Halloween Treat

Courtesy of Zero Skateboards

I’ve had a tough time with updates lately; too many tests and projects to worry about and get in the way. I really have wanted to put some stuff up on here; I just haven’t had the chance. Since today is Halloween I figured that I should probably write about something scary. Well I confess that my topic won’t be very scary, because other than Jake Brown’s fall at the X-Games, what is in skateboarding?

I’m going to giving you a look back to a widely popular video that was released, coincidentally on Halloween. Jamie Thomas and his company Zero Skateboards out of San Diego are notorious for their mind blowing skate videos. Dying to Live, which was released in 2003, was a video that wowed audiences by showcasing the Zero team’s handrail carnage, backyard pool murder, and stair set torture. Sounds like a horror flick doesn’t it? Well not exactly, but the video did inspire a generation of skateboarders to go balls to the wall in every aspect of their skating. Now you’ll see kids skating pools, stairs, handrails, and many more things to the extent that they are pretty damn good at it.

But let me get back to the video and talk about what else makes it special. The skateboard world knew who Jamie Thomas, Adrian Lopez, and Matt Mumford were. They all had ridden for Zero for quite a while and had established themselves as some of the top professionals in the industry. But what’s important is that Dying to Live introduced some now-household names to the skateboarding community.

Jon Allie, a native of Wisconsin, put together a great video part that included a lot of highly technical flip trick to grinds down big handrails. One of the big things that stuck out in his part was his nosebluntslide down the Hollywood High sixteen rail, one of skateboarding’s benchmarks. Now Jon has a pro model show with Circa and a variety of signature skateboards from Slave Skateboards, the newest venture from the Zero camp. Once a no-namer, Jon seemingly blew up over night and became an instant hit with many skateboarders.

Ryan Smith and Lindsey Robertson are two more that Dying to Live knighted with recognition. I group them together because they share most of the same sponsors and are commonly grouped side by side. Ryan tended to favor the big handrails where as Lindsey took care of the big gaps. Both have signature boards with Mystery and are now know for their disregard for bodily injury and their continuation of pushing the limit of how big good skateboarding must be.

Scotsman John Rattray was well known in Europe before this video came out, but in the United States the opposite was true. In 2003 Rattray stunned audiences with his mastery of every aspect of skateboarding. After all, the guy can do a 540 on a vert ramp and then go lipslide a 15 stair rail. Now Rattray as well known by many and has several signature models with Zero. Another thing that should be noted is that he has a degree in physics from Cambridge University.

The final and by far the most influential skateboarder the world found out about upon the release of Dying to Live is Chris Cole. Though he already had a great part in the Transworld video, In Bloom, about six months before the Zero video, it was in no ways comparable to the Dying to Live part. From 360 flipping large sets of stairs including the Rincon 4 to frontside boardsliding a ridiculously long hubba ledge (as seen above) Cole was amazing. He was promptly turned pro after the video was released and now has several pro model shoes and clothing lines with Fallen footwear and apparel. Nowadays there are lots of kids that want to be just like Chris; look like him, dress like him, and skate like him. I can’t tell you how many times I have been to the skatepark and there will be a kid there saying to his friends “Check me out, I’m Chris Cole” and end up trying to 360 flip a large set of stairs.

Perhaps that’s the scary part of this story, a group of skateboarders influencing a much larger group to do things like jump off buildings, grind handrails, and skate backyard pools. But maybe, that larger group is just simply dying to live. Happy Halloween.

Spot Check: Frankfort Skatepark

Situated somewhere in between Lafayette and Indianapolis lies the small, but bustling city of Frankfort. Home of the Frankfort Hot Dogs, not only does the city have a crazy mascot and an abundance of processed meat, it also as a great skatepark.

Along with a few of my friends, I went down to the city this weekend to have a good old fashioned session at the skatepark. The park is comprised of a variety of well-placed, pre-fabricated, concrete apparatus designed to appeal to just about all skateboarders. The park includes three, four foot tall mini-ramps, two of which have extensions and the other has a spine in the middle. There are two pyramids; one with a hubba ledge and a rail that can be skated by both regular and goofy footed skaters and the other with a flat wall extending across the hip. There are two fun boxes. One features a concave curve while the other includes a variety of options including a flat bar and an elevated box. There are several other obstacles placed throughout the park including a flatbar and a bench. Frankfort’s skatepark also includes a hefty six stair with hubba ledges and a handrail for the more ambitious skateboarder. All in all, a solid amount of obstacle assortment can be found here. As one of the smoothest skateparks in the state, it is one of the most fun places to go.

My friends and I had a good time skating all the options the park had to offer. Though this wasn’t the first time I had been to the park, it was nice to have a change in the monotony of the police infested skate spots my college has to offer. You couldn’t have asked for a better day either. It was sunny and warm with a nice cooling breeze; sort of one of those perfect fall days we all love. I really hope to go back to the park sometime soon. I really like it a lot. So if you are ever traversing north-central Indiana on I-65, pull off at the Frankfort exit and have yourself a little session. It will be a lot of fun.

Never Quit Riding

Ride any hill, any time, no lift tickets, no lift lines, no off season. Sounds too good to be true right? I thought so to until I found out about freebord.

Basically, a freebord is a skateboard that rides like a snowboard. But seriously, there can be no way to give the feel of a snowboard on asphalt. That is, until now. Snowboarding is unique because it allows you to move laterally over the snow. You control the amount of slide you ride.

A freeboard has two central, pivoting wheels that mimic the base of a snowboard, and four outer wheels that mimic the edge of the snowboard. These two sets of wheels working together give the freebord its movement. The freebord combines both carving and sliding because without both, it isn’t really snowboarding.

Learning to ride isn’t that difficult if you already snowboard. You still move with your toes and heels. And stopping is as easy as kicking the board further one way and skidding to a stop.

By the looks of some of the videos, this seems pretty legit. I’m definitely looking into buying one of these things.

YouTubin' It

Photo Courtesy of hon 72.

It's currently raining here in the wonderful city of West Lafayette, Indiana. For many skateboarders like myself, that means no skateboarding and lots of what I like to call YouTubing. I decided to throw a bone to all of you who are currently stuck inside and post five or so videos that I think are worth watching on a rainy day.


The first video I think you should check out is Nick Jensen's part in the Blueprint Skateboards video, Lost and Found. This British boarder has some of the cleanest lines on the other side of the pond and has some of the most dialed switch tricks in skateboarding. His switch kickflips and switch 'tre flips are extremely natural in appearance, making him one of my favourite skateboarders to date. Nick's part also features mastery of the roughest spots London has to offer. So kick it tea and crumpets style by watching his part. It got me hyped on skating and I'm sure it will do the same for you. See it here.


The next video I want you to watch is Guy Mariano's part from the Girl video, Mouse. He has a great style and trick selection to please his viewers, such that you could watch this part again and again and not get sick of it. Guy kills just about every schoolyard in So Cal with his highly technical bank to bench mastery. Watch it.


You should also watch Dan Drehobl's part from the Krooked video, Krooked Khronicles. He skates to Neil Diamond's Forever in Blue Jeans and let me just say that you will love that song by the time the part is over. Dan's got some of the best pivots in skateboarding and brings them to some of the most awkward spots know to man. If he didn't smoke 8 packs a day or whatever the ridiculous amount is, I'm sure he could easily be better at life than Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris and John Wayne combined. Well, maybe not John Wayne, but you get the point. See it here.


Fourth in line is from the Adio shoes video, One Step Beyond. The ever stylish Kenny Anderson has a great part full of fluid lines, well balanced manuals, and the best backside tailslides hands down. This was actually the first skateboard video I owned, so the fact that I am still talking about how great this video is, is a testament to its quality. Another great feature in Kenny's part is his Las Vegas to Los Angeles (almost) nose manual. Bam Margera claimed that he say it happening from a plane, but thats aside from the point. Kenny's part is smooth and solid, and worth your time. The jazz music doesn't hurt the part either. Watch Kenny here.


The last video, for now, that you should spend some time with comes from the boys at Transworld Media and their video In Bloom. Mike Taylor has my favorite part in this flick. He has a solid and mature style, performing tricks in the way they are supposed to be done. He has plenty of smooth lines and holds grinds down some of the longest rails in skateboarding. His song, The Heist by Alf Diggi, is a perfect complement to his urban underground style. Watch his part here.


So hopefully you've check out these videos and the rain has let up. I put a tremendous amount of stock in them for hyping me up. In other words, they are all worth your time. If it hasn't stopped raining, keep watching more videos or go to sleep. I'm out.

A Quick Read: Steve Nesser

This month’s issue of Thrasher has a great interview and amazing cover photo of Minneapolis’s finest, Steve Nesser. The Lebanese skateboarder shares some of his stories about traveling the globe alongside the likes of Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, and more along with what it was like to brave some of the harshest winters America has to offer. Nesser also talks about some of his experiences of running his skateshop Familia, earning a pro-model shoe from Adio and filming for the upcoming Birdhouse Skateboards video, The Beginning.

The photos that go with his interview are great too. One particular sequence that stood out to me was his ollie over a waist high wall into a short, steep bank. The cover shot, however, takes the cake for being the best photo in the magazine. He sets a world record for skateboarding by fifty-fiftying a round rail that covers down nearly 50 stairs. It’s like a fifty-fifty-fifty! With that kind of performance, I can’t wait to see the Birdhouse video.

Steve is one of the nicest, hardest-working and most professional skateboarders I have ever met and this interview does him justice. I highly recommend picking up this month’s issue, look for the jaw-dropping cover as seen above, and check his article out. You won’t be disappointed.

Video Review: Let's Do This

Okay I’ve been slacking on posts this week, mainly because I’ve been swamped with other projects need my attention. I did have time, however, to sit down and watch the new Transworld video Let’s Do This. This is Jon Holland’s and Jason Hernandez’s sixth video together, and it might just be the best one to date. With a truly diverse lineup of heavy hitters, Let’s Do This keeps it interesting with lots of great tricks at many rarely seen spots.

East Coast up-and-comer Brian Brown opens the flick with some jazzy, urban skateboarding that is sure to motivate anyone who watches it. Banks seem to be Brian’s forte, as he brings some of the most difficult maneuvers to some of the roughest spots on the East Coast. One of the things that stuck out to me was how much of an improvement he has made since his part in the Adio promo, which dropped about two years ago. That part quite honestly sucked, so congratulations to Mr. Brown for coming through with a great part while filming for an entirely different video, Listen’s Viajeros Locos.

Minnesota legend and Stereo Sound Agent Clint Peterson has the next part in the video. I’ve always been a big fan of Clint, not just because he’s from the Midwest, but because he has a very unique repertoire of tricks. Backside kickflip melons and switch pole jams are just a few of the tricks that the already visually pleasing skateboarder has to offer. Oh and did I mention that Clint has the best backside 360 in all of skateboarding? Vert skaters don’t even have them as dialed as he does.

Peter Smolik has been under the radar since being cut from the Shorty’s squad a few years back. However, his comeback part in Let’s Do This ensures another few years of Smolik stardom. Though he’s a bit sketchy, the SkateMafia front man blew my mind with some of the most technical ledge tricks I have ever seen. Not to mention the fact that Peter kills it on transition. His short but sweet mini-ramp footage coupled with the highly technical street tricks I just talked about, make this part worth watching again and again. Backside tailslide 270 bigspin out… What?!?

Bakersfield’s finest Devine Calloway is featured next. His part features some buttery lines and plenty of bangers down many of skateboarding’s benchmarks. The unfortunate thing about Calloway’s part is that I had seen almost all his tricks in advertisements and magazine articles. For instance, his switch frontside big spin down the Carlsbad gap was in a DC shoes ad about a year ago, this time it’s his last trick. I’m not saying Devine’s part isn’t good, all I’m saying is that I would have liked to see some newer material.

Santa Cruz vato Emmanuel Guzman closes out the video with some heavy duty thrashing. This guys skates most skateparks faster than most people ever will. His huge airs and lightning fast carves are very reminiscent of early John Cardiel parts. But like Cards, Guzman also skates handrails incredible well, assaulting each one with no mercy. So further explain how good he is, I think I read somewhere that E-Man has never had anything other than an opening or closing part to a video. Be looking out for E-man as Thrasher’s Skater of the Year in the not too distant future.

Let’s Do This had me incredibly motivated to go skateboard this week, so I’m sure it will have the same effect on you. I’m amazed that Jon and Jason put out such great videos year after year, so I will be definitely looking forward to the next no doubt on its way soon. They always seem to find a great roster of skaters to include and always have the most interesting skateboarding in the business.

Diving Old School

Hey look at this. Apparently just Friday a father and son dive team, that have been around for quite some time, gave 10 people the chance to dive in an old U.S. Navy Model 1 Mark V Diving System.

According to this website, where I found the article, they were getting their Surface Supplied Air Certifications. The article also said that the Mark V weights over 200 pounds.

I think it would be so cool to go diving in one of those really old suits. The only problem I would have would be the 200 pounds. I mean it is just the slight problem of being able to get out to the water with too much of that suit already on, but man would I like to give it a try.

If you are anywhere as interested as me, but with more time to spare. They are apparently the Wateree Dive Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Now might be a good time to get your Surface Supplied Air Certification, while those guys still have that suit and are willing to let you dive in it.

Skateblogging

Michael Burnett has an interesting article in this month’s Thrasher, Blog Drama, where he examines some of the more ironic aspects of blogging. While the article is supposed to be about the RVCA clothing Canada tour, Burnett uses the trip to humor us with some of his observations of the “blogsphere.” As he points out, the term weblog, or blog for short, is a rather dumb word. The word web is rarely used and log seems more like a Star Trek term than anything else (see pg.117, it’s a lot funnier). Additionally, the terms similar to blog are just as “lame.” Blogsphere, blogging, and blogger are all words that are part of Burnett considers to be the “language of the fucked.”

Throughout this tour article Michael Burnett explains how he was in a sort of competition with two others on the tour to get the best blog material. Each and every moment on tour, he explained, could constitute something “bloggable.” That is everything from “dudes sitting in an airport” to “your buddy eating a sandwich” to “someone taking a nap.” Basically the stuff people in the skateboarding community blog about, is usually complete crap.

Burnett makes an interesting observation of how a few visible people in the skateboard world have supplemented themselves by creating blogs. Being the editor at large for a major skateboarding magazine, Michael Burnett is no different. He notices that most of the time he posts some picture and attaches a few words to it for a post, someone anonymous tells him that he sucks, and he gets paid for it (126). I just wish I could get some people on here to hate on me so that I would get paid. In thinking about his point, I have reached the conclusion that some blogs function as forms of negative stimulation for some people. There are those who need to read something that pisses them off. Once that person has reached a sufficient degree of anger they then rant and rave about it simply to make him or herself feel better or smarter.

I can definitely understand the aspect of feeling smarter than the person you are attacking. After all, a lot of my own posts have to do with criticizing someone based on their stupidity. Perhaps blogging is really about primping your ego rather than actually providing something of journalistic value. Of course, I could be completely wrong here. Michael Burnett’s article really made me think about these sorts of things; a rarity in skateboarding magazines. Therefore, I strongly suggest you go to a skate shop, Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart, or wherever they have Thrasher, pick up a copy of the October 2007 issue, and read Burnett’s article for yourself. If you’re too cheap to do that, I suppose you can go read his blog, Burnout, at the Thrasher website. (The link is to the side). However, you might get nothing but leftovers and complete crap (but it’s Michael Burnett, so it can’t be that bad). Be wary. If you don't want to do either of those things, you can scroll back up to where I first mentioned the article and click on Blog Drama; I figured I'd at least make you work for it first. Oh and by the way, great job Michael!

Cash Money

Check it out. REELcomp is having a snowboarding best trick contest. Enter your video here. Or just watch the entries.

Are you joking?

Skateboarding, like most other communities, has plenty of kooks; never ceasing to amaze me with their incredible stupidity and “lameness.” When mainstream ideas and standards are thrown into the mix, some people are bound to make fools of themselves. Hip-hop is one of those things that is so mainstream, there is a razor thin line between what is normal or acceptable and what is just plain ridiculous.

When incorporated into the skateboarding community, hip-hop can play an important role in characterizing personal style. For example, professional skateboarder Terry Kennedy utilized this genre to set himself apart from others. Known for his gold chains, large purchases, eccentric personality, and a beaming grin, Kennedy cashed in on what people found entertaining. Most people first found out about him through the MTV show, Viva La Bam, based on pro skateboarder and jackass Bam Margera’s antics. Seen on the show as “Compton Ass Terry,” Kennedy’s own antics created a fan base ensuring his future success. Sure enough, Kennedy soon landed major contracts with KR3W apparel and Pharrell’s Ice Cream Shoes and Billionaire Boys Club. Now Terry Kennedy is one of the most successful skateboarders in the business. Sure he annoyed some people in the process, but the sheer fact that he made money of the hip-hop industry instead of them making money off of him deserves recognition.

Unfortunately, Terry Kennedy’s story is a rarity in the skateboarding world. The opposite side of the spectrum, hip-hop using and abusing skateboarding, is much more prevalent. This week I found a link on Quartersnacks to a few music videos from the hip-hop group named “The Board Bangers.” I watched this video and immediately had something to rip on.

Why is it that just about every hip-hop video in the entire world has a mass of people in a room, jumping up and down and doing stupid hand gestures? This video has so little to do with skateboarding, its almost funny. The girl in the video, Dymond, is spending most of the video holding a skateboard, claiming that she is a skater girl. What the hell is a skater girl anyway? Is it a girl who skateboards? A girl who thinks she is a skateboard? A girl who dates a skateboarder? A girl who smokes crack at the local skatepark? (Yes, I’ve seen that one before). I think in the case of skater girl Dymond, it’s the latter. This particular video also features a couple of dudes dressed in three piece suits and fedoras opening a briefcase full of toilet paper: yet again, another thing with no skateboarding relation whatsoever. The only good thing I can say about this video is that there is nothing good I can say about this video, it sucks. Now, it would be sort of pointless to bag on the Board Bangers without having an example of what a good use of skateboarding in a rap video is. So here you go.

Alabama bred, Yelawolf, aka Catfish Billy actually skates, and actually is good at it, and actually cares about it, and actually did a skateboarding/hip-hop tour recently. His video, Kickin’, is worth watching not just because the guy has talent, but because the skateboarding featured in it is good. He might just be the first rapper to 360 flip in his own video. Another thing I like about ‘wolf is that he surrounds himself with his true friends and neighbors, rather than disproportioned models selected by the recording company. Though his gesticulations go a little over the top, he more than makes up for it by including muddy ATV’s, firefighters, and vandalized train cars in his video. Yelawolf knows what he’s doing whereas the Board Bangers don’t. Assuming that Yelawolf continues to stay true to his roots and his passion in skateboarding, he will no doubt be successful further on down the road.

Skateboarding is so amusing at times. The characters it attracts are fascinating; some in good ways and some in bad ways. Everyone from Terry Kennedy to the Board Bangers to Yelawolf, contribute something unique and interesting to the skateboarding community. I can’t really complain about who comes tries to enter our culture because they give it character. What I can do, on the other hand, is make fun of the people who fail miserably at legitimizing themselves before skateboarding’s inner circle namely, the Board Bangers.

RutLAME Movie

Here's another video from REELcomp. This is on the opposite end of good compared to Sentimental Values. Rutland Movie does not excite me.

For starters, Rutland only has about 25% riding. The rest of the time it is just some punks messing around. They look like they should be on Jackass, except Jackass was good and these kids suck. If you're going to post a snowboarding video, then focus on snowboarding. Not you and your dumbass friends trying to beat each other up.

Not living in a resort town or close to a mountain, I don't know what its like to ride everyday with my buddies. I don't know the discrimination that goes to snowboarders being rude, cocky punks. But Rutland movie gives a pretty good idea why people still think this way. Seriously, grow up guys. Nobody wants to see you break a bottle over your head. That probably isn't even a real beer bottle, I bet it is just ibc rootbeer, because this guy looks like he's 13.

Even though Rutland movie wastes most of it's time blowing smoke in your face (literally), the riding in it is still pretty decent. The occasional trick here or there are really nice. Word of advice to anyone planning on making a video, keep the filler to a minimum and show what you're really made of. Show it on the snow.