ConcreteWave | Summer 2013

Vol.12 No.1, SUMMER 2013

PHILIPPINE

SCENE REPORT

CATALINA ISLAND

CLASSIC

TRADING GUNS FOR $4.95

LONGBOARDS

Vol.12 No.1, SUMMER 2013

DIFFERENT RIDERS SAME BOARD

N-TENSE D-CENTZ TOUR

OF NEW ZEALAND $4.95

PHILIPPINE SCENE REPORT

Vol.12 No.1, SUMMER 2013

$4.95

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EDITORIAL NOTEWORTHY LONGBOARD GIRLS CREW SHOP TEAM PROFILE WORLD FREESTYLE ROUND-UP AUTHORITY, LONGBOARDING AND THE SEARCH FOR EVERYDAY HEROES ROAD TRIP 2013 - NEW YORK WHY I DO WHAT I DO - BRIAN PETRIE, EARTHWING COMPANY PROFILE - FACTORY LAB WAVESKATE - CONCRETE MEETS WAVES GUNS 4 LONGBOARDS MUIRSKATE DOWNHILL DISCO TAKING CARE OF AN INJURY THE METAPHOR OF LONGBOARD THERAPY ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES HUMBLE HIPPIE THE MAGIC & MAJESTY OF N-TENSE D-CENTZ VANS WARPED TOUR 2013 - PASSPORT PROGRAM LONGBOARDING FOR PEACE UPDATE LONGBOARDING FOR PEACE - WATTS, CALIFORNIA ARTIST PROFILE - ISHTAR BÄCKLUND GOT STEEZ? ROCKIT TALK

16 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

Renan Lazzarotti. Photo: Rafael Fazano

SUMMER 2013

CONTENTS

TM

Vol. 12 No. 1 SUMMER 2013

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Michael Brooke | mbrooke@interlog.com ART DIRECTOR Mark Tzerelshtein | MarkintoshDesign.com CORRESPONDENT Jim Kuiack I.T. DEPT. HEAD Rick Tetz of CalStreets.com COPY EDITOR Jonathan Harms PROBLEM SOLVER Bud Stratford | budstratford@aol.com HEAD OFFICE 1136-3 Center Street, Suite 293, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 3M8 • Ph: 905.738.0804 SKATESHOP DISTRIBUTION Buddy Carr DesignsPO Box 1895, Carlsbad, CA 92018 • tailtapinfo@yahoo.com • Ph: 760.722.4111 CONTRIBUTORS (In order of appearance): Andrew Parker, Patrick “Paddydigital” McAllister, Brent Stephens, Ishtar Bäcklund, Rafael Fazano, Dan Bourqui, Ian Logan, Amie-Anne Sheppard, Marcel Robert, Valeria Kechichian, Jan Krück, Gorka Ibargoyen, Joey Bidner, Hippie Mike, Jim Goodrich, Mark Golter, Lance Dalgart, Blair Caldwell, Yancey Meyer, Neil Carver, Scott Lembach, Isaac Farin, Jukka Holopainen, Brendan Goco, Humble Hippie, Jacob Lambert, Noel Korman, Georgia Hall, Heidi Lemmon, Jon Huey, Kurt Hurley, Patrick Hui, Chris Bennett. 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.

COVERS: 1. Rain Daley at the 2013 Catalina Island Classic. Photo: Andrew Parker 2. Yancey Meyer (top) Photo: Paddydigital Productions. Brett Naude (bottom) Photo: Brent Stephens 3. Artwork: Ishtar Bäcklund OPENING SPREAD: Tom Wilson enjoys some unusual Vermont weather, May 2013. Photo: Danielle De Jesus.

FINE PRINT: I simply cannot believe how much has happened over the past year. As we hit Vol. 12 No. 1, I am absolutely astounded by the amount of support we’ve received for Longboarding for Peace. What started out as a dream has become reality. Thanks to the incredible generosity of longboard companies and volunteers, the program is really having an impact. In this issue you’ll learn about how Neil Carver worked with the San Pedro, Calif., police department to exchange 12 fully automatic weapons for longboards. The guns are off the streets and the opportunity for these weapons to increase the amount of pain and suffering has come to an end. The longboards have an opportunity for spreading joy and happiness. This is what longboarding for peace is about. Are you increasing the amount of joy and happiness or decreasing the amount of pain and suffering? Sure, we sometimes cross these two, but on the whole, I’d like to think your journey with longboarding is keeping you balanced and moving you forward.

My journey with skateboarding started 38 summers ago. It’s been a source of incredible joy and it’s helped me deal with stress. I know many of you share the same feeling that I derive from longboarding. There seems to be a universal groove with longboarding.

Call it flow, call it stoke — whatever it is, you feel a part of something truly special. It’s something that goes beyond the marketing and hype. The act of riding forges deep connections with the world and its inhabitants. In 1988 I found myself asking, “How do I harness this energy to go beyond just riding and connect with others who share my passion?” My first inclination was to start a pen pal service for freestylers. (That’s not a typo — back in the ’80s people sent mail to each other to communicate.) I called it Freestyle International. Fast-forward 16 years and I started up the Skategeezer website. Then I wrote a book, followed by a magazine and a television show. I kept pushing forward and eventually wound up quitting the day job to work full time on CW in October 2003. That’s almost a decade ago, and to say the years have whipped by would be an understatement.

So, where does this leave things as we enter our next volume? Simple. We’re going to keep publishing the most soulful magazine we can. We’re going to continue to feature the most extraordinary stories and photos on longboarding that we can find. But we are also going to do something else, something that no magazine in the history of magazines has every tried. Warning: This idea might not resonate with you. That’s OK. It might not be the right time. But for those of you who are tapped into the universal groove of longboarding, we welcome you to explore the possibilities. Longboarding for Peace is a movement. It’s a movement that started within the pages of Concrete Wave but has gone well beyond the page. It’s a movement forward that aims to increase the amount of joy and happiness in the world or decrease the amount of pain and suffering through the use of longboards.

If you’ve stepped on a longboard and you want to step up and help, we’re here to enable to make it happen. As long as your idea increases joy or decreases happiness, we are interested. Our goal is create a 50,000-person “Army of Peace.” You’ve already seen what Longboarding for Peace has done in the Middle East, Houston and British Columbia, and we’ve done it with fewer than 200 people volunteering. Can you imagine what would happen with 50,000 volunteers?

The truth is that it will take time to build this army of peace. I remember the first time I tried to tap into the universal groove of longboarding. It was 1996 and I was determined to create a gathering of skaters. I went on TV, got coverage in the newspaper and wound up with ZERO participants. Fast-forward 16 years later, and more than 2,000 people wound up at the Broadway Bomb and there are literally hundreds of events throughout the year for longboarders. They say if you write your goals down, you will achieve them. Well, here goes: We want 50,000 people in the Army of Peace. Email me at mbrooke@interlog.com if you’re ready to join up. No idea is too small ... no dream too big.

As we enter our 12th year, I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to all our readers, advertisers and supporters. There is no way we could have done it without you. These past 14 years of publishing magazines have set the stage for something much larger. We’ve tapped into a quest to spread joy and promote balance. But then again, if you’ve read this far, you probably already knew that.

22 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

TAKING FLIGHT

EDITORIAL Dan Couch aims high. Photo: Dan Bourqui

s the summer starts to really kick in, there is no doubt in my mind that things are starting to take flight. Slowly but surely, people are discovering the joy of longboarding. Year over year, like a wave, you can feel it building slowly. Its roots are running deep and it is inspiring some amazing stories. My gut tells me this is going to be a heck of a summer. It’s not one particular thing, but a combination of elements that are all coming together.

First, 2013 is jam-packed with dozens of events of varying size and scope. It doesn’t matter where you live; from North America to Australia there are slide jams, freerides, downhill races and good old-fashioned get-togethers. No matter what your ability, there’s a place for you to be pretty much every weekend.

A

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The millions of longboarders on college campuses have the summer off. Many of them are realizing that you don’t have to put away the board when you put away the books.

Females are slowly being drawn into longboarding thanks to folks like the Longboard Girls Crew. As I write this they’ve got more than 10,000 people talking about them on Facebook (and well over 170,000 friends).

Speaking of the Web, longboarding continues its dominance on the Internet. Congratulations to Original Skateboards, who recently surpassed 100 million YouTube views. Sector 9 is on their way to more than 400,000 Facebook friends. Concrete Wave even hit a milestone when we hit our 25,000th app download.

As the summer starts, we look forward to seeing many of you at the

Vans Warped Tour. You’ll learn more about what we’re up to a little later on in the issue.

On a final note, this photo was taken in April at the Downhill Disco in San Diego. For the past couple of years, Scott Lembach, the owner of Muir Skates, has given back to the longboard community and hosted this truly special event. Scott’s stoke for longboarding is off the charts, and this event is highly anticipated. Dan Bourqui’s shot brilliantly captures the energy of longboarding in a truly magnificent way.

No matter what antics you get up to this summer, we wish all of you safe travels and good times with all those you meet up with.

Enjoy the issue!

Michael Brooke, Publisher

NOTEWORTHY

PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

RAYNE Patrick Switzer worked with Rayne designer Graham Buksa to transform the elegantly basic Vandal into his new Signature Fortune for 2013. Combining a bit of slalom, pool board and downhill, the Fortune gets a small spoon tail and an upturned nose to the directional shape so Patrick can ollie, manual and generally ride one board for whatever goofing he gets up to. Additionally, the Vandal 3D wheel wells have been turned into what Rayne calls 4D Cups.

These all-new supportive waves grab your feet and hold them in place so they’re not flopping around while you motor your boat downhill.

Rayne has also introduced a new series of wheels, including the 62mm centerset mold. raynelongboards.com

PARIS

EARTHWING

Earthwing has taken the same formula found in their Slide A Wheels and created softer duros in more sizes to create an equally perfect freeride wheel. These centerset wheels are available in 57mm, 62mm, 65mm and 72mm, in 78A red, 81A blue, 84A black and 87A yellow, and soon in 90A orange, 93A purple and 96A green. earthwingskates.com

CARVER

The new 43-degree “Prandal Killer” from Paris can be ridden by anyone. It really was designed with the rider who has that “need for speed” and who wants a truck that will perform. The Paris 43-degree has a ride height approximately 1/8” lower than the 50degree Paris, and an increased lean vs. turn ratio for a more stable ride at high speeds. paristruckco.com

CALIFORNIA BONZING The Super Fatty was born and bred in, and for, the streets of San Francisco.

The Bonzing team created this board for smashing downhill, curbs, sidewalks, driveways and anything in its path. It has a big nose and tail, a large platform for downhilling and a concave that can accommodate you over the trucks. californiabonzing.com

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Carver’s newest surfskate truck set combines the 2013 CX.4 front truck and C2.4 rear truck. They’ve incorporated their Precision Pin technology developed for their CV standard RKP into both trucks, so the cast pivot pins are machined to a polished precision fit. This gives these trucks the same smooth and accurate turning action as a fully machined CNC truck, but at a fraction of the cost. Carver raised the bushing seat on the CX.4 and tilted the kingpin an extra 3 degrees, as well as made the baseplate 3/8” taller and increased the bushing heights to .55” top/.65” bottom. The result is a truck that pumps like no other, so even from a standstill you can gain speed, and keep it going fast with just a few more pumps. It’s no wonder the USA Surf Team is using these trucks to train their Olympic athletes. carverskateboards.com

MODE

MODE Skateboards embraces the diversity of skateboarding with decks and products designed for all types of skating. All boards are made in the U.S. and screen printed by team rider/freestyler Terry Synnott.

With its own in-house screen printing operation, MODE strives to keep its graphics fresh, unique and always changing. modeskateboards.com

VENOM V e n o m Bushing Street Packs contain four bushings designed to fit in conventional street trucks.

The SuperH i g h R e b o u n d (SHR) Formula was developed to provide a snappy return-to-center, which is ideal for highimpact landings when skating gaps and handrails.

They also come in a handy reusable tube with a sticker! fullcircledistribution.com

CADILLAC If you’re just starting out or even a veteran to the sliding scene, then you’ll love the new Sugar Mamas from Cadillac. Poured in the new THC highrebound sliding formula and stoneground, the Sugar Mamas have been described by riders as “like sliding in easy mode.” fullcircledistribution.com

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LANDYACHTZ

ATTACK

Attack Conflict Series trucks are designed to be solid, smooth and very stable for faster riding – whether you’re street skating, ripping up your local skatepark, techsliding, grinding pools or cruising around on a mini. The trucks feature high-rebound 92A urethane bushings, cup washers and rugged Grade 8 hollow kingpins. They are a mid-profile ride height, which works well with wheels between 50mm and 66mm. sk8trip.com The El Barbaro is an old-schoolinspired pool shape has been designed by Max Gradmiller to be a great all-around destroyer of terrain. It is made up of seven plies of hard rock Canadian maple and is fully dipped in turquoise with a wicked graphic done up by Scarecrow Oven. It features mild molded wheel wells, a subtle nose and a boxy tail. It is 30” tip to tail and 9.25” rail to rail with a 14.12” wheelbase. Set it up with Polar Bear 155s and 57mm Street Hawgs and you’ll be set to conquer anything in your path. landyachtz.com

JATI

Nuts and Honey hardware kit has 66 pieces of topquality essential longboard hardware. It contains enough to build a board and still have extra for those emergencies. Put a case of Nuts and Honey in with your skate gear and always be prepared for the unexpected. honeyskateboards.com

ARBOR

The Jati Fu is the company’s latest edition. With its carbon fiber, fiberglass and maple construction, the deck is light in weight but still stiff. With its radial concave, mellow W and flared wheel wells, the Jati Fu will definitely lock the rider in for the tightest technical runs or bombing the steepest mountain pass. jatiboards.com

LOADED KLEVER

The Poke is a performance bamboo composite longboard designed to carve and slash through the urban landscape. Whether you’re shredding around campus between classes, navigating your way through town or dicing up your favorite neighborhood hills, the Poke is here to fill your appetite to ride. Loaded Boards is also pleased to announce the first-ever hat consisting of five panels. Typical hats have six panels, but against all odds Loaded was able to remove one panel and still honor the technical classification of hat. Please enjoy this hat and be honored; you may very well be the first skateboarder to ever wear a five-panel hat. loadedboards.com

HONEY

The Klever Skateboards showroom will soon be open to the public and to dealers. The “Klever Gallery” will be a retail location showcasing art by local artists, Klever’s current line of boards, custom “one-off” boards and clothing. They will also have some of the top selling skateboard and longboard brands and a fully stocked skate shop. klevergallery.com

Brandon Stewart (left) with Arbor President Bob Carlson.

Arbor Skateboards is proud to announce that it has hired Brandon Stewart, the president and founder of Caliber Truck Co., as its new marketing manager.

Brandon will be working out of Arbor’s office in Venice, Calif., where he will oversee his new responsibilities, as well as continue to run the Caliber family of brands. arborcollective.com

DRIFT

SURF-RODZ Surf-Rodz has launched a new limited series of bushings. The Ultra Black and Blues fit all SZ truck kits and work to provide riders with an unparalleled amount of turn, lean and rebound, regardless of the trucks they get fastened on. surf-rodz.com

We were very impressed when we saw the Drift camera at ISPO back in February. One particular feature caught our attention – the Drift Flashback Video Tag/Loop. This camera can save a recorded event up to five minutes after it happens while in

SUMMER 2013 CONCRETE WAVE 45

NOTEWORTHY

PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

Video Tag/Loop mode. It records footage in a continuous loop style. The video clip is stored in the camera’s memory and will be saved only if the user chooses to “tag” it. The Drift HD Ghost is also the only action camera packaged standard with a wearable on/off remote control with LEDs and wrist strap. driftinnovation.com

an all-girls race weekend. It was the most incredible project research(/studying) I have ever done – the history of female longboarding – as well as the best field research: longboarding! Watch out this summer for Toronto Girls Longboarding ladies at events near you!! spreadthestoke.ca

SHRED AND STOKE TOURS DUSTERS

Calling all Doors and Hendrix fans! Dusters introduces two new models sure to appeal to classic-rock fans of any generation. As Jim Morrison once said, “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.” dusterscalifornia.com

By Marcel Robert I’ve spent many years in the boarding scene, traveling around North America, teaching, promoting and spreading the stoke everywhere I go. Because of this, I have decided to continue by means of a Mobile Skate School Tour Van. It is equipped with seating for six to eight people, runs efficiently on propane and will be going to a lot of the smaller events as well as the bigger races and sessions all around BC. Shred and Stoke is Lower Mainland’s mobile skateboard/longboard school tour van. Boarding is a sport that takes patience, persistence and diligence; with Shred and Stoke, we provide instructors and a team that have the necessary skills for teaching this sport to people of all ages.

Our focus on the individual and our ability to travel to different locations are key in what makes Shred and Stoke different from other skate schools. Our programs are maintained at an easy-learning environment where not only are skills taught, but the safety and enjoyment of all our students are of importance. For more info, email off_axis@hotmail.com.

SKATEBOARDING HALL OF FAME Laura Thornhill Caswell. Photo: Ian Logan

KOTA KOTA Longboards got its start in a garage in Southeast Denver in the summer of 2012. Founder Mike Maloney felt KOTA could offer a combination of higher performance and more sophisticated styling to longboarders around the world. Now operating from their factory in the hip River North Art District of Denver. KOTA’s boards are designed to achieve the optimum blend of maneuverability, stability, energy and comfort. They are incredibly fun to ride! kotalongboards.com

SPREAD THE STOKE.CA

By Amie-Anne Sheppard Recently I had my last day of school. As I think back to the many “first day of school” photos, I would have never thought that in my graduating year I’d be producing, filming and creating a skate film. In McMaster University’s Multimedia program, we complete a senior thesis in our final year. We are able to create any thing in any medium; I chose to produce Spread the Stoke, a film focused on girls skating. A documentary about the development of female longboarding and my connection with it, my film explores the growing female skate scene (/culture) and

46 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

On May 9, the fourth annual Skateboarding Hall of Fame induction ceremonies took place in Anaheim, California. The following seven skaters were immortalized in the Hall of Fame: 1960s: Brandon “Woody” Woodward 1970s (Era One): Tom Sims 1970s (Era Two): Alan “Ollie” Gelfand 1980s (Era One): Rodney Mullen 1980s (Era Two): Christian Hosoi 1960s (Female): Wendy Bearer Bull 1970s (Female): Laura Thornhill Caswell This year’s Icon Awards, which honor the sport’s greatest influencers, went to photographer Warren Bolster, manufacturer NHS Inc. and the band DEVO. The evening was truly magical.

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NOTEWORTHY

PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

NO FUTURE AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW MERCADO For those unfamiliar, tell us about your background and time in the skate industry.

Andrew Mercado: My time in the skateboard industry goes back to 2003 at VK Skate distribution packing boxes right out of high school. I wound up at Madrid around 2005 developing their downhill and high-performance lines, as well as being hands on with just about everything under their roof. In 2010 I stepped away from my role at Madrid to co-found Caliber Truck Company with my close friend Brandon Stewart. Later that year, I was offered the opportunity to take the role of Brand Manager at Gullwing Truck Company, which is my full-time gig today.

The No Future name has been out there for a while. What made you decide to grow the brand with No Future Skateboards?

The name has definitely been out there for a while, since 2010 when I started a downhill media site in the

different than everything else in the market.

To me the whole longboard/downhill thing is too one-sided, too consumer-friendly and too G-rated. No Future is for the skateboarders out there who identify with raw companies like Consolidated, Anti Hero and other great brands that built skateboarding.

No Future is here to balance things out.

vein of Thrasher and 411vm. The project went south shortly after the launch, but I continued to make the stickers because I knew I wanted to eventually do something with the name. Ever since I was a grom, I wanted to start a skateboard company, and recently it seemed natural to attach the No Future name to one – kind of like how Baker Bootleg turned into Baker Skateboards.

What is your vision for the direction of No Future Skateboards? Who is No Future Skateboards for?

The vision for No Future is to bring something new into skateboarding that is

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 619.628.8489 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

48 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

I’ve already seen some of the No Future decks out there. What’s the deal with those and when can we expect to see a full graphic line released?

The logo decks were the first step in getting the brand on boards and out in the

scene. Those decks are available through the Full Circle online store and select skate shops that have picked up the brand. However, the current release boards are a limited edition and won’t be available for long. At the Long Beach Agenda trade show this July, we will be debuting our full board lineup with new graphics at the booth of our distribution and sales partner, Madrid Skateboards/Full Circle Distribution. Shortly after the new graphics are introduced, the No Future boards are going to disappear, so get them while you can. fullcircledistribution.com/no-future/

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 — 95 Anne Street 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 Turtle Surf Shop via Mazzini,1 , 17051 Andora (SV), ITALY 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 7 Wagener Place, St. Lukes, Auckland, 1025, 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 daddiesboardshop.com ffashop.com genesisskateboarding.com longboardskater.com longboardshop.de longboardstore.com longboardskater.com motionboardshop.com muirskate.com oldschoolskates.net pressuredroplongboards.com sickboards.nl sidewalksurfer.com sk8supply.com socalskateshop.com tactissk8.com tailtap.com vslboardshop.com

By VALERIA KECHICHIAN

Longboard

PHOTOS: JAN KRÜCK

GIRLS CREW HERE WE ARE AGAIN — the second Longboard Girls Crew column in Concrete Wave. So many things have happened in the past two months! Summer is almost here and so are the races worldwide. The number of girls racing keeps getting bigger and they shred hard.

Marisa Nuñez won Newton’s Nation and Elena Corrigall is on fire, winning both the Catalina Island Classic and Danger Bay. Girls are traveling and moving from one place to the other, chasing races.

For girls who are getting started in the DH world, Longboard Girls Crew Portugal is hosting a ‘Girls Only’ DH workshop for beginners and the Women Longboard Camp in Alsace, France, had a very successful second edition.

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We hosted the first LGC South American Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and it was ace. Girls came from all over to meet, learn and have fun. We spent the entire day at Rosedal, a local spot, and besides the workshops we had plenty of games. Fer Monge did an amazing job as the event speaker, and after sunset we headed to Libano Street for some faster skating.

So many girls ripping so hard! I was out of my mind from skating with all these amazing riders. Argentina, Uruguay and Chile have an amazing longboard scene. Every time I go it’s bigger and better. They are insane about the sport and they are driven by their worldwideknown passion, so just imagine.

A week after coming back from Argentina I

headed to Cologne, Germany, to be part of what would be one of the biggest GreenSkate celebrations worldwide to date — almost 1,000 longboarders skating through the city and making a statement. It was insane. Concretewave Skateshop Cologne has been organizing their city’s GreenSkate since 2011, and every year gets bigger. We also hosted a Girls Meet some hours before the actual GreenSkate cruise and had so much fun. From 9 years old to ladies my age, everyone was learning new things. I saw so many girls trying stuff they have never dared before. It’s funny how sometimes you just need the push or support of another woman to feel confident, or maybe just to feel inspired.

Either way, we had a lovely weekend.

GreenSkate in Cologne, Germany

Laura Thornhill was inducted this year into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame along with Woody Woodward, Tom Sims, Alan “Ollie” Gelfand, Rodney Mullen, Christian Hosoi and Wendy Bearer Bull. Also legend Cindy Whitehead presented Laura during the ceremony this last month. She wrote a lovely article in her blog, which included this statement: “If you are a girl and skate now, [Laura] is one of the women who paved the way for you.” We feel so inspired by them both. To all those ladies who once were the only girls in boys’ crews, traveling in vans and doing demos around the States during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s … thank you. You don’t become a legend because of your age; you become a legend based on how you dared to live your life — and they had a rad one.

So, what’s going on in Spain? These past weeks the second edition of La Muela Freeride took place in Zaragoza, Spain. We co-organized the event with Longboard Zaragoza and Caribbean Boardshop and ran out of inscriptions in less than 48 hours. Riders came from all over the country (even our Dasilva Boards friends came from Israel) and we had one hell of a day. Then we had one hell of a party and were forced to cancel Sunday’s session due to the snow. We still gathered and had a big breakfast, Spanish style. All the benefits of the Freeride were donated to the NGO Kasak and their humanitarian work in Nicaragua.

We also hosted the screenings for Skateistan The Movie in Madrid and Barcelona. We were stoked to be able to screen it during Barcelona’s X Games, as it’s a great way to reach people and create awareness of the project. The dark side of the story is the city governors allowing and promoting the X Games while skateboarding and surfing are being banned and chased from the city’s streets and beaches. They promote the city as an international skateboarding dreamland, while the fees for skate or longboarding in Barcelona’s streets go up to 1,500€. So yeah, we were happy to screen Skateistan because that meant more coverage for the ONG but feel disgust for the extreme political and business hypocrisy regarding skateboarding in Barcelona.

On the other hand, the screening in Madrid was in Caixa Forum and everything went on wheels.

We were planning to host a workshop for kids living at a children’s shelter the day after the screening but had to cancel due to bad weather, but we’ll do it soon. Big thanks once again to Lovingsports for supporting us with this amazing project. If you want to get involved, just go to Skateistan.org and get started. Besides giving financial support, you can volunteer for both Skateistan’s schools in Kabul or Cambodia.

Montse Solé during La Muela Freeride.

Photo: Gorka Ibargoyen

We’re working hard on this summer’s surf and longboard camps. Besides Art Surf Camp in Razo, Galicia, this year we’re also rocking Las Dunas surf camp in Salinas, Asturias. In both camps we will be teaching surfing during the mornings and longboarding during the afternoons. The houses, beaches and environment are unbeatable, not to mention the party.

And of course there are mini ramps in both camps, so summer is looking good. For more info go to www.LongboardGirlsCrew.com and treat yourself with an epic summer in northern Spain.

Good news for the LGC staff is that we’re finishing our new office in Madrid. It’s on the third floor of our favorite surf and skate shop in town, Toxic World. We’re about to finish the bowl we’re building right next to our working table, so we

won’t have to feel jealous of the Skate House Media chateau anymore. (Suck it, James Kelly. Ha ha!)

And me, well, besides just writing “Suck it, James Kelly,” I’m on a plane again heading to London for a week to skate over there and see my friends. Last time I wrote this column I was on a plane heading to Argentina, so two times already counts as tradition to me.

Shout out to Adam Colton and a fast, safe recovery. As we said, we can’t imagine the skating world without him on it.

Have fun skating and be safe! CW Until next issue! You can follow us daily at LongboardGirlsCrew.com Facebook.com/LongboardGC Twitter.com/LongboardGirls Instagram: Longboard_Girls_Crew

SUMMER 2013 CONCRETE WAVE 51

SH0P TEAM PROFILE

EDGE BOARDSHOP INTERVIEWS BY JOEY BIDNER

Roger Jones, thane-ing about. Photo: Jake Fast

We spoke with Edge’s owner and operator, Mike Bornstein, as well as former team manager Chad Gibbs. Listen to what they have to say about their approach to the shop team and the influence it has had.

Joey Bidner: So what motivates you to put so much into your longboard team?

Mike: The reason we have a longboard team is that aside from providing skate products, we participate in the sport. Having a team allows us to support and contribute to the growth of the industry. Winning is nice, and we are fiercely competitive, but we are more about community and having fun. All of our riders share a common personality trait of kindness and positive spirit to help others.

We are all friends and have a great time on our road trips and practice sessions.

JB: What does it take to get on the team?

Mike: I suppose our first attention-getter is how great a skater he or she is. We want the best — but will sooner recruit a rider that has the right personality than [just] a number of podiums. We require that the rider represents himself or herself as a professional on and off the board. We would never take on a rider who is irresponsible and not kind to others.

Another rider attribute is their ability to interact with riders through social media, photos and video.

JB: Chad, as the former team manager and father of one of the team members, you have been alongside this team for some time now. How would you say the team has changed and grown since it started up only two years ago?

Chad: Originally the team was composed of only local guys, a fledgling group of young

52 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

A shop team can become a major influence in bringing out the potential and motivation in a local scene. Shops like Edge Boardshop in Dana Point, Calif., step beyond this expectation by not only supporting the local riders and major pros but also communities around the world. Let’s look into the shop’s motivation behind this, and how it has transformed the riders privileged enough to be a part of the Edge family. up-and-comers whose potential is only now just coming into fruition. Now we have incorporated a world team and have brought on top pro contenders Patrick Switzer, Kyle Wester and Thiago Gomes Lessa to the family. This makes us competitive at any race anywhere in the world, so that is exciting and great for team morale.

JB: How do you see having a pro on the team influences the rest of the riders?

Chad: Having such a down-to-earth contact between the local guys and the pros really has a positive impact on them. For example, Patrick’s attention to detail is a good influence on the younger riders — whether he’s checking the balance and precision of each wheel before a race, his etiquette and demeanor on and off the hill or simply sending sponsors usable material late at night on the computer. They are lucky to have a real mentor close by to learn from. This is one way our team is internally growing by having a pro on board. You may think that a team brings a pro on to simply have more exposure, but in reality it brings the entire team to a new level by creating these connections. This influence reaches the riders, who then push the community and in turn push the industry.

JB: What are some of the standout moments for you when you were part of the team?

Chad: When the team gets together and is in the “team van,” those are the best times: traveling, hitting local, not-so-secret spots, picking up riders on crazy hills and shuttling them around. The van does a lot of good will and gives the team a chance to bond with a lot of industry people and riders. The amount of talent we’ve driven up hills in the van is amazing.

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Nothing like team hangouts! L-R: Edge riders Wyatt Gibbs and Roger Jones with friend Jackson Brunicardi (purple shirt), team rider Jake Fast and friends Elijah Vinograd and Chance Gaul. Photo: Chad Gibbs

So let’s hear from the team. We spoke with Wyatt Gibbs from California and Tato Bustamante and Stephen Solares from Guatemala.

JB: What is your favorite part of being on the team?

Wyatt Gibbs: The people. Edge is young, but interested in developing an up-and-coming team.

If you have a concern or a need, you can talk to the people at Edge, and they want to work with you to make your skate needs happen.

JB: How has your riding changed since getting on the team? And do you think it would have been the same if you would have gotten sponsored by another shop?

Wyatt: Edge has taken me to new heights. The team van has gotten me to Calgary, SDDRL races and GMR. Help with buy-ins, podium incentives, photo incentives … all help to get me where I want to be in the sport.

JB: How is your team different from other longboard teams?

Wyatt: There is a family environment. They are

serious about their commitment to the team, but not so serious that you can’t joke around.

JB: Would you consider yourselves a team or a crew — meaning, do you ride together when not filming or at an event?

Stephen Solares: Down here in Guatemala we consider ourselves more of a crew. Edge sponsoring us has really brought us together, and I consider my teammates among the closest friends I have had.

JB: Other than discounts and support for races, what other perks do you get from being on a team?

Wyatt: Edge always recognizes when a rider from the team has success. There is always a personal message or a shout out of congratulations on the team page or a post on Facebook when you do well or podium at an event. [With] a lot of companies you feel forgotten or lost in the shuffle, but not at Edge.

Being outside of the U.S. and far away from your shop sponsor, what do you do as a rider

to represent your shop?

Tato Bustamante: As a rider outside the U.S., what I do to represent Edge Boardshop is to organize small slide jams and competitions in which we promote the shop’s name; make videos on a regular basis; make appearances on local media; and most of all, spread the Edge stoke to all the locals.

Why did you choose Edge Boardshop as your sponsor and not find a shop closer to home?

Stephen: Board shops in Guatemala are very … incomplete when it comes to variety. Owners mostly just order from a few companies, and most of what they bring in isn’t really what a high-level skater looks for. Besides that, things are very expensive in comparison to ordering them online. CW Teams like Edge are pushing what it means to be on a shop team. It is no longer just about the hook-up and community recognition. Being on a team is about the acceptance into a family devoted to pushing each other’s limits while influencing the local and global longboard scene.

SUMMER 2013 CONCRETE WAVE 53

FREESTYLE

WORLD FREESTYLE

ROUND-UP

2013

BY HIPPIE MIKE PHOTOS: JIM GOODRICH

IT WAS ANOTHER CRAZY MAY LONG Weekend at the Cloverdale (BC) Rodeo with beautiful weather for all to enjoy, but the real action was inside the Cloverdale Curling Rink.

The top amateur and professional freestyle skateboarders from around the globe came together in Cloverdale to compete in the World Freestyle Round-Up. Hosted by Monty Little and Kevin Harris, and MC’d by AJ Kohn, Russ Howell and Kevin himself, it was sure to be a success.

The prelims took place on Friday night, May 17, with the semifinals on Saturday. Only 10 competitors from each division made it through to the finals on Sunday. Judging was a very difficult task, as there were 23 competitors in the pro category and all of them skated to their best ability.

Legendary photographer Jim Goodrich was also on hand doing what he does best and capturing amazing still shots of the competitors in action.

It was a weekend full of legends, as most of these guys have been skating freestyle for 2535 years. For example, six out of the 10 competitors that made it into the pro finals were in their 40s and have made careers out of doing freestyle skateboard demos and shows.

This event had a true “family” feel. All the competitors were so excited to be in the same room with each other that the competition was more of a demo for the audience and less about who would be the champion. These guys just love the fact that they are accepted and promoted.

The amateurs rocked the house in the finals, and it was a close competition between the top four. Jacob Whitt took fourth place, representing the USA. White Rock, BC, local Andy Anderson styled his way into third place with multiple combination tricks that no one had ever seen before.

The tough call was between Kaue Araujo from Brazil and Ryan Brynelson from North Delta, BC. Both had flawless runs and displayed confidence and super-stylish maneuvers that wowed the crowd and the other competitors. After lots of cal-

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culations the judges decided that Brynelson, the local boy from North Delta and riding for Protest Skateboards, would maintain the first-place position that he held since Friday. Ryan had scored second place the previous year, so he was super stoked to now call himself the No. 1 amateur freestyle skateboarder in the world!

As for the professionals, it was a very competitive field. These guys come out of the gates with pure skill and lay down continuous lines throughout their entire runs, just like freestyle is supposed to be.

Third place went to the USA’s Mike Osterman, who is one of the most consistent skateboarders you will ever watch. Celebrating his 20th birthday on the final day of the event, Mike proves that freestyle skateboarding is making a comeback and that the next generations are still picking it up. The boys from Japan were also there to make their mark, and newcomer Seya Nakano did just that by pulling through to a second-place finish. Seya did not hold professional sponsorship coming into the contest, but he entered the pro category in hopes of doing well and sparking some interest. He definitely proved his ability to throw down in competition.

For Osterman and Nakano to place in the top three of this contest was very inspiring for the originals who were part of the show. But when it came to first place at this event, the outcome was inevitable right from Day 1: Guenter Mokulys has been skating freestyle for decades, and when he’s on his game he is almost untouchable. He dominated the entire weekend and proved himself to be the champ once again, winning his 10th world freestyle competition.

It was a weekend full of fun time, familystyle interactions, best tricks and unbelievable skateboarding. With demos from Kilian Martin, AJ Kohn, Russ Howell and Kevin Harris, the crowd kept on coming, and at times there was no space left in the building. Nine different countries were represented by their top riders, and everyone went home with a smile. CW For more on the event, including photos and video footage, check out protestskateboards.com.

WORLD ROUND-UP 2013 RESULTS Amateur 1. Ryan Brynelson – Canada 2. Kaue Arouja – Brazil 3. Andy Anderson – Canada 4. Jacob Whitt – USA 5. Thomas Nascimento – Brazil Professional 1. Guenter Mokulys – Germany 2. Seya Nakano – Japan 3. Mike Osterman – USA 4. Masahiro Fujii – Japan 5. Per Canguru – Brazil 6. Stefan “Lillis” Akesson – Sweden 7. Lucio Lima – Brazil 8. Rene Shigueto – Brazil 9. Jesse Whalen – USA 10. Albert Kuncz – Hungary/Slovakia

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Ethan Vinograd (L) and Jesse French with the law hot on their heels.

Photo: Mark Golter

56 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

AUTHORITY, LONGBOARDING AND THE SEARCH FOR EVERYDAY HEROES

By MICHAEL BROOKE

W

hen the first skateboard craze hit in the mid-1960s, it wasn’t too long before “No Skateboarding” signs began to be posted. Almost 50 years later, it’s debatable whether or not these signs still have any effect. In most cases, it really depends on the situation and the mind-set of the particular security guard or police officer. As skateboarding has ebbed and flowed in popularity, it’s always been up to the young generation to figure out the best way they will handle “the authorities.” Then again, sometimes it’s not the police who are influencing whether or not we ride. Sometimes it’s our peers and our family members who might chastise us. By a certain

age, there is a great deal of pressure toward what society perceives to be normal or status quo. I’d like to think that there has been a corrosion of conformity, but then again, it’s pretty easy to fall in line.

When I think about my own experiences with skateboarding, I realize that it has provided me with a healthy questioning of authority and a sense of independence. I really don’t care if anyone thinks I am too old. I do what I feel is right for me — without hurting anyone else. I think it is important to share the road. The idea of nonconformity has been with me for almost four decades, and I have no intention of giving it up.

I often wonder where these ideas might lead

me. Some of you may be familiar with TED Talks — free video lectures that are released weekly. I spend quite a bit of time watching these talks, and one in particular, a lecture on authority by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, really struck a nerve with me.

Zimbardo is a pioneer in the field of the psychology of authority. He is most famous for the 1971 “Stanford Prison Experiment,” which involved 18 ordinary young men and was held in the psychology wing at Stanford University.

Half the men were randomly chosen to assume the role of prison guards and the other half to assume the role of prisoners. The experiment was intended to last two weeks. It started off

SUMMER 2013 CONCRETE WAVE 57

fairly well, but things soon deteriorated. By the run-ins with authority might serve as an inocusixth day, the abuse by the guards had become lation against unjust authority. so violent and the conditions so dreadful that I decided to create a survey and find out just the experiment was terminated. Normal, intel- what skateboarders felt about authority. I then ligent people spiraled into sadistic monsters and crunched the numbers and contacted Zimbardo mild-mannered young men had complete to get his take on things. We’ll return to Dr Z., as nervous breakdowns as prisoners. he is known, but for now, I want to present to After watching Dr. Zimbardo present his find- you the results of that survey. ings, I picked up a copy of his book The Lucifer Concrete Wave received approximately 400 Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn responses to our survey. We wanted to get a Evil. It is a detailed account of what happened sense of how skateboarding impacts people’s at Stanford in 1971 and its parallels with the beliefs about dealing with authority. prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq Our audience was pretty evenly divided in 2003 and 2004. Its main thesis is that most when it came to time on a skateboard. About people are moral — they are “good apples” — one-third of the survey takers had been skating but sometimes good apples can be The infamous Stanford Prison Experiment placed in a bad barrel (aka environment) and some very terrible things can occur.

“We can assume that most people, most of the time, are moral creatures,” Zimbardo wrote. “But imagine that this morality is like a gearshift that at times gets pushed into neutral. When that happens, morality is disengaged.

If the car happens to be on an incline, car and driver move precipitously downhill. It is then the nature of the circumstances that determines outcomes, not the driver’s skills or intentions.”

Most people in our society believe that evil acts are carried out by bad people. We tend to blame one key individual for evil (such as Josef Stalin, Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler). But for a dictator to be in power and create evil, he needs ordinary people to support, tolerate and commit acts of terror. There is a whole system in place that helps create and reinforce these behaviors.

At this point you may be wondering, “Hey, what is all this stuff? This is a skateboard magazine, not Psychology Today.” for four years or fewer. Another third had been But I ask that you bear with me for just a few skating for five to 20 years, and the final third more paragraphs as I connect the dots. had been skating for more than 20 years.

Zimbardo’s book is not an easy read, and at When asked if people ever questioned or times it almost becomes overwhelming in its mocked them for skateboarding, almost threegruesome detail. And yet there is some light at quarters of respondents checked yes. This is not the end of the tunnel. The last part of The surprising — to much of the general public, the Lucifer Effect deals with ways to counteract it. idea of a 20-, 30- or 40-something on a skateFor me, that is where a light bulb went on. board seems rather bizarre.

Could skateboarders hold the key to overIt always amuses me when someone in the coming resistance? Could there be something in general public doesn’t get WHY we skate and a skater’s psychological makeup that would tells me I “broke the rules.” It’s a PASSION for make him or her an ideal candidate to resist something so deep that you will have it in you unwanted influences? I wondered if skaters’ forever. You want to skate places you have never

58 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2013

skated. You are not thinking, “Hey, let’s go out today & break the law,” you are thinking, “That would be RAD to ride!” It’s not about being scofflaws, or trying to annoy you, we just LOVE skateboarding. And things like empty pools and freeways are exciting to ride — it’s as simple as that. You either “get it” or you don’t. So please don’t tell us to “grow up,” because living your life to the fullest is really what it’s all about. Isn’t it?

And P.S. I can’t wait for Skateboard Hall of Fame [ceremony] on May 9 so all us “Law Breakers” can get together for one night and honor some of our own!

Cindy Whitehead — former pro skater However, when we asked skaters if they felt that skateboarding has made them more or less conformist, we were somewhat surprised; the idea of going along with the crowd seems to be something they are pretty comfortable with. Sure, half our respondents said that skateboarding made them feel less conformist. But 42% of respondents said they weren’t sure, and 8% said skating had made them more conformist (yikes!). Mirroring this sentiment, almost half of our survey respondents said that skateboarding did not make them question authority.

All I know is that as I look over my shoulder at the years gone by, most of the best places I ever skated usually had a sign that said something like “KEEP OUT.” I always looked at it (and by the way still do) as a special invitation to me and my friends. It still really pisses me off when I see signs in beach cities (anywhere) that say “No Skateboarding.” That’s like putting up a sign at Pebble Beach that says “No Golfing” or maybe a sign on the North Shore that says “No Surfing.”

Gregg Carroll — featured rider in the film SkaterDater and pro skater for Makaha It’s time to take a step back and admit something that is crucial to the understanding of these numbers. We did not ask basketball players, tennis players or golfers their views on conformity or if they felt their pastime made them question authority. But I am willing to go out on a limb and guess that if you polled golfers or tennis players about these subjects they probably would provide quite different responses.

Even though skateparks flourish in many places in North America and elsewhere, many skaters wish to skate everywhere. Sometimes, this desire to skate runs up against disgruntled neighbors. Sixty percent of respondents said

Busted! Jesse and Ethan get the ticket.

Photo: Mark Golter

they have had a session end due to neighbors complaining. I am willing to bet that no football or baseball team has ever experienced that!

Adding insult to injury, 80 percent of the skaters we surveyed told us they had been kicked out of an area for skateboarding. A full two-thirds of respondents have had the police show up while they were skating and shut down the session.

Although many media organizations paint skaters as disorderly and out of control, very few skaters wind up having any serious problems with law enforcement. Only 12% said they had actually wound up in the back of a police cruiser. (Full disclosure — this HAS happened to me!) A mere 6% have been arrested for the act of skateboarding and only 2% said they have served time.

From what I can deduce from this survey, it would appear that skateboarding gives many people a healthy questioning of authority. At the same time, it would suggest that skaters have learned to manage their questioning of authority without winding up behind bars. Is it

possible that skateboarding serves as a unique inoculation — a chance to defy authority without really suffering terrible consequences?

After all, it’s still ONLY skateboarding.

I wanted to get a sense of whether or not these ideas made sense, so I contacted Dr. Zimbardo directly and we arranged a brief Skype interview.

The following is part of our conversation.

What are your thoughts on skateboarders as it relates to authority?

Dr. Zimbardo: Skaters are a special selected group. They select themselves. At some level skaters are aware of Dr. Philip Zimbardo society’s disdain for skateboarding. Often it is authorities who tell skaters they can’t skate a specific area. Sometimes you have to give in to authority and avoid getting arrested. But generally, it is a concept of questioning authority and questioning rules.

Authorities are the functionaries who impose

penalties for violating social rules. The key is the rule. The first question is, “What is this rule all about? Does it make sense? Is it a rule that is good for all people or just some people?

Maybe it’s a rule for nobody — it’s just a rule.”

I always say you should question the rule.

Somebody has to be willing to defend it, and if no one is willing to defend it then you have to change it or get rid of it.

What about the idea of people “spiraling up” — ordinary people doing heroic acts in defiance of social norms?

It’s clear to me that it’s much easier to get good people to do bad things than it is to get ordinary people to do heroic things. The problem is that there are temptations all around us. I grew up in the streets in the South Bronx and there were a number of agents of evil. These are people who are negative influence agents that try to get others to lie, cheat or steal. The people on the other side are really people from institutions. These are parents, teachers and members of the clergy.

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So where does this take us?

Once you cross the line between good and evil, no matter how innocuous the line, bad things will eventually occur. The argument I’ve been making through the Heroic Imagination Project is, can you do the equivalent the other way?

What does this entail?

It means we get people to do small, positive things that become habits. How do you develop the habits of heroism? By developing little positive deeds every day — none of which are heroic, but they are on the path of heroism. Give a deserving compliment. Thanking those people around us who make our lives easier. This puts us on the path.

Less than a year ago, I created something called “Longboarding for Peace.” I wanted to tap into the energy and soulfulness that longboarders embody. So now we’ve got longboarders helping out numerous people around the world. I’d like to get your thoughts.

Well, this is very interesting. You are using an external device — in this case a longboard — to transform an internal set of values. So you are reaching a segment of society that is not really respected by most, i.e., skaters are renegades; they look raggedy. But now you’ve that same mentality of wanting to be outlaws — wanting to move freely in space — and you’ve changed things. You are associating new meaning to skateboarding. Longboarding is about enjoying the outdoors; it is a bit like surfing. You really are living in the moment. The problem with living in the moment is that for many people this is what it means to be “present-hedonistic”: You live for pleasure and avoid pain. But it is also very selfcentered. What your movement is doing [that] is very unique is taking underlying principles of skateboarding and changing people’s consciousness. You are saying, “We should be working together to promote peace and compassion.” That has never been done before that way.

Dr. Zimbardo has a list of 20 hints to help people resist unwanted influence. I chose three that I feel would best resonate with Concrete Wave readers. We sincerely hope they reflect your worldview as well. Chances are, if you’ve read this far, they probably will.

Engage in life as fully as possible, yet be mindful and aware, attuned to the moment, and prepared to disengage and think critically when necessary. People are generally good and trustworthy, but others make their careers as “influence professionals” who try to get you to do what they want.

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Enjoying the ride in San Pedro, Calif. Photo: Lance Dalgart

In all authority confrontations: Be polite, individuate yourself and the other, make it clear it is not “your problem” in the process or situation; describe the problem objectively, do not get emotional, state clearly the remedy sought and the positive consequences expected; hold off on the threats and costs to them or their agency as a last resort.

Rules are abstractions for controlling behavior and eliciting compliance and conformity. Challenge them when necessary: Ask who made the rule. What purpose does it serve?

Who maintains it? Does it make sense in this specific situation? What happens if you violate it? Insist that the rule be made explicit, so it cannot be modified and altered over time to suit the influence agent.

Recently Dr. Zimbardo helped found the Hero Imagination Project. HIP is a researchbased organization that provides knowledge, tools, strategies and exercises to individuals and groups to help them to overcome the social and psychological forces that can keep them from taking effective action at crucial moments

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in their lives. If you’re a skater, chances are you’re going to confront authority … and you might find yourself in a crucial situation that takes you beyond the scope of skateboarding.

If you would like more information on HIP, please visit their website, heroicimagination.org.

We received dozens of comments from the survey respondents. While space doesn’t allow us to publish them all, we did want to share some of them. Clearly, when it comes to authority, skaters have a lot of issues to deal with.

SURVEY COMMENTS

ALL OF THESE THINGS I DO and agree with the people and you know what? I’ve only ever been asked to leave a spot once, and that was actually INSIDE a building, which is more than reasonable. I have even had neighbors approach with the idea of getting a Sunday afternoon road closure on our street so we can safely ride!

BE NICE. Be responsible.

You’ll probably get away with it.

AS WITH ALL THINGS, people and authority are afraid of things they don’t understand and can’t control. I’ve learned that as a skateboarder it is up to me to demonstrate control and to break the stereotype and provide authority with the respect they deserve and receive the same respect in return.

ANY TIME I HAVE BEEN APPROACHED by police, by law, neighbors or individuals of the public, I always respond politely and ask for specifics on what I can do to ensure they are happy with what I am doing. The police have told me I am fine as long as I stay in my lane and [am] not breaking other laws (disturbing the peace, [not wearing] a helmet, etc.), so I am more than willing to do that. Neighbors have asked me to please not ride during high traffic hours because they are worried about hitting one of us, so I [don’t]. The police have asked me to try not to leave excessive amounts of thane on the public streets as it begins to mark up the area and look bad, so I try to spread out my sesh area.

I’VE LEARNED THAT THE GENERAL feeling people hold is “what we don’t understand is dangerous and criminal.” I’ve lost respect for people and authority for being so closed-minded and prejudiced against a group of people Cindy Whitehead hits L.A.'s 405 Freeway during the "Carmegeddon" closure in July 2012. Photo: Ian Logan

I HAVE BEEN STOPPED and threatened with an $800 fine and jail time — even though the officer acknowledged that I was skating safely and looked both ways before I crossed streets. After telling me to go look up the rules about skateboarding and how it’s legal, I learned that everything that I did was legal and I was obeying the parking and traffic regulations. Also the most they could technically fine me was like $20.

THERE ARE A LOT OF CONFUSING contradictions due to local bylaws in England.

Even the police don’t seem to know where we should be allowed to skate. I’ve been told to skate the roads instead of the pavements, and the pavements instead of the road. It’s very confusing! You always get edgy when you see a police car as you don’t know if they’re going to tell you that you should be skating elsewhere.

make a scene. It’s easy really: Skate smart, skate safe, don’t be an a—hole just because.

As a skateboarder, you are going to get yelled at, stopped by the cops and screwed with in general. It’s how you handle these situations that makes the difference.

BEING 43, MOST OF MY PEERS think I need to grow up and stop playing with “toys.” I politely let them know that they suck and I skate, albeit not very well. Skateboarding is something you can do for a long time, although it does change from skateboarding to cruising as the recovery from a bad fall does take longer and longer to heal up.

I’VE LEARNED THAT THE BY-LAW in Toronto is one that is not very harshly enforced, but on some occasions, the police will take part. This has taught me that you can never really be sure, but the sport that we all love can lead to a criminal offence, and it can be scary to think about. ... It makes me consider my future, in terms of if I end up with a criminal record for decisions I make now — this could seriously impact me later on.

NO MATTER WHAT THE LAWS of the region are, if someone doesn’t like what you are doing, then they will do everything in their power to stop you. I’ve grown up around police authority my whole life. Dad’s a cop.

It’s not a bad thing. Because of this I have learned how to handle police situations much better. If I am on private property and am asked to leave, then I do, promptly. It’s the right thing to do, and shame on those who

because they don’t understand their pastime.

I’ve also learned that respect is key. If you remain respectful and kind, then “consequences” will be less severe. I say “consequences” because I think it is ridiculous that there should be any consequence to skateboarding.

KNOW THE LAWS OF YOUR CITY that you are skating. If they say it’s cool to skate streets, do it! Just be nice and stay out of people’s way. If it’s a no-no, just be careful and quiet. Be the change in your community that makes skaters look good. Be cool with people! You wouldn’t believe how far a smile or a hand wave can go. Even if you are a total punk d-bag, if you smile and wave at the lady driving past you, chances are she will wave right back. Remember, people will talk trash; they will tell you to take your crap to the skate park, they will tell you that you are immature, and they will do everything they can to push your buttons. Just skate smart, skate sexy and skate friendly.

WHEN I WAS A KID I REALLY didn’t respect authority at all. I skated where and when I wanted to due to [few] repercussions. But now, as an adult, I don’t need the drama in my life, so I pick my skate spots more carefully. I have a family that depends on me being around and cannot afford to get in trouble or serve jail time for something that I can avoid. CW

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Concrete Wave hit New York City and New Jersey back in April. We met up with a number of skate companies and spent time as regular tourists. One of the highlights was a 20-mile cruise that went from midtown Manhattan to Central Park and all the way to the Bustin shop in Brooklyn. Huge thanks to all our friends in NYC and N.J. We very much look forward to returning as soon as possible.

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1 Ethan “Sparky” Brooke leaves his mark on Wall Street. 2 Dejaune Jones leads Matthew English (black leathers) and Travis Davenport (white leathers) at the Major Stoke'm race. Photo: Blair Caldwell 3 We hit Times Square and, lo and behold, we found the Naked Cowboy. Sometimes you just have to give in and act like a tourist. 4 We spotted a potential recruit for Longboarding for Peace at Madame Tussaud’s. Too bad he was covered in wax! 5 Paragon Sports in the heart of Union Square was one of the first shops to carry longboards in NYC. Pictured are manager Blake Sandberg (left) and longboard manager Will Hollinger. 6 The hard-working members of Original’s media department. Congrats to Original for hitting 100 million YouTube views. 7 Thanks to Noel and Ray Korman, we were able to make it out to the Original headquarters. Here is Scott Imbrie, co-founder of Original.

8 Sparky proudly stands with Scott Imbrie and the brand new Apex 40". The folks at Original were extremely hospitable.

9 The climbing wall and launch ramp at Original’s warehouse. 10 Two riders prepare to hit the infamous "crash corner" at Major Stoke’m. 11 Noel Korman from Shralpers Union was our guide the first day. The Chelsea Piers skatepark has some good flow and an epic bowl. Look for Noel at our booth at the Vans Warped Tour this summer. 12 Jeff Gaites and Kristen Howard of Uncle Funkys Skate Shop located in the heart of Greenwich Village. 13 Wayne Gallipoli of Surf-Rodz, one of the nicest guys in the business. We met up for lunch at the Longboard Loft. Located on the Lower East Side, the shop is jamming!

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WHY I DO WHAT I DO

By BRIAN PETRIE, Earthwing Skateboards I love everything about skateboarding. No one will ever be able to convince me that they love it more than I do. It has been with me as far back as I can remember, and it quickly defined much of who I am and what I did from a very young age. Being a skateboarder has given me the confidence, strength and balance to handle all of the number two in life. Life can seem like a long series of crappy disappointments sometimes; people screw you over, unfortunate situations go out of control, you suck at doing things, or whatever it is. But skateboarding was always there for me, and was the foundation I built my life on. As pointless as skateboarding is, it meant everything to me, and means everything to many people. Asking why I do what I do can get complicated; it’s like asking me who I am. The best I can do is break it down to why I started making skateboards in the first place.

I am and always have been obsessed with building better working skateboards since the beginning. I have witnessed more than 30 years of significant changes and progression. I grew up street skating and snowboarding in upstate N.Y. through the ’80s and ’90s every day I could. In the ’80s we were mostly bombing and sliding hills, riding vert and hitting launch ramps. In the early ’90 s things got pretty technical. Everything was flip in, flip out on 42mm wheels with gigantic pants on (really, they were huge, and I don’t know why). In 1993 I moved to NYC for school, and eventually started buying for a board shop in Manhattan. The thing about skating streets in NYC versus upstate is that it is much easier to stay alive if you keep pace with the cars. It’s a

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high-energy cat-and-mouse game. Typical street decks sucked for racing the cars in jacked-up road conditions. I couldn’t accept that as my only choice. In the ’90s, snowboarding had so many great advancements in technology; I started to wonder why skateboarding wasn’t going there. I love a good 7-ply, but what else was possible? Take a look at a kayak or tennis racket and then tell me plywood is the best skateboarding could do. I felt like the industry was so busy selling image, popularity and fashion to kids that they were not trying hard enough to make a better working skateboard, or skateboards made for speed.

At the shop one day, we had a pile of broken snowboards that I was told to throw out. It was obvious to me that it would be fun to see what happened if I cut a deck out of one. After six beers that night, I had an 8” x 32” sprinting deck with a 22” wheelbase. It was a quick little deck. You couldn’t do anything on it but cook down the street. The way it dissipated vibrations and held its speed was like nothing I had ever felt, even on jacked-up pavement. It was totally quiet, like I was riding on a wing with no wheels. See where I am going with this? In 1998 I started Earthwing, a fake skateboard company that would only exist in my head and under my feet. I never intended to start an actual business. I just wanted to build a better skateboard for yours

truly. I spent all of my time and money building tools and molds and researching composite technology. By this time I was a professional dog walker and was skating all day, every day, on carbon decks that I vacuum-pressed in my apartment. I was just booking through Manhattan from job to job on these “Earthwing” decks. I could also finally “pedestrian slalom” at speed on the sidewalks. If they hear you coming, for some reason, they freak out and jump right in front of you. On these decks, they didn’t hear you coming, so everything was cool. By the time they noticed you, you were already a half block away. It was thrilling to ride these expensive handmade carbon decks knowing that I had made them and that they performed so efficiently. It was a total board-building addiction. I researched so muchand learned so fast with each build. Every build was going to be my holy grail skateboard.

In August 2001, I had a pretty rude awakening with a serious injury to the back of my head. I was terrified at the amount of blood spilling out of it, and found a new respect for skateboarding. Being that close to death will shake you up. I was too freaked out to skate for a while. My obsession with skateboarding pushed me even deeper into design and production. Designing new concepts was my way of still being involved with what I loved and giving back to it. I turned my two-bedroom apartment into a skateboard factory. At the same time, I met my amazing future wife, Angela, who was paramount in organizing and motivating me to push Earthwing into a working business.

She argued that since I loved doing it so much and spent all of my money and time on it anyway, I should turn Earthwing into a business. The idea that I could actually provide my skateboards to skateboarders was exciting. Angela sacrificed a lot of herself to help Earthwing grow. I don’t think it’s easy sharing life with an obsessive creative type. Today, I have manufacturing partners, a team and engineers that I consider my extended family. Board building, materials and conceptual prototypes are the motivation and heart of Earthwing. My partners are crucial with help in sourcing new materials and production of concepts from Earthwing. I owe everything I have to skateboarding. I only hope I can give something back to skateboarding that skateboarding would be proud of.” CW

COMPANY PROFILE

FACTORY LAB CW: Why did you start up Factory Lab? Martin Hernandez Elizalde: It was 2003. The last few years had been really tough in Argentina. The country got into a recession that drove it into bankruptcy. It was by that time that two skateboarders from Buenos Aires decided that it would be great to surf the streets with longboards. Since there was no longboard market in Argentina, for that purpose they needed money to import products, but at that point it

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was impossible for Argentineans to import anything. So they decided that the best way was to manufacture the boards by themselves. Having no money, no resources and no experience in manufacturing any kind of boards, they decided to start the endeavor with nothing more than their great passion, guts and will, and a few bucks that were lent to them by some friends.

A new baby was born, and without knowing it they had started one of the most renowned

longboarding companies in Argentina. During the following years, many models of different kinds of board sports were developed and tested. The goal was to provide the Argentinean market with boards of a quality that had never been seen in Argentinean manufacturing before. The company grew steadily during the following years. Since then, we have provided our customers with many different kinds of products such as skateboards, longboards,

mountainboards, trucks and wheels. By 2011, Factory Lab, having recently moved to a bigger facility, had established itself as the top quality board manufacturer in the country.

Since then many new models of boards, trucks, wheels and accessories were presented to the market, all of them having great acceptance by the customers in Argentina and South America. At this point Factory Lab had transformed itself into a market-maker company.

CW: What is the longboard scene like where you live?

ME: At this time the longboard scene in Argentina is booming, growing day by day without stopping.

About five years ago the longboard events started with minimal attendance. Nowadays, we have championships for most of the year, including most of the disciplines covering slalom, boardercross, downhill and slide jams.

As the level increases the brands are starting to support riders to travel and compete. People get more demanding every day, making the

brands push their level to develop more technical products. All these things make Argentina today a country where excellent quality products are developed, and with super-accessible prices compared to imported products.

Today Argentina has many riders that despite their short careers [so far] are challenging for the top positions in the most important competitions.

CW: A lot of people have no idea about life in Argentina. Can you tell us some of the things you’ve had to deal with that many people would find quite crazy/amusing?

ME: Argentina is not going through its best moment. This does not help the sport much, making it hard to import supplies as well as finished products. The imported products that we get cost three times more than our local ones, making it also very difficult to get technical products.

People on the streets are not used to these kinds of sports, making it difficult to practice the sport at public places. The matter is being

handled and we are getting certain specific places to practice the sport.

CW: What are your future plans?

ME: Our future plans are basically to keep improving as manufacturers, establishing ourselves as a trend-setting brand in South America. For this we will focus on producing new functional and technical products. We are looking forward to upgrading our manufacturing technology as well as our facilities.

We also plan to keep supporting our riders, helping them to travel abroad to participate in different international competitions.

CW: Any final comments?

ME: We would like to thank to all our riders, because it’s through them that we can keep developing better products. We would also like to thank all our families for their support and the whole LAB team for the hard work. Finally, thanks to all the people that trust our work and choose our products daily. CW

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WaveSkate creator Yancey Meyer with a frontside air.

Photo: Paddydigital Productions

WAVESKATE:

CONCRETE MEETS WAVES

By MICHAEL BROOKE

About a month ago I was contacted by Yancey Meyer, who told me he’d created something rather unusual — a longboard that could be quickly converted into a fully functional surfboard. I have known Yancey for a number of years, and I was curious to find out more, so I headed down to Encinitas, Calif., to meet up with him. I was somewhat skeptical, but after one ride on the asphalt and the waves, I was convinced.

This board offers so much to board enthusiasts of all stripes. In or out of the water, there is an untapped potential here just waiting to be explored.

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CW: What is your background?

Yancey Meyer: I’ve been standing on boards my whole life: skateboards, snowboards, longboards, surfboards, skimboards, anything I could get my hands on.

I am the youngest of four brothers (the others are Eric, Jason and Lucas, all great skaters). I was exposed to board sports at a early age, but we really had nowhere to skate a lot. We really just pretended to be surfing, slashing around doing berts and cess slides.

Surfing was the main focus until 1992, when my home town of Paia, Maui, received funding for a wooden skatepark, and a guy named Mark Partain appeared in town. Mark became my mentor in skateboarding. His influence, and the Paia skatepark (just two quarterpipes and a funbox with two hips) changed my life.

Flash ahead two years, and Maui had quite a scene of skaters. We were unlike skaters anywhere else! Big ollies and grabs, speed, style ... we had our own thing. Hawaiian kids doing it all for fun! We had limitless stoke. We had to take it somewhere.

Three Maui skaters — Tom Miyao (former team manager for Black Label), Roger Cabudol (former pro for Natural Koncept) and I — jumped on planes and made for California, to see what Maui could add to skateboarding’s swirling industry mess. In a year I became lost in the crowd, just another guy trying to kickflip over something, ollie something else. I was doing what everyone else was, and I was not adding anything. That’s when I discovered longboarding, and my life changed again.

Why? How did changing your board size change your mental approach? Why did it make skating fun again?

It was the magic feather. I wasn’t categorized with everyone else. I wasn’t required to kickflip over something, ollie something else. I made my own way again. Our longboarding scene became much like the Maui scene. We did our own thing.

Well, I decided to kickflip my longboard over something anyway, [but] we were in our own category. I turned pro and never looked back.

What are some of the highlights of your pro career?

• Cover of International Longboarder • 1st place Kona Longboard Street • TVS Unleashed video • Rode for and toured with Tony Alva • 2nd place at Del Mar 2001 (My hero won it, Chris Senn) • 4th place Kona Pro Street 2003 • Skating in Tony Hawk’s “Huck Fest” 2002

How did you come to design this board? Do you have a background in design?

No background in design, just 30 years surfing and 25 years skateboarding.

I have three children and can’t justify surfing all day. So to practice surfing, I started attempts to develop a skateboard that truly felt like a surfboard: round top, wide, long, and able to carve like no skateboard before it. The prototypes were amazing. Rail-to-rail turns, amazing stability. I knew I had a great training tool for surfers.

Then I thought, “But wait, why can’t this board go back to the beach?” Once I had the idea, I was not taking “no” for an answer.

Jennifer Meyer and Nakoa Meyer tandem skating.

Photo: Yancey Meyer

Brett Naudin takes the WaveSkate to the surf.

Photo: Brent Stephens

What happened next?

I began by taking what I needed from a surfboard shape and removing what I felt was extra. The nose was snubbed, the tail shortened, the board slightly flattened. It had to be strong, so we used epoxy materials. Then we designed a traction piece for both skating and surfing, since wax or grip tape wouldn’t work. It took us several shapes to perfect our design. But here we are; the first true cross-training board — DIRECT TRANSFER of balance, technique and form.

Some people would look at this and scream “gimmick.” What’s your response?

Gimmick, huh? All they need is one ride. I’m going to parks, beaches, hills, everywhere I can go to prove it. I’m putting strangers — advanced riders, beginners, surfers, skaters, everyone I can find — on a WaveSkate and the response is always, “OMG.” I took a “tech” kid to a hill for a trial run. First he took a ride on his board, then he switched to the WaveSkate. He was so stoked, we rode the hill all afternoon. Here is a kid that rolls around at 2 mph doing kickflips — now he is bombing a hill, throwing carves and stoked as can be.

How fast does it take to convert from longboard to surfboard?

Five minutes. Take off your wheels and trucks, pop in your fins. It’s easy and you don’t need specialized tools.

Dave Hackett said it: “Work on your quiver.”

There is a time and place for every type of board.

The WaveSkate has a lot of “times and places.”

What are some of your plans for the future?

We have two new WaveSkate designs in the prototype stages right now. They should be available by the holidays. We are also formulating the first one-board surf-skate contest.

WaveSkate is also proud to be working with Longboarding for Peace, and we will be involved in free skate clinics for underprivileged youths.

Any final comments?

So many people have helped this idea become reality, and I wouldn’t be here without their assistance and hard work. May I publicly thank everyone on Maui, Paddydigital Productions, Jeff Budro at Sector 9, Martin Ramos from Kona, Soccer Pete, David Pattison, Billy at Eventide, Chris Sparano, Brent at Concept Encinitas, Longboarding for Peace, and my wife and kids for all the support! CW

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GUNS 4 THE STREETS HERE IN VENICE, CALIFORNIA, are both a beachside paradise and a gang war zone, where in the same afternoon you can see beautiful girls skating to the beach and police helicopters buzzing over a crime scene. The shootings have slowed a bit since Google moved to the hood, but we’re still armed to the teeth, and with so many guns easily bought with a fistful of dollars, it’s no wonder people are using them against each other. The U.S. is the most armed country in the world, with 89 firearms for every hundred residents, more than 1.5 times as many as the next country, Yemen. That’s 270 million guns in America right now, and yet we continue to debate the reasonable necessity of requiring background checks for weapons purchases, or limiting the magazine capacity of assault weapons.

Without such combat-capacity weapons, incidents like the one in Sandy Hook, N.J., would be far less deadly.

It’s frustrating to watch this debate lurch on and to have so little influence on its course.

Having been a part of the Longboarding for Peace program in Israel, I’ve seen what a positive force just riding a skateboard can be, so I resolved to take the initiative and try to have a positive effect a bit closer to home. Why not literally help take guns off the streets by trading them for longboards? I had heard there was a gun buyback program here in Los Angeles, so I set out to see how Carver could participate.

After weeks of calling around, I found out that there was going to be a gun buyback on the weekend of May 4. I finally connected with right people at the LAPD and the mayor’s office and told them about the idea of trading guns for skateboards, and even though it was all last-minute, they thought it was a great idea and were stoked to include us in the event. It tied in perfectly with the idea of not only getting the guns off the street, but also giving kids in the inner city something else to do. We decided that we’d focus on using the boards for the assault weapons exchange, while they gave out $100 gift cards for handguns and rifles.

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Neil Carver (third from left) with California Rep. Janice Hahn and L.A. police officers. Photo: Lance Dalgart

By NEIL CARVER

LONGBOARDS

By the time we showed up at the San Pedro Harbor at 10 a.m., they had already collected hundreds of guns, and even a bunch of assault weapons. I had never seen any of these kinds of weapons in person before, and here was a table piled high with them. We were proud to see an Uzi come in and one of our boards go out.

Even with only a dozen longboards, in our small way we were happy to be trading wood, aluminum and urethane for steel and bullets, and inciting play instead of violence. By the end of the day, 1,170 weapons had been taken off the streets, including 49 assault weapons. So today, on this sunny California day, some of those same streets are instead hearing the peaceful hiss of soft urethane roll by while another longboard works its magic. CW

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By SCOTT LEMBACH Photos: MARK GOLTER THE FOURTH ANNUAL DOWNHILL DISCO turned into some-

Dyno-mite! 7-year-old boogie child Skyler Golter.

thing extra special by becoming somewhat of a three-day extravaganza. The festivities kicked off with a large number of skaters and guests in our warehouse for a “halfpipe-warming party.” (Under the maximum capacity, of course, Mr. Fire Marshal!) Andy Mac, the Sunset Sliders, the Sk8Mafia Crew and even the Louis Pilloni made an appearance and provided the entertainment — whether they planned for it or not! We spent time on Saturday testing the layout of the eight or so obstacles by throwing an Open Format Skate Jam followed by a Longest Air competition. We were blown away by the performance! MuirSkate team rider Daniel Couch of Washington took the top spot in Longest Air with a 27-foot jump. On Sunday, day three, came the “real” Downhill Disco: the Obstacle Course Time Trials. TimeShip Racing

the beat Chance Gaul turns

b. und on this 360 gra (and his body) aro

Dave Price gets down with a textbook toeside.

his Brett Ciabattini hustles

way from ramp to ramp.

First a bump and then a grind. William Royce, ramp to rail 5-0.

Brian Bishop stayin '

alive as he eyes a steep landing.

It's a celebration! L-R: Big Air finalists Ross Druckrey (3rd), Dan Couch (1st) and Brian Bishop

(2nd).

provided their high-end timing system — our iPhone(s) wouldn’t cut it this year! — and we had times for the course down to one-thousandth of a second accuracy.

Defending Disco champ Jimmy Riha and William Royce battled it out for the top spot in the Time Trials, but Will’s skillz eventually won out and he found himself several hundred dollars richer. We sent a whole lot of people home with big smiles and rad memories of MuirSkate’s Downhill Disco. We’ve already started planning next year’s event (with added features), but I’ll save that info for another time. CW

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A young Dandoy Tongco skating his fish in a bowl.

ONLY IN THE

Philippines

By JUKKA HOLOPAINEN Photos: BRENDAN GOCO

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LONGBOARDING MEANS SO MUCH TO SO MANY FILIPINOS. Yet there was a time, not too long ago, when Filipinos rode wooden planks with skateboard trucks. This all changed when the Philippine scene started to heat up with the videos of Loaded going viral, and Filipinos rediscovered this form of skateboarding and found out they were good at it! Longboarding events started to emerge across the country — everything from freestyle jams to 30kilometer push races to downhill skateboarding action.

Meanwhile, a host of legends, top skateboard athletes and ambassadors also made their appearances on the scene. To date, the Philippines has hosted skate ambassadors like Adam and Adam, Zak Maytum, Max Dubler, Calvin Staub and Jackson Shapiera, but it was perhaps Patrick Switzer’s visit to the Philippines as part of the Visayan Longboarding Trilogy that has made a tremendous grassroots influence with competitive longboarding.

Children of skaters already showing off to parents that they have what it takes.

Patrick was able to bring a young, upcoming 19year-old, Dandoy Tongco, to Greener Pastures Offshore, an adventure skate film shot in Spain with young outstanding talents from around the world. Greener Pastures will showcase the Filipino as a natural skate athlete. Filipinos are unparalleled board riders in a country where board sports like surfing, skimboarding, wakeboarding and longboarding are on the rise. Longboarding is the perfect urban — and mountain — board sport that we can excel in. Upcoming true-blue Filipino Dandoy Tongco is testament to this.

It may come as a surprise, but some of the most talented board riders in the world live underneath a bridge by the sea spanning Cebu and Mactan. This part of the island is called Opon, which hardly seems a place where a skateboarding community would thrive. But here under the shadow of the bridge, they have one of the greatest numbers of local skateboarders on a square-inch basis. Almost everyone in their community has tried a skateboard, with cousins and moms, daughters and brothers all taking turns on one board to buy coffee, go to school, run errands and just cruise the streets at night.

Gravity Games and ladies from Skate of the Nation mixing it up.

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Bombproof and local riders pioneering the sport in the Visayas. Downhill longboarding is one of the fastest-growing extreme sports in the country.

Skating has become a key outlet to many of these young kids who want to have a different purpose and drive in life. Every evening you will see these street kids transform themselves into skateboarders who compete around the block in friendly downhill competition on their cobbled streets, all of them dreaming of the next big race. These kids stop smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and sniffing rugby in order to up their placing in the next push race.

They know that the local Free Energy cooperative does not sponsor athletes who smoke cigarettes or consume alcohol. Their skateboard now becomes their Ferrari of choice, and these same skate athletes train hard because there is always a race just around the corner, with at least one major race in any given month.

This is also why Dandoy became one of the top skateboarders in our region; he had to win every skateboard item in every event that the Free Energy community was organizing. Nothing came for free, and he had to best many older and more experienced longboarders who likewise enjoyed skating and winning in longboard events too. Dandoy grew up in a community that surfed and skimmed, and when longboards became the popular board sport of choice, he skated. At 13 he was already a gifted natural freestyle skater, and at 16 he was already competing internationally, winning the Singapore Push Race and the Malaysian Downhill Open. He also won in Thailand’s first Slide Jam, in Pattaya, but he was denied a visa for the 17 and under at Maryhill in the U.S., and was once again rejected from competing in Australia at Newton’s Nation.

Each time plans fell through even when all the training and sponsorships were in place; nevertheless Dandoy never stopped believing. There would always be something bigger to achieve, something bigger out there to dream for.

Probably the most unique way we've seen to hit get up a hill.

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Night sessions are always special.

Downhill racing in the Philippines is an exciting affair where families, children, friends and neighbors all gather to cheer their local hero on.

There is always an outlaw going around in some part of the country, and in major events, you can see more than a hundred racers compete against each other in their leathers, full-face helmets and full battle gear. Longboarding has united different regions from different islands to come together and bring their many young and upcoming talents into competitive events. Highlighting how longboards cut across board sports, you will find some of the top skim and surfboard riders also naturally gravitating to longboards. You can often see young groms practicing their aerials on a skate bowl before attempting the same thing on the waves.

Longboarding means brotherhood in the Philippines. Nowhere else will you see such a sport that is so influenced by family and relationships. Longboarders here like calling each other “brother from a different mother.�

Come to any event and you become brothers of the street, of speed, brothers of gravity and free energy, regardless if you are a casual skateboarder out with your dog, a competitive downhiller or the father of the local push champion. It’s easy to become part of this big, tight-knit, funky Filipino community of longboarders who are always online and who are also always finding ways to skate together and have fun. Almost everyone knows each other here, and it would be easy to go across the country just from one longboarding island to the next. Aside from meeting some of the most fascinating locals, some of the most exquisite beaches and enthralling waterfalls await the longboarder. Good street food and gnarly street skating will only add to one of the most memorable times you will have with your board. From the mountains to the sea, there is much to discover that is unique and found nowhere else but the Philippines. So when you feel the need to hit the road with only a good book, hammock and your skateboard, come to the islands, share and smell the stoke. CW The Filipino community is definitely tight-knit.

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TRAVELS WITH THE HUMBLE HIPPIE

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE ON THIS PLANET, we all see the same sun, the same moon and the same stars. Why? Because we are all in the same little VW van traveling through the universe. We have all been on some kind of a road trip, with family, friends, school, church or work. This is when you really get to know somebody — while cooped up in a van for a few days.

I like to think of the whole world as a little 1969 VW van. It has problems, but it’s really cool and has a lot of character. Think about this.

We are all individuals with our own lives, our own problems, our own missions and our own goals, but no matter where we think we are

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headed, there is one thing none of us can change: We are all still in the same little VW van, stuffed in there with the good, the bad and the ugly. Some of us will never see eye to eye, some of us will never wear a tie-dye, and some of us will never wear a suit or a tie. Some of us will be vegetarians while others will live off of 5 Guys double bacon cheeseburgers. (Damn, those are good!)

Whatever the choices we make in our lives, remember this: We may all be different in our own ways, but we are all on the same universal road trip. The next time you’re riding your longboard, before you take one push, before you roll

Addressing the 2013 graduating class at Point Loma High School.

one inch, think about this for just one of your 1,440 minutes you get every day: We are all already cruising together on the ultimate form of transportation — the earth. The experience you have is up to you. Are you going to be the person who bitches and whines the whole trip, or are you going to be the person who offers a helping hand and creates a positive vibe?

Positive vibes are so important; look at the difference it makes in your own life when someone gives you a compliment or holds the door open for you, or lets you merge into traffic.

Pay it forward, people, or the next time we stop for a bathroom break we may just leave your rude ass stranded at the gas station.

I am always looking for new ways to reach out to my brothers and sisters on this planet to tell them of how they can help me spread good positive vibes all over this world. Recently I was invited to speak to the 2013 graduating class at Point Loma High School in San Diego. (Congratulations, students! If you’re reading this, high school is over for you. Your universe is about to expand as big as you will allow it.)

My message to all of these totally awesome young adults was this: We all have a passion inside of us; it may be skateboarding, longboarding, surfing, playing music, creating art, cooking, writing poetry or singing songs. Whatever it is you are passionate about, find a way to use it to create some joy and happiness on this planet. I found a way to spread positive vibes through our retail store, The Humble Hippie, in Ocean Beach, San Diego, by organizing shoe drives, giving away T-shirts and writing for this magazine to help spread the stoke of Longboarding for Peace. My point is this: It doesn’t matter what you use — food, clothing, art, music, sports, education, Longboarding for Peace. If you are positive about something, others will be, too.

Most of us want to do something nice, but don’t know how, what or when to do it. NOW is a great time to start! Do not wait for the rest of us to do something first. Be the one who starts a movement, be the one who makes a difference in someone’s life, be the one who is firing up others to use their passion to spread positive vibes; that’s all I am doing. It starts with you.

You are the one. You are the one who is going to help change the world. We are already all traveling together, so we may as well start working together; we are all in the same car, we just need to start going the same place. It will be easier on the driver. I am 13,500 days old (figure that out). All the students in this photo are under 7,000 days old.

Hell, the oldest person on the planet is less than 43,000 days old. We can do a lot in a short time. Every day counts. Make today a good day.

I love road trips. They are even better when everyone in the van is having fun and being positive. Don’t be the guy who farts in the van and spoils it for the rest of us. The pursuit of happiness is not just our constitutional right — it is our birthright, and we all have the right to be as happy as we want to be. As far back as I can remember I have heard people say, “There is power in thought” and “Don’t think negative, think positive.” Finding happiness and creating positive vibes is what I

want to help everyone achieve. No matter your circumstance, find some way, any way, to spread some positive vibes. The more you give away, the more you will receive.

Before I open my eyes every morning, I like to smile just to let the universe know what kind of a day I plan on having.

The next time someone is whistling, singing or smiling, don’t hate on that person for being happy — smile back!

Smile back at the next 10 people you see and help spread that positive vibe. Like the songs says, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Just keep picturing the world as a little VW van, and remember that we are all cruising through space trying to get along with one another as we all pursue happiness. We are already on the trip of our lives. So remember to chip in for gas. If we all kick in a few bucks, it will be easier on all of us. Keep it real.

Until next time, Dusty Ray. Visit me at TheHumbleHippie.com CW

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THE MAGIC & Majesty OF N-TENSE D-CENTZ

PHOTOS BY JACOB LAMBERT

N-Tense D-Centz is a 12-day skate tour that takes place in New Zealand. Only a handful of longboarders are lucky enough to experience the tour. Fortunately, Jacob Lambert’s photos capture both the magic of the tour and the majesty of this glorious country.

Tour Sponsors: Landyachtz, Kebbek, Sector 9, Rayne, RAD, Predator, Heelside, Comet, Boarderlines.co.nz, Terrabang Supply, Ultimateboards.co.nz, Glyde and RipTide Bushings.

Cam Kite soaking up the sunset at Mount Ruapehu.

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Matt K getting tranquil with no shoes and a mega pipe.

Gabe Gwynne flying through a Ruapehu corner that last year claimed the mobility of Jacko.

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Chad Gibson leads the way down the Mukas, with Cam Kite in the shadow and Adam Yates lurking.

From left: Gavin Rutherford, Joseph “Speedy” Karchemny, Craig Bond and Matt Kienzle diving into one of the Muka’s many tipping rights.

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Jordan Hau taking the butter line through the Muka's last and most challenging corner.

Api Ihaia drifting the apex at the Testicle Facility.

LONGBOARDING FOR PEACE PIN $5 value A beautiful metallic pin sure to attract interest

PASSPORT PROGRAM Concrete Wave, along with AXS and Longboarding for Peace, is delighted to be back presenting the Passport Program on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour. We get more than 2,000 visitors to our booth at each tour date, and we will be looking for you. Once you stop by, make sure you pick up a Passport.

There are only 500 given out per day, so get there early. Just visit six nonprofits and get your Passport stamped at their booths. Then return to our booth for your chance to win something from more than $34,000 in prizes.

Here’s a list of what you can win. We’ll also have lots of other surprises at our booth.

NOOKA WATCH $250 value This exclusive watch is limited to a production run of 40.

Dusters California Skateboards?

The “Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word” board. This deck is there to help inspire, educate and support girls in action sports. One complete per day will be won this summer and will be in stores soon after.

G-FORM CELLPHONE PROTECTOR $40 value Wish you could safely ride, party and repeat with your smartphone? Thanks to G-Form’s revolutionary impact protection, now you can. Win a case and party on!

OUTDOOR TECHNOLOGY TURTLE SHELL SPEAKER $150 value

DUSTERS CUSTOM SKATEBOARD $200 value

What do you get when you combine 70’s female pro vert skater Cindy Whitehead with Longboarding for Peace and

An unreal sound in a small package. Available to win on first 20 cities of the tour

TOUR STICKER priceless Another Warped Tour Passport Exclusive. 6” sticker featuring the Phoenix.

OUR MAJOR SPONSORS The Passport Program would not be possible without the generous support of Landyachtz, Dusters and Gravity Dance. We are very grateful to these three companies for stepping up.

usually resulting in “heightened sense of awareness.” Floaty flying sensations, laughter, happiness.

Gravity Dance is a clothing and artistic creations company born and based in the heart of Vermont. Honoring history, preserving traditions, giving back, promoting awareness, respect, love and a soulful connection to snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, skiing, other Gravity Dancers and the world we live in. Clothing and creations since 2005. gravitydance.com

Landyachtz just celebrated their 15th anniversary and have been advertising with us since the days of International Longboarder Magazine. The company recently won Most Admired Company in the CW Readers’ Choice Awards. landyachtz.com

Dusters California offers a variety of classic longboards and cruisers that embody the old-school image and feel. Their goal is to restore the passion and innovation from the Z-Boys era and bring it to the modern era. We are so pleased to be a part of Cindy Whitehead’s initiative. dusterscalifornia.com Gravity Dance: Utilizing gravity, moving rhythmically, expressing personal style with board(s) under feet. Moving from higher point to lower point on snowy mountains, pavement or waves. Repeating often,

Thanks to our friends at sPACYcLOUd, we are proud to show you these exclusive jackets made just for the Warped Tour. sPACYcLOUd Clothing & Accessories stands by their motto “Follow Your Hearts, Not Trends” in their dazzling line of jackets, hoodies, tees, leggings and skateboards. sPACYcLOUd’s fashions are designed by Tatiana Kolina. sPACYcLOUd has numerous creative collaborations and sponsors Skate Girls Tribe in Washington, D.C., for skate events and philanthropic causes. spacycloud.com

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CHIEF LADIGA SILVER COMET SKATE CHALLENGE A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO, I heard about an amazing 188-mile, three-day stage skateboard race from Georgia to Alabama and back. After hearing about it firsthand from Blue Sky Longboards team manager Luke Ayata and listening to his accounts of how amazing and challenging it was, I had to see it for myself. I have been pushing all kinds of boards since the age of 6, and I knew this was a challenge I was up for.

Marion Karr, a skater from Statesville, N.C., came up with the idea for the race after seeing a lack of real LDP events here in the U.S. He knew of an old train track that had been turned into a bike/walk/skate path with good pavement, long downhills and some challenging uphill areas, all with the gorgeous backdrop of a wonderful countryside most of us only dream of seeing. After skating the trail several times, he made the executive decision to begin planning a long-distance push (LDP) event that became known as the Chief Ladiga Silver Comet Skate Challenge. After a year of planning he got the necessary elements together and held the first race. This event changed the LDP race scene in the U.S., spawning other races such as the Miami Ultra Skate.

The first day of the Challenge is a 38-mile push from Smyrna, Georgia (near Atlanta) to Rockmart, Georgia, on the Silver Comet Trail, so named for the train that used to travel that route. The second day goes from Rockmart to Weaver, Alabama, a 56-mile trek, of which the last 33 miles are skated on Alabama’s Chief Ladiga Trail. On the third day, riders turn around and skate the whole 94 miles from Weaver all the way back to Smyrna.

When I got to Atlanta in 2012, I was greeted by two amazing people who are major players in organizing this great event, Georgia and Chadd Hall. With open arms and warm hearts, they opened their home to riders as a sort of hostel, where we rested and met with some of the other participants.

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By NOEL KORMAN

The top 3 men and the only woman to finish.

L-R: Paul Kent, Leo Segura, Kaspar Heinrici, Colleen Pelech. Photo: Noel Korman Distance phenom Paul Kent. Photo: Georgia Hall

Noel Korman, always pushin'. Photo: Georgia Hall

Arriving in Rockmart at the end of the first stage, we were greeted by a huge welcoming crew with fuel for the body and soul. At the finish line is a little stream that you can dunk yourself in, and it’s the perfect temp to cool the feet and anything else. After your “Nestea Plunge,” you go into the city hall, where the town provides an amazing lunch for the refuel. Next you move to the sleeping quarters in town, where you rest before being served another amazing meal by the locals! Talking to everyone that night, meeting riders from all over, is truly a highlight. It’s amazing how people in this sport are so welcoming and super knowledgeable.

On Day 2, I was so pumped from the day before and had such great vibes from all who were there that I was stoked to go for it. After a nice, long

skate, I came across that line exhausted, but with such a feeling of great accomplishment that I felt I was ready for Day 3. Well, on Day 3 the weather went from super rad to super bad, and after the start and several miles in sideways rain, I called it. But I knew in my heart that this, which I never thought was accomplishable, was really not impossible and could be done – especially if there were people who finished in not-so-great conditions. I knew I would be back in 2013.

The feeling this year was no different. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, I began to see lots of familiar smiles and some new ones. The energy was all high fives and positive vibes. At the riders’ meeting, we were guided on trail conditions and then promptly began to vibe and talk story from last year.

Day 1 this year again had awesome conditions at the start. Throughout the day the weather held beautifully, and we got to skate through some of the smoothest, most picturesque land this great country has to offer.

Knowing that the wonderful town of Rockmart was close, I came in hot under the collar ready for my dip, and ready to see who was there and what their times were. As in years past, Paul Kent took Day 1. His time was 2:24:15. But that put him only 5 seconds ahead of Sasha Popper, and only 1:05 ahead of Leo Segura.

While going to the hotel after dinner in Rockmart, I noticed a dark cloud and a couple of raindrops and thought, Oh, well, it’ll pass. Getting up the next morning for the second leg was easy – until we got outside and that nasty “Rain” word reared its ugly head for a hot minute. I was hesitant, but after coming all this way I was determined to get this thing done.

Sure enough, as soon as we got started, the skies parted and the trail came alive. Skating that day with Melanie Castro and Luke Ayata was magical. The course was just insane with the scenery and knowing that at day’s end you’re halfway home.

At the finish line on Day 2, cheers and high fives were abundant for everyone. After the day’s 58 miles, Paul Kent was still in the lead with a

Razor Ray Korman encourages the riders. Photo: Georgia Hall

time of 4:11:07. Robert Erisman was just 2 seconds behind that, and Kiefer Dixon was 1:30 behind him. Knowing tomorrow was 94 miles, everyone loaded up on fuel and crashed early.

At the start of Day 3 the weather seemed to be in our favor. But soon into the skate it became apparent that this was going to be one serious life-changing adventure. The skies opened up and began to pour down rain. Conditions quickly became insane, like a scene out of The Wizard Of Oz, with torrential downpour, hail, calf-deep puddles, downed trees, reports of tornados, and road debris that felt like a slalom race for the

last 40 miles. Again I rode with my fellow shralpers Colleen Pelech and Luke Ayata. (See the pattern here? Luke and I are old dudes – the whole “pace yourself ” attitude.) I knew that there was no way we could separate and that we had to make this wonderful journey together.

Coming up to the last mile, we were met by some fellow riders who explained their own craziness and excitement on their trip that day.

Locked arm in arm, Luke, Colleen and I finished together in the most rewarding, most difficult race in history with the toughest conditions ever. Colleen was the only woman to complete all three days of the event.

At the finish, Skanunu’s Ken Knauf and his wife, Tracey, who had piloted one of the two support vehicles, provided tents with chairs and food and drinks for everyone. Meanwhile, Razor Ray Korman was piling the gear into the van to keep everything from getting sloshed with rain.

The times on Day 3 ranged from Paul Kent at 7:28:58, to Noel Korman (me) at 11:46:44. I can honestly say that Day 3 was hands down the greatest and most rewarding day of my life.

Pushing through those conditions with my Ladiga family cheering me on made all that gnarliness worth every second. It truly was lifechanging, and I am already amped for next year.

Until next time, Ladiga Family, Shralp Life! CW

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Longboarding for Peace:

UPDATE

Things continue to build with the Longboarding for Peace movement. We are so fortunate to have such strong support from the longboard community. Companies are stepping up, and slowly but surely things are growing. If you’d like to get involved, feel free to email mbrooke@interlog.com.

TEXAS

SPAIN Jose María de la Cierva of Deportes Loco of Spain decided he wanted to coordinate an event in Spain. He managed to get a number of Spanish companies on board and create a fundraiser for Caritas (a charity that aims to build a better world). Pictured is Jose’s son, Luke.

Clayton West, president of Evins Skateboard Company, became aware of the Longboarding for Peace movement while watching things go down on Greg Noble’s Facebook and Instagram pages. As soon as Clayton saw the first photos of the kids with huge smiles learning to longboard, he knew he was going to have to be involved. Shortly after, Clayton met up with Greg at the Texas Sizzler slalom event in Hockley, Texas.

Clayton came up with the idea of producing a deck for L4P. He then got in touch with Mikey Seibert and a set of specs were drawn up. It turned out that Evins team rider Zachary Piccolo was already helping Evins design a board with similar parameters. Clayton forwarded the L4P emblem to artist and avid longboarder Kristin Maxwell, who created the beautiful art for the board.

For every L4P deck they sell, Evins is donating a deck to Longboarding for Peace. Evins will make the donation regardless of whether the board is sold directly through their website or sold wholesale to one of their retailers. evinsboards.com

MAXIM COSSETTE JAPAN Kazuya “Backdoor” Takeuchi created this beautiful logo.

It will wind up on T-shirts and stickers. If you’re inclined to create a riff on the logo, just contact us.

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A few months ago we received a phone call from Maxim Cossette, a longboarder/banjo player. He told us that during his upcoming cross-Canada tour, he plans to spend some of his time onstage to promote and explain Longboarding for Peace.

You’ll learn more about this in the next issue.

MAUI AND SONS Less than a mile from Arbor’s Venice shop, you’ll find Maui and Sons. Cheryl Johnson has been an incredible supporter of Longboarding for Peace and placed a banner in her shop. If your shop needs a banner, just let us know.

CINDY WHITEHEAD Cindy worked tirelessly with the folks at Dusters to create this unique “Girl is Not a 4 Letter Word” deck. Part of the proceeds will go to the Girls Riders Organization.

Notice the Longboarding for Peace logo on the tail. This photo was taken at the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.

Christian Hosoi was inducted. Photo: Ian Logan

CHAMPSTILES Woodburning artist extraordinaire Chris Burns presented us with this beautiful piece at the Roarockit event in March. We were so stoked on Chris’s artwork, we had to share it with readers. To see more, visit champstilestoronto.com.

KOTA NEW RECRUITS AT THE ARBOR STORE IN VENICE We delivered a fresh batch of stickers to the shop back in May and were pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful reception.

NATIONAL POST, TIMES OF ISRAEL We are starting to get mainstream attention for Longboarding for Peace. The Times of Israel documented Mikey Seibert’s incredible work in Houston, and Canada’s National Post explained the concept of using longboards as a way to teach balance to students.

KOTA Longboards, in partnership with Merrill Middle School in Denver, Colorado, will launch a Longboarding for Peace program this fall. Merrill is a Denver public school that serves students from more than 30 countries. The Longboarding for Peace message and program are a perfect fit for this diverse group of 6th,- 7th- and 8th-graders. KOTA Longboards will donate four decks to students who successfully complete the program. They hope to expand to program to other schools in 2014.

AMESBURY MIDDLE SCHOOL, TORONTO We teamed up with Evolve Skate Camp to bring Longboarding for Peace to Amesbury Middle School in Toronto (above). We’ll have a full report next issue. Huge thanks to all our volunteers who made the day truly magical.

Photo: Daniel Rinzler

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Longboarding for Peace:

WATTSÍCALIFORNIA Our core group of skaters loves every minute of the session!

Words and Photos: HEIDI LEMMON

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went to the Watts after-school skateboard program to help out just before Christmas. I came prepared to put on a small contest and give away a few prizes. Turns out the kids really could not skateboard. They didn’t know any tricks and were frustrated trying to learn them, so I suggested a “race.” They were very excited, so that’s what we did. Our first problem was they raced right into the fence — not a good way to stop. So I set up a cone and they were to “race” around it.

It was too much fun. They had not yet learned to turn but did they “get” the race part. Their enthusiasm was high, and they were so cute it was irresistible. I took some great pics of them racing their little hearts out and came home and thought, “Who could I show these to that would really ‘get’ what happened today?”

I decided to send the images to Concrete Wave. Michael Brooke and I share the same views on boarding and kids. I waited for his “Looks like a fun day; wish I was there” response.

Instead I got back:

I

Coach Jeffrey Harris with Carshawn Lewis, Lamar Blaylock and Cartrel Lewis.

MB: Want to set up a race program?

Me: Don’t have product or $$$ to fund it.

MB: What if I can get you product?

Me: Sure. Why not?

The next day Michael started to get commitments for donations, and by January we had enough product to start five school programs!

I have worked with Woodcraft Rangers, The Salvation Army (covers Watts and South Central youth) and my own coaches for years, so we just started with the people we knew best. We are in the following schools: • Le Conte Middle School • John Liechty Middle School • Manual Arts HS • Salvation Army (elementary school age) • SPAI team mobile program Liability coverage is still difficult to find, with only a few underwriters in the USA and none in Canada. There are still not that many programs like ours, so the insurers are not making any profit if there is a claim, and there have been several. Most claims are filed by spectators or workers, so if you have a program, please keep your spectators out of the skate area. Any workers who come in should be required to carry their own workers’ compensation insurance and name your park/program as an additional insured before they enter the area.

Hernando "Cortez" Jones gets into the action.

Vertron Russell coaches Samantha Rivera on her first time on a longboard.

Chryssie Banfell, coach and event coordinator for Woodcraft Rangers.

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Huge thanks to Arbor team manager Noah Lewkow for helping to set up 33 completes.

The biggest advantages of setting up a L4P program are: • You don’t need a skatepark, just flat ground and some cones.

• It’s easy to learn, so all the kids can participate and have fun, even kids who are out of shape.

• Its relatively safe — no big drops, no flying boards.

• It’s much easier to get the kids wearing helmets and pads — which are really a must if you go anywhere near a hill.

• The Salvation Army program covers the youth in South Central and Watts areas of Los Angeles and has been a solid skateboarding program for almost eight years. The students were curious about the giant boards and a bit nervous to ride them at first because they are fast! But the speed was tempered by the stability of the board and the soft wheels, and in no time they were flying all over the flatground area.

By day two, they were starting at the top of the quarterpipe so they could get their speed up to make it around the cones.

Some kids were right into the style, and some had fun just sitting on the decks luge-style.

At the end of three weeks we advanced three riders to the Army Race Team (ART), and they each got a crazy race helmet donated by Raskullz. They had to show style, speed and skill to make the team.

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Irene Chong, Principal of Le Conte Middle School

Chryssie playing a little air guitar.

LONGBOARDING IS FOR ANYONE These five programs are off to a good start and we see a lot of potential. The No. 1 problem facing our nation’s youth is obesity. This is the first generation who are not expected to outlive their parents. Most sports have placed such an emphasis on winning that by the time you’re 10, if you’re not in the top 5% you will be cut from the team. Youth sports are a nightmare focused on winning and marketing.

But longboarding is a lifestyle activity focused on style, fun and friendships. Of course we have amazing pros, but at this level we work to keep the focus on skills and character building. We include all the kids in the fun and advance the ones who show the desire. However, we never leave anyone out. Longboarding is for everyone, whether you are cruising down the boardwalk, riding to school or bombing a hill at 70 mph.

Do we love it? YES! Will we keep it going? YES! Do our street coaches love it? YES! Do the kids love it? YES! YES! YES! Huge thanks to all the sponsors: Khiro, Honey, Carver, Landyachtz, Never Summer, Paris, Churchill, Arbor and Loaded. CW

Principal Irene Chong and fellow teacher Greg Delger started working on a skatepark/skateboard program at Le Conte Middle School in Hollywood more than five years ago. They started with just a ramp but now have one of the first permanent skateparks at a school and possibly the first at a middle school. Getting the park was a long, hard journey that required passion and lots of political maneuvering. The biggest hurdle schools still face is liability, and Le Conte partnered with Woodcraft Rangers to lessen the liability. Woodcraft Rangers runs after-school programs on many L.A. Unified School District campuses and has skateparks on 14 of them, with Nike as a main sponsor.

L-R: Woodcraft Rangers coaches Pablo Ramos and Steve Corona, SPAI coach Vertron Russell and Loaded ambassadors Petter Hagman, Camilo Céspedes, Alexander Lundgren and Alexander Ellhage.

Coaching We chose several existing after-school skateboard programs to work with to set up longboard programs. The first step was to get the buy-in of the coaches, who were all pretty hardcore street skaters. We lucked out with Chryssie as she had some experience with downhill and sliding. For the rest, we relied on their superior skating skills and presto! Coaches with style!

Coaching requires patience, skating skills and people skills. If the kids don’t relate to you right away, chances are they won’t relate to what you are teaching.

When you hire your coaches, how they relate to the kids is the No. 1 criterion for a successful program. Pick the coaches who care about the kids and have a lot of patience, because it is an exhausting program.

Annika Vrklan came up to L.A. to do a mini ramp demo at the Salvation Army but decided to learn longboarding first.

If you need assistance in setting up a program or event, contact Heidi@spausa.org, and for insurance, contact Kat@athosinsurance.com.

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ARTIST PROFILE

ISHTAR

BÄCKLUND Hello, I am Ishtar Bäcklund.

I’ve been living on the road since 2010, traveling, skating and exploring this amazing planet we are fortunate enough to call home.

Being a part of a loving skate community that shares stoke and love like a family, I feel safe and eager to keep on exploring every little aspect that makes up life. Drawing is my way of meditation, and skating and surfing a way to exhale all my energy.

I’m so thankful for all the lessons I’ve learned so far. For all the love and opportunities that have come from daring to live my dream, and for all the inspiration from true people I have met and have yet to meet.

Learning to trust our gut feelings and staying true are probably the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Not to be afraid of doing what makes us happy will make our wildest dreams come true.

Stay true, connect and take care of nature — Spread the Stoke!

Much Love, Ishtar

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Ishtar (front) at the 2012 Maryhill “She-Ride.”

Photo: Jon Huey

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Cody on February 8, 2012 wrote this review: STOKED!!!

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