Concrete Wave skateboard

100% SKATEBOARDING The best way to predict the future is to invent it. —Alan Kay concretewavemagazine.com VOL. 7 No 1• SUMMER 2008

PUERTO RICO A Skate History VANCOUVER’S Women Longboarders

Vol.7 No.1

Summer 2008

RICK BLACKHART A Legend In His Own Time Canada Post Publication Agreement number 40671108

$4.95

CONTENTS EDITORIAL ................................................20 NOTEWORTHY ............................................26 LETTERS ....................................................36 THE 'FISH REPORT......................................38 ATTACK OF DANGER BAY............................42 SKATING IS CREATING .............................. 44 PRODUCT PROFILES ..................................47 IGSA REPORT..............................................48 RICK BLACKHART ......................................50 DITCH SLAP ................................................56 FREESTYLE COLLECTION............................58 PORTFOLIO..................................................60 QUIVERS: T-MAG........................................ 69 PUERTO RICO..............................................70 SURROUNDED BY STOKE............................72 BACK TO THE FUTURE ................................76 LONGBOARDING IN NEW ZEALAND ............78 THE JOYS OF WOOD....................................81 FEEDING THE ADDICTION TO SPEED ..........84 THE ROOTS OF DOWNHILL..........................85 CATCHING UP WITH GERSHON MOSLEY ....88 SPONSOR ME..............................................90 NEXT WAVE ................................................92 ART DEPARTMENT......................................94

Keoni Castaneda Photo: Kris Wedman

12 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

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Vol. 7 No. 1 SUMMER 2008

PUBLISHER/EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR ART DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS DOWNHILL EDITOR

Michael Brooke • mbrooke@interlog.com Blair Watson Mark Tzerelshtein • MarkintoshDesign.com Mike Moore | Buddy Carr Jon Caften

DOWNHILL PHOTO EDITOR Jon Huey QUIVERS EDITOR CORRESPONDENTS NORTHERN EUROPE LATIN AMERICA, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL AUSTRALIA

Dave Hackett Jim Kuiack | Mark Kessenich | Kilwag Markus Suchanek Diana Gracida | Pablo Castro David Pang | William Fonseca | Nick Sable

WEBMASTER

Owen Gottschalk

COPY EDITOR

Jonathan Harms

HEAD OFFICE

1054 Center Street Suite 293 Thornhill, Ontario L4J 8E5 Canada ph: 905.738.0804

SKATESHOP DISTRIBUTION

FLORIDA DISTRIBUTION

Indaba Group PO Box 1895, Carlsbad, CA 92018 tailtapinfo@yahoo.com Robert Stack 786.229.7336

CONTRIBUTORS (In order of appearance): Michael Bream, Kris Wedman, Joel

Lipovetsky, Michael Early, Jason Bishop, Keith Butterfield, Mark Kessenich, Holly Allen, Jon GlassMalakai Kingston, Chris Olden, Joe Lehm, Witter Cheng, Silvère Teutsch, Ron Allen, Hector R. Valle, Carly “Midget” Richardson, Max Erwin, Paul McDermott, Nate Lang, Adam Colton, Mike Mapp, Yorck Dertinger, David Dallon, Steve Steadham, Neftalie Williams, Mike Gonzalez, Phenom Skateboards, Lloyd Christopher, Walt Ostarly, Dirk Minderhount, Jay Smiledge, Al Garcia, Ray Yzguerra, Chad Thomas, Steve Whittier, Dennis Pflanz, Patrick Monoham, David Hale

concretewavemagazine.com Concrete Wave is published by North of La Jolla Inc.

Subscriptions (5 issues) are US$26 FIRST CLASS or CAN$26 (US$38 outside North America). Address change? Mag not arriving? Email us... don’t go postal. We can sort it out. mbrooke@interlog.com. We will notify you when your subscription expires. Publisher’s permission is required before reproducing any part of this magazine. The views and opinions expressed in Concrete Wave are not necessarily those of the publisher. We happily accept articles and photos. Please contact the publisher directly at mbrooke@interlog.com before you submit anything. We are looking for a variety of stories and images as long as they are skate related.

COVER: Brad Edwards at the new Pala Skatepark. Photo: Michael Bream.

OPENING SPREAD: Frank Atwater. Photo: Scott Starr.

Distributed by ph: 416.754.3900 f: 416.754.4900 Printed in Canada ISSN 1708-3338 Canada Post Publication. Agreement number 40671108

WELCOME TO THE FINE PRINT: In May of this year, a Newsweek cover story by Fareed Zakaria discussed “The Post American World.” Zakara believes that the world has shifted from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism and uses a number of statistics and stories to showcase the monumental changes that are coming. There are a number of points that are raised in the story, but ultimately its tone is very positive. One paragraph that I felt was worth noting was the following: “The post-American world is naturally an unsettling prospect for Americans, but it should not be. This will not be a world defined by the decline of America but rather the rise of everyone else. It is the result of a series of positive trends that have been progressing over the last 20 years, trends that have created an international climate of unprecedented peace and prosperity.”

“What,” you must be thinking, “does this have to do with skateboarding?” Plenty – naturally. After all, if you read CW, you know that skateboarding reflects parts of real life, only we tend to be a few years ahead of the rest of the planet! It’s obvious

16 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

that the traditional ways of doing things are colliding with new methods and technologies. The increasing diversity found within skateboarding is a positive thing. As Zakaria states: “The underlying reality across the globe is of enormous vitality.” Take one quick glance through the CW Buyer’s Guide and you can see the broad range of products available. The “skateboard gumbo,” as I call it, is what will keep skateboarding vibrant and moving forward. It always has, and it always will. When skateboarding becomes too focused and myopic, it slowly adjusts. This change can be quite painful for some, but it is unstoppable.

Another part of the Newsweek piece that really resonated with me was the discussion of who sets the agenda. Obviously, those who control the media can sway public opinion. But as we know, things are changing. Zakaria writes: “Where once there were only the narratives laid out by The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, the BBC, and CNN, there are now dozens of indigenous networks and channels—from Al Jazeera to New Delhi’s NDTV to Latin America’s Telesur. The result is that the ‘rest‘ are now dissecting the assumptions and narratives of the West and providing alternative views.”

In much the same way, the other skate magazines are really only one part of the equa-

tion – not the entire narrative. Despite their best efforts to keep things on a narrow focus, the tribe has spoken – and continues to vote with their wallets. Make no mistake, we still have a long way to go, but I get the feeling the tides are turning.

The conclusion of the article mentions the fact that “the USA remains the most open, flexible society in the world, able to absorb other people, cultures, ideas, goods and services.” The one thing that strikes me about skateboarding circa 2008 is that we are mirroring these ideals, and it’s making skateboarding stronger and better. But if you’ve read this far, you already knew that.

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 17

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EDITORIAL

David Price and Will Brunson, Sandia, New Mexico Photo: Joe Lipovetsky

ONE ROAD, MANY STORIES,

100% SKATEBOARDING here’s a lot of talk these days about “divisions” within skateboarding. There are some who believe that if you’re not sliding down a rail or grinding coping, then you’re not really a part of skateboarding. In my opinion, exclusion and intolerance are absolutely everything that skateboarding should NOT be. At Concrete Wave, we’ve chosen a path to tell a variety of different skate stories.

While I am quite aware that not every vert skater wants to see photos of freestyle or slalom, and not every speedboarder is interested in street skating, the fact is ALL these types of skateboarding exist and are thriving

T

20 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

right now (in their own way). You’ll also note that there are dozens of very cool skate companies creating a multitude of excellent products. We truly enjoy showcasing these companies and telling you their stories. We are also committed to covering all types of skate events and contests — no matter what the size. The intensity, passion and just overwhelming skate stoke that I find at these events is practically indescribable.

Where does that leave the rest of the skate media? From a monetary standpoint, they are fat with ads. They are doing what they do best — speaking to their audience in the best

way they know possible. But as I’ve argued over the last decade, it wouldn’t kill them to occasionally explore some of the additional skate stories that are out there. Yes, you read that correctly. I am challenging all other skate mags to get on the road, explore some other stories and give their readers the complete picture as to what is really happening out there. They might find the experience truly eye-opening.

Enjoy this issue, Michael Brooke, Publisher/Editor

SKATEBOARD SHOPS LIST ARIZONA Soul Sticks Boardshop 23 South Beaver Flagstaff 928.853.3033 Sidewalk Surfer 2602 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale 480.994.1017 admin@sidewalksurfer.com • www.sidewalksurfer.com CALIFORNIA 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 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 Skate Supply 1135 Garnet Avenue #13 San Diego 866.310.2654 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 Random X Boardshop 13222 Springdale St.,Westminster 714-898-7070 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 COLORADO All Board Sports 1750 30th Street Boulder 303.415.1600 CONNECTICUT Skate Valencia 4 Castle Court Stamford GEORGIA Feral 190 Park Avenue, Athens 706.369.1084 Skate Madness 1344 Stonefield court, Alpharetta 770.777.0336 skatemadness.com Woody’s Halfpipe 6135 Peachtree Parkway Suite # 603 Norcross MASSACHUSETTS

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Want to know where to find Concrete Wave Magazine? 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 pay pal 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.

Boardroom 6 Armory Street Northhampton 413.586.8857 MICHIGAN Ollies Skate Shop 120 ½ E Maumee Adrian 517.265.2031 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 NEBRASKA Vinny’s Skatepark 1112 Applewood Dr. Papillion 402339-3399 NEW MEXICO 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 OHIO Old Skool Skateboards 19E College Avenue, Westerville roxtar55@hotmail.com OREGON The Longboard Store 1238 SW Wheeler Place Bend 541.480.4254 thelongboardstore.com Cascadia Longboards 3366 West 17th Street Eugene 541.729.7392 Daddies Board Shop 7126 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland 503.281.5123 daddiesboardshop.com Rebel Skates 1025 SE Sandy Blvd. Portland 503.232.0434 Oregon Skate 38962 Proctor Boulevard Sandy 503.826.8427 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 UTAH Salty Peaks Snowboard Shop 3055 East 3300 South Salt Lake City 801.467.8000 Milo Sports 359 E.1300 S. University Parkway Orem 801.426.4300 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 ALBERTA Avenue Skateparks 9030.118 Avenue NW Edmonton 780.477.2149 Easy Rider 4211.106 St., #153 Edmonton 780.413.4554 Pipeline Surf Co 10336 111 Street NW Edmonton 780.421.1575 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 Saltspring Island, BC 250.537.4984 saltonskate@canada.com Switchback Longboards 4385B Boban Dr. Nanaimo 250.751. 7625 ONTARIO Orbit 406 Cumberland St., Cornwall, 613.932.9754 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 New Zealand — Serenity Island Surf & Skate Café 202a Wainui road Gisborne

serenityisland@windowslive.com serenityisland.com Boardshop Australia boardshop.com.au 04 15883371 friendlyfolks@skateparkguide.com UK – Octanesport.com Skateboardsofchoice.co.uk Bath, United Kingdom. Tel: + 44 1249 715811 Germany – seasondistribution.com, concretewave.de Hackbrett Longskates Im Wechselfeld 12 St. Peter Hack@customlongskates.com Longboarders.de Gustavstrasse 49 90762 Furth longboarders.de kontact@longboarders.de Tel: 0911 9772500 France : Hawaiisurf.com Y & T Fussa Fussa.City,Tokyo 2348 Fussa Fussa.City,Tokyo 1970011 Netherlands — Sickboards Fuutlan 45 Delft sickboards@yahoo.com Sweden 2FUN Ärtvägen 14 Fjaras 43033 2fun.se ON.LINE RETAILERS Allboardsports.com Bordz.net CascadiaLongboards.com Coldwarskateboards.com Daddiesboardshop.com Denverskateshop.com Edsbearings.com (pleasure tools) Fuegolongboards.com Genesisskateboarding.com Latterdayskates.com Longboardshop.de Longboardstore.com Milehighskates.com Oldschoolskates.net Pressuredroplongboards.com Roadkillskates.com Sk8supply.com Socalskateshop.com Solidskate.com VSLboardshop.com

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NOTEWORTHY PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

NEVER SUMMER Never Summer continues to expand its line with the addition of its downhill-specific deck, the D.H. Smoke.

This downhill demon is built for velvet-smooth handling at breakneck speeds. Combining carbon fiber, biaxial glass and a hardwood spine with

a vertically laminated core, this deck is without a doubt next level. It comes equipped with custom NS Inferno 77mm 77A wheels, custom high-end Randal trucks with a 180mm hanger on a 42-degree baseplate, black barrel bushings, and for bearings, Ballistech RocknRon‘s STAGE 2 Rockets. Specs are 9.8” 39.5” with a wheelbase of 33”. neversummer.com HARDCORE

Since the beginning, punk rock and skateboarding have gone hand in hand by questioning authority and the do it yourself attitude. Rock On Distribution’s new line of Hardcore Punk Rock Decks offers some of those skate edge bands that have helped shape the attitude and kept the skate punks rolling and screaming for change. Rock On Distribution, (714) 319-6900.

LONGBOARD LARRY

Do you like the Humu but wish it was longer and wider? Here you go! The Retro Fish is rockered and convexed. It’s a super fun shape and a quick-carving board that’s a blast to shred a hill on or cruise around campus. longboardlarry.net BUSTIN Bustin Boards is proud to announce the launch of their first wheel – the BOCA Speed Wheel.

Available in a 66mm size, the BOCA features superfast 81A urethane, an inset hub and a 6mm outer edge rim. “We’ve been looking to develop our own

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wheel for quite some time,” says owner Ryan Daughtridge. “The wait paid off; we’ve been very happy with the new wheel.” The BOCA is now available exclusively through the Bustin Boards website, bustinboards.com.

FULL CIRCLE Taking us back to the early days of Madrid, the Stubbie Mini Cruisers sport a splatter graphic straight from the 1980s. The complete has laser-cut Fly Paper grip tape, Invader 800 trucks, wedge risers, steel bearings, hardware and Smooth Ride wheels alternating in color for that extra throwback touch. The decks are 8 1/2” wide x 23 3/4” long with a 3-degree nose-to-tail concave. They’ve got a 13” wheelbase and wheel wells to prevent that nasty bite. fullcircledist.com SKUBS New for 2008, USL Skate has taken over the design and manufacturing of the SKUBS spinner skate wheels and has introduced their latest wheel.

The new USL cruiser wheels are 70mm 80A urethane manufactured from USL’s own molds.

Although they still manufacture the original spinner cruiser wheels that started their company, the latest style wheels are lighter, have more urethane surface off of the rim for longer wear and a better ride. The spinners are still made with quality aluminum and have the same traditional polished finish. The best thing is that a set of four will only set you back $65.00. uslskate.com PROTEST Protest is a Canadian company straight out of Surrey, BC created by Hippie Mike, out to change the face of skateboarding.

A team of skateboarders who have no restrictions, and skate everything in sight – from dirt to grass to rocks and beyond.

With thicker, stronger boards and opinionated T-shirts, and videos that set new standards. The revolution is here. Fight the system...not each other. Available at calstreets.com.

GFH GFH's Full Nelson is a straight flashback to a board that just rips. At 36"this board is extremely versatile. It is perfect for pools, tearing up the streets or can even be used to take out neighborhood thugs that try to rob you of your brew. Also new are the GFH Fatties. The wheels are 66mm 83A, and GFH calls them "asphalt killers." gfhboards.com

MADRID Lonny Hiramoto rips, and it’s about time he got this long-awaited pro model from Madrid Skateboards. It is made in the USA from 7-ply maple and showcases Richard Sanchez artwork depicting Lonny’s life story. It measures 8” x 32.5” with a 15” wheelbase, 6.5” nose and a 6 5/8” tail. madridskateboards.com INSECT

Insect has entered the brave new world of nanotechnology with the world’s first skateboard deck constructed entirely of carbon fiber prepreg enhanced with carbon nanotubes. Though still in the prototyping phase, the results so far have been spectacular: thin, incredibly strong and practically indestructible. Construction and processing of this material is complex, but the first Insect Nanotech decks will be available this summer. Insect has also officially released the “Firefly v2” speedboard and the much-requested “Mosquito 38”, both available now at insectskateboards.com.

EARTHWING Skating off the heels of the successful Drifter slide models, Earthwing has developed two new slide decks to soup up your rig.

Jessica Corchia’s composite signature model, (9.25“ x 35“) has a very street-inspired concave with a steeper nose, wheel wells and added rigidity with a 6-ply maple core.

The Bigfoot (10“x36“) has wheel wells for 215s so you can keep it wide and low. It was designed for big feet, but even with little feet, this deck has amazing stability without sacrificing a nimble ride.

They also kill it in park and pool. Call (347) 6233421 or visit earthwingskateboards.com.

MOOD WHEELS MOOD Wheels by OUST Inc. were developed for slalom and longboarding.

The need for a wheel with ultra grip without the loss of speed or stability is what their focus was on and why the new wheel was developed. The design of the wheel and specific chemistry used combines excellent low-temperature properties, super-high abrasion resistance, outstanding hydrolytic stability and the highest resilience of any wheel manufactured in the skate industry today. The OUST Solution to the physics of skateboard products. idsco@pacbell.net

NOTEWORTHY PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

SWOLLEN Swollen Skateboards, the company bringing skateboarding back to hardcore, announces an epic deck release with its upcoming Rob Rotten (of Punx Productions) skateboard deck.

Swollen claims this to be the exciting start of their “Adult Pro“ line of decks. Swollen wanted an adult performer who exemplified their “punky“ brand best; Rob Rotten is just that. From hardcore graphics to a full line of girls‘ skate apparel and on to their Swollen Girls. swollenskateboards.com kcVansART Straight out of the City of Trees (Boise, ID) c o m e s kcVansARTboards.

The hand-painted, high gloss-coated, easy-clean longboards exemplify color, life and my art – all of which can be personalized to your ideas! “Wall it” like any other art/pics you hang when you’re not riding — DOUBLE WHAMMY, RIGHT?! Complete in packages or by the deck: myspace.com/kcVansARTboards LOADED Loaded Skateboards is a small skate company based in Wake Forest, N.C. Just like many of you, we are tired of all the egos and corporate arrogance that has infected the industry. We just want to skate. Loaded is just our way of trying to make a difference. If you like skateboards, beer drinking, motorcycles, tattoos and fast music visit and join the Loaded Skate Army.

BLACK OPS Seismic Skate Systems is pleased to introduce wheels poured with a revolutionary new urethane compound, code named “Black Ops.” Seismic 69mm Hot Spots and 77mm Speed Vents are now available in Black Ops urethane, in a new high-contrast color scheme emphasizing orange, blue and purple. The 78mm Blast Waves and 85mm Speed Vents will be available in the new formula later this season. Call (720) 937-8948 or visit seismicskate.com.

MYRTLE Myrtle Stuff by Russ Pope has cool, art-covered products for everyone.

Wackyshaped, paint-covered skateboards, incredible sneaker freak footwear pieces and tons of accessories and printables, such as bags, belts, wallets, Ts and hoodies decorated with Russ Pope’s

doodles, in a fun, unique color palette of canteen green, gravel gray, yeti and pepto pink. myrtlestuff.com BODY JAR Body Jar skateboards is a new company out of the Midwest USA. Starting at the most grassroots level possible, I’ve been selling decks out of my car.

Body Jar skateboards is purely 110% devoted to providing high-quality skate decks with an original flavor to hardcore skaters everywhere. Our mindset is that we will skate until we are dead or in wheelchairs, whichever comes first. All inquiries contact Mark Anderson at bodyjarskateboards@yahoo.com.

CADILLAC WHEELS The first urethane skateboard production wheel was the Cadillac back in 1973. Now Madrid proudly offers an updated version of the same wheel that will accept modern-day precision bearings. By popular demand it has been expanded into a line that now includes three sizes, with 70mm as the latest addition. The 70 Caddys have an 80A durometer and a hard core for stability and precision bearing placement. madridskateboards.com.

BOARDPUSHER CONTEST Design a winning skateboard and you could be featured in the pages in Concrete Wave! For the first time ever, the BoardPusher Deck Design contest will be sponsored by Concrete Wave magazine. The contest runs from May 15, 2008 to August 15, 2008 at BoardPusher.com. Winning decks will be chosen based on creativity, message, style and relevance.

There are no guidelines for the designs. Design the deck you want to skate! See past winners and more information on the contest here.

STOKED SKATEBOARDS Stoked Skateboards crew

Unique to any other skate team out there, the Skate Stoked Team accepts any type and any skill level of rider with its one of a kind, three tier system. Riders on the team receive first pickings on limited items, free stuff, and of course, killer discounts on all merchandise from Stoked Skateboards. Interested in applying? Download an application from stokedskateboards.com or email team@stokedskateboards.com

THE HILLS ARE CALLING This a limited-edition DVD featuring footage from the 2007 racing/longboarding scene in and around British Columbia. Filmed and edited by Guff and Ryan Theobald, there is nearly 40 minutes of unseen footage with four short bonus vids. Guff has created a name for himself as being the man behind the Coast Longboarding and Landyachtz videos over the past four years. Now working under Most Premium Productions, there will be much more to come. dullmoment.org/mostpremium GROUND INDUSTRIES

Ground Industries introduces its all-new 2008 street line. Ground has always been focused on freestyle street riding and has been passionate about fueling the industry with new relevant approaches to help advance the sport. All street boards come equipped with Talon Bindings, Bazooka 120 Urethane street wheels and Bionic Trucks. The boards can be ridden with or without bindings, although bindings give the rider unsurpassed control and freestyle versatility. groundindustries.com SATORI

The new Satori Eco wheels feature a composition of urethane using more than 50% bio oils such as corn or soy oil. The company believes that this move will lessen the demand on foreign oil for skateboard products. The 101A urethane ride just the same as the other performance urethanes that Satori offers. satoriwheels.org HOUSE OF KASAI House of Kasai skateboards was started in the mid1980s by professional skateboarder Lester Kasai. Though it closed its doors in the early 1990s, the House has now been resurrected. The stunning Japanese-influenced artwork has been crafted by prominent artists such as tattooist Corey Miller (of LA Ink), San Francisco tattooist George Campise and musician-artist Rick Froberg.

Signature US-made decks available from team riders Lester Kasai, Adrian Demain and Nolan Johnson. houseofkasai.com

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NOTEWORTHY

NOTEWORTHY

PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

BONES GRIND FOR LIFE WHEEL The mission of the Grind For Life organization is to provide financial assistance to cancer patients and their families when traveling long distances to doctors and hospitals. For every set sold, Bones Wheels will donate $1.00 to help the Grind for Life organization reach its goal of having a couple of apartments near Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in Manhattan.

This will allow people who are receiving treatment at the hospital to have their family near them. Kudos to both Bones Wheels and Mike Rogers, founder of Grind for Life. grindforlife.org and bones.com BOARD RESCUE Board Rescue’s mission is to provide free skateboards and safety equipment to children, targeting low-income and at-risk youth. Board Rescue was founded on the belief that skateboarding can teach many lifelong lessons. Like any sport, skateboarding is best experienced with quality equipment. The organization will reach out to industry manufacturers to collect high-quality equipment for distribution to youth charity organizations that work with underprivileged and or at-risk youth. Board Rescue has received initial donations from many corporations including Santa Cruz Skateboards, Creature, MOB, Bullet and Independent. boardrescue.org

Congratulations to David Verduin, our buyer's guide winner. David won a Zune and a Honey longboard.

HERE COMES THE RAYNE An Interview With Chief Rayne Man – Graham Buksa What were some of your reasons for starting Rayne?

The truth? I don’t have a lot of personality, so in college I used to hang out in the industrial design faculty computer lounge because the girls were cute and stylish. I always thought art girls were a little crazy, but wholesome at their core. At that age I had to have a shtick, so I pretended to be making a skateboard company, and that’s how this bastard child named Rayne began. Pretty soon I was actually making boards, drawing up plans and became a little more ambitious. I wanted my own workshop. If you’re not dreamy to look at, you may as well be a dreamer.

Once I finished school, I kept the dream alive. College girls in Edmonton always want to move to the

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Graham Buksa

west coast, so that’s where I said I was going, and that’s where I went. Rayne is still here because I didn’t want to work for the man, fluorescent lights bother me, and if you’ve got an engineering degree the bank will lend you a lot of money, and no one told me I couldn’t.

How do you think Rayne is perceived in the longboard/speedboarding community?

You know, I’m not sure. I don’t care. I didn’t start a company so I could pander to the minions. I try not to look at the hay bales because if you do you’ll crash. Analyzing criticism is only a vessel for selfdoubt, and I want to stay cocky and agile. I want Rayne to have a personality. That includes making mistakes sometimes and learning from them. If I could tell everyone one thing it would be that we’re the hardest-working skateboard company on the planet. We sweat blood, lose sleep and crash hard to make better boards for kids who want to ride hard and push their own limits. We’re never going to claim to be anything (other than hardworking, trustworthy and the best). Talk is cheap, and apparently so are we, since we don’t pay for advertising. We don’t have a “corporate image” we’re trying to sell to people. We want to sell good boards to good people, bad people, jerks, nerds, fat girls, lawyers, motorcycle racers, gearheads and friends so we can get by. We’re never going to put a surf graphic on a board because we think longboarding is its own sport and culture. Our next project is actually making surfboards that ride like skateboards, and we’re going to have a graphic series featuring Jakes Rash, GMR and Maryhill!

You’ve had a number of cool mentions in larger magazines (e.g., Maxim). How did this come about, and what was the response?

To be honest (remember: trust Rayne!), it was quite an honor to talk to the Maxim editor. I asked why I got the call, and he said that while other companies advertise in their magazine and are featured because they “buy in” once in a while, we got the call because we’re the only company that doesn’t have a pintail, make their boards in China or look like every other company on the market. The response was great. In their little write-up they wrote the wrong price, and I think that our overly bloated pricing had the effect of making our boards seem “elusive” and “Ferrariesque.“ In October we were mentioned alongside K-Rimes in a Czech Playboy, too. I can’t read the article, but I’m guessing it was well read!

What are you most proud of in building this company?

Simply that I’ve been lucky enough to be able to keep building, growing, and I haven’t been to a professional job yet.

You recently moved – why? Are you expanding?

Oh, yeah. It was a crash move actually. We left the old studio in two days, and we were set up in the new shop two days later! I knew it was time to move when my bed was covered in fiberglass dust. I was tired of it, and whenever I managed to get girls home they never came back! I decided to give Rayne one more chance, and with the old college spirit we moved into our new shop. It’s located at the bottom of the North Shore mountains in the heart of longboarding heaven!

This spring we’re also opening Vancouver’s only downhill skate shop because there isn’t one in town.

You have a $300 deck for sale – what’s the feedback been like?

We made the fastest skateboard on the planet – ever.

We also made it affordable, so feedback has been off the chain. Last year’s carbon Hellcats were a big step for us. It showed us that our audience was looking for technically advanced boards, and now we’re not content to stop the progression. This year we’re releasing the Dee-Lite series for each of our downhill boards (yes, the Demonseed Dee-Lite is coming soon), which makes each of the boards even lighter and stronger. I’ve even started working on our 2009 super-lineup, which will blow minds!

Any final comments?

This is more of a call-out to Ian Comishin: When are we having our Avenger/Revenger showdown? I want to thank Bricin Lyons and coastlongboarding.com for setting the bar high and putting riders above business. BOMBIN‘ YER LOCAL HILLS... OUTRUNNIN‘ YER LOCAL COPS. It’s a motto to live by.

THE COLLECTION AGENCY

By Michael Early Editor’s Note: This is a new column here in CW that we are proud to present to you. It will feature stories about collectible skateboards. We hope you enjoy.

G&S/VISION – MARK “GATOR” ROGOWSKI Photo: Nilo

After the sad events surrounding the life of Gator, his family moved to avoid the constant scrutiny of the public and press. At the time of the move, some of his personal items were given away. The boards here are part of that story. One of the part-time movers was given these as a “tip.” Not being of the skate community, he didn’t realize their significance. Later, after stuffing them away, he thought they could bring some rent money. The mover barged into a local San Diego skate shop and pronounced he had some “G and S GATORS” The current owner skeptically followed him into the ‘hood to discover it was Gator‘s personal col-

PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

lection. Money was exchanged, and the new owner split with the treasure. Here it is. Four decks in sequence of production. The first is a G&S, and the others were produced by Vision. All were probably produced on the same mold, but for different brands.

Current approximate value: $1,000 to $1,500 each.

Z-FLEX

Jay Adams design circa 1975/1976, set up with original Tracker Midtracks and Park Rider 5s. This is a classic collection piece. The fiberglass/resin construction was ahead of its time. Surf influences resonate out of every molecule of this deck. Jay rode these decks into skate history and infamy. This was originally my younger brother‘s board (RIP), so for me its value can’t really be calculated, but they sell for $800 to $1,500. A definite must for any collection!

ABOUT.COM You’ve probably heard of the website about.com. It’s a website that contains literally thousands of tidbits of information on numerous topics. As you can imagine, there’s a section on skateboarding.

Four years ago, I had Steve Case the pleasure to meet up with guide Steve Case at ASR. Over time, I’ve seen the site grow immensely. I decided he was long overdue for an interview.

What led you to become a guide over at about.com?

Well, mostly I was just in the right place at the right time! About five years ago, I went over to my friend’s house to hang out one day. He told me to hold on a minute while he finished working – he was the video games guide for about.com. After watching what he did, I sort of interrogated him on the job and then asked him what other sites were open. Skateboarding was, so I applied for it as soon as I could!

For the first few years it was only a hobby, but two or three years ago, it just exploded, and now it’s my main job. I love it!

How many folks does your skateboarding site at about.com attract on a daily basis?

Right around 50,000 last time I checked.

What kind of stories do you like to feature?

My favorites are the “How To” stories. The tricky part is getting people to help with the stuff I can’t actually do myself! With longboarding, it’s cake – longboarders are easily the coolest and the most friendly people in the skateboard industry, in my opinion. Or maybe I’ve just met the nice ones! I also like to publish reviews, interviews and interesting personal pieces on people who have a story to tell.

Is this a full-time gig for you?

If not, what else do you do?

It’s hard to explain; it’s full time, in that it takes up most of my brain and I never really feel like it’s done, but it’s NOT full time at all, though it pays well enough to be. So I end up doing other things, too!

I’ve been a substitute high school teacher for like six years, and I volunteer a lot with church youth groups.

What are some of the more fun aspects of doing this job?

One would be the excuse to meet people – for example, when I got to meet Rodney Mullen. Seeing his videos is what got me into skateboarding, so I was excited! Plus, he’s ridiculously easy to talk to! I also really enjoy getting to review skateboarding gear that I could never afford to buy; that is a definite perk! And the feeling that I’m actually helping someone out there in some way. Sometimes I get emails from readers who just want to say thanks; that feels pretty amazing.

What causes you some frustration?

Getting hate mail hits me hard. I don’t actually get very much, but when they happen, it’s harsh. The Internet is a strange place; a lot of people feel that since they are anonymous, they can say whatever they want. It’s a weird place to work.

What is your take on the overall skate industry?

Yeah…well…that’s a big question. You look at it from one side, and it’s wonderful. There are all of these companies coming out with higher-tech boards, wheels and trucks all the time. Pros are getting more recognition, and with new events like the Dew Tour and piles of amateur competitions popping up, plus more video games and whatever else you can name, skateboarding is exploding in popularity. I get e-mails from skaters all over the planet, and it seems like skateboarding is expanding very healthily. But, if you look at it from the other side, there are a lot of sad problems within the skate industry. Probably because of the promise of money, there are a lot of people who have their hands deep in skateboarding who have no love for it. It scares me.

However, I have a lot of hope in the average skater. Skateboarding takes so little to do; really, all you need is a board. New little skate companies are popping up all the time! And most of these little companies are made by skaters and for skaters, and they push the definition of skateboards and skateboarding in great, wonderful and sometimes bizarre directions.

And there are some large skate companies who really want what’s best for skateboarding, too. I have a lot of hope!

What does the future hold for you?

I have no idea. About.com is coming out with a redesign of how our pages look, thank God, and we were bought by the New York Times a few years back, so I have a lot of hope that I’ll be able to keep doing this for a long time. I would like to do some other writing, but I’m lazy. Besides all that, I have hopes to get into teaching high school a little more this fall. But whatever happens, I plan to keep writing for about.com until they fire me, and as long as skateboarding doesn’t get murdered from within, I hope I’ll be around for a few years yet to come!

SKATING IN BAHRAIN

Zeid Bataineh

Bahrain is almost 99% FLAT with one hill. Good thing our one subscriber in Bahrain, Zeid Bataineh, has found that hill!

FREE HELMET CAMPAIGN The Ian Tilmann Foundation was formed in 2006 in memory of Ian Tilmann, who died from traumatic brain injury suffered from a skateboarding accident. The Foundation’s mission is prevention of traumatic brain injury with focus on skateboarding. Our approach is simple and direct: If a skater will promise to wear a helmet, we give them one – FREE. Since 2006 the foundation has given out more than 1,200 helmets. Call (813) 215-9950 or visit theiantilmannfoundation.org.

GRIFFIN SKATEBOARDS AN INTERVIEW WITH THANE MAGEE Why did you start Griffin?

Griffin Skateboards was born out of a passion for skating. I have skated all my life and built up a goodsized collection of boards over the years. Since I work best with my hands, it was a natural to for me combine this skill with my love of skateboarding and start building my own skateboards. A light bulb went on when I was working on a board and I stopped to give my dog Zaya a bone-shaped cookie. I held the bone shape over the board and I realized that a boneshaped part inside the board would connect the trucks. This idea inspired me to create the Axcelspring™ suspension system. Once I fine-tuned the mechanics and built my ultimate board, I wanted to share the technology with everyone, fellow skaters young and old, novice to pro, so I started Griffin Skateboards. Each Griffin skateboard is built by hand with an old-school look and the modern Axcelspring system built inside.

In the simplest words possible, can you explain what makes your boards unique?

What makes my boards unique is the composition. I cut out and fill a piece of wood with a unique combination of fiber, carbon, metal and bamboo to create the skateboard. The Axcelspring is an all-in-one suspension system built into the deck. It works like a car’s suspension system. The “I-beam“ is a shock absorber and has memory. The metal has even more memory and acts as the leaf spring. The whole piece is connected from truck to truck. All this together

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vious it explains why I can ollie over a milk crate with a Fibreflex deck. Having been involved in the skateboarding industry all my life, I saw the opportunity to make a difference and leave a legacy.

gives you the torsion suspension system that results in a smoother, safer ride.

What has been the reaction to people trying your boards?

The first reaction is that it is a beautiful board. Then, I tell them about the Axcelspring inside and how it provides a torsion suspension system. Then they usually want proof. To prove that the board has metal in it, I drop a magnet on the board. Then I let them ride the board to feel how smooth and fast it is. The reactions have been really fun to watch. People really get excited about the performance. It’s great to see someone enjoy something you have worked on so hard.

You seem to have been put through the wringer on the Silverfish forums. Why? What’s your reaction?

I’m OK with all the comments. It proves to me I have something here. People are interested whether they believe me or not. I am new to the site, and it’s OK if they don’t trust me yet. It will take time. I will build my clients one person, one board at a time until people catch on to what Griffin Skateboards and the Axcelspring are all about.

What are some of your goals with Griffin?

I want to build the best skateboard possible and keep pushing the envelope of skateboard technology. I want to keep Griffin Skateboards a local company rooted in the rich Southern California skate tradition.

I want to bring the old-school heartbeat of skateboarding and surfing back to San Diego.

What are you most proud of?

The first prototype that stayed together that gave me inspiration to build more boards. More recently, I was very proud when I read the first draft of my patent and got a thumbs-up on my idea from my uncles Chuck Hasley, founder of Windansea Surf Club, and Del Cannon, a “Riding Giants“ legend. Also, seeing my first ad in Concrete Wave was a very special moment for me.

Dominik Kowalski blasts through the cones on his way to victory at the Trocodaro Grand Prix. Photo: Jason Bishop

Slalom Results PRO: 1. Dominik Kowalski, GER 2. Janis Kuzmins, LAT 3. Ramón Königshausen, SUI AM: 1. Robert Thiele, GER 2. Gustavs Gailitis, LAT 3. Antonio Saluena, SWE WOMEN: 1. Nastasja Wolfensberger, SUI 2. Sandrine Ferreira, FRA 3. Erica Schoirfer, FRA

P-TIP INTERVIEW WITH BECKET COLÓN – THE INVENTOR OF THE P-TIP What is it you wanted to change about the skateboard?

I thought of the Performance Tip Any final comments?

– I call it the PI am just an average Joe who is following a dream.

Tip – as a result Growing up in Bird Rock, La Jolla in the ‘70s was of my son, who a great place for me to learn. I spent countless was frustrated hours riding many miles on the bumpy concrete with his lack of Becket Colón with his son Joseph wave. To the original Cosmic Riders of La Jolla, skating consisthank you for paving the way; that was how I got tency and progression. I made the observation that started. I don’t want to take over the skateboard inhe had more fun skating, learned new tricks faster dustry, I just want to carve out another road to ride and made real progress when his board was new, down. And thank you to all of my friends and family only to fall into a rut once his deck was a week old. I who have supported me. It’s been a long road with discovered that by repairing the worn tips of a deck, a lot of bumps along the way. Thanks for sticking I was able to reinstate the deck’s original performby me and believing in me, Axcelspring and Griffin ance. I discovered that the myth of pop being solely Skateboards. a factor of deck stiffness was not all entirely the truth.

Decks actually get better when they get broken in.

TROCADERO GRAND PRIX SLALOM You see, pop is all about energy transfer, and the Paris, France most important variable is friction, i.e. the physics of the May 8-12 2008 impact between the interaction of the tip of the deck Formally known as the Paris World Cup Slalom, the and the riding surface. To illustrate this point, consider Trocadero Grand Prix again graced the famous why a deck has mad pop on marble and the same deck banks in front of the Eiffel Tower. Park Slalom and exhibits shit for pop on a rough street. The marble surFlatland Freestyle were special additions to this face yields less friction, thus more pop energy enters year's event. Dominik Kowalski (GER) was the top the deck, which results in better performance. Rough overall rider in the Pro division, while Robert Thiele surfaces yield more friction, as do worn tips; it´s like I (GER) was the top AM and Swiss rider Nastasja discovered the secret of pop. Pop is not about deck Wolfensberger was the top female rider. For all the Participants on the Bull sculpture at the finish right near Wall Street stiffness but friction. It’s really elementary and so obresults visit riderz.net and slalomskateboarder.com

30 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

What was the first obstacle you encountered?

Skateboard companies that don’t really care about skateboarding. One industry CEO told me, “Becket, the problem with your product is that it works, and we like it that decks wear out quickly.” Another Einstein told me that “why would I validate your product and hand you the market on a platter?” – which is beyond retarded. P-SK8 is a licensing company and a technology developer; if “Einstein” would have validated the P-Tip he would have increased his own sales. So I don’t understand this reasoning.

What kept you going?

Skateboarding is what I do. Everyone who has actually tried the P-Tip loves it, so the feedback I have been getting was always good! My biggest obstacle has been raising the funds to do it myself, since none of the IASC companies seemed to understand that in order to make better decks, you had to begin with solving the problem with tip wear. I knew that sooner or later I would succeed.

Why do you feel the P-Tip is important?

The P-Tip is revolutionary since it solves the biggest problem that faces all skateboarders – pop loss. The P-Tip helps skaters have more fun skating and progress faster. This is important since ultimately this will lead to more participants. Progress is the best motivator to keep skating.

Another reason why the P-Tip is important is that the technology justifies the added cost of producing better-performing composite decks. Without the PTip, composite constructions leave both the rider and the retailer über-disappointed. As a result of tip wear, composite decks lose their pop just as quickly as a blank deck. This really does not help the rider or the company marketing the “improved” construction.

Since kids generally replace their decks when they snap (and not when the tips wear out) retailers are reluctant to push them since they don’t snap quickly enough. Shops need to make money; the survival of the core retailer is paramount if skateboarders are going to be able to retain control over the sport. With the P-Tip, shops make money selling the deck but also enjoy the added revenue the replacement tips provide. This will pave the way for skateboard companies to be able to thrive once again.

What things did you do that in hindsight, you should have done differently?

Absolutely nothing; life is a ride. I can look back in hindsight and honestly say that I did my best and that even though things did not turn out the way I hoped they would, the decisions I made I believed were right at the time. I would not be the same person that I am and I would have not learned and grown as a person. Besides, if the P-Tip would have been an instant success, it would not have made a good movie!

What do you want to say the big skate companies?

Karma works. Good things happen to good people, and you get what you deserve. Brands mattered when I first approached the IASC companies; today

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the shop deck is the leading brand. What makes me sad is that the industry’s “built in obsolesce-strategy” with disposable commodity skateboards has created a situation which has limited the growth of skateboarding and actually created the blank and shop deck debacle that has killed the branded skate deck industry. It is hard for pro skaters to find deck sponsors today, and in poor countries and neighborhoods kids and skaters lacking purchasing power are not able the maintain the level of performance necessary to fully enjoy the act of skateboarding. The P-SK8 team will change that! Skateboarding is not California; it is a global sport, and most families cannot afford buying their kids new boards all the time. Kids need decks that they can afford and help them skate better.

How does the future look for P-SK8?

Today I finally have the funding and an entire team of dedicated veteran skateboarders behind my products, like Hazze Lindgren, Terje Haakonsen and Greger Hagelin. We are now organizing Performance SK8 Companies globally (USA, Europe, Asia and the former USSR) to help make skateboarding more affordable and thus accessible, and to reach out to kids all over the world that want to skate better. We have already a P-SK8 team [in the] USA with Jeff Harbaugh, AJ Kohn and Alex Davies, and in Europe with Peter Klang, Rasmus Östergaard, Christian Ekander and my great son Joseph.

Any final comments?

Skateboarding saved my life! At the age of 12 I was a frustrated kid with ADD. Skateboarding gave me the opportunity to be creative and an outlet for my energy.

I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to work in the industry, first as a retailer, then a distributor and now a skateboarding technology developer.

If you think the P-Tip is cool, just wait and see our other skateboarding technology innovations, all of which make skateboarding more fun and rewarding and help lower the cost of participation.

“DEAR MOM...” LETTERS FROM IRAQ II

By Marine, father, skateboarder Keith Butterfield Dear Mom, My last letter to you left off as such: “I did my signature trick, on my signature deck in Iraq for the first time ever! A few days ago I started a new job, I’m in a new location and once again I secretly search for cement.” Well, let me tell you “a lot” has happened since the last time I wrote! First off I no longer search for cement; I have discovered these great portable, skateable, metal platforms. They are about 6x8 feet in size and perfectly smooth, not too slick and absolutely perfect for “combat freestyle skating.” The platforms are typically used for staging gear and equipment on.

However, with my keen eye for skateable surfaces and a basic “need” for something to roll on I employed a few of them to serve my need. With two of them side by side I created my very own freestyle skateboard park (in the military it would be appropriately abbreviated as FSP). My very own Nirvana if you will-slash torture chamber, all depending on how well I skate that day of course. Recently I have done skateboard tricks on the FSP that I couldn’t even do 24 years ago when I was on top of my game and competing professionally! On the FSP I’ve also fallen on my hip, butt, back, sprained wrists, jammed fingers, twisted ankles and cracked my shins creating mon-

32 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

ster-size bleeding goose eggs. That is when I refer to the FSP as the FSPTC (freestyle skateboard park torture chamber). With all that said I am extremely happy and thankful to have these platforms available to me. I have them staged behind a wall and I skate in privacy and much happiness!

Keith Butterfield in Iraq

On a more serious note; about three weeks ago I got extremely sick. It started out looking like simple dehydration or heat exhaustion. I was sick here on my base for about four days and after medical attention and not getting any better I was flown, medically evacuated to Baghdad. I was being sent to a better hospital for a spinal tap due to showing signs of possible bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is not only very contagious but can lead to a very quick death if not caught in time. After a few days of IVs, severe head pain, eye pain and multiple high fevers I found myself strapped in a Black Hawk helicopter on my way to Baghdad Hospital for care. Picture this: all I had on was a green T-shirt, green sweat pants, blue tennis shoes and a green mask on my face – not to mention the IV sticking out of my arm pierced right through my tattoos. I was on morphine, in tons of pain, had a high fever and was just happy to be going to a real hospital. I never get sick and I knew I was hurt. For some reason “any light whatsoever” was killing my eyes so I was also sporting my shades the entire time in the hospital and helicopter. On the helicopter was an Army nurse assigned to me; once the nurse had me strapped in and put a headset on my head the doors were placed wide open so I wouldn’t contaminate the rest of the crew. The temperature outside was a blistering 110 degrees and we were on our way. I hear the sound of the helicopter get louder and louder, the vibrations of the motor move violently throughout the frame and into my seat. The wind and dust blow across my face and we start lifting off the ground. As we lift high off the ground I feel even more warm air run across my entire body. The bird leans forward and we are flying in the skies of Iraq. Suddenly I was flying over very hostile territory, in a drugged-out, miserable state of affairs, no uniform and no weapon. Once we covered a few miles all my senses started coming alive. I was having an out-of-body experience of sorts. I remember the smell of the helicopter, the sounds of the men on the radio, the warmth and sting of the sun seeping in my softly closed eyes. As we flew over the small sections of desert and houses I would occasionally open my eyes, realizing that this is a once in a lifetime experience and I want to see it. As the pilot banked left and right there were times I was looking down right outside the door of the helicopter into a living room of a local’s house. I saw kids playing outside with smiles and lots of dirt.

I eventually landed in Baghdad where I was immediately treated for a sickness called Q-fever, not meningitis. Q-fever is very nasty indeed but I was re-

lieved at first just knowing I wasn’t going to be dying quickly from meningitis. However, now I was scared and nervous because I had no idea what in the world Q-fever was? The bottom line is somewhere I inhaled a crazy bacterium that comes from livestock and gets in the dust. One simple bacterium can cause severe sickness in human beings. All they can do for you is treat the symptoms, help make you comfortable and give you antibiotics as it runs its course on you. It typically lasts about three weeks. So, there I was in a strange place, no comrades, friends or family – I was very sick and suffering. Not only that, the entire area was being targeted with rocket fire (mortars), no joke!

The entire time I was there, we had one to four “incoming” a day. You would start to hear “Incoming, incoming” on the loudspeaker and then Booom! I would hear it hit somewhere close by. I was on the second floor of the hospital and on one incoming call the smoking area right outside the hospital, about 40 feet from my room, took a direct hit! After days and nights of being sick and hearing a few incoming rounds land in the area I was praying to get better fast! I had many nights of soaking wet sheets, fevers, pain, blood tests, drugs, the shakes and IVs. There were times I felt so miserable I wondered if this is what it must feel like to be a heroin addict in detox?

It was the loneliest I have ever been in my life and all I could think about was seeing my wife and kids again and if I would ever skateboard again.

I also asked myself, what in the world did I do to deserve all of this? I have always been one of these guys that have a hard time with religion and religious fanatics. However, I’m here to tell you on a few of those nights I spoke with God directly and asked him to get me out of there to let me continue being a husband, father and let me skate again. Eventually all my symptoms passed. I was discharged and today I am pain free, fever free and have been back on my base for about a week. I am so thankful to be alive, to be a husband and father again and to be able to skate! I learned a few things about myself and will never take my health, friends and family for granted again. I even started shooting a new skate video. It’ll be the first freestyle skateboard video ever made in Iraq. Mom, I didn’t tell you all of that to make you worry or get you upset. I simply wanted you to know I’m OK now, extremely thankful and happy.

Love, your crazy son, Keith PRO-TEC POOL PARTY May 17, 2008 Words and Photos By Mark Kessenich The fourth Lester Kasai annual ProTec Pool Party held at the Vans skatepark in Orange, Calif o r n i a . featured a $90,000 prize purse.

This year, Vans decided to hold back the number of tickets to keep down the number of attendees. What they didn't hold back on were the creature comforts for this outstanding event. This included Steve Van Doren manning the barbecue grill and him person-

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NOTEWORTHY PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

Chris Miller

ally keeping the pool deck devoid of people who shouldn't be there, while keeping a fair amount of space for the riders to roll in and out of the pool. Other things included complimentary Rockstar energy drinks, bottled water, and even Wahoo's Tacos.

Starting off, were the girls and this year, Cara-Beth was out with an injury. Cressey Rice, from Arizona, showed her pool riding experience with no pads and even took a barefooted run. Elise Dabby's lines proved that she skates the Combi often. Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins rolled into the square bowl and had some nice airs. She ended up in third place. Julie Kindstrand demonstrated her many different lines, airs, and coping moves throughout the entire pool, which landed her in second place. Mimi Knoop had broken her wrist a few weeks prior to this event. This injury didn't stop her from executing inverts, bonelesses, nosegrinds, and the rest of her bag of moves. All of LynZAdams

all nothing short of incredible.

The Pro division went fully nuts, as usual. As in previous years, the pro riders didn't let anyone down by pulling out all of the stops and providing some insane runs in a pool that would otherwise render most skaters fearful. I would NOT want to be a judge in this event. If you get a chance to see any video footage, you'll understand. It's hard to fathom the concept of bettering the previous year's Pool Party. Somehow, some way... it gets done. Bucky showed up to many of the practice sessions and blew a lot of minds with his lines and using a 540 for a set-up move for something else! Mr. Lasek landed in NIcky Guerrero third place, however. Omar Hassan started off with the longest introduction run I've ever seen. During the rest of the night, he skated full throttle and used every inch of the coping, along the way. He took second place. Rune Glifberg also came out firing with some bionic tailgrab airs and a switch kickflip. But what made the crowd produce a deafening roar was his backside tailslide shove-it in one of the deep end square corners! He grabbed first place and rightly so.

For these skaters to make something as deep as the Combi appear as though they're skating a miniramp is one incredible feat.

Thanks to Pro-Tec, Vans, Rockstar, and the remainder of the sponsors that made this year's event a successful one. Big time thanks to Steve Van Doren and his family for giving so much back to skateboarding.

BOARDFREE If You Will It, It is No Dream Photo: Holly Allen Dave Cornthwaite

her hard work paid off as she took first place.

Also new to this year, was Thrasher Magazine's and Vans sponsored Blocks For Bucks portion of the contest. The winner was paid $100 per coping block that was successfully pulled off from boardsliding.

It took place in the round bowl and Christian Hosoi and Jeff Grosso kept track of where the riders started and ended their respective slides. In the end, it was Steve Caballero that took the prize... eighteen coping blocks!

Unfortunately, the Masters division was missing a list of injured skaters. This included Lance Mountain, Steve Alba, and Jeff Grosso. Some riders got injured during the event, as well. Ben Schroeder got a couple of runs in before getting hurt. Also, T-Mag and Buck Smith ended up slamming into each other just below the center hip. Other Masters included Pat Ngoho, Lester Kasai, Steve Steadham, and Eric Nash. For the first time at a Pool Party, Nicky Guerrero showed up and skated the pool. In fact he was so good, he ended up taking third place. Cab took second place, using his signature smooth style and huge catalog of moves all over the pool. For the fourth year in a row Chris Miller captured first place.

His smoothness, speed, style and list of moves are

34 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

In the spring of 2005 Dave Cornthwaite was 25 years old and stuck in a 9-to-5 job. “I was stuck with the horrible feeling that life was just one long, straight, endless road,” he recalls. Dave decided that he needed a change. “I realized the only thing I looked forward to was the skate in and out of work. Finding longboarding gave me a chance to express myself.”

Dave discovered that he wanted to express himself in a unique way, and this meant skating a long distance – a very long distance. He decided to embark on two journeys and at the same time raise money for charities. “I felt early on that this would give a long-distance skate an advantage over other forms of

transport, in terms of raising awareness – of charity and of longboarding itself.

“My initial reasons for deciding to go long were completely selfish: I was unhappy in my job and wanted an escape. The aim was freedom,” Dave says. But slowly, as BoardFree grew as an idea, Dave soon came to the realization that he couldn't justify taking so long out of employment without turning the journey into something worthwhile. “So using the journeys as a tool to focus media attention on worthy causes then became the priority,” explains Dave. His first escapade was a 900mile skate of Britain from John o’Groats to Land’s End in May 2006. This was intended to be a warmup for a much bigger journey later that year – a 4,000-mile push across Australia from Perth to Brisbane. Dave took five months to complete that task, and his incredible exploits are documented in his new book, “BoardFree.” As readers of the book will note, pushing massive distances on a skateboard, takes a tremendous toll on your body and mind. Dave painfully describes what it’s like to have a blister from hell – one that oozes pus and stinks something fierce.

“The physical test is only a small part of the challenge,” says Dave “Yes, thousands of miles can be tough on the body, but skate journeys are a mental challenge, and this is why you don't see many of these journeys fail – because mentally they're in it for a lot more than just skating.”

Dave believes the human body is an amazing thing.

“If it can do it, then it will, as long as your mind tells it to. Rounding a bend and seeing another enormous hill is soul-shattering, but you've always got the other side. My feet looked like soup sometimes, but I don't really see myself as having skated across Australia and the UK; I willed myself to do it. And anyone can do that,” he says. BoardFree is essential reading for anyone who has ever ridden a skateboard and wondered, “How far could I go?” You can find out more about Dave’s latest adventures at boardfree.co.uk.

The book BoardFree (Portico £10.99) is available from amazon.co.uk There’s a new skate documentary called Dropping In hitting this summer. The film captures the good, the bad and the ugly of 42 yearold Don Wimmer’s quest to become a pro skater. Visit droppinginmovie.com.

CORRECTION: The shot of Sergie Ventura at the Bondi Bowl was taken by Dave Pang. Ken Forsyth took the shot of the Bulldog gathering.

SPRING 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 35

arvey Hawks was a vert and slalom skater from the Badlands who made quite a name for himself during the 70’s. We profiled his story four years ago in Vol 3 No 1. In August of 1986, Harvey was involved with a tragedy that forever changed the course of his life. A traffic altercation escalated to the point where Harvey was run off the road. At the time of the incident Harvey was intoxicated. He reached for his shotgun, thinking it contained skeet pellets to fire a “warning” shot at the van. Instead, the gun was loaded with a slug. Tragically, one passenger was wounded and another died. At the time, Harvey had no idea what he had done. It was only four days later that Harvey was arrested for the murder of Patricia Faye Dwyer who turned out to be an off-duty policewoman. Harvey was sentenced to 17 years-to-life for second degree murder. Over the last two decades, Harvey has completed changed his life around. He is a model prisoner at Soledad.

Since the time that we first published his story, I have begun a correspondence with Harvey. Prison has done for Harvey what we hope prison should do — rehabilitate offenders and make them into productive members of society.

He has served his time and is extremely remorseful for the pain he has caused. This case however, is a political hotpotato and the pressure to keep Harvey in jail for life is immense. I have written four appeals to the Parole Board in the hopes that they might release him. I look forward to the day that we publish the news that he has been paroled.

— Michael Brooke, Editor

H

36 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

SUMMER!

School is out and so are you (if not, quit your job and pretend)! Get out there and skate it. Heard about the big bailout for lenders on foreclosed homes? It’s time for a skater bail out: pools at empty houses! Can’t let that stuff go rancid, so drain the pools and hit’em with your longboard! This is the season for late-night skating, sessions all day at your favorite ditch or abandoned road, and racin’. Speedboarding, slalom, park-slalom, cross-town push or pump races… whatever, just get out there & see who can go faster, further, cleaner or better! When you’re done, or looking for more skaters, drop in on the ‘Fish and share the stoke!

Here’s a few other things to think of:

WHAT'S FRESH:

RACE RESULTS:

• Randal Trucks is looking for a new skater to feature on the product box. Will it be you? Check the forums on the 'Fish to see the submissions in the Great Randal Designa-Box Contest.

• USA Slalom Nats are back in Morro Bay for '08, July 11-13th. The GS racing returns to the menacing Turri Road!

Do you have what it takes?

• IGSA's European Racing Circuit is in full swing: July 16-19 in Jungholz, Austria, then the 23-26th in Thalgau! The Euro speed freak population will then hop the Channel for Speed Days in Eastbourne, UK on Sept. 12-14.

• Munnesville, New York is touted as the fastest, friendliest skateboard racing city in the USA, and the '08 Madison County Gravity Fest will prove it on July 26-27.

• FlexDex wants you! Design their next Pro 29 deck graphics and they'll load you down with schwag and fame.

• The World Championships are at this year's Maryhill Festival of Speed in Goldendale, Washington on August 27-31. Five days of descending 3 miles, 28 turns of buffed pavement, with the biggest of IGSA races to finish it out!

Get over to Silverfish for all the pics, entries, information and stoke on this stuff and more going on. It's gonna be a gnarly summer!

• He ripped the record books in Colorado, killed it in Teutonia, Brazil and ripped past 192 racers for victory at “Danger Bay” in Pender Harbour, BC. Rayne Longboard's Kevin Reimer is on fire!

• Connor Schmitt came out on top of the other Sultans of Speed at the Pennsylvania outlaw race through an industrial park, collecting his trophy before the cops showed up to roll 'em all out of there.

• In Bolinas, Calif., the rain came down almost as fast as Casey Morrow, in the California Outlaw Series event in May. • The Dragon Skate Race at UC Irvine, in SoCal, is a huge stokefest and fundraiser for the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation.

This year, Richy Carrasco & Lynn Kramer won the slalom races and Kevin Shore survived and won the speed contest and hay bale finish.

• Many more: check the Events Calendar on Silverfish for upcoming events and the Forums for racers' event reports.

EXCLUSIVES! Did you score the Black Ops Tracker FasTracks or the amazing 72mm ‘FishBalls wheels? This time, we've done an exclusive run of 100 hand-numbered “Fish” boards by Loaded. Of course, they’re silver and stuffed full of stoke for skating. Get ‘em as decks only (with Foam tails and Edger Grip), or as a complete setup with Tracker RTS trucks, Pleasure Tool Abec 7 bearings, and 66mm 81a Abec 11 Strikers (and of course the foam tails and Edger Grip). See the ‘Fish or Loaded’s site to snag one before they’re gone!

SPRING 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 39

Steel Grinding Surface

New “Glide Grind” Design

Complete Carbon Fiber Construction

Here are answers to a few questions you may have: DO THEY GRIND WELL? Can you say ‘steel’ grinding surface, not aluminum, steel.

WHERE ARE THEY MADE? 100% made in the U.S. of A. which is more than you can say about the trucks you’re skating.

ARE THEY LIGHTWEIGHT? The lightest that you can buy and we’re up for any weight challenge.

WHY MAKE CARBON FIBER TRUCKS? We think skateboarding is ready for variety and innovation.

Check us out at www.herrontrucks.com Ph: 619.471.4255 Fax: 913.294.9901 Email: info@herrontrucks.com

40 CONCRETE WAVE SPRING 2008

SPRING 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 41

Jon Huey takes a break Photo: MB

ATTACK OFDanger Bay

By Michael Brooke

he Attack of Danger Bay, as it is officially called, is the brainchild of Bricin “Striker” Lyons. Bricin is a larger-than-life figure in the world of British Columbia skateboarding.

He has been instrumental in creating one of the greatest skate scenes on the planet. Bricin has been asking that I attend the event, but for some reason, things never worked out. This year, however, I was determined to go. This was the seventh year of the race, which takes place in Pender Harbour on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in British Columbia.

Anticipation for the event had been building for quite some time. In total, 194 racers signed up. This staggering number of participants is a testament to power of this event. By the way, getting to the Sunshine Coast is not difficult, but it requires a solid amount of commitment.

You can’t just drive to the event. No, it requires you take a ferry ride from Vancouver, and then you have to drive another hour or so. But the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.

The town of Pender Harbour is very supportive of the event, and Bricin has worked hard to ensure that any problems are smoothed out.

Bricin is a great ambassador for skateboarding.

His tireless efforts were rewarded this year by the standing ovation he got at the awards ceremony (complete with cheers of “Bricin!…Bricin!…Bricin!”).

I arrived in Vancouver on the Thursday morning before the event and was met at the airport by Dan Pape of Colabo Innovations.

Dan and I met to discuss the project he is working on – a video documenting a number of top speedboarders. CW is the official media sponsor. On our way to Vancouver, we stopped by to see Ultimate Skateboard Distribution in Richmond. Dan was like a kid in a candy store at the warehouse and was enthralled enough to pick up some skate gear to resell at the event.

After this, we stopped by to see Rick Tetz of calstreets.com. Rick is a Web genius and a huge supporter of CW. We’re working on some amazing ideas, and Rick’s enthusiasm for skateboarding is highly contagious!

Finally, it was time to get downtown and get on the express bus to Pender Harbour. Although the bus wound up being 45 minutes late,

T

Some of the great volunteers!

Photo: MB Paul Kent Photo: Jon Huey

Kevin “K-Rimes” Reimer Photo: Jon Huey

Noah Sakamoto Tom Edstrand followed by Phot o: Jon Huey

The Colabo crane captured some great footage Photo: MB

we managed to get on the ferry, and eventually I found myself at the Petro Canada gas station in Madeira Park. I quickly spied a heavily stickered VW van and knew right away I had found Bricin.

One of the most unusual aspects to Danger Bay is that it’s not just a competition – it’s an entire experience. Specifically, this means camping out at Lions Park. I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t do camping so well. However, even I had to admit that camping out was one hell of an experience. It’s just a giant party with a terrific vibe. At about 1 a.m. (4 a.m. Toronto time), I was ready to crash. It turned out that my bed for the night was the top bunk in Bricin’s van.

Blake Startup told me a few days later that I won the party. Of course, as Ryan Theobald knows, everything that happened on Thursday night was strictly “off the record!”

Bleary eyed, I staggered out of bed around 9 a.m. and proceeded to get on with the rest of the day. I wound up meeting up with Craig and Jarrod of Ongoza, who are in the process of creating a documentary that features Bricin. They generously allowed me to stay in their VW camper, and we went out shopping for additional supplies of food and drink. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the sunshine and welcoming the racers and friends. Around 10 p.m., bands took the stage to perform.

Saturday started out with brilliant sunshine and a wicked slide competition. There were a number of spectators who cheered on the entrants. When it was all over, there were two winners: Mark Short of the United Kingdom and Kyle Martin of BC. Oddly enough, Kyle’s shirt was tie-dyed and sported the expression “Skate or Tie.” Bricin was at a loss what to do.

“We’ve never had a tie!” he exclaimed. I thought for a moment and sauntered up to him and whispered in his ear: “What if Concrete Wave kicked in $750 so that you could award both winners the equal amounts of cash?” The expression on Bricin’s face was priceless, and as he announced the decision, the crowd roared with approval. I felt satisfied I had done the right thing. But that’s the magic of Bricin; his stoke is so infectious, you wind up doing things you normally wouldn’t do!

The slide comp was followed by a parade in Madeira Park, and then by what can only be described as debauchery on four wheels. Yes, the infamous longboard hockey tournament. Good thing these guys are in a cage! Lee Cation, one of the downhill competitors, decided to take on the local kids who were firing water balloons at the crowd. Between that and the hockey, it made for quite the amusing experience.

At 2 p.m. we all met up at a hill called Jakes Rash. It’s here where racers can compete with Bricin and try to win his cash. Unfortunately, an early spill meant the race was closed prematurely. Still, Andrew Chapman (who hails from my hometown of London, Ontario and now lives full time in Vancouver) was able to take some of Striker’s cash.

Later that afternoon, the racers got together for a meeting. Afterward, I headed out with Bricin, Jim Z and a handful of other recruits to set the hay bales for the course. I am very allergic to hay, and even more allergic to crazy drivers cramming in way too many people in sketchy vans whipping around corners way too quickly.

But then, as I have explained, Bricin has this way of convincing you to do things you wouldn’t normally do. With the hay bales set out, we returned to the campground to continue the festivities. It was a relatively calm night since racers had to be up for 6 a.m. for the race.

Race day was greeted with the sounds of bagpipes blaring throughout the camp. Trust me, they are an effective alarm clock, and there is NO snooze button! The actual course in Pender Harbour is in a quiet neighborhood.

Bricin had arranged for both racers and spectators to be bussed in. The coordination of all these details is a feat in itself, and I am happy to report that Bricin managed to pull things off near perfectly. Of course, there is a small army of volunteers who are helping Bricin. These volunteers are the backbone of Danger Bay, and their efforts are truly amazing.

A number of you have heard of the infamous “Crash Corner” at the Danger Bay race. Seeing clips of crashes on video is one thing; seeing the crashes live is quite another. My banner, which I thought was strategically located on the hay bales near Crash Corner, wound up getting crunched pretty quickly. The velocity at which the skaters hit the bales is something to behold.

Despite its name, the Sunshine Coast gets quite a bit of rain. However, this year, there was only bright sun. This meant a fast, grippy road with fewer crashes than in previous rainy years.

Getting almost 200 racers qualified is no small task, yet things

moved quickly. By the time the early afternoon hit, we were well on our way to the quarterfinals. The level of racing was absolutely astounding. The women racers were exciting to watch, and they really impressed everyone with their skill and guts.

By late Sunday afternoon, it was all over and Kevin Reimer emerged as the winner. K-Rimes, as he is known, combines a lethal mixture of speed and style. It will be interesting to see how he does on the IGSA circuit this summer and fall. In the women’s division, Brianne Davies claimed her third win.

After the event, I headed out to dinner with the good folks from Landyachtz. Mike Perreten and Tom Edstrand (the owners) deserve special mention because they have been heavily involved with Danger Bay for many years. I recall meeting them back in 1999 in Vancouver at Slam City Jam when they were just starting out. It’s amazing to think how much has changed in these past nine years. If the success of Danger Bay is in any indication, the next nine years are sure to be extraordinary.

It was quite fitting that on my return flight back to Toronto from Vancouver, the airplane was struck by lightning. The intensity of seeing a jet engine emit a spark at 20,000 feet gives you a small taste of what it’s like to attend Danger Bay. The fact is that no amount of words and photos will ever do this event justice.

Bricin “Striker” Lyons Photo: MB

At Jakes Rash Photo: MB

Kyle Martin Photo: Jon Huey

MEN 1. Kevin “K-Rimes” Reimer 2. Billy “the Kid” Meiners 3. Mischo Erban 4. Scott “Scoot” Smith 5. Noah Sakamoto 6. Brian Elderkin 7. Nate “Shnate” Lang 8. Kyle Martin es a shot Brian Elderkin tak Jon Huey Photo:

WOMEN 1. Brianne Davies 2. Haven Anderson 3. Bettina Luginbühl 4. Erica Greenup SLIDE 1st Kyle Martin/Mark Short (tie)

Puerto Rico team Photo: MB

Mark Short slide winner Photo: Rory@lightninja.com

42 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

Andreas of the Madrid Team Photo: MB

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 43

SKATING is

Creating

A Jersey Barrier Movement

By Jon Glass

A

Jersey barrier by definition is a concrete barrier built near roads and parking structures to allow the wheels of stray cars to ride up the angled bottom and to prevent them from going off the road. The angled bottom was actually designed for the wheels of cars to ride up them. Originally created in New Jersey in conjunction with the state highway department, these barriers were placed as highway dividers. The design of the Jersey barrier over time has come to serve many other possible functions – one function in particular being a natural, rideable concrete wave.

In case you haven’t noticed, Jersey barriers do not just serve as safety devices and lifesavers, but as ideal skate obstacles – a pretty great idea, if you ask me, because they are everywhere. They are typically found in groups or rows in parking lots and along roadsides. But any area with ample, smooth run-up and no traffic is ideal to begin modifying a skateable Jersey barrier of your own. The ideal barrier site is one that is not exposed to the public eye; seclusion is key.

A little hard work can go a long way. For just a few dollars, you and your friends can purchase a bag of “quick-crete“ to make the bottom of the barrier as skate-friendly as you like. Ideally, two or three bags would be better, because you want the sturdiest slab of concrete at the base for a smoother transition. Prices range anywhere from $5 to $20 per bag, depending on the quality of the mix. Most quick-cement mixes come in 60- to 80-pound bags and are usually ready to pour by just applying water.

Grab a bucket, pour the concrete mix in the

44 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

bucket, add water, stir until it thickens, then apply a heavy application to the base of the barrier. Drying may vary according to weather conditions, but most mixes dry fairly quickly.

An inexpensive trowel or a smoothing tool may be helpful as well. Most durable trowels range from $5 and up depending on the materials they are made of. The smoother the concrete at the bottom, the smoother the entrance and exit will be onto the barrier. Also, I recommend getting a couple of people to help prop the barrier back and wedge a few 2x4’s underneath to reduce the harshness of the transition, thus creating more of a quarter-pipe feel. The Jersey barrier session that is the most fun is when everyone is skating, not just one or two gnarlers barely touching the lip.

There are only so many perfect marble ledges left. Great skate spots come and go; especially in southern California. These days, it seems as though a city will build a perfect ledge or rail with the intention of putting skate-stoppers on it the day it is built. This type of build-then-knob construction has come to be because of standards in today’s skateboarding. The construction companies that build those perfect rails and marble ledges know that skateboarders will skate them the day they are finished. However, Jersey barriers are like diamonds in the rough. Let us embrace these concrete beauties that society has given us and work together to harvest them to create a skate spot in every city! If we work proficiently, we could eventually live in a true skatopia. Your city can’t put knobs on every single Jersey barrier in town.

Imagine, every day a new Jersey barrier is cemented at the bottom, a new skate spot is born.

Cities have created more potential skate spots than they even realize. By the time the officials realize a particular Jersey barrier has been skated and decide to ruin it, the next parking lot over there is another Jersey barrier already being modified and sessioned.

As skateboarders, it is our mission not only to shred every inch of concrete, but to create what we skate. Ideas that are imagined and then put into action are the essence of skateboarding and the building blocks of creativity.

In a world of 20-stair handrails and kinked hubba ledges, creativity can be a fresh approach to remind us why skateboarding is fun again. Get crazy with Jersey barriers! Make history! Gather some friends together to help move the barriers around, stack them up; arrange them in different ways and create new tricks on them. If your town won’t give you a skatepark, then take the initiative and create your own with the Jersey barriers they have already provided you.

If we work together, eventually we could have hundreds of skateable Jersey barriers in every city. Let us spark a revolution. This Jersey barrier movement could mark the dawn of a new dimension of natural street obstacles and open a new door in the evolution of skateboarding.

Editor’s note: should you decide to modify a Jersey barrier in your area, CW accepts no responsibility for the outcome – good, bad or ugly.

Dayne Brummet, switch pivot.

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 45

PRODUCT POWELL PERALTA Steve Caballero Cab Dragon II Re-issue It doesn’t get much more classic than a Cab Dragon — and its slick stinger shape is just as relevant today as it was back in the day. Function and form. The three-color screen — screened both top and bottom — is a nice touch, too. Beautiful. Manufactured with 1.40 mm US hard rock maple veneers, this 7-ply 10” X 30” Dragon II deck features a stinger just in front of the rear trucks and an ever-so-slight rise at the 3.125” nose, a nice steep 6.875” tail and Powell’s mellow, yet comfortable, SP2 concave. Mounted up with 64mm X 37mm Bowl Bombers from Powell’s Classic wheel line, poured in their Park Formula, the wheels proved to be fast, smooth and forgiving, without being too slippery, too grippy or rattling our senses in the cement bowl we chose for this review’s proving grounds. Loaded up with Super Swiss 6 bearings, this setup seemed to really open up the speed. Coupled with the tall Bowl Bombers, speed was never an issue. The latest from Indy served as our truck platform — though we replaced the stock Stage 9 bushings with Bones Hardcore soft bushings. The snappier turning and stable feel the bushings provided brought the Indys to life – doubling it up in the corners was effortless. Khiro 1/2” risers were ideal for keeping those big wheels from burning into the deck. The setup proved to be far better than the similar setups from back in the day — the wheels seemed faster, the deck sturdier and the overall performance exceeded all expectation.

BUSTER BOARDS Pressed in Edmonton with Canadian hard rock maple, this handscreened gem is built to shred. Measuring 9.25” X 33” with a15” wheelbase (it’s possible to redrill for another 1⁄2”) the Buster Shovelnose — or as the Buster boys refer to it, “that square-nose pool board” — is as unique as it is familiar. While the CNC-cut shape is fairly popular among a number of brands, the Buster deck features a very unique construction including a deep concave, an extreme angled tail kick and nose kick — both measuring in at 6.75”. The leverage is incredible! The foot lock even more so.

The 1.45 mm veneers make this deck quite rigid and very strong while retaining very good levels of pop. It takes a beating quite well, too. It was mounted with the new Bennett 6.0’s, which provided killer turning and stable ride and proved as good for carving and pumping as they were for grinding up the local steel-coping bowl. It’s quite an amazing truck, with the tower raised about 5 mm, eliminating the need for much of a riser at all (though we slipped in a 2 mm Khiro riser). The OG Shitfire wheels loaded with RocknRon’s Ballistech Nuclear Missile (ceramic) bearings were nothing short of an amazing combination of speed and grip. This one is becoming a permanent member of my quiver. It just all seemed to gel into a precision machine that worked as well in the street as in the skatepark.

FOUNDATION Foundation chief Tod Swank recently released a reissue of his1991 Foundation Star and Moon deck. It’s a dead bang-on accurate reissue, too — having used the original molds and shape templates. A slightly stingered fish shape with a subtle blunt nose, the Swank deck does feel much like the original (at least as far as our memory serves). At 10” x 31.5” with a 15.75” wheelbase (but can be redrilled to squeak out another inch), the Star and Moon is a comfortable, rippable shape that is nicely rigid, yet it offers some healthy pop without being overly flexy. Although we heaped much abuse on this deck, it showed no sign of failure – the foundation being obviously solid. Indeed, the 1.56mm Watson Laminates veneers on this 7-ply make it tough as nails. The wheel wells (front and back) are a fine touch, too. While the deck features an appealing medium D-shaped concave, the 6.75” tail is amazing, with a steep angle on the kick. The 5” nose provides ample room to grab and displays a lesser angle than the tail but provides excellent foot lock. We mounted up the Swank with Stage 9 Independent 169s with Khiro bushings, which seemed to do the trick. For wheels we went with the 58mm Pig Head Natural wheels. White with 35 mm of width and a lathed 19 mm contact patch, the 101A wheels revved up to speed fast and displayed great grip qualities while breaking away cleanly on slides as well. The Pig Heads were loaded with 7-ball Pig Swiss bearings, which come with wheel spacers in a handy pigshaped tin box. Loaded up into the wheels, the speed was obvious and effortless, with no noticeable lag as they broke in; they rolled true right out of the tin. This was a very fun setup that, while being retro, handled all terrains and serious abuse without even a stress crack.

46 CONCRETE WAVE SPRING 2008

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 47

The Top Contenders

D

uring the months of July, August and September the IGSA World Cup Series will be kicking into high gear with five of the years’ biggest events. More top skaters are in pursuit of the World Cup title in 2008 than ever before. For the first time we are seeing caps put on the number of entries and events selling out once those limits have been reached. 2008 is going to be the year that North America invades Europe with large numbers of both American and Canadian skaters making the trip overseas. Maryhill is shaping up to be the biggest downhill race in history with nearly every top North American and international racer registered to compete. The summer of 2008 will likely be remembered as the one when downhill skateboarding came of age.

The Events PEYRAGUDES DELUXE CUP July 9-12 Peyragudes, France Past winners: Not Available (First year event) The French resort town of Peyragudes is located high in the Pyrenees mountain range. This will be the first time the IGSA stages a World Cup event on French soil.

With a racecourse featuring hairpin corners, fast straights and perfect pavement, an all-around technical skater will win the race.

ALMABTRIEB WORLD CUP July 16-19 Jungholz, Austria/Germany Past winners: 2007 Martin Siegrist (SUI) 2005 Cedric Burel (FRA) In both 2005 and 2007, Jungholz hosted the IGSA World Championships. It’s one of the most

48 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

technical courses in the world featuring a high-speed top section with long straights and sweeping corners followed by a heavy braking zone that leads into a series of three hairpins and a giant carousel corner. With the start line in Austria and the finish in Germany, the riders cross the boarder on every run!

ROCK & ROLL 2008 July 23-26 Thalgau, Austria Past winners: 2007 Tie- Noah Sakamoto (USA), Martin Siegrist (SUI) Thalgau is situated close to Salzburg and features the fastest course of the 2008 IGSA World Cup Series. Very little braking is required on the large sweeping corners. Top speeds will be in the 62 mph (100 kph) range. Strong

tucks and good drafting skills will be the key to victory.

MARYHILL FESTIVAL OF SPEED/IGSA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS August 27-31 Goldendale, Washington, USA Past winners: 2007 Scott “Scoot” Smith (CAN) The Maryhill Festival of Speed is shaping up to be the “can’t miss” race of 2008. For the second year in a row, the event will be held over five days on the most famous racecourse in North America. At 2.5 miles in length, Maryhill is the longest course on the circuit. The historic road features perfect pavement and a seemingly never-ending series of corners and straightaways.

If a strong tail wind kicks in, the road turns into a real beast…

GOFAST! SPEED DAYS September 12-14 Eastbourne, England Past winners: 2007 Erik Lundberg (SWE) Rounding out the five-race summer season will be the GoFast!

Speed Days. After the success of the inaugural event in 2007, the organizers have really stepped it up.

The entire course has been repaved especially for the event. In addition, the race has been expanded to three days and will feature the first-ever night practice sessions. Portable lighting is being brought in to illuminate the entire course. A giant start ramp is also being constructed. Look for Eastbourne to be one of the major stories of the 2008 season.

MISCHO ERBAN – CANADA (6-1): He lost the 2007 series title in the last heat of the final race of the year.

Mischo’s year didn’t start off too well in Australia. He needs strong performances at Rock & Roll, Maryhill and Eastbourne to be a title contender.

MIKE ZIETSMAN – SOUTH AFRICA (8-1): It’s been a few years since Zietsman had the opportunity to compete internationally. He’s always on the podium at the South African World Cup. This year he’ll also be competing in Europe and at Maryhill.

Erik Lundberg. Photo Dave Pang

SCOOT SMITH – CANADA (5-1): Scoot was the surprise of the 2007 season. He started the year in good form by finishing third in the Australian season opener. If he can master the technical courses in Peyragudes and Jungholz, he could win it all.

DOUGLAS SILVA – BRAZIL (9-1): In his three 07’ IGSA World Cup appearances, Douglas finished in third, fourth and seventh. The Brazilian veteran will be making the trip to Maryhill in addition to Europe. He loves the high-speed courses.

NOAH SAKAMOTO – UNITED STATES (10-1): Along with his win at Rock & Roll, Noah was a regular top ten finisher at several other World Cups in 07’. If he can consistently step up his performance, Noah could surprise some people.

Mischo Erban, 2007 World Champion Martin Siegrist, Bassi Haller Photo: M. Rietema

Summer Race Preview

MARTIN SIEGRIST – SWITZERLAND (3-1): The three-time IGSA World Champion was very strong at Almabtrieb, Rock & Roll and Maryhill in 2007. If he can repeat his performances and add some good finishes at Peyragudes and Eastbourne, he could secure the championship.

BASSI HALLER – GERMANY (8-1): Bassi only raced in three World Cup races in ’07. He finished on the podium twice and fifth in the other.

He’s planning a full assault on the championship in 08’. The German veteran is strong, fast and hungry.

Watch out!

NIKO DESMARAIS – CANADA (12-1): Niko was the 07’ Paskapoo winner and finished seventh at Maryhill.

The highly regarded Canadian will be competing in Europe for the first time. His performance will be closely watched on the international scene.

STEPHEN DADDOW – AUSTRALIA (14-1): The veteran from the Gold Coast has put together the sponsorship to make a run for the championship. Will he have the speed?

The Spoilers These skaters won’t be competing in enough World Cup races to contend for the Championship, but they will be potential race winners at select events.

KEVIN REIMER – CANADA: Look for K-Rimes to be a solid contender for victory at Maryhill.

FREDRIK LINDSTROM – SWEDEN: The 2006 Series Champion won’t be contesting the full schedule but will be a threat at every race he enters.

THOMAS EDSTRAND – CANADA: Meatball is in the twilight of his career and will be getting married at the end of the summer. When he races, you can never count him out.

Kevin "K-Rimes" Reimer. Photo Makalai Kingston

By Marcus Rietema

IGSA WORLD CUP SERIES

Bassi Haller fully committed at Almabtrieb 07'. Photo: Sven van Schlachta

ERIK LUNDBERG – SWEDEN (3-1): He won the first World Cup race of the year in Australia and looks like the favorite to repeat as the World Cup Series Champion in ’08. Lundberg broke his wrist in May so it will be interesting to see how it affects his performance.

ETHAN LAU – UNITED STATES: The Hawaiian came from nowhere to finish second in Australia. Could he be a spoiler at Maryhill too?

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 49

By Blair S. Watson | Photos: Chris Olden

F

Rick Blackhart

A LEGEND In His Own Time 50 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

or Rick Blackhart, it’s still all about skateboarding. Regardless of what happens, it just doesn’t matter; he just rolls with it.

Growing up in San Jose, Calif., Blackhart, now 49, got his first taste of skating around the age of 14 with neighborhood friend Kevin Thatcher, who would later become the editor and publisher of Thrasher Magazine.

Despite being a legend in his own time, Blackhart’s beginnings were like many skaters of that era.

“At first it was the usual plastic boards (black Laguna Gran Prix with X-Caliber trucks and loose ball wheels) and maybe an aluminium Banzai thrown in here and there (dual kick, no less), then fibreglass stuff like a G&S Fibreflex with Bennett trucks and Road Rider 4s. Then the solid wood boards like a Brewer kicktail with Bennett Pros and Speedsters. After awhile the solid wood boards kept breaking, so we started making them ourselves.”

Blackhart admits he was drawn to skateboarding like nothing else; the rapid evolution made it a very interesting time to be a skater.

“I started skating when everything about skateboarding was new. The skating was new and changed every day, the equipment was new and changed every week, and the feeling of just practicing every day and progressing by the hour was all I lived for. You know, read Skateboarder mag cover to cover several times, then take that stokum on the road and tear it up at the local spot. One of the best parts of skating was learning something new every day,” said

Blackhart from his home in San Jose.

By the time urethane wheels arrived, he was permanently hooked. It wasn’t long before he scored 1st place in the halfpipe as an amateur at the 1st Annual C&S Skateboard Contest.

Despite having just turned pro and joined the Tunnel team, Blackhart scored 1st place at Carmichael Palace Boogie Bowl Pro Bowl contest—as well as 1st place in the "Four-Man Relay" with Tunnel teammates Randal Buck, Brian Buck and Steve Weston. Blackhart also landed on the cover of Skateboarder Magazine later in October of ’78 — complete with interview. The “Rubberman” had arrived.

The Bombora pipes and especially the Los Altos pool became Blackhart’s favorite stomping grounds. He owned the terrain and ruled it mercilessly. The Orange Bowl, Rock Canyon pool and the Arizona pipes were also among his favorites. The original Upland skatepark, Lakewood Center, Skatopia and Paramount were also among his chosen destination skateparks at the time. Add about 500 different backyard pools to that mix and you’ve got the big picture — the more vert, the better.

Gilroy’s pool saw Blackhart invent the mindblowing frontside roll-in he’d later debut to the world that same day at the Henry Hester Pro Bowl contest in Newark in 1978, landing himself in 2nd place in bowl riding and 3rd in the longest carve contest. Blackhart took 3rd at the Hester contest at the Big O as well and landed 3rd overall in the Hester Series.

But it wasn’t all pool, park and pipe for Blackhart — he rode it all. He camped at the

Uvas Dam spillway for two full weeks’ worth of sessioning. He was also a top-ranked speedboarder, placing in both the 1978 and ‘79 Capitola Classics and the ’79 Laguna Seca downhill. He says he digs it all.

“Cones, man. Wiggle racing, freestyle, high jump — that’s where it’s at,” Blackhart goofed, despite having done all of it during his 31 years of skating.

“Seriously, I like all kinds of skating,” Blackhart explained. “You wouldn’t be a real skater if you didn’t at least try all aspects of it. Ditches, spillways, pools, pipes, downhill — whatever! I like it all.”

Indeed, Blackhart scored 1st place in downhill and 1st place in slalom at the Golden Gate Park in ‘81.

“Tough competition and a rough crowd — I got hit in the head with a beer bottle,” he recalled.

Did I mention he was the prototype bad-ass skater and for all intents and purposes still is? No? There’s no doubt — he is.

He’s won his fair share of contests and has a nice collection of trophies, but winning Skateboarder Magazines “Hotel Guest of the Year” in 1978 still holds a special place in his black heart.

“A bunch of us went to Texas for the grand opening of this skatepark. The owner let us stay in his three-room hotel suite — nice place, seven stories, top floor suite.

“The owner says he has a party lined up at the local sorority the night before grand opening ceremonies. The party never happened, so I invite all the locals to party down at our hotel room, and things got a little out of

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“You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Maybe it’s because I speak my mind, think from the heart and do what I want, which is not always a good thing. Results may vary.”

52 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

hand — three wet bars emptied, a glass table got smashed, chairs thrown out the windows, metal sculptures re-arranged... You know, good times,” Blackhart said.

Trouble followed Blackhart and Co. wherever he went — be it minor vandalism, drunken mayhem or federal offenses like smoking pot on an airline jet over Texas. But he usually scraped by unscathed. Being banned from Winchester, Campbell and Milpitas skateparks were par for the destructive course Blackhart had charted.

Despite the ban, Blackhart showed up for qualifying at the first Winchester Shootout contest and practiced all day without incident.

Hundreds of people had flocked to the park for the circus-like skateboard event. All was well, or so he thought.

“In between my qualifying runs I turn around and there are two cops, the park owner and this other douchebag that worked there.

The cop says, ‘You’re trespassing,’ and slaps the cuffs on me as we wade through the crowd of onlookers. I'm just laughing the whole time, thinking this must be a joke.”

While parading a cuffed Blackhart through the crowd, police were confronted by Independent Truck Co. kingpins Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, NHS honchos Jay Shuirman and Rich Novak and a horde of other people all up in arms either chanting, "Free Blackhart!” or “Run, Blackhart! Run!” The officers would eventually get Blackhart into the back seat of their patrol car — but not without a few death threats and having to duck a variety of projectiles.

“The park owner decided to drop the charges thanks to some strong suggestions from Fausto and Jay, who pointed out very clearly to the guy that since NHS and Independent Trucks were the main sponsors of the event, it would not be in the park’s best interest to have

me arrested. So the cops finally let me go and after things calmed down a bit, I went back to the contest, took the rest of my runs and qualified in first place,” Blackhart explained.

Despite his top qualifying spot, Blackhart then walked away from the contest in protest of the whole debacle. Duane Peters joined him.

Neither stuck around for the competition, but rather headed over to the infamous Thatcher ranch for three days of debauchery, leaving Peter “Kiwi” Gifford to take 1st in the contest.

Such occurrences made Blackhart notorious and left him with more than a few labels — “difficult” being a common theme.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover. Maybe it’s because I speak my mind, think from the heart and do what I want, which is not always a good thing.

Results may vary.”

Blackhart’s ties to both Independent Trucks and NHS were critical points in skateboard history.

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“There’s no other guy like Blackhart, know what I mean? He is one of my favorite people.” ~ Steve Olson “He’s one of the most aggressive skaters ever, not only in his time, but he’s been really aggressive and stylish. His two-handed rollout was the most memorable move ever. The more vert the better for him. Rick’s always been a total sweetheart, but I wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of his coin. He’s one of the most creative guys and one of the most gnarly, straight the to point, means what he says and says what he means kind of guy. I f**kin’ love Rick Blackhart!” ~ Duane Peters “He had the best retail skate shop ever—located out of the trunk of his car!” ~ Rich Novak, NHS “When the opportunity arose to put Blackhart on the PPS team, I was hyped! Blackhart has done so much for skateboarding over the years, and like most of the hardcore legendary rippers he never really got much for it. I'm stoked to have a chance to work with the guy who has helped push skateboarding and the skateboarding lifestyle past the edge from day one.

Blackhart is a living legend; the guy is the first to ever roll into a backyard pool frontside! No one else can ever claim that!” ~ Barret “Chicken” Deck, Pocket Pistols Skates “He was a totally gnarly skater back then and an innovator. When he was good, he was real good – he was definitely like lightning in a bottle.” ~ Peter “Kiwi” Gifford “I first saw Rick skating at Los Altos pool and Bombora pipe. He was Rubberman. He was the NorCal response to the Dogtowners, who not only equalled but surpassed that DT radicalness and attitude. He was an asshole to me at first, tolerated my hanging around and eventually, as the years and beers flew by, we've become close and lasting friends. He's a much more refined asshole these days, and still rips up pools and pipes alongside skaters less than half his age. Together he and I are just about all that is left in San Jose of the OG Independent and OG Thrasher BAW's (Big Asshole Windbags) crew who set the tone and conveyed it to the rest of the skate world. RB tells it like it is, and if you don't want to hear the honest-to-God, bare-bones, bitter truth about something, then don't ask Rick, because you ain't gonna like what he says. If you make the sorryass mistake of asking, then you sure as hell will never forget what he says. So, if you ever have the misfortune to run into Rick somewhere, do not make any sudden moves. I recommend that you just buy him a beer, or several beers, sit back and enjoy the Dr. Rick show. It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime window into the history of skateboarding that's worth way more than what you bargained for. And, if you're lucky, you'll learn what I've known for a long, long time: that Rick is a ‘Cadillac of Dudes.’” ~ MoFo

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While the Independent truck was still in the earliest design stages, Indy founders Vitello and Swenson (who had several failures under their belt with the Rebound and Stroker trucks) tapped NorCal legend Blackhart for his expertise as a skateboarder. It was a simple yet rare idea — having an actual skateboarder aid in designing a skateboard truck. And Blackhart knew all too well what worked and what didn’t.

“What we had was unique; our trucks were designed by a skater. Without Blackhart’s input, they’d have been just like any other truck,” said Vitello, in what was one of his last interviews before he passed away in 2006.

Beyond being integral in the design, development and testing phases and being Independent’s first pro team rider, Blackhart was also critical in helping create Indy’s immortal ad slogan and branding. Blackhart was featured in Indy’s first ad in July of ’78, which featured him pulling his startling new frontside roll-in at the Hester contest in Newark. But Indy needed a slogan or a catchphrase for the ad. Unable to come up with anything, they turned to Blackhart once again, asking him to describe the truck.

What came out of Blackhart’s mouth would shape the image and advertising of Independent Trucks for not only the first ad, but many ads that followed over the next 30 years. Of course, the profanity wouldn’t fly with the magazines of the day, so Indy transformed the profane slogan into “They’re hot!” It didn’t matter either way in the final analysis; the message came through loud and clear to the hundreds of thousands of skateboarders who saw the ad and jumped on board.

Vitello also tapped Blackhart as a columnist for Thrasher Magazine. His recurring Q & A page, dubbed “Ask The Doctor,” was a big hit.

You can’t talk about Blackhart without talking about his legendary namesake wheels with center-set double conicals — an industry first. Blackhart himself conceived the design and drafted it while NHS came up with the urethane formula and had the wheels poured — 50,000 of them, apparently.

“I still have the original drawing/spec sheet I drew way back in 1978,” said Blackhart. “I tested a few different urethanes

before I OK’d the final formula. I basically just asked for it to be harder and harder until the wheel had a nice breakaway slide to it.

“I got the shape idea while wondering what the world’s fastest wheel looked like.

Indy cars came to mind, so I drew a wheel that resembled the back tire of an Indy car — taking in mind the fact that the tire was centered over the rim,” explained Blackhart who also raced Formula V race cars for 6 years before packing it in due to funding shortfalls.

“I remember watching a race one day and they said, ‘The total center of gravity should be in the center of the wheel to achieve maximum speed.’ It was all about the balance, so that’s what I drew: a completely center-bearing, symmetrical wheel, which of course is an industry standard today.

“The only thing I wasn’t involved with was getting paid for what was arguably the fastest-riding and best-selling wheel ever made,” Blackhart said, his bitterness on the subject apparent.

The wheel went through three design evolutions before ceasing production the following year. However, you can find shot after shot of pros riding them throughout Thrasher Magazine’s first year of issues in 1981 and beyond. Today they are among the most sought-after wheels with collectors and have gone for as much as $3000.00 for a single set.

Although still on the Indy trucks team, Blackhart hasn’t had a board deal since Think Skateboards put out the B1 and B2 in 1997. That all changed just a few months ago when Blackhart was picked up

by Pocket Pistols Skates (PPS).

“It’s fantastic,” said a very stoked Blackhart. “Chicken is a great guy. PPS is a great company. The boards are awesome.”

PPS is equally stoked to have Blackhart in their fold. Blackhart currently has three primary models on PPS: an 8 7/8” x 31.75”, a 9.25” x 33.25” and a big 10.25” x 33”. PPS also released a limited-edition 9.25” x 33.25” Punk Point and has the latest, the Blackhart Park Shark, coming out soon. The company has several other Blackhart products in development as well.

“I can’t wait to ride some Blackhart wheels again,” said Blackhart, letting the cat out of the bag. “Some Blackhart trucks might be on the horizon too. The future looks bright.”

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It’s less about slapping ditches and more about trying not to GET slapped by them. This is the skateboard equivalent of heli-skiing in Alaska.

By Joe Lehm Photos: Jon Huey

I

t’s not actually a skatepark, though it really does look like one. A race or two and some fun runs just aren’t enough to satisfy the die-hard desert ditch rats in Albuquerque, N.M. In true TimeShip style, Ditch Slap ’08 was a real hoedown, complete with Iced Out bling for trophies, safety pimps and sponsors throwing down tons of cool gear. Four days, two shuttle vans, seven races and hundreds of miles of ditch cruising added up to a skate marathon! It’s less about slapping ditches and more about trying not to GET slapped by them. This is the skateboard equivalent of heli-skiing in Alaska. By the end of the first day more skaters had been ditch-slapped than the next three days combined, and few went home unscathed.

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Why brave sandpaper finishes and cheese-grater obstacles? For the thrill of surviving! “Don’t back talk me, Ditch!!” was the sticker of choice, and event bandanas were seen serving every function imaginable: concealing identity, dust mask, doo rag, snot rag, sunblock, bandages and slings. The shuttle vans were transformed into a tangle of boards, gear, empty beverage cans and stickers as skaters piled in and out all afternoon, every afternoon.

Harper Ditch race went so smoothly that it was over in an hour, allowing the raceready crew to head over to the Pressure Drop Ditch and race down its wicked rollin, all before noon. Nine-year-old Zion Miller astounded the crowd, showing that 60 lbs. of fully dreaded skate rat can rip a ditch!

Jason Mitchell won, Will Brunson took 2nd and Kelly Lynn 3rd.

Tumbleweeds piled up at Kate’s Nips and created natural obstacles in addition to the cones, making the week’s longest course even more challenging. Like last year, the police showed up to announce that they would give us 20 minutes to finish. One hour later it was wrapped and rolled; the officer never returned to the scene of the alleged crime. Thanks, APD. Jason Mitchell won, David Angelus got 2nd, Ryan Ricker 3rd.

A mischievous dump trucker laid down a bed of sand six inches deep at the Bear, but it was nothing that a few shovels, brooms and four hours of elbow grease couldn’t fix. The Bear race went down as planned, around six

PHOTOS: t competitor, h.

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cones and between four huge piles of sand.

The Bear was left hungry this year without being fed even a drop. Will Brunson won with his huge-ass face wall pushes, Mitchell took 2nd, Robin McGuirk 3rd.

After the awards party, and way too early on Sunday morning, the Chinese Ditch Race lasted all of 10 minutes, with the worst wreck being Dennis the Mennis’s board (hit by a car), not even in the ditch. Some troublemakers added rolling marbles and flour bombs to the debris mix, but Josh Rolf easily won, proving that leathers are always a good idea. For those who had any legs left, the eight-mile Cross Town race was an inviting way to finish them off. Starting with a running start and a few miles of downhill, this battle was between Brunson and McGuirk, leaving the pack well behind with McGuirk of Eastside Longboards edging Brunson by a board length. Skip Marcotte took 3rd.

The Indian School Marshall once said that ditch riding is more akin to barging a backyard pool than a relaxing afternoon at your local slalom hill. Yes, some of the races had cones and timing systems, some did not.

Some of the session spots had names, some

did not. Jimmy the Greek had the style, some riders did not. Jason Mitchell had the all-terrain vehicle that led him to three firsts and a 2nd, on the SAME board! He was awarded a fully iced-out Pimp Cup to celebrate his top dog status. Not to be forgotten, Andrew Mercado was given an iced-out Grill in commemoration of how many times people had said they’d just love to stuff something in his mouth. Well, this time we did, and he loved it. Find complete results and pictures at TimeShipRacing.com.

Thanks to our title sponsors: Landyachtz for the Kate’s Nips race, TimeShip for the Chinese Ditch race, Pressure Drop for the Layton race, Bear Trucks for the Bear race, Riviera for the Harper race. Also thanks to our product sponsors: Arbor, NiNja, Eastside Longboards, Loaded, Khiro, Paris Trucks, SK8KINGS, Gordon & Smith, Concrete Wave, Powell, Juice, Gravity, Triple 8, San Diego Speed, Earthwing, Never Summer, Street Swell, Subsonic, Viking, Bones, South Shore, Iced Out Gear, Madrid, Insect, Powell, Kronik and Longboard Larry.

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 57

very freestyle knows who YoYo Schulz is. The inventor of one of the hardest freestyle tricks and also one of the first freestylers to have a pro model during the freestyle resurection around 2000. YoYo has taught me a lot about freestyle so I’m still in debt to him.

Daryl Grogan. Not only does he land everything he tries, he lands them perfectly. Daryl is slowly adapting to street skating. Those tech freestyle tricks in his arsenal, make him almost impossible to beat in a game of S.K.A.T.E. I have never emailed or spoken to Diane Desiderio. This entire ‘transaction’ was done through her husband, Primo. This has to be one of the rarest freestyle decks out there. I think around 50 were made and according to Primo, only a few exist today.

Bill Robertson aka Dr. Skateboard is one of the nicest guy I know. Bill was nice enough to donate his used deck to my collection. I took him out for breakfast to repay him for the deck but he ended up paying for my bill when I was in the restroom.

Francis Lavallee is one of my favorite freestylers.

This guy lands difficult tricks consistently. As you can see, he maximizes the use of his boards; skating them until they resemble a termite infested log.

I didn’t know much about Gary Holl but his smooth freestyle moves and appealing Pro Model graphic caught my attention. I didn’t think he’d reply to my email or send me his used deck but he did..

Gunter Mokulys is the European Rodney Mullen.

He lands 99.9% of his tricks and skates more than he walks. Gunter speaks little English so I had to use an online translator when emailing him.

I got this signed deck by accident. Well, it was purchased on EBAY covered in dust and dirt. After giving it a wipedown, I hung it on my wall and NEVER noticed the faint Hans Lindgram autograph until a year later.

I’ve only met J.J. O’ Donnell once and never really stayed in touch with him for long but once is enough to know that he rips on a skateboard. He sent me his first model from Capital in return for designing the graphics on his pro model on Levitate Skateboards.

Joe Humeres was one of the few good freestylers from the East Coast and skated for Walker Skateboards. He is known for his butter-smooth footwork and is very well rounded with freestyle tricks. I bugged Joe for about 3 years before he finally gave up and sent this deck.

Ever wondered where or who that Keith Butterfield guy is? I have! This ex-Vision skater is also a Marine. I’m proud to have on team Decomposed.

Keith is also the inventor of the Butterflip and one of the top guys in the early 80s.

Keith Renna trains cage fighters part time and is based in New York. His second model on Decomposed is a tribute to one of his best friends, Francis

E

THE FREESTYLE COLLECTION of Witter Cheng Editor’s note: Wittier is one of the biggest supporters of freestyle skateboarding on the planet. Not only does he run his own freestyle skate company, “Decomposed,” he spends countless hours promoting freestyle and trying to hunt down old freestyle decks. This is just a taste of his collection and it provides some great insights in the history of freestyle. Enjoy!

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Lavallee. If you ever meet Keith, don’t make any sudden moves or you’ll end up with a broken arm.

Despite running a massive distribution, Kevin Harris still finds the time to make sure I am a happy man. This is one of the latest boards in my collection.

Stefan “Lillis” Akeson is another one of my influences. Originality, style and consistency. This guy has it all – all the way from Sweden.

One of the most stylish freestylers out there is Lynn Cooper. When Lynn gave me this deck, the nose was chipped so bad that he had, duct tape, sports tape and who knows what else holding it together. I love it!

I was very impressed with Mike Foster when I saw him compete in California. For being 50 years old, this guy can sure show the kids up. I’ve always wanted that funky Trinity Skateboards deck with the long kicks ever since seeing Mike skate it at a demo in San Diego. Mission accomplished! Thank you , Mr. Foster.

Per Canguru is rated the #1 freestyler in Brazil.

This guy pulls off some of the most technical tricks in contests. Per sent me this prototype deck so I could stencil off it for his Pro Model on Decomposed. Believe it or not, it is made of Ivory, weighs twice as much as Canadian Maple and has cracks all over it.

Russ Howell is without a doubt one of my favorite skaters. Anyone who had been skating since 1958 and still skates harder than most of today’s teenagers has to be a legend.

I met Primo Desiderio at a freestyle contest a few years back. It was hard to get to him initially because he was surrounded by kids. Later that day, I asked him if I could buy his deck off him. Without hesitating, he said, “You can have the whole thing when I’m done after the contest”. He kept his promise. We traded for my rare Indy 101 trucks.

Ray Meyer had one of the coolest boards from Santa Cruz in the 80s. This has to be in my top 10 all time favorite graphic on a skateboard. I’ve never met Ray personally so I sent this board off to have it signed by him.

Richy Carrasco. What can I say about this Brown Bomber? I seriously wish I could spin those hang-10 style 360s like him! I bought this deck off Richy after a dinner get together thing with a bunch of other freestylers.

I knew this was going to be one of the hardest autographs to get. I guess I just happened to catch Per Welinder in a less hectic time of the year.

Being the only guy to beat Rodney Mullen in a contest, you know how valuable it is for me to have his signed board.

Tommy Harward is one of my main influences as far as stationary tricks go. To meet him and score not one but two decks off him is an honor. He brought two complete setups with him to a contest so I bought one off him which was pretty much brand new.

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 59

PORTFOLIO

SILVÈRE TEUTSCH

ilvère Teutsch (a.k.a. “Sunanda”) has been photographing skateboarders for more than 10 years in France. Teutsch puts an emphasis on the beauty of the picture more than on the names of the skaters he shoots. He believes great skaters are everywhere but only a few are seen in the skate magazines. In response to this, he invested in a Nikon F90x and a fisheye lens and tried to shine a spotlight on these unknown skaters. As you can plainly see in these photos, he has definitely succeeded in his mission. Contact him at: prophotography108@yahoo.fr

S

Laurent Molinier, drop-in in Marseilles. All the international skate stars come here at least once. Palm trees and great food!

Patrick Nuss, fat ollie in Besançon, France. Besançon is a very active town with lots of good musicians and skaters, near the Swiss border. Wide forests, mountains, sun and fresh air.

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SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 61

Julien Bonnard, grinding at the Paris train station. This rail is famous in all the French magazines. Nothing more there, just a fantastic rail with security guards to avoid all the time; skate and then run, run, run…

Patrick Nuss, Indy fakie in Besançon, France. “Pat,” as he is called there, is now a successful businessman.

He was the owner of the biggest skateshop there.

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Medhi, “Boss of the Park,� grabbed transfer in Marseilles. This park is the biggest one in France.

It sits next to the sea and offers a spot with sea, skate and sun.

A lot of cute girls hang out there too.

Frankie at a private ramp in Dijon. My friend has built a mini-ramp in his garden. It was enjoyed only by a few skaters.

Alex (a.k.a. “Metallica�), wallride at Strasbourg Skatepark, France. This is one of my favorite shots. In winter, Alex, who has a big Metallica tattoo on his hand, removed his T-shirt to ride this huge wall, and it appears that he is almost touching the sky.

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Q U I V E R S:

T-MAG

By David Hackett

|

Photo: Ron Allen

O

f all the guys I have known and ridden with over the last 30 years of skateboarding, no one has committed his life to the skateboarding lifestyle more than Tony Magnusson. Hell, at 16 he bought a one-way ticket from Sweden to come here and compete against the best in the world at the time and never looked back. I also don’t know of anyone who is more competitive, or more underrated than T-Mag either! He is without a doubt, THE GNARLIEST 45-year-old skater on the planet. Consider these facts: 7-time vert champion of the Monster Mastership event in Germany; first to throw a 540 at 40 years of age; and in 2007, blasted 18foot-plus airs in the quarterpipe of the X-Games Mega Ramp! Besides all those age-defying feats, he’s a hell of a great guy, and it’s an honor to call him my friend…

Drop-in from a slide, Macon, France. Macon is the town where guys go to pass the test for military service. These skaters were not accepted so well, and none of them did their military service!

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How long have you been riding?

I started skateboarding in 1976 in Stockholm, Sweden, when I was 13, I guess. was the first board you purchased?

My first board was a plastic death contraption called a Newporter, with Stoker wheels and open bearings. (Unless you’re older than 40, you don’t know what open bearings are.) My mom vowed to burn it if she got her hands on it.

What board do you ride the most?

I mostly ride my regular vert board, which has a deeper concave, somewhat reminiscent of the [H-Street] Hell Concave, in that it has some concave in the tail – good for backside ollies. I also use my Sector 9 longboard all the time.

What’s the most prized deck in your collection, and why?

I have a slalom board that I made myself out of a snowboard, which I like a lot. I also have this board that I made for the Combi pool this year that is a larger version of my board, with graphite-reinforced outer skin that I epoxied onto the tail section of the deck. Why? The tail doesn’t flex out one bit.

What deck do you wish you still had?

I wish I had kept more of my boards from the H-Street days. I also wish my electric board still worked; I gotta get that fixed. I also wish I had some of the really high-tech foam/Kevlar decks that I made back in the early ’80s.

What is your favorite setup?

My favorite setup is a broken-in board, with way broken-in Indys and Powell Skate Park Formulas. A board that has some flat before the tail and has that really “right feel.”

Do you consider yourself an “all-around rider,” or do you specialize in one discipline?

I’m sure some would say that I’m an “aerial specialist” considering my history and whatnot, but I’m really into most of the kinds of skating, at least for a little while.

I definitely prefer large, blastable stuff, though.

How many setups do you usually bring on a trip or to a session?

Totally depends. I tend to have a small cruiser board in my car these days ’cuz you can’t park anywhere without having to walk a mile just to get to a store. I also have a tiny airport cruiser – no grip tape, 25” x 6”, [with] 60mm soft wheels and like 3-inch Chicago OG trucks. But to a regular session, I might bring a couple of boards.

Who has the best quiver that you know of?

David Hackett, for sure. I’m pretty sure he invented the whole idea of the quiver.

Or at least hung out a lot with the guy that did.

What is the most important component of a good setup?

The trucks, especially the bushings. Khiro bushings last a long time; I definitely ride ’em ’til they’re dead. I also like new grip tape all the time.

And for the T-MAG BONUS QUESTION: What the heck are “open bearings?”

Open bearings are the opposite of sealed bearings, which is what we’ve all ridden since about 1979. Before then, these bearings would have a couple of metal sleeves and then loose bearing balls rattling around in there. Sometimes, they’d all go flying out of the wheel and your whole ride came to a screeching halt, literally. They always had to be cleaned, which meant you had to take ’em all apart and hope that you didn’t lose any of the 50 or so little bearing balls. They were also really slow and noisy, and skateboarding as we know it today couldn’t have existed with open bearings.

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PUERTO RICO:

A SURF & SKATE MECCA Words and photos by Hector R. Valle

of pirates have a thirst for he island of Puerto Rico daring deeds and extreme has also been known by activities, regardless of the its native name of Borconsequences. This small inquen (“Land of the Brave corner of the Caribbean now Lord“) since long before holds a new and special the first Spaniards arrived. meaning to Eastern Seaboard There is no way to deny and Midwest surfers/skatethat the people on the boarders, due to its perfect northwest side of Puerto sunny weather, large surf and Rico are indeed brave The Locals take a brea ke variety of skateboarding terrain. lords, with an insatiable Modern-day skateboarding in need for adrenaline, as a large number of us are direct descendants of native Caribbean tribes, Puerto Rico started evolving back in the 1970s, and later pirates. Even though the current area of when visiting surfers (mostly from California and San Juan (the island’s main city, with 2.5 million Florida) came to the island for extended stays and inhabitants) was colonized by legitimate brought with them their habits and technologies.

Spaniards, the northwest coastal plains and cliffs This phenomenon was magnified by traveling were left wide open for outcasts and dubious cor- Puerto Rican surfer/skateboarders who trekked sairs to develop and establish home ports. The around the globe and brought back with them new era is replete with names like Hermina, the innovations they had encountered on their Dalmau, Morgan and other infamous and ill-re- journeys, adapting them to the growing island puted names from the old days of the surf/skate culture.

Puerto Rico (meaning “rich port” in Spanish) colonization of the Lesser Antilles. It should come as no surprise, then, that the descendants is a volcanic island covered with hills and moun-

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tains. Logically and naturally, gravity sports are a spillway, as you may get arrested and thrown into the past 30 years. What started as a way to get to very likely means of transportation and an ex- jail for trespassing. There were riots here in the the local surfing beach from a coastal town up on tremely cost-effective venue on the land mass. In late ‘70s when the island’s electric company de- the hills, developed over the years into a serious contrast with the island’s teeming tropical vege- cided to enforce a ban and kick out the high-speed event. Once a year, hundreds of international and local island participants come tation, urban terrain also abounds. Eternally skateboarders from using the area.

The first skatepark on the island, La Grana, together to challenge the three miles of winding, tropical, Puerto Rico is a great place for skateboarders of all genres to thrive year round, with was developed back in 1978 on a site near the city tropical mountain road and take home the nuwarm temperatures all year long, and very few cli- of San Juan. Skaters from all over the island merous purses and awards that are increasingly matic changes in a predominantly sunny flocked to the concrete facilities, which were typ- present at this event, the most prestigious of this ical of the era but already behind the times. The genre in the Caribbean. environment.

Slalom events have also made a sort of comeContemporary skateboarders have also bene- snake runs and mellow bowls found at this park fited from significant investments made by the were no challenge to the skaters of the era, who back in recent times here. The Pirate Surf Club, were turning now to vertical ter- based on the northwest side of the island, has island’s government in the form of above-ground rain, developing vert ramps and raised the bar on this genre by organizing several and in-ground skate parks looking for empty pools to ride slalom skateboarding events at various sites. Men that can be found at varand women of all ages who practice downhill are all over the island. ious places around the In present-day Puerto Rico, also getting into slalom racing and adjusting their island. A diversity of skateyou can find at least a dozen equipment to match the needs of this separate board terrain is prevalent all skateparks. Most of these discipline. Slalom skateboarding is alive and well around the island, and the parks are above ground, but today here on the island of Puerto Rico. variety of it can be immense.

The story of skateboarding on the island of the newly developed park at Credit must be given the former Ramey (U.S.) Air Puerto Rico has been well documented from the where due: surfing pioneers Force Base is a state-of-the- start. Bruce Walker, of Ocean Avenue Surflike Monty Smith, Bill Baulk, art, in-ground concrete boards/Walker Skateboards in Melbourne, Bruce Walker, Becky Taylor nandez Omar Her park that compares favor- Florida, took an early interest on the developand other mainlanders moved ably with other medium-sized parks ment of the sport on the island and traveled here to or visited the island and incommonly found today around the U.S. main- extensively in the 1970s and ‘80s to film footage fluenced the evolution of skateboarding through their own innovations and land. The only indoor skate park on the island can and shoot rolls and rolls of the skate action and structures that prevailed in that era. Present-day through ideas borrowed from the mainland. be found at the surf mecca of “filmographers” include Hector Puerto Rico has been a skateboarding mecca right Rincon, while above-ground Hugo and Javier Vigueira, from the start, as new developments quickly made parks are located in the who are working on a their way to a thriving island skate culture due to Aguadilla township, at San project called “Ejkei” (an the interest in the sport and the marketing efforts Jose of Quebradillas, in the Anglicism rooted in the that these pioneers helped develop. Each genre of city of Arecibo on the north Spanish pronunciation of the skateboarding grew by leaps and bounds over the shore and the town of San word “skate”), which promises decades, with most divisions of skateboarding still Lorenzo on the northeast to be the most complete and represented today. Slalom skateboarding is alive side of the island. The “La profound skateboarding docuand well on the slopes of the NW, as well as the Perla” bowl is located mentary of the history of dropping of big hills at periodic downhill skate- smack in the middle of the skateboarding on the island of board races sponsored by national and Old San Juan city. It’s the El Condado Skate Dem Puerto Rico to date. The film’s international brands. Street and bowl riding have only concrete bowl on o 1979 demo DVD shows how well benefited the most, with new skateparks on the the island built out of recycled maJavier and Hector Hugo have north and northwest portions of the island terials with volunteer man-hours.

The Puerto Rico Skateboard Federation has captured the island’s rich skateboard lineage. The opening up within the past decade, offering varied and serious terrain for all to enjoy. Add the copious helped establish the sport of skateboarding in full film feature is due to be released in the spring urban terrain strewn across the many cities found Puerto Rico as a bona fide, well-accepted sport. of 2008 at a yet undisclosed theater in New York on the island, and you have a skateboarder’s para- This organization comprises some of the most City as an independent film narrated by actor hardcore old-school skaters the island has seen and rock star Robbi (Draco) Rosa. dise. The possibilities are numerous and endless.

If you live here on the island, good for you! Bet The Guajataca Lake ditch is the largest and over three generations, who to this day still ride widest concrete mass you will ever skate. Its and organize vert, street and downhill skate- you are stoked every day of your life. If you don’t live mammoth size and tropical mountain setting boarding events. Personalities like Roberto here and want to visit to surf and skate (or enjoy this makes it a breathtaking site that is unbelievable to (Boligoma) Cortes and Orlando Ramirez have island paradise and all it has to offer), you can visit the senses. Its 50-foot drops at 45-degree angles provided restless leadership that has stimulated the any of the numerous sites on the Internet to arm will make you go so fast that when you hit the harvest of a new crop of talented skaters who have yourself with the latest and the greatest. Check out gotopuertorico.com, tourismpr.com, casiano.com, opposite wall you may break a truck hanger. The successfully competed at the international level.

The “Pirates of the Downhill” are a group of concretedisciples.com, ejkei.com, birdstown.com, possibilities are endless, and the Guajataca ditch can be a universe of its own. Be careful when hardcore downhill skaters who have dominated surfpr.com, myspace.com/piratasurfclub1 and mytrespassing into the government-owned lake this genre on the northwest side of the island for space.com/birdstown

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BRIANNE DAVIES, born and raised in Vancouver, has most likely intimidated a number of guys and girls on the start line. After picking up a Sector 9 in high school, there was no turning back. She had nothing short of awesome results at almost every race on the West Coast in 2007, and plans to do the same this year here in BC and in Europe.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle in longboarding?

Keeping up with the boys! And the “no skateboarding” attitude of the city.

What made you want to get into racing?

Danger Bay and you, Midget!

Do you feel like you’re treated differently at events and on the course?

Yeah, boys are usually glad to have a girl to race with, because it means an easy win for them. Then I pass their ass and they aren’t so happy about it.

Who are your sponsors? Who supports you? Who has helped you out in the past?

Rayne, Colabo, and Abec 11.

SURROUNDED BY STOKE A PROFILE OF VANCOUVER FEMALE LONGBOARDERS Interviews by Carly “Midget” Richardson he explosive growth of longboarding is undeniable. From freeriding, to sliding, to racing, cruising and carving, all types of skateboarding are getting more exposure than ever. Pockets of riders and small communities are forming and popping up all over the globe. Although most types of skateboarding are very much male-dominated, there are not surprisingly more and more females getting involved in downhill skateboarding, especially here in BC. Whether it’s because of the endless terrain or the huge population and tight community surrounding the sport (much thanks to Coast Longboarding), the number of women riding here is constantly growing. The first girl to ever race at Danger Bay was Louise Leslie, a.k.a. LouDogg. She was a huge inspiration, and within two years of that there were 11 girls lined up to race.

Not only do the girls here ride all year round for the love of the sport, they are making a name for themselves at all of the local events and races. A core group of these girls in particular are paving the way and opening doors for girls/women of all ages and abilities to become more involved in the sport. Here’s a more in-depth look at these girls here in BC. The explosive growth of longboarding is undeniable. From freeriding, to sliding, to racing, cruising and carving, all types of skateboarding are getting more exposure than ever.

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Anyone who attended Danger Bay 6 and read reviews or saw pictures was probably rooting for another Vancouver local, HAVEN ANDERSON. She had all eyes on her at the slide competition. Not only was Haven busting out some sweet moves, but she did it in style.

At the end of the day, she was tied for 5th against a field of guys, and it was well deserved.

Haven’s become notorious around here for her natural ability and all-around talent.

What are your setups? Favorite board/ trucks/wheels? Anything different than a

Haven Anderson (above) and Brianne Davies (opposite page) Photo: Max Erwin

regular setup (lighter, shorter, softer bushings, etc.)?

I like the Sector 9 topmount race board — the wheelbase is short and it’s really stiff — with Smokeys and BigZigs.

race at the end of the day as a kind of novelty race. There are usually only enough girls for one or two heats so it’s quick and it’s a great crowd pleaser. But it’s more important for me to race with everyone.

How long have you been riding?

Almost 2 years.

Most memorable experience?

My most intense experience was when I hit a baby deer on Seymour. I got the biggest wobbles but somehow I didn’t crash.

What made you get into racing?

There was a girls’ race at Danger Bay 5. I love hay bales!

What is your favorite race and why?

Paskapoo — it’s so steep, and there are so many corners and opportunities to pass. And best of all, there’s a chairlift that takes you to the top of the road.

What do you want to see happen for girls in the racing circuit? Separate classes?

I think the girls should get to have their own

KATIE NEILSON is a recent street/bowl rider convert. With a past filled with go-kart racing and a lot of skateboarding, she shows no signs of slowing down on her longboard. The first time I rode with her, I looked behind me expecting nothing, but there she was! The first time I raced with her I thought I’d have an easy heat. Instead, she passed me around Carnage Corner and beat me all the way to the finish line. This year, I’m scared.

Katie Neilson. Photo: Paul McDermott

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What was your first longboard?

I rode an Evo for Danger Bay and all...I guess that was my first setup even though it wasn’t mine. Ha ha, thanks Benny.

What made you want to get into racing?

Racing is sweet; it’s embedded in my blood. I raced go-karts for years and stopped in my midteens. The second I found out that people actually race skateboards I jumped on it with full force and sank my teeth into my latest addiction.

What separates longboarding from other sports you have been or are involved with?

The community is the obvious answer. I don’t think there is another sport where everyone gets together like we do. Even if you don’t hang out they are still your boys; it’s great. Skateboarding is fun, and that’s why I do it. But the community is what keeps me sticking around and hungry for more.

Who are your sponsors? Who supports you?

Who has helped you out in the past?

Sector 9 has been helping me out with boards, which is awesome because they have an amazing shape. The topmount that I am

racing on fits my body perfect. They’ve thrown me a couple of short boards to shred in the bowls and sliding as well, and I’m pretty sure that they have the nicest out of all the shapes I’ve ever ridden. Crazy strong wood too. That’s important...obviously.

Then there’s the girl you can hear laughing a kilometer away. CHIARA POSCENTE has an infectious stoke and addiction for flying down hills and slashing corners. She seems to jump all over the chance to challenge herself whenever and wherever possible. Chiara will most likely be longboarding until she can’t walk. Along with Brianne, she’ll be heading to Europe this summer to shred the gnarly roads and hit up a few races.

What are your setups? Favorite board/trucks/ wheels? Anything different than a regular setup (“Shevo’s,” lighter, shorter, softer bushings, etc.)?

Rayne Carbon Hellcat Dee-Lite with Kahalanis and Zigs (Bigs or Zags). I like a feather-light ride, and I swear by JimZ bushings — gotta have ‘em. Always. They’re custom pimped to pop right into the trucks — very rad.

How did you get into it?

My brother Luca, a.k.a. Astroboy. Look out, that kid is F-A-S-T! What is your favorite race and why?

That’s tough. I enjoy all the races, but I have this weird obsession with the Sully. I can’t help it. I don’t even really like the road all that much (it scares me); there’s just something about that incredible (long-ass) drive and the magnificent campsite and all the wonderful people. It’s got such a good vibe. Jody just puts on the best race. It’s affordable, fun, challenging, exciting; I really look forward to it. Yeah, Kimberley! Not to mention that Tony is my hero.

What separates longboarding from other sports you have been or are involved with?

Skateboarding is more fun than anything else — bottom line.

Who are your sponsors? Who supports you? Who has helped you out in the past?

Sponsors are Mommy and Daddy. Um, Rayne has always been very nice to me. As far as help goes, I need to shout out to the Calgary crew who started it all; you know I love you boys!

Team Chilliwack; both Mikes (McGoldrick and Benda), Big-Time; Kevin Reimer — that guy is ALWAYS down to skate; and of course, my ladies, who are my inspiration and my stoke!

Without these people my skateboarding could not have been possible.

Carly “Midget” Richardson. Photo: Nate Lang

What made you want to get into racing?

You! Seriously, we met while I was on that road trip with Luca at Vernon DH and you told me to learn how to longboard and then come and race the next Danger Bay. So I did. Well, and Brianne too. She was like, DO IT! And it’s been awesome!

CARLY “MIDGET” RICHARDSON has graced the pages of Concrete Wave in both editorial and advertising. She holds down a full-time job at Landyachtz, sending out product throughout the world. Carly has competed at many different events in North America and would love to visit Europe one day. We couldn’t complete this article without interviewing her.

Michael Brooke: How did you get into skateboarding?

I got into longboarding when I saw a couple of guys in my high school that had boards. I made an effort to “borrow” their boards for a few weeks at a time and would push around my neighborhood or the seawall whenever I had the chance.

What drew you to longboarding?

I was drawn to longboarding because it seemed easier than regular street skating; it was more comparable to surfing or snowboarding and a great way to get around.

How do you feel you’ve been treated by fellow riders (both female and male)?

I think I’ve been treated just like every other longboarder I’ve met, regardless of gender. Always surrounded by stoke and encouragement — as it should be! The first couple of races I attended there were questions being asked like, “you’re racing?” After a few events, people were used to it.

Chiara Poscente. Photo: Max Erwin

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What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle in longboarding?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced has been my fear of injury. At first I didn’t care and would throw myself down hills. As I got a bit older and had more responsibility, the more there was on the line if I got hurt. I have a dog to walk and bills to pay! Now I’m a lot more hesitant than I used to be to try new things.

What is your best skate memory?

The best “skate” memory I have would have to be the first race I went to, Shnitzel’s Sullivan Challenge in Kimberley. That race course is so odd, and the whole weekend is a blast. The other memory that sticks out is the first seawall cruise I attended here in Vancouver. All you can see in front and behind you are longboarders.

Oh, what a feeling!

puts on in SoCal, and the recent All Girls Skate Jam/tutorial that the girls here in Vancouver put on. All these things among others will contribute to girls getting involved in skateboarding.

What can be done to encourage more females to skateboard?

If the skate community is continuously supportive and encouraging of girls trying new things and challenging themselves, then there’s tons of potential for the number of girls that skate to keep growing. Things like the Downhill Diva sessions that Isabelle Caudle

What do you want to see happen for girls in the racing circuit? Separate classes?

Separate classes have their advantages. It’s great that at some races we get to race against both the guys and girls. Hopefully with more girls becoming involved there’ll be some tough competition for us. But if we have to race the guys, that’s totally OK with me.

Who are your sponsors?

Landyachtz, Pink Wheels and Timeship Racing.

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MB: Do you still believe this?

Can retailers survive by selling decks that don’t need replenishing every month?

DG: Of course they can. Look at related fields like surfing, snowboarding, skiing and bicycling.

Retailers do just fine with a customer base that makes major purchases once a season, not once a month. Many industries rely on some degree of planned obsolescence. But if skateboard retailers can only survive by selling active skaters one deck per month, then I think the skateboard industry needs some serious retooling.

By Michael Brooke Back in 1997, while doing research for my book “The Concrete Wave,” I received a document that in hindsight was quite prophetic. It was an analysis of the skate market from a very different perspective. The report was written by Dan Gesmer of Seismic Skate Systems. Back in 1994, Seismic had released a truck that was definitely ahead of its time. Unfortunately, as Dan recalls, “longboarding and racing were still considered highly unfashionable at the time.” I thought our readers might be interested in learning more about this report, and I felt that enough time had passed for Dan to have some perspective. The following is a combination of the actual document (in italics) and our discussion about the report.

Michael Brooke: What was your original reason behind writing this report?

Dan Gesmer: I was keenly interested in broadening the market’s horizons. Offering ready-to-roll carving completes seemed like the best strategy. So in the mid-1990s, I worked on creating high-performance slalom-style completes, in collaboration with legendary deck craftsman Bob Turner. Bob’s production capacity was limited, so I began talking and meeting with players in the ski and snowboard world: Rossignol, Völkl, Atomic, K2, Pale, even Never Summer. In 1997, I entered into high-level discussions with Salomon. As a first step, they hired me to research and write an in-depth analysis of the international skateboard market.

“In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the California-based skateboard industry shifted virtually all

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its attention to aggressive, high-impact styles practiced primarily by teenage males. These styles were becoming extremely popular and were arguably the most photogenic. However, the dominant manufacturers may also have coolly calculated that a narrower market — one more concerned with the equipment’s graphic adornments, image, and durability than with finer performance characteristics — would be easier to control compared to a market diversified along demographic status and equipment performance requirements.”

MB: Eleven years later, what are your thoughts? Was it a cool calculation? The fact is that the industry did meet in Poway [Calif.] during ASR 1994 and created the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” document that pleaded for more variety.

DG: In the late 1970s and early

Dan Gesmer

1980s, did the leaders of the skateboard industry conspire to narrow the market’s horizons so as to maintain better control? I do not have enough inside information to say yes or no with any certainty.

However, fear can lead even the best of us to take actions that run counter to the greater good. Furthermore, the older brands that signed off on the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in 1994 do not seem to be the ones responsible for the variety we now see in longboard, racing and old-school gear.

“Miki Vuckovich, editor of TransWorld Skateboarding Business, believes that the longboard market will soon saturate and then shrink slightly, since the trend may subside and longboard equipment lasts significantly longer than streetstyle gear. Seismic feels that this is a shortsighted view, one which assumes that no innovative technologies are intelligently marketed to broader audiences.”

“Seismic anticipates that current skaters will be willing to spend significantly more for gear if demonstrably higher performance can be coupled with considerable increases in durability. It is worth noting that snowboarders, surfers, skiers, inline skaters, and participants in related flow-motion sports are used to spending much more for equipment; and that there is significant cross-over between these sports and skateboarding.”

MB: You anticipated a higherend skateboard ranging in price from $160 to $500, and we are pretty well there.

DG: We still have a ways to go.

Sure, the average longboard may now cost US $150 or more. But factoring for inflation, that’s probably cheaper than an average good skateboard cost in the 1980s or 1990s! And yes, it’s theoretically possible to spend $500 on a racing setup. But how many shops or online stores are ready to sell that?

You pretty much have to be an insider to know how and where to buy that kind of gear.

“In the sport’s mid-1970’s Golden Era, multiple skating forms evolved which appealed to a wide spectrum of people, and manufacturers created specialized equipment for each approach.

Since the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the leading manufacturers and their publications have largely ignored the existence of many of these skating styles

and equipment types, choosing instead to concentrate exclusively on one or two aggressive skating forms. In so doing they have artificially narrowed the choices of skateboarders and the potential scope of their own customer base.

Since foreign markets depend on American-made products and take their cues from U.S. magazines, the situation abroad echoes that in America.

“In the opinion of Seismic, the industry leaders have feared that supporting the type of broad approach seen in the 1970’s would encourage new companies to introduce innovative products and transform the market.”

MB: Do you feel this fear is still with us?

DG: In the case of shortboard publications, I think a different fear is now at play. Those magazines have boxed themselves into a corner.

Their ethos is based on the notion that only shortboarding is “real” skateboarding, that other approaches are hopelessly uncool. Their paying advertisers depend on leveraging this culture to market products. Expanding coverage to include disciplines like longboarding and racing (which are no longer “alternative”!) might alienate both advertisers and young readers. At the same time, the content of these magazines is largely responsible for shaping the sensibilities of the young readership, so a vicious circle is at work. Change is inevitable, but it takes courage to choose change that’s positive. I’m reminded of a little gem I recently read somewhere: “By definition, what is unsustainable will not be sustained.”

MB: You predicted the descent of street decks into a mass commodity… “…most products are low-tech streetstyle boards, essentially identical in design and construction, suited primarily for high-impact stunts and durable teenage male bodies. Marketing is based on attitude and image, with product graphics and star endorsements being the only thing to

really distinguish one brand from the next.”

DG: By 1997, it was already fairly obvious that shortboards had turned into a generic commodity item. No special prophetic skill was required to observe that the Emperor was streaking!

MB: You also pointed out what was missing in the market: “Moreover, the three leading American skateboard magazines (TransWorld Skateboarding, Thrasher, and Big Brother) are all designed around ads for the publishers’ own streetstyle products. This presents a challenge to new companies attempting to gain a foothold in the market, especially those interested in pushing the performance envelope and appealing to new audiences. For example, while longboarding and other alternative approaches are steadily gaining in popularity, the manufacturer-owned magazines largely ignore the trend.”

MB: That was the main reason I started up International Longboarder and then Concrete Wave.

DG: Congratulations to you for having the courage to strike a new path, one that has involved enduring plenty of harsh criticism.

“Given this situation, the skateboard market has had difficulty expanding naturally. Though now in the midst of a sales boom (driven primarily by the appearance of large numbers of teenage males), the market was at risk in the early 1990’s of imploding on itself, with manufacturers trying to maximize profit at the expense of expansion. At that time streetstyle skating was growing more and more technical, its sub-cultural backdrop more and more controversial, and its appeal more and more narrow. Simultaneously, manufacturers were focusing more and more energy on catering to streetstyle skaters (as opposed to vert riders and others).

“Only in the last few years have the industry leaders recognized the

dilemma, but they have hesitated to take decisive action for fear of alienating their existing customer base.

Indeed, by evangelizing the aggressive market to be suspicious of product innovation, change, and wider social acceptance, the industry conglomerates have put themselves in a double-bind, damned if they do and damned if they don’t. So far it has been left mainly to newer, smaller companies to fill the emerging demand for alternative gear, though many of the larger firms were quick to introduce longboards and re-introduce vert-style gear when the trends grew clear.”

MB: And yet, most of these companies have had a limited success with longboards and pool-shaped decks. I sense their hearts and minds are focused on their core street market.

DG: We can only speculate about where their focus lies. But it’s obvious that most of the older brands haven’t committed to developing top-quality lines of longboards and old-school pool/park shapes. Whatever they do offer in these categories is often poorly promoted. So they usually haven’t established the market credibility that younger, more specialized brands have.

“The skateboard industry establishment has spent nearly two decades suppressing the diversification of its market and defending against the intrusion of manufacturers with a more expansive vision and more sophisticated engineering skills. But cracks in their armor are beginning to grow wider and wider. Advanced technologies to enhance the carving and aerial performance of street and vert gear should meet with success and expand the market for the traditional aggressive approaches. Moreover, untold millions of less aggressive, older, and/or female outdoor sports participants might purchase skateboards if their potential for safe, low-impact, carving-oriented enjoyment were demonstrably comparable to that of skis, snowboards, inline skates, etc.

“It is the considered opinion of Seismic that the international skate-

board market is ripe for the introduction of a varied line of ready-to-roll high-performance skateboards, skillfully marketed to aggressive boarders as the next step in the evolution of their approaches; to snowboarders and surfers as a valuable cross-over/crosstraining activity; and to skiers, inline skaters, and other flow-motion enthusiasts as a fun, exciting, and in some ways entirely new recreational alternative.

“The entrance of multinational manufacturers and corporate sponsors might, some lament, cause the spectator and mainstream markets to drive the sport’s evolution more than the hardcore segment. However, this would likely lead to greater acceptance of skateboarding and a larger, more stable market, less prone to the boomand-bust cycles of previous decades.”

MB: Well, this has happened.

Nike is now firmly established.

Alien Workshop was acquired by Burton. Quiksilver and Billabong are huge players in skate, and shoe companies like Etnies and DC wield enormous power. 11 years later, do you think the growth of the corporate side of skateboarding has affected the niche side, or is it too early to tell?

DG: Not that I’ve paid close attention, but it seems like a relatively small gamble for Nike and Burton to market standard shortboard gear. Salomon, for which I wrote the market study in 1997, made a similar low-risk move when they bought out the French shortboard brand Cliché.

But if longboarding and racing blow up beyond a certain point, we shouldn’t be surprised to see large multi-sport brands enter the market. For sure they are already watching. Everyone smile and wave!

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LONGBOARDING Skaters Raise Money for Charity

By Adam Colton

How did the idea to Skate Across NZ come about?

Nat Halliday: Well, I was skating to work every day and decided that I needed a bit more of an adventure. I had recently got back from New Zealand, and the two things just seemed to slot together — doing my favorite thing in my favorite country.

What made you pick the Lowe Syndrome and CanTeen charities to raise money for?

Nat: Lowe was an obvious choice. So many skate journeys have been to raise funds and awareness for Lowe Syndrome: America, the UK, Europe and Australia. New Zealand was next. CanTeen was chosen as it is based in New Zealand and helps support young people suffering with cancer. I work with children and couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be a kid dealing with something as big as that. CanTeen is there to help.

How did your initial expectations of the trip compare to the actual trip?

Nat: New Zealand lived up to everything I expected. The roads were rougher, windier and steeper than I imagined. The people were friendlier.

Adam Colton: There were more pretty girls than I expected. The NZ sun equals death! My nose peeled off.

Sheldon Lessard: Each day’s mileage wasn’t as far as I was expecting it to be, but the miles we did do punished me almost every day.

Kari Grebe: People in New Zealand are generally just stoked for life. I also didn’t expect to have such a stellar group of people to skate with. The team was really great together.

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What makes distance skating so hard, and how do you overcome?

Nat: It’s not the skating that is hard; your body gets adjusted to the physical effort after a few weeks. I found the hardest thing was dealing with other people after you have had a punishing day. You just want to eat and rest.

Everything else becomes a problem or a stress — for me, anyway!

Sheldon: Cows make it hard… For me it was all a head game. I began to question once after a really hard day why I was out there, exerting myself day in and day out. I didn’t end up shaking that mindset until more than halfway through. Once I was in that way of thinking, it was hard to keep going and be out there.

Any rough road and gnarly hill stories?

Nat: I am not the greatest downhiller, but I learned fast. I had a simple rule: Follow Adam and be one stage behind him. If he stood up from a tuck, I should be air braking. If he was air braking, then I should be foot braking. If he was foot braking, then I was in trouble. I also think my foot braking is a bit heavy. I managed to put a hole in a new shoe in one day because of the steepness and surface of the roads. We always had this look that passed between us when we got to the bottom, kind of relief but excitement at the same time.

Adam: We went down a number of hills when all of a sudden the smooth pavement turns to actual chunks of rock and you throw out your arms for dear life as your feet and board vibrate all over the place and semi trucks are passing you an arm’s length away. You get to the bottom and you run

off your board because your feet are on fire, and you look at the other person and smile slightly — another near-death experience.

Sheldon: Rough roads were just the story of the trip. Hills, though… trying to find that balance between wanting to relax [and] pick up as much speed to carry you through vs. worrying about traffic, rocks, no shoulder, etc., and knowing you will probably never ride that hill again. Sometimes a hill that under any other circumstance wouldn’t have been gnarly, almost takes you out by sudden pebbles and a tailgating car.

What kind of hospitality and road rage did you receive along the way?

Nat: I had it pretty bad, especially in Auckland. I got hit by a car when it turned in front of me. I wasn’t going too fast

NEW ZEALAND and was laughing as I ran to find my board. I also got a bag of rubbish thrown at me by a bunch of drunks. It landed in front of my board and I went over the front. I stood up and managed to get $15 off the bloke who threw it to go in the charity bag!

The people of New Zealand are a super friendly lot. We stayed in some amazing places and met some great people. Farmyards, beautiful city houses, artist communes and B&B’s.

Adam: People liked to honk angry at us from time to time. People threw the occasional beer bottles… [and] cardboard boxes, which always missed. There was one occasion in Auckland where this

“The people of New Zealand are a super friendly lot.

We stayed in some amazing places and met some great people.”

car cut us off and got very close to us so the next time it came by I emptied my water bottle all over its windshield.

Any personal near-death experiences?

Nat: Quite often you will be on a road where it is so steep and rough that you can be foot braking hard and still accelerating. Unlike in the UK, the trucks have trailers. So you will feel the first part go past your shoulder and turn to see the trailer closer than you thought it was.

The drivers are crazy in New Zealand. They overtake everywhere, and I think cutting you up is a national pastime.

Adam: A car was overtaking a semi in the lane I was skating in. I was zoning out at the moment, and I did not realize a car was coming at me until the last couple of seconds, in which I freaked out and swerved, got my whole board off the road in the dirt running over chunks of rocks and small plants, and somehow managed to steer the board back on the road without falling off

d Lessar n o d l She

and getting rammed by the car — luck.

Sheldon: Early on in the trip, as we took a lefthander down a hill, a motor home was coming up the opposite way. I still cannot explain why, but I failed to really turn much and headed just about right at the camper, thinking my only choices were to hop off and run in front of it or smack up against the side. Decided to ride it out and got my board turning and made it safely by… then had to skate down the rest of the hill.

It was only the first turn!

What do you think was the biggest accomplishment of the Skate NZ trip?

Nat: The biggest accomplishment by far was keeping the whole team together till the end with very limited drama. Skating all of NZ was hard, but when you’ve

never met before, one of them being an English schoolteacher, and the other one being Adam Colton.

Kari: I lived out of a bag for over two months.

I had no watch, no phone — and I’ve never felt so free. The trip helped me realize how simple life can be. I also met some really rad people that gave me much more hope for humanity than I had before. I learned about the kind of people I want to surround myself with.

got five people all together 24/7 for two months under stressful conditions, keeping it together becomes the biggest challenge.

Any particular moment that sticks out in your mind as you look back on the trip?

Nat: Well, for me, meeting Julia was my best moment, hands down (Adam is going to be the best man!). So many others, though.

Being with Adam 24/7, his face when he picked up a pig, his quest to find his future wife, him playing “Jungle Fever” on the computer, and when Kari announced that she was the most responsible member of the team!

Genius.

Adam: So many moments, but a funny one…

I was eating pizza at Pizza Hut with Sheldon in Whangarei; I asked Sheldon what was the date, and he said Jan. 16th. I started laughing.

My birthday [had been] three days ago, and I totally forgot. It just shows you how you have no aspect of time on these kinds of trips.

Sheldon: One of my favorite moments was when we gave the extra Dervish I had, and pieced the rest of the board together from some of Nat’s and my hardware, to a little girl whose father had stopped because he had been following our trip online — after the only time we were stopped by the police and not allowed to ride the whole trip. It was a nice contrast.

Kari: There are tons: everyone’s distinct laughs; the unforgettable experience of working on a farm, almost flying off the back of the farmer’s four-wheeler, and catching a sheep in a bush full of thorns…then hauling the sheep up a mountain with Adam sitting on me and driving so that the sheep and I wouldn’t fall off and roll down the jagged hill to our death.

How did you grow as a person? What personal changes occurred?

Nat: I met my future wife and skated further than I have ever done before across a country I love.

Adam: Every time I travel it is great to see different cultures, and when you get home you just respect more of what you have and where you live. These trips really help develop your communication skills since you are constantly talking to and meeting new people from different backgrounds all the time.

Sheldon: The trip reminded me about persevering through things that at points may seem like the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.

You learn a lot, too, when you’re suddenly coexisting with four other people you had

80 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

These trips really help develop your communication skills since you are constantly talking to and meeting new people from different backgrounds all the time.

AN INTRODUCTION TO

BACKYARD RAMPS AKA: The Joys of Wood

What advice would you give to others planning a long-distance skate trip?

Nat: Talk to people who have done journeys before you. Be open to things changing on a daily basis, and don’t stress when things don’t go to plan. Skate more and skate further.

Adam: Make sure you are up for the challenge. It is not a vacation. Start small to get a taste of it; skate 200 miles or so, and if you like it, go for a longer trip.

Sheldon: I think starting small is good advice.

Pack fairly light. The better company you have, and the more desire, can only make it better. I don’t know if anything could have actually prepared me for the journey. There’s such an abundance of experience and emotions that you go through; you have to be ready for it.

Kari: Avoid having expectations of the trip.

A plan to start off with is good, but learn to accept that things change along the way.

Communication is the only thing that keeps you sane; learn to speak comfortably with your teammates.

What’s next in your future?

Nat: Back to life as a primary school teacher/skateboarder. The US & UK 24-hour ultra-skate, skate marathons and setting up and running skatefurther.com, a website for long-distance skaters.

Adam: A trip a year, whether it be a longboarding trip or a trip by foot. Japan or South America [in] 2009, Nepal in 2010.

Sheldon: The 24-hour ultra-skate this June in Seattle. And more travels with the board at very least in arm’s reach. More states and countries to be conquered in the next year.

Kari: Finishing school and doing some smaller skate trips with just a backpack and no exact destinations… Maryhill… volunteering in Africa within a couple of years.

Special thanks to… Everyone we met on the journey that helped out or donated. The biggest “thank you” has to go to Julia for keeping the team together and managing Nat’s grumpy levels, hahahaha.

By Mike Mapp

Wooden Tranny Session In this article I will try to explain why and how to build your own ramp. As a professional ramp builder, I am happy to offer guidance. As a professional skatepark builder and a career skater, I don’t see it like other skatepark companies do. I have always cultivated the backyard thing, a.k.a. “skate at home.” As skaters, we all have roots here. I believe that home is where the session is. Backyard ramps are the backbone of skateboarding. The idea of corralling all skaters into the one local skatepark — even if it’s super bad-ass — will ultimately kill the sport. There have to be many places to skate — skateparks, ramps, pools, ditches, whatever. You can create whatever you want in this world. It’s up to you to do the task correctly.

The diagrams for this session are excerpts from our 6’ halfpipe ramp plans. Following this plan is a strong and long-lasting way to build. It will cost some time, effort and money, but it will be well worth it. If this is done correctly, you will have your own place to skate. You won’t have to pay anyone or wear a helmet. You and your friends can session freely, you can learn tricks at your own pace, you can barbeque and drink beer all you want, you can teach your kid how to roll in, or he can teach you how to do blunt-fakies.

Once you’re done with it, please skate it hard.

On another note, we all know that concrete skateparks are a great thing, but a well-built wooden bowl or ramp is a great option as well.

Whatever can be conceived can be built with

ease. It starts with a mini ramp, then it gets bigger. I skate a lot at concrete parks, and a nice, wide wooden mini-ramp or bowl with options is always fun to warm up on, or just tear in general.

A lot of information on the Web seems to suggest that anyone can become an expert in any field instantly. This just isn’t so — especially when it comes to building these halfpipes. The effect from this is Harry Homeowner complaining he has a monstrosity on his hands.

Now I know there are a lot of dads and do-ityourselfers out there who think they’ve got it all figured out, but without a mass of experience you might not get it right. It takes years of trial and error, experimentation and commitment to achieve something that’s really good.

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 81

DIY — Doing It Yourself Take a look at all these ramps. These are people who have done it on their own. With some experience and the right attitude, it’s all doable. In today’s spoon-fed youth culture, it will be refreshing to learn a new experience that involves work and skill. It’s not going to be a video game.

The backyard ramp is a skatepark, and it can be all yours with a DIY effort. DIY is a time-honored tradition that has been handed down from older skaters to younger ones. Some skaters feel they they are somehow entitled to a municipal skatepark. In some respects I suppose they are, but even if you have a killer skatepark right down the street, there is no reason not to have a backyard halfpipe; there is just so much freedom to owning your very own skatepark. It just takes some effort. Moms and dads love the concept because “Johnny” can, and will, stay at home to skate with his friends. The talent of skating prospers from this as well. Learning the value of “do it yourself” is something that can’t be replaced; it’s a life lesson, and you won’t forget it. We get e-mails and letters asking, “How did you get started in ramp building?”

The answer is I did it myself, and you can too.

Following are some common things that need to be considered before you drop in.

ACQ Treated Woods (pressure-treated woods): Considering that 99% of all ramps are outdoors and not in sunny, rain-free, snow-free places, you need to use the correct outdoor materials. There is a big perception out there that California weather is everywhere. For the rest of us, we have to build according to geographic weather conditions, most of which are not continually sunny. Regular lumber and plywood will rot in six months’ time. This is why so many 82 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

ramps are scrapped. You wouldn’t go out in the backyard and build a deck out of regular lumber, because it’s illegal. The reason it’s not legal is because it will rot and deteriorate quickly, thus becoming unstable and unsafe. If you’re using regular lumber to build your ramp, you are heading to the dump. Don’t be some poor dad who built it with regular woods and now it’s mud. The standard for all exterior lumber and plywood is ACQ treated (that’s pressure-treated woods) like you would make a deck with. These materials will last up to 30 years in the rain, and are what is used for all exterior construction.

There is no need to paint anything, other than for aesthetic purposes.

Ramp Height: If you’re a grom skater you may want to start with a 4’ to 6’ tall halfpipe; it gives you some learning time and is fun to skate.

Although many old dogs dig these ramp heights as well, this height is a preference thing. It is by far the most popular of all heights. As skating continues to progress, many people want higher terrain, like 11’to 13’ vert ramps. They’re out there — some old, some new. The appeal is in the challenge. For me, the taller a ramp is, the more the fun it is. Height is what’s used to describe the type of halfpipe you have (i.e., we have a 6’ halfpipe or we have an 11’ halfpipe).

After you say we have a 6’ halfpipe, then you describe its width (e.g., it’s 24’ wide).

Ramp Width: The taller a halfpipe is, the wider it has to be. The smaller the height, the less width is needed. This is common sense to a skater. If I gotta explain why this is, then you don’t skate. Halfpipes that are 4’to 6’ tall should be a minimum of 16’ wide. The 6’ half shown in this article is 16’ wide, and that is the way it should be at a minimum. The wider and bigger

you make your halfpipe, the more room you have to skate. The rule is always the wider the better — more room for pool coping extensions, over-vert extensions, roll-ins and so on. Unfortunately, I have seen 6’ halfpipes that are 8’ wide; this is unfunctional crap, and it’s useless.

Build in Sections: Building in sections gives you the freedom of moving things around. Build a section, then put it in place; move to the next and do the same. It’s easier to accomplish sections one at a time. This also allows for easy expansion and easy dismantling if you have to move it. Bolt the sections together using carriage bolts or screws that can be undone. This is a big consideration if it’s gotta moveâand moving ramps is very common. Allow yourself a way to move it!

Off the Ground: Use cinder blocks or concrete piers to keep your structure from getting wet; this will add life expectancy considerably.

Everything in construction is built in a way to keep itself dry.

Tranny Sizing (Mini-ramp Tranny): In the old days, transition sizing was derived from what fit on a piece of 4’ x 8’ plywood. This might have been good for practical sizing of what the plywood would be if cut itself in a circle. But it is not that good for the actual radius science of halfpipe/tranny skateboarding.

The science of different transition sizes was experimented on throughout the early ‘80s and ‘90s. It was then that I discovered a 7’ to 7’ 6” radius works way better than an 8’ radius. It’s faster, more spring-loaded and more airable to the ollie kids out there. Yes, just 6 to 12 inches makes a big difference.

Some try smaller sizes like a 5’ to 6’ radius.

This is more akin to shallow-end pool tranny; it’s too quick for some, but it can be fun. All in all, the best average tranny ever used is 7’ 6” on halfpipes from 4’ to 6’ height. Overall it gives a quick and springy feel. Development does occur; if it didn’t then we would all still be riding steel wheels.

Ramp Framing: The joists used in horizontal ramp framing should be 2 x 6’s, and they should be framed 8” OC (on center). Plywoods and sheet goods are 48” x 96”; these numbers are all evenly divisible by 8” increments. This allows adequate strength and a way to secure all of your nails and screws. Don’t argue with this — just get it done. This is a strong way to build.

Decks will be OK with framing that is 12” OC. Flat Bottom Sizing: The flat bottom length of a ramp should 12’ to 14’, depending on the height of the ramp. Sometimes if you’re building a micro 3’ halfpipe, 8’ of flat will be OK, but only then. All other flats should be 12’ to 14’ long.

With the new phenolic riding surfaces being so

fast, you’re gonna need some room. There are standards for everything, and studying these sizes is what I have done all my life. Now if you don’t have enough space you can cut some of the flat if you must — but not much!

Plywoods: You need to use 2 layers of 1/4” ACQ (pressure-treated) CDX (sheeting) plywoods. They are available at any of the big building-supply places (Home Depot, Lowe’s).

Plywoods are glued with construction adhesive.

This yields the best results and is common practice in all construction industries (floors, etc.).

Screw them down with enough screws to make them secure, every 12” to 15”.You need to stagger the plywood joints as you apply that second layer. Don’t ask how do bend plywood!

That sh*t will bend all day long, all right! Just because the plywood says exterior glues on it or “marine” grade does not mean anything in relation to whether or not you can use it outdoors.

ACQ treated plywood is the only thing you need to know.

Screws and Hardware: You need to use exterior deck-type screws throughout the process.

Use galvanized hardware (nuts, bolts, etc.).

Coping: The most common and longlasting coping material is 2-3/8” OD (outer diameter) galvanized steel pipe. It is available at any steel supply joint. Pool coping (coping blocks) can also be used for a more pool-like skating experience. Some skaters use handpoured mortar mixes with top-secret recipes to achieve homemade pool coping. Do not use PVC pipe as coping; it will crack and then become dangerous. Coping is supposed to protrude out from the wall and up on the deck, from 1/4” to 3/8” depending on preference.

Obstacles: Extensions, taco bells, bridges of death, rails, gaps, big canyons, roll-ins, bowl corners, big coping boxes, bird perches, adjustable rails, etc. — anything that is skateable can be applied.

Ramp Surface: One of the biggest challenges I (or any ramp builder) have ever faced was coming up with a durable ramp surface that would last and still ride correctly. A ramp surface takes a lot of abuse — it’s like a bunch of little hammers smashing down on the surface constantly. Historically speaking, many different surfaces have been tried. First, there was plywood, but it splintered and rotted away quickly. Next, there was masonite, but it would last for only a few days or fall apart in the rain.

Then came steel, but it is slippery, hard to work with and has to be painted constantly. I still limp around from the slippery hippers I got at Cedar Crest. Believe me, it’s all been tried before.

Skatelite riding surface changed all of that for good. Moving forward to 2008 and beyond,

every major skateboarding event (like the X Games), every above-ground skatepark in America and any backyard structure worth a damn uses Skatelite riding surfaces — because they work.

Brett Roper Frontside Slider

I’ll tell you the story about this stuff. Over the years many companies have called us, saying they have “the product” for ramp surfacing.

They would throw funky plastics, woods and composites at us. After a while, I was like, “It’s all gotta be steel with paint treatment.” I had no faith in what they were throwing at me. But then here came a new contender, a “phenolic” sheet made of plastic resin and paper mesh. It came from Rainier Richlite in Tacoma, WA. They’d tested it at their local YMCA and gotten good results. As usual, I was skeptical, so we tested it on small ramps at first. Then I went for the gamble and put it on one of our skateparks.

At the Half Moon Bay (Calif.) Skatepark in 1997 was the first time it was ever used by a professional ramp builder. While we were installing the Skatelite sheets on the ramps it began to pour down rain. One of the installers, “Rodent,” dropped into the 6’ halfpipe and rode it in the rain, and it was still grippy — I sh*t you not! I was in shock and awe as Rodent pulled consecutive backside disasters in the rain on Skatelite.

Later I tested and used Skatelite for the first time ever in a professional skate contest at the Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding in 1998 in Panama City, Fla. Now all pro contests are done

with Skatelite Pro. It’s waterproof, and it won’t deteriorate like anything else that has ever been tried. It’s strong and impact-resistant. Take a look around; Skatelite is everywhere.

Ramp Surface Installation: All Skatelite sheets should run lengthwise with the ramp. Before you install the Skatelite ramp surface, you will need to pre-drill the Skatelite. Determine a common pattern that will allow all of the screw holes you are drilling to hit the meat of the framing (2 x 6 joists) in your ramp. Screw spacing should be every 8” vertically (to match the framing) and every 12” horizontally, depending on the structure. You can do the whole stack of Skatelite at once with a long 3/16” drill bit. Next you need to use a 1/4” countersink and counterbore each hole with a 7/16” size. This will accommodate your screw heads. When you apply Skatelite, all screws must “hit meat.” This means that the holes you drilled into the Skatelite are aligned with the 2x6 joists that you framed 8” OC (see “Framing” above). Those screws need to get into the framing, all of them; then they will be secure and tight. They won’t be if you just hit plywood.

After all of the Skatelite has been drilled and countersunk, put down cleat boards across the ramp at the base of the wall you are about to layer with Skatelite. These boards will give you a straight ledge exactly 8’ down (to fit a 4’ x 8’ sheet lengthwise) from the coping. Do each wall side, then work your way to the middle of your ramp. If you can, decks need to get done as well.

The Neighbors: These ramps are big and somewhat obtrusive. The best thing to do is to build as far away from the nearest neighbor as possible. You’d best be good and be cool with the neighbors. I have seen may ramps get scrapped because of bad conduct and bad scenes. Your neighbors have the right to destroy your ramp for many reasons if it’s too loud, too offensive, too much trash and or just too whatever. If they start complaining, your sh*t is getting dozed. So I would suggest that you be utterly conscientious about them and the neighborhood in general. Be nice. Invite them over, mow their grass, keep your trash put away; no loud music. In reality, you can’t do this without a high probability that the neighbors will get pissed. So be on the good side and ask first. Get them involved and be considerate to their needs, and please invite them to come and session with you.

I leave you with this information, hopefully to inspire you to build and to build right. Now the backyard halfpipe can withstand the weather and the abuse. It stays on the landscape and skateboarding keeps on rolling everywhere. It also advances skill and is good exercise.

Skate Hard!

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 83

helmets is that the padding is covered with 3D mesh, the kind of mesh that you would normally find in the automobile industry and that “breathes.” The visor has an antiscratch finish and is fog free.

new ideas. Stuttgart has Bassi Haller for example where they street race, or in Freiburg with Hartmut Olpp and his Hackbrett crew that pretty much set the pace for the whole downhill scene here in Germany.

You can’t really be sure, however, how big the scene is. There are probably a hell of a lot of downhill or longboard skaters here in Bavaria, Munich and the surrounding rural areas that are quietly flying down the mountains and have probably been doing it for years.

Stephan Risch and Markus Suchanek

FEEDING THE ADDICTION TO SPEED AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHAN RISCH

By MARKUS SUCHANEK | Photos: YORCK DERTINGER

Stephan, we’re sitting here in your home town of Munich in your workshop, and it’s only a couple of weeks until the 5th Almabtrieb Downhill race gets under way. You set the event up and you’re the main organizer; tell us what made you come up with the idea for the event, how you found the perfect road, what it was like five years ago and what the event is like now.

Stephan Risch: I’m addicted to adrenalin, and I wanted to find the best road, the fastest course to feed that addiction. That’s what started it all off. A group of us had spent years searching for the perfect course.

Sometime around 2002 we discovered the original course in Auerberg, and the owner of a local restaurant encouraged us to organize the race and call it Almabtrieb.

84 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

What does Almabtrieb actually mean?

It’s the end of the summer season here in the Bavarian Alps. It’s when the cattle [are] brought down from the highlands and back into the villages in the valley for the winter months. It’s a really important date in the country calendar, and the locals celebrate with a huge party and a lot of beer. It just seemed like a perfect name for our event.

How many people took part in the first downhill race, and how big has the event become?

At the beginning, and it was part of an international race and the German championship, around 80 people took part in the race. This year we’re expecting around 200 participants from 23 countries that will be competing in three dif-

ferent categories: Standup, Buttboard and Street Luge. For the last two years it has had a World Cup status, and this year it will be, for the second time, World Cup. I think what makes the event so special are the parties that take place every evening, a warm, familiar atmosphere and a tight organisation that makes sure the participants have as much time on their boards as possible. I think we are one of the few events – maybe the only event of this size – that has reached its fifth anniversary!

That sounds like an incredible development. How big is the German or the European downhill scene?

There are a number of German cities where a hell of a lot happens and that are constantly working on

Do you think the downhill scene is has matured, developed and organized itself over time, or is it all down to the current longboard boom?

No, I don’t think so. Downhill is much older and was around way before the longboard boom started. It just so happened that at some point both groups started meeting up more and got to know each other better – the event in Chamrousse in France, for example, where around 450 downhill skaters took part, and that was back in 2003.

Let’s talk about your skateboarding roots.

Well, at the age of 12 I was 5th in the regional championships of the state of Hessen. One of my friends‘ mums was in the USA, and we asked her to bring back an American board when she came back to Germany. Then we did the usual stuff like building ramps and cruising. That was back in 1979.

I can see you found a real love for the longer boards and the adrenalin kick of speed.

Yup, definitely that’s what it’s all about; the kick – the kick of experiencing the speed up in the mountains, that’s what it’s all about for me. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of speed and the curves.

Who are your current and past idols?

First I’ve got to shout out Roli Hafner and Yorck Dertinger. They were the people that introduced me to downhill. Aki von Glasow, Steve

Stephan bombs a local hill

Daddow, Darryl Freeman, with whom I spent the summer of 2003.

We went to every race, every event, and took part in a whole load of freerides. These guys play the starring roles in the film “Stand Up!” that I produced together with Yorck Dertinger. Last but not least, my teammate Bassi Haller, with whom I share my passion for downhill.

MS: Aha, team? I knew you were up to developing some kind of products around downhill, and looking around your workshop I see a lot of crazy helmets that are probably not destined for pool skating.

As a trained metalworker and stage designer, I’ve always been an absolute freak when it comes to materials and making things. So it’s quite natural for me to play with and test stuff, and I’m constantly thinking of new ways to make equipment. If you take this into account, then it makes perfect sense that I work closely with Wefunk [Alex Luxat] and ride his boards.

But my main focus is on helmets, which have and should become an important factor in downhill. Aero helmets simply fascinate me. It was just so obvious that the helmets that were available for downhill simply didn’t match the requirements for us in

the downhill scene. I started thinking about how I could make them better. In terms of safety and comfort, the helmets that are currently being used didn’t convince me. So I decided to develop a range of helmets that I would want to use during a downhill event, meet my own personal safety requirements and look cool too, and mirror the speed that is so important to me. At the beginning, and as a safety aspect, I was thinking of something like a motorbike helmet, but much lighter.

I’ve been developing my helmets for the last nine months and playing with and searching for the right kind of materials. The most important thing for me was the padding, and I knew that most motorbike helmets use SAF or shock absorbing foam, which hardens during a crash, forms itself perfectly around the head when you put the helmet on and guarantees a perfect fit. I developed the shell together with a friend who is a sculptor to achieve optimal aerodynamics in the speed tuck. From all of this I designed and hand-finished three models but also produced in series. Each helmet, from the beginning to the end, is hand made; I sew, laminate and gloss the helmets myself. One of the most important features of the

That sounds incredible. Totally “made in Germany,” with all of the quality and safety requirements that you would expect.

What has been the reaction from the downhill scene? Have they been tested, or are they still top secret?

Fredrik Lindstrom was my fist team racer and has already won the Outlaw Race in Sweden in May 2008. He wrote me an e-mail and said the helmet was “unbelievable.”

It’s an incredible feeling when you get that kind of feedback. He said that it was the first helmet he had ever used as a downhiller where he really felt safe. The other skaters are Luis Lins, Pete Connolly, Steve Daddow, Bassi Haller, Dominik Kowalski and Tom Edstrand – but he doesn’t know it yet.

Seems to me that the world of downhill will witness a world’s first at this year‘s Almabtrieb and get to test it too?

I can’t wait, and I’m planning not only to be at the Almabtrieb but at all of the major European events, and will be giving away two helmets as prizes at every race. I’m doing this because I am totally convinced in the helmets and love and live from the feedback. And of course the helmets then get tested, and I want to have commercial success, but the safety and comfort aspects are way more important, and you can only find out that the product is right from the people who should be using them.

Stephan, although up until now I didn’t really know much about downhill, I am really excited about the Almabtrieb and wish you all the best for the event and for your helmets.

Yeah, thank you very much! We are going to bomb some hills there together for sure!

SUMMER 2008 CONCRETE WAVE 85

ow far back does the history of skating go?

How long did early man slide before he thought of the wheel? Wouldn’t it be shocking if one day archaeologists were to dig up a boneyard of ancient grave sites, uncovering aerodynamic skeletons of humanoid hunchbacks with one leg larger than the other, and find their one foot grafted to a petrified composite skate deck with fossilized trucks and decayed urethane wheels?

And wouldn’t it be something cool if they discovered ancient underground sites around the world of forgotten cities from a lost civilization? And a real supersonic surprise if all those cities were laced and linked together with huge skateable tunnels, miles of radical halfpipes and hundreds of fast, sweeping luge runs?

Here is something from a somewhat more recent past, from a time not too long ago, over two and a half decades back, when the era of skateparks and speedboarding competition had found the beginning of the end – at least for then.

It was a time when flex boards had been tossed aside for being too flexy; open-bearing wheels had long been considered a joke. Downhill was gaining popularity as the new urethanes allowed faster, safer speeds. It was a time when the groundbreaking innovative wheels such as Park Riders and OJ’s had already been eaten away by the devouring Kryptonic 70’s.

It was a time when the sport of downhill speed racing evolved from slalom to giant slalom and gave way to tuck down and go for it, balls to the wall. The reign of 1975-1977’s three-time slalom king, world champ Henry Hester, was handed over to the world’s next most winning downhiller, Santa Cruz team pro John Hutson.

Downhill’s peak of fame was1982, a date that no one knew would mark the end of official organized racing for the next fifteen years. Overnight, great races in states like Ohio, Colorado and California just disappeared. Racers settled in as events wound down to a few final bootlegs. Official racing had been finished off by high costs of organizing and insurance, and city council headaches all overshadowed support and its general popularity.

Downhill racing became the Dark Art, racers were shunned at their local skate shops as the industry wanted a different image, and the cities struggled to keep skaters off the streets.

Skateboarding dove into a new realm of growth as it turned to the underground, and backyard ramps began sprouting like mushrooms. Some skaters still hit the streets, but that was after hours – though a majority of gravity speedsters fed their adrenaline inspirations towards snowboarding’s early dawn.

Here you will find a small archive of photographs that were taken during the last three West Coast races of 1982, a blast from the past of some exciting moments of heroes and legends racing for the end of that era.

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THE ROOTS

of Downhill

By David Dallon 86 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

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PHOTOS: Opposite Page — Roger Hickey beats Bob Denike, who was sporting a wind-dragging arm cast, the negative results of overtraining. Capitola Classic, September 1982.

1. John Hutson leading the way of the first wave of racers on their warmup run. Laguna Seca, 1981.

2. UFS (Unidentified Flying Skater) at the finish line. Capitola Classic, 1982.

3. Laguna Seca's 1981 4th-place finisher Mike Goldman blazes a safe margin from slide lord Cliff Coleman.

4. Caedman Bear sneaks a peek just before he is engulfed by the driving force of the Hut. 5. Bear shadows Hutson in a rerun, moments after their collision in a previous heat. College Hill, Bellevue, Wash., 1982.

6. Hutson shuts the door on Dave Wood. Hutson's victory, his third in a row at Capitola, finalized that era and assured Hut's status as the most winning downhill skateboarder in the world. Capitola Classic, 1982.

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h t i w p u g n i h c t Ca

Gershon Mosley Interviewed by Steve Steadham | Photo: Neftalie Williams

f you have witnessed Gershon Mosley skate, then you know the word “bail“ isn’t in his skating vocabulary. He possesses insane board control. Gershon rips all terrain and busts some incredible tricks. Gershon is one of those skaters who will be around for a long time due to his passion to skateboard. At 34 years old, I don’t see him stopping anytime soon. Gershon hits them and destroys them. Tech, style, flow and energy are elements that Gershon possesses in his skating. Being an avid artist has rounded Gershon’s lifestyle and interest and fused them together. Art and skateboarding are so connected.

I

What inspired you to start skateboarding?

I started riding in late 1988. It was from having a friend in San Jose who skated. His name was Blong Vang. I watched him ollie, and that was that.

So, Gershon, what’s on your mind?

I think about a lot of things, but pertaining to skateboarding, I look at the changes in my time that it has gone through. I remember when it was uncommon to see a skateboarder; now, at least in southern California, they seem to be so plentiful.

It is great for the industry, but to me it seems that true identities are becoming scarce. This is just an observation taken part time, because I don’t talk to many people. From what I see, television, magazines and videos are the reason. Is it life imitating art or the other way around?

I like real people. When I began skateboarding, there were not as many influences to guide the way we looked, thought and acted.

Don’t get me wrong; there were strong characters represented, like Mark Gonzales, Mike Vallely, Tony Alva, Tommy Guerrero, Neil Blender, yourself, just to name a few. Even though they had such magnetic personalities, they did not seem as pushed on us then as are the pros now. There wasn’t as much media then.

I like the possibilities that the media (openminded) allows, but competition brings repetition. So now there seem to be so many identities submersed in a carbon common

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replica, in the categories of rocker, emo, hiphop and trucker generally. I’m not sure where I am in that, but it’s up to you to choose. Besides this, I think about the possibility of a child, how I might be as a dad, my family and friends. I think about being serious about my wants, but never over needs, and my artist expressions of how life touches me.

Did you have any skaters who were like a mentor to you?

I would say that Rick Davis was like a mentor for me. He was more of a transition skater, but he skated street with me. Really, we talked mostly about life. Skateboarding was what we were doing when we did it. He was one of the first real people that I met that skateboarded.

I’ve been given great advice from people like Kareem Campbell, Steve Douglas, Gavin O’Brien, Rodney Mullen, Alex Vecchiet, Steve Caballero and Adrian Nyman.

Do you like contests?

Sometimes I like contests, usually when it’s with people that skateboard because it’s fun. Besides that, no. I get bored doing the same thing over and over after I’m satisfied with it. To me, it feels robotic, fake. When I enter generally, that’s when I feel like it’s a job – which I care about, but there are many different avenues in skate-

boarding to choose to use, so I guess that this is the part of the job that I’m not always happy with. Now I just like to show up and see how people are doing. I prefer demos.

What do you think about the escalation of skateboarding’s popularity in the mainstream?

I think that skateboarding is being recognized by the world for its skill level, which is great, but it seems more like fashion before function now.

A lot of people are using the look for trend and the money that they are getting. Money over respect is what has been sold to the minds finding their place and that’s what they feed. I’m not choosing one over the other, but rather, both.

It’s a balancing act. I need to make money, but want to respect myself. So that is why people don’t see me like they did in the past.

How do you like what’s going on with street skating? Tricks? Switch?

What is going on with street skating? When I do check the media, the same people are usually either riding the same obstacles and or doing the same tricks. They are just working with what they got. When I go street skating it depends on my mood, so I believe that street skating is just fine. I like to do what trick I need to ride and have fun skating. I love to skate switch, but normal just as much.

What are your thoughts about the evolution of skateboarding?

Mark Gonzales and Eric Koston have taken skateboarding to new heights. The Gonz is like the physical manifestation of it, whereas Koston is the push in the competitive sense. Austen Seaholm is more like the offspring of both, competitive and innovative trick-wise, while Lutzka and Sheckler, to me, aren’t innovators, just competitors. They (Austin, Lutzka and Sheckler), guessing by the way they skate, learned in skateparks and were taught how to ride. They trained to be great skateboarders – whereas the Gonz and Koston skated many different real terrains to build their skills on their own; also, they do not skate everything the same way.

In the last ten years, skateboarding has superficially risen in the public eyes. The new kids covet fame and recognition; their sights are set on everybody knowing their name. I believe that it’s because they all had an audience and or support group when they came into the industry, which makes me question their love for the art (skateboarding). Their relevance is no less, though. They, like the ones before them, are just manifesting, and they have to do it their way. They entertain this generation of new skaters as I did. It seems that because they ride skateboards, they are being elevated into the eyes of the public, which is where their worth seems to sit. It has been a strange thing for me to see skateboarding become popular in the public, since when I came up in it, it wasn’t.

That’s why I’m not as worried about the competitive aspects of skateboarding. Looking perfect only brings insecurity; it seems as though the fun is disappearing. To me, statistics only matter to those not living what they are watching, but like to bet on it.

Where do you see skateboarding headed?

Skateboarding is headed to having more respect, possibly, as far as a money sport, but less as an art form; only commercial really makes money.

Who knows? For me, wherever it takes me.

Who are your sponsors?

My current sponsor is 35th North, a skate shop in Seattle. If you stop by, say “what up” to Tony ”Touch”, Ryan Aningalan and Graham. I get a little Red Bull flowed from Josh Greenberg and flowed as well trucks by Lisa Wittaker. L.B.L. (Larry Moore), who has blessed me with the knowledge of him and his family. My friends take care of me, especially James Kolbjornsen, who keeps shoes on my feet, films me – and as well, he, out of the many people I’ve met in or around the industry, has proven to be one of the truest friends.

What is going on with your art? Is it a hobby, a career?

Just as I was building with a skateboard, I’ve been building with art. I’m serious to the degree that if painting, drawing, writing, or working on the computer is what I’m into at the time; that might be all that I want to do. What has been considered hobbies to other people became my life. I don’t define the things that I do. I leave that up to those watching. I have made board graphics for a couple companies. I make my own t-shirts and videos, which I usually show and sell at art shows. I keep things simple, as far as being corporate about it; I’m not in a hurry.

but generally I make money through skateboarding. I have been having special guest pro boards on a couple board companies. I have been keeping a low profile for a while. Because of some of the trends, I haven’t felt much like swimming up stream. Everyone wants to be a hero. I’m just me. Things seem too competitive, especially socially and nobody’s really saying anything. I love how people would rather see other people who skateboard, act like fools and how many run to do it. Fashion over function, popularity over prosperity, this is the industry, mainly, but not as a whole. So I work with skateboarders or anyone doing proper business.

What happened when you left the A-team?

I was prepared to leave The A-team a year before it was done, because I understood the plan for the company. I was happy at first to be one on such a company, but then I started to get that bad taste in my mouth that I couldn’t spit out, due to believing that certain people were my friends. I knew that it was business, but then I felt that it should be more. After A-team, Luis Cruz helped me get on Blind, also under the same umbrella corporation.

What do you feel you can still give skateboarding?

I can still skateboard, so skateboarding is what I have to offer. Really? I give my own perspective on many different terrains or ideas. If you don’t disrespect me when you talk to me, you might find a conversation of interest. Who knows?

You never know, everyone’s different.

What do you think about Blind? Did you leave on good terms?

Riding for Blind was cool. I was living with my friend James Craig and on NC clothing with James Evan Schieflebine, so trips were fun. The end of my riding for Blind came as a business decision from a particular person that had not intended on me riding for Blind in the first place. At the time, I was not into the boards that they were making in China, so I was a negative to the business. I was a bit bitter for a minute. I felt betrayed, but I had only betrayed myself. I should have listened to my intuition on certain characters, but I tried to work with some people that I couldn’t respect.

So what happened next?

After Blind, Chris Lambert asked me about riding for INC., which consisted of Chris, Kanten Russell, Paul Zitzer, Chad Knight, Ryan Bodman, and Ronson Lambert. During the time that I rode for INC., I moved up to Seattle. Maybe a month after I moved up there, I had my first big art show in San Diego. While in Seattle, even though I was still skating, filming and shooting photos, I began to lose touch with the industry. I needed to grow up and it was obvious that I wouldn’t change trying to keep the spotlight.

How do you make a living?

I multi-task. I work in a couple different fields,

Anything you would do differently?

I could say that there were things that I would change, but then I wouldn’t be me, so I guess not.

Any final comments?

I would like to meet more doers than talkers, but would prefer the balance. I would like to say thanks to everyone that cares for me. If you listen, together we can grow! Thanks to my great grandmother; if it wasn’t for her I would be worse than some of lies sold. James Kolbjornsen, for believing in me, while most others do not even call now. Neftalie Williams, whose positivity astounds me; who as well, has shot this or these photos of me, handrails eventually.

Larry Moore (L.B.L.), whose house I chill at when in Long Beach. It’s interesting how we find balance and are building together. Tony of 35th North, Josh Greenberg (Red Bull), Adam McNatt – when we’re older, what we want will be ours. Frank Hirata & Kimber – if I didn’t love you two, I would be envious of you. I learn to understand relationships better seeing you together. Karen, keep singing. Chris Lambert – remember Tampa? I was feeling the vibe. Goldenchild, let’s shine! Ltron Huchinson, WriteSideCreative (you, James Kolbjornsen, I).

Laban Pheidias, Thomas Campbell – it was fun working with you guys on the “crate skate”. Andrea Irey, who took care of me when I was broken. Jordan Shatterly, where’s my beat? We need to get to the bottom of this 3⁄4 problem.

Thanks to Concrete Wave, we live our lives to tell the story. Cheers!

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SPONSOR ME

year, and 150 trademarks as well. The company is the next generation of digital multimedia broadcasting. We have the Sprocket, which is a new way you will navigate the Internet as well as digital devices. We have compression for streaming media, editing and a vast amount of the patents are designed for broadcasting, giving the end user custom tools that we supply them to make their videos better and allows the end user to broadcast to multiple platforms simultaneously. It’s all about exposure and distribution of content.

Chris Carmichael Weaves a Love of Board Sports with Technology Chris, the last time we spoke, you were in the midst of re-releasing “Spinnin’ Wheels.” What’s happened since that time?

I re-released “Spinnin’ Wheels“ in 2006 and sold out of all the videos. In the meantime, I started a company called Sponsor Me, Inc. with Connie Jordan, the co- creator of the company. We set up three areas for creating a business model that 1) finds talent 2) gets them sponsored and 3) manages their career.

We created a website that has limited functionality purposely to see if the young, up-and-coming, talented athletes will post their videos and “express themselves” by up loading a video or a simple digital picture to just get themselves exposed. We have had an overwhelming success with just that process. We are now going to expand the website with customization bringing customized tools to their own community. They will be able to upload content, interact, edit, share, create and broadcast to the sponsors as well as their friends, and create their own channel network of distribution.

Chris with a 8’ 4” Dick Brewer gun at the North Shore

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You seem to have a love of technology.

What is it about technology that fascinates you?

Technology is fantastic if it serves a purpose. We are going to weave people and their lives together with technology.

What is a great technology is a great tool for communication and information.

Just think: because of technology I can search and find information quickly in the palm of my hand as well as communicate with multiple people at the same time. I can also be anywhere at any place at any time and send and receive information. You are totally mobile.

Tell me about how Sponsor Me Now came about.

Sponsor Me came about from my cocreator Connie Jordan, who had the idea in 2002. We started trademarking the name all over the world in 2005.

What are some of your goals with the website as it relates to skateboarding?

Sponsor Me Now is going to find the hot up-and-comer that may not have the opportunity to be exposed or for that matter a chance to even be sponsored.

Our goal is to find the athlete and expose their talent to the world, get them sponsorship and manage them – make a star out of them. We are the next American Idol that meets X Games!

Left to right: Mark Samuels, Kai “Borg” Garcia, Connie Jordan, Chris Carmichael and Bruce Irons shooting a TV commercial.

Below: Mobile Editing System from Ubiquity

How will you use some of the technologies that you’ve developed to broadcast SponsorMeNow.com?

The technology that we would deploy would come from Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation, which has several patents on navigation, mobile devices, editing online and mixing and compression

which allows the athlete to expand his talent further and push the envelope more. You have technology playing so many roles as to the equipment, [such as] how wheels and skateboards are made, and along with the safety equipment will continue to progress, as well as the technology itself is bettering the sport and the athlete together, meaning it‘s COMBINED

Who is involved with SponsorMeNow.com?

I am involved with several action sports athletes: Lyon Hamilton, Bruce and Andy Irons, Makua Rothman, Kai “Borg“ Garcia.

Makua Rothman at Sunset Beach – the World Cup Winner and world tow-in champion

technology for broadcasting. Sponsor Me will have the technology to be able to deliver content to several platforms – for example, streaming on the Internet and mobile devices at 24 frames (rather now you only stream at 6 frames per second) and send the same content to multiple platforms such as television, as well as digital cinemas.

Who are you currently managing?

We are managing Makua Rothman, who is the Sunset Beach World Cup winner and holds the world tow-in champion two years in a row. We have negotiated (and he has signed) contracts for Boost Mobile, Monster energy drink, Oakley and RVCA clothing and are currently negotiating a car deal.

Chris and his son, Cameron in Hawaii

Where do you see skateboarding going in the next five years?

In the next five years skateboarding, like technology, is going to continue to progress, because of the technology that is being put into the equipment –

Can you tell us a little bit about the Ubiquity Broadcasting Corp and some of the things it’s working on?

Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation holds 55 patents pending worldwide in 60 countries; and seven are issuing this

Would you like to expand the types of skateboarding that is seen through the mainstream media? After all, you grew up bombing hills, racing through cones and doing freestyle.

Yes, I would like to expand the sport by broadcasting it to multiple platforms.

That means more eyeballs – a larger audience – and the interaction is done by the athletes themselves. We allow them to create, share and then broadcast.

They become producers and stars of their own destiny. We are just a platform that they can [use to] express themselves to a mass audience. We will be holding auditions across the USA, looking for the next hot up and coming talent.

Any final comments?

I feel I can give back to the sports I love to do. That’s skateboarding and surfing. I have owned three clothing companies that I sponsored some of the top athletes in the world. One athlete that comes to mind was Laird Hamilton. This has given me great insight on what athletes need to go to the next level. I come from a film background along with a marketing background from the clothing business that has allowed me to understand what athletes need to progress and develop themselves. I want to give young athletes the opportunity to better themselves and help them get sponsored and give them direction and focus and manage what they want to do with there own ability let them push the envelope in there own career to become successful.

For more information on this unique program, visit sponsormenow.com

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presented by

ZACH KRAL

CORY MINDERHOUT

AGE 13

AGE 16

WORDS: MIKE GONZALEZ PHOTO: PHENOM SKATEBOARDS

WORDS: DIRK MINDERHOUT PHOTO: JAY SMILEDGE

Zach hails from Waterford, Wisc. and has been skating for about three years. He’s been traveling to contests across the Midwest for the past two years. It took Zach one hour and 42 minutes to complete 1200 kickflips in a row and win the Fuze Kickflip Challenge. He said he was pretty tired at about 1160, so he decided he would quit when he hit 1200, which he did. After the contest, he went out street skating in Milwaukee for six more hours to celebrate his record. Zach is known as someone that gets along with everyone. He is sponsored by PhenOm Skateboards, Kragon Board Racks, Grip Grafix, Buckle Down and WnB Apparel shoelaces.

Cory Minderhout is just another kid from the SFV – or maybe not. In an era of bling and zing, of street steez and get-rich-quick schemes, this youngster is down and dirty. He skates pools and skates them well – no easy task, either, when you consider he has neither a car nor a driver’s license. Remember that? The only other things you need to know about Cory are that he has acid drops and frontal rocks in his bag, he runs Black Flag tees and he generally aspires to the Punk school of thought regarding skateboarding. Any place, any time; the bloodier and dirtier, the better. Be careful if you offer Cory a ride to a spot; he just might show you up.

PEDRO BARROS

MIKEY CHIM AGE 12

WORDS: AL GARCIA PHOTO: RAY YZGUERRA Mikey Chim hails from Long Beach, Calif., better known as the LBC. He’s been one of LBC’s best-kept secrets for sometime now, but that is about to change. Mikey possess a unique technical style that makes him stand out from the rest, which is a rarity in today’s skateboarding. He is able to execute some of the most difficult manual combos known to man and also some of the hardest ledge tricks. Do not think Mikey’s skating stops there, though; he has also been known to hammer nollie 360 flips down 11 stairs and grind down some of the biggest rails. You will be able to witness Mikey’s skating in Armada’s video “Renegades” out this summer.

WORDS & PHOTO: DAVE HACKETT The newest member of the Khiro skateboard team is 12 year old ripper Pedro Barros. Pedro was born and raised in Florianopolis, Brazil. Florianopolis is an island in the south of Brazil.

The town of Florianopolis lives and breathes surf, skate and parties! In Brazil, they say of Pedro: “A lot of people don’t know that Pedro can ride a skateboard so strong as a big man.”

Currently, he’s the Brazilian champion of the Volcom Tour in his division. Pedro’s goal now is to travel around the world, learning about different cultures and riding all the different skateparks and terrain he can. Khiro is proud to have him on the team!

SPENCER CHRISTOPHER

BRITTANY KRAUSE

AGE 7

WORDS & PHOTO: LLOYD CHRISTOPHER

AUSTIN CHILDS

AGE 11

WORDS & PHOTO: WALT OSTARLY Austin started skating around age 8 and soon moved to a neighborhood with a skatepark. He entered his first competition at age 9 and took 3rd place. Since then, he has entered competitions all over the state of Florida and placed 3rd or better in most. Austin has also had to enter sponsored divisions, which means he skates against kids who are twice his age, and he still places. Recently he traveled to Minneapolis for the King of the Groms (12 and under) competition and had some footage shown on Fuel TV. Most recently, Austin won 1st place in advanced 14 and under at the Rio skateboard competition. With all this skateboarding and traveling, Austin still finds time for school and is an honor student at Jupiter Elementary School.

Austin is sponsored by Modern Cultures in Jupiter and Bullethead skateboards in Tampa.

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AGE 16

WORDS & PHOTO: CHAD THOMAS

Spencer started skateboarding with his father at the age of 3. Neither of them could skate very well at first, but they stuck with it and practiced just about every day. Spencer’s dad built him a halfpipe in their back yard, so he gets to skate there all the time. The two also love to hit all the street spots in downtown Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and South Beach. Spencer says they always have decks in the car in case they find a great spot to ride. Although Spencer loves to hit all the local skateparks, street skating remains his favorite.

AGE 21

OTTO PFLANZ AGE 16

Brittany is a Northern California transplant from Valencia who rides for Cool Girl Decks, Viking Helmets, Sweenie Clothing, and ChadThomasPhotography.com. Her favorite wheel company is Bones, and she skates Vans shoes exclusively. Her skating style is super-smooth and effortless, in contrast to her quiet demeanor and egofree approach.

Any company she chooses to ride for will benefit from this girl‘s respect for skating, community and life in general. Brittany’s heroes in the skating life are her parents and Mike Reiderer of Hydro Skateboards.

WORDS: STEVE WHITTIER & DENNIS PFLANZ PHOTO: PATRICK MONOHAM Justin hails from Phoenix, Ariz. and started skating at age 5.

Justin is an inspiration to all ages. He always has a smile on his face and loves seeing old friends. He is always going out of his way to meet new people and helping out kids that need it. Justin gives lessons on the weekends to youngsters. He is a straight-A student from a charter school. He was just invited to do a couple of stops at the AST Dew tour on vert. Justin loves competing and traveling to new states. He is very blessed to have the sponsors that he does. They make his dreams possible and let us travel all over. Justin has his own smooth style, and you can’t miss him with his painted Kaboom helmet and his radical socks. Thank you Kaboom Energy Juice, Industrial Ride Shop, Dakine, Split Clothing, Dirty Duck Skate Wax, Vans rep flow, Destructo, Speed Metal, Spy Optics and all family members and friends that have helped. Keep on smiling and having fun.

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ART DEPARTMENT

David Hale

David Hale is an Athens, Georgia artist who contacted the magazine several years ago. He had placed his artwork on a CD. Unfortunately, the disk got misplaced by mistake. Thankfully we finally relocated last month.

The following statement is from his myspace page which contains dozens more photos of his artwork.

I have a sincere devotion to understanding realms of existence we do not experience with our sensory organs. I think we all feel this existence. It speaks to all of us, in signs and messages, in words and songs, in thoughts and movements, in a different way for every individual. We all listened as children, spoke to this mystery, and took time to enjoy its presence. Yet many of us have forgotten how to listen, or just decided to stop speaking back.

I have decided to listen.

These paintings are my way of speaking back, of thanking the mystery for the blessings that guide me. I hope they might help you appreciate blessings that guide you. — David Hale 94 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2008

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BOARDSHOP B OA AR RDS DSH SHOP HOP A HO AUSTRALIA USTRAL US ALIIA A

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100% SKATEBOARDING The best way to predict the future is to invent it. —Alan Kay concretewavemagazine.com VOL. 7 No 1• SUMMER 2008

PUERTO RICO A Skate History VANCOUVER’S Women Longboarders

Vol.7 No.1

Summer 2008

RICK BLACKHART A Legend In His Own Time Canada Post Publication Agreement number 40671108

$4.95