understand the success and reach of the Bones Brigade during the ’80s – that this group of six oddly matched misfits eventually had a huge effect on skateboarders all over the world.” At just under two hours, the film contains a huge amount of footage, but the time drifts by. Obviously, segments had to be cut. “There were many segments we had to edit out,” Peralta says. “We had a part of the film detailing the birth of street skating that had to be cut … it didn’t fit into the film. We had a sub-story of Mike Vallely’s experience being on the Bones Brigade that was very interesting but would have required too much time to tell accurately. Ray Barbee shared some very good personal material, but again we didn’t have the time. There are many more than this, and this is one of the reasons making a film is so difficult – you have to make tough decisions in order to get the narrative-through-line to work. No matter how good a chapter of the film is, it has to serve the greater story; if it doesn’t, it has to be cut.” Peralta says he is very excited to see the film released and to hear the feedback from skaters across the planet. “This is a film that is going to talk to a lot of people,” he says. “I’m confident about that.” CW Bones Brigade: An Autobiography will have a limited theatrical release and then will be available on iTunes and DVD.
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FREESTYLE >>
THE WORLD ROUND-UP BY MICHAEL BROOKE
T
PRO
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Darryl Grogan – USA Günter Mokulys – Germany Rene Shigueto – Brazil Stefan “Lillis” Akesson – Sweden Per Canguru – Brazil Greyson Asthon – USA Sean Burke – USA Mike Osterman – USA Jesse Whalen - USA Stefan Albert – Germany
AM
he 2012 World Round-Up freestyle event took place May 18-21, 2012, at the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair, about 25 miles east of Vancouver. The event drew competitors from eight different countries and was watched by thousands of spectators. The level of technical tricks was unprecedented. Just trying to capture some of the speed of these moves proved incredibly difficult. Special thanks to contest promoters Monty Little, Kevin Harris and Kai Dunkel, who put on a terrific event. A big shout out to skate legend Russ Howell, who enters his sixth decade of skating! CW
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Shaun Gladwell – Australia Ryan Brynelson – Canada Takashi Suziki – Japan Felix Jonsson – Sweden Andy Anderson – Canada Daniel Trujillo – USA Mic Murayama – Japan Michael Sterling – USA
Per Canguru, handstand kickflip. Photo: Rick Tetz
Freestyle legend Russ Howell. Photo: Rick Tetz 58 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2012
Greyson Asthon of the U.S.A. Photo: Rick Tetz
Mic Murayama of Japan – the contest’s only female competitor. Photo: Jim Goodrich
G端nter Mokulys of Germany took second place in Pro division. Photo: Jim Goodrich
Darryl Grogan, the winner in the Pro division, performs an English Australian Shaun Gladwell took first in the Am Division. handstand. Photo: Jim Goodrich Photo: Rick Tetz
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LOCAL SCENE REPORTS >>
GREENSKATE 2012 GreenSkate 2012 took place in the following places:
Los Angeles, California, USA Mexico City, Mexico Bahía Blanca, Argentina Santiago, Chile
Morro Bay, California, USA Jesi, Italy Vienna, Austria Barcelona, Spain
Billings, Montana, USA Guadalajara, Mexico Hamburg, Germany Milan, Italy
Warsaw, Poland Munich, Germany Denver, Colorado, USA Oradea, Romania
São Paulo, Brazil Abbotsford,BC, Canada
Here is just a sample of what went down. For more information, visit
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA By Arian Chamasmany GreenSkate took Los Angeles by surprise this year as 30 or so skaters hit the streets to promote skateboarding as a fun and an effective means of green transportation in the metropolis by the sea. Shredding down one of L.A.’s busiest roadways, skaters dodged cars and tore up the sidewalks of Wilshire Boulevard from UCLA to Santa Monica and then down the boardwalk to Venice Beach, leaving a trail of thane lines in their wake.
MEXICO CITY By Fabián Gutiérrez Roa
had donated for the community kitchen called “El Rancho,” the ride started along the streets of Bahía Blanca. It was impressive to see how adults, teenagers and children were skating together for a better planet. The skaters ended the ride in May Park and then went to Bar Bat (situated in Fuerte Argentino and Casanova St.) where Earth Day 2012 finished with important prize drawings.
stop the excitement of all, and soon we moved from a hilly area to the main square of the city through 4 km of roads near the center. People in the town were surprised by everybody riding around the city because nothing like that had been announced in the days before. The local police were unable to stop the green wave, and also the hooligans of the local soccer team started to support us when we passed close to the stadium. An epic, surreal situation for the Italian standards – thanks to all that made it possible!
BARCELONA, spain By Gilles Lafaurie
SANTIAGO, CHILE “All I can tell you is that if I ask a question and do not know the answer, I will tell you directly that I do not know the answer, but also seek to find how and when to have it, I will give.”
MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA The GreenSkate in Mexico City was a huge success; more than 200 skaters of all ages gathered and had a great time. We skated around 10 km and finished with a push race. Everyone was stoked about the event, and it even had prizes from some local sponsors.
BAHIA BLANCA, ARGENTINA By Edu Beker Photo: Gabriel Pascual Earth Day was celebrated in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, with the participation of about 200 green supporters. Just before 4:00 p.m. people of all ages, dressed in green and most of them carrying skateboards, started to gather at the entrance doors of the City Hall of Bahía Blanca. After the organizers collected the food people
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By Jack Smith The first annual Central Coast GreenSkate was held April 21. A group of 10 skaters pushed from Cayucos to Morro Bay. After a round of refreshments provided by The Skateboarder’s Journal and Morro Bay mayoral candidate Jaime Irons, the skaters did a trash pickup along a local bike path. Can’t wait for next year!
JESI, ITALY By Federico Barboni – Team Flat Downhill Skateboarding Team Flat organized the GreenSkate Day for the first time on Sunday, April 22, in Jesi, central Italy, where more than 30 longboarders joined in the event to promote the culture of an eco-sustainable means of transport. A little rain during the start meeting didn’t
More than 200 riders assisted the GreenSkate Day 2012, organized in Barcelona by Longscat. We met on the 22nd of April at 12:00 for a long cruising of 12 km in the city. Despite the gray weather, all the participants were happy to be there and transmitted good and positive vibes to everyone! The cruising lasted almost two hours and finished with a four-hour session at the “Wave Spot” and “Forum,” where everybody could show their skills. Thanks to all for being there and the good spirit you came with!
VIENNA, Austria By Nicole Fleck The streets of Vienna, Austria went green on Saturday, April 21, when many enthusiastic longboarders gathered for an “alleycat” ride through the city. Supported by the local scene, we organized six different stations
where the riders had to face challenges on their longboards. By celebrating the GreenSkate event with enormous happiness, creativity and greenness, participants could gain extra points, and at the end of the day we delivered some surprises for the winners. Thanks to all supporters and riders!
MILAN, italy By Lorenzo Galimberti The Milan, Italy GreenSkate 2012 fought against the weather and a railroad strike, but we were more than 80 Green Longboarders riding in streets and squares –
GUADALAJARA, Mexico By Claudio Uribe
a green crew full of enthusiastic green-power! Yes, our fuel should be only the green power in our legs, coming from our brains and our minds strictly convinced that our roots should take this fuel only from a clean world!
MUNICH, germany By Silvio Endrizzi Forty people met at the Theresienwiese, the place in which the famous Oktoberfest is held every year in Munich, Germany. Unfortunately the event was characterized by bad weather conditions – cool and wet. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm of the participants allowed for a great time. The crew cruised thought the whole city center to the Olympiapark, where it was finally almost drowned by the rain. See you in 2013!
2012 was our third GreenSkate. We were hoping to beat last year’s 200-plus riders, but even we never imagined such a big turnout! The official count was 413 longboarders! We couldn’t be happier; the view was incredible. Guadalajara’s never seen so many longboards gathered cruising the streets. We hope to reach the 500 mark next year. Big thanks to everyone for participating and delivering the message.
HAMBURG, germany In Hamburg, Germany, around 100 longboarders gathered twice on April 14. As it was the fifth birthday of the subVert store, Hamburg’s first skate shop with a wide range of longboards, not only the GreenSkate cruise took place, but also a guerrilla race through the city, with a dozen teams participating. Both events started around noon at Park Fiction and ended in Donnerspark, Hamburg’s downhill-slide meeting point, where subVert arranged yet another event: a LimboSlide contest. The picture shows only the GreenSkate cruisers in the Hafencity district of Hamburg, with two coincidental “pedestrians.” Due to GreenSkate we printed all the “5 YEARS SUBVERT STORE” T-shirts in green! Long Live GreenSkate!
SAO PAULO, brazil By Fernando Pieracciani São Paulo, Brazil, is one of the most troubled cities in the world when it comes to transportation and environment. With such a big skateboarding scene in Brazil, longboarding is an almost obvious alternative to avoid the traffic jams and reduce the pollution. GreenSkate, La Muerte, Pacas & Longboarders Crews with Moviement Productions helped us fortify this alternative. The event gathered more than 500 riders, taking over some of the most important avenues of the city.
BILLINGS, Montana By Trevor Vannoy The first year of the Billings, Montana, GreenSkate was incredibly fun. On April 21, we cruised approximately five miles to help show that longboarding is a fun, efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. We had fun cruising, carving, hippie jumping and sliding our way down the streets and celebrating Earth Day. Billings isn’t known for its skate scene, but the scene is growing with the help of events like GreenSkate. Thanks to everybody who showed up.
everybody was a winner. We then stopped near the river for a slalom and freeride session, some refreshments and snacks, and chats about next year’s event.
DENVER, colorado By Rick Fitzpatrick We had a great crew turn out for the first Denver GreenSkate. Everybody rode the entire 14 miles along the Clear Creek Greenbelt into a scenic park setting in Golden, Colorado. We had a BBQ, slack lines and a swag toss, among the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Big shout outs to Seismic, High Rollers, BoardLife and Loaded boards for all their support in making this a great event for a great cause.
ORADEA, romania By Harris Wallmen More than 30 skaters and longboarders gathered on Earth Day on Sunday, April 22, 2012, in the center of Oradea, Romania, in front of the Mihai Viteazu statue, for the second edition of GreenSkate. It was a joy sharing some time and experience among longboard and skate addicts. It also was the time for some press statements for the local media and for the group photo. After half an hour, we cruised to the town by the riverside of Crisul Repede. The pushing race took about 40 minutes, and
WARSAW, poland By Marcin Eckert Photo: Barbara (Baka) Flur Warsaw, Poland’s GreenSkate 2012 had more than 100 participants representing the fast-growing Polish
longboard community. This second edition of the Warsaw GreenSkate was the first ever fully legal longboard city ride in Warsaw. Seven police cars escorted us and allowed for smooth travel through the main streets! We finished on the Royal Castle square. Thousands of people saw us on the streets, and the event was reported by TV, radio and press. I can hardly imagine a better way of popularizing longboarding!
ABBOTSFORD, canada By Marcel “Off Axis” Robert April 21, 2012 marked the fifth GreenSkate I’ve hosted or helped host all over Canada. In Abbotsford, BC, we collected just over 40 people at the Abby SkateHouse to celebrate Earth Day with a small festival of boarding, bands, BBQ and booze. We started our day at the local skatepark for a session, then gathered the troops for a good olde push race around the Discovery Trail in Abbotsford. The 8-km route only took the racers 25 minutes to complete, leaving Troy “Turbo,” Johnny “Tuck” and Arthur Plona taking the podium of Original and Switchback Longboard prizes. The festivities went on throughout the day and night while continuing to give away product and swag to the crowds. Thanks to the sponsors this year! Happy Earth Day! CW
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ARTIST PROFILE >>
ERIK ABEL
“MAKING WAVES” nce every few decades there comes an artist imbued with the capacity to redefine an aesthetic approach that intrigues the attention of the art community, beyond just the rumor of a new phenomenon in the art world. Erik Abel is the precursor for this millennium as an innovative artist who has captured the magic it takes to electrify the avant-garde spark of artistic enthusiasm throughout the art community. Abel achieves this by harnessing the symbolism and dynamism of one of nature’s most powerfully psychological optical references: the ocean. The bold simplicity and power of his new creations have captured the energy of his predecessors and reignited the attention of art collectors, connoisseurs and art institutions throughout the world. It is no coincidence that the ocean became the most influential and inspirational aspect of Erik’s life. Born in 1980 near the Southern California seaside town of Ventura, his parents immersed him in the ocean lifestyle while he was still an infant. His mother enrolled
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him in special swim classes when he was only 6 months old, and his father and uncles started taking him out on their fishing boats to the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara from the time he was a small boy. He was bodysurfing, bodyboarding and skiing by the age of 3. One day while in the 4th grade, Abel was sitting in class when he spontaneously began drawing an upside-down image of a woman on the front of his Tshirt. He sold photocopies of this early work to his classmates for 25 cents each. This was his first commercial sojourn into the art world. Instantaneously, he knew that his creative talent was good for more than just expression; from that moment it would define his way of life. At age 11, as a Junior Lifeguard on the beaches of Ventura, Abel discovered an experience other than art that would also dictate and change the course of his life forever: surfing. Riding waves immediately became a focal point in Erik’s life. This new and growing passion immediately
bled into his artistic expressions. His school notebooks and homework assignments were transformed into small sketchbooks where he learned to graphically and two-dimensionally work out the dynamics of oceanic waveforms. The ocean is Abel’s predominant source of inspiration and energy. The balance of chaos and predictability, force and serenity, fear and joy, the known and unknown, inspires a tension expressed through the exploration of color and dynamic compositions seen in Abel’s work. His artwork continues to gain renown while the aspects of his unequivocal style of oceanic imagery continue to encompass more artistic maturity and popularity. His voyage toward self-discovery and personal expression has put him center-stage in the courtroom of the art world to be judged by a jury consisting of both his peers and the public. The verdict is in: “Young man, you are sentenced to a lifetime of health, happiness, prosperity and making waves of everlasting enjoyment for you and your admirers.”
To purchase Erik’s new Concrete Wave limited-issue poster and see his complete biography, go to www.stcoin.com.
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MANUFACTURER PROFILE >>
L to R: Cody Shea (president), Dan Kasmar (vice president) and Joe Ingersoll (team manager). Photo: Kevin Carleton
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FIVE MILE LONGBOARDS BY MICHAEL BROOKE
How did you get involved in making skateboard products? Cody Shea and Dan Kasmar had both been building decks separately for several years before joining forces in 2007, but wanted Five Mile to be something drastically different from the start. We originally attempted to find a manufacturing facility that would be willing to take on the task of bending the wood the way we wanted it while we chipped away at production ourselves. After two full years of searching, we decided to face the reality that no one in the industry at that time was willing to take us on as a potential client at a reasonable cost, because our boards need to be pressed individually. We were left to either do what everyone else was doing, or say “F--- it” and do it ourselves.
Joe Ingersoll taking a break from building to shred the shop mini ramp.
What happened next? The early part of the Five Mile manufacturing process began with foam molds and vacuum bagging. This process served us well while we were floating from garage to garage. But in May 2010, everything changed. We moved into a brand new 2000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the heart of industrial Tacoma, Washington, and began redesigning our production process and our molds. Cody welded up a six-bay, air-bladder diaphragm press to keep up production numbers, 3D files of all models were then generated for perfect molds, and we moved to a silkscreened graphic. For this year, the curves are crazier and each model will be getting its own heat-transfer graphic created by our pool of artists. Through all the ups and downs, the Five Mile goal has stayed the same: build sick boards that help us and our friends skate faster and go bigger. What gives you the most satisfaction when it comes to building longboards? Five Mile formed from our dissatisfaction with what was out there to ride. As time has gone by, we have stayed on course with our original mission to make boards that we and our friends get stoked to ride. That is what keeps us going: being able to take our dream curves and walk them through every step of the process, right up to everyone arguing over who gets the first prototype of a new design. Seeing the circle of friends that ride our decks grow exponentially, and their level of excitement for our boards, truly makes all of the struggles worth it. What do you see happening to North American skateboard manufacturing? “Innovate or Die” is the entire philosophy behind our company. We believe in progressive innovation in the designs that go into each of our products, and we are constantly trying to push the limits of wood bending, in a quest to create an effective rider interface for skating of ALL terrains and styles. We’re predicting, with as fast as this segment of the skate industry is growing, that more and more companies will be adding more advanced contours to their wood decks. As this happens, we truly believe that it will all come down to “innovate, or get left behind.” CW
Dan Kasmar sending some boards through the glue machine.
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E K O T S / K R A P S SEARCH/ #2
Bridge To Skate Editor’s Note: Last year, while hosting a party for our 10th anniversary issue (and giving a tribute to Frank Nasworthy), I met up with Chantelle Heroux of Bridge To Skate. I was impressed with the mission of her organization. As you will soon learn, this charity embodies everything that skateboarding stands for. Kudos to Chantelle for having the courage of her convictions. Her work is truly inspirational.
WORDS BY CHANTELLE HE ROUX South Central skateboard recipient.
Children in Perlas de Oriente, Mexico, with the makings of a quarterpipe.
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hen it’s so easy to make a dream come true, I can’t believe more people don’t do it. In mid-May of this year, I rented a vehicle and drove seven children from the Watts/Compton area of Los Angeles to a pro skateboard competition at Etnies Skatepark. While traveling there, one of the children proclaimed it was the best day of his life – a statement that was said several more times that day. Every time Bridge To Skate holds an event, gives away a skateboard, has an outing or finishes a building project, the response is always similar: We’re making dreams come true. I’ve always been a dreamer myself, and everything I’ve accomplished in my life is because of that. I don’t want to get too Martin Luther King Jr. on anybody, but holy moley, I do have a dream! And the coolest thing is, I’m living it. Every day of my life I’m surrounded by joy, enthusiasm, smiles and laughter. Usually, at least once a week, I get to see a dream come true for somebody. Search/Spark/Stoke – I think that’s obvious.
SEARCH In 2009, I traveled to Honduras to build a skateboard park. I was dedicated to my own little cause and never expected that a year after my first journey, I would be signing the papers to create a 501(c (3) non-profit charity called Bridge To Skate. But I am aware ... and that, to me, makes me obligated to chip in. It sounds cheesy, but because I was born in the United States, I immediately have the power to make a positive Children from Danli, Honduras. 70 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2012
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SC HOLL change in the world. I’m not a trust-funder and I don’t have a fancy job; I’m in my mid-20s, with practically no material possessions. But I do have motivation. I love that this is my background. It proves that anybody can make a positive difference in the world – if I can, you can. I’d like to think of our little volunteer movement as one of the rawest forms of philanthropy you can get; we’re all doing it for the high-fives, laughter and smiles. If someone had asked me a few years ago what I’d be up to now, I would’ve never guessed this. If someone had asked me the same question one year ago, I still wouldn’t have seen Bridge To Skate taking shape this way. The search is constant and always evolving. We’re open to anything and anyone – and because of that, I feel like we’ve seen and been able to create radical change for the better.
SPARK When you see a child who hadn’t previously found his talent excel at skateboarding, you know you’ve sparked a change. You also know you’ve made a difference when you see a child’s eyes glow when she sees the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and knows she gets to learn to surf it. Your heart melts when a teenager is shaking after meeting his or her skateboard idol and you know you made it happen. Every skateboarder understands how a skateboard can change a life, and I can honestly say I’ve seen it happen. We’ve been able to reach out to youth because of skateboarding, and
The first Honduran Skateboard Team!
Watts local Robert Moreno making an ollie over eight decks look easy!
Shane Hidalgo, showing his Bridge To Skate family how it’s done!
generally, there’s a lot more behind their skating than outside appearance would ever show. Skateboarding is our tool to end gang violence and to further education. We use it for therapy and anger management. It’s a reason to be drug-free and in shape. It’s an art. It’s a route of expression, a path of sanity and friendship. It’s our helping hand. And beyond all, it’s our spark.
STOKE We’ve built the skateboard park, we’ve built the playground, we’ve built the skateboarders. Our monthly skate contests in South Central Los Angeles began last year with only 15 kids. Our largest competition to date had 147 skaters participate. Last year we gave away 71 recycled and new skateboard completes through our Skateboard Recipient Program. This year, we’re giving away 365 complete skateboard decks –
one for every day of the year. In the fall, we’re building our first school in a mountain village that is two miles from the closest dirt road. Eventually, we’ll have a playground and a skateboard park there too. We have our calendars filled with day trips to different skateboard parks, camping overnights, learn-to-skate clinics, group home visits, and competitions. Bridge To Skate has ignited a fire in children who may never have had an opportunity to shine in this way. The greatest part about it all is that we’re stoking their fire at the same time they’re stoking ours. Bridge To Skate is a public charity that uses skateboarding and play to aid in the creation of life skills, promotion of health, fostering of peace and the education of cultural differences internationally. For more information, visit bridgetoskate.org. CW
Sector 9 professional Shaun Ross boosting at the WLCAC Center in Watts.
Group shot at our monthly skateboard contest!
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Photo: J. Nefzger
The feedback from our series on longboarding and spirituality propelled me to examine the role that serendipity plays within skateboarding. For those of you unfamiliar with the word, serendipity means a “happy accident” or “pleasant surprise” – specifically the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. I am sure many of you have experienced serendipity while you’ve been out longboarding. So sit back and enjoy these documented stories of happy surprises! — Michael Brooke, Publisher.
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You never know where your life will take you. You have to open up to the universe and accept what is offered to you – that is serendipity – and always try to do some good along the way.
YOU JUST NEVER KNOW Pierre Moatti I could picture myself “patting the dog” as I carved out the most graceful turn on my snowboard on some fresh snow. The only problem was that I was nearing 50 and unsure. And I’d never snowboarded before. I hadn’t been on skis in almost 20 years, and I thought to myself, “What if snowboarding is as diametrically different as windsurfing is to actual sailing or downhill skiing is to cross-country skiing?” Bonnie, my wife and my muse, did what she always does when I am hanging on the edge of a cliff of indecision – she shoved me
right over. Well, the rest of that chapter was a blast. Many years of skateboarding made picking up snowboarding far easier than I had thought. It helped me and my son to connect as we would race down the slope trying to knock one another off (I had the weight advantage and often won). The bruises and aches and pains were our reward for a great day on the slopes. Like my snowboarding, I came across longboarding quite late in my years through karmic serendipity. As I now approached my 60th year, I had been watching one of my neighbors for the past eight or so summers as he would scoot off on one of his longboards and would imagine myself getting stoked from a great ride; coming home just exhausted from a long push. Oh, oh, here I was hanging on the edge of a cliff again. And along comes Bonnie again, ready to push me off. “But my age?” I say. “Quit being a wimp,” she responds. Secretly, I think she’s trying to collect on my life insurance. But I immediately Google and read up anything I can on this thing called longboarding. Come on, it’s got to be easier than skateboarding in my youth, right? Wrong! Right after getting my new Landyachtz, and just barely putting on my helmet, I went zipping down my street a lot faster than I intended. (Did I mention that I hadn’t read the chapter on how to stop?) In snowboarding, we called it “having a yard sale,” and that was exactly what happened. After sustaining bruised ribs; a mild concussion and cuts and bruises, I decided that body armor was definitely “de rigueur” when trying this again. When I actually regained consciousness, I thought it was time to reach out to my old neighbor and get a few tips especially on how to stop without using my head as a brake. The serendipity is that everything happens for a reason. My old neighbor turned out to become an awesome friend who is on a 100% high on the sport and shared his knowledge with me like a religion. It’s become a part of my religion, too, and I try to go out a few times a week in nice weather, only now Bonnie follows me on the “support vehicle” (her bicycle) just in case I have another yard sale. You never know where your life will take you. You have to open up to the universe and accept what is offered to you – that is serendipity – and always try to do some good along the way.
If I would have gotten up off the longboard, I would have been hit from behind, and I struggle to even think of the damage that could have happened.
SAVED Eytan Back in September I was just out cruising on my longboard late at night with my friends Marco and Misha. We were tired and had to get home, so we decided to longboard back on the road. Five minutes away from home, a car out of nowhere changes lanes, honks its horn and hits me, barely missing my friends, then makes a 180 turn and just leaves the scene. I ended up with two fractures, a dislocation torn ligament in my ankle and a fracture in my fibula that will take two to three years to fully heal. I was unable to walk for three months, and now, five months after the accident, I’m still working on getting back to normal. After looking back, I realized the reason I survived was because my longboard took the hit. If I would have gotten up off the longboard, I would have been hit from behind, and I struggle to even think of the damage that could have happened. If I hadn’t been on my longboard, I might not even be here to tell this story. Longboarding saved my life, and even as I am still learning to run and jump I am already longboarding again.
I asked T.A. to sign my board and he did – two relatively “old” dudes sharing a moment in time and space, all because of the shared experience offered by four wheels and a board ... Priceless.
BLUE TILE FEVER Ron N. Buliung If I’d never been on my cruiser, I would never have met Tony Alva in Toronto, Canada. I was skating home from work at the Cities Centre, University of Toronto (I’m a pro-
fessor of transportation geography), and I passed by Blue Tile Lounge, a skate shop on College Street. I skated past the shop and then decided to go back and have a look around – totally random. I literally paused, thought about it and went back. I entered the shop and Tony Alva was there! Now, you have to understand that I’m 41 years old and started skateboarding in the late 1970s on things that looked like the Penny or Stereo cruiser boards you see today. This was around the time it all went down with Alva’s frontside air out of the pool. I knew about him back then (as hard as it was to know anything in the pre-Facebook era) – so meeting him in 2012 was like someone who gives a damn about golf, for example, meeting Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus. In that moment about 30 years fell away. I asked T.A. to sign my board and he did – two relatively “old” dudes sharing a moment in time and space, all because of the shared experience offered by four wheels and a board ... priceless.
In our neighborhood, I noticed a group of skateboarding kids who congregated and did tricks down the street. My son’s eyes lit up, as did mine.
LONGBOARDING THE GENERATION GAP Scott Norcott In 1973 I received a really terrific birthday present from my parents: a cool-looking skateboard made of fiberglass with a kicktail. At the time, skateboarding was not that popular, and my interest had stemmed from the ads in my older brother’s Surfer magazines. I skated the area briefly, but my friends were not into it at the time, so other activities won out. Two years later a friend got a skateboard and we started looking for hills to bomb. Wheels and bearings were fairly slow and bombing was moderately safe, as speed was limited. Then Road Rider wheels and precision bearings hit the scene. Leaving everyone in the dust was exhilarating! Too fast, in fact, because the trucks at the time could not handle it without the infamous speed wobbles. Bruises and strawberries (road rash) were commonplace, but it was great fun that year on the streets and at the local skate bowl in Huntington. It was most excellent to be a teenager, being a daredevil while surrounded by beautiful girls in Huntington! We were the wild ones – born to push the limits before the term “extreme sports” existed. The bowl was great; I alone seemed to be the most interested in downhill, but I stayed where my friends were. Time passed. I got my driver’s license. High school sports, parties, prom and college replaced the old set of wheels I once treasured. I was always an absolute athlete, so skiing, surfing, waterskiing and speed boating became a lifestyle. It took many years and a Huntington beauty to tame this wild one. Luckily for me! A home and a young boy growing up filled the days. Teaching him to swim and to ride a bike was fun, although he was not into athletic sports the way I was. His mother forbade me from teaching him to skateboard, worrying that he would be injured. And when Mom’s not happy, Dad’s not happy. So my son had to wait to learn. Besides swimming and riding, my son and I did not have a lot in common, which was not easy for either of us. Several years had passed, and we moved to a north shore Long Island town where there were many hills. In our neighborhood, I noticed a group of skateboarding kids who congregated and did tricks down the street. My sons eyes lit up, as did mine. After approximately six months of convincing his mother, there were two new skateboards in the basement. It took a lot of effort for my son at 13 to find his balance on these skinny toothpicks. Finally, at a garage sale I came across a pool board with longboard wheels and trucks – extra wide and stable. My son found his balance and was hooked. He started hanging with the locals, which was good. And I wound up purchasing my first real longboard, a 46” bamboo pintail with Randal RIIs. What a great carving board it turned out to be. Of course, my son needed a similar board. We have a great street to ride down an excellent hill right out of our door! As with a lot of families, my son and I had many differences – some of them difficult. Still, we could always break out SUMMER 2012 CONCRETE WAVE 75
the longboards and rip the local hills. Discussing future plans to film rides and trips was always therapeutic. Our mutual interest in this sport has helped us bond when there was nothing else. At 16 years of age, my son has become an experienced rider, and together we have developed a local longboarding club, which became chartered last fall. We are the North Shore Cruisers. Attending charity runs and events has been a blast. We are in the process of developing and hosting several runs and races in the Northport and Huntington areas this fall. Many are joining our club, and we are looking forward to shred, photo and filming sessions! We have both found that there is a sense of community within longboarders. A free-spirited energy and attitude with good intentions, positive actions and a sense of adventure exist among these riders. The sport of longboarding is growing rapidly here in Long Island and throughout the globe as well. It attracts many ages, both men and women. My son and I are happy to be a part of it, and helping it grow. I have noticed other fathers and sons getting into it. I hope that they can enjoy the commonality my son and I have found longboarding the Generation Gap. *Special thanks to Sector 9, whose Pipeline and BHNCs have carried my son and me on an excellent journey.
Without Theseus and longboarding, I never would have found my passion and my direction.
LESSONS FROM “PASTOR” THESEUS Joel Goodman My entire involvement with longboarding was delivered to me by serendipitous chance in 2009 while working on a show for MTV. I met a crew member named Theseus Williams, a 6’3”, 220-pound guy with a heart of gold and an infectious passion for longboarding. Theseus would talk about longboarding – the feeling, the convenience and the community – ad nauseam every day on set until I finally agreed to meet him in New York City’s Tompkins Square Park for a weekly meet-up of longboarders. He let me kick around the park a bit, and just as I was starting to feel comfortable on the board, I was told everyone was heading over to Theseus’s house a few blocks away. Ever the ambitious one, I said I would skate along with them through the streets of NYC on a borrowed longboard. In the first minute out on the street, I nearly fell under a cab trying to turn. Persistent, I brushed myself off and slowly made my way to Theseus’s apartment. By the time I arrived, the group was ready to skate on to the Williamsburg Bridge, about 15 blocks away. Feeling I had reached my danger limit for the day, I attempted to bow out, thanking Theseus for the loaner and the chance to ride. Like an evangelical pastor, Theseus was not willing to give up a new member of the flock so easily. Placing the board in the street, he told me, “Stand on it; find a comfortable stance.” I got on the board and spread my feet apart to the most secure stance I could. “OK, now I’m going to grip you by your belt and push you to the bridge,” Theseus said. WHAT?! I thought as my heart jumped nimbly to my throat. I’m gonna die! Like a high school kid, though, I attempted to maintain my cool, insisting that he need not go to so much effort for me; I could walk – it’s cool. Theseus was having none of that. He gripped me by my belt and we were off, flying down 2nd Avenue with great speed (in my mind). My fear quickly gave way to pure exhilaration as the city whizzed by and our pack traveled south toward the bridge. What a feeling, what freedom – the grid of the city streets opening up to me in a way I never knew possible. That was when I heard the two words I never knew I feared, but quickly learned to: “HARD LEFT!” Hard left?! I had just learned how to stand in place – hard left was not in my repertoire! As Theseus attempted to pull me left, I lost my connection to the borrowed board and watched in slow motion as it went shooting through a busy Manhattan intersection, narrowly missing wheel after wheel before crashing with a thud against the far curb. Normally that is where I would have called it a day, but with Theseus it’s not that easy to just call it quits. Before I had time to form a half-assed excuse as to why I
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should not get back on the board, I was back on it, with Theseus pushing me ever faster through the streets of NYC, with our destination looming larger and higher with every kick. To say the Williamsburg Bridge is the tallest structure in the world is ludicrous; it is not even the tallest structure in the city. But to say it looked like the tallest structure as I stood at the bottom of the bike path with a longboard underfoot is more than reasonable. At this point I had become intoxicated with the group mentality of skating in a pack and I did not want to be left behind. So all I could think was, “How am I going to get to the top of this?” I didn’t have the strength to push up it, and walking seemed too foreign at that moment to even attempt. Luckily, Theseus had it covered again. Switching positions so that I now had his belt firmly gripped, and with the added support of a new friend riding a bike, Theseus began pulling me up the Williamsburg Bridge. I watched as the two men strained and kicked us slowly up the inclined ramp toward the center point of the bridge, wishing I could help but not daring to take my foot off the board. All my thoughts were so focused on staying on the board and not getting my wheel tangled with the bike or Theseus that I never thought about what would happen when I got to the top. Until I got there. When I look back on this moment it seems surreal, as if it is really a story not of mine but of someone I know or met once at party. Because there is no way it was me who stood at the top of the bridge looking down and kicked off on a longboard I had ridden for the first time an hour before. There is no way it was me who, despite some death wobbles, made it all the way down the first section of the bridge into Manhattan without any difficulty. But it was, and I did, and I couldn’t have been happier. I stepped off the board after the first downhill and my legs were jelly. Having seen my success on the first section, my new friends were proud and urged me to follow down the main section of the bridge. Despite the lack of stability in my legs, I stepped back on the board to ride the final section of the bridge. After about two feet, I knew I was in trouble. Every foot I rolled, my speed seemed to double. My trucks seemed locked, unable to turn (although really I just didn’t know how to get them carving). I saw a messy end to my first longboarding experience. I prepared myself to attempt the high-speed jump and run, the only method I had available to me to stop. As I mentally planned my daring, escape the biker who had so graciously helped haul my ass up the bridge pulled alongside me. Seeing the fear and panic in my face, he yelled out that I should grab his arm anytime I needed to slow down. This turned out to be a life saver. I was now able to enjoy small sections of freeride, coupled with desperate clutching of his arm to slow me down. Once safely at the bottom, my legs announced to me by turning to total mush that there would be no more riding today. Some time later, Theseus showed me a photo from that day, in which I am standing at the bottom of the bridge with the other longboarders I had just met, leaning on the board looking casual and cool. In truth, I was leaning on it to keep from falling down thanks to my severe case of jelly legs. I left the group and headed home after that, buzzing with the excitement of what I had just done. I knew there was no way I could not do this again; it was too exciting, too exhilarating to not be a part of my life. I needed a board. I needed to ride! Since that fateful day, my life has indeed been forever changed. I kept in touch with Theseus, and when it came time for the Broadway Bomb, I organized a ninecamera shoot to document the race. The resulting short film, titled Push Culture: The Broadway Bomb, which featured Theseus quite heavily, was screened at the next year’sBroadway Bomb, the Vancouver International Longboard Film Festival and numerous other venues to great acclaim. After seeing it, Michael Brooke introduced me to the Davenport brothers, and that is when my career became solely focused on the sport of longboarding. I now am the director/producer/editor of Push Culture News, which I am immensely proud of. I have made some of the best friends and done some of the best work of my life, all because of longboarding. We have a huge season coming up this year for PCN, and I can’t wait to advance my personal skating as well as the sport as a whole through our coverage. Without Theseus and longboarding, I never would have found my passion and my direction. Thank you, Theseus! CW
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I DO WHAT I DO BY DON TASHMAN
Don Tashman – Loaded Boards
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his is something I think about and revisit a lot. I don’t believe in creating a road map and sticking to it through thick and thin. Rather, I think that as humans we’re multifaceted, complex, creative creatures and that we should continuously follow our passions and allow them the space and the nutrients to adapt and evolve. My original raison d’être for Loaded was to focus on creating the boards I wanted to ride. Building a business out of this passion was a necessary evil in order to allow me to engage in development in a more serious fashion. At that point (starting in 2000 and for the first six or seven years of Loaded) I figured I’d work at creating a company in order to allow me to do product design and that eventually I’d hand off the business end and focus exclusively on R&D. Since then, my interests have shifted in surprising ways. I’m still very passionate about product development, materials and functionally driven design. However, I’ve become fascinated by the complex business challenges (particularly the creative strategic aspects of building a viable and socially responsible brand) as well as the
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social and cultural impact a business can have. How does this translate into getting me stoked to go to work Monday mornings? A number of ways: 1. I work with great people: That’s the key to everything, I think. With great people you can do anything. Plus, these are my good friends. They are people I respect and am inspired by. I’m stoked to be able to come and play/create/destroy with people whom I like and who I know will challenge me. Also, they smile a lot. 2. This extends to the vendors we work with. We’re blessed to work with amazing people who are incredible craftspeople and are stoked to be a part of this. We’ve worked hard to find these people and to earn their respect, but we’re still very much in debt to them. 3. We spend a lot of time and energy working on creating a healthy, challenging and creative environment. I want the people around me to flourish. In our society we’re expected to spend a significant amount of our vital and dynamic time and effort “earning a living.” We’ve got an amazing opportunity here to engage the world, create and
play with super-fun gear and focus on our personal development. I intend to take full advantage of the opportunity, and I expect the same of those around me. To pare it down to a sound bite, I think my purpose on this planet is to create, explore, love, inspire and be inspired. I embrace the concept of the renaissance person (even if I’m really a dilettante). 4. As I mentioned above, I’m currently excited by the daily (and broader) business challenges. I’m lucky; I come from an entrepreneurial family, and my dad, who gave me office/warehouse space to start Loaded in exchange for helping him with his businesses, was my supporter, mentor and partner until his death in 2008. I learned a ton from him and my siblings; but I’ve had to learn a lot on my own as well, including how to create and balance budgets, manage cash flow, and how to approach management in general. Every day is unique, and working with the Loaded crew to develop our short- and long-term strategy is totally exciting. We deal with all kinds of issues, including the long-term impact of the mom-and-pop skate shop for the culture
and development of skateboarding, engaging established and emerging technologies to facilitate every aspect of the business, building strong relationships with great shops and distributors, and working in a global environment. The role of money is important to establish as well; creating a commercially viable company is an integral part of allowing us to keep doing what we do. Our primary goal is not to make money for its own sake, but rather to promote and grow board sports through performance, community and creative expression. Paying our bills and our salaries, having product in stock and having the resources to grow and develop are all part of that larger goal. Having this balance keeps things fun day to day and prevents us from running the risk of “selling out” by making decisions based on profit that we wouldn’t make for the reasons above.
5. Competition and inspiration: There’s a lot of great people and companies in longboarding today and I’m stoked to be able to consider many of them my friends. We actively strive to do our own thing and we don’t really feel like we have any true “competition” in the sense that we need to “fight over market share.” Rather, we believe that we’re all here to explore new facets of skateboarding and that we’re working to expand the market and the opportunities for everyone. That said, the innovation and quality of the product coming to market today is mind-blowing, inspiring and challenging. We’re stoked to be part of this renaissance period in skateboarding, and we look forward to seeing this continue to grow for a long time to come. 6. I get to skate, snowboard and surf a bunch, and usually with great friends and great riders. I’m not gonna leave this one out, as it’s one of the greatest perks for sure!
7. Product Design: This still gets me going, and I totally love it. But I’m taking a bit more of a back seat these days. We’re building a stellar design team, and the caliber of work we’re doing and exploring blows my mind. While I’m not hands-on in the same way I used to be, I feel I’ve got even more opportunity these days for highlevel product ideation and for experimentation. 8. Social/cultural impact: A skateboard is just a plank with some wheels stuck to it, right? So why does it inspire so much passion, creativity and community? I’m not sure I can put it into words, but if you’re reading this, you get it. It’s a vehicle (sorry for the pun, but it’s appropriate) for personal exploration and for developing solid relationships. To be able to engage people around the world through skateboarding and to be engaged, challenged and inspired in return is no mean thing, and I’m incredibly thankful to be able to do what I do.
BY MADISON BUCSU | BUCSU BOARDS – CREATED FROM THE RIDE
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he question for me really isn’t why I do what I do, but rather why not do what I want to do? Make it happen, and those who support me will have my back, staying true to who I am and what I’m passionate about. From an early age onwards I was always interested in working with my hands and enjoyed making things that I would design or create from my own unique perspective. When entering my teenage years it was mandatory to take some sort of shop class, and one of the first things I made was a longboard. It was nearly impossible to find a longboard in my small town. I had a subscription to a surf magazine that had longboards in it, and that really got me excited. It was something different and innovative. I made my first board when I was 12 years old. I always had an entrepreneurial mind, and I sold all the boards I made in high school. As the years went on, I had the choice to be in several shop classes. I also made it a priority to spend any extra time I could in wood shop. I finished high school and went on to college in Nelson, BC. I completed two years of finishing carpentry and loved every minute of it! I loved making furniture using exotic veneers. It was my true passion, but the economy was not as willing to spend that kind of money on my handcrafted furniture. It was exciting and I loved it, but it was not something that could bring in a consistent and sustainable income. When it came to finding a job, I didn’t want to settle into something that didn’t make me happy. I couldn’t find the right fit, and I didn’t want to sacrifice for something that I wasn’t passionate about. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity through Community Futures to start my own business. I had to prove that I could operate a viable and sustainable business. I
Madison Bucsu – Bucsu Boards
knew exactly what I wanted to do. Being able to combine my skill set and knowledge from the last 10 years of my life, it was not hard to determine I wanted my own longboard company. But not just any company – one that was different and unique, something I could call my own. All the boards are handcrafted by me, and rather than using graphics, I use exotic veneers. It combines my passion for longboarding and working as a carpenter. Getting started wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but I knew if I kept working at it and really got my name out there, it could work. I went to many events and dozens of shops. I realized what an undertaking this was going to be to handle everything on my own. Handling all the media and marketing and making sure all of the necessary day-to-day requirements were in place to keep the business operating – none of that was really my forte. All I really wanted to do was design and build my boards and interact with the riders and other enthusiasts.
I knew of only one person whom I trusted and who would not only be capable of managing the business but would far exceed what was necessary to make this business successful: my sister, Brittany. So I asked her if she would be willing to take a gamble and join me in running Bucsu Boards. Without hesitation she was on board. In this last year we have had a blast going to races and getting involved in the racing community. Longboarding is not just another sport; it’s a way of life. The people we have met have been instrumental in our success thus far. We feel like we are part of a big family. We have had an overwhelming amount of support from other companies and riders alike – not typical to any other industry where competition is such a predominant factor in operating a business. Although there is competition, it’s of a more friendly nature. Because we are a new, up-and-coming business, other companies have been so supportive and have provided constructive feedback that we are able to use to improve existing products. All in all, I can’t think of any other place I would rather be. I don’t think I could find a warmer environment that challenges me but also excites me. I do what I love and I love what I do. I am able to create something from nothing. I throw all my creativity and passion into it. It’s not a job and it’s not just another sport; it’s a way of life. CW
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THE NEWTON INTERVIEWS INTERVIEWS BY ALEX NEWTON
AXEL SERRAT Age: 24 Location: Barcelona, Spain Sponsors: Original Skateboards, Dyslexia Clothing Influences: Mark Gonzales, Marcos Gomez, Louis Pilloni ... anyone who loves skateboarding because of skateboarding. When and how did you start skating? I used to skateboard with a regular skateboard until 2008, then I started longboarding. What does skateboarding do for you? Oh, man, there are too many good things about skateboarding. It’s funny how it changes my way to live.
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What do you do for skating? I don’t really know ... I just try to enjoy what I do, and of course do it with passion. I’m the president of Barcelonian longboard club, Longskate; we try to make events and make longboarding closer to the population. I also have a project with some friends, All Around Skate. It’s a website we made one year ago. We try to put all the European media together; we think it’s a good way to make [the scene] grow up. I also make videos and ride for Original Skateboards. I keep working with something I love. Skate trip diet: When you are Catalan, this question is quick to answer: bread
with spread tomato, salt and oil and some sausage on top.
Good session requirements: Helmet on, and have fun.
Craziest story: There’s too many. In 2009 we were coming back from a Euro trip. We were so tired, and at the last part of the trip a big storm was following us – hard rain and strong wind. Suddenly, the van goes from the first lane to the third. That was sketchy! We almost died on that trip.
Favorite type of terrain to skate: Love to cruise my city. I always go to the top, [have an] intense session of freeriding, and after, a good session of freestyling at the bottom of the city. I love Barcelona.
When off your board, what are you doing? What do you mean? There’s more to do than just ride a board? I’ve studied sound engineering, and I love to make videos.
Favorite trick: Backside stalefish slide – such a big nuts to do it! Least favorite part of skateboarding: Falls, haters, people who don’t love skateboarding, people too cool, injuries ... but I keep thinking positive – I don’t care.
Cote Costa Location: Bristol, Rhode Island Occupation: Nothing at the moment. Sponsors: Water Brothers, Greenside Skatepark, and Gullwing hooks me up with trucks sometimes. Influences: Sammy Baca is one of my favorite skaters. My sponsor Sid “The Package” Abruzzi; dude’s a legend. He’s been there since the beginning and always did things his way. Such a nice guy … once you’re in with him, you’re family. He keeps the rock ’n’ roll aspect of skating strong. When and how did you start skating? Actually my first skateboard was pretty old-school. It was a flat deck with no grip, and there was a Martian graphic on top. It had metal handlebars like a
scooter. I took the bars off it and that was my first board. When I was like 4 or 5, I moved into my neighborhood down Fales Road; that’s when I really started skating. I met Matt Krushnowski – he lived right behind me and he skated too. We used to build ramps and makeshift rails on his road, all day every day. I knew even then that’s all I really wanted to do. What does skateboarding do for you? Ah, so much, man. It’s one of the best ways I know for self-expression. Everyone’s got their own style with it; it’s like a physical art form. I love landing, I love falling – it’s all good. It’s a fountain of youth. If you skate, you’ll never truly grow up. Plus traveling, finding new spots, new inspiration. And I’ve met so many awesome people through it.
Cote Costa Photo: KJ
What do you do for skating? I don’t know – I do what I can. I try to keep it fun and creative. Once it gets too serious is when things start getting lame. It’s all about having a good time, getting out of the rat race for a bit. Skate trip diet: Oh, geez, mostly like water, beer, fast food and cigarettes. Craziest story:Damn, there’s a lot of crazy stories. We got kicked out of our hotel the first night of the Surf Expo. My room was trying to get some rest before the comp the next day, and a couple of the older guys from the team went to the bar and came to our door at like 2:00 in the morning trying to kick it in. The next night we got another room with my fake ID. Got kicked out of that one on our own – knives in the wall, chair in the wall, sticker everything, yada yada. We left our mark.
When off your board, what are you doing? When I’m off my board, I’m usually just hanging out, being an idiot with friends … nothing too special. Good session requirements: Good energy. Good people and water. If you got those, doesn’t matter what you’re skating – it’ll be a good time. Favorite type of terrain to skate: I’m a tranosaurus. I love bowls, quarters, banks, pipes, anything. Love going fast. Favorite trick: Madonna to tail, or Ollie Norths. Least favorite part of skateboarding: Zumiez kids, and Street League … it’s like the MLB of skating.
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Kevin LeFrank Photo: Oliver Seguin-Leduc
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Kevin LeFrank Age: 24 Location: Montreal Occupation: Skateboard design/ manufacturing Sponsors: Kebbek, FFASHOP.com, mom and dad
Skate trip diet: It used to be tuna. Don’t buy tuna and wraps if you plan on being in a car with the windows up — that is my advice. Now it’s more whatever comes at the side of the highway. I like to avoid fast food but it’s inevitable … and delicious.
Influences: Friends and family play a big part, as well as some unique skate videos: Subject to Change, Fully Flared, Cheese and Crackers.
Craziest story: I have a pretty good story for you, actually. I went to Vermont with a few friends. We met up with some locals and were riding all day. I remember it was so hot that day, and someone mentioned there was a swimming hole at the bottom of the mountain pass — waterfall, rapids waterslide and cliff jumping. This place was the real deal. No one brought any swimsuits, so we went in our boxers. Also, we didn’t have a change of clothes to get dry in, so everyone ended up leaving except for my car. There were three of us. We were swimming and chilling a bit longer, and then I came up with a brilliant idea: “Hey, guys, let’s go do a run in our boxers and dry off.” Seemed like a good idea: high-speed clothes dryer and I get to skate? Hell, yeah. We started our descent down the hill and starting thinking, “Wow, this feels pretty fast.” It’s just a sweeping road, so there is only one corner you actually have to slow down for. What we didn’t realize is during the day we had been skating in a headwind, so the max we ever hit while pack riding was 70km/h. Now that the sun was setting and the wind was gone, we were doing just over 90km/h. I had never fallen in a speed wobble before, and I was riding really loose that day, as we weren’t going over 70. Usually I get them under control. So the first few times the board wobbled I thought nothing of it, but eventually they got me. My board just flipped over and I hit the ground at 90km/h in boxers and a T-shirt.
When and how did you start skating? It wasn’t until I was 13 that I got my first board. My cousin gave it to me without my mom finding out. She would have killed me if she knew I had one. I had it for a good month or so before she ever caught on. After that I always kept it going. What does skateboarding do for you? Growing up, it kept me out of trouble, and out of organized sports. I am a fan of skateboarding being an art of its own. No matter what you do with the board, you are exercising your mind and pushing your own personal limits. You are never skating alone, either; total strangers are always just as happy to be skating as you are, which is great. What do you do for skating? I’ve tried to put back as much as I feel I’ve been given from skateboarding. I will never be able to give enough, but I have been a part of several skateboard park planning programs. [Teaching] skateboard lessons for the City of London and privately for a few years. Events I’ve thrown and several other things. I started a company named Ambitious, trying to push the innovation of different skateboard products. Through that I’ve created a few different sponsorship packages for people to help them get through part of their own seasons.
The fall was perfect; I landed in a push-up position, gloves on the ground, and slid on the toes of my brand new shoes. However, my body hit the ground for just an instant. At those speeds that’s all you need. I lost the first layer or two of skin down my entire right leg from ankle to ass cheek. It was a pretty big mess. Also, despite the opinion of your friends, follow this rule: “If you think it’s broken, go get an X-ray.” I definitely broke a knuckle when I put it between the road and my slide puck. My leg healed great, though, and only took about three weeks. The thing that amazes me is that just before we went to Vermont that day, I sent in my order for some NJK leathers. When off your board, what are you doing? Well, I do a lot of work and hanging out with friends. I’m not as much of an Internet troll as I used to be, and I don’t have cable, so video games are a great pastime as well. Good session requirements: A couple of friends, possibly a kicker, and just a good, sun-filled hill. Favorite type of terrain to skate: Transition is great – any nice, flowing ramp or park. Freeriding is a big favorite. Favorite trick: No matter how technical a session gets, a big clean backside 180 always saves the day. Check out Bob Burnquist’s Mega Ramp stuff and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Throw in a melon grab, or even a kickflip floater. Least favorite part of skateboarding: The feeling you get when a skate trip has come to an end and you still have a five- to 10-hour travel time home.
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Lauren Suchocki Age: 23 Location: Holyoke, Massachusetts Occupation: Professional job huntsman, skater, cat whisperer Sponsors: Surf-Rodz Influences: All of my pals. We all influence each other. When and how did you start skating? Nearly two years back, I was sucked into it through friends at school. Soldiers of Downhill 2010 opened my mind and inspired me to go faster. What does skateboarding do for you? Skateboarding keeps me content and it’s constantly pressing my physical and
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mental limits. With skating there comes self-confidence, incredible friends, travel and passion. True good times had. What do you do for skating? I enjoy it completely with everything I have. I like to get out and meet as many local shredders as I can, and I do my best to represent and support those who support me. Skate trip diet: Any sort of morsels I can get my hands on. Maybe some candy and black coffee. Craziest story: In January, I escaped the cold hardships of Massachusetts for the California sunshine and hills. We spent a
weekend in Santa Gnarbara and I had the chance to skate a road through some lowhanging clouds as we descended. Being a relatively new skater from the East Coast and still experiencing these places, that was up on my list of insanely wonderful. In fact, that whole trip was insanely wonderful; Amanda [Powell] and I strapped our boards to the back of her little 80cc scooter in a strong attempt to make it to the Malibu hills. I’m pretty sure we had plenty of double-takes that day. When off your board, what are you doing? Hard at lurk. Just recently out of school, so I’m looking for a job that will allow me to save the planet while being in a shred-friendly area.
Lauren Suchocki Photo: Mike DiPietro
Good session requirements: Laughing is a serious requirement. If you aren’t enjoying yourself or others, then the moment is fruitless! Positivism breeds positivism. Favorite type of terrain to skate: Toughie. It has to be those swirly mountain roads. Favorite trick: Trick? You mean stunts and stuff? I’ve been told I created the backwards cricket. Least favorite part of skateboarding: Injuring oneself to the point where skating has to be put on hold for the sake of healing. No more of that!
Sean Graves Age: 28 Location: Frederick, Maryland Occupation: I work for a bank. Sponsors: Soda Factory Skateboards, Phat Deanz Wheels, Rayzor Tattoos and Skate Shop. Influences: Anyone I’ve ever skated with. When and how did you start skating? I started skating late in life in early 2005. I got into it because I had always wanted to as a kid but was too busy doing sports. I finally made the time and bought my first board, and it has been on ongoing addiction since then.
What does skateboarding do for you? It provides a peaceful place for me and helps to feed my need for adrenaline. It also keeps me sane. What do you do for skating? I try to get involved in anything and everything I can. I have organized and run multiple outlaws and have been running a race called the Mustache Derby for the last four years. I also helped organize and bring back one of the most fun races, the Soldiers of Downhill, in Bainbridge, Ohio. I test out wheels and boards, and I am working on bringing up the next generation of skaters in my kids.
Skate trip diet: Bananas, water, bread and peanut butter. I keep it simple and easy to pack. I’d rather be skating than eating. Craziest story: I have a lifetime restraining order from a high school – and no, I’m not a pedophile. When off your board, what are you doing? I work a full-time job, have been married for seven years to an awesome wife and have four kids. So I do the responsible adult thing when I’m not on board. Good session requirements: Good people. Phat Dean and his truck.
Favorite type of terrain to skate: Hills that scare me. Favorite trick: Other than the highspeed wave, I have no clue. I don’t care or know what any tricks are called; it’s a waste of time. I like having fun. Least favorite part of skateboarding: The repetition of slide jams and 180s makes me want to stab myself in the eyes. I also really hate the circle jerk. With my life, I have a limited time to skate, so I hate standing around and would rather just skate till it hurts.
Sean Graves Photo: Crystal Graves
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richard Steven sanchez Age: 21 Location: Mother earth! Occupation: HVAC tech Sponsors: Bustin, Longboard Living, Boz, Triple 8, Surf-Rodz, Brooklyn workshop Influences: Rodney Mullen, Mike Vallely, Ethan Cochard, Sergio Yuppie and son. When and how did you start skating? I started skating when I was 12. I was really into technical tricks at first. Then skating wasn’t fast enough, and I couldn’t ride skateparks too well, so I turned to scooters. After five years I picked up a longboard and was hooked ever since. What does skateboarding do for you? It’s my yoga, meditation and workout. What do you do for skating? I donate my boards to friends so they can enjoy riding around. Skate trip diet: I try to stay away from fast foods, but when there’s a budget I have no choice. But I load up on protein and carbs. Craziest story: My first downhill race, am division. I made it all the way to the finals, and right at the last turn I lost focus because the guy behind me bumped me. I fell, broke my pinky and face-planted into the grass, but still got up to steal second place. When off your board, what are you doing? Playing video games, cooking food with friends, listening to music. Good session requirements: Friends, helmet, slide gloves and a steep hill! Favorite type of terrain to skate? Everything! I love all aspects of skating. Favorite trick: 360 slide to big spin, 720 flat spins. Least favorite part of skateboarding: Richard Steven Sanchez Photo: Brian Babish
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Injuries suck, but it’s going to happen … like it or not.
Andre M. Bruni Age: 30 Location: Hallandale Beach, Florida Sponsors: Unsponsored Occupation: Bartender Influences: Concrete, gravel, cement, the ocean, Ray Barbee, Steve Rocco and Edmond Bacon. When and how did you start skating? I think it was like 1990. I saw the movie Gleaming the Cube and wanted to bomb hills sideways and ollie over police cars. I was 9 years old and there are no hills in South Florida, so I got a board and started skating street. What does skateboarding do for you? It’s green, free transportation. It motivates me to be active and, more recently, to take my skate to new places. It also gives me a chance to decompress from daily
life. When you skate you need to focus only on what you are doing, while you are doing it. Everything else just falls away. What do you do for skating? I pride myself in being a core skateboarder. I try my best to spread my stoke evenly. I learned a lot about the way I want to represent skateboarding from all the events and races I’ve attended — particularly watching Paul Kent at the Adrenalina marathons. The guy is an outstanding brand representative. He takes the same time and interest in talking to a hardcore, avid skater as he would with a grom or noob asking annoying questions about setups. I think being humble and accepting is the way to represent what you are passionate about. Skate trip diet: I’m a vegetarian but I still eat seafood (pescatarian), so for-
aging for food while on the road for races is usually a little more complicated than I want it to be. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches have become a staple. Sweet potatoes are a great source of carbs and are packed with more vitamins than anything else in the produce section. I also love a good fish taco when I can get one. Craziest story: About four hours before the Miami Death Race I got into a fight and had to get five stitches on my left cheekbone — even though I won! I still had limited visibility in my left eye, but I decided to race anyway. With more than 60 people, the race was like 12 heats until the finals — a true endurance race. Somehow I was able to finish third, behind Brian Cortright and Zac Sharp of HGR.
When off your board, what are you doing? Spending time with my family and my girlfriend Alicia. Dreaming about skateboarding! I also wakeskate, skimboard, SUP board and surf (when Florida waves give me a chance). Good session requirements: Trying something new. Landing something new. Seeing some blood. Skating with someone new. Favorite type of terrain to skate: Rough, steep and fast! A smooth concrete skatepark or New York City. Favorite trick:Anything that gets my wheels off the ground. Pressure popping over everything in my way makes me feel unstoppable. Least favorite part of skateboarding: Equipment maintenance. CW
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GIRLS CAN DEFINITELY RIDE! BY VALERIA KECHICHIAN PHOTOS: JUAN RAYOS
M
any things have happened since we first opened a Facebook fan page called “Longboard Girls Crew” (LGC) in August 2010. At that time, the main idea was to meet, hang out and skate together. We realized the energy around was different when the riders were only girls. Our main mission was to get together and place female longboarding on the map. We knew there were more girls; we just needed to find them, or make them want to start. That’s how we came up with the idea of an all-female video, Girls Can Ride, by Juan Rayos, in September 2010. I think that video made a difference in the worldwide female longboard scene. It was the first video (at least that we knew about) shot with just female riders from all over the country in such a beautiful way. There was an instant reaction. Girls loved it because they realized they could do it too, boys loved it because it was something they were not used to seeing, and people outside the longboard world loved it because it’s such a beautiful and fun video! After that, everything started to get big, but our mission is still the same: placing female longboarding on the map. Back in August 2010, Jacky Madenfrost opened the Facebook fan page. We used to skate in different spots, but the day after she created the page we ran into each other and she made me an Admin. From that day on, we would approach absolutely every female rider we found (physically and virtually) and almost harass them to become a fan of the page. We also contacted every pro rider we knew asking them to like the page and spread the news. Now that I think about it, we were very obnoxious! Some days later we came up with the idea for that first all-female video. I had no doubt Juan Rayos had to do the video. We
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A HISTORY OF THE LONGBOARD GIRLS CREW
skated together in the same spots and knew his longboarding videos. Juan Rayos + longboard girls had to work … and time would tell. So, every girl we knew – and most of them we didn’t – showed up in Madrid from all over Spain at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, the same weekend “La Noche en Blanco” (Spanish festivity, biggest longboarding weekend in the year) was taking place, to meet, skate and get stoked. Carlota Martin Torrent, Chus Asensio and Monica Madenfrost joined shortly afterwards and we established the LGC staff as it is today. I think back then we didn’t have a clue of what was going on or what we were doing. Things grew up at the same time we did, and we had to take choices, make decisions and learn while this whole movement was getting big. I’m not sure we made all the right decisions; we just did the best we knew. There is so much work behind LGC … people are usually stunned when we tell them. Besides, most of us have other jobs, so combining both plus finding time to skate or surf or just chill is sometimes too much. We honestly put a lot of work and effort into this project – we scratched sleeping and office hours to keep it growing, all five of us – so it hasn’t been easy. But yet again, it’s all worth it. While longboarding in general gets bigger worldwide, so does the female scene. To speak generally, people’s reaction to the Longboard Girls Crew has been great; they have been very supportive all around the globe. We constantly receive emails from girls and boys telling us how we inspired them to start longboarding, and that’s incredibly rewarding. As Amanda Powell says in Endless Roads, this whole “Girl Stoke” phenomenon is mind-blowing – not only seeing as many girls skating as we do, but also knowing they have a community that supports them.
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These are girls that (hopefully!) will welcome the new ones and show them they are not alone. And that was and still is one of LGC’s main purposes. Women are getting together, teaching other women, organizing female clinics, competitions, camps … It’s not even about LGC, but about women demanding their role in this sport. We are witnessing a real change in gender labeling in our sport. It’s so rewarding just to think that maybe we had something to do with that, and that we’re still making a difference. Talented female skaters have been practicing and competing at a professional level since the 1960s, and yet the sport has continued to be plagued by the usual gender stereotypes; people were surprised to see girl skaters, and even girls themselves had been put off by skating. But all that is changing now. Still, we find a lot of sexism in this sport, coming from brands and consumers. Several skating brands have done ads with almost-naked girls simply posing or walking, while guys would be killing it with their boards. On the other hand, there are countless comments on girls’ videos regarding our right to be longboarding, instead of being in the kitchen, where they suggest we actually belong. Some readers of this article will be surprised that stuff like this is still happening today. Some others will actually laugh at what I just said, and that’s where we have a problem.
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We’re constantly being judged by these kind of people regarding our outfits, shorts or any other garment that shows some skin, when we constantly see shirtless male videos and no one would even consider making it an issue. Boys and girls are different, in so many ways. We should celebrate the differences and stop judging or using easy jokes to lower the other gender. That’s the real equality we want to fight for. We also get male comments “blaming” our fan page’s popularity or the number of views of our videos on the fact that we are girls who show some skin while skating in the summer. But let me tell you guys, male riders do that too – basically because it’s summer, and therefore it’s hot. I do know, too, by personal experience, that some guys are OK with girls as long as the girls don’t succeed more than them. Then they insist it’s not fair and that our success is because we’re girls and wear shorts, no matter how hard we work on this or any project. They complain about girls being sponsored when they (the guys) skate way better. The truth is, it happens in plenty of sports; we’re not discovering anything. There are genetic reasons why men are physically more skilled in some aspects than women … so what? You won’t sponsor the fastest woman on earth just because she runs 5 seconds below men’s rate, and so do the rest of female runners? Again, it’s not everyone, but these are
little things that, by the way, hurt a lot and reflect that still there is a long way to achieve real equality. This is not only in longboarding; this is the world’s reflection of our society, just reduced to the longboard world. I don’t know if we will be able to change some guys’ minds, but we definitely have to try. We’re women that skate or longboard; it’s not such a big deal. Of course there are girls who already have taken female longboarding to the next level: Katie Neilson, Christie Aleixo, Carmen Sutra Shafer, Alicia Fillback, Amanda Powell, Marie Bougourd (Spoky), Cindy Zhou, Reine Oliveira, Marisa Nuñez, Gador Salis, Tamara Prader, Brianne Davies, just to name a few ... and they kill it. We’ve achieved a lot of things so far, but we still have work to do. Sometimes, with all this fuzz, we forget that the important thing about this sport is to have fun, any way you skate. Don’t get annoyed if you don’t get better or you get s**t about your skill level. We constantly have to deal with those comments. But it’s OK; we have never said we were the best – we are just a bunch of girls who created a female longboard community. We don’t need to constantly be proving our skating skills. Our most epic project so far is Endless Roads, a documentary shot during the summer of 2011 about female longboarding and its lifestyle. We invited two of the best Spanish riders, Gador Salis and Maitane Rascón; two of the best international riders, Amanda
Maitane Rascón in Toledo. Amanda Powell in Toledo.
Gador Salis (L) and Amanda Powell in Mallorca.
Valeria Kechichian having a good time cruising in Galicia.
Amanda Powell (in front), Marisa Nuñez and Katiana Torrebella in Galicia.
Amanda Powell (L), Marisa Nuñez and Jacky Madenfrost in Almería.
Powell and Marisa Nuñez; plus LGC female skating staff (Carlota, Jacky and I); and we hit the road. We were seven riders in a T2 VW, travelling more than 4,300 km around Spain in 15 days. As I say in the video, we went through a lot: crazy moments of joy, stress, tiredness, unforgettable scenery … Indeed, it ended up being magical. I think you can see that through Juan Rayos’ beautiful videos. He was in charge of the project and was the trip’s dictator (ha!). We worked on this project for six months before we started traveling: arranging details, getting sponsors, planning the route, inviting the girls, getting the music … The amount of work was insane. But again, seeing the result, we think it was worth it. We will have all those memories with us forever, and I think we will be connected for life by those crazy 15 days we had in a van traveling around Spain, no matter where life takes us. We have tons of stories about Endless Roads. I don’t know if I could choose a favorite. I definitely had the best time in Galicia, because I love it over there, but every spot was special for someone. Almería was beautiful and fun; one day we skated in a lovely town between the houses and the next was that lighthouse hill, where Juan did those sick shots with Marisa, Amanda and Jacky tucking hand in hand while the sun set. Mallorca was crazy downhill, lovely locals and great beaches. No one knows, but we actually left Carlota behind in the ferry station.
We traveled with two vans, the T2 and a bigger one with all the boards, suitcases and production team. As usual, we split up among both vans and were about to leave the ferry. But Carlota went to the bathroom, and when she got back, the vans were gone. She waited, assuming we would wait for her somewhere. Thirty minutes later, on the other side of the island, someone in my van asked for Carlota, but we assumed she was in the other van. The other van assumed she was with us! When we went back for her, we found her standing all alone in a corner in the middle of nowhere, looking like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone when he wakes up and realizes everyone is gone… That was definitely a great story (not for Carlota, obviously). Toledo and Avila were very special, too: skating in those beautiful medieval towns with the amazing 1.8-meter-long Longboard Rodriguez boards. And Galicia was all about the green, the surf, crazy slopes and awesome local crews. Good times … We’re actually thinking of doing a DVD with the whole movie and a CD with all that great music. Some weeks ago we were invited to Mallorca, where the MareMostra Ocean International Film Festival was held, and Endless Roads was part of the official selection. We had the chance of watching the full documentary, uncut, on a movie screen. It was so exciting, most of us ended up crying. It amazes us that all these professionals like what we do and believe in us. We’re also very
thankful (and lucky) that an artist like Juan Rayos worked with us. Nothing would have been the same without his talented work. Nothing. In Mallorca we also celebrated a mini jam with the local crew, which is ace. Mallorca is the craziest island to skate in; the roads are every DH rider’s dream. The Spanish female scene keeps growing. This March we celebrated the first national Girls Meet. Female riders from all over the country gathered in Zaragoza to meet, party and freeride La Muela, Zaragoza’s gnarliest road. There were about 50 girls, and we had such an amazing time! Zaragoza’s crew is awesome and helped us with everything regarding safety, legal and traffic. It was beyond perfect. Spain is a small country, and the collaboration and friendship between crews in order to develop the best events is outstanding. We’re also very close to other European crews and Longboard Europe, which makes everything easier and nicer. We recently celebrated the “100k Likes on Facebook” party in Madrid, as we reached that incredible number on our fan page. People from all over Spain and Europe came along to celebrate with us in an epic party that lasted the whole weekend, full of longboard activities and fun. So in the end, it’s not only about the “Girl Stoke” but also about the general stoke coming from each and every one of us who love this sport … we just do it from a girl’s point of view. CW
ROAD TRIP! 4-year-old poses with his ly Brad Dorfman and is current ion Vis ed nd e son. Brad fou d Palisades lin an s Sim e th working with located just is ice off s Hi s. of longboard . Talk about Paris Trucks 500 feet from . rld wo all a sm
Meeting up with Pete Ha mborg was random thin such a g. We had pl anned to m that day. Bu eet later t after we to ok a wrong Huntington turn in Beach, my son Ethan (S spied Pete’s parky) Ha quickly pulle mboard van from the road. We d up and Pe te joined us for lunch.
fer of Paris d Joey Pulis ness. endorff an re with busi su Brent Dub ea pl ix that to m ks w uc tr ho SA ow e-in-U Trucks kn r the e new mad la th pu us po w ed Joey show e dging on ho ng soon. Ju to give up the pool cu will be hitti ht have ig d. m an he m e, with de trucks ar to keep up as he tries
Brandon Ste Joseph of wart (left) and Spe Caliber Tr ncer just mov ucks. Th ed ey naturally into this warehou ’ve se and h mini ram ad to ensure ther e was a p. Obvio priorities usly, they have th in the righ eir t place!
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Thanks to the gen erosity of Chris Ch aput (and superb plann ing skills of his ass istant, Michele Barill a), we had a terrifi c party in Huntingt on Beach. These are just some of the many hardworking peo ple who make up Ch ris’s company, Sk 8Trip.
g te shop is an amazin The Santa Cruz ska p and museum. sho of n atio bin com vintage leathers! Those are serious
In mid-April, the Concrete Wave staff decided to go on a little road trip to both Southern and Northern California. We had an opportunity to visit many of the places and people that make up this great world of longboarding. From dodging rock slides on Route 1 to having delicious sushi in Huntington Beach with our printer, it was definitely one of our most memorable trips. Our thanks to all the Californians who extended such huge hospitality to us. And now a word from Ethan “Sparky” Brooke: “Meeting new people can be very challenging and yet lots of fun. My recent trip to California was a real surprise. Unex-
a Laguna local EG Fratantaro of Sector 9 is n on the city. who has left a deep impressio boutique skate He’s recently set up his own on the main shop called Handplant. It’s right ure of California strip and is a fascinating mixt hetic. cool and a New York City aest
In Laguna Hills they start ’em you ng! In this case, Ben Young (far Jude, age 5. Besid left) poses with his son e him are locals Jake Fast, Chance Gaul, Co le Fredlow and Tate Fredlow.
pectedly, I had a school break while my dad had planned a business trip. I have always wanted him to take me on one of his business trips and this time he said “YES!” I knew this would be a very special trip for me and my dad because of all the new people I would meet and all the experiences I would encounter. It was a full week of just me and my dad driving around some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. We got to meet up with some amazing people, and it is a trip I will never forget. Can’t wait till the next one!” These are just some of the highlights:
Rich Novak and Doug Haut – the “N” and “H” of NHS/Santa Cruz. (The “S,” Jay Shuirman, passed away in 1979.) The staff at Santa Cruz were very hospitable and were busy preparing to launch a number of new products.
presented with Chris Chaput was his staff. this green cake by
day but it was closed. We Boardshop on Easter Sun We went to see the Edge ming. This is one of the hum ly lute d the place abso returned Monday and foun r – packed to the gills unte enco ever shops you’ll most stunning longboard can imagine. you uct prod d boar with every conceivable long
touches on the finishing also Erik Abel puts terpiece. Erik as m r ve co dio, his CW his Ventura stu nd ou ar us the showed azing view of am an s ha which mountains.
Sparky hops aboard the SkyTechSport snowboard simulator. This machine also simulates riding a longboard. The company is based in Beverly Hills and the unit we tried costs more than $80,000 – but it is so worth it!
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Jones Bicycles has been in business since 1900. It is located in Long Beach and its skateboard department is crammed with a ton of product. That’s co-owner Mike Jones on the right with his incredibly friendly and hardworking staff.
Boards: Dan men of Loaded shman. We The three wise Ta n Do d an Castro eir very cool th Briggs, Pablo at t ou ing e hang some of the w had a great tim sa We ty. Ci lver premises in Cu re extremely e decks and we they look like new prototyp at wh u yo ll te can’t do impressed. We to kill us. They said he’d have n als Do e us ca be mythical anim th wi do to g n’t kill us! have somethin ease, Don, do and colors. Pl
We met up wi th artist Tom mii Lin (who designed on e of the cove rs of the mos recent Buye t r’s Guide) at the famous Johnnie’s Pa strami deli. The sandwiches were gargantuan . Special thanks to Ka rl Bornstein and Pam Clark of St. Coin.
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ple Van Beusekom of Pur Lizzie Lee and Rodney than 300 San Francisco. More Skunk skate shop in incredour party. They worked people showed up to guys! success. Thank you, ibly hard to make it a
L to R: Sanja y Dastoor, Jo hn Ulmen an Tran from Bo d Matt osted Boards . They've deve an electric sk loped ateboard that goes up to 30 and weighs 12 mph lbs. You’ll be hearing a lot Boosted in th ab out e near future .
X
and the We drove up to Goleta board Tom home of Tom Sims. The t longboard. is holding was his firs
George P owell very grac and his staff wer e io George ar us hosts. Behind e the layo ut s of book on his compa a new ny.
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e at Sparky enjoyed his tim e he is in Powell/Skate One. Her the graphics area.
supported Scott Starr is an old friend who has a sheer Concrete Wave for many years. By his godson coincidence, we wound up meeting pleased in Santa Barbara. We were also very inner-ear to learn that he’s recovering from an in front of infection. This is why he’s standing .” this painting that says “I’m So Happy
the Skunk! Standing room only at
Michael enjoy s the phenom enal scenery of Bi g Sur. The on ly problem is that you have to watch out for falling rocks on that tricky stretch of Route 1.
ated one of Xavi, the artist who cre , is based CW’s April 2012 covers we were in San Francisco, and nd. lucky to have him atte
Enjoying the Su nset are Blak e Smith, Brando n Stewart and Dave Tannaci.
the Sunset The official tour bus of up at our Sliders, who showed nk party. event at the Purple Sku
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THE
LAGUNA SECA
INVITATIONAL BY SPACEMAN SPIFF
T
he Laguna Seca Invitational kicked off the West Coast race season with the return of skateboarding to one of the famous race tracks in the universe. Pretty much the best excuse ever to ditch work/school on a Thursday – am I right? The last Laguna Seca downhill race was held on July 12, 1981. On that day Roger “The Kid With No Respect” Hickey turned the downhill racing world upside down when he beat John Hutson in a stunning duel to the finish – stunning because Hutson usually won everything, has better style than you, and his tuck is so awesome it has its own nickname (the “Hut Tuck” – Ed.). Thirty-two of the world’s most awesome skateboarders did not take the day off, and proceeded to shred near-virgin asphalt in front of a raucous crowd, estimated at close to 2.1 hundred people. Kyle Wester brought his business face and took home first place and the $2,500 top prize. Mr. Wester set up the win with a sweet draft pass of Erik Lundberg coming out of Turn 6, which was actually Turn 1 for the skateboard race, but backwards. Everyone was stoked for Kyle, because he skates like a Man – and he rocks a clear visor, which all the photographers love (hint, hint).
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Kyle Wester Photo: Lanny Headrick
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Photo: Connor Welles
Max Wippermann (front) and Graham Buksa lead the pack. Photo: Lanny Headrick
Photo: Keith A. Wilson
John Hutson leads Roger Hickey in the 1981 Laguna Seca race. Photo: Tim Piumarta
"Laguna Seca was a top-notch event! Super stoked to win such a nostalgic race! Lining up next to your buddies and knowing that every heat is like a final made it super exciting." — Kyle Wester
Riders dive into the last turn in practice. Photo: Lanny Headrick
Erik Lundberg about to be passed by Kyle Wester in the finals. Photo: Lanny Headrick
The final heat was super close. Andrew Mercado brought home second place, with Graham Buksa (third) and Erik Lundberg rounding out the final group. Top qualifying time went to Tim Del Rosario, with a run of 56.933 seconds. Graham Buksa added 500 American dollars (which is like $12,300 in Canadian) to his podium finish with the fastest speed recorded during qualifying, at 47 mph. Fastest haircut went to Malachi Greene, who really captured the general sentiment for the day: “Laguna Seca was rad – we got to go on a race car track and f**k s**t up on our skateboards.” The weather was pretty much awesome, as expected – isn’t California great? You really should
come out here: skateboarding, Mexican food, girls, the beach, and super rad hills all over Nor Cal. I heard they have good spots in So Cal too, but that’s really far away from Santa Cruz and they steal all our water, or something. Marcus Rietema and the IGSA crew were there to keep things professional; it was great to have their support in sanctioning the race. They ran a tight, clean event that actually went off on time, which is always impressive when skateboarding is involved. And big ups to the Sea Otter Classic cycling festival for hosting this event. The Sea Otter organizers were super cool about everything, and even let our photogra-
phers lie out in the middle of the track to try to get run over. Anything for a shot! There may have even been beer somewhere too, but we were way too busy running a flawless event to know about that. After the race, the Santa Cruz Boardroom threw an awesome after-party with lots of beer and pizza and dudes talking about skateboarding. Then some girls showed up and totally messed up the dude ratio, but it was still super rad. Huge thank you to all the kick-ass sponsors of this event: Road Rider, Independent Truck Company, Sector 9, Dekline, Bones Swiss, International Gravity Sports Association and Concrete Wave. See you next year! CW
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VIKING INVADES REPORT By FLAVIO BADENES
AMSTERDAM
HADESTRAND WINS 2 OF 3 EVENTS AT DUTCH SLALOM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Viking Hadestrand took first overall against some of Europe's fastest riders. Photo: Sam Gordon
O
n May 12-13, 2012, the best slalom skaters in Europe gathered at the Sports Park Sloten in Amsterdam for the 666 edition of the Amsterdam Slalom Skateboarding Series, the first European ISSA Main event of the year. Riders from 12 different countries were present. The A.S.S. takes place in a sport park where you can camp for free and it is totally safe. There is no need to close streets for the event, and it has all necessary infrastructure like toilets and restaurants on the premises. Besides that, the contest is partly subsidized by the city of Amsterdam, making it possible for us to always have a small cash prize to share among the winners. This year we shared €800 among the first three overall men and €200 among the first three overall women, plus €500 in equipment vouchers from Sick Longboards for the overall 4th-6th place finishers. We are also known for our generous goodie bags and trophies. The Saturday hybrid course was set by English, Swedish and German riders, providing a changing and fast course that was ridden by all the different classes, including the Kids and Juniors. Sweden’s Viking Hadestrand was riding like a maniac. One could say that that is the strength of the new slalom generation, but is it really true? Fabian Bjornstjerna might disagree; he put Viking under a lot of pressure and took second place just a couple of
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Youth vs. experience: Gustavs Gailitis (L) battles Fabian Björnstjerna. Photo: Sam Gordon
tenths of a second behind him. Fabian is 50, but he rides like a 15-year-old! Third place went to Latvia’s Gustavs Gailitis. On Sunday, under blistering sunshine, we ran the special slalom. Again, a group of international skaters set the highly technical course. Latvia’s Janis Kuzmins, the 2011 tight slalom world champion, showed no ill effects from his off-season shoulder surgery and took first place, followed closely by Viking Hadestrand. Gailitis again took third place.
Don't call it a comeback: Janis Kuzmins won the special slalom and placed second overall. Photo: Ignacio Muñoz-Cuéllar
Young Vincent Kitzhoefer showed he can skate more than transition by taking first in the Juniors division. Photo: Sam Gordon
The technical level of skating at this year’s edition of the A.S.S. was unbelievably high; if anyone thinks that slalom is dying, they have it wrong, very wrong. After the special we set up a single-lane giant slalom. All riders had two runs to show who was the fastest. Viking took the lead again, followed by Kuzmins and Viktor Hadestrand as second and third places respectively. On the women’s side, six-time A.S.S. champion Kathrin Sehl from Germany took first place overall, followed by Russian newcomer Olesya Naumchik and the super friendly lady Anna Vacková from the Czech Republic. In the Kids (<11 years old) division, Amsterdam Slalom School rider Melle Stolk was first and Germany’s Felix Thiele second. Dutch rider Vincent Kitzhoefer, Germany’s Max Thiele and another Amsterdam Slalom School rider, Milos Salsbach, were the first three in the Juniors division. The kids and juniors were superb – what a group of hardcore riders. I want to thank our sponsors for making our contest possible: Sickboards, Pavel Skates, Stuff From Hell, Monster Energy Drink, Etnies, Concrete Surfer, Amsterdam Slalom School, Seismic, Concrete Wave, the City Of Amsterdam and Iskateboard. The Dutch Crew hopes to welcome all riders again to our seventh edition in 2013. Keep skating! The stoke will never end!
Though behind here, Chris Barker (L) overtook Ethan White (L) to win the 100-cone race and the overall title. Photo: Kevin Kissel
Jason Yerke bursts out of the shadows to earn a podium spot in the 100-cone event. Photo: Jonathan Harms
CBARK TAKES
ST. LOUIS A
few years back, Longmont, Colorado’s Chris Barker raced and practiced regularly with other members of the COSS (Colorado Organization of Slalom Skateboarding) crew, including a local kid named Joe McLaren. Nowadays, though, he doesn’t get to skate slalom much anymore, and regularly jokes about being a member of Team OTC (Off The Couch): Just throw together a setup and race – no practice required. After his performance at the 10th annual Slalom St. Louis race on May 26-27, other slalomers could be forgiven for grabbing the remote control instead of their board. Barker took second in the single-lane hybrid event and first in the 100-cone dual tight slalom to claim first place overall – despite not having ridden his slalom board for more than a year. The Slalom St. Louis race itself, however, has not been slacking. This was the 10th year in a row for the race, making it the longest consecutively held slalom race in the world. Known for its friendly atmosphere and picturesque setting in tree-filled Tower Grove Park, the race has steadily increased in size each of the last few years. This year 48 racers attended, from as far away as Northern and Southern California, Florida and Texas, as well as from all around the Midwest, to compete for one of the full-size ceramic cone trophies handmade by Paul Graf. Unlike most years, the weather cooperated spectacularly, with nothing but sunshine – although the temperatures were much warmer than usual, in the low 90s (low 30s C).
“OFF THE COUCH” AND ONTO THE PODIUM
Jonathan Harms missed the podium in the 100cone event but finished second overall. Photo: Kevin Kissel
The hill at Tower Grove Park is not steep, so racers had to exercise their pumping skills during Saturday’s single-lane hybrid event, which featured a couple of tricky off-camber offset cones just as racers hit the right-hand bend known as “The Hammer.” Ethan White threw down the fastest single time of the day on his last run after he finally abandoned his aged, super-coned white Avalon wheels for some new Venoms, but he had to settle for third for the day because each racer’s top two times determined his or her placing. Barker had
By JONATHAN HARMS two good runs that put him into second place, and yours truly managed to sneak into first. Sunday featured the same event that kicked off the first Slalom St. Louis race way back in 2003: a duallane 100-cone course. Cone spacing started at 6 feet and gradually stretched to 7 feet near the end. Sounds easy enough, right? Ah, yes, but after an initial straightaway, the course followed the natural “S” curve of the road, veering right at the Hammer and then finishing on a decreasing-radius left. Racers had to maintain a continuous lean while also making quick turns. OG Texas Outlaw summed it up with a repeat of the catchphrase from the 2003 event, which he also attended: “100 cones is a loooong way.” Barker dominated the qualifying and cruised into the finals to face White, the stylish longtime protégé of slalom legend Kenny Mollica. The youngster put up quite a fight, but Barker’s consistency prevailed to give him the win. Michigan’s Jason Yerke showed he can do more than push like a beast, decisively claiming third place. Lisa Scott from Minneapolis took first in the Women’s division over first-time racer Madison Prez, who was one of the few racers to complete a clean 100cone run. Rachel Wittrock, another first-time racer, took third. In the Junior division, Detroit’s Jacob Dodman beat Chicago’s Nate Favero for the 100-cone title; Jeremy Fugate took third. Favero, however, claimed the overall Junior title, a happy ending to a weekend that began with him taking a nasty fall. For complete results from both St. Louis and Amsterdam, as well as news about upcoming races all around the world, be sure to visit slalomskateboarder.com. CW
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IGSA REPORT >> By MARCUS RIETEMA
TONGUE
BREAKS HIS DUCK braking and in a full tuck. Everyone was eager to hear the latest weather reports for a glimpse of what Sunday would bring. Sunday’s weather forecast called for overcast conditions with a chance of showers throughout the day. Sixty-four riders had made it through qualifying and into Patrick Switzer began his World Cup Series title defense with a third-place finish. Photo: Mark Newsham
Alex Tongue scored the first World Cup victory of his career. Photo: Mark Newsham
T
he 2012 IGSA World Cup season kicked off April 20-22 in Wollongong, Australia, with the inaugural $10,000 Mt. Keira Challenge. Organized by the Australian Skateboard Racing Association (ASRA) and held in the picturesque surroundings of a tropical rain forest, Mt. Keira’s ever-changing weather made for some unpredictable and challenging racing. It rained nonstop on Thursday before the event, and the final. The day was full of action and a few upsets as due to the humidity, the track was still wet for Friday the skaters squared off in four-man heats. In the second morning practice. It was beginning to dry for the afterround, Erban fell down while pushing off the line and noon qualifying session but was still slick and was eliminated. Fifth-place qualifier Hay didn’t make it treacherous. Nearly half of those who made qualifying past the quarterfinals. Amazingly, it stayed dry for the attempts crashed. First-day qualifying was led by Louis entire day of racing as thousands of spectators continPilloni, followed by ually streamed in the entire day. reigning World Cup But the conditions changed Series Champion Patrick again as the racers lined up for Switzer and Aussie Local the final. A light rain began to Ben Hay. fall as Switzer, Tongue, Douglas The track was much Silva and Junior II standout dryer for Saturday’s final Jayden Mitchell took their qualifying run. Alex places on the start line. As the Tongue earned the pole race got underway, Silva and position, followed by Switzer shot into the lead, with Switzer, Mischo Erban, Tongue slotting into third. As James Kelly and Hay, in they entered the first series of that order. Most of the corners, Switzer slid out and skaters felt that in perfect crashed. Moments later Silva Douglas Silva overcame a poor qualifying performance to finish conditions the track did the same thing! Riding as second. Photo: Mark Newsham could be ridden without quickly as he dared in the
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treacherous conditions, Tongue maneuvered his way through the carnage and into the lead. Behind him Switzer and Silva resumed their battle, but both of them crashed again. Switzer was able to get underway sooner and seemed to have a lock on second place. As he entered the final right-left combination, Switzer slid out for the third time. He was back on his board quickly, but Silva smelled blood and was coming on like a freight train. As Switzer moved toward the apex of the final turn, Silva caught him and was able to squeeze through a small gap between the road edge and Switzer. Silva shot ahead as they raced toward the finish line. Silva took second, and Switzer claimed the final podium spot, followed by Mitchell in fourth. James Kelly was the winner of the Consolation race to earn fifth place. Finishing sixth was Duke Degen. Matt Kienzle was seventh, and Anthony Graves was eighth. Robin Sandberg, Corey Leeson and Christoph Batt negotiate Mt Keira’s twists and turns. Photo: Kurt Nischel
MT. KEIRA CHALLENGE TOP 10 FINAL RESULTS 1. Alex Tongue, United States 2. Douglas Silva, Brazil 3. Patrick Switzer, Canada 4. Jayden Mitchell, Australia 5. James Kelly, United States 6. Duke Degen, United States 7. Matt Kienzle, Canada 8. Anthony Graves, Canada 9. Louis Pilloni, United States 10. Dillon Stephens, Canada
MISCHO
WINS NEWTON’S
R
ound two of the 2012 IGSA World Cup season was held April 27-29 at the famous Mount Panorama motor-racing circuit in Bathurst, Australia. It was the fourth time a World Cup race has been held on the legendary track as part of the Newton’s Nation action sports and music festival. The organizers put up a $20,000 purse, making Newton’s the richest downhill race in history. In addition, they set up a live-stream broadcast on YouTube, enabling downhill racing enthusiasts around the world the opportunity to watch all three days of the action. With so much money on the line and the opportunity to perform on desktops and mobile phones around the world, nearly every top downhill skater on the planet opted to make the trip Down Under.
Silva came away from Australia with two second-place finishes. Photo: Marcus Rietema
Silva at the line. It was an incredible race that foreshadowed Sunday’s final. Sunday was sunny, hot and perfect for racing. There were many surprises throughout the day, with the biggest coming in the quarterfinals when Switzer, Erban, Alex Tongue and Duke Degen lined up against each other. Switzer decided to hang back at the start and pushed off gently. The other three riders took off, leaving Switzer to play catch-up. He never was able to catch them and was eliminated. After a hard day of racing, it came down to the semifinals. The first semi was between Erban, Tongue, Silva
and Pilloni. Silva won, with Erban finishing second – the only time Erban finished second all day. In the second semi it was Kelly, Mikael Jensen, Dillon Stephens and Friday’s top qualifier, Batt. After starting out slowly, Batt tried to run down the leaders but came up short. Kelly and Stephens advanced to the finals. The final lined up with Kelly, Stephens, Silva and Erban. Skating strong and confidently, Erban picked his way through the pack, again coming from last place at the start. He passed Kelly and Stephens entering Forrest’s Elbow and ran down Silva on the Con-Rod straight to earn his first World Cup victory of the season. Silva was second, Stephens third and Kelly fourth. It was the eighth World Cup win of Erban’s illustrious career, which places him firmly at the top of the IGSA’s all-time World Cup victory list. Mischo Erban celebrates his big win, flanked by Silva and Stephens. Photo: Marcus Rietema
Dillon Stephens leads Batt, James Kelly and Nicolas Robert in Saturday’s qualifying race. Photo: Marcus Rietema
After a morning of practice on Friday, timed qualifying runs were held in the afternoon. Christoph Batt earned the No. 1 spot, followed by Mischo Erban in second, Louis Pilloni in third, Torbjørn Sunde in fourth and Patrick Switzer in fifth. The qualifying times were used to seed the skaters into a pair of qualifying races on Saturday to determine their final starting positions. Saturday’s qualifying races were hot and heavy. In the end, the qualifying race final was contested between Batt, Erban, James Kelly and Douglas Silva. At the start, Silva jumped into the lead, while Erban was fourth off the line. In textbook fashion, Erban used the draft to perfection, picking off each of his rivals to earn the pole. Batt finished second, followed by Kelly and
NEWTON’S NATION TOP 10 FINAL RESULTS
Silva leads Erban, Kelly and Stephens in the final. Photo: Marcus Rietema
1. Mischo Erban, Canada 2. Douglas Silva, Brazil 3. Dillon Stephens, Canada 4. James Kelly, United States 5. Alex Tongue, United States 6. Christoph Batt, Switzerland 7. Louis Pilloni, United States 8. Mikael Jensen, Norway 9. Torbjørn Sunde, Norway 10. Rob McWhinnie, Australia
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