Sentimental Values

Checking out REELcomp this morning, I ran into a couple new videos. The one above is called Sentimental Values. It is a preview for a video by a group called Funner Films, who are a group of pro snowboarders out of MT Baker and Chile.

I thought this preview was very well put together. The music starts out very somber and the riding follows along with it well. Focusing mainly on backcountry riding, some street and park are tastefully mixed in. As the music picks up, so does the riding. With an electric charge pumping through the speakers, the drops get bigger and the tricks get harder.

Although no "big name" riders are featured in this video, it still has alot of style and class. Check it out and see what you think for yourself.

Awsome! Underwater Plane

I just got the October issue of Scuba Diving Magazine. My grandparents are the one who actually subscribe, but they sent it to me because I liked to read it whenever I am over at their house. Anyway I start to look through it and there on page 19 is an article called the "The Monster of Lake Mead." It had these two pictures as well.

For those of you who can't tell that is one gigantic plane. According to the article this is a B-29 bomber from WWII. They are the type that carried the nuke to Hiroshima. This one apparently never saw action. It just crashed thanks to pilot error. This plane rivals the size of a Boeing 737, being 99 feet long and having a 140-foot wingspan. The wreck was apparently discovered in 2001, and just July they gave out two conditional permits to Sin City Scuba and Tech Diving Limited.

I really think this is beyond a cool dive and wish so much that I could go. Unfortunately the wreck sits at 140 feet, so it requires nitrox to even have a chance of seeing. This dive not only would require extra training, but right now there are just two conditional permits so the dive costs about $450. Man, I wish I could go. Exploring a gigantic plane 140 feet underwater would be beyond amazing.

Hey here is the link to Scuba Diving Magazines home page. If you are interested in them they offer free e-newsletters, as well as the actual magazine.

Making Too Many Bubbles

Do you burn through your air faster than anybody else in your group? Are you always having to surface before the others because you are already low on air? Well here are some tips from me and SCUBA Diving Magazine.

First and foremost in helping you control your breathing is controlling your buoyancy. This is the main problem that my dad has. My dad is not exactly that good at getting himself fit with the right amount of weight. This is mostly because we do not live anywhere near salt water, but we dive mostly on vacation in places like the Florida Keys and Mexico. This makes it hard for my dad to judge just how much weight he needs for a dive since it has been a year since he dove in salt water, and didn't do that much diving at home in fresh water anyway. My dad not having the right amount of weight means that he either sinks or floats and just can't seem to fine that right amount of buoyancy to hover just above the seabed. He really doesn't like this especially when he's stuck floating because he feels like he is missing some the dive. This makes him try harder to get to the right buoyancy. Now that he is trying harder he is exerting himself more and breathing harder. This not only burns through his air supply and causes him to surface earlier than the rest of us, but because of the way my dad breathes while exertign himself he isn't exhaling completely. This means that he is now more buoyant, so all the effort he is making to get down a little farther is for nothing. This is a bad habit of my dad's and we have told that a thousand times. Unfortunately he doesn't do to well on watching himself because he still does it quite often. The only problem my dad really has is that he just needs to relax. In order to get down just a little more where teh pressure will allow him to stay down, all he needs to do is relax. As he starts to kick to get himself down to the higher pressure he should also exhale. This will help in two ways. Now not only is he applying a force to go down but he is becaoming less buoyant as he exhales and this will help him get down to the right level even if he forgot to add a few pounds to his weight belt.

The same is true if you have something like this problem. It is really easy to fix you just have to not exert yourself. If you accidentally didn't grab enough weight just simply flip face down and kick towards the bottom as you exhale. Make sure that you don't try to hard though or you won't fully exhale and you will get nowhere.

Industry News and Updates

Mystery Skateboards has turned Dan Murphy pro.

Sierra Fellers now has several pro model boards as well as some signature threads with Foundation Super Co.

The oh so stylish Kenny Anderson now does backside tailslides with Satori Wheels

Chris Cole and his infamous Hot Wax crew have a new video entitled Shred the Gnar. Chris also won this year's 'eS Game of Skate.

Ryan Sheckler has won the Dew Action Sports Tour event in Salt Lake City, thus clinching the tour's overall title.

There's a new pro model shoe soon to be on the market featuring Element's logo and Darrell Stanton's name.

Mark Gonzales is now the proud father of William Dexter Jackson Gonzales. Congrats Gonzo!

Saturday Sessions

One of the most enjoyable parts of skateboarding as I see it is the Saturday session. It basically consists of you and some of your friends meeting as some place with no agenda other than to skate. You might meet up at a skatepark, a schoolyard, or in my case, a tennis court.

This is where the magic happens; the best tricks go down all for the sake of fun and everyone carries a grin from ear to ear. On any given Saturday, you might witness one of your friends finally land a trick he’s been trying for weeks or you yourself might land a trick for the first time in six months (which you probably won’t land again for another six months). Whatever the case may be, you’re almost guaranteed to have fun.

My friends and I had a Saturday session at our university’s tennis courts this past weekend. After a few exchanges of emails and phone calls, we had a posse put together and a session waiting to begin. We already had a shared passion, so all that we needed now was a grind box (which was easily obtained) and a way of documenting the good times (which turned out to be my digital camera).

After a few minutes of warming up and waiting for everyone to get to the meeting spot, we had a full-blown Saturday session unfolding. Tricks went down left and right, with everyone feeding off of each other’s energy and enthusiasm. It seemed as though everything outside the fencing of the tennis court meant nothing and that the only thing important in life was having fun.

I’ve been skateboarding for quite a while now and each day that goes by, I have more and more fun with my hobby. Sure there are times at which point I really don’t feel like going out, but for the most part I’m motivated to skate with my friends. This particular Saturday session really reinforced for me what skateboarding was really about, having fun.

I think that far too often kids buy into the hype surrounding professional skateboarding; they think it’s all about fame and money. When you see people like Bam, Rob Dyrdek, and Ryan Sheckler get their own television shows, it’s easy to lose sight over why we skateboard in the first place. I think that if you would ask any of those guys what they enjoy the most, they’ll all would say skateboarding. You see, the vast majority of skateboarders are cut from the same cloth. They really don’t fit in with any of the traditional sports crowds, so they have collectivized and built a lifestyle entirely out of fun and friendship. This particular Saturday session reminded me of that point when we organized a group of individuals together to have some fun.

As each day goes by, I realize just how empty a life without fun and friendship can be. I don’t believe that humans were ever meant to be by themselves; whether that’s on a first place pedestal or in the lowliest ditch known to man. Skateboarding with my friends gives me this type of fulfillment, which I’m sure that those of you who skate can relate to. Now I recognize that this would be an ideal time to insert a sappy phrase like “skaters unite” or whatever, but I won’t do that here. Instead I want to encourage all of you reading this to initiate some contact with some friends of yours this weekend and have some good clean fun. Have your own Saturday session; I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Weekend Getaway

The party began at 1:30 Friday afternoon. The air-conditioning was broken in the backseat of our car. We tried to entertain ourselves with the Exponent but it lasted only a few minutes. I think we all had a touch of ADD. Jody, Travis, Grant and I were on our way to Fall Fest, a retreat for jr. high church kids. On the way, we passed a “point of interest.” It was a natural spring in the middle of nowhere. Not really interesting if you ask me. Finally we arrived after a two-hour drive. The party had only just begun.

Our first task was setting up 70 chairs for 63 people in a room that should only fit around 55. As the jr. high kids began to show up, we engaged in a ferocious tournament of dodge ball. Unfortunately for us, jr. high kids are notorious for cheating. After an hour of intense battle, we regrouped to begin playing various forms of tag. They became bored after about 15 minutes. We need to keep them busy for about 3 hours. Soon, darkness set in and glow in the dark games were made up on the spot.

The campers went to bed shortly after 11. As staff we had the privilege of staying up as late as we felt. We sat around in the dining hall and talked for a bit. A few people ate some cereal and we went to bed. We didn’t last long.

Around 8 the next we stumbled out of bed for breakfast. The party was just warming up. The kids were crazy and energetic, while we were drained. The kids had two rotations for the morning. I was working high ropes with the rest of staff. 38 campers showed up to go through the ropes course. Most of them had never experienced such a thrill. A 45 foot rock wall with a huge zipline. Headed up by the coolest people ever.

Travis is a scruffy man. O’er the summer he ruled the kitchen with an iron spatula. The thing that makes him cool is the fact that he can really step up the plate when necessary. Our head cook was fired in the first week of camp this summer and Travis stepped up without hesitation. He took leadership of the kitchen like George Washington lead America in the weaning years of our nation. This man is all about dancing even though he has no rhythm. He is all about shaking his stuff.

Grant is one of the best people I know. That is all. But seriously, I grew up with this kid. He is like the labor force in America. Not everybody knows his name but everybody knows he’s around and working hard. He always has a smile on his face and is trying to make someone laugh.

Sheridan is a mysterious individual. Dark and quiet she lurks in corners, quietly listening to conversations and constantly plotting to overthrow the administration, ie “the man.” She is definelty gunning for head honcho at camp. Nothing gets past this girl, she has eyes in the back of her head.

Jared is the mature one in the group. Working at camp for five years has taught him a lot of restraint. Just kidding. He is the worst. The only time I have ever seen him doing something serious is when someone could get hurt. He loves what he does and this South African chick he’s been dating for almost an entire year.


Basically, these guys are the backbone of camp. They keep the place running and always make sure the kids are having fun and learning about good stuff. This post might seem a little odd but I really love these guys. The time I spend with them is always unforgettable. This weekend I had a blast working with them and helping kids have fun. This weekend was a weekend "Well Spent.”

Shark Dives On The Rise

Once again I was just looking online for anything interesting and this time I found something on shark diving. According to this news article divers are finding more and more sites where they can go to just dive with sharks. I am seriously interested in this. The only time I have seen a shark so far is unfortunately only on my first real dive. Since it looks like I will be going on vacation with my parents this coming summer to somewhere tropical again I am going to see what they think about this. Unfortunately I have a pretty good idea that the rest of the divers in my family will not be all that happy about it. Oh well it might be a while before I go to a site known for sharks, but hey who can seriously pass up a chance like that. I know I can't even if someof my family can. Shark diving here I come.

Preview: Nike SB's Nothing But The Truth

Photo Courtesy of TSI

On October 4, 2007, Nike’s skateboarding division plans on releasing its first true film entitled, Nothing But The Truth. Big whoop: just another corporate giant trying to make money off skateboarding right? Well, not exactly. You see there is a potential for a revolution within the skateboarding community. One that’s associated with the release of this film and I will tell you why.

Nike has assembled one of the most diverse and talented “teams” in the industry. With the likes of Paul Rodriguez, Chet Childress, Brian Anderson, and more on their roster, the footwear company seems to rival all others out there. In addition to a great team, Nike has an outstanding image. The swoosh has been a staple in street fashion for many moons now; more and more skateboarders are trading in their plain pairs of Vans and Emericas for some aesthetically pleasing Dunks. Let’s just be honest, Nikes look good. These two factors, coupled with some strategic maneuvers including but not limited to company and artist collaborations, tours, and giveaways, have been keystones in Nike’s marketing system.

Nike’s ingenious market plan has allowed it to capitalize on skateboarding. In fact, other skateboarding companies feel threatened by Nike. For example, Consolidated Skateboards started a marketing campaign several years ago called Don’t Do It in the hopes of encouraging skateboarders to buy from just skater-owned companies. (Ironically Consolidated is owned by a surfer.) Essentially what I am alluding to is that Nike has a lot of money to do plenty of big things; including a skateboarding film.

The sheer enormity of the budget for Nothing But The Truth almost guarantees a quality video. But as the New York Yankees have proved over the last few years, throwing money at something doesn’t always equate to success. However, if the sporting goods company does manage to live up to all the hype and pull off a great video, shockwaves will be sent through the industry. Skateboarding videos could almost be forced to be cinema quality; this may mean the majority of companies might have to hire professional directors, editors, script writers (just kidding) etc. Nike’s got freakin’ Lionel Goldstein working on this film.

In the skateboard world, videos sell product. Kids want the latest and greatest; they always have and they always will. So therein lies the potential significance of a film like Nothing But The Truth. Nike could potentially drive out most of its competition in the skateboard market with this video (keep in mind that the Lakai video will be released a week later, which will be good.) It’s not hard to picture the majority of skaters owning the Nike movie, much like vast numbers of people own at least one Star Wars film. If skaters got so hooked on to what Nike was doing, it might just be the end of the skateboarding industry as we know it today.

So when October rolls around, be on the lookout for Nothing But The Truth. I’m pretty sure it will be well worth the wait. After all, a revolution may dawn. When it is released, I do plan on reviewing it and posting it here. (If anyone reading this works for Nike; hook me up, I’m a broke college student!) So stay tuned, but in the meantime, you can check out the latest trailer for the film here.

My Type Of Divers

There are four major types of divers in my opinion. These types are based only off of my opinion. They are resort divers, vacation divers, dive masters, and professional divers. They each differ in their certification, the equipment they own, and where and why they dive.


Resort Divers:
Resort divers usually have just a resort certification. They may have or be getting open water certification, and might even be getting wreck certification. Resort divers only dive on vacation. They usually plan vacations with diving to tropical dive sites. The places where resorts are. Resort divers might not be resort people but they do go on vacations where resorts are and cruises are a usual vacation choice. Resort divers might own some of their own equipment. They usually do own their own wetsuit. They might own their own BCD and regulator. Maybe they even have a dive computer as part of their regulator. These divers own cameras, though they are usually surface cameras with underwater housings. If they own an underwater camera most of the time it is a refillable underwater camera. Resort divers do not dive at home most of the time, so they are not part of the local dive club. Resort divers dive for one major reason. They dive for the scenery. This is why they dive mostly in the tropics. There visibility is the best and it is where there are plenty of reefs and fish.


Vacation Divers:

Vacation divers have at least open water certification. They most likely have some other, higher certification as well though, like wreck or night dive certification. Contrary to the title of vacation diver that I gave them though, vacation divers dive not only on vacation but at least every once in a while at home too. I call them vacation divers because they plan their vacations around some place that they are going to dive. This means that they usually go on weekend vacations and they go to just about any dive site. Vacation divers do not just go to tropical dive sites. They are usually wreck divers and so they take plenty of trips to places like the Great Lakes where there are plenty of wrecks. Vacation divers own their own equipment. Their equipment usually consists of their BCD, regulator (which usually has a dive computer attached). They have a wetsuit and a drysuit. They also usually own their own tanks, at least 2 to 4 depending on the type of regulator that they use. They also usually own a digital underwater camera. Vacation divers usually have extra equipment as well. This extra equipment is usually in pretty good shape, but quite old. They are probably trying to sell it on eBay as they lend it to you. Vacation divers are more often than not part of the local dive club, and they dive because they like being underwater and maybe have a hobby of a historian related to wrecks.

Dive Masters:

Now I do not mean that you have to be a dive master to fit in this category, but most of the people who do are dive masters. They are sometimes dive instructors as well. Dive masters usually live near diving and therefore they dive just about everyday. They do not usually have an actual job in diving. They may be paid by some dive shop or resort to take vacation and resort divers on dives, or they may not be paid. Dive masters own their own equipment. They have good equipment. It might not be the best out there but it is usually better then what vacation and resort divers are will to pay for. There is a good chance that they have a two tank regulator and more than a few sets of tanks. Most dive masters would be able to use nitrox, but they might not own their own equipment set up to use it. Any extra equipment they might own is on the used side. Those that have cameras probably have pretty nice underwater video cameras. They do not really care about the scenery, they like the feel of being underwater. This is why they have underwater video cameras, so that they can not only see what they saw on a past dive, but they can hear what they heard last dive (usually just their own breathing). These people wish that they had gills.

Professional Divers:

Professional divers is my last type of diver. This is just my general thoughts on professional divers. A lot of the detail I put up in the other ones would differ amazingly between certain professions that the professional divers might be doing. Professional divers have gone on to higher education for their level of certification. They have the BEST equipment, and their old equipment if they have it still is heavily used. If they want to dive on their vacation, then professional divers vary. Some go on vacations like vacation divers, but most are probably closer to resort divers and go for the places with scenery.

Those are the four types of divers in my opinion. Now I did not set up my opinion based on me being in any specific type. I for one feel that I am mostly a vacation diver, I still do not own anything besides a wetsuit, I am not a part of my local dive club, I only have open water certification, and it has really only been recently since I decided to dive somewhere not tropic. I think of myself as a vacation diver because I actually find reefs pretty boring and like it a whole lot more when there is something sunk down in the water. In my opinion loving to go underwater and breathe makes you a diver, so I plan on being a diver.

Fountain Drop

Days like today make me long for winter and the cold snow that accompanies it. Walking to class in 90-degree weather today really dashed my hopes of continuing the cool weather we had last week. As I walked through the engineering mall I glanced at one of the few ways to get out of the heat, the fountain. This time however, it was no longer just a fountain. It was a challenge. A challenge to ride.

The fountain stands 38 feet tall and has four vertical columns sloping down. As I walked past it today, I wondered if anyone had ever tried riding down one of the columns. It would certainly be legendary if someone did but if no one ever had I could see why.

For starters, the fountain is 38 feet tall. Unless you have a decent lift just lying around, it would be very difficult to get to the top. Secondly, there is the small problem of the gap midway through the column. Although it only spans a few feet, misjudging this gap would be costly. Any attempt to connect the two pieces would seem rather difficult as well.

If somehow you could figure those two problems out there’s the fact the ledge is only about two feet across. Better line up straight when you drop in or else you’ve got a fast date with some hard concrete.

These are only minor problems and I’m sure someone determined enough could easily fix them. If they did, they could get some sweet shots and a pretty good rush. Shooting this at night would be spectacular. If the fountain somehow got turned on, the colored lights would give the rider a beautiful background. Plus if you could get the bell tower in the background, you would have two of Purdue’s most known landmarks.

If I had the time and money I would love to try it. Unfortunately I am a poor college kid and probably wouldn’t be able to pull something like this off. If someone decides to ride the fountain, I hope I’m there to witness it, or maybe even take part in the riding.

My Opinion on Bouyancy Control

Some people say that learning bouyancy is the hardest part of learning to SCUBA dive. I agree with them. I still have not learned bouyancy and never will because I do not think that you can truely learn bouyancy. I say this becuase I have been told I am a natural at bouyancy and all I can do is smile and agree. This is because I never focused on bouyancy when I learned how to SCUBA dive. Bouyancy to me is just something that happens when we are underwater.

When I think about bouyancy I think about staying off the bottom but being plenty close to the bottom to see everything that I could possibly want to see. To me bouyancy is just something that happens. When you SCUBA dive you should be constantly breathing. Constanly inhaling and exhaling changes the overall density of your body. This change in the density of you body makes it easier for you to float or sink. If you breathe in you are making yourself less dense. Being less dense makes water want to be under you because it is more dense. If you exhale you let the air that expanded in your lungs and made you less dense go. You are now more dense and because of that you sink because the water under you is now less dense than you are. The ability to control to a degree that you do no thit the bottom or rise to the surface is bouyancy in SCUBA diving.

Bouyancy in my opinion is hard, if not impossible to learn, becaue bouyancy is control over how much you breathe and the overall density of your body. I for one never learned bouyancy control in my opinion I just learned that if I pay attention to how much I breathe I can be at whatever depth in the water that I want to be. Learning this allowed me to be called a natural at bouyancy, and now I hardly touch my BCD. Even when I am done with a dive I usually do not touch my BCD until I am at the depth I want to stay at for a while. That depth may be a saftey stop and it may be the surface. One thing is for sure though, because I use that little bit of my mind to keep track of my breathing/bouyancy I am able to stay down longer, and not waste air on my BCD. That is bouyancy control to me.

Fundamentals: Grinding

Perhaps one of skateboarding’s most intriguing aspects is that of grinding. It’s essentially when a skateboarder makes the trucks of his or her skateboard come in contact with a metal or concrete surface. A loud scraping sound usually results while the rider performs his trick. Additionally metal residue left by the trucks can often be seen on the grinded surface.

Unfortunately grinding is the number one reason why and how property is damaged by skateboarders. It often takes a considerable amount of work to make a ledge, rail, or curb grindable. Ledges need to be waxed; rails need to be sanded, etc. And once that’s been done, the surface is ready for a beating. If you live in an area that is frequented by skateboarders or even bikers and rollerbladers for that matter, you’ll often see a wall that is black with wax. Property owners, who probably need to be reminded of what’s truly important in life, see the evidence of grinding as hideous and detrimental to the “natural beauty” of their area. So why so many factors affecting it, what exactly possess skateboarders to hop on to a ledge or rail, risk bodily injury, and grind?

I think that skateboarders have a wide variety of reasons for grinding primarily depending on his or her particular style. Because grinding can be such a vague idea, I’d like to clear up some of the ways skateboarders grind. The first way is slashing the coping of a bowl or half pipe. Slashing generally refers to riding extremely fast and grinding the metal or concrete edge at the top of the ramp. This is actually the oldest type of grinding; pioneered in the 1970’s in the empty swimming pools of Southern California. See the film, Lords of Dogtown, for more information. Skaters who partake in this aspect of skating are generally the ones with a surfer’s mentality. They enjoy cruising around a skatepark feeling the all dips and curves it has to offer. Additionally, many of the fundamental grinds of street skating like the Smith grind or the Hurricane were borrowed from pool and ramp skating. The exception to this rule is the crooked grind which, by the way, is the only basic street skating grind to be adopted by ramp skaters.

Street skateboarding has taken grinding to a whole new level, primarily driven by the desire to have fun, break the laws of gravity, and innovate. Many skateboarders have grinded ridiculously long handrails and ledges like the El Toro rail or the Clipper Ledge. Others have learned to add flip tricks to their grinds to form combos, made famous by the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games. Still others have grabbed their boards prior to grinding. Whatever the case may be, grinding is a fundamental part of not just street skating but as of skateboarding as a collective whole.

So that brings me back to my original thought, why do skateboarders grind? Well truth be told, it’s a lot of fun. There is not a whole lot else in skateboarding that is as gratifying as landing a grind trick down a handrail or slashing the top of an eight foot tall bowl. In fact, grinding sets skateboarding apart from a lot of other sports. There’s really nothing comparable in things like baseball or gymnastics, which is another reason why more and more people are beginning to skateboard. Needless to say, people have different motivations for skateboarding and grinding as well.

I guess I would say to those of you who are skateboarders, Go outside and grind something. It will be a lot of fun. And for those of you who do not skate and specifically those who own property that skateboarders use, just appreciate the innovation and uniqueness of skateboarding and do not worry about the damage done, we’ll all be dead in the long run anyway.

One-Foot Wonder

A snowboard has two bindings. One for each foot. They transfer the slightest weight shifts from your feet to your board. So why the hell would you ever take one of your feet out?

I was flipping through the latest edition of TWS when I stumbled upon an article of that nature, The One-Footer. The photos were pretty sweet but it really got me thinking. When I snowboard, I take my foot out of its binding to skate to the chairlift or when I’m taking my board off. When sliding around with one foot I find it tough to gain much speed. So how are these guys pulling off seemingly impossible tricks with only one foot strapped in?

According to Pat Moore, it just takes practice. Start out messing around on flat areas and slowly work your way up to the big kickers. Tadashi Fuse adds, (via TWS) “Make sure you have a stomp pad and stay low. It is all about how you take off the jump.”

Right now I have never tried a one-footer. But after looking at some crazy photos and a few video parts, the one-footer seems to be a good trick to learn this season.

I Want to Go to New York

I decided to search the news online to find a post today and man did I find somthing interesting here. I must admit even though I read the article I can only say that I think it was about the openning of the trail. I lost interest in the actual article when it started to describe some of the ship wrecks.

Like I said I am bascally a vacation diver, but even though I rarely go to resorts I am more like a resort diver, because I go to Mexico and the Bahamas mostly. When I read this though you can bet one of my next posts will be about dry suits because I am going to be searching for one for going and diving some of the Great Lakes. Now don't think I only know about Great Lakes diving from this article, even though I am suprised at myself by how much interest that article got out of me. I have looked into Great Lake diving in the past when I was first starting out. The main reason I decided not to was of course the fact that you would have to be an idiot to dive up there without a dry suit (no offense to the divers who get a kick out of those types of dives, but I hate the cold). Just starting out I decided that I didn't really want to get a dry suit and, for the best, the training invloved with learing how to use one just so I could go up to the Great Lakes. I guess all I can say is that I have simply changed my mind. Unlike then, now I am really wanting to check out some of the wrecks and crap that have sunk down in the Great Lakes.

You can bet that soem of my posts to come will be about what I am getting myself into. That would be Great Lake diving, dry suit shopping and use, and wreck diving training. Why can I say that at least some of my posts will be about these topics, because I want to go to New York.

Worst Shirt Ever

This kind of thing really irritates me. One of the things I hate about skateboarding's marketability and popularity is when someone who knows nothing about skateboarding (and doesn't give a damn about it either) tries to market something with it. StuffUWear clothing is a perfect example.

This intellegent shirt, obviously referencing anal sex, has so disgustingly abused the sport, it's almost funny. Who are they trying to sell this to? Skateboarders would never wear a shirt like this and the jocks who would hate skateboarding. Wax the pipe? If your referring to the half pipe, it would be pointless in waxing the ramp surface, you would just slide out and die a'la Jake Brown. If your referring to the metal piping at the edge of the ramp, its actually called coping moron. Grinding backside? Good thing Sargent No-Nutz is going frontside in the illustration. Get your terminology right for Pete sakes. Oh and stay out of skateboarding. Smack this dude.

Who are SCUBA Divers

In order to tell you who SCUBA divers are I have to tell you a little about myself in SCUBA diving because I consider myself a true SCUBA diver. I am still pretty new to SCUBA. I got my open water certification about three years ago now, but I still haven't gone any farther beyond that. I am mostly a vacation diver, and I have been able to get in about 20 dives. I am going to tell you the type of people SCUBA divers are. I know who SCUBA divers are because I am a vacation SCUBA diver. I have been to many different dives sites and most of the were out of the country. I have been to many places with many different types of dives, but the people who dive are all the same.

There is a certain characteristic that you can expect to find in a diver, and that characterist is based around dive training. That characteristic is that all true SCUBA divers are a relaxed sort of people. Like I said this comes from learning to dive. We learn not to fight the current, don't expend unecessary energy, and always keep breathing. First, don't fight the current, or in other words go with the flow. When divers dive an area with a strong current, they swim along the current. They do this in life too. All true divers are relaxed and take life in stride, they go with the current of life. Second, don't expend unecessary energy. In diving you aren't trying to get anywhere fast, and good luck to anybody who tries to go fast underwater. I am also a swimmer so I know about swimming fast and I can tell you. You are not going to swim fast underwater. Swimming the sport is done on the surface. No human can go very fast underwater. Third is always keep breathing. If you stop breathing on decent while diving then your lungs will have to make up for it later when the pressure makes you have to inhale more oxygen to fill up your lungs. Even worse though is not breathing on ascent. Then the opposite happens you will need less air to fill your lungs. If you don't breath on ascent your lungs will literally pop like a balloon. This too is a good strategy for life that all divers seem to have learned. They just learn to go on with their lives.

Yeah no matter where you go SCUBA divers are all the same. They all go with the flow, don't waste energy, and keep breathing. I love diving and I found that since I took up SCUBA diving I am a lot more relaxed. Yeah all true SCUBA divers know how to live as true SCUBA divers.

Logo Mania

Have you seen Crailtap's jersey contest? There are definitely some good ones on there. Check it here.

SCUBA videogame?

Ok so I was just surfing that web wondering what would be my first post on this thing when I found this. It is going to be called Endless Ocean. I think this is probably one of the stupidest ideas I have ever heard of. Maybe this is just my opinion, but the point of SCUBA diving to me is being underwater. That is the cool part. This game is just stupid in my opinion. You are missing the best part of SCUBA diving by doing this. This game is already out in Japan for the Wii (called Forever Blue, or something like that) and is coming to the US soon. I really wonder how well it is doing in Japan, but at the same time don't care enough about it to check. This game will go nowhere in the US. In my opinion SCUBA diving needs to be real life and video games are better for things that you have little chance of doing in real life. SCUBA diving has to be done in the flesh because being underwater is the point. The best use for this game is to try and learn something about underwater life, like maybe the fact that most things in the ocean move faster than your hand can ever move underwater. Who knows maybe this game will find a niche with people who know nothing about SCUBA diving. If that turns out to be the case then I hope it also pushes them to check out SCUBA diving for themselves. Oh well just saw it and had to say something.

Some Thoughts on the Anniversary of 9/11

Six years ago today, the world radically changed for everyone including skateboarders. I recall reading the issue of Transworld Skateboarding that was published following the disaster and seeing the countless company advertisements with patriotic slogans like "God Bless America" or "Let Freedom Ring." Whether these companies were legitimately mourning the loss of thousands of lives or taking advantage of a tragic situation, I don't really care. But what I found most interesting was the call for skateboarders across the globe to embrace their freedom and go skateboarding.

Today I was skateboarding by a statue dedicated to the memory of the victims of the attacks. The statue was in a sort of under-traveled area, but there were still a few homemade posters scattered about the area. The thought occurred to me, most likely as it did for those who made those posters, that I am really lucky I can go about my day in a carefree manner and without worrying about someone to tell me otherwise. I quickly translated this thought into something applicable to skateboarding and decided that I would spend the rest of my session skating in memory of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.

I will admit that I wasn't exactly on point with my skating today, but I feel as though I skated for a worthwhile reason. So I guess if you're reading this, I want to encourage you to do as I did. Go skateboarding in memory of those died on this sacred day. After all, we still have the freedom to skate. So why not make the best of it today and everyday?

Video Review: Mystery's Black and White

Photo Courtesy of Jay's Boardshop

Mystery Skateboard's first video Black and White is just that; all black and white. It features some of the most liked skateboarders in the business as well as some of the most expensive music money can buy. Set to classics such as "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash and "Rock Steady" by Aretha Franklin, Adrian Lopez and his boys drop some impressive tricks. Unfortunately nothing positive can be said about each skaters' introduction. They all feature stupid clips of each in their "daily routine." But then again who really cares about anything other than the skating?

Ryan Bobier opens the video with a "I've finally grown up" part. If you do not know what I mean I recommend watching Zero's "Misled Youth" or Adio's "One Step Beyond" to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Even though he's not the most technical skater on the team, Ryan covers the basics on some pretty large rails and stair sets.

Jimmy Carlin has the next part, which I would say is my favorite and probably best in the entire video. He a really good style and does even some of the most technical tricks the way they should be done. Imagine playing that new Tony Hawk game and using the "nail the trick"

"It's Time" (pun intended) for the Circa heads Dennis Durrant, Windsor James, and Adrian Lopez showcase their latest skateboarding accomplishments. Durrant opens the part with some some really good flip in or flip out ledge tricks. Nollie frontside flip switch 5-0 what!? After a dropping dope part in "It's Time," Lopez seems to have struggled filming for this one. I found his part so predictable that I could call the tricks he would do before he did them. Windsor James, however, comes through with some buttery lines and some serious bangers towards the end. He even frontside nosebluntslides the gargantuan Oceanside hubba, which by the way, isn't even the ender.

Richmond, Virginia's Gilbert Crockett has a solid next part, in spite of an absolutely retarded introduction. He kickflips down some serious stair sets and proves that he deserves the coverage he gets. One of the tricks that stood out to me was his nollie heelflip down twelve stairs landed perfectly.

Ryan Smith is featured next. He kills every handrail imaginable, but his lines are kind of disappointing given how popular he is. But if you're into handrail skating, you will really enjoy his part. It also should be noted that this Canadian's kickflip frontside 50-50 down the Rincon mode then you will have an idea of what Mr. Carlin's skating is all about. He skated this ledge that meets another ledge at a corner and fakie 50-50's to half cab flip transfer to 50-50 almost effortlessly. This San Diego ripper is definitely deserving of a board with his name on it. hubba is good too.

Lindsey Robertson is next in line and has the best part out of Mystery's three pro's. He can do heelflips down anything, but you already knew that. I was really hyped on his full cab stalefish. He's got a couple of those in there, that really help to round out his part. If you're reading this Lindsey, using a OBD song was a good call.

A well deserving Dan Murphy has the closer. He puts down lots of flip tricks, often switch, over considerably large gaps. He also has some great looking ledge and handrail tricks. His part is reminiscent of an early Andrew Reynolds or Eric Koston, catching his board high and landing proper. I also want to recognize how good he is at nollies, after all, nollieflipping a thirteen stair is no joke. I'm sure we'll see Murphy boards in skateshops soon.

Overall the Mystery video is pretty solid and worth buying considering it costs less that a lot of other company videos. The amateur squad is most impressive and the pro's aren't too shabby. So if you want to see a video with lots of pure street skating check out Black and White.

Now if you want to know the enders scroll down a bit and I'll tell you. Otherwise go skateboarding!



Ryan Bobier - Backside 50-50 a sidewalk rail to hill bomb in San Fransisco.

Jimmy Carlin - Double Kickflip the Carlsbad Gap.

Windsor James - Nollie Frontside Crooked Grind the Brooklyn school rail.

Gilbert Crockett- Kickflip 6X6 double set as seen in his ad.

Ryan Smith - Switch Frontside Boardslide a 16-stair rail.

Lindsey Robertson - Heelflip a HUGE 6 or 7 stair

Dan Murphy - Switch Frontside flip that double set with brick walls on each side that the Zero heads skate.

Skateboarding's Best: Eric Koston

Photo Courtesy of Transworld Skateboarding

There are only a handful of professional skateboarders that could realistically and indisputably be called the best in the world. Vert and Mega Ramp pioneers Danny Way and Bob Burnquist certainly come to mind, particularly after bomb dropping off the Vegas Hard Rock Café’ guitar and grinding to a BASE jump into the Grand Canyon respectively. Perhaps, you might consider Rodney Mullen, the father of flip tricks, or Tony Hawk, the father of vert tricks, to be the greatest ever. But there is one who has (most likely) been far more influential than the rest, and that my friends, is Eric Koston.

What’s the reason for his popularity? What’s the reason for his success? Well, to understand both dispositions, I think you need to look at how he got where he is today. Skateboarding has remained pretty consistent in regards to how a skater hits it big. They basically have two options; to get lots of coverage i.e. video parts, magazine photos and interviews, or to do exceptionally well in a major contest. For Mr. Koston, it was both. Having won on huge stages like the X-Games or the Tampa Pro contest, along with producing amazing video parts and photos, Koston seems to possess borderline divinity. Most importantly, however, he dropped the greatest video ender of all time.

Girl Skateboards released its third film in April of 2003, entitled Yeah Right!, in which Eric had the closing part. The part was nothing short of absolutely ridiculous; chockablock full of highly technical and often switch stance manual and grind combos. The most impressive feature of course was the after-black last trick. Just hours before the video premiered at one of LA’s most exclusive theaters, Koston hooked up with a filmer and photographer for a late night session on one of Southern California’s most skated six stair rails to film this industry changing trick. Eric Koston’s trick, a 360 flip frontside noseblunt slide, blew the minds of all who watched it, but more importantly it set a new standard for handrail tricks.

Shortly thereafter, professional skateboarders worldwide began to acknowledge Koston’s groundbreaking achievement (if you’ve got a better term, let me know). For example, Milwaukee bred Greg Lutzka caught on to the craze and has since dropped previously unheard of tricks in his video parts like the frontside 270 noseblunt slide he did on the Wilshire 10 and the bigspin heelflip boardslide on the LA High rail. Painstakingly obvious is this point, Koston produced the best video ender in the history of skateboarding. (emphasis on that period ladies and gents) Skateboarding has and will never be the same since that trick and, in my mind anyway, Eric Koston will always be the greatest professional skateboarder ever. See his video part here.

Industry Updates

Sean Malto is now skating for FourStar Clothing.

Ragdoll got kicked off of Birdhouse Skateboards.

Brian Brown now has a pro model board with Listen.

Josh Kasper is now skating again, he's Blind's mystery guest for KOTR 2007.

Dirty Ghetto Kids Wade Des Armo and Lenny Rivas are now pro.

Think has given Adrian Williams a board with his name on it.

Fred Thompson is now running for President and is rumored to getting a pro model shoe from Emerica.

Bobby Worrest joined Mark Gonzales, Dan Drehobl, and Van Wastell in Krooked's pro ranks.

Adidas has given Vince del Valle and Lem Villemin spots on its illustrious and ever stylish amateur squad.

George W. Bush is rumored to have inked a deal with Consolidated Skateboards to have a pro model shirt.

What We're All About

The goal of Well Spent is to provide a fresh perspective on skateboarding, snowboarding and SCUBA diving; not just as activities, but as unique cultures, lifestyles, and mindsets. In other words, we want to encourage readers to consider certain aspects of each sport in ways they previously disregarded.

WhiteMachete’s posts will cover skateboarding in regards to its history, what’s going on in the industry, who is “making waves” and the various elements including but not limited to style, tricks, fashion, architecture, etc. Lowdiver’s posts will start with the history and beginnings of SCUBA. Then they will move into a focus on the newest technology that’s available for divers today. Agrarian’s posts will cover snowboarding specifically focusing in on events, new videos, and gear. It will also look into the lives of snowboarders and how they are impacting the world and influencing the future of the sport.

Each blogger’s post will usually feature a photograph or video clip to set the tone of their article. The bloggers will analyze and describe their current topic in a way that achieves the goals of this blog and is entertaining for the reader.

When someone visits the site they will first notice a hopefully captivating photograph that will encourage them to read the corresponding post. If they enjoyed the post, they will most likely read older posts and return to the site later for new ones and get hooked. The audience will most likely include people who have the same interest as the blogger is covering. For example, Agrarian’s audience will include the younger generation of snowboarders. WhiteMachete’s audience will be comprised primarily of college aged skateboarders. Lowdiver’s posts target a wide range of SCUBA enthusiasts of all different ages and skill levels.

Lowdiver will have a clear and concise blog with in-depth analysis of his topic. Agrarian will provide an appropriate mix of seriousness and humor, to entertain his audience while educating them. WhiteMachete will have an analytical tone mixed with some sarcastic humor. He wants to encourage readers to consider things in ways they previously have not but at the same time, do it in an entertaining way. The topics they will focus on are unique and can really only be grouped in broad categories, therefore each blogger will talk about something different.

WhiteMachete plans to build credibility by establishing himself as different from other bloggers and present a different way of thinking that earns the respect of his readers. His influences include hypebeast, WIskate, Thrasher Magazine, and Epicly Later'd. Lowdiver plans to build his credibility not only by checking out some of the other SCUBA blogs on the Internet, but to also use some of his photos and videos that he has and will upload himself. Agrarian plans to build credibility by keeping up to date with the latest news in snowboarding. His influences include TransWorldSnowboarding, Reelcomp, and highlyobsessed.