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Issue 68
October | november 2015
KDC african Tour | justus Kotze | Skateistan
EVAN SMITH \ OLLIE \ BLABAC PHOTO
DCSHOES.COM
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Contents 68 08
WHERE WE COME FROM
12
KDC AFRICA TOUR
36
JUSTUS KOTZE - PAINT IT BLACK
48
SKATEISTAN SOUTH AfRICA
52
HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA...SA
54
DIY DAY
58 closet envy
front coveR: Every now and then you stumble upon a rare gem, but it seems that the KDC tour crew were lucky enough to find quite a few in Mozambique. Trae Rice FS Boneless on a big slide somewhere in Maputo. Photo - Sam Clark.
If it’s out there, Hartmut Martin will find it and skate it. Wallride to fakie on the streets of Pretoria. Photo - Werner Lamprecht.
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N Y J A H H U ST O N PHOTO BY ELEMENT ADVOCATE : BRIAN GABERMAN ELEMENT SOUTH AFRICA @ELEMENTSA
ADIDAS.COM/SKATEBOARDING Š 2015 adidas AG. adidas, the trefoil logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.
mclachlan Jansen van Staden shot this image of Phil Zwijsen crooked grinding a rarely skated handrail at the University of Cape Town.
“Where We Come From� A Film by Lucas Fiederling
An independent video featuring full parts from eight skateboarders who hail from from five different countries. Chris Pfanner, Eniz Fazliov, Marty Murawski, Willow, Phil Zwijsen, Samu Korvonen, Axel Cruysberghs and Niklas Speer von Cappeln. The video was made over four years and included travel around Europe, as well as to the US, Canary Islands, Israel, Morocco and South Africa.
Chris, Phil, Marty, Niklas and Lucas visited South Africa back in December 2012 and several local spots feature quite prominently throughout the video. Visit www.wherewecomefrom.eu/ for more information.
Editor
Photographers 68
Physical Address:
Brendan Body
Sam Clark, Werner Lamprecht, Jansen van Staden, Tyrone Bradley, Rudi Jeggle, Talia Kaufman.
Session Magazine, 2nd Floor, Earlgo Building, cnr. Kloof & Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001.
brendan@sessionmag.co.za Production
Luke Jackson
info@sessionmag.co.za photo Editor
Clint van der Schyf
CONTRIBUTORS 68:
Mike Chinner
PRINTERS:
Paarl Media - Paarl
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Coconuts & corruption
The KDC African Tour As one of the several organised shindigs that KDC hosts leading up to the Kimberley Diamond Cup main event each year, this is the second year that the organisers were able to foot the bill to send some of South Africa’s top skaters out on the road, on a cross country skate trip. It was decided that this year we’d take a new approach and voyage beyond South African borders, to connect with local skaters, discover new places and skate spots in the neighbouring countries of Swaziland & Mozambique. Photos - Sam Clark Story - Mike Chinner
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Khule Ngubane wasted no time in banging this kickflip crook in Swaziland.
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Swaziland The crew consisted of: Khule Ngubane, Anton Roux, Trae Rice, Alan Marola, Joshua Chisholm, guest roadie Juan Smit and I. Finally, Sam Clark & Joubert van Staden were also in the crew, documenting everything behind their respective lenses. The agenda included finding and skating anything in our paths, while meeting new friends along the way. Leaving Pretoria on August 2nd, we packed up the Combi and set off for a 12-day road trip. Although some of us have been fortunate enough to see other parts of the world on skateboarding related business, it was a special trip for Trae, Khule, Josh and Anton as they crossed South African borders for the first time and put their new passports to good use. Having skateboarding as the cause for the journey made it all the more special.
Swaziland has 3 larger cities to offer within the confines of its small perimeter, and we made a point to skim each one for skateable terrain. Each city that we stopped in had a few spots, some worthwhile, but they were few and far between. To add to the spot deficiency, security wasn’t always super welcoming, which was further incentive to make our stay in Swaziland a short one. Although we were a bit put off by the lack of spots, the scenery was green, tropical, and easy on the eyes, which made for an enjoyable and scenic stroll. The people that we encountered were also extremely approachable, friendly, and excited to see people jump down handrails. Skate-wise, the highlight of the Swaziland portion of the trip would have to be the 2 hour-long ‘bust free’ session that went down on a virgin hubba ledge at a shopping centre in Manzini.
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“Dude, everything I purchase is f----d.” – Trae on his bad luck with food purchas
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Trae Rice bangs a tr(a)e flip, while the locals keep his path clear at the entrance to a busy Maputo market.
“YOH YOH YOH!” exclaimed Trae whenever passing by architecture with even the slightest skate potential, it was uttered the loudest as we approached this certain hubba. Once we got out to scope things, it was clear that this was one of the most perfect hubbas that any of us have seen, with the exception of the rough brick landing. Excited like a rich kid on Christmas morning, the crew wasted no time going to town on said hubba ledge. Khule shut that thing down, putting down some pretty serious stuff within only a few tries, in true Khule fashion. Other notable off-board moments during our 2-day stay in Swaziland include Spice’s leap of faith off of the balcony and into
the pool, and late night antics at the backpackers lodge. Also, to the lady who misplaced your phone and strongly hinted that one of us took it, we hope you found it and feel terrible for the wrongful accusations. Mozambique The Market A typical day in Maputo City included an early morning visit to the market, which was within 5 minutes walking distance from the backpackers. The search was on for huge avocados, exotic fruits, and as many coconuts that we could fit in our bags. We’d
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wait for the cashew guy, watch Joubert joke around with one of the ladies at the fruit stand, and stock up on affordable produce to last us for the day. With the little knowledge of Spanish that I had mixed with a few common Portuguese phrases that we all learned during our short stay, we were able to get by without getting completely ripped off. One of the nicest spots that we came across, a perfect bump to gap, was also located outside of the market. Local lurks were so intrigued at the sight of skateboarding and the show that the crew was putting on, that they aggressively removed and blocked anyone from getting in the way of the guys skating the bump. The gung-ho attitude and enthusiasm from the local men called for good humor, while also playing in our favor. Border Crossing/Corruption/Bribery We had been warned by almost everyone we had spoken to prior to the trip to watch out for the corruption and cops trying to catch a bribe, and we learned immediately that this was indeed an issue. While I was sorting my visa out at customs, the dudes in the van were dealing with border patrol officers. Thinking the van was full of Americans, the guards had initially asked for $100, but after realizing that they weren’t toting green papers featuring pictures of former slave owners atop, they settled for 1000 colourful Randelas. This was the second tax that was paid before even entering Mozambique’s borders and a taste of what was to come. Rolling around in a Mercedes Benz Combi with South African license plates, with a mixture of different fellas, made us a moving target for cops, and officers didn’t hesitate to give us trouble. The cops tried to get 30,000 Meticais from Juan for a seatbelt ticket, but they also had to settle for all that we could muster, which was about 3000 meticais. My best advice while traveling in Mozambique is to try as hard as you can within your own ability to be on point at all times. Don’t draw too much attention to yourself, avoid going shirtless in public (it’s the law, bros), wear a seatbelt when riding in the front seat, and always carry a few extra bucks (just in case).
“Afrikaans music sounds so out of tune.” – Trae
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Juan Smit wins the battle against a quick step-up nosegrind in Maputo and makes the drop.
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There were several occasions, however, where corruption played in our favour. Some sweet-talking from one of the local skaters (who also served as translators), matched with 100 or so meticais (roughly R30), was the difference between getting the boot immediately and an hour-long session. Although there were times when security guards took advantage of our bribes, there were instances where they saw the guys bail pretty hard, so seeing the potential danger at hand was enough for them to renege on their deal and send us packing. Such is the double-edged sword that corruption can be. Skateboarding in Maputo City, Mozambique This was the first time that a skateboard tour has trekked through Mozambique since the adidas South Africa team toured Maputo City in 2011. Many of the young skateboarders who have only been on board since 2012 and beyond have never seen established skaters rip their local spots. When they realized that a skateboarding tour was coming through their city, it was clearly a big deal. With South Africa being the closest tangible place with an established skateboarding industry, the Mozambique skaters regard South Africa as the place to be for a skateboarder in Southern Africa trying to come up. To put things into perspective, they look at South Africa in the same way that many South Africans look towards America for opportunities in skateboarding. Alan, Joubert, Khule, Trae, Juan, Josh, and Anton are skaters that they’ve seen online and in Session & AV, and they were super stoked to see them skate their spots and spend time hanging out & talking about skating with them.
“All I need is an umbrella and a cooler, and then I’m nxa.” – Trae commenting on his beach attire
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Khule Ngubane switch pops down a big set at a Maputo landmark.
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Trae Rice stokes out the kids with a no-comply tree jam.
As is the case with several other African countries outside of South Africa, one or two local shops monopolize the skateboarding industry, making product insanely unaffordable for local skaters. On top of that, some of the shops/distributors sometimes go for months without new stock. That means that once some of these guys break their boards, they’re left with nothing to do but wait until the next shipment and hope that their homies are feeling generous enough to share boards. This forces the skaters to skate more conservatively, to preserve the life of their precious decks. We knew the struggle was real over there, so we made sure to bring old hardware, decks, shoes, etc. We even came stocked with a box full of 10 KDC complete skateboards to help make sure they stay skating. The looks that were on their faces and the gratitude that was shown towards us for our donations
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were priceless. Those guys couldn’t have been more grateful. Joubert also packed a box full of AV DVDs and made sure that each skater left with issues 15-25. The skateboard community is definitely growing in Maputo and it is inspiring to see the enthusiasm and dedication that these guys have to making things grow, despite many odds being against them. Those guys are clearly doing it for the love and are extremely grateful for anything that comes their way. Some of the locals were kind enough to show us around and make sure that the staple spots were all covered and found with ease. Shout out to Elisio, Julian, Teotonio and everyone else that rolled with us! We couldn’t have done it without you guys.
Khule Ngubane ups the stair count with a lipslide in Maputo.
“Khule, you lipslid a big rail, my friend, and I take my balls off to you”. – Spice
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Alan Marola goes crooked on an old cab in Maputo.
Nelspruit Although we all cherished the time we spent in Mozambique, many of the guys were keen to leave behind the corruption, mosquitos, language barriers and other factors that were working against them, and to head back to SA. The idea of familiar cuisine, working internet access and some other conveniences that are most often taken for granted, became very attractive after a week in Maputo City. For example, I’ve never seen a group of people so stoked to sit down for a meal at Spur. Moist grounds greeted us as we arrived in Nelspruit, the last stop of the tour. We hoped for the best the next morning and
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planned to see what the city had to offer. Upon discovering a ditch bordering one of Nelspruit’s busiest streets, probably the most worthwhile spot in the whole town, we assembled a cleaning crew and did what was necessary to get a session going. After a productive session at the ditch and after hitting a few spots in town, we ended the night off at a perfect 5 stair at a youth centre that our pal Gareth led us to. Our driver Craig positioned the van to face the set and turned the lights on so that Khule, Trae and the locals could fit in a few games of skate, followed by a session on the stairs.
Josh Chisholm brings the hype with a lofty front board.
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Trae Rice takes a kickflip over the ledge and down the driveway.
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Juan Smit with a roll-in backside tailslide on some steep Maputo crete.
“I love a girl in a bakkie.” – Joubert Juan Smit Juan is a working man and isn’t afraid to put in the extra effort to make a session happen. Whether it’s sweeping up the spot or carrying/moving heavy stuff to make things skateable, etc. Juan was the first one on his feet, every time. He even helped load a truck at the market in Maputo in order to clear up the bump to gap for Trae and Khule. Although not an official crew member initially, Juan got the ‘heads up’ from Joubert that there was a spare seat for him if he was willing to pay his own expenses. Juan was so keen to join the trip that he called off from fire fighting duties for two weeks, just to join the trip on his own bill. Juan is a down to earth dude that handles his business and we were stoked that he was able to join us! Anton Roux One of these days when it’s more obvious that his body isn’t recovering as quickly, perhaps people will intervene and try to stop Anton from doing something hazardous, but for now people are enjoying the Anton show. He could either roll away from one of the gnarliest things ever, or totally eat shit. Either way, he’s got the support from whomever he’s rolling with, because the end result is always entertaining.
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“Dude, I can’t swim you guys.”
– Trae in a discussion of the possibility of hitting a beach
Trae Rice throws another bone, this time at a ditch in Nelspruit. That’s in Mpumalanga by the way.
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Anton went for it on this trip, as he would have anywhere else. With a rolled ankle early on in the trip in Maputo and raw flesh on his arm at all times to back it up. Anton pushed through the pain a few days later and came through with a few bangers on the bump to bar in Maputo, blowing everyone away. Joshua ‘Spice’ Chisholm It was quite clear that Sam was over Spice within the first few hours of the trip. Always yelling “turn it up!” or “next song!” or blowing that pink plastic whistle he acquired in Swaziland. There were usually loud and obnoxious sounds coming from the back of the van. Although Josh was a handful, almost all the time Josh was just trying to make us laugh and get the energy levels where they should be. I had the pleasure of sitting directly in front of him, so the screams and whistle noises found their way directly into my eardrums. Josh boosts group morale the hardest and is without a doubt the best hype man to have around. Although there were definitely times that some of us probably wanted to choke Josh, we wouldn’t have traded his hijinks and company for anything. Spice puts it down on a skateboard as well and isn’t scared to jump down some scary stuff. He did as much jumping as he could, until his time spent on a board was cut short due to a rolled ankle in Mozambique, so his hype man responsibilities shifted to full time after a few days.
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Anton Roux leaves no rail untouched, 5-0 in Maputo.
Trae ‘Malibu’ Rice What can be said about Malibu that hasn’t already been said? Almost everything that came out of Trae’s mouth was solid gold. Yet, everything he said (or wore) was subject to criticism. Poor Malibu. I think he got the most shit for his island get up that he rocked every evening, consisting of a white bucket hat, board shorts, and the floral pattern button up. Having never been outside of the country, let alone on a full-on skate trip, Trae was definitely the most amped to be on tour and didn’t take one moment for granted. That translated through his
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skating as he tried something at pretty much every spot that we visited on the whole trip. Malibu was in the house and he shared ‘the stoke’ with the crew and the kids alike. Khule Ngubane Khule is on a mission, it is evident in his skating as well as his outlook on life. Khule’s got something for pretty much any spot he’s taken to, which guarantees a show for whoever is rolling with him. The champ put down some of the most serious stuff that Maputo City has ever seen and most times without even breaking a sweat.
Anton Roux noseblunts a picturesque palm tree boulevard in Maputo.
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Anton Roux gap to 50-50. Photo - Sam Clark sessionmag.co.za | 33
Khule is a hit with the kids. On top of being one of the friendliest dudes around, he’s always the first to start conversations with the local skaters or accept an offer to play a game of skate, even when it was pretty obvious who the victor would be. Khule plays to win! This was Khule’s first skate trip outside of South Africa and there is sure to be more for him within the near future. The champ is on a roll and is showing no signs of slowing down. Alan Marola After so many years of doing this stuff, Alan knows exactly what he’s doing. He scopes out the spots, puts his brain to work to see what could potentially work at a certain spot, and makes it happen when the time is right. That my friends, is exactly what Mr. Marola did. Often found lying on the ground following a session, the proof was evident that Marola gives it 110% no matter what, which is exactly why it was a no brainer to bring him back for round two. A mellow dude with wits to boot, Marola is always a good dude to have around. Thanks to KDC, Northern Cape Provincial Government, Kumba Iron Ore, and all of the sponsors that were able to find it within their budget to collaborate to send a group of skaters on an epic road trip and allow them to live the lives of pro skaters for two weeks. Big thanks to Markus from Old School Productions that put everything in place for us and a special shout out to our driver, Craig, who dealt with way more than he could have imagined and without any fuss. A final thank you to all the skaters that we met along the way, for showing us your spots and making for good company. Our fellow skateboarders outside of South African borders don’t see skateboarding of this caliber very often in person, so it was a big deal for them to see some of SA’s most well known skaters working hard on their home turf. Skateboarding on the continent is growing and we definitely expect to see good things coming out of other African countries in the future. Having the opportunity to connect with other African skaters was a privilege and we hope that we can cover more ground, spread good vibes and spark flames in the places we travel to in the years to come.
“You girls are all beautiful, and I must just say, good f---ing lord, I wish I was on this bus!” – Spice 34 | sessionmag.co.za
Khule Ngubane back tails for the locals, he always draws a crowd.
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Frontside ollie wallride, ollie back in at the PIT - RIP! Photo - Bradley 36 | sessionmag.co.za
Justus Kotze Photos - tyrone Bradley & Jansen van Staden Interview - Bod & Jackson
Where are you from, tell us about growing up and getting into skating? I’m from the dirty south, Fish Hoek (on the cape peninsula). I was born in Pretoria but we moved to the Cape when I was 3. When I was in Grade 2 we lived in Oudtshoorn for a year. My mom’s family is from there. I started skating in Fish Hoek. Wynand Herholdt and I grew up skating together, I have known him for almost 23 years, from prep school before Grade 1 and before we even started skating, back when we used to play with rocks and catties. My brother played basketball and I was into it, I watched him play at the high school all the time and that’s when I saw guys skating flat ground on the side, doing ollies over bins and skating on flat. I never really knew what it was, but I found it intriguing. I was like 15 or something, it took me a while to get the courage to go and speak to them because they seemed so intimidating. However, they were actually super cool and taught me some stuff. Every week when my brother played ball I would go with and skate. There were a few skaters around and the scene was small at that time, I think Boogaloos at Canal Walk was already happening at that stage. Guys in Fish Hoek were watching like H Street videos and skating curbs, making skateboarding kind of outdated for the time while dudes were skating parks and progressing lots more outside of our area. Dylan Rooibokkie was one of those older guys who skated flat ground when I went to go watch basketball practices, he had his own style and attitude toward life and that resonated with me. Tell us about the Fish Hoek park? The town is pretty small and the terrain is rough, what impact did the park have on the skate scene and did it keep you into skating, whereas without it you may have perhaps moved on? The community made skating rad. I kept skating cause all my homies saw it innocently and it wasn’t all about progression. It was about cruising with your friends, and getting up to mischief.
The OG park was built for a Tony Hawk Demo thing years before ‘apparently’. It shut down and then reopened again after a petition or something. That was the first park I ever went to and it was pretty bad and rough, that’s where I dropped in for the first time. The park had random rails and crappy bits of tranny. After that park got closed down a new mall was built right next to it and they organised a few wooden ramps from Woodies, that was closed after a few years and the ramps got moved to a parking lot next to the Fish Hoek train station. Let’s just say there were a bunch of other failed attempts at producing skate parks in Fish Hoek. We skated at Wynand’s house more often. He would build stuff in the yard where he had a perfect concrete slab. We made a box, a bank and a rail, kind of like a training ground. He would film with his VHS camera and even put the camera on the floor to film himself. We were there every day after school to build, skate and film. That was the highlight of my younger days skating and helped our progression. He said if I did new stuff then he would put me in his video. He edited videos with two VHS players, recording from one to the other. He made a full video using that technique. Nowadays he’s a DOP haha. You are known to skate everything pretty damn well, but you have particularly good tranny skills, how did that come about? In the early days it wasn’t like that at all. Those skate parks had quarters, but I was kind of scared of them after having a bad hook-up. So I just skated boxes, rails and jumped down gaps. Around the time I was in Matric we got word of a secret ramp, Pat’s ramp in Constantia. We researched how we could find this place, but I think the first visit was when Donovan Winterburn took us along with him one day, we met Pat and he was cool with us. It was mostly an older ramp crowd, but they were down with us young guys. That’s where I gained tranny ability, I got obsessed, the ramp was so perfect and I wanted to skate there
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Kickflip on Cape Town’s infamous Voortrekker Road. Photo - van Staden
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all the time. It was a private house though, so we could only go every now and then. Wynand got his license and then we went there more often. There was a boom gate with a security guard that would let you through after signing in as a visitor. After that you had to be let in by the housekeeper, followed by a scary walk past some big guard dogs, that you shouldn’t look directly in the eye haha. We met so many people in the industry there. I met Seamus and Melissa, guys like Clive Crofton and so many others. Jamie O’Brien built the ramp for Pat, and I met him there too. You’re one of the longest standing KFD team riders, how did you get on KFD and where did you meet Clayton? I never knew who he was initially, because Revolution was all up in JHB and I was down in the cape. At the time I rode for Skates for Africa, but I was under the radar. But after doing a 48 hours interview for Session it opened up doors for me, Clay called me to ask if I was down to ride for KFD and Fallen, that was about 6 years ago. I rode for Vans too at the time so I was unsure. A few weeks later I accepted the offer, Clay told me to stay in contact with Melissa Williams who became the team manager and we became good friends, her and Seamus were handling stuff in CT. I don’t remember where I met Clay exactly. I think it was on a KFD trip. I must have only met Clay in JHB later on, when Mosey and I stayed at his house and I got to know the Jozi riders like Mitchell Rice and JP Du Preez. It was a super cool experience to be welcomed to a team of such amazing skateboarders. I saw the KFD video growing up and was like, “Wow, I’m on this team now!” Mel and Seamus saw something in me at Pat’s ramp, and I think they put in a good word for me with father Clay. Clay is a really good friend and we’ve come a long way, 5 years going on 6 to be more specific. He’s very business-orientated, but on a personal level it’s really friendly. I don’t feel weird around him, sponsors can be like that, if you don’t know them or you are scared to ask for stuff. It’s a friendship, not just business. You have a creative side and do graphic design and illustration, did you study this at all and what sort of work have you done, anything for Revolution? I studied design at Cape Tech. But I’ve done a few small jobs for Revolution. I did more edits and multimedia stuff. I was working there as the skate team manger for a bit too. For like 6 months, assisting the Designer with graphic and web design, looking for content, keeping up with riders, etc. I recently did a board graphic, which has been something I’ve always wanted to do. You’ll probably see it on shelves soon, it’s about to be released.
“I kept skating cause all my homies saw it innocently and it wasn’t all about progression. It was about cruising with your friends, and getting up to mischief.”
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I worked for a company called ‘Laugh It off’ too, just briefly as a creative, not on contract or anything. I did a range of stuff, for Due South and Nando’s. It was 9-5 and I worked every day on designs to broaden their range. Cape Town is big into that field, so it’s hard to get a job, but I do freelance jobs and try to hustle most of the time. I’ve been around art and creativity my whole life, my mom and sister are super talented painters and fashion designers, and my dad and brother have that engineering brain. I’ve always loved art, I knew I always wanted to do creative stuff and design came naturally. I designed loads of stuff for Black Lung and The Pit too, loads of logos for small startup companies and even surf board brands. Tell us a bit about Black Lung, who is in the band? We started the band with Melissa Williams and created our sound with her, but like most things in life you need to make money to survive and the band was not making enough money that we could make it our first priority. So Mel had to move on and she landed a sick job with RVCA. Warren Fisher is our new drummer now, when he joined our band we decided to change our way forward. He and Dylan forced me to start playing bass, making our sound move away from the more punk and loose feel, to a more fuller and bigger sound. The band is Dylan Rooibokkie on lead vocals and guitar, Warren on drums and I play bass, harmonica, tambourine and back-up vocals. We wrote a bunch of new songs and recreated old songs by adding bass to them, creating a new album that we are also working on getting released. How important is the band to you compared to skateboarding, how much energy and time do you put into it? I think of them both as pretty important to me. They are two different things that are separate entities. It’s not how much of a priority they are but rather how much more can I do of them both. Skating comes with responsibilities to sponsors, like skating comps and getting exposure, which I totally understand because you return the favour of receiving free product they give you. With the band we have no manger to book shows and stuff, so we have to be proactive, but then we are also not tied down on being forced to do shows we don’t want to do. It just gives you
Half cab frontside 5-0 to fakie in Observatory. Seq - Bradley 40 | sessionmag.co.za
I’ve been around art and creativity my whole life, my mom and sister are super talented painters.
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freedom to keep it fun. But at the same time you have to keep writing new material and give it your all when you’re doing live shows, making it pretty stressful too. With skating you are free too go out and have fun skating in the streets, but then again you need to stack footage and try to get photos. But having those responsibilities to my sponsors helps me to keep moving forward, better my skating and take it a little more seriously. Both are pretty demanding, but it would never make me feel like I don’t have time for them. One is not more important to me than the other. You and Dylan seem to have a really tight connection, tell us a bit more about him? Well, I owe him so much for getting me on a board firstly, we are in the band together, we skate together, we share a lot of other interests too like going on bike rides and playing Mortal Combat until our fingers fall off. We get along well and feed off each other’s vaaaabes. He is super talented, a ‘jack of all trades’ and master of most. Dylan was once a well-known rollerblader back in the day, he studied acting at UCT and has performed in loads of theatre acts, movies and short films. He’s a rapper too, in a rap duo called Fenris, and I often seen him destroy wellknown rappers in a rap battle. He sings, plays guitar, bass, piano and even the trumpet apparently. He’s super good at art, does amazing posters, and created things like the Pit Party Poster and T-shirts, as well as the Clarke’s T-shirts. He’s a good positive guy who is motivated to get things done. I will always cherish our missions forever and the ones we are about to do. Dylan is my brother from another mother. Howl Bro’s for life. Why do you always wear black? Black Lung is one of the reasons. I guess it’s easier to wear black, but I haven’t always worn all black. It just feels comfortable to me now. I mean blue jeans would throw me off. Black clothing is just how I identify with myself. You ride around on a motorbike these days, tell us more about this, are you really into bikes? I’m not so clued up on bikes, but I am passionate about them. My love for bikes probably came from my dad who always had a motorbike when I was growing up, he went though all styles of bikes and always gave us rides around on them. I got my first bike about 2 years ago when I bought a little MotorMia 150cc from Tyler (Sins Of Style) but I always rode scooters before that. It’s super fun and easy to get around. Now I’m into riding faster and further after moving up from a 150cc to a Yamaha 750cc Virago. I haven’t really done such crazy long rides though, the longest so far was when I went to Hooters in Durbanville from Kommetjie with a biker gang called The Brotherhood MCC, where thereafter I got given a patch to join the club. So I’m kind of in a motorcycle club haha. The ride is awesome when you’re on your own. It’s just like skating. The whole trusting yourself and your control of the object you are riding is very close in comparison. Being on a ride with a crew of bikers is like a skate mission with homies.
I mean blue jeans would throw me off. Black clothing is just how I identify with myself.
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Opportunistic nosegrind on a rubbish bin, to hill bomb. Photo - Bradley
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Fence ride. Crusty as fuck! Photo - van Staden
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Growing up by the beach, there is obviously the whole surf culture. Do you surf and are you any good? I had so many issues with surfing growing up. In the southern suburbs the surfers had some beef with skaters. A few of them were cool with us and hung out with us too, but you always got those groups of dudes that just despised you for no reason. If you went to a house party in Kommetjie you’d sometimes be the biggest enemy. Dudes would come up and start fights with you, while you’re minding your own business. I’m sure it’s different now because skating is more popular amongst surfers, almost every dude has one or just walks around carrying one. I guess you could also blame it on general testosterone and the need to just cause some trouble, those guys made me hate it. But then I started 3 years ago, the first few times I tried it was difficult, but then I was given a 9 foot long board and I rode along the face of a wave on the first day that I tried the board out. I’ve only surfed 4 spots in 3 years of surfing. I always surf Muizenberg and then I went out once in Durban, Cape St. Francis and Manly Beach in Sydney. I’m not interested in getting gnarly, I just like to relax and cruise on a wave. Tell us about some of your influences and inspiration in skateboarding? I was so obsessed with Jamie Thomas. He was so gnarly back then. He did really big stuff that blew your mind and it was visually amazing. The first movie I saw from Dylan was a bootleg double VCR recording with early 411s and an old Plan B video on it. Zero’s ‘Thrill of It All’ was on there too and stood out the most. Jamie Thomas’ part blew my face off. It was a big musical influence for me too. Nowadays, the ‘East Coast’ USA guys that bring out those independent films are some great inspiration. It’s so simplistic with loads of style and just the way they film it makes it rad. They make something simplistic look so good, like doing a super fast noseslide and popping it out in a unique way that makes is special. That motivates me a lot now. I can relate it to our environment too, where we also don’t have perfect spots so one needs to be creative with what they have around them. I have bigger pro influences too, like Louie Barletta is a huge influence, as well as Chris Haslam, Guy Mariano and those sort of dudes. Then there are the classic style guys like Marc Johnson, Arto Saari and Geoff Rowley. Wynand and I had the flip video on repeat for months. You are known to be particularly creative on a skateboard, with unorthodox ability to adapt to awkward spots. Where did that stem from, was it the environment you grew up skating in? When I went to Wynand’s in our early days, we built stuff and tried to create whatever we could, in a small town with not many spots you are forced to create your own shit. Wynand’s dad worked at a fire station, and the depot had a 2-stair gap, so we put boxes down it and a rail. We made a bank-to-wall and tried to ride that too, we also attempted to skate the fire station’s equipment, like trucks and trailers. We had to make spots and think creatively. What could we make next? That made me want to progress, not just liking one thing. I want to keep looking at things differently so it’s more interesting. Street, tranny, parks and comps, do it all. Keep moving and keep trying different things.
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No-comply from flat at Thibault Square. Photo - van Staden
I want to keep looking at things differently so it’s more interesting. Street, tranny, parks and comps, do it all. Keep moving and keep trying different things. You are also particularly good at skating switch, even in transition. How did that come about? I would skate from my house to the Mall, about 5km I think. It took me like 15 min. Dudes at the park were doing things like switch flips on flat. That was super tech at the time, which made me want to progress in that direction and to just be comfortable with it. I would push up and down the sidewalk switch, skate to the spot switch and try to hop on and off pavements. I’m not amazing at switch stance, like I’m not good at going switch backside or doing flips, more just ledges and mini ramps. Skate around switch and then your brain gets used to it. It makes you get comfortable with your wrong foot in the front. Get out there and try it out kids. Tell us about shooting with Tyrone and Jansen for this feature? Jansen has such a creative eye. He makes a photo look as if the viewer is an outsider, who perhaps doesn’t know about skateboarding, and who is seeing the scene from a far, perhaps for the first time. He makes it look appealing to a regular Joe. Also, if you shoot with Jansen then Joubert usually comes too, so you’ll get footage as well, which is a huge plus. Most interviews you just get the pics, but it’s nice to have the footage too!
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Shooting with Tyrone is rad, I met him through Wayne Reiche who I have done loads of shoots with in the past. They are both BMXers, but are open to what you’re doing. They don’t tell you what to do, Tyrone respects what you want to do and will shoot it really beautifully. He gives you your creative space and allows you to be comfortable. We got to shoot things I grew up skating and I had time to do my own thing without being rushed, which takes a load off my shoulders. Last Words? Thanks to Wynand and Dylan, ‘HOWL Brothers’ are my big influences. Thanks to my family who have always been there for me and are always supporting me. Clayton for being super rad in keeping me on that fresh KFD wood for so many years and hooking me up with Globe, Tensor and Killer. To Mel and Seamus for helping me get where I am and driving me to get shit done. The legends like Craig Pike and Donovan for always being so supportive and for just being such awesome people. Tyrone and Jansen for shooting the photos and Joubert van Staden, Clinton Theron and Matthew Lesch for filming missions. All the dudes I skate with that push me and amp me up to go and roll. Thanks to my girlfriend for putting up with me and putting a smile on my face everyday. Thanks to Session Mag and AV Skateboarding for keeping skaters connected through media for so long and for giving me this article.
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Skateistan sa with Brandon Gomez INTERVIEW - JACKSON
Photo - Lamprecht
Where are you from and do you have a background in skateboarding? I’m from the states, originally born in a small city called Coatesville, Pennsylvania, which is about 15 minutes from West Chester, where Bam and the CKY crew are from. Also, about 45 minutes drive from Philadelphia, so I pretty much claim Philly whenever I’m outside of the US. Nowadays, most of my good friends back home live in the city and I spend a lot of time there whenever I’m back in the states. Philly is a rad city and usually gets overlooked because of NY and DC, but I always recommend people check it out, especially for skating. I grew up skating out there, started when I was about 15 years old or so (little later than a lot of kids). A lot of friends in high school were skating, it was kind of a fad. I picked it up, met some cool friends from skating, and eventually just stuck with it. A lot of people I grew up skating with stopped, but there is actually still a really tight group of us that still skate to this day, and I try to meet up with them at least once or twice a year to skate and travel. So yes, I’ve been skating ever since then, and it’s brought me all over the world and introduced me to some amazing people. I really cannot explain the power that skateboarding has and how amazed I am when I sit back and think about where it has taken me. In terms of a background ‘career’ wise, nothing really before working with Skateistan though, if that’s the question, but I’ve always made skateboarding a part of my life in everything I did. I even wrote my Master’s thesis on Nike SB and Nike’s entrance into skateboarding.
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Frontside rock ‘n roll at Germiston Bowl. Photo - Jeggle
How did you get involved in Skateistan and how long have you been working with the organisation? I found out about Skateistan when I was finishing my Master’s degree in Syracuse, New York in 2010. I was looking for something new and interesting to do, and around that same time a video from Skateistan just happened to pop into my Facebook feed. The video went quite viral actually, I recommend checking it out, even though it’s a bit dated, it’s still pretty amazing (“To Live and Skate Kabul”). I checked out their website and saw there was a volunteer application. It was really perfect timing for me at that point in my life so I figured I would apply. I actually put quite a bit of
work into my application, and even managed to get a pretty crazy recommendation from a friend at the Afghan Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, which I think really helped me stick out a little more. After that I managed to get an interview with the founder, Oliver Percovich, which I guess went pretty well because a few months later I was on a plane to Afghanistan. The crazy thing is that was really my first time traveling overseas, so I really went into the deep end there. Ollie and Skateistan definitely took a bit of a risk on that one, but I was ready for it and hungry to try something new, and was so stoked to have the opportunity to do it with Skateistan. Looking back, now that I see how many applications we get and how few openings there are in Skateistan, I real-
ized rather quickly how lucky I was even to get an interview in the first place. I started in April, 2011 as a volunteer in Kabul, and have been with them ever since, now working as the Operations Director for all programs globally. Can you tell us a bit more about your experience in Afghanistan, you must have initially been a little nervous heading there? I’ve spent about 2 years total in Afghanistan, at both project sites - Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan. To be honest, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was stoked. I did a lot of research on Afghanistan before I went. I took it really seriously. I read books, watched documentaries, read up on news blogs, and even learned some of the language (Dari) before going. I think the only time I was ever really nervous was the moment the plane was landing in Kabul. I think everyone I have ever spoken to has had that experience, and it’s pretty surreal. I’ve landed in a lot of cities and countries, but that first landing in Kabul is something I will never forget, it was really like - this is it. These days, to be honest, I’m a little more nervous. The foreign security forces are pulling out, there are more attacks happening on foreign NGOs and civilians than ever, and even ISIS is making their way in. I’m going to be heading back in a few months to check out the program and will probably be more nervous about that than when I
first went. But in the end, no matter what Afghanistan is a really amazing country and I feel quite lucky to have had the experience to see a country and culture that most people will never get to visit, which is pretty rad. How did Skateistan end up in Johannesburg? Well, we had a few major contacts and supporters here before we came to Johannesburg. One of whom was the Danish Ambassador to South Africa, who had previously worked in Kabul, and was familiar with our program. Another supporter who reached out to us at the time was Dr. Simon Adams. Originally a skateboarder from Australia, Simon also worked with the ANC in South Africa for years during the endings of apartheid, and now heads up another large NGO called Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (www.globalr2p.org). Simon met up with Skateistan founder Oliver for a trip to Johannesburg, to visit and see what was possible, and basically gauge if a program like Skateistan would be useful. Ollie had a pretty warm welcome everywhere we went, and it seemed like people were genuinely stoked on the idea of Skateistan in most places he checked out. The Danish Embassy in Pretoria was willing to put some funding on the table to get things going in South Africa, and we took it from there. Johannesburg has a rather notorious reputation, tell us where you are based
and what sort of experience it’s been living in the downtown area? I’m currently based in Maboneng, which personally I find amazing. I find Johannesburg a really interesting place, and I would not want to live anywhere else. Obviously as a tall white foreigner, I stick out a bit, so I’m pretty mindful of my surroundings, but I have been traveling and living in some pretty rough areas for the past 5 years so I’m quite used to that. Before starting with Skateistan I also spent some time with my brother in North Philadelphia, which to this day I still consider one of the most gnarly places out there (they call it killadelphia). But yeah, Joburg can be pretty rough, I’ve had some small run-ins already but I just try to stay safe, and minimize my risk of getting into tricky situations, I think that’s the most you can do. Also, with the work Skateistan is doing, these are the areas where we want to be in - places like downtown Joburg are perfect for a Skateistan program. You also build DIY spots and skate whenever you can, tell us about some of the things you’ve done at Skateworld in Edenvale and who you usually roll with when you get some time off? Well, I’m not that great with cement or anything, but it’s always fun to build stuff. I grew up building with wood, my dad put a hammer in my hand at a really young age,
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Carolein Greyling, who are assisting with our educational and arts programs as well, and a few volunteers who are also helping out. So the team is growing, and in the near future we want the whole project to be run by a local team. Tell us about the program you run here, what does it involve and what are you aiming to achieve?
and I even built my own mini-ramp by myself when I was younger. Edenvale is so rad! I love that you can just go build something there, and usually everyone is really stoked when they see you show up with cement and shovels. We started there with this little hump, I used two halves of a tyre to make it. At first it was awesome, but we mixed the cement wrong and eventually it started to crumble and turned into shit, which kind of bummed me out, because it’s right in the middle of the park. We recently went back and fixed it up, and made it into a really nice looking half pump-bump. I think that will be pretty solid and should add a nice flow to the park. That should literally be ready to skate like right now, so go skate it everyone! Hartmut Martin and I also built the pole jam there, similar to the one he built at Skinner in PTA. Hartmut was one of the first guys I met here, and he was super supportive of Skateistan. He even helped out with building a mini-ramp we use at a Youth Centre in Joburg CBD, really rad guy! To be honest, when I have time off these days I really enjoy skateboarding by myself. I find it meditative, and for the past few years I have found skateboarding to be such a great stress reliever. To me there is nothing better than putting in my headphones and just zoning out on a skateboard. Sometimes I’ll even wake up early, at like 6am, and drive to Germiston just to skate before work and have the place to myself. But everyone in Joburg has been really amazing and welcoming, and the skate scene here is growing and thriving. It has been awesome meeting all the local guys and skating around Joburg. I’m always down to skate with anyone! What role do you play at Skateistan in South Africa? Well here in South Africa I guess I have become the default point person for
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Skateistan. The program is quite new, and eventually we want to build up a team from South Africa to run the whole program here. But because the program is still young I’ve been handling a lot of the higher-level operational stuff. My role at Skateistan is Operations Director, so I also remotely oversee all operations for projects in Afghanistan and Cambodia, which can be quite a lot sometimes. Half my job these days is running around Johannesburg, and the other half is on a computer, usually on Skype and e-mails. But in South Africa, for now I’ve been providing a lot of guidance for the program, until we get a bit more stabilized and build the team up a bit more. Tell us a bit about your local team, are there any other foreigners helping out at present? There are a few other foreigners that are working here in South Africa. Our programs director, Talia Kaufman, is from Canada. She is playing a similar role to me, but focusing a lot on the programs we are running and planning to run in the future with the kids here. Also Chris Ray, from San Francisco, has been here helping me a lot with the construction of our own facility. Chris has a background in skatepark design, and previously worked with California Skateparks, and helped us out building our first outdoor skatepark in Afghanistan, before coming to Johannesburg. We also have two fulltime South African staff members: Ayanda Mnyandu and Kelly Murray. Ayanda grew up skating in Troyeville, which is where we really started our first program, at the bowl there. Ayanda was our first full-time staff member and has been doing an amazing job since starting with us. Kellly is probably the best female skateboarder in Africa and we’re super stoked to have her involved with the program. We also have two parttime staff members, Jordan Saltzman and
The program is similar to what we do in Afghanistan and Cambodia, and to me the goal is pretty simple: it’s providing young kids opportunities through skateboarding. Not every kid is going to get sponsored, or go pro - actually probably very, very few. But through education and other opportunities so many more doors can be opened. I always think about myself as an example. I knew from a very young age that I wasn’t good enough to make a career through my skateboarding, but I have been lucky and been able to keep skateboarding in my life. I have been able to travel the world and work with an amazing organization because of skateboarding, and a solid educational background. I think if we can instill that attitude in some of the children we’re working with, or lead them on the right path, then we’re doing something right. That is what drew me to Skateistan, because I saw the potential in the program. After working with Skateistan in Afghanistan and Cambodia I actually saw the kids’ lives changing in a huge way, with my own eyes, so now I hope we can do that same thing here in Johannesburg. The Global Journal listed Skateistan as one of top 100 NGOs in the world in 2013. Has the organisation’s increased awareness made it any easier to get funding? That was pretty amazing to get listed in the top 100, we were pretty stoked about that. To be honest, while it definitely was a great honor and did give us some positive media coverage, it didn’t have a huge effect on our awareness or make funding too much easier. But I think most importantly what it really did was instill more of a drive in our team. It is like, “okay we’re in the top 100, #85, and that’s amazing - but let’s get to number 1.” Skateistan has a super driven team, and it’s amazing to work in that kind of environment. We are really a very small NGO, with a small team and a small budget. But we’re on the same 100 list as some of the biggest and best NGOs in the world, we even ranked above Greenpeace! That in itself was pretty amazing for us, and we just want to keep going down that path and progressing as an organization. Who has come forward to provide funding for the SA initiative thus far? We have a wide variety of funders helping out with the program here. The main funding to date has come from the Danish Embassy in Pretoria. Recently Comic Relief came onboard for the program in South Africa. This
The educational facility will be constructed from recycled storage containers. We used this building style for our last building in Afghanistan and it came out amazingly - really innovative style of building. So we want to just build on the success of that building, I think it will be pretty amazing when it’s done. Obviously the skatepark will also be a highlight as well. This is our first concrete park we’re building, so we’re pretty excited about that. We even have Newline skateparks from Canada onboard, assisting with the project. They built the SOMA skatepark in San Fran and build some of the best parks out there, and they’ll probably fly a few guys down when we start building, to make sure it’s done right. I think one question that a lot of people will have will be regarding access to the park. I just want people to realize that Skateistan is a Non-Profit with private funders and a specific program we are trying to run. I have found it a bit hard to explain the way Skateistan works to skateboarders sometimes, it seems that the kids who don’t really skateboard or have accessto skating really seem to latch onto the program more than anyone. That being said, we definitely want to provide access to all skateboarders somehow. We haven’t come up with a solid schedule or program yet, but I’m thinking we will most likely have open hours on one or two days a week, probably on weekends when kids can come and skate it. I think at the end of the day the most important thing for us is that people respect the space once it’s up and running, because Skateistan has worked pretty hard to get the funding to get this going. Any plans to extend the program to any other SA cities at present? There are no specific plans just yet, but we definitely want to grow the program in South Africa. We have been working pretty hard to establish a program here, setting up an NPO in a new country is no easy task. Like I said previously, with a new facility it will be a great place to grow the program and base ourselves here in South Africa. We’ve already been approached by people from nearly every big city in SA about a potential program, and we’re honestly open to any ideas, but I think right now our focus and energy is all going into Joburg and making sure we start off on a good foot here first.
Wallride in downtown JHB. Photo - Kaufman
is super exciting for us, because they are really committed to programs in South Africa, and we’re one of the first skateboarding programs they’ve ever funded. Tony Hawk Foundation has also provided some funding for our programs here. We are in the process of building our own educational and skateboarding facility here as well, and a group called The Skateroom (www.theskateroom. com) are the principal funders supporting that project for us. You guys have this amazing facility planned for Johannesburg. Can you tell us a bit more about it - where it will be and when you hope to open up?
Yes, we’re really excited about the facility here. We got a lease on a rad piece of land donated to us through the property company developing the Maboneng area, Propertuity. I think they see the value in a program like Skateistan, and to be honest it’s in a great location to serve the kids in the CBD and surrounding areas. The building will be located in New Doornfontein, kind of close to Ellis Park stadium. Similar to our other large facilities, it will have an educational space and an office space for the staff to work out of. We kind of envision this space being a hub for us in Africa, and a place we can base ourselves for growth within Africa as a whole, Joburg is a perfect city for that.
How should one contact you if they would like to get involved in Skateistan South Africa? Just shoot me an e-mail at brandon@ skateistan.org We’re definitely interested in people volunteering, but something we try to focus on at Skateistan is long-term involvement and commitment, so we just try to gauge people and ask whether they can commit their time for at least a few months, on a regular basis, even if it’s just once a week. The most important thing is the consistency. I’m sure things will also grow at a pretty quick pace once the facility opens and we’ll probably be using the Facebook page a lot more for announcements and news, so people can also follow that - www. facebook.com/SkateistanZA
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How to make it in America…South Africa Plenty of young skateboarders are growing up today with the dream of becoming a professional, making tons of money and ‘living the life’. Professional skateboarding in the US has created this perception that skateboarding is all about the high life, including money, world travel and fame. And yes that may be the case for a very small and select few, but in reality everyone else is just hustling to get by, working side jobs and living on borrowed time. So if your dream is to be one of the select few, how hard are you willing to work to make it happen? Words Luke Jackson Photo Sam Clark
A lot of young guys in SA tend to think that if you get sponsored then you’ve ‘made it’. But the reality is that all you are getting is a little free product, so what? Everyone thinks they are good and thinks that brands should be sponsoring them with free product. When it comes to money, guys that are actually making any at all can be counted on one hand, and even they are getting a barely livable wage. That is because in reality skateboarding is quite small in our country, so big salaries are difficult to justify. Yes skateboarding is influential in local popular culture, but the industry is still really small in comparison to places like America. However, even over there, there are only a handful of guys who are really making a good living. There are thousands and thousands of skateboarders from across the world all trying to be in the select few spots where you are really getting decent money. EVERYONE is really good, what makes you stand out from the crowd and what makes you more marketable at the end of the day? Have you ever asked yourself why anyone should get paid
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to skate? And there is only one real reason – your influence. Skateboarding doesn’t create food to eat or build a roof over your head. At the end of the day, you are riding around on a plank with wheels bolted to it. However, skateboarding is something that inspires people and influences them. And that is what brands are looking to tap into, in order to encourage people to buy their products. That’s why people get paid to skate or get sponsored. You can do a million tricks, so what? If you can do a million tricks but you act like a dick to everyone, that actually alienates people, so your influence is negative. Why would a brand sponsor or pay you for that association? But, if what you do influences or inspires other people, then that is something special, whether it’s on a skateboard or even your involvement in the wider culture. Dlamini Dlamini is undeniably one of the best skateboarders in South Africa. But, has he made it? Well, not quite, but he’s trying. He moved over to California for 3 months, he’s sleeping on
Dlamini ollies over to a quick nosegrind in JHB, shortly before making his way to the USA. Photo - Sam Clark
couches and reportedly working in a skate shop to get by. He’s one of the best in our country, but he still has to hustle as much as possible to try and make his dream a reality. Ask yourself, “am I as good at riding a skateboard as Dlamini?” If he is that good and is still trying to hustle so hard to get recognized, is there any hope for you? Get real about things, what do you want to achieve? If you really want it and you have the confidence to make it then you absolutely can, but don’t wait around for someone to send you overseas, because nothing will ever happen. Be like Dlamini and skate your ass off, sleep on couches, knock on doors and do whatever it takes. Otherwise, just go and skate, love skateboarding and enjoy being part of the scene, but you should probably stay in school and remember that you need to make a living. The reality is that you need to survive and nobody is going to pay you just because you’re kind of OK at doing tricks on a skateboard. Similarly, don’t go begging every brand for free product, unless you’re on a really good level
and it can actually be justified. If you do get hooked up then remember that you are endorsing that brand because they have selected you as someone who can create influence, not because you can do lots of flip tricks. If nobody knows who you are, then why would brands (who also have limited resources) give you free stuff? It’s all about levels and you have to be realistic. Nobody owes you anything. You have to work for it. We don’t all have what it takes and that is absolutely fine, we can all still enjoy being a part of skateboarding. It’s one thing to love skateboarding and to spend your time doing it, but it’s a whole other level to be so good and so driven that you can make it in America.
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DIY Day
create and skate. Jansen van Staden and Juan Smit have been on a DIY mission lately. Fixing up some old spots around Cape Town in their spare time. Everyone talks about how good a certain spot would be if it had this or that. Well don’t just talk about it, make it happen. A little DIY effort suddenly puts a spot high up on the list of places to hit, even though the spot might have been there for years without getting touched. Get out there and make a little effort, your whole scene can benefit from taking a little initiative. The DIY master from Sweden, Pontus Alv, has some advice to follow when making your own DIY spots: Make some wood frames and fill them up with solid materials (bricks and stones, etc). Make a rough mix with concrete and make a solid base to work from. Use one part of cement to two parts of sand, and then add some stones and water. Mix it well and create magic. When you do the final layer use wooden tools. Be patient and let the concrete go hard before working with steel tools to give it the final finish.
Juan Smit bluntslides and pops out, on Table Mountain. The Table Mountain barriers have become an infamous DIY spot, known to skateboarders from around the world. Jansen and Juan did a new add-on to give the spot a whole new dimension. Photo Jansen van staden
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DiY DaY
create and skate.
Wynand and Justus are still rolling together after all these years, and Wynand wasn’t going to let Justus have all the fun without getting some too. He replies with a frontside 180 fakie 5-0 and pops out. This spot in Observatory is often talked about but is seldom skated, due to the bank’s roughness and steep sides. This new DIy spot fix opens up a whole lot more opportunity.
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CLOSET ENVY
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element / DILLINGER BACKPACK
DC / WORKER ROOMY JEANS
closet enVY Threads for shred
vAns / CHUCKA LOW
vAns x AntIHero / TNT SG
converse / one sTar
adidas / suPersTar
sKullcAnDy / SHRAPNEL
vAns / CHUCKA LOW
converse / one sTar
eleMent / topAz
adidas / MATCHCOURT
sKullcAnDy/ sounDmine
vAns / LINDERO 2
converse / one sTar
eleMent / vernon
adidas / MATCHCOURT
sKullcAnDy / sP50
vAns / GILBERT CROCKETT
converse / one sTar
adidas x HunDreDs x nbA
adidas / MATCHCOURT
sKullcAnDy / uProar
thumBless Game Reviews
nbA 2K16 (ps4) Game reviews are back! Don’t act like you aren’t spending a ton of time on your PS4 or XBOX, when you aren’t skating of course. Who better to do reviews than the self-proclaimed king of all things concerning the console (and our good mate) - Warwick Herholdt. The new NBA game came in, yes Basketball, another great pillar of American culture, alongside skateboarding. Warwick put some time in, on the court… I’ve been excited about this game ever since I saw it shown at E3 this year, I’ve never been an avid sports game fan, but I was hyped on the music and the fact that Spike Lee was involved. Once you’ve bought the game don’t expect to just jump in and start your basketball career, although you can play a “Quick Game”, most of the game is unavailable for an hour or more while the game unpacks content, which is a little annoying, plus there’s a day one patch of 3
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gigs. Once all that’s out the way, you can start MyCareer, MyPlayer, online multiplayer and so much more. MyCareer really got my attention, Spike Lee has written and directed a feature called Livin’ Da Dream, where the player takes on the roll of a young up-and-coming basketball player who journeys from high school to being approached by prospecting universities and eventually to being drafted into the NBA. If you’re not into any of that and just want to shoot some hoops then there’s always the quick game and mulitiplayer features with 12 of the best NBA teams to choose from. I reviewed NBA 2K16 on a PS4. I’m still blown away with the visuals of games coming out and 2K16 does not disappoint, everything about this game is beautiful, almost photo-realisitc, with an amazing soundtrack. An all around awesome game. Warwick’s score: 7.5/10
0 2 1 8 5 2 5 1 6 6 info @ deriveskateshop . co . za 57 Caledon Street S o m e r S e t W e S t
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Session is now more accessible than ever and it’s 100% FREE! Now online at www.sessionmag.co.za • Read the current issue as it releases • view stockists • Read back issues • Watch local and international skate videos
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See you in 2016!
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