How to Do Pool Skating on a Skateboard
Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
Article Rating: (3 Ratings)
Pool skating is the most difficult, intense and revered kind of skating in the skateboard world. The steep slopes of the sides, the speed of the concrete and the strange bumps and cracks make pool skating as tricky as it is thrilling. If you want to tear up an empty pool, follow these steps to do pool skating on a skateboard.
Difficulty: Challenging
Instructions
Step
1
Start with the right board, preferably one that is between 8 and 9 inches wide and has a 15-inch wheel base. Short decks are going to work better than long ones since you can maneuver more nimbly and also do a kickturn off of the lip of the pool. Most importantly, though, make sure you use a board that you know and feel comfortable with.
Step
2
Get your halfpipe and skatepark pool riding down. You can't jump into an empty pool, which is a dangerous and chaotic skating environment, until you've mastered the skatepark's pool and, before that, the half pipe. Get out there early in the morning when you won't get steamrolled if you happen to fall. Pay specific attention to your kickturns.
Step
3
Start in the pool. Dropping in to the pool from the ledge is madness, unless you're a seasoned pool skater or you're wearing body armor to skate. Start from the bottom of the pool and push hard to get partly up one side. Kickturn to get back down and do the same on the opposite side until you build some momentum. If you don't execute the kickturn correctly, just slide down on your knees (if you're wearing knee pads).
Step
4
Work on the transitions. Unlike miniramps or even skatepark pools, real pools have very fast, uncontrollable transitions. As you progress with your kickturns, make sure to work different kinds of transitions, preferably in different pools. Take a few hours or even a whole day to work on a given transition so that you master it before you move on to something more difficult or even just a little different.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
An Interview With Chet Childress
An Interview With Chet Childress
by Mike Sinclair on Wednesday, May 31, 2006
What's new with Mr. Childress?
Just got done off a two month trip around the US with Rhino. Workin' on some projects, just trying to stay busy and get my mind off my ex broad.......
What is the best place you have traveled too lately?
Can't blow out my spots dog. Everywhere is sweet. I just did that two month trip and there is shit everywhere to ride now. It seems every year it just gets better and better and I get older and more sore...
Have you learned anything in the past year?
I learn something everyday. I learned not to put all your time into one chick, I've learned more about responsibilty and a lot more about growing up. I'm enjoying the freedom to be myself and not worry about keeping up with all these cracker jacks.
What is up with the new Black Label video?
It's coming soon. Blam. Back in bliza.
Who is going to close the Black Label video?
Don't know. I think Elvis Presley might drop the last part.
Who do you usually skate with the most on Black Label?
I don't live anywhere close to the team so its random. I usually go out and skate with Harrison folk....
You seem to always be on the road with Preston and Rhino. Are those two your ideal travel buddies?
Yea man there just too cool. Meeting those guys have deffintly helped me get where I'm at. I mean working with your homies is the shit. It never seems like your working. We just skate, clown around, and get the job done. But for the record I'll travel with anyone. As long as they're cool and got no attitude I'm down. And for the record I'm not down for filmers and photo geeks that don't skate. Why would you want to just hang out all day with a damn camera and a bunch of skate rats? This year we need to ban some marks from this industry. If you ain't rippin' you ain't trippin' with my crew.......
Will we ever see an "Air Chet" from Nike?
Man thats up to the old Swoosh. I'm just trying to do my thing and if they see it marketable, cool. If not I'm not going to loose any sleep over it. But a Crook Force One would be hella tight........
What was that quarter pipe made out of in that one Nike ad you had where it was clear and had lights all over it?
Plexi glass. It was hella trippy because you couldn't see the surface you were riding up. I almost cut a flash back from them damn lights.......
Are you hyped that Creature is back?
I'm hyped my friends got jobs. Lets just say that............
Have you ever done a stale fish? (Chet has never been able to do a stale fish grab becasue of his "crooked arm")
Yea I've eaten some pretty stale pussy before. Some times I eat sushi, too.
When was the last time you got arrested?
Two times a couple years back. Because of some wack ass cops. Power trippin'. I'm on parole now dog, just livin'.
got in a fight?
I fight myself mentally everyday...
travel overseas?
Spain with the Swoosh. First class. Rags to ritches, bitches..
been pissed at a kid?
Well I'll say it like this. Somedays you just want to be the stealth guy trying to get a grind. You don't feel like bustin' out and all these kids want to see you backflip the curb or something. Lately I just want to be one of the kids again skating but then I love my job and thats part of the deal. But for the record I ain't no damn super hero kids I'm just some old dude trying to loose some weight..........
been hyped on a kid?
All the time. I like the kids that just shut up and skate evrything............
seen your kid?
Yes. He's blowin' up son.....
skated in a pro contest?
Been a while since I got some World Cup Points. It's not my deal. It's boring. Contests for me seem dead.......
thought about going back to school?
Uh hell no. Unless you got a class called Luda Crooks. Don't need school, I got a brain and I've traveled the world for the last 10 years for free. That should land me a job some where down the road....
Who are some of your favorite skaters?
Dennis Busenitz, Adam Alfaro, Mark Gonzales, Dan Drehobl, John Cardiel, Jason Adams, Phil Shao, and Tim Brauch.
Who all do you ride for?
Black Label, Indy, Sessions, Nike SB, and Spitfire gives me tires.....
What is next for Chet?
Filming for the Nike video and once thats over a big ass vacation......hella tropical.....mad chicks and a sick tan doggy........
Last Words...
Yea man. Do your own thing. Don't listen to any of these industry marks that think they got skateboarding dialed from their desk. I mean if these kooks arent skating how are they calling shots? I think they all need to sit down and think. I can't even ride a skateboard and I'm tellin' these kids what moves they need to bust. The only moves that need to be busted is getting all these kooks out of skateboarding. Makin' that shit fun again.
by Mike Sinclair on Wednesday, May 31, 2006
What's new with Mr. Childress?
Just got done off a two month trip around the US with Rhino. Workin' on some projects, just trying to stay busy and get my mind off my ex broad.......
What is the best place you have traveled too lately?
Can't blow out my spots dog. Everywhere is sweet. I just did that two month trip and there is shit everywhere to ride now. It seems every year it just gets better and better and I get older and more sore...
Have you learned anything in the past year?
I learn something everyday. I learned not to put all your time into one chick, I've learned more about responsibilty and a lot more about growing up. I'm enjoying the freedom to be myself and not worry about keeping up with all these cracker jacks.
What is up with the new Black Label video?
It's coming soon. Blam. Back in bliza.
Who is going to close the Black Label video?
Don't know. I think Elvis Presley might drop the last part.
Who do you usually skate with the most on Black Label?
I don't live anywhere close to the team so its random. I usually go out and skate with Harrison folk....
You seem to always be on the road with Preston and Rhino. Are those two your ideal travel buddies?
Yea man there just too cool. Meeting those guys have deffintly helped me get where I'm at. I mean working with your homies is the shit. It never seems like your working. We just skate, clown around, and get the job done. But for the record I'll travel with anyone. As long as they're cool and got no attitude I'm down. And for the record I'm not down for filmers and photo geeks that don't skate. Why would you want to just hang out all day with a damn camera and a bunch of skate rats? This year we need to ban some marks from this industry. If you ain't rippin' you ain't trippin' with my crew.......
Will we ever see an "Air Chet" from Nike?
Man thats up to the old Swoosh. I'm just trying to do my thing and if they see it marketable, cool. If not I'm not going to loose any sleep over it. But a Crook Force One would be hella tight........
What was that quarter pipe made out of in that one Nike ad you had where it was clear and had lights all over it?
Plexi glass. It was hella trippy because you couldn't see the surface you were riding up. I almost cut a flash back from them damn lights.......
Are you hyped that Creature is back?
I'm hyped my friends got jobs. Lets just say that............
Have you ever done a stale fish? (Chet has never been able to do a stale fish grab becasue of his "crooked arm")
Yea I've eaten some pretty stale pussy before. Some times I eat sushi, too.
When was the last time you got arrested?
Two times a couple years back. Because of some wack ass cops. Power trippin'. I'm on parole now dog, just livin'.
got in a fight?
I fight myself mentally everyday...
travel overseas?
Spain with the Swoosh. First class. Rags to ritches, bitches..
been pissed at a kid?
Well I'll say it like this. Somedays you just want to be the stealth guy trying to get a grind. You don't feel like bustin' out and all these kids want to see you backflip the curb or something. Lately I just want to be one of the kids again skating but then I love my job and thats part of the deal. But for the record I ain't no damn super hero kids I'm just some old dude trying to loose some weight..........
been hyped on a kid?
All the time. I like the kids that just shut up and skate evrything............
seen your kid?
Yes. He's blowin' up son.....
skated in a pro contest?
Been a while since I got some World Cup Points. It's not my deal. It's boring. Contests for me seem dead.......
thought about going back to school?
Uh hell no. Unless you got a class called Luda Crooks. Don't need school, I got a brain and I've traveled the world for the last 10 years for free. That should land me a job some where down the road....
Who are some of your favorite skaters?
Dennis Busenitz, Adam Alfaro, Mark Gonzales, Dan Drehobl, John Cardiel, Jason Adams, Phil Shao, and Tim Brauch.
Who all do you ride for?
Black Label, Indy, Sessions, Nike SB, and Spitfire gives me tires.....
What is next for Chet?
Filming for the Nike video and once thats over a big ass vacation......hella tropical.....mad chicks and a sick tan doggy........
Last Words...
Yea man. Do your own thing. Don't listen to any of these industry marks that think they got skateboarding dialed from their desk. I mean if these kooks arent skating how are they calling shots? I think they all need to sit down and think. I can't even ride a skateboard and I'm tellin' these kids what moves they need to bust. The only moves that need to be busted is getting all these kooks out of skateboarding. Makin' that shit fun again.
Richie Jackson the psychedelic skateboarder
Richie Jackson the psychedelic skateboarder
POSTED BY DAVID PESCOVITZ, JULY 21, 2008 12:35 PM | PERMALINK
Richie Jackson is a skateboarder from Australia who is deep into psychedelic consciousness. Dose Nation features a video of Jackson shredding and the following snippet from an interview with Jackson. He sounds like my kind of guy:
I believe in psychedelicism. Not just psychedelic music, but everything. A psychedelic experience is characterized as the unveiling of perceptions previously unknown -- the brain unfettered from its usual constraints. To me, it's all there is, and certainly all that's worth doing. I find no worth in that which doesn't surprise. Anomalies, irregularities, deviation from the common rule -- that is all I will ever care for.
Richie Jackson: Psychedelic Skater (DoseNation)
FAVORITE THIS! ( 14 )
BUZZ UP!
SEND THIS TO A FRIEND
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Discussion
Take a look at this
#1 POSTED BY THINKPOSITIVE , JULY 21, 2008 1:08 PM
It seems surprising that he could have good balance and coordination while in a "psychedelic" state of mind.
Take a look at this
#2 POSTED BY ANONYMOUS , JULY 21, 2008 1:24 PM
why must psychedelic so frequently = the hippy version of such?!? Rust is psychedelic, so is pollution, heck, pretty much all urban decay is. and the reverse is also true, urban overload is very psychedelic. dark city is one of the few films to reveal just how psychedelic urban architecture can be. (totally off the subject of this guy, who i am quite sure is pretty damned cool regardless ;)
Take a look at this
#3 POSTED BY STUPIDJERK , JULY 21, 2008 1:38 PM
You are surprised perhaps only because you have not tried...such a state of mind really lends itself to some thrashing fun. Perhaps though, not for everyone...
Take a look at this
#4 POSTED BY IWOOD , JULY 21, 2008 1:41 PM
Yeah, my faceplant really opened my eyes to the machinery beneath the veil.
Take a look at this
#5 POSTED BY MINTPHRESH , JULY 21, 2008 1:47 PM
we used to shroomskate quite a bit back in the '70's. we were good, but this kid gots mad skillz!
Take a look at this
#6 POSTED BY ANONYMOUS , JULY 21, 2008 1:59 PM
Holy crap! Doug Henning can skate!
Take a look at this
#7 POSTED BY JOEL JOHNSON , JULY 21, 2008 2:20 PM
That picture reminds me of what I sometimes wish John Brownlee looked like.
Take a look at this
#8 POSTED BY CPT. TIM , JULY 21, 2008 2:56 PM
i love psychedelic drugs. but hate hippies. except for the ones in golden gate park, that sell me psychedelic drugs.
Take a look at this
#9 POSTED BY ERROR404 , JULY 21, 2008 3:43 PM
that was lush.
I would loe to see him in a skate park amongst all the store bought identikit plank riders, just wander in ask for a go on someones board and totally nail these moves.
This has to be done.
Take a look at this
#10 POSTED BY BUDDY66 , JULY 21, 2008 3:58 PM
Have hippies changed so much, Captain? Or are you being self-mocking, pretending hypocrisy? Most of the ones I knew were pretty harmless; I can't imagine any but the hateful hating them. Well, maybe landlords....
Take a look at this
#11 POSTED BY CPT. TIM , JULY 21, 2008 4:05 PM
mainly self mocking. that being said, the hippy scene is not my scene, but i don't hate them.
Take a look at this
#12 POSTED BY COWICIDE , JULY 21, 2008 4:12 PM
An amazingly creative and talented skater. He's a credit to his space.
Great video!!
Take a look at this
#13 POSTED BY COVERALLS , JULY 21, 2008 4:36 PM
this guy is great, his style is one of a kind. he is known widely as a master of the nosebonk and its many variations. really.
Take a look at this
#14 POSTED BY NETPOSER , JULY 21, 2008 4:49 PM
If you have any doubts whether he can skate or you want to see him rip check this out.
http://videos.skateperception.com/viewvideo/4849/
It's in the top 5 of videos for both ratings and views.
Take a look at this
#15 POSTED BY CVR , JULY 21, 2008 5:47 PM
All that post-Mark Gonzales / Natas Kaupas street skating is so incredibly difficult, but alas, so much less beautiful to watch than the skating (street and ramp) that preceded it. How many times can you watch a handrail boardslide before they all look the same. And each and every helmet-less one represents someone putting their entire cognitive function on the line for a 3-second rush. Brain damage: the ultimate psychedelic state ;).
As long as he's having fun and not defacing any architectural landmarks or knocking over us earthbound types, more power too him. I'll just be watching my old Duane Peters videos, thanks.
Take a look at this
#16 POSTED BY COWICIDE , JULY 21, 2008 6:55 PM
#15 posted by CVR:
All that post-Mark Gonzales / Natas Kaupas street skating is so incredibly difficult, but alas, so much less beautiful to watch than the skating (street and ramp) that preceded it. How many times can you watch a handrail boardslide before they all look the same.
CVR. I actaully have an affinity for vert as well, but did you actaully watch the video? If you actaully watched Richie in that video and didn't notice how creative this guy is.. then, I feel for ya...
While I agree that some street can get a bit boring to watch after a while... (like anything else on this planet) ... Richie's fresh style and creativity in that video was far more entertaining (and beautiful) than your standard street tricks AND vert while we are at it.
Take a look at this
#17 POSTED BY MDHATTER , JULY 21, 2008 6:57 PM
Hippies are fine, it's patchouli I can't stand.
Take a look at this
#18 POSTED BY COWICIDE , JULY 21, 2008 6:58 PM
I actually misspelled actually twice the same way, bizarre...
Take a look at this
#19 POSTED BY CVR , JULY 21, 2008 7:04 PM
@ Cowcide,
Yes, it is creative as well as difficult, you are right. I just don't find it beautiful. I knew I'd get some flack for not appreciating it. At least you were gentle.
Grumpily stuck in his ways,
CVR
Take a look at this
#20 POSTED BY BUDDY66 , JULY 21, 2008 7:15 PM
#18, I can misspell it 3 different ways; and I have.
Patchouli oil was the hippies' answer to tear gas.
Take a look at this
#21 POSTED BY MINTPHRESH , JULY 21, 2008 8:13 PM
just a whiff of the stuff causes me to become aroused! ahhh, scent memory! it was the hairy legs and pits that i had a lil trouble with. but, when in rome...
Take a look at this
#22 POSTED BY ANTINOUS , JULY 21, 2008 8:20 PM
It seems horribly wrong that he's not wearing a BB hoodie somewhere in there.
Take a look at this
#23 POSTED BY PETEZOMBIE , JULY 22, 2008 4:58 AM
He must have some pretty brutal bails with all those poles and bars that he just misses on his succesfull attempts.
Take a look at this
#24 POSTED BY HASSAN-I-SABBAH , JULY 22, 2008 9:06 AM
hahah meh!spent my birthday yesterday at my mate stevie,s half pipe/sewage pit with bands family and friends,lots of shrooms and brews and people playing Bigblacksabbathflag,n lots of psych punk nonsense!just came in checked this out and LOL!!ROLF!!YeeeFUkkin Ha!
P.S iam 43 and feeling very sore
`
Take a look at this
#25 POSTED BY KASELI , JULY 22, 2008 9:13 AM
CVR, watch new videos. Seriously, skateboarding is beyond just flip-in flip-out these days. Lakai's Fully Flared is incredible and would probably give you a new favorite skater. It also has a Guy Mariano part, who you probably remember. Bag of Suck is good too.
Theres a reason Richie Jackson looks unique. Its because of modern skaters who forced skateboarding to evolve from just doing a million bonelesses that Richie Jackson can do bonelesses and look fresh.
Take a look at this
#26 POSTED BY JRUCIFER , JULY 22, 2008 1:19 PM
This guy is the Rodney Mullen of a new generation. Completely original and a master of his own style. Kids who try to mimic him will just look silly.
POSTED BY DAVID PESCOVITZ, JULY 21, 2008 12:35 PM | PERMALINK
Richie Jackson is a skateboarder from Australia who is deep into psychedelic consciousness. Dose Nation features a video of Jackson shredding and the following snippet from an interview with Jackson. He sounds like my kind of guy:
I believe in psychedelicism. Not just psychedelic music, but everything. A psychedelic experience is characterized as the unveiling of perceptions previously unknown -- the brain unfettered from its usual constraints. To me, it's all there is, and certainly all that's worth doing. I find no worth in that which doesn't surprise. Anomalies, irregularities, deviation from the common rule -- that is all I will ever care for.
Richie Jackson: Psychedelic Skater (DoseNation)
FAVORITE THIS! ( 14 )
BUZZ UP!
SEND THIS TO A FRIEND
OLDER ST. LOUIS COPS TURN FORFEITURE POLICY INTO FREE CAR RENTAL SERVICE NEWER TODAY ON BOING BOING GADGETS
Discussion
Take a look at this
#1 POSTED BY THINKPOSITIVE , JULY 21, 2008 1:08 PM
It seems surprising that he could have good balance and coordination while in a "psychedelic" state of mind.
Take a look at this
#2 POSTED BY ANONYMOUS , JULY 21, 2008 1:24 PM
why must psychedelic so frequently = the hippy version of such?!? Rust is psychedelic, so is pollution, heck, pretty much all urban decay is. and the reverse is also true, urban overload is very psychedelic. dark city is one of the few films to reveal just how psychedelic urban architecture can be. (totally off the subject of this guy, who i am quite sure is pretty damned cool regardless ;)
Take a look at this
#3 POSTED BY STUPIDJERK , JULY 21, 2008 1:38 PM
You are surprised perhaps only because you have not tried...such a state of mind really lends itself to some thrashing fun. Perhaps though, not for everyone...
Take a look at this
#4 POSTED BY IWOOD , JULY 21, 2008 1:41 PM
Yeah, my faceplant really opened my eyes to the machinery beneath the veil.
Take a look at this
#5 POSTED BY MINTPHRESH , JULY 21, 2008 1:47 PM
we used to shroomskate quite a bit back in the '70's. we were good, but this kid gots mad skillz!
Take a look at this
#6 POSTED BY ANONYMOUS , JULY 21, 2008 1:59 PM
Holy crap! Doug Henning can skate!
Take a look at this
#7 POSTED BY JOEL JOHNSON , JULY 21, 2008 2:20 PM
That picture reminds me of what I sometimes wish John Brownlee looked like.
Take a look at this
#8 POSTED BY CPT. TIM , JULY 21, 2008 2:56 PM
i love psychedelic drugs. but hate hippies. except for the ones in golden gate park, that sell me psychedelic drugs.
Take a look at this
#9 POSTED BY ERROR404 , JULY 21, 2008 3:43 PM
that was lush.
I would loe to see him in a skate park amongst all the store bought identikit plank riders, just wander in ask for a go on someones board and totally nail these moves.
This has to be done.
Take a look at this
#10 POSTED BY BUDDY66 , JULY 21, 2008 3:58 PM
Have hippies changed so much, Captain? Or are you being self-mocking, pretending hypocrisy? Most of the ones I knew were pretty harmless; I can't imagine any but the hateful hating them. Well, maybe landlords....
Take a look at this
#11 POSTED BY CPT. TIM , JULY 21, 2008 4:05 PM
mainly self mocking. that being said, the hippy scene is not my scene, but i don't hate them.
Take a look at this
#12 POSTED BY COWICIDE , JULY 21, 2008 4:12 PM
An amazingly creative and talented skater. He's a credit to his space.
Great video!!
Take a look at this
#13 POSTED BY COVERALLS , JULY 21, 2008 4:36 PM
this guy is great, his style is one of a kind. he is known widely as a master of the nosebonk and its many variations. really.
Take a look at this
#14 POSTED BY NETPOSER , JULY 21, 2008 4:49 PM
If you have any doubts whether he can skate or you want to see him rip check this out.
http://videos.skateperception.com/viewvideo/4849/
It's in the top 5 of videos for both ratings and views.
Take a look at this
#15 POSTED BY CVR , JULY 21, 2008 5:47 PM
All that post-Mark Gonzales / Natas Kaupas street skating is so incredibly difficult, but alas, so much less beautiful to watch than the skating (street and ramp) that preceded it. How many times can you watch a handrail boardslide before they all look the same. And each and every helmet-less one represents someone putting their entire cognitive function on the line for a 3-second rush. Brain damage: the ultimate psychedelic state ;).
As long as he's having fun and not defacing any architectural landmarks or knocking over us earthbound types, more power too him. I'll just be watching my old Duane Peters videos, thanks.
Take a look at this
#16 POSTED BY COWICIDE , JULY 21, 2008 6:55 PM
#15 posted by CVR:
All that post-Mark Gonzales / Natas Kaupas street skating is so incredibly difficult, but alas, so much less beautiful to watch than the skating (street and ramp) that preceded it. How many times can you watch a handrail boardslide before they all look the same.
CVR. I actaully have an affinity for vert as well, but did you actaully watch the video? If you actaully watched Richie in that video and didn't notice how creative this guy is.. then, I feel for ya...
While I agree that some street can get a bit boring to watch after a while... (like anything else on this planet) ... Richie's fresh style and creativity in that video was far more entertaining (and beautiful) than your standard street tricks AND vert while we are at it.
Take a look at this
#17 POSTED BY MDHATTER , JULY 21, 2008 6:57 PM
Hippies are fine, it's patchouli I can't stand.
Take a look at this
#18 POSTED BY COWICIDE , JULY 21, 2008 6:58 PM
I actually misspelled actually twice the same way, bizarre...
Take a look at this
#19 POSTED BY CVR , JULY 21, 2008 7:04 PM
@ Cowcide,
Yes, it is creative as well as difficult, you are right. I just don't find it beautiful. I knew I'd get some flack for not appreciating it. At least you were gentle.
Grumpily stuck in his ways,
CVR
Take a look at this
#20 POSTED BY BUDDY66 , JULY 21, 2008 7:15 PM
#18, I can misspell it 3 different ways; and I have.
Patchouli oil was the hippies' answer to tear gas.
Take a look at this
#21 POSTED BY MINTPHRESH , JULY 21, 2008 8:13 PM
just a whiff of the stuff causes me to become aroused! ahhh, scent memory! it was the hairy legs and pits that i had a lil trouble with. but, when in rome...
Take a look at this
#22 POSTED BY ANTINOUS , JULY 21, 2008 8:20 PM
It seems horribly wrong that he's not wearing a BB hoodie somewhere in there.
Take a look at this
#23 POSTED BY PETEZOMBIE , JULY 22, 2008 4:58 AM
He must have some pretty brutal bails with all those poles and bars that he just misses on his succesfull attempts.
Take a look at this
#24 POSTED BY HASSAN-I-SABBAH , JULY 22, 2008 9:06 AM
hahah meh!spent my birthday yesterday at my mate stevie,s half pipe/sewage pit with bands family and friends,lots of shrooms and brews and people playing Bigblacksabbathflag,n lots of psych punk nonsense!just came in checked this out and LOL!!ROLF!!YeeeFUkkin Ha!
P.S iam 43 and feeling very sore
`
Take a look at this
#25 POSTED BY KASELI , JULY 22, 2008 9:13 AM
CVR, watch new videos. Seriously, skateboarding is beyond just flip-in flip-out these days. Lakai's Fully Flared is incredible and would probably give you a new favorite skater. It also has a Guy Mariano part, who you probably remember. Bag of Suck is good too.
Theres a reason Richie Jackson looks unique. Its because of modern skaters who forced skateboarding to evolve from just doing a million bonelesses that Richie Jackson can do bonelesses and look fresh.
Take a look at this
#26 POSTED BY JRUCIFER , JULY 22, 2008 1:19 PM
This guy is the Rodney Mullen of a new generation. Completely original and a master of his own style. Kids who try to mimic him will just look silly.
Louie Barletta Interview
Louie Barletta Interview
Louie Barletta literally fell onto the scene thanks to a scene video featuring the merry pranksters that are the Tilt Mode Army. Since his unique introduction, Louie has been bagging praise and making friends all around the globe.
With good times and an independent route, it wasn't long before Louie crossed paths with Crossfire. He turned up unannounced at our 2006 Southbank 7-Set Jam and got amongst it, which led to a day out in South East London on a filming mission for this very website.
The shots that you see on this page were from that very day. It was a good one, the sun was out, The Clash were on the stereo, the chicken was slightly spicy and most of all the kids were united!
Here's an interview answered late at night with adult entertainment cranked up in the background that was completed on March 6th 2007. Louie takes time out from his busy schedule of fun and hiding his salami to answer a few questions compiled by Zac and Ralph L-D.
All photos by Zac, apart from the beer stall here at Bloblands shot by Styley. Footage courtesy of Alan Christensen.
Full name please including all nicknames, middle names etc
Louie Sweet Lou, Dick Trickle, Hot Lou, Lou Dog, L-Diggs, L., Flat Bar-letta, Barletta...
Where did you grow up?
Northern California, we have winters.
Have you got any brothers and sisters?
Two brothers; one works in construction whilst the other flies with the Air Force.
What did your parents do for a living?
They sucked.
What were you like at school?
Quiet. I just read books and did my homework like a good boy.
Did you ever play spin the bottle?
Nah, I didn't care about girls much, just skating.
Were you the sort of kid that had green buggers dripping from his nose or were you a clean cut kid?
I was a thrift store kid.
What TV shows did you grow up with as a kid?
The A-team!
Were you ever influenced by Kermit the Frog in any way?
My aunt used to call me Kermit and my cousin Miss Piggy... She was fat, but I wasn't skinny or green so I never understood that one.
How did you lose your virginity?
I put my wee wee into a girl.
How many whales do you think you have speared over time?
(Laughs!) Too many Or actually... Not enough!!
The ocean can bring up some strange looking things can't it?
And boy have I seen my fair share! You never know what's lurking down near Davy Jones's locker.
I love eating seafood, are you a foody?
I've been known to sample...
What's your dish punk?!
Shell fish!!
Can you cook after all that traveling?
Hell no! The only cooking I do is cooking up schemes and ideas.
Where's the best country to whale?
Finland... The white whales!
How come you turned up at the Crossfire 7-Set jam at South Bank last year?
I wanted to win some money and buy some beer!!!!
What did you make of it as a first Crossfire event?
It was fun because it had a real carnival like atmosphere.
(laughs) You have been here before but what is your impression of London and the UK scene?
I think London is rad. Back in the day it wasn't a bust to skate downtown San Jose, so we would just skate from spot to spot... London reminds me of those good old days.
Any UK riders that you like skating with?
Rob, I know I'm going to blow his name mathewson (Matthiesen a.k.a. Robbleyard), his whole crew is sick... Fos is always a good time... Chris Avery! Stu Graham.
Have you seen much of England or just London?
Been around a bit but it's nothing to brag about though.
What have the skate spots been like compared to home?
They're rough and challenging which is way more fun because you get to skate to and from them.
OK IT'S WORST CASE SCENARIO TIME
SWIMMING THROUGH PIRANHAS
Difficulty rating 2.5/5
You are on a boat trip down the Amazon with Jake Phelps and Geoff Rowley. Two days into the trip, the boat develops engine trouble and begins to drift uncontrollably down the river. With a waterfall approaching, the captain tells the passengers the best chance for survival is to jump off the boat and swim or wade to the riverbank.
You anxiously look over the side of the boat and see a school of piranhas. You must jump. Do you:
a) Throw a large object into the centre of the school to disperse the fish.
b) Drop some raw meat over one side of the boat and lower yourself into the water on the opposite side.
c) Remove your clothes and throw them overboard ahead of yourself, then swim quickly to shore
d) Cover all bare skin with oil, then quickly swim ashore.
e) Throw Jake into the water as bait whilst Geoff and yourself survive and you pick Geoff for his experience with boar hunting for food.
f) Call the Enjoi team manager and tell him to archive all footage just in case.
I wouldn't have to do any of those! (Laughs) Haven't you seen any of our movies? Fucking Rambo or Arnold will come down in a helicopter, kill the commies that sabotaged the engine, dodge a spear thrown by a local, punch him out (because you can't kill natives, that is politically incorrect) and then rescue my American ass!!!!
Wrong Answer! The answer you were looking for Louie was b)
Piranhas are drawn to blood and flesh, so dropping meat over the side should distract them enough for you to get away. However, the fish may go into a feeding frenzy and bite and snap at anything while they feed, so jump on the other side of the boat.
Here's an expert tip: In piranha country, avoid approaching docks and piers where fish are cleaned; the blood and offal will attract the fish. So there...
Ok we are back into the questions... Do you get busted a lot?
I got busted last night for talking to this girls boobs....Her face didn't like me not paying attention to what it had to say. But them boobies were screaming at me!! (Laughs)
Ha! Who cuts your hair? Will you ever do something different than the bowl cut?
I cut it. I used to go to this Vietnamese place where you got a haircut and a neck massage for 5 dollars. But she cut my ear and I never went back... Now I just put on a truckers hat and cut around it... And no joke, the saying on it is "drunk man walking"
You mention in a past TWS interview that '...there is a saturation of conformity within the ranks of skateboarders', define that comment? What exactly is it?
Everybody is content with doing what everybody else does... like I have Gucci sunglass- Me too! I'm no different.
"Young Turks" by Rod Stewart-Explain?
I wanted to use a song by the Monkees but couldn't , so I had no choice...
Can you describe a typical day for me? Include music.
Ok, I wake up. Check to see if I'm alone in my bed. Either go in for a second helping or if nobody is there I get out of bed, check my email... Lately I start off my day with that song Danny Brady used in the Blueprint video. Then I'll go ride my bike to super taco and get a carne asada burrito. Go home, call up some people, see if any of my roommates are going skating.. If so I go out with them, if not ill just try to get a ride to the skatepark and just skate there.
Eat dinner, come home maybe ride my bike again and run errands. Skate to the bar, see if I get lucky, go home listen to the Smiths and either play hide the salami with my new friend that came home with me or check out stuff on e-bay, then pass out.... And repeat unless I'm hurt or it is raining ... In that case skip straight to hide the salami!
How has the daily routine changed since you got into the limelight?
Today I was with a friend who was taking his car to the mechanic. He said "Hey! You're that skater Louie right?" I said yes, my friend paid and then we went to eat spaghetti.
What was your worst job?
Demos.
And your last job?
Manager at a coffee shop. 7 years. Just quit recently. Didn't do it for the money, I just liked working there. I was the boss and all my roommates worked there. Best job ever, just scamming on hot business chicks.
Do you think it's important to do extra-curricular activities outside of skateboarding? If so, what do you do off your board?
No not necessarily, I do other stuff but mostly I just like to "think" about new tricks to try... I hang out with my friends and talk about skating or spots...
Have you grown up in San Jose all your life? Did you see the old Metrospective they did in 411vm of the area, with Simon Woodstock doing a barbecue?
For better or worse yeah, I was around during the BBQ days.. I just didn't know any of those guys. They were part of the cool guy crew. Only one of my friends was in it, and I don't think he even knew any of those guys.
People associate you to the Tilt Mode Army - How did it start, and how did you become a member?
It started when me, Marc Johnson, Jerry Hsu, Chris Avery and Matt Eversole got a house together. This was about 1999. Someone introduced us to the Capt'n and Tilt Mode was born right then and there! We just came together like voltron. Best of times, worst of times.
What was life like in the Pink house? Who was the best house mate? Who was the worst?
Two in the pink, one in the stink!
New film coming? Are you going to film a part?
Hell yeah. I'm hyped.
Critics said the Tilt Mode videos brought back the fun side of skating instead of the business side? Do you agree? Is it really all fun and games or is it hard work?
Nah, we were all filming for real videos so that was just whatever footy... I was still working at the coffee shop back then. It was all footy from my days off skating with my friends
Your debut video part had you falling all over the place - Did any of those spills hurt? Were you worried people might think you actually couldn't skate?
I didn't care. Seeing Marc Johnson and Jerry Hsu skating everyday, it really made me realize that I was not that good and I should just skate and have fun and not worry about grinding the biggest rail or doing the craziest block line... what for when you can just watch the masters do all that!
Bag of Suck was truly amazing. Your footage in particular was unique. What was your fave spot from that movie?
Finland, just because it was so laid back. I had a place there and just went out skating with my friends. No pressure.
You must have all been stoked with the full cut?
Yeah it turned out good. Jerry really came through which made us look like a legit company!!! (Laughs)
Is there another in the mix?
Nah, I think everyone wants to film another Tilt Mode... it sucked not being able to give marc or Ricky Esponosa or Matt Evs a part in the Enjoi movie, so we decided the next one is for the hommies! That's the way it should be anyway.
OK, we interrupt this interview for another worst case scenario question:
ALLIGATOR ATTACK
Level Of Difficulty 3.5/5
Yourself and Jerry Hsu are enjoying a picnic on the banks of a large pond. The pond is full of wildlife and as you eat your meal you see frogs, turtles and large fish moving in the water.
Just as you are about to have dessert, you are startled to discover that what you thought was a large turtle, sitting in the shallow water 50 feet away is actually an alligator. It climbs out of the pond and up the bank directly towards you. Do you and Jerry..:
a) Flap your arms and yell to scare it away
b) Punch the alligator under its bottom jaw
c) Get on the alligator's back and force its head down
d) Back away slowly
e) Call the fashion police and hope they turn up with Muska so he can wrestle it.
f) Call Dave Duncan and hope he can talk the alligator out of it on a megaphone.
Oh man, I'm going for f, because if he attacks he'll go for Duncan first, there is more meat on him....
Nope, i'm afraid the correct answer was c)
On land, your best hope of survival is to get on the alligator's back and place steady downward pressure on its neck and head. Once in this position, you may be able to clamp its jaws closed with your hands. Most of the animal's mouth strength is in closing its jaws, not opening them. If the alligator continues to attack, jab it in the eyes with your fingers.
You want an expert tip on this one?
Yeah why not!
OK, here we go. Feeding alligators may cause them to lose their fear of humans and become more aggressive. Most attacks occur after humans have fed them. That includes ones with megaphones!
A lot of your tricks are unique - Do you plan them out or are they spur of the moment affairs?
I'm a spur of the moment, go with the flow kind of guy... I hate when it is like "film me, I got this trick" I like it when it is someone else filming and I'm just there skating.
What do you like skating above all?
As harsh as it sounds - Manual pads. I love them. I suck at manuals though. Maybe mini ramps too.
You're often spotted riding quirky decks - Does the conventional shape of a skateboard need to change?
Sure. Life without change isn't a life worth living. That's why god created seasons. Besides the same old shape gets boring sometimes, so mix it up! Wonder what's around the corner.
Who inspires you in and outside of skateboarding? Who did you look up to as a kid?
I'm inspired by a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. God, Basquiat, Oscar Wilde, Hans von Luck, I'm all over the place when it comes to inspiration As a kid I really looked up to Ronald Regan. I don't know why. I think I just liked how he was hyped on space and I really liked star wars. We connected.
Are pro skaters good role models?
Yeah the ultimate! As a kid you're demoralized by the notion that a dream is just that, a dream. Something that won't ever become a reality... Pro skaters are the ultimate follow your dreams, dreams are possible to catch.
When are you having the op and coming back as a girl as stated in Slap?
Ha!!! I don't know!!! Not any time soon!! (Laughs)
Yep, we can't wait for the news!
Oh man.
Why is the gay question such a taboo in skateboarding?
I don't know. I didn't want to offend anyone, on either side of the fence... I think it is just as bad to ask who's G do you believe in?
Best groupie/tour story?
A kid giving me and Jerry a bottle of Bacardi...
Worst groupie/tour story?
What we did with her after we drank that bottle!
Did you go through the whole process of making your pro shoe on Duffs? How much of the shoe is Louie Barletta and explain the process.
Yeah, my new shoe "Sweet Lou" is all me and Russ Pope designing it. I love the shoe, it fits and feels so good. Definitely the ultimate cruiser shoes. I love skating in them! Sneak preview here.
If you had a pint and a packet of crisps at the pub- Which beer and which flavour crisps?
Kronenberg and Walkers Salt and Vinegar.
You travelled a bit for yourself this summer - What was it like? How often do you get to do things like that?
All the time. Carpe Diem! It was rad this summer. Me and my roommates in London for 3 weeks. A lot of Stella, a lot of Southbank, couldn't get much better.
OK it's the last of the worst case scenario questions and it's the big one!
THE DEADLY OCTOPUS
Level of difficulty 4/5
In search of underwater adventure you decide to a 2 week scuba trip to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with Matt Hensley, Jason Adams and Adam Alfaro.
Before your first dive your instructor warns you about several dangerous sea creatures due to your interest in whaling that includes sharks, urchins and the extremely poisonous southern blue ringed octopus.
Mentally filing away the information, you strap on your tank and regulator and being a half day dive. An hour into the dive you see a small pale coloured octopus, wedged into a crevice in the reef. Looking closely, you see no apparent blue rings and prepare to prod the creature gently so it will move and give you a better view.
The diver instructor grabs your arms and pulls you away.
After surfacing does he remind you that:
a) The rings are not visible when the octopus is as rest.
b) All octopi should be considered deadly.
c) The ink from the blue ringed octopus causes instant death.
d) The blue ringed octopus does not actually have rings on its body.
e) Matt Hensley is still a legend.
f) Jason Adams wears the trousers, even underwater.
g) Adam Alfaro is one of the most ripping Black Label rider who loves taking his teeth out but has a hot blue cheese fetish.
I'm going to say that all the above are are words to memorize and live by!
Correct answer, although the survival answer is actually a)
Though indeed small (less than 8 inches long) the blue ringed octopus is one of the deadliest creatures on earth. Its colourful rings are visible only when the creature is startled or under attack, otherwise it appears pale or camoflagues its body colour to match its surroundings.
You want the expert's tip on this last subject?
Yeah!
OK, here we go. The blue ringed octopus is not aggresive and does not attack humans except when handled, but the octopuses' bite injects a tetrodotoxin, a neuromuscular paralysing venom that causes instantaneous respiratory failure, paralysis, and blindless, and is often fatal.
ha!
OK Louie, time to wrap this up.
Thanks Zac, UK, Avery, everybody over the pond that let's me hang out with them! Mark Munson and the rest of the UK Duffs crew. Matt Law, I miss you, and thanks for everything!
Final word...
Um.... Bye bye.
Louie and the rest of the Enjoi team will be visiting the UK in April 2007, look out for them as they will be on a filming mission. Big thanks to Mark Munson at Duffs or hooking this interview up.
Louie Barletta literally fell onto the scene thanks to a scene video featuring the merry pranksters that are the Tilt Mode Army. Since his unique introduction, Louie has been bagging praise and making friends all around the globe.
With good times and an independent route, it wasn't long before Louie crossed paths with Crossfire. He turned up unannounced at our 2006 Southbank 7-Set Jam and got amongst it, which led to a day out in South East London on a filming mission for this very website.
The shots that you see on this page were from that very day. It was a good one, the sun was out, The Clash were on the stereo, the chicken was slightly spicy and most of all the kids were united!
Here's an interview answered late at night with adult entertainment cranked up in the background that was completed on March 6th 2007. Louie takes time out from his busy schedule of fun and hiding his salami to answer a few questions compiled by Zac and Ralph L-D.
All photos by Zac, apart from the beer stall here at Bloblands shot by Styley. Footage courtesy of Alan Christensen.
Full name please including all nicknames, middle names etc
Louie Sweet Lou, Dick Trickle, Hot Lou, Lou Dog, L-Diggs, L., Flat Bar-letta, Barletta...
Where did you grow up?
Northern California, we have winters.
Have you got any brothers and sisters?
Two brothers; one works in construction whilst the other flies with the Air Force.
What did your parents do for a living?
They sucked.
What were you like at school?
Quiet. I just read books and did my homework like a good boy.
Did you ever play spin the bottle?
Nah, I didn't care about girls much, just skating.
Were you the sort of kid that had green buggers dripping from his nose or were you a clean cut kid?
I was a thrift store kid.
What TV shows did you grow up with as a kid?
The A-team!
Were you ever influenced by Kermit the Frog in any way?
My aunt used to call me Kermit and my cousin Miss Piggy... She was fat, but I wasn't skinny or green so I never understood that one.
How did you lose your virginity?
I put my wee wee into a girl.
How many whales do you think you have speared over time?
(Laughs!) Too many Or actually... Not enough!!
The ocean can bring up some strange looking things can't it?
And boy have I seen my fair share! You never know what's lurking down near Davy Jones's locker.
I love eating seafood, are you a foody?
I've been known to sample...
What's your dish punk?!
Shell fish!!
Can you cook after all that traveling?
Hell no! The only cooking I do is cooking up schemes and ideas.
Where's the best country to whale?
Finland... The white whales!
How come you turned up at the Crossfire 7-Set jam at South Bank last year?
I wanted to win some money and buy some beer!!!!
What did you make of it as a first Crossfire event?
It was fun because it had a real carnival like atmosphere.
(laughs) You have been here before but what is your impression of London and the UK scene?
I think London is rad. Back in the day it wasn't a bust to skate downtown San Jose, so we would just skate from spot to spot... London reminds me of those good old days.
Any UK riders that you like skating with?
Rob, I know I'm going to blow his name mathewson (Matthiesen a.k.a. Robbleyard), his whole crew is sick... Fos is always a good time... Chris Avery! Stu Graham.
Have you seen much of England or just London?
Been around a bit but it's nothing to brag about though.
What have the skate spots been like compared to home?
They're rough and challenging which is way more fun because you get to skate to and from them.
OK IT'S WORST CASE SCENARIO TIME
SWIMMING THROUGH PIRANHAS
Difficulty rating 2.5/5
You are on a boat trip down the Amazon with Jake Phelps and Geoff Rowley. Two days into the trip, the boat develops engine trouble and begins to drift uncontrollably down the river. With a waterfall approaching, the captain tells the passengers the best chance for survival is to jump off the boat and swim or wade to the riverbank.
You anxiously look over the side of the boat and see a school of piranhas. You must jump. Do you:
a) Throw a large object into the centre of the school to disperse the fish.
b) Drop some raw meat over one side of the boat and lower yourself into the water on the opposite side.
c) Remove your clothes and throw them overboard ahead of yourself, then swim quickly to shore
d) Cover all bare skin with oil, then quickly swim ashore.
e) Throw Jake into the water as bait whilst Geoff and yourself survive and you pick Geoff for his experience with boar hunting for food.
f) Call the Enjoi team manager and tell him to archive all footage just in case.
I wouldn't have to do any of those! (Laughs) Haven't you seen any of our movies? Fucking Rambo or Arnold will come down in a helicopter, kill the commies that sabotaged the engine, dodge a spear thrown by a local, punch him out (because you can't kill natives, that is politically incorrect) and then rescue my American ass!!!!
Wrong Answer! The answer you were looking for Louie was b)
Piranhas are drawn to blood and flesh, so dropping meat over the side should distract them enough for you to get away. However, the fish may go into a feeding frenzy and bite and snap at anything while they feed, so jump on the other side of the boat.
Here's an expert tip: In piranha country, avoid approaching docks and piers where fish are cleaned; the blood and offal will attract the fish. So there...
Ok we are back into the questions... Do you get busted a lot?
I got busted last night for talking to this girls boobs....Her face didn't like me not paying attention to what it had to say. But them boobies were screaming at me!! (Laughs)
Ha! Who cuts your hair? Will you ever do something different than the bowl cut?
I cut it. I used to go to this Vietnamese place where you got a haircut and a neck massage for 5 dollars. But she cut my ear and I never went back... Now I just put on a truckers hat and cut around it... And no joke, the saying on it is "drunk man walking"
You mention in a past TWS interview that '...there is a saturation of conformity within the ranks of skateboarders', define that comment? What exactly is it?
Everybody is content with doing what everybody else does... like I have Gucci sunglass- Me too! I'm no different.
"Young Turks" by Rod Stewart-Explain?
I wanted to use a song by the Monkees but couldn't , so I had no choice...
Can you describe a typical day for me? Include music.
Ok, I wake up. Check to see if I'm alone in my bed. Either go in for a second helping or if nobody is there I get out of bed, check my email... Lately I start off my day with that song Danny Brady used in the Blueprint video. Then I'll go ride my bike to super taco and get a carne asada burrito. Go home, call up some people, see if any of my roommates are going skating.. If so I go out with them, if not ill just try to get a ride to the skatepark and just skate there.
Eat dinner, come home maybe ride my bike again and run errands. Skate to the bar, see if I get lucky, go home listen to the Smiths and either play hide the salami with my new friend that came home with me or check out stuff on e-bay, then pass out.... And repeat unless I'm hurt or it is raining ... In that case skip straight to hide the salami!
How has the daily routine changed since you got into the limelight?
Today I was with a friend who was taking his car to the mechanic. He said "Hey! You're that skater Louie right?" I said yes, my friend paid and then we went to eat spaghetti.
What was your worst job?
Demos.
And your last job?
Manager at a coffee shop. 7 years. Just quit recently. Didn't do it for the money, I just liked working there. I was the boss and all my roommates worked there. Best job ever, just scamming on hot business chicks.
Do you think it's important to do extra-curricular activities outside of skateboarding? If so, what do you do off your board?
No not necessarily, I do other stuff but mostly I just like to "think" about new tricks to try... I hang out with my friends and talk about skating or spots...
Have you grown up in San Jose all your life? Did you see the old Metrospective they did in 411vm of the area, with Simon Woodstock doing a barbecue?
For better or worse yeah, I was around during the BBQ days.. I just didn't know any of those guys. They were part of the cool guy crew. Only one of my friends was in it, and I don't think he even knew any of those guys.
People associate you to the Tilt Mode Army - How did it start, and how did you become a member?
It started when me, Marc Johnson, Jerry Hsu, Chris Avery and Matt Eversole got a house together. This was about 1999. Someone introduced us to the Capt'n and Tilt Mode was born right then and there! We just came together like voltron. Best of times, worst of times.
What was life like in the Pink house? Who was the best house mate? Who was the worst?
Two in the pink, one in the stink!
New film coming? Are you going to film a part?
Hell yeah. I'm hyped.
Critics said the Tilt Mode videos brought back the fun side of skating instead of the business side? Do you agree? Is it really all fun and games or is it hard work?
Nah, we were all filming for real videos so that was just whatever footy... I was still working at the coffee shop back then. It was all footy from my days off skating with my friends
Your debut video part had you falling all over the place - Did any of those spills hurt? Were you worried people might think you actually couldn't skate?
I didn't care. Seeing Marc Johnson and Jerry Hsu skating everyday, it really made me realize that I was not that good and I should just skate and have fun and not worry about grinding the biggest rail or doing the craziest block line... what for when you can just watch the masters do all that!
Bag of Suck was truly amazing. Your footage in particular was unique. What was your fave spot from that movie?
Finland, just because it was so laid back. I had a place there and just went out skating with my friends. No pressure.
You must have all been stoked with the full cut?
Yeah it turned out good. Jerry really came through which made us look like a legit company!!! (Laughs)
Is there another in the mix?
Nah, I think everyone wants to film another Tilt Mode... it sucked not being able to give marc or Ricky Esponosa or Matt Evs a part in the Enjoi movie, so we decided the next one is for the hommies! That's the way it should be anyway.
OK, we interrupt this interview for another worst case scenario question:
ALLIGATOR ATTACK
Level Of Difficulty 3.5/5
Yourself and Jerry Hsu are enjoying a picnic on the banks of a large pond. The pond is full of wildlife and as you eat your meal you see frogs, turtles and large fish moving in the water.
Just as you are about to have dessert, you are startled to discover that what you thought was a large turtle, sitting in the shallow water 50 feet away is actually an alligator. It climbs out of the pond and up the bank directly towards you. Do you and Jerry..:
a) Flap your arms and yell to scare it away
b) Punch the alligator under its bottom jaw
c) Get on the alligator's back and force its head down
d) Back away slowly
e) Call the fashion police and hope they turn up with Muska so he can wrestle it.
f) Call Dave Duncan and hope he can talk the alligator out of it on a megaphone.
Oh man, I'm going for f, because if he attacks he'll go for Duncan first, there is more meat on him....
Nope, i'm afraid the correct answer was c)
On land, your best hope of survival is to get on the alligator's back and place steady downward pressure on its neck and head. Once in this position, you may be able to clamp its jaws closed with your hands. Most of the animal's mouth strength is in closing its jaws, not opening them. If the alligator continues to attack, jab it in the eyes with your fingers.
You want an expert tip on this one?
Yeah why not!
OK, here we go. Feeding alligators may cause them to lose their fear of humans and become more aggressive. Most attacks occur after humans have fed them. That includes ones with megaphones!
A lot of your tricks are unique - Do you plan them out or are they spur of the moment affairs?
I'm a spur of the moment, go with the flow kind of guy... I hate when it is like "film me, I got this trick" I like it when it is someone else filming and I'm just there skating.
What do you like skating above all?
As harsh as it sounds - Manual pads. I love them. I suck at manuals though. Maybe mini ramps too.
You're often spotted riding quirky decks - Does the conventional shape of a skateboard need to change?
Sure. Life without change isn't a life worth living. That's why god created seasons. Besides the same old shape gets boring sometimes, so mix it up! Wonder what's around the corner.
Who inspires you in and outside of skateboarding? Who did you look up to as a kid?
I'm inspired by a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. God, Basquiat, Oscar Wilde, Hans von Luck, I'm all over the place when it comes to inspiration As a kid I really looked up to Ronald Regan. I don't know why. I think I just liked how he was hyped on space and I really liked star wars. We connected.
Are pro skaters good role models?
Yeah the ultimate! As a kid you're demoralized by the notion that a dream is just that, a dream. Something that won't ever become a reality... Pro skaters are the ultimate follow your dreams, dreams are possible to catch.
When are you having the op and coming back as a girl as stated in Slap?
Ha!!! I don't know!!! Not any time soon!! (Laughs)
Yep, we can't wait for the news!
Oh man.
Why is the gay question such a taboo in skateboarding?
I don't know. I didn't want to offend anyone, on either side of the fence... I think it is just as bad to ask who's G do you believe in?
Best groupie/tour story?
A kid giving me and Jerry a bottle of Bacardi...
Worst groupie/tour story?
What we did with her after we drank that bottle!
Did you go through the whole process of making your pro shoe on Duffs? How much of the shoe is Louie Barletta and explain the process.
Yeah, my new shoe "Sweet Lou" is all me and Russ Pope designing it. I love the shoe, it fits and feels so good. Definitely the ultimate cruiser shoes. I love skating in them! Sneak preview here.
If you had a pint and a packet of crisps at the pub- Which beer and which flavour crisps?
Kronenberg and Walkers Salt and Vinegar.
You travelled a bit for yourself this summer - What was it like? How often do you get to do things like that?
All the time. Carpe Diem! It was rad this summer. Me and my roommates in London for 3 weeks. A lot of Stella, a lot of Southbank, couldn't get much better.
OK it's the last of the worst case scenario questions and it's the big one!
THE DEADLY OCTOPUS
Level of difficulty 4/5
In search of underwater adventure you decide to a 2 week scuba trip to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with Matt Hensley, Jason Adams and Adam Alfaro.
Before your first dive your instructor warns you about several dangerous sea creatures due to your interest in whaling that includes sharks, urchins and the extremely poisonous southern blue ringed octopus.
Mentally filing away the information, you strap on your tank and regulator and being a half day dive. An hour into the dive you see a small pale coloured octopus, wedged into a crevice in the reef. Looking closely, you see no apparent blue rings and prepare to prod the creature gently so it will move and give you a better view.
The diver instructor grabs your arms and pulls you away.
After surfacing does he remind you that:
a) The rings are not visible when the octopus is as rest.
b) All octopi should be considered deadly.
c) The ink from the blue ringed octopus causes instant death.
d) The blue ringed octopus does not actually have rings on its body.
e) Matt Hensley is still a legend.
f) Jason Adams wears the trousers, even underwater.
g) Adam Alfaro is one of the most ripping Black Label rider who loves taking his teeth out but has a hot blue cheese fetish.
I'm going to say that all the above are are words to memorize and live by!
Correct answer, although the survival answer is actually a)
Though indeed small (less than 8 inches long) the blue ringed octopus is one of the deadliest creatures on earth. Its colourful rings are visible only when the creature is startled or under attack, otherwise it appears pale or camoflagues its body colour to match its surroundings.
You want the expert's tip on this last subject?
Yeah!
OK, here we go. The blue ringed octopus is not aggresive and does not attack humans except when handled, but the octopuses' bite injects a tetrodotoxin, a neuromuscular paralysing venom that causes instantaneous respiratory failure, paralysis, and blindless, and is often fatal.
ha!
OK Louie, time to wrap this up.
Thanks Zac, UK, Avery, everybody over the pond that let's me hang out with them! Mark Munson and the rest of the UK Duffs crew. Matt Law, I miss you, and thanks for everything!
Final word...
Um.... Bye bye.
Louie and the rest of the Enjoi team will be visiting the UK in April 2007, look out for them as they will be on a filming mission. Big thanks to Mark Munson at Duffs or hooking this interview up.
RONNIE CREAGER
RONNIE CREAGER
Sat, Nov 8, 2008NEWS
Goofy or Regular: Right foot forward, I think I heard somewhere that it is also called Natural when you skate that way.
Sponsors: Blind Skateboards, Ergophobia Clothing, Tensor Trucks, Happyskateboarding.com online skateshop
Size of Board You Ride: Currently I’m riding a Resin 8 board with full concave. The width is 7 5/8” by 31 1/4”. I’ll stick with a smaller board when I find myself doing a lot of flat ground and ledge tricks. I’m 5’ 8” and weigh 145lbs. I’m going to try and move up to a slightly longer and wider board. I like boards with concave so I can flip faster.
Wheel Size: 50mm works pretty good for me. I won’t go above 51mm or below 48mm.
Trucks: Tensor MID’s, I use to ride the Highs but I feel like I have more control with the lower trucks. I hear the Low’s are the way to go. I’ll try those next but need to find a board with a higher tail so it doesn’t hit so quickly when you ollie.
Favorite Food: If you find yourself wondering aimlessly around the grocery store in hopes to find a good little snack to munch on, ask a clerk where to find Hot Wasabi Peas. Yummy! I like making sandwiches. (bread, cheese, turkey, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, beet root, avocados, vegenaise, mustard)
Favorite Color: Grey’s, whites and blues.
Favorite Toothpaste: Arm & Hammer advance whitening & Close Up
Favorite Soap: The joke kind that turns your body green with using it.
3 Songs To Share: My songs change all the time but here’s 3 songs that I like for some weird reason. Grey Cell Green – Neds Atomic Dustbin, The Knife Song – Milk, (Don’t)Kill Yourself – The Spores.
2 Cool Skateboard Video: Level land & Lords of Dogtown
Favorite Show’s To Watch: I like to watch Fuel tv and The Golf Channel the most. When I find myself channel surfing I’ll stop and watch Poker, Animal Planet, America’s funniest home video’s, Discovery Channel.
Something People Don’t Know About You: I was adopted, My memory sucks.
Why Skateboarding: It takes me to my secret place where I can get lost and not have to worry.
How High Can You Ollie: I don’t like to ollie too high, it’s a long ways back down, just kidding. I’ve ollied 9 boards stacked on each other.
What Are Your Warm Up Tricks To Get Loose: I’ll start out by doing some kickflips and getting the timing down. Then nollie flips and 360 fickflips, After that I’ll try tricks I haven’t practiced in the last copy days and work on those till I make a couple of each… or give up!
3 Favorite Places to Shop: Electronic stores for sure! Next would be K-mart or Target.
Favorite Restaurant: Bennihana’s, Pita Jungle, Euro Cafe
Something Everybody Must Have: Besides the obvious (oxygen, water) I like what Rodney said.
Right Handed or Left Handed: I’m right handed but use my left hand for a lot of things… blinkers, wipers, getting out of the car, pulling stuff out of the refrigerator, caps lock, flushing the toilet, steady the pool cue, holding things while I write on them.
Script or Print Writing: My writing is horrible. I print everything. Everything messy.
Clean Up Yourself or Call a Maid: Myself.
Do You Believe in Aliens or Ghost’s: Every time I think about Ghost’s, I get chills and think of the couple things I’ve. As for Aliens…I really want to know what’s up with beings from other planets and all the strange cover ups.
Mac or PC: I use a Mac but thinking about getting a PC.
Boxers or Tighty Whities: Boxer briefs.
3 Movies We Should Rent: The Boondock Saints, Crank, Four Rooms, Unbreakable.
2 Cool Books Everybody Should Read: How about getting your favorite magazine subscriptions. I still have Rodney’s “the flying circus of physics WITH ANSWERS”! I’m no good at math
Favorite Cell Phone: The BlackBerry “bold, it’s awesome.
Favorite Place To Vacation: I can’t remember the last time I’ve been on a vacation. I think I would have to pick between Australia, Japan, Iceland, South Africa though.
What’s Your Current Ring Tone: The ring tone from the movie Crank. Get it!
Favorite Vegetable: All vegetables, but I like carrots, steamed and a little sweet.
What’s Your Favorite Snack: I finished 3 boxes of thin mint girl scout cookies in the past 4 days.
Share A Saying: There are some things you don’t want to get too good at. You’ll loose interest.
Make Up A Short Poem About Skateboarding:
Skate all day, skate for miles. A skateboard brings me many smiles! ☺
15 Comments For This Post
blake Says:
December 8th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
whats your favorite deck from blind
ronnie Says:
December 8th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
The Blind Eternal Life Decks. Shape: 7.6″ x 31.3″ or just a tiny bit shorter. I like all my graphics or the Blind logo decks.
alex Says:
December 26th, 2008 at 11:21 am
when was the last time you landed a hardflip late kickflip?
Isidro Says:
January 8th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Ronnie I’ve always been wondeing about this when will you retire from skateboardong because you’re good I want to know how long I’ll see you on a board?
kris Says:
January 20th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Creager is the man! I remember watching you skate Fullerton High back in the early 90’s back when anthony carney and james craig would be there too with other locals. Just flawless skating back then, and still shreddin! big ups Ronnie
Tracy Says:
January 27th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Hey Ronnie…
I just saw this and have to say that I have known you for almost 15 years now and what I admire the most is how you have been true to who you are. You are a great role model for others and I truly respect you. Congrats on a fabulous career…
Luv ya… Keep in touch
eric Says:
February 17th, 2009 at 8:52 am
ronnie theres a crank 2 comming out like this summer oh and you should stick with mac and one other thing can you put a tirck tip up on how to kickflip front board i break my board everytime i do one
Thomas Says:
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
I was reading ur thing in transworld so how can i get some free stickers?
noah Says:
April 28th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
does blind have a video coming out soon cause i havn’t seen any good vids lately and i blind vid would set the mood for the summer.
noah Says:
April 28th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
just kidding i lied. i just remebered the what if vid. but another question: park or street?
Luke Says:
May 7th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Ronnie, what are you allergic 2?
Zane Says:
May 8th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Ronnie its Zane from Duners Diner. I just wanted to see if JFK park in Yuma was on the list? You have my e mail now let me know whats up.Your new footy is sick!Later
robyn miller Says:
May 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
this is kind of funny, i dont know if i should share it but i will. a while back i was in the orange county jail waiting to go to court, and i was talking to this guy and some way he said he grew up with you, and i was like no way thats my favorite skater. he said you were adopted and that you had a sister. it was just kind of funny i dont remember the guys name or anything, but i guess its a small world. i’m going to buy the blind video may 15th may 15th may 15th. happy skateboarding.
chileno Says:
July 8th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
eres un MAESTRO ronnie!
gracias por la inspiracion
kipp benk Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 9:21 am
your blind eternal life board is sick its the strongest board ive ever riden
Sat, Nov 8, 2008NEWS
Goofy or Regular: Right foot forward, I think I heard somewhere that it is also called Natural when you skate that way.
Sponsors: Blind Skateboards, Ergophobia Clothing, Tensor Trucks, Happyskateboarding.com online skateshop
Size of Board You Ride: Currently I’m riding a Resin 8 board with full concave. The width is 7 5/8” by 31 1/4”. I’ll stick with a smaller board when I find myself doing a lot of flat ground and ledge tricks. I’m 5’ 8” and weigh 145lbs. I’m going to try and move up to a slightly longer and wider board. I like boards with concave so I can flip faster.
Wheel Size: 50mm works pretty good for me. I won’t go above 51mm or below 48mm.
Trucks: Tensor MID’s, I use to ride the Highs but I feel like I have more control with the lower trucks. I hear the Low’s are the way to go. I’ll try those next but need to find a board with a higher tail so it doesn’t hit so quickly when you ollie.
Favorite Food: If you find yourself wondering aimlessly around the grocery store in hopes to find a good little snack to munch on, ask a clerk where to find Hot Wasabi Peas. Yummy! I like making sandwiches. (bread, cheese, turkey, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, beet root, avocados, vegenaise, mustard)
Favorite Color: Grey’s, whites and blues.
Favorite Toothpaste: Arm & Hammer advance whitening & Close Up
Favorite Soap: The joke kind that turns your body green with using it.
3 Songs To Share: My songs change all the time but here’s 3 songs that I like for some weird reason. Grey Cell Green – Neds Atomic Dustbin, The Knife Song – Milk, (Don’t)Kill Yourself – The Spores.
2 Cool Skateboard Video: Level land & Lords of Dogtown
Favorite Show’s To Watch: I like to watch Fuel tv and The Golf Channel the most. When I find myself channel surfing I’ll stop and watch Poker, Animal Planet, America’s funniest home video’s, Discovery Channel.
Something People Don’t Know About You: I was adopted, My memory sucks.
Why Skateboarding: It takes me to my secret place where I can get lost and not have to worry.
How High Can You Ollie: I don’t like to ollie too high, it’s a long ways back down, just kidding. I’ve ollied 9 boards stacked on each other.
What Are Your Warm Up Tricks To Get Loose: I’ll start out by doing some kickflips and getting the timing down. Then nollie flips and 360 fickflips, After that I’ll try tricks I haven’t practiced in the last copy days and work on those till I make a couple of each… or give up!
3 Favorite Places to Shop: Electronic stores for sure! Next would be K-mart or Target.
Favorite Restaurant: Bennihana’s, Pita Jungle, Euro Cafe
Something Everybody Must Have: Besides the obvious (oxygen, water) I like what Rodney said.
Right Handed or Left Handed: I’m right handed but use my left hand for a lot of things… blinkers, wipers, getting out of the car, pulling stuff out of the refrigerator, caps lock, flushing the toilet, steady the pool cue, holding things while I write on them.
Script or Print Writing: My writing is horrible. I print everything. Everything messy.
Clean Up Yourself or Call a Maid: Myself.
Do You Believe in Aliens or Ghost’s: Every time I think about Ghost’s, I get chills and think of the couple things I’ve. As for Aliens…I really want to know what’s up with beings from other planets and all the strange cover ups.
Mac or PC: I use a Mac but thinking about getting a PC.
Boxers or Tighty Whities: Boxer briefs.
3 Movies We Should Rent: The Boondock Saints, Crank, Four Rooms, Unbreakable.
2 Cool Books Everybody Should Read: How about getting your favorite magazine subscriptions. I still have Rodney’s “the flying circus of physics WITH ANSWERS”! I’m no good at math
Favorite Cell Phone: The BlackBerry “bold, it’s awesome.
Favorite Place To Vacation: I can’t remember the last time I’ve been on a vacation. I think I would have to pick between Australia, Japan, Iceland, South Africa though.
What’s Your Current Ring Tone: The ring tone from the movie Crank. Get it!
Favorite Vegetable: All vegetables, but I like carrots, steamed and a little sweet.
What’s Your Favorite Snack: I finished 3 boxes of thin mint girl scout cookies in the past 4 days.
Share A Saying: There are some things you don’t want to get too good at. You’ll loose interest.
Make Up A Short Poem About Skateboarding:
Skate all day, skate for miles. A skateboard brings me many smiles! ☺
15 Comments For This Post
blake Says:
December 8th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
whats your favorite deck from blind
ronnie Says:
December 8th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
The Blind Eternal Life Decks. Shape: 7.6″ x 31.3″ or just a tiny bit shorter. I like all my graphics or the Blind logo decks.
alex Says:
December 26th, 2008 at 11:21 am
when was the last time you landed a hardflip late kickflip?
Isidro Says:
January 8th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Ronnie I’ve always been wondeing about this when will you retire from skateboardong because you’re good I want to know how long I’ll see you on a board?
kris Says:
January 20th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Creager is the man! I remember watching you skate Fullerton High back in the early 90’s back when anthony carney and james craig would be there too with other locals. Just flawless skating back then, and still shreddin! big ups Ronnie
Tracy Says:
January 27th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Hey Ronnie…
I just saw this and have to say that I have known you for almost 15 years now and what I admire the most is how you have been true to who you are. You are a great role model for others and I truly respect you. Congrats on a fabulous career…
Luv ya… Keep in touch
eric Says:
February 17th, 2009 at 8:52 am
ronnie theres a crank 2 comming out like this summer oh and you should stick with mac and one other thing can you put a tirck tip up on how to kickflip front board i break my board everytime i do one
Thomas Says:
February 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 am
I was reading ur thing in transworld so how can i get some free stickers?
noah Says:
April 28th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
does blind have a video coming out soon cause i havn’t seen any good vids lately and i blind vid would set the mood for the summer.
noah Says:
April 28th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
just kidding i lied. i just remebered the what if vid. but another question: park or street?
Luke Says:
May 7th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Ronnie, what are you allergic 2?
Zane Says:
May 8th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Ronnie its Zane from Duners Diner. I just wanted to see if JFK park in Yuma was on the list? You have my e mail now let me know whats up.Your new footy is sick!Later
robyn miller Says:
May 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
this is kind of funny, i dont know if i should share it but i will. a while back i was in the orange county jail waiting to go to court, and i was talking to this guy and some way he said he grew up with you, and i was like no way thats my favorite skater. he said you were adopted and that you had a sister. it was just kind of funny i dont remember the guys name or anything, but i guess its a small world. i’m going to buy the blind video may 15th may 15th may 15th. happy skateboarding.
chileno Says:
July 8th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
eres un MAESTRO ronnie!
gracias por la inspiracion
kipp benk Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 9:21 am
your blind eternal life board is sick its the strongest board ive ever riden
Tony Alva Biography
Tony Alva Biography
Tony Alva was born in 1957, in Santa Monica California. In 1968, Alva got his first surfboard and skateboard and developed a passion for surfing, skateboarding and rock-n-roll. In 1972, he joined the legendary Z-Boys skateboard team along with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. Alva later went on to win the Men’s World Overall Professional Skateboard Championship in 1977.
In the 1980s, Tony formed the infamous "Alva Posse" and sponsors innovative skaters including: Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzalez, Dave Duncan, Eddie Reategui, Chris Cook, John Thomas, Jeff Hartsel, Craig Johnson, John Gibson, Bill Danforth, Fred Smith III, and Jim Murphy.
In 1999, he was presented the X Games Life Time Achievement Award from Tony Hawk, and in 2000, he received the Legend Award from Transworld Skateboard Magazine.
Recently he was featured in the Sundance and Independent Spirit award-winning documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” (2002). Tony Alva was an authenticity consultant and stunt coordinator on the upcoming Sony feature film, "Lords Of Dogtown" (2005), based on his life with the Z-Boys.
The first skateboarder to successfully market himself as a brand name, Tony Alva continues to own and operate the innovative Alva Skateboard Company in Oceanside, California. Considered the originator of vertical skateboarding, Alva continues to develop new technology to advance the sport he loves. Staying true to his roots, Tony Alva surfs and skates pools almost everyday.
"Today, Tony still sneaks into unsuspecting people’s backyards to taste the illicit thrill of riding an empty pool." Stacy Peralta
1977 - World Overall Professional Skateboard Champion
1977 - Skateboarder of The Year
1977 - Sets World Record In The Barrel Jump
1999 - X Games Life Time Achievement Award Presented By Tony Hawk
2002 - Transworld Magazine Legend Award
2003 - I-D Magazine 100 Most Influential People In Fashion
-
Alva has been featured on several book covers including: Declaration of Independents, Dogtown -
The Legend of the Z-Boys and The Freshjive Maddog Chronicles. He has also
been profiled in several international publications including: Skateboarder, Transworld, People,
Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Spin, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Visionaire, Arena,
I-D etc.
-
In 1977, Tony Alva competed on ABC's Wide World of Sports for the World Professional Skateboarding Championship. Since his television debut, Alva has endorsed a variety of products on television including Vans, Mercedes Benz and the Fuel television network.
Tony Alva has appeared in several feature films including "Skateboard: The Movie That Defies Gravity" (1977), "Thrashin" (1986), and the award winning documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (2002). Most recently, Alva was hired as the authenticity consultant and skateboarding choreographer for the upcoming Sony feature film "Lords of Dogtown" (June 2005).
-
1957 - Born in Santa Monica California
1967 - Alva gets his first skateboard and surfboard
1973 - Joins Zephyr Team with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta
1975 - Graduates from Santa Monica High School
1977 - Starts Alva Skateboard Company
1977- Wins Mens Overall World Professional Skateboard Championship
1977 - Voted Skateboarder of the Year in Skateboarder Magazine Reader Poll
1977 - Sets World Record In Barrel Jump
1978 - Skateboard the Movie Released- Alva Plays The Character Tony Bluetile
1983 - Forms Alva Posse Including: Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzalez, Dave Duncan, Eddie Reategui, Chris Cook, John Thomas, Jeff Hartsel, Craig Johnson, John Gibson, Bill Danforth, Fred Smith III, and Jim Murphy.
1986 - Thrashin’ the Movie – Alva Plays a “Daggers” Gang Member
1989 - Daughter Avalon Victoria Alva born
1995 - Son Zephaniah Levi Alva born
1999 - X Games Lifetime Achievement Award
2002 - Transworld Skateboarding Magazine Legend Award
2002 - Dogtown And Z-Boys is released. Wins several awards including Sundance and Independent Spirit Awards
2003 - ID Magazine 100 Most Influential People in Fashion Award
2003 - Alva shoots commercial for Mercedes Benz in Barcelonna
2005 - Lords Of Dogtown Release
Enter content here
Tony Alva was born in 1957, in Santa Monica California. In 1968, Alva got his first surfboard and skateboard and developed a passion for surfing, skateboarding and rock-n-roll. In 1972, he joined the legendary Z-Boys skateboard team along with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. Alva later went on to win the Men’s World Overall Professional Skateboard Championship in 1977.
In the 1980s, Tony formed the infamous "Alva Posse" and sponsors innovative skaters including: Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzalez, Dave Duncan, Eddie Reategui, Chris Cook, John Thomas, Jeff Hartsel, Craig Johnson, John Gibson, Bill Danforth, Fred Smith III, and Jim Murphy.
In 1999, he was presented the X Games Life Time Achievement Award from Tony Hawk, and in 2000, he received the Legend Award from Transworld Skateboard Magazine.
Recently he was featured in the Sundance and Independent Spirit award-winning documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” (2002). Tony Alva was an authenticity consultant and stunt coordinator on the upcoming Sony feature film, "Lords Of Dogtown" (2005), based on his life with the Z-Boys.
The first skateboarder to successfully market himself as a brand name, Tony Alva continues to own and operate the innovative Alva Skateboard Company in Oceanside, California. Considered the originator of vertical skateboarding, Alva continues to develop new technology to advance the sport he loves. Staying true to his roots, Tony Alva surfs and skates pools almost everyday.
"Today, Tony still sneaks into unsuspecting people’s backyards to taste the illicit thrill of riding an empty pool." Stacy Peralta
1977 - World Overall Professional Skateboard Champion
1977 - Skateboarder of The Year
1977 - Sets World Record In The Barrel Jump
1999 - X Games Life Time Achievement Award Presented By Tony Hawk
2002 - Transworld Magazine Legend Award
2003 - I-D Magazine 100 Most Influential People In Fashion
-
Alva has been featured on several book covers including: Declaration of Independents, Dogtown -
The Legend of the Z-Boys and The Freshjive Maddog Chronicles. He has also
been profiled in several international publications including: Skateboarder, Transworld, People,
Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Spin, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Visionaire, Arena,
I-D etc.
-
In 1977, Tony Alva competed on ABC's Wide World of Sports for the World Professional Skateboarding Championship. Since his television debut, Alva has endorsed a variety of products on television including Vans, Mercedes Benz and the Fuel television network.
Tony Alva has appeared in several feature films including "Skateboard: The Movie That Defies Gravity" (1977), "Thrashin" (1986), and the award winning documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys" (2002). Most recently, Alva was hired as the authenticity consultant and skateboarding choreographer for the upcoming Sony feature film "Lords of Dogtown" (June 2005).
-
1957 - Born in Santa Monica California
1967 - Alva gets his first skateboard and surfboard
1973 - Joins Zephyr Team with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta
1975 - Graduates from Santa Monica High School
1977 - Starts Alva Skateboard Company
1977- Wins Mens Overall World Professional Skateboard Championship
1977 - Voted Skateboarder of the Year in Skateboarder Magazine Reader Poll
1977 - Sets World Record In Barrel Jump
1978 - Skateboard the Movie Released- Alva Plays The Character Tony Bluetile
1983 - Forms Alva Posse Including: Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzalez, Dave Duncan, Eddie Reategui, Chris Cook, John Thomas, Jeff Hartsel, Craig Johnson, John Gibson, Bill Danforth, Fred Smith III, and Jim Murphy.
1986 - Thrashin’ the Movie – Alva Plays a “Daggers” Gang Member
1989 - Daughter Avalon Victoria Alva born
1995 - Son Zephaniah Levi Alva born
1999 - X Games Lifetime Achievement Award
2002 - Transworld Skateboarding Magazine Legend Award
2002 - Dogtown And Z-Boys is released. Wins several awards including Sundance and Independent Spirit Awards
2003 - ID Magazine 100 Most Influential People in Fashion Award
2003 - Alva shoots commercial for Mercedes Benz in Barcelonna
2005 - Lords Of Dogtown Release
Enter content here
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Five
23 December 2009 10:10 AM, PST | Dark Horizons | See recent Dark Horizons news »
Hippie Hippie Shake
Opens: 2010
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Max Minghella, Emma Booth, Lee Ingleby
Director: Beeban Kidron
Summary: Follows the love story of Oz editor Richard Neville and Louise Ferrier. Neville and his cohorts launch the London edition of Oz amidst the 1960s counterculture and are subsequently put on trial for distributing a sexually explicit issue.
Analysis: One of the most troubled productions in Working Title's history, 'Hippie' began development back in 1998 but failed to get beyond script stage both in 1999 and in 2002 when "Elizabeth" helmer Shekhar Kapur was attached to direct. Filming finally got underway late 2007 with director Beeban Kidron in charge and shooting seemed to proceed without issue aside from feminist author Germaine Greer being vehemently unhappy about being depicted on film.
Actually the film scored quite a bit of free press for a skinny dipping scene where full-frontal shots of actress Sienna Miller shooting the sequence »
- Garth Franklin
See full article at Dark Horizons »Permalink | Report a problem
Sponsored Links (What's This?)
Bam Margera Autographed
www.PremiereCollectibles.com * Serious As Dog Dirt by Bam Magera Autographed Book Collectors Edition
The Notable Films of 2010: Part Five
23 December 2009 10:10 AM, PST | Dark Horizons | See recent Dark Horizons news »
Hippie Hippie Shake
Opens: 2010
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Max Minghella, Emma Booth, Lee Ingleby
Director: Beeban Kidron
Summary: Follows the love story of Oz editor Richard Neville and Louise Ferrier. Neville and his cohorts launch the London edition of Oz amidst the 1960s counterculture and are subsequently put on trial for distributing a sexually explicit issue.
Analysis: One of the most troubled productions in Working Title's history, 'Hippie' began development back in 1998 but failed to get beyond script stage both in 1999 and in 2002 when "Elizabeth" helmer Shekhar Kapur was attached to direct. Filming finally got underway late 2007 with director Beeban Kidron in charge and shooting seemed to proceed without issue aside from feminist author Germaine Greer being vehemently unhappy about being depicted on film.
Actually the film scored quite a bit of free press for a skinny dipping scene where full-frontal shots of actress Sienna Miller shooting the sequence »
- Garth Franklin
See full article at Dark Horizons »Permalink | Report a problem
69 Eyes Premiere 'Dead N Gone' Video
22 December 2009 9:31 AM, PST | FEARnet | See recent FEARnet news »
The latest video from Finnish vamp-rockers The 69 Eyes is Dead N Gone, directed once again by the band's go-to celeb director Bam Margera. The San Francisco-shot video promotes the new single from their smash album Back In Blood, one of the best dark-rock entries of 2009. It's pretty hard to top the sexy supremacy of their previous video Dead Girls are Easy, but these guys know how to rock the dark side, so you know it'll sound good. Flip it over, check it out and let us know what you think... While the visual storyline is a bit too emo for my liking (the song is about a bitter breakup, after all), you can't say frontman Jyrki69 and crew are anything less than supremely cool throughout... and at least you get to »
See full article at FEARnet »Permalink | Report a problem
Jackass 3 Will Be in Glorious 3-D
19 December 2009 6:59 PM, PST | ShockYa | See recent ShockYa news »
Paramount Pictures has officially announced Jackass 3 will be in 3-D. Currently in production, Jackass 3 includes the original team including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-o, Bam Margera and Preston Lacy. Here’s the official Paramount press release. “The third installment of Jackass from Paramount Pictures and MTV Films will hit theaters on October 15, 2010, this time in eye-popping 3D. Johnny Knoxville and the boys will begin shooting in late January with Dickhouse Production’s Jeff Tremaine at the helm and producing alongside Spike Jonze and Knoxville. The addition of 3D to the new film will raise the mayhem factor to new heights, promises star/producer Johnny Knoxville. “We’re going to take the [...] »
- Brian Corder
See full article at ShockYa »Permalink | Report a problem
New ‘Jackass 3′ Movie To Start Filming In January
2 December 2009 1:36 PM, PST | OnTheFlix | See recent OnTheFlix news »
New 'Jackass 3' movie to start filming in January. According to Variety, the crazy boys from Jackass are making a return to the big screen with a 3rd installment,and there's more. This crazy movie is going to be shot in 3D. They report that Paramount and MTV films have scheduled filming of "Jackass 3" to start on January 25,and they are looking to release it sometime in 2010. Apparently the "Jackass" movies have made the studios a lot of money. The first two films only cost about $16.5 million to make,combined,but raked in $164.1 million worldwide,combined. "Jackass 3" will star : Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-o, Jason "Wee Man" Acuña, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Dave England, and Ehren McGhehey. »
- Andre@ontheflix
See full article at OnTheFlix »Permalink | Report a problem
Jackass 3-D: Why Not Go D-Box as Well?
20 November 2009 7:41 AM, PST | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »
Somehow, we knew it was coming. With the ever-growing need to make everything and anything a 3D movie event, Hollywood is finally (and I use that lightly) taking things too far. According to our friends at Cinematical, a new Paramount Pictures release slate for 2010 has a listing for Jackass 3-D. Yes, you read that right -- not just a clever title, but an actual 3-dimensional sequel in the Jackass franchise, a chaotic follow-up to 2006's Jackass: Number Two. Things have been quite on the homefront for Johnny Knoxville and his gang of goons since releasing Number Two in '06, a movie that was made for around $12 million and grossed nearly $85 million worldwide. It seems like a no-brainer for Paramount, who is yet to comment on this story. Why wouldn't they want to make another cheap movie that grosses big, no matter the quality? And why not do it in 3-D? My »
- Neil Miller
See full article at FilmSchoolRejects.com »Permalink | Report a problem
Brace Yourself for 'Jackass 3D'
19 November 2009 5:31 PM, PST | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
By Cinematical
The Paramount slate for 2010 in our inbox happens to list a "Jackass 3-D," with a release date to be determined. Johnny Knoxville and company don't seem too busy of late, and even with the eye-popping added dimension, this sounds like a relatively cheap production to give the go-ahead to. If Wikipedia is to be believed (I know), Bam Margera confirmed in a a much more recent interview for a Finnish newspaper that filming would begin this January around the world.
Read more at Cinematical. »
- Brent Lang
See full article at The Wrap »Permalink | Report a problem
Is Jackass 3 in 3D Arriving in 2010?
19 November 2009 3:09 PM, PST | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
It seems someone let the cat out of the bag a bit early. Thanks to William Goss spotting Jackass 3D on Paramount’s 2010 schedule, it seems the adventures of Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-o are going to continue on movie screens….but this time we’re going to get them in 3D! While I thought the first Jackass movie was an amazing cinematic achievement, I didn’t think the second movie was worth anyone’s time and most of it played like a long deleted scene. Of course I’ll be the first one in line for a 3D Jackass movie…but after my recent experiences on a movie shooting in 3D, I’m not 100% sold this is really happening. My explanation after the jump:
While I cannot tell you where I was, I can use what I saw and learned on set to explain why this Jackass 3D movie might not happen. »
- Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub
See full article at Collider.com »Permalink | Report a problem
'Jackass 3-D' is Happening
19 November 2009 12:50 PM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
Back in 2007, our own Christopher Campbell (who's back on staff, baby!) told us that, back in 2006, a third Jackass film seemed like a sure thing in the wake of Jackass: Number Two. Steve-o told Howard Stern then that they'd begin shooting at the start of 2008...
Cut to 2009, and the Paramount slate for 2010 in our inbox happens to list a Jackass 3-D, with a release date to be determined. Johnny Knoxville and company don't seem too busy of late, and even with the eye-popping added dimension, this sounds like a relatively cheap production to give the go-ahead to. If Wikipedia is to be believed (I know), Bam Margera confirmed in a much more recent interview for a Finnish newspaper that filming would begin this January around the world.
Since there's really not all that much else to report on this yet, let me just assure you that my pals »
- William Goss
See full article at Cinematical »Permalink | Report a problem
Bam Margera owns MTV2 for the Holidays
14 November 2009 3:14 PM, PST | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »
Bam Margera owns MTV2 for the Holidays. Beginning November 16th through December 6th, MTV2 will celebrate the release of Bam Margera.s first book, .Serious As Dog Dirt. (MTV Books) with hours of special programming dedicated to all things Bam. .Serious As Dog Dirt. programming includes the December 5th cable premiere of .Bam Margera Presents: Where The #$&% Is Santa?. and several .Viva La Bam. marathons with new and exclusive commentary by Bam and Ryan Dunn airing on November 28th and December 5th. Once part of the defunct .Jackass. ensemble, Bam has annoyed his parents and continued his smallscreen reign of prank terror with over-the-top daredevil stunts. Now, Bam's book hits the stores on November 17th, .Serious As »
- April MacIntyre
See full article at Monsters and Critics »Permalink | Report a problem
The 69 Eyes – Back In Blood (Musick Review)
27 August 2009 6:12 AM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
The Helsinki Vampires are indeed back again, however they are trading their sleaze glam and their "Dead Cool" Goth Rock image for a new gritty metal edge. This time around, the act pushes aside completely the notion of being a romantically inspired act and takes up the complete mantle of power stage rockers. When the act made their first big splash in 2005 when skating legend Bam Margera directed the “Lost Boys” video, they were billed by many music magazines as “The Saviors of Gothic Rock”, a title that has never sat well with yours truly, any more than I would say Manson was “Goth’s Salvation”. Neither act has really spent any length of time wanting to further the music scene that their respective record producers felt they should be pigeon holed into. Admittedly however, The 69 Eyes had a campy fun charm that hooked U.S. fans instantly and with »
- no-reply@fangoria.com (Doctor Raven)
See full article at Fangoria »Permalink | Report a problem
Margera Desperate To Save Marriage
5 August 2009 5:11 AM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass star Bam Margera has started taking antidepressants and seeing a counsellor in a desperate bid to save his crumbling marriage, according to reports.
The 29-year-old prankster is trying to salvage his relationship with partner Missy, which appeared to be over after he embarked on a four-day drinking binge ending in his hospitalisation last month.
He told reporters at the time, "I may be getting a divorce... booze helps."
But the daredevil is hoping to reconcile with his wife, and has agreed to attend couples counselling twice a week, reports TMZ.com.
Margera has also started to take Lexapro, a medication that treats emotional disorders, to control his mood swings after the star admitted his wife "thinks I have a split personality, like Jekyll and Hyde".
The couple married in February 2007. »
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Margera's Marriage On Rocks
21 July 2009 12:11 PM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass prankster Bam Margera embarked on a four-day drinking binge that ended in his hospitalisation, because he's depressed about the state of his crumbling marriage.
The 29-year-old TV star sparked reports he had suffered an overdose on Sunday after his wife Melissa called emergency services to their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Margera admits he took prescription drug Ambien during what he called a "four-day bender".
Doctors released the star after flushing out his system and sent him to speak to a psychiatrist, reports TMZ.com.
He explains, "I may be getting a divorce... booze helps."
The couple married in February 2007. »
Permalink | Report a problem
Margera's Mother Blames Dehydration For Emergency Call
20 July 2009 12:06 PM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass prankster Bam Margera's mother is blaming he son's dehydration for the emergency call that sparked reports he had suffered an overdose at the weekend (begs19Jul09).
Emergency services were called to the TV star's home in West Chester, Pennsylvania at around 1.30pm on Sunday.
TMZ.com reported the caller, whose identity is currently unknown, alerted paramedics that Margera had suffered a "possible overdose".
April Margera called into local radio station Wmmr on Monday, insisting her 29-year-old son had become "severely dehydrated" filming his new MTV show Nitro Circus.
The matriarch also blamed "basic partying" for the incident. »
Permalink | Report a problem
'Jackass' star Bam Margera hospitalised
20 July 2009 11:58 AM, PDT | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »
Jackass star Bam Margera has reportedly been taken to hospital in Pennsylvania after paramedics responded to a call from his home. According to TMZ, the 29-year-old was transported by ambulance to a local medical centre at around 1.30pm yesterday after authorities received an emergency call that suggested a "possible overdose". However, speaking to Philadelphia-based radio station Wwmr, his mother April said: "No, no [it wasn't an overdose]. He's severely dehydrated and he's suffered some injuries with Nitro Circus. "They've just been hydrating him through the (more) »
- By Lara Martin
See full article at digitalspy »Permalink | Report a problem
Margera Suffers Drug Overdose?
20 July 2009 9:06 AM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass prankster Bam Margera has been hospitalised in Pennsylvania with a suspected drug overdose, according to online reports.
Website TMZ.com claims emergency services were called to the TV star's home in West Chester at around 1.30pm on Sunday.
The caller, whose identity is currently unknown, alerted paramedics that Margera had suffered a "possible overdose".
Further details about the incident or Margera's condition were unavailable as WENN went to press. »
Permalink | Report a problem
Bam Margera Hospitalized for Possible Overdose
20 July 2009 5:45 AM, PDT | Celebuzz.com | See recent Celebuzz news »
Bam Margera didn't have such a great weekend. TMZ reports that the Jackass star was whisked away to the hospital on Sunday by paramedics who rushed to his West Chester, Pennsylvania, home after receiving a 911 call about a "possible overdose." Apparently, Bam didn't learn much from his Jackass co-star Steve-o's experiences with drugs. Coming to Bam's rescue on the PR end of things is his mother, April Margera, who called in to Philly radio station Wmmr on Monday to downplay the whole "took too many drugs" aspect of the story. April told the radio station that her son had become "severely dehydrated" while »
- Celebuzz
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Bam Margera Hospitalized After Suspected Overdose
20 July 2009 2:43 AM, PDT | Hollyscoop.com | See recent HollyScoop news »
Jackass star Bam Margera has been hospitalized after a suspected drug overdose. According to TMZ, Margera was rushed to a hospital in Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon. State troopers and medical workers arrived to his home in West Chester, Pennsylvania at around 1:30 Pm yesterday, responding to a call for a “possible overdose.” Margera's wife and mother are denying the overdose claims. His wife Missy claims Bam is suffering from dehydration. Bam’s mother April is sticking to the same story. We hope it was just dehydration! Story developing… »
See full article at Hollyscoop.com »Permalink | Report a problem
69 Eyes 'Dead Girls Are Easy' Video Premieres Today!
17 July 2009 8:47 AM, PDT | FEARnet | See recent FEARnet news »
The naughty new video for Dead Girls Are Easy – the latest single from Finnish horror-rockers The 69 Eyes – makes its online debut today, appropriately enough on Playboy.com. Read below the fold to find out more about the project, and maybe even find out how to see the video for yourself… if you're old enough, that is… A long-time advocate of the "Helsinki Vampires" (and heartfelt promoter of Finnish goth-rock in general), Bam Margera once again stepped behind the camera to direct the band's latest visual opus, which heralds the first single from their upcoming album Back In Blood (due out September 15th). The video for their flamboyant horror-rock anthem is described as "a »
See full article at FEARnet »Permalink | Report a problem
Fango Musick Exclusive: Interview with Dope Stars, Inc.
14 April 2009 10:00 PM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
Founded in 2003, Italian glam-cyberrockers Dope Stars Inc. are an interesting band. They have the look, sound, and track record to entitle them to a plethora of rockstar attitudes. However, after interviewing them, I discovered that they’re just like us: fans of music and horror movies. Throughout this interview it’s clear that these influences have factored into the gradual development of the band. It’s also clear that they’re just average guys, working hard to make their dreams become flesh, and to make their music become art. A few weeks ago I reviewed their forthcoming Ep release of Criminal Intents/Morning Star for Fangoria Musick (read that here). When I got it from Metropolis Records I was blown away: it was like Industrial had mated with Glam Rock in some kind of weird Kirk-on-Spock porno! I immediately got in touch with Dsi, sent like twenty emails back and forth, »
See full article at Fangoria »Permalink | Report a problem
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The Notable Films of 2010: Part Five
23 December 2009 10:10 AM, PST | Dark Horizons | See recent Dark Horizons news »
Hippie Hippie Shake
Opens: 2010
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Max Minghella, Emma Booth, Lee Ingleby
Director: Beeban Kidron
Summary: Follows the love story of Oz editor Richard Neville and Louise Ferrier. Neville and his cohorts launch the London edition of Oz amidst the 1960s counterculture and are subsequently put on trial for distributing a sexually explicit issue.
Analysis: One of the most troubled productions in Working Title's history, 'Hippie' began development back in 1998 but failed to get beyond script stage both in 1999 and in 2002 when "Elizabeth" helmer Shekhar Kapur was attached to direct. Filming finally got underway late 2007 with director Beeban Kidron in charge and shooting seemed to proceed without issue aside from feminist author Germaine Greer being vehemently unhappy about being depicted on film.
Actually the film scored quite a bit of free press for a skinny dipping scene where full-frontal shots of actress Sienna Miller shooting the sequence »
- Garth Franklin
See full article at Dark Horizons »Permalink | Report a problem
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Bam Margera Autographed
www.PremiereCollectibles.com * Serious As Dog Dirt by Bam Magera Autographed Book Collectors Edition
The Notable Films of 2010: Part Five
23 December 2009 10:10 AM, PST | Dark Horizons | See recent Dark Horizons news »
Hippie Hippie Shake
Opens: 2010
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller, Max Minghella, Emma Booth, Lee Ingleby
Director: Beeban Kidron
Summary: Follows the love story of Oz editor Richard Neville and Louise Ferrier. Neville and his cohorts launch the London edition of Oz amidst the 1960s counterculture and are subsequently put on trial for distributing a sexually explicit issue.
Analysis: One of the most troubled productions in Working Title's history, 'Hippie' began development back in 1998 but failed to get beyond script stage both in 1999 and in 2002 when "Elizabeth" helmer Shekhar Kapur was attached to direct. Filming finally got underway late 2007 with director Beeban Kidron in charge and shooting seemed to proceed without issue aside from feminist author Germaine Greer being vehemently unhappy about being depicted on film.
Actually the film scored quite a bit of free press for a skinny dipping scene where full-frontal shots of actress Sienna Miller shooting the sequence »
- Garth Franklin
See full article at Dark Horizons »Permalink | Report a problem
69 Eyes Premiere 'Dead N Gone' Video
22 December 2009 9:31 AM, PST | FEARnet | See recent FEARnet news »
The latest video from Finnish vamp-rockers The 69 Eyes is Dead N Gone, directed once again by the band's go-to celeb director Bam Margera. The San Francisco-shot video promotes the new single from their smash album Back In Blood, one of the best dark-rock entries of 2009. It's pretty hard to top the sexy supremacy of their previous video Dead Girls are Easy, but these guys know how to rock the dark side, so you know it'll sound good. Flip it over, check it out and let us know what you think... While the visual storyline is a bit too emo for my liking (the song is about a bitter breakup, after all), you can't say frontman Jyrki69 and crew are anything less than supremely cool throughout... and at least you get to »
See full article at FEARnet »Permalink | Report a problem
Jackass 3 Will Be in Glorious 3-D
19 December 2009 6:59 PM, PST | ShockYa | See recent ShockYa news »
Paramount Pictures has officially announced Jackass 3 will be in 3-D. Currently in production, Jackass 3 includes the original team including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-o, Bam Margera and Preston Lacy. Here’s the official Paramount press release. “The third installment of Jackass from Paramount Pictures and MTV Films will hit theaters on October 15, 2010, this time in eye-popping 3D. Johnny Knoxville and the boys will begin shooting in late January with Dickhouse Production’s Jeff Tremaine at the helm and producing alongside Spike Jonze and Knoxville. The addition of 3D to the new film will raise the mayhem factor to new heights, promises star/producer Johnny Knoxville. “We’re going to take the [...] »
- Brian Corder
See full article at ShockYa »Permalink | Report a problem
New ‘Jackass 3′ Movie To Start Filming In January
2 December 2009 1:36 PM, PST | OnTheFlix | See recent OnTheFlix news »
New 'Jackass 3' movie to start filming in January. According to Variety, the crazy boys from Jackass are making a return to the big screen with a 3rd installment,and there's more. This crazy movie is going to be shot in 3D. They report that Paramount and MTV films have scheduled filming of "Jackass 3" to start on January 25,and they are looking to release it sometime in 2010. Apparently the "Jackass" movies have made the studios a lot of money. The first two films only cost about $16.5 million to make,combined,but raked in $164.1 million worldwide,combined. "Jackass 3" will star : Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-o, Jason "Wee Man" Acuña, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Dave England, and Ehren McGhehey. »
- Andre@ontheflix
See full article at OnTheFlix »Permalink | Report a problem
Jackass 3-D: Why Not Go D-Box as Well?
20 November 2009 7:41 AM, PST | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »
Somehow, we knew it was coming. With the ever-growing need to make everything and anything a 3D movie event, Hollywood is finally (and I use that lightly) taking things too far. According to our friends at Cinematical, a new Paramount Pictures release slate for 2010 has a listing for Jackass 3-D. Yes, you read that right -- not just a clever title, but an actual 3-dimensional sequel in the Jackass franchise, a chaotic follow-up to 2006's Jackass: Number Two. Things have been quite on the homefront for Johnny Knoxville and his gang of goons since releasing Number Two in '06, a movie that was made for around $12 million and grossed nearly $85 million worldwide. It seems like a no-brainer for Paramount, who is yet to comment on this story. Why wouldn't they want to make another cheap movie that grosses big, no matter the quality? And why not do it in 3-D? My »
- Neil Miller
See full article at FilmSchoolRejects.com »Permalink | Report a problem
Brace Yourself for 'Jackass 3D'
19 November 2009 5:31 PM, PST | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
By Cinematical
The Paramount slate for 2010 in our inbox happens to list a "Jackass 3-D," with a release date to be determined. Johnny Knoxville and company don't seem too busy of late, and even with the eye-popping added dimension, this sounds like a relatively cheap production to give the go-ahead to. If Wikipedia is to be believed (I know), Bam Margera confirmed in a a much more recent interview for a Finnish newspaper that filming would begin this January around the world.
Read more at Cinematical. »
- Brent Lang
See full article at The Wrap »Permalink | Report a problem
Is Jackass 3 in 3D Arriving in 2010?
19 November 2009 3:09 PM, PST | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »
It seems someone let the cat out of the bag a bit early. Thanks to William Goss spotting Jackass 3D on Paramount’s 2010 schedule, it seems the adventures of Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-o are going to continue on movie screens….but this time we’re going to get them in 3D! While I thought the first Jackass movie was an amazing cinematic achievement, I didn’t think the second movie was worth anyone’s time and most of it played like a long deleted scene. Of course I’ll be the first one in line for a 3D Jackass movie…but after my recent experiences on a movie shooting in 3D, I’m not 100% sold this is really happening. My explanation after the jump:
While I cannot tell you where I was, I can use what I saw and learned on set to explain why this Jackass 3D movie might not happen. »
- Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub
See full article at Collider.com »Permalink | Report a problem
'Jackass 3-D' is Happening
19 November 2009 12:50 PM, PST | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
Back in 2007, our own Christopher Campbell (who's back on staff, baby!) told us that, back in 2006, a third Jackass film seemed like a sure thing in the wake of Jackass: Number Two. Steve-o told Howard Stern then that they'd begin shooting at the start of 2008...
Cut to 2009, and the Paramount slate for 2010 in our inbox happens to list a Jackass 3-D, with a release date to be determined. Johnny Knoxville and company don't seem too busy of late, and even with the eye-popping added dimension, this sounds like a relatively cheap production to give the go-ahead to. If Wikipedia is to be believed (I know), Bam Margera confirmed in a much more recent interview for a Finnish newspaper that filming would begin this January around the world.
Since there's really not all that much else to report on this yet, let me just assure you that my pals »
- William Goss
See full article at Cinematical »Permalink | Report a problem
Bam Margera owns MTV2 for the Holidays
14 November 2009 3:14 PM, PST | Monsters and Critics | See recent Monsters and Critics news »
Bam Margera owns MTV2 for the Holidays. Beginning November 16th through December 6th, MTV2 will celebrate the release of Bam Margera.s first book, .Serious As Dog Dirt. (MTV Books) with hours of special programming dedicated to all things Bam. .Serious As Dog Dirt. programming includes the December 5th cable premiere of .Bam Margera Presents: Where The #$&% Is Santa?. and several .Viva La Bam. marathons with new and exclusive commentary by Bam and Ryan Dunn airing on November 28th and December 5th. Once part of the defunct .Jackass. ensemble, Bam has annoyed his parents and continued his smallscreen reign of prank terror with over-the-top daredevil stunts. Now, Bam's book hits the stores on November 17th, .Serious As »
- April MacIntyre
See full article at Monsters and Critics »Permalink | Report a problem
The 69 Eyes – Back In Blood (Musick Review)
27 August 2009 6:12 AM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
The Helsinki Vampires are indeed back again, however they are trading their sleaze glam and their "Dead Cool" Goth Rock image for a new gritty metal edge. This time around, the act pushes aside completely the notion of being a romantically inspired act and takes up the complete mantle of power stage rockers. When the act made their first big splash in 2005 when skating legend Bam Margera directed the “Lost Boys” video, they were billed by many music magazines as “The Saviors of Gothic Rock”, a title that has never sat well with yours truly, any more than I would say Manson was “Goth’s Salvation”. Neither act has really spent any length of time wanting to further the music scene that their respective record producers felt they should be pigeon holed into. Admittedly however, The 69 Eyes had a campy fun charm that hooked U.S. fans instantly and with »
- no-reply@fangoria.com (Doctor Raven)
See full article at Fangoria »Permalink | Report a problem
Margera Desperate To Save Marriage
5 August 2009 5:11 AM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass star Bam Margera has started taking antidepressants and seeing a counsellor in a desperate bid to save his crumbling marriage, according to reports.
The 29-year-old prankster is trying to salvage his relationship with partner Missy, which appeared to be over after he embarked on a four-day drinking binge ending in his hospitalisation last month.
He told reporters at the time, "I may be getting a divorce... booze helps."
But the daredevil is hoping to reconcile with his wife, and has agreed to attend couples counselling twice a week, reports TMZ.com.
Margera has also started to take Lexapro, a medication that treats emotional disorders, to control his mood swings after the star admitted his wife "thinks I have a split personality, like Jekyll and Hyde".
The couple married in February 2007. »
Permalink | Report a problem
Margera's Marriage On Rocks
21 July 2009 12:11 PM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass prankster Bam Margera embarked on a four-day drinking binge that ended in his hospitalisation, because he's depressed about the state of his crumbling marriage.
The 29-year-old TV star sparked reports he had suffered an overdose on Sunday after his wife Melissa called emergency services to their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Margera admits he took prescription drug Ambien during what he called a "four-day bender".
Doctors released the star after flushing out his system and sent him to speak to a psychiatrist, reports TMZ.com.
He explains, "I may be getting a divorce... booze helps."
The couple married in February 2007. »
Permalink | Report a problem
Margera's Mother Blames Dehydration For Emergency Call
20 July 2009 12:06 PM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass prankster Bam Margera's mother is blaming he son's dehydration for the emergency call that sparked reports he had suffered an overdose at the weekend (begs19Jul09).
Emergency services were called to the TV star's home in West Chester, Pennsylvania at around 1.30pm on Sunday.
TMZ.com reported the caller, whose identity is currently unknown, alerted paramedics that Margera had suffered a "possible overdose".
April Margera called into local radio station Wmmr on Monday, insisting her 29-year-old son had become "severely dehydrated" filming his new MTV show Nitro Circus.
The matriarch also blamed "basic partying" for the incident. »
Permalink | Report a problem
'Jackass' star Bam Margera hospitalised
20 July 2009 11:58 AM, PDT | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »
Jackass star Bam Margera has reportedly been taken to hospital in Pennsylvania after paramedics responded to a call from his home. According to TMZ, the 29-year-old was transported by ambulance to a local medical centre at around 1.30pm yesterday after authorities received an emergency call that suggested a "possible overdose". However, speaking to Philadelphia-based radio station Wwmr, his mother April said: "No, no [it wasn't an overdose]. He's severely dehydrated and he's suffered some injuries with Nitro Circus. "They've just been hydrating him through the (more) »
- By Lara Martin
See full article at digitalspy »Permalink | Report a problem
Margera Suffers Drug Overdose?
20 July 2009 9:06 AM, PDT | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Jackass prankster Bam Margera has been hospitalised in Pennsylvania with a suspected drug overdose, according to online reports.
Website TMZ.com claims emergency services were called to the TV star's home in West Chester at around 1.30pm on Sunday.
The caller, whose identity is currently unknown, alerted paramedics that Margera had suffered a "possible overdose".
Further details about the incident or Margera's condition were unavailable as WENN went to press. »
Permalink | Report a problem
Bam Margera Hospitalized for Possible Overdose
20 July 2009 5:45 AM, PDT | Celebuzz.com | See recent Celebuzz news »
Bam Margera didn't have such a great weekend. TMZ reports that the Jackass star was whisked away to the hospital on Sunday by paramedics who rushed to his West Chester, Pennsylvania, home after receiving a 911 call about a "possible overdose." Apparently, Bam didn't learn much from his Jackass co-star Steve-o's experiences with drugs. Coming to Bam's rescue on the PR end of things is his mother, April Margera, who called in to Philly radio station Wmmr on Monday to downplay the whole "took too many drugs" aspect of the story. April told the radio station that her son had become "severely dehydrated" while »
- Celebuzz
See full article at Celebuzz.com »Permalink | Report a problem
Bam Margera Hospitalized After Suspected Overdose
20 July 2009 2:43 AM, PDT | Hollyscoop.com | See recent HollyScoop news »
Jackass star Bam Margera has been hospitalized after a suspected drug overdose. According to TMZ, Margera was rushed to a hospital in Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon. State troopers and medical workers arrived to his home in West Chester, Pennsylvania at around 1:30 Pm yesterday, responding to a call for a “possible overdose.” Margera's wife and mother are denying the overdose claims. His wife Missy claims Bam is suffering from dehydration. Bam’s mother April is sticking to the same story. We hope it was just dehydration! Story developing… »
See full article at Hollyscoop.com »Permalink | Report a problem
69 Eyes 'Dead Girls Are Easy' Video Premieres Today!
17 July 2009 8:47 AM, PDT | FEARnet | See recent FEARnet news »
The naughty new video for Dead Girls Are Easy – the latest single from Finnish horror-rockers The 69 Eyes – makes its online debut today, appropriately enough on Playboy.com. Read below the fold to find out more about the project, and maybe even find out how to see the video for yourself… if you're old enough, that is… A long-time advocate of the "Helsinki Vampires" (and heartfelt promoter of Finnish goth-rock in general), Bam Margera once again stepped behind the camera to direct the band's latest visual opus, which heralds the first single from their upcoming album Back In Blood (due out September 15th). The video for their flamboyant horror-rock anthem is described as "a »
See full article at FEARnet »Permalink | Report a problem
Fango Musick Exclusive: Interview with Dope Stars, Inc.
14 April 2009 10:00 PM, PDT | Fangoria | See recent Fangoria news »
Founded in 2003, Italian glam-cyberrockers Dope Stars Inc. are an interesting band. They have the look, sound, and track record to entitle them to a plethora of rockstar attitudes. However, after interviewing them, I discovered that they’re just like us: fans of music and horror movies. Throughout this interview it’s clear that these influences have factored into the gradual development of the band. It’s also clear that they’re just average guys, working hard to make their dreams become flesh, and to make their music become art. A few weeks ago I reviewed their forthcoming Ep release of Criminal Intents/Morning Star for Fangoria Musick (read that here). When I got it from Metropolis Records I was blown away: it was like Industrial had mated with Glam Rock in some kind of weird Kirk-on-Spock porno! I immediately got in touch with Dsi, sent like twenty emails back and forth, »
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Bam Margera's Marriage Is On Rocks
Bam Margera's Marriage Is On Rocks
July 21st, 2009 3:30pm EDT 5 comments Add to My News | More
Jackass prankster Bam Margera embarked on a four-day drinking binge that ended in his hospitalization, because he's depressed about the state of his crumbling marriage.
The 29-year-old TV star sparked reports he had suffered an overdose on Sunday after his wife Melissa called emergency services to their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Margera admits he took prescription drug Ambien during what he called a "four-day bender." Doctors released the star after flushing out his system and sent him to speak to a psychiatrist, reports TMZ.com.
He explains, "I may be getting a divorce... booze helps."
The couple married in February 2007.
July 21st, 2009 3:30pm EDT 5 comments Add to My News | More
Jackass prankster Bam Margera embarked on a four-day drinking binge that ended in his hospitalization, because he's depressed about the state of his crumbling marriage.
The 29-year-old TV star sparked reports he had suffered an overdose on Sunday after his wife Melissa called emergency services to their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Margera admits he took prescription drug Ambien during what he called a "four-day bender." Doctors released the star after flushing out his system and sent him to speak to a psychiatrist, reports TMZ.com.
He explains, "I may be getting a divorce... booze helps."
The couple married in February 2007.
Friday, February 26, 2010
For Tony Hawk, the Skateboard Is a Canvas
THE BOSS
For Tony Hawk, the Skateboard Is a Canvas
Published: February 6, 2010
I STARTED skateboarding because I never fit in with team sports. I was so energetic as a kid, and skating became my outlet. It was like finding a blank canvas.
Greg Gorman
TONY HAWK
President, Tony Hawk Inc., Vista, Calif.
AGE 41
NUMBER OF BONES HE HAS BROKEN 3
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT Tavarua Island, Fiji
FAVORITE MOVIE STAR Benicio Del Toro
You can skateboard however you want, any style. You don’t have to listen to a coach or rely on a team. I played basketball and baseball but never felt that I was improving. But every time I skated, I got better at it.
When I started, the industry was relatively small, and there weren’t many competitions. There was no governing organization. To reach a professional rank, I simply checked the box on the form for professional instead of amateur. To enter competitions today, you need the support of sponsors and you have to qualify.
In the early 1990s, interest in skateboarding dropped off, and royalties and sales of goods I had licensed decreased. It was a difficult time financially. I learned that I loved skateboarding even if I didn’t get paid for it. I knew this all along, but that period really put me to the test. It also taught me to be self-motivated and to appreciate what I had.
In 1992, I started Birdhouse Projects to sell skateboards. In 1998, I started Hawk Clothing and later sold it to Quiksilver. I also started Tony Hawk Inc. that year, and it now has five divisions: merchandising, endorsements, events, film and digital media. In 2002, I arranged the first of the Boom Boom HuckJam tours that feature BMX bikers, skateboarders, motocross athletes and rock bands.
I’ve had people question whether I’m a real person. Parents have said they think I’m a video game character. We just released a new video game, Tony Hawk: Ride, which has a skateboard as a controller. Selling hardware is not easy because people are under the impression they’re going to have to upgrade it at some point. Our challenge has been to convince them that it’s not the case with this game.
I didn’t attend college, but I’ve never regretted it because skating presented such a great opportunity. I traveled extensively. I experienced so many things that I otherwise wouldn’t have, and I was exposed to so much culture.
I’m not saying that everyone should skip college, but I learned so much that I feel I’m self-educated. When my high school classmates were trying to figure out what they were going to study, I already had a career and a house.
I still come up against the attitude that skating professionally is a bad influence on kids or not a viable career option. I do my best to prove the naysayers wrong. There’s also a lot of pressure associated with the title of professional skateboarder. No matter where I go, people expect amazing feats. If I go to a public skate park, kids will sit down and expect me to entertain them.
I don’t think in terms of being an icon; I think about being a role model to my own kids. If what I do transcends that, fine. But I’m not trying to present an image that’s not me.
I took my 1 1/2 -year-old daughter on the media tour for the video game last fall. It was fun to have her along.
I see some of myself in my sons. My 8-year-old has learned that the brick finish on our house can be used as a rock-climbing wall. Recently I heard yelling outside. I found him clinging to the side of the house 10 feet off the ground. He couldn’t get down and wanted me to catch him.
Several years ago I started a foundation to build free skate parks in low-income areas. Kids use them from sunup to sundown. Our endorsement can help cut through the red tape in communities. So far we’ve had a hand in creating 450 parks.
For Tony Hawk, the Skateboard Is a Canvas
Published: February 6, 2010
I STARTED skateboarding because I never fit in with team sports. I was so energetic as a kid, and skating became my outlet. It was like finding a blank canvas.
Greg Gorman
TONY HAWK
President, Tony Hawk Inc., Vista, Calif.
AGE 41
NUMBER OF BONES HE HAS BROKEN 3
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT Tavarua Island, Fiji
FAVORITE MOVIE STAR Benicio Del Toro
You can skateboard however you want, any style. You don’t have to listen to a coach or rely on a team. I played basketball and baseball but never felt that I was improving. But every time I skated, I got better at it.
When I started, the industry was relatively small, and there weren’t many competitions. There was no governing organization. To reach a professional rank, I simply checked the box on the form for professional instead of amateur. To enter competitions today, you need the support of sponsors and you have to qualify.
In the early 1990s, interest in skateboarding dropped off, and royalties and sales of goods I had licensed decreased. It was a difficult time financially. I learned that I loved skateboarding even if I didn’t get paid for it. I knew this all along, but that period really put me to the test. It also taught me to be self-motivated and to appreciate what I had.
In 1992, I started Birdhouse Projects to sell skateboards. In 1998, I started Hawk Clothing and later sold it to Quiksilver. I also started Tony Hawk Inc. that year, and it now has five divisions: merchandising, endorsements, events, film and digital media. In 2002, I arranged the first of the Boom Boom HuckJam tours that feature BMX bikers, skateboarders, motocross athletes and rock bands.
I’ve had people question whether I’m a real person. Parents have said they think I’m a video game character. We just released a new video game, Tony Hawk: Ride, which has a skateboard as a controller. Selling hardware is not easy because people are under the impression they’re going to have to upgrade it at some point. Our challenge has been to convince them that it’s not the case with this game.
I didn’t attend college, but I’ve never regretted it because skating presented such a great opportunity. I traveled extensively. I experienced so many things that I otherwise wouldn’t have, and I was exposed to so much culture.
I’m not saying that everyone should skip college, but I learned so much that I feel I’m self-educated. When my high school classmates were trying to figure out what they were going to study, I already had a career and a house.
I still come up against the attitude that skating professionally is a bad influence on kids or not a viable career option. I do my best to prove the naysayers wrong. There’s also a lot of pressure associated with the title of professional skateboarder. No matter where I go, people expect amazing feats. If I go to a public skate park, kids will sit down and expect me to entertain them.
I don’t think in terms of being an icon; I think about being a role model to my own kids. If what I do transcends that, fine. But I’m not trying to present an image that’s not me.
I took my 1 1/2 -year-old daughter on the media tour for the video game last fall. It was fun to have her along.
I see some of myself in my sons. My 8-year-old has learned that the brick finish on our house can be used as a rock-climbing wall. Recently I heard yelling outside. I found him clinging to the side of the house 10 feet off the ground. He couldn’t get down and wanted me to catch him.
Several years ago I started a foundation to build free skate parks in low-income areas. Kids use them from sunup to sundown. Our endorsement can help cut through the red tape in communities. So far we’ve had a hand in creating 450 parks.
Danny Way: Stepping Aside as His Creation Soars
Stepping Aside as His Creation Soars
By MATT HIGGINS
Published: July 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES — In a professional skateboarding career that has spanned nearly 20 years, Danny Way has performed many first feats, like launching over the Great Wall of China in 2005 by using a mega ramp, an outsize creation he brought to the X Games a year earlier to create the sport’s newest and most thrilling spectacle.
Enlarge This Image
Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
Skateboarder Danny Way performed at the Hard Rock hotel-casino in Las Vegas in April.
Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Way, who has endured 13 operations, has plans for an even larger version of his mega ramp.
Although he will be part of the broadcasting crew at the Staples Center when the X Games begin Thursday, providing commentary on his creation, the skateboard Big Air competition, Way wants to make one thing clear about his career: he is not done.
“I’m not taking the position at X Games because I’m trying to retire or slow,” said Way, 35, who in November set a Guinness world speed record on a skateboard when he was towed by a car at 74.5 miles per hour on a lonely stretch of blacktop in the California desert.
“My whole motivation with creating this event was getting it to a point where it could stand on its own, without me having to be out there putting the show on every time,” he said about Big Air, an event he has won three times.
With Way on the sideline, some have wondered whether Big Air can maintain its appeal.
“Danny Way went out of his way to make this thing happen,” said Jake Phelps, editor of Thrasher magazine, which covers the sport. “Now it’s his cross to bear. He’s got to up the ante every time he goes out there.”
On Friday, Way will again put on his pads and a show when he rides to the top of the 62-foot-high, 293-foot-long mega ramp to compete in the Big Air Rail Jam, a new feature at X Games where skaters try to slide along an arched metal rail while soaring over a 50-foot gap.
But perhaps Way’s most ambitious feat will begin a week after the Games when he heads to Hawaii, where he is building a house, and what he hopes will be the next step in skateboarding, on 19 acres of rolling pasture on Kauai. He has plans on paper for a mega ramp 2.0, a longer, larger version, with more features, similar to a snowboarding slopestyle course.
“I want to get back to what I do best, and that’s getting creative and trying to find out what’s next,” Way said.
He has secured funding from sponsors for his designs and will begin building in the next several months, he said. When finished, he hopes to bring the new ramp to the X Games as an extension of Big Air.
Way created the mega ramp in similar fashion. Using sponsorship money from DC Shoes, a company he co-founded, he built the first version in 2002 in the California desert. The construction and jumps were carried off with secrecy and finally unveiled as part of a DC video released in 2003. The skateboarding community was stunned.
“It was like three times the size of anything I had ever seen in skateboarding,” said Jake Brown, one of the first to take a run on the ramp. “It was crazy. It still is crazy. It’s crazy that he envisioned it and it worked, the first time.”
Way persuaded ESPN to bring the mega ramp to the X Games in 2004. He also had to persuade his fellow halfpipe skaters to make the leap to the much larger and more dangerous structure.
“Danny has inspired a lot of people,” said Bob Burnquist, who has a mega ramp in his backyard in Vista, Calif., and who has won Big Air at the last two X Games. “And I love seeing whatever Danny does when he puts his mind to it.”
Not everyone was so enthusiastic.
“When he first started doing it, people were like, ‘Yeah, whatever, dude, it’s you,’ ” Phelps said. “Now it’s become the most shocking thing in the X Games and all the other pros had to get with it. And a lot of them are like, ‘I’m not doing it.’ ”
They had good reasons. At the 2007 X Games, Brown plunged 45 feet from above the ramp, striking the bottom with such force that both his sneakers shot off and he was knocked unconscious. Although he walked off the ramp with assistance, Brown spent three days in a hospital recovering from a broken wrist, a bleeding liver, a bruised lung and cracked vertebrae.
During last year’s Big Air final, Way clipped the lip of the 27-foot-high quarterpipe with his legs, flipped over and slammed on his back at the bottom of the ramp, hushing the Staples Center crowd. After members of the medical staff rushed to his side, Way rose, limped off the ramp and did not miss a run. Although he had to settle for a silver medal, ESPN named Way its Athlete of the Games.
“He’s like John Wayne,” Phelps said. “He’s true grit. I’m scared just looking at his eyes. He looks right through you, Terminator style.”
Way’s intensity comes from a difficult childhood. His father died when he was an infant and his mother struggled with substance abuse, he said. He saw skateboarding as a savior, tattooing “sk8” on his left ring finger.
“It’s my wife, it’s my best friend,” Way said. “It’s everything to me.”
And it has seen him through good times and bad. Way is the only person twice honored as Skater of the Year by Thrasher magazine. He is wealthy beyond the dreams of most skateboarders, having benefited when DC was bought by Quiksilver for $87 million in 2004, according to published reports. Of course, he has also endured 13 operations to repair broken body parts — the last of which, a knee reconstruction, came two years ago.
Despite the ups and downs, Way remains driven to push skateboarding to new heights, with bigger and better ramp designs. And skateboarding seems content to follow.
“He’s always been a couple steps ahead of everybody,” Brown said. “I’m waiting to see what’s next.”
By MATT HIGGINS
Published: July 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES — In a professional skateboarding career that has spanned nearly 20 years, Danny Way has performed many first feats, like launching over the Great Wall of China in 2005 by using a mega ramp, an outsize creation he brought to the X Games a year earlier to create the sport’s newest and most thrilling spectacle.
Enlarge This Image
Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
Skateboarder Danny Way performed at the Hard Rock hotel-casino in Las Vegas in April.
Donald Miralle/Getty Images
Way, who has endured 13 operations, has plans for an even larger version of his mega ramp.
Although he will be part of the broadcasting crew at the Staples Center when the X Games begin Thursday, providing commentary on his creation, the skateboard Big Air competition, Way wants to make one thing clear about his career: he is not done.
“I’m not taking the position at X Games because I’m trying to retire or slow,” said Way, 35, who in November set a Guinness world speed record on a skateboard when he was towed by a car at 74.5 miles per hour on a lonely stretch of blacktop in the California desert.
“My whole motivation with creating this event was getting it to a point where it could stand on its own, without me having to be out there putting the show on every time,” he said about Big Air, an event he has won three times.
With Way on the sideline, some have wondered whether Big Air can maintain its appeal.
“Danny Way went out of his way to make this thing happen,” said Jake Phelps, editor of Thrasher magazine, which covers the sport. “Now it’s his cross to bear. He’s got to up the ante every time he goes out there.”
On Friday, Way will again put on his pads and a show when he rides to the top of the 62-foot-high, 293-foot-long mega ramp to compete in the Big Air Rail Jam, a new feature at X Games where skaters try to slide along an arched metal rail while soaring over a 50-foot gap.
But perhaps Way’s most ambitious feat will begin a week after the Games when he heads to Hawaii, where he is building a house, and what he hopes will be the next step in skateboarding, on 19 acres of rolling pasture on Kauai. He has plans on paper for a mega ramp 2.0, a longer, larger version, with more features, similar to a snowboarding slopestyle course.
“I want to get back to what I do best, and that’s getting creative and trying to find out what’s next,” Way said.
He has secured funding from sponsors for his designs and will begin building in the next several months, he said. When finished, he hopes to bring the new ramp to the X Games as an extension of Big Air.
Way created the mega ramp in similar fashion. Using sponsorship money from DC Shoes, a company he co-founded, he built the first version in 2002 in the California desert. The construction and jumps were carried off with secrecy and finally unveiled as part of a DC video released in 2003. The skateboarding community was stunned.
“It was like three times the size of anything I had ever seen in skateboarding,” said Jake Brown, one of the first to take a run on the ramp. “It was crazy. It still is crazy. It’s crazy that he envisioned it and it worked, the first time.”
Way persuaded ESPN to bring the mega ramp to the X Games in 2004. He also had to persuade his fellow halfpipe skaters to make the leap to the much larger and more dangerous structure.
“Danny has inspired a lot of people,” said Bob Burnquist, who has a mega ramp in his backyard in Vista, Calif., and who has won Big Air at the last two X Games. “And I love seeing whatever Danny does when he puts his mind to it.”
Not everyone was so enthusiastic.
“When he first started doing it, people were like, ‘Yeah, whatever, dude, it’s you,’ ” Phelps said. “Now it’s become the most shocking thing in the X Games and all the other pros had to get with it. And a lot of them are like, ‘I’m not doing it.’ ”
They had good reasons. At the 2007 X Games, Brown plunged 45 feet from above the ramp, striking the bottom with such force that both his sneakers shot off and he was knocked unconscious. Although he walked off the ramp with assistance, Brown spent three days in a hospital recovering from a broken wrist, a bleeding liver, a bruised lung and cracked vertebrae.
During last year’s Big Air final, Way clipped the lip of the 27-foot-high quarterpipe with his legs, flipped over and slammed on his back at the bottom of the ramp, hushing the Staples Center crowd. After members of the medical staff rushed to his side, Way rose, limped off the ramp and did not miss a run. Although he had to settle for a silver medal, ESPN named Way its Athlete of the Games.
“He’s like John Wayne,” Phelps said. “He’s true grit. I’m scared just looking at his eyes. He looks right through you, Terminator style.”
Way’s intensity comes from a difficult childhood. His father died when he was an infant and his mother struggled with substance abuse, he said. He saw skateboarding as a savior, tattooing “sk8” on his left ring finger.
“It’s my wife, it’s my best friend,” Way said. “It’s everything to me.”
And it has seen him through good times and bad. Way is the only person twice honored as Skater of the Year by Thrasher magazine. He is wealthy beyond the dreams of most skateboarders, having benefited when DC was bought by Quiksilver for $87 million in 2004, according to published reports. Of course, he has also endured 13 operations to repair broken body parts — the last of which, a knee reconstruction, came two years ago.
Despite the ups and downs, Way remains driven to push skateboarding to new heights, with bigger and better ramp designs. And skateboarding seems content to follow.
“He’s always been a couple steps ahead of everybody,” Brown said. “I’m waiting to see what’s next.”
Graying Skateboarders Hope to Revive Slalom
Jilli Bethany
With their ranks rapidly graying, slalom skaters like Josh Churchill hope too lure a new generation of riders to the sport.
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By MATT HIGGINS
Published: July 17, 2009
In 1975, Gary Fluitt was 10 years old and cruising alone on his skateboard down the main drag in Los Osos, along California’s central coast, when a man he did not know pulled up in a 1967 green Ford Thunderbird with a white interior.
Enlarge This Image
Jilli Bethany
“What appeals to me about racing is that it’s objective,” said Gary Fluitt, left. “It’s not a judged sport. You race against a clock.”
He said, “ ‘Hey, man, want to go to a skateboard race?’ ” Fluitt recalled.
Fluitt acknowledged that more than 30 years ago, childhood and skateboarding were perhaps more innocent. So he climbed into the car and was taken across town, where he watched competitors boom down a street with a steep grade, weaving among cones in an attempt to post the fastest time. For Fluitt, the race had the right ingredients: speed, excitement and a little danger.
“I was hooked,” he said about his first glimpse of slalom skateboarding.
Now 45, Fluitt finished second in the masters class of the tight slalom at the Seismic United States Nationals of slalom skateboarding last weekend in Lafayette, Colo.
In a sport that celebrates youth, slalom skateboarders are more likely to be middle-aged; there are about 500 active practitioners in the United States. With virtually no news media coverage for slalom’s roughly 75 races each year, it is one of the most obscure disciplines in skateboarding.
More than 70 skaters from the United States, Australia, France, Germany and Canada are competing for little more than bragging rights at the world championships of slalom skateboarding, which started Friday in Hood River, Ore.
It was not always this way. In the 1970s, slalom was one of the most popular forms of skateboarding, and its fastest racers regularly appeared on the covers of skateboarding magazines.
“What appeals to me about racing is that it’s objective,” said Fluitt, who works for Sun Microsystems in Colorado. “It’s not a judged sport. You race against a clock.”
Many believe the sport itself is racing against time. With their ranks rapidly graying, slalom skaters have tried hard to lure a new generation. Their most promising project involves a slalom program set up this summer at the Woodward camp in central Pennsylvania, where thousands of young skateboarders hone their moves each summer. With two instructors and six courses, the program can accommodate 10 to 15 campers daily. Virtually all of them have never seen slalom before.
“The response has been very good, not only with the kids, but you have to have a good response with the staff and pros,” said Gary Ream, a co-owner of the Woodward camps. “It has been very good.”
With ramps, street obstacles and innovative training devices like trampolines, foam pits and ramps with soft landings, the Woodward camps have been launching pads for many of the stars of skateboarding, BMX freestyle, freestyle motocross and snowboarding.
Can courses at Woodward do the same for slalom? Dan Gesmer hopes so. He is the owner of Seismic Skate Systems, an equipment manufacturer that provided specialized wheels and trucks for the slalom boards at Woodward and that is the title sponsor of the world championships.
“The Woodward program is important,” Gesmer said. “If a younger generation of skaters doesn’t know slalom and downhill are even possible, they’re not going to be interested in it.”
Spreading the word often falls to the racers themselves. Jason Mitchell, 42, a two-time overall world slalom champion from Colorado, has introduced children as young as 7 to slalom at a local Y.M.C.A., where he is a skateboarding instructor. And Judi Oyama, 49, a mother of two from Santa Cruz, Calif., who won a world championship in hybrid slalom in 2003, has taught slalom skateboarding courses through her local parks and recreation department.
“An evangelist, that’s what the older guys have become,” said Jack Smith, 52, the driver of the Thunderbird who introduced Fluitt to slalom 34 years ago. “There’s been generations of skaters that have no idea what slalom is.”
After peaking in the mid-1970s, slalom was shunted aside by skateboarding magazines and equipment manufacturers in favor of nascent vertical riding, where skaters carved empty swimming pools and pulled aerial maneuvers. By the early 1980s, slalom competition had mostly disappeared in the United States.
In 2001, Smith used the Internet to track down former slalom enthusiasts and organized the International Slalom Skateboarding Association world slalom championships in Morro Bay, Calif. More than 70 competitors showed up, from 11 countries. Many of them had not raced in 20 years.
“Some of the former greats came out of the woodwork,” Smith said. “It was like a reunion of the tribe.”
With new, improved equipment, they were faster, too. With four classifications featuring different course setups, racers can travel at speeds up to 40 miles an hour and pass five cones per second.
But the equipment, which is specialized and can cost $500 or more for a complete setup, has been a barrier to entry. And so has finding suitable roads on which to practice without encountering cars.
Still, in the nine years since Smith reorganized the world championships, a crew of younger racers has emerged. Twenty competitors at the world championships are under 18. The new generation tends to come from enclaves in California, the Pacific Northwest and Colorado.
Martin Reaves, 18, of Boulder, Colo., began racing in 2007. He finished second to Mitchell in the hybrid slalom pro class at the national championships last week and won the pro class in giant slalom Friday at the world championships. This summer he will compete in the Czech Republic, where slalom is more competitive and popular.
Four years ago, Reaves had never heard of slalom.
“I would have never found the sport without one of my friends showing me,” Reaves said. “I was kind of lucky that I found it.”
Jilli Bethany
With their ranks rapidly graying, slalom skaters like Josh Churchill hope too lure a new generation of riders to the sport.
SIGN IN TO RECOMMEND
SIGN IN TO E-MAIL
REPRINTS
SHARE
By MATT HIGGINS
Published: July 17, 2009
In 1975, Gary Fluitt was 10 years old and cruising alone on his skateboard down the main drag in Los Osos, along California’s central coast, when a man he did not know pulled up in a 1967 green Ford Thunderbird with a white interior.
Enlarge This Image
Jilli Bethany
“What appeals to me about racing is that it’s objective,” said Gary Fluitt, left. “It’s not a judged sport. You race against a clock.”
He said, “ ‘Hey, man, want to go to a skateboard race?’ ” Fluitt recalled.
Fluitt acknowledged that more than 30 years ago, childhood and skateboarding were perhaps more innocent. So he climbed into the car and was taken across town, where he watched competitors boom down a street with a steep grade, weaving among cones in an attempt to post the fastest time. For Fluitt, the race had the right ingredients: speed, excitement and a little danger.
“I was hooked,” he said about his first glimpse of slalom skateboarding.
Now 45, Fluitt finished second in the masters class of the tight slalom at the Seismic United States Nationals of slalom skateboarding last weekend in Lafayette, Colo.
In a sport that celebrates youth, slalom skateboarders are more likely to be middle-aged; there are about 500 active practitioners in the United States. With virtually no news media coverage for slalom’s roughly 75 races each year, it is one of the most obscure disciplines in skateboarding.
More than 70 skaters from the United States, Australia, France, Germany and Canada are competing for little more than bragging rights at the world championships of slalom skateboarding, which started Friday in Hood River, Ore.
It was not always this way. In the 1970s, slalom was one of the most popular forms of skateboarding, and its fastest racers regularly appeared on the covers of skateboarding magazines.
“What appeals to me about racing is that it’s objective,” said Fluitt, who works for Sun Microsystems in Colorado. “It’s not a judged sport. You race against a clock.”
Many believe the sport itself is racing against time. With their ranks rapidly graying, slalom skaters have tried hard to lure a new generation. Their most promising project involves a slalom program set up this summer at the Woodward camp in central Pennsylvania, where thousands of young skateboarders hone their moves each summer. With two instructors and six courses, the program can accommodate 10 to 15 campers daily. Virtually all of them have never seen slalom before.
“The response has been very good, not only with the kids, but you have to have a good response with the staff and pros,” said Gary Ream, a co-owner of the Woodward camps. “It has been very good.”
With ramps, street obstacles and innovative training devices like trampolines, foam pits and ramps with soft landings, the Woodward camps have been launching pads for many of the stars of skateboarding, BMX freestyle, freestyle motocross and snowboarding.
Can courses at Woodward do the same for slalom? Dan Gesmer hopes so. He is the owner of Seismic Skate Systems, an equipment manufacturer that provided specialized wheels and trucks for the slalom boards at Woodward and that is the title sponsor of the world championships.
“The Woodward program is important,” Gesmer said. “If a younger generation of skaters doesn’t know slalom and downhill are even possible, they’re not going to be interested in it.”
Spreading the word often falls to the racers themselves. Jason Mitchell, 42, a two-time overall world slalom champion from Colorado, has introduced children as young as 7 to slalom at a local Y.M.C.A., where he is a skateboarding instructor. And Judi Oyama, 49, a mother of two from Santa Cruz, Calif., who won a world championship in hybrid slalom in 2003, has taught slalom skateboarding courses through her local parks and recreation department.
“An evangelist, that’s what the older guys have become,” said Jack Smith, 52, the driver of the Thunderbird who introduced Fluitt to slalom 34 years ago. “There’s been generations of skaters that have no idea what slalom is.”
After peaking in the mid-1970s, slalom was shunted aside by skateboarding magazines and equipment manufacturers in favor of nascent vertical riding, where skaters carved empty swimming pools and pulled aerial maneuvers. By the early 1980s, slalom competition had mostly disappeared in the United States.
In 2001, Smith used the Internet to track down former slalom enthusiasts and organized the International Slalom Skateboarding Association world slalom championships in Morro Bay, Calif. More than 70 competitors showed up, from 11 countries. Many of them had not raced in 20 years.
“Some of the former greats came out of the woodwork,” Smith said. “It was like a reunion of the tribe.”
With new, improved equipment, they were faster, too. With four classifications featuring different course setups, racers can travel at speeds up to 40 miles an hour and pass five cones per second.
But the equipment, which is specialized and can cost $500 or more for a complete setup, has been a barrier to entry. And so has finding suitable roads on which to practice without encountering cars.
Still, in the nine years since Smith reorganized the world championships, a crew of younger racers has emerged. Twenty competitors at the world championships are under 18. The new generation tends to come from enclaves in California, the Pacific Northwest and Colorado.
Martin Reaves, 18, of Boulder, Colo., began racing in 2007. He finished second to Mitchell in the hybrid slalom pro class at the national championships last week and won the pro class in giant slalom Friday at the world championships. This summer he will compete in the Czech Republic, where slalom is more competitive and popular.
Four years ago, Reaves had never heard of slalom.
“I would have never found the sport without one of my friends showing me,” Reaves said. “I was kind of lucky that I found it.”
Generations of Skaters Gather to Pay Tribute to a Legend of the City
Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times
Skaters met at the Autumn Bowl on Saturday to remember Andy Kessler, a skating icon who died last week.
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By COLIN MOYNIHAN
Published: August 16, 2009
The noise of skateboard wheels thrumming on wooden ramps echoed near the Brooklyn waterfront in Greenpoint on Saturday night, where a semisecret skating spot called the Autumn Bowl is located inside an old brick warehouse.
Related
Happy Days: The End of Falling (August 13, 2009)
Andy Kessler, Skateboard Hero, Dies at 48 (August 13, 2009)
Enlarge This Image
Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times
A makeshift memorial for Mr. Kessler.
Enlarge This Image
Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times
Mr. Kessler designed the Riverside Skate Park.
Photographs of the New York City skateboarding pioneer Andy Kessler decorated the walls inside the warehouse, and bouquets of roses sat on a table next to handwritten messages addressed to Mr. Kessler, who died last week at age 48 after an allergic reaction to an insect sting.
In another sort of tribute, dozens of skaters took turns whizzing around a 2,500-square-foot, 7-foot-deep birch skateboarding bowl, as a boom box blared songs by the Beastie Boys and the Who.
Among the 200 or so people who showed up to remember Mr. Kessler was Tony Alva, a champion skater from Santa Monica, Calif., who many believe epitomizes West Coast skating and who said that Mr. Kessler embodied “the spirit of New York.”
“He carried that flag higher and bolder than anyone,” Mr. Alva said as he stood in a wide alleyway next to the warehouse. “He skates with me today.”
More than 30 years of skating the homemade ramps and rutted streets of New York City left plenty of marks on Mr. Kessler, including scrapes and scars from bone-shattering collisions. And in many ways, Mr. Kessler left an equally strong impression on the city.
They called him the Godfather, and as a teenager on the Upper West Side in the 1970s he skated at places with names like the Death Bowl, an abandoned pool in the Bronx, and Suicide Hill, a steep slope near the banks of the Hudson River. He also became a member of a group of graffiti writers and skaters who called themselves the Soul Artists of Zoo York and who helped define East Coast skating.
“Andy was like the president, the king,” said an artist called Zephyr, who was part of the group.
As a teenager Mr. Kessler skated on the fringes of the city, using planks pilfered from construction sites to create makeshift ramps. Later, after wrangling with the New York City parks department, he designed and helped build one of the city’s first sanctioned skate parks, at 108th Street and Riverside Drive. It opened in the mid-1990s at a spot where he had first skated 20 years before. Other skate parks followed.
The renegade roots of that time seemed distant on Saturday morning as a handful of young skaters there signed forms that exempted the city from liability, then — wearing helmets, elbow pads and kneepads — rolled briskly along. One young skater, wearing a red helmet, paused at the mention of Mr. Kessler’s name.
“Who doesn’t know him?” asked the skater, Anthony Rojas, 11, from Washington Heights, adding that he thought the park “needs some more ramps.”
There was more talk of Mr. Kessler that evening at the Autumn Bowl, where young skaters who wanted to acknowledge his legacy gathered with longtime friends who had rolled with him as teenagers through nighttime streets. Skating luminaries from California mingled next to Mr. Kessler’s mother and sister, who had recently arrived from Florida.
“He had a wonderful heart,” said Mr. Kessler’s mother, Ruth. “If anybody ever needed anything, Andy would help them.”
But underlying that generosity, friends said, was a blunt willingness to sometimes ruffle feathers.
“We loved him for his straight-up candor,” said J. J. Veronis, 46. “That boldness was like an avenue he would open up right in front of you to follow.”
For some time Mr. Kessler traveled a path of passionate abandon, friends agreed. But after giving up drinking and drugs more than 20 years ago, he declared his dedication to others seeking sobriety, answering the phone late at night to offer counsel, or taking struggling comrades on trips away from the narcotic temptations of the city.
Sometimes, during those journeys, he would cite skating as a simile for a healthy life. And some friends extended that thought on Saturday while analyzing Mr. Kessler’s skating style. Steve Olson, a well-known skater from Los Angeles, called him “a soul skater.” Mr. Veronis, who grew up with Mr. Kessler in the 1970s, called him “the artful dodger.”
Mr. Kessler never stopped skating, but it was more or less inevitable that would he slow down somewhat as he aged. Five years ago, while skating in SoHo, Mr. Kessler wiped out. In the resulting crash, he dislocated a femur, damaged his pelvis and broke a kneecap.
More recently, he had been surfing in Montauk, N.Y., partly in an effort to spare his body further battering, friends said. Mr. Kessler was on a surfing trip there last Monday, when he received a sting from a wasp that resulted in cardiac arrest.
The news staggered friends, and they began gathering at the KCDC Skateshop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the shop owner, Amy Gunther, planned Saturday’s memorial along with Mr. Kessler’s far-flung friends.
Common experiences emerged. For everyone he had aided within the world of skating, it seemed, there was also somebody who credited Mr. Kessler with helping him or her steer clear of drugs or alcohol.
Harry Jumonji, 41, from the Lower East Side, said on Saturday night that Mr. Kessler took him to Montauk last week to get him away from the heroin he was in the midst of quitting.
“He saved my life,” Mr. Jumonji said. “I wish I could have saved his.”
Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times
Skaters met at the Autumn Bowl on Saturday to remember Andy Kessler, a skating icon who died last week.
SIGN IN TO RECOMMEND
SIGN IN TO E-MAIL
REPRINTS
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By COLIN MOYNIHAN
Published: August 16, 2009
The noise of skateboard wheels thrumming on wooden ramps echoed near the Brooklyn waterfront in Greenpoint on Saturday night, where a semisecret skating spot called the Autumn Bowl is located inside an old brick warehouse.
Related
Happy Days: The End of Falling (August 13, 2009)
Andy Kessler, Skateboard Hero, Dies at 48 (August 13, 2009)
Enlarge This Image
Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times
A makeshift memorial for Mr. Kessler.
Enlarge This Image
Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times
Mr. Kessler designed the Riverside Skate Park.
Photographs of the New York City skateboarding pioneer Andy Kessler decorated the walls inside the warehouse, and bouquets of roses sat on a table next to handwritten messages addressed to Mr. Kessler, who died last week at age 48 after an allergic reaction to an insect sting.
In another sort of tribute, dozens of skaters took turns whizzing around a 2,500-square-foot, 7-foot-deep birch skateboarding bowl, as a boom box blared songs by the Beastie Boys and the Who.
Among the 200 or so people who showed up to remember Mr. Kessler was Tony Alva, a champion skater from Santa Monica, Calif., who many believe epitomizes West Coast skating and who said that Mr. Kessler embodied “the spirit of New York.”
“He carried that flag higher and bolder than anyone,” Mr. Alva said as he stood in a wide alleyway next to the warehouse. “He skates with me today.”
More than 30 years of skating the homemade ramps and rutted streets of New York City left plenty of marks on Mr. Kessler, including scrapes and scars from bone-shattering collisions. And in many ways, Mr. Kessler left an equally strong impression on the city.
They called him the Godfather, and as a teenager on the Upper West Side in the 1970s he skated at places with names like the Death Bowl, an abandoned pool in the Bronx, and Suicide Hill, a steep slope near the banks of the Hudson River. He also became a member of a group of graffiti writers and skaters who called themselves the Soul Artists of Zoo York and who helped define East Coast skating.
“Andy was like the president, the king,” said an artist called Zephyr, who was part of the group.
As a teenager Mr. Kessler skated on the fringes of the city, using planks pilfered from construction sites to create makeshift ramps. Later, after wrangling with the New York City parks department, he designed and helped build one of the city’s first sanctioned skate parks, at 108th Street and Riverside Drive. It opened in the mid-1990s at a spot where he had first skated 20 years before. Other skate parks followed.
The renegade roots of that time seemed distant on Saturday morning as a handful of young skaters there signed forms that exempted the city from liability, then — wearing helmets, elbow pads and kneepads — rolled briskly along. One young skater, wearing a red helmet, paused at the mention of Mr. Kessler’s name.
“Who doesn’t know him?” asked the skater, Anthony Rojas, 11, from Washington Heights, adding that he thought the park “needs some more ramps.”
There was more talk of Mr. Kessler that evening at the Autumn Bowl, where young skaters who wanted to acknowledge his legacy gathered with longtime friends who had rolled with him as teenagers through nighttime streets. Skating luminaries from California mingled next to Mr. Kessler’s mother and sister, who had recently arrived from Florida.
“He had a wonderful heart,” said Mr. Kessler’s mother, Ruth. “If anybody ever needed anything, Andy would help them.”
But underlying that generosity, friends said, was a blunt willingness to sometimes ruffle feathers.
“We loved him for his straight-up candor,” said J. J. Veronis, 46. “That boldness was like an avenue he would open up right in front of you to follow.”
For some time Mr. Kessler traveled a path of passionate abandon, friends agreed. But after giving up drinking and drugs more than 20 years ago, he declared his dedication to others seeking sobriety, answering the phone late at night to offer counsel, or taking struggling comrades on trips away from the narcotic temptations of the city.
Sometimes, during those journeys, he would cite skating as a simile for a healthy life. And some friends extended that thought on Saturday while analyzing Mr. Kessler’s skating style. Steve Olson, a well-known skater from Los Angeles, called him “a soul skater.” Mr. Veronis, who grew up with Mr. Kessler in the 1970s, called him “the artful dodger.”
Mr. Kessler never stopped skating, but it was more or less inevitable that would he slow down somewhat as he aged. Five years ago, while skating in SoHo, Mr. Kessler wiped out. In the resulting crash, he dislocated a femur, damaged his pelvis and broke a kneecap.
More recently, he had been surfing in Montauk, N.Y., partly in an effort to spare his body further battering, friends said. Mr. Kessler was on a surfing trip there last Monday, when he received a sting from a wasp that resulted in cardiac arrest.
The news staggered friends, and they began gathering at the KCDC Skateshop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the shop owner, Amy Gunther, planned Saturday’s memorial along with Mr. Kessler’s far-flung friends.
Common experiences emerged. For everyone he had aided within the world of skating, it seemed, there was also somebody who credited Mr. Kessler with helping him or her steer clear of drugs or alcohol.
Harry Jumonji, 41, from the Lower East Side, said on Saturday night that Mr. Kessler took him to Montauk last week to get him away from the heroin he was in the midst of quitting.
“He saved my life,” Mr. Jumonji said. “I wish I could have saved his.”
Skateboarding in Afghanistan Provides a Diversion From Desolation
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Afghan youth have taken to skateboarding since Oliver Percovich of Australia introduced it in Kabul.
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By ADAM B. ELLICK
Published: January 25, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan — It looked like an ordinary neighborhood playground: six children tumbling off their skateboards to the tune of laughter. But only hours before, just 20 yards away, the body of a suicide car bomber was sprawled beside a glistening pool of blood.
Enlarge This Image
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Oliver Percovich’s current skateboard park is a decrepit concrete fountain. His Skateistan school will be eight miles away.
Afghan youth have learned to recover almost instantly from such routine violence. One person determined to inject some normalcy into their lives is Oliver Percovich. A 34-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, he plans to open this country’s first skateboarding school, Skateistan, this spring. He sees sport as a way to woo students into after-school activities like English and computer classes, which are otherwise reserved for the elite.
“Teenagers are trying to dissociate from old mentalities, and I’m their servant,” Percovich said. “If they weren’t interested, I would’ve left a long time ago.”
Now, when he pulls his motorcycle into a residential courtyard here, a dozen youngsters pounce before it comes to a stop, yanking six chipped skateboards with fading paint off the back. The children, most participating in a sport for the first time in their war-hardened lives, do not want to waste any time.
Their skateboard park is a decrepit Soviet-style concrete fountain with deep fissures. The tangle of novice skaters resembles bumper cars more than X Games.
But Percovich has raised the money needed to build an 8,600-square-foot bubble to house the nonprofit Skateistan complex, and the Kabul Parks Authority has tentatively donated land. He is still waiting for official permission to begin the project. And since a spate of kidnappings and the car bombing in late November, he has reduced his daily sessions at the fountain to once or twice a week.
Among those who look forward to his visits is Maro, an elfin 9-year-old girl who was terrified of skateboarding at first.
“It gives me courage, and once I start skating, I completely forget about my fears,” she said.
All the children spoke through an interpreter.
Maro’s glittery Mickey Mouse shirt indicated middle-class status. She stood out from the street children in muddied clothes who shared the skate space. Because the sport is so new and unusual here, Percovich said, it may help mend the nation’s deep social and ethnic divisions.
But for Hadisa, a 10-year-old girl from a conservative family, skateboarding has not been accepted. She said two older brothers beat her with wires for skating with poorer children in September. Several friends said they had seen blood flowing from her leg.
“I’m not upset with my brothers for beating me,” Hadisa whispered on a recent day when she did not skate because her oldest brother was nearby. “They have the right.”
But some girls cannot skate enough because their window for participation is short. When Afghan girls reach puberty, they must be veiled and can no longer associate with men outside the family. Percovich said his indoor skate park could be part of the solution, with boys and girls in separate classes.
“If my family doesn’t let me skate when I grow up, and they tell me I need to be at home, then I have to respect my family,” Maro said. “And I won’t be able to skate.”
Maro’s grandfather, Abdul Hai Muram, a retired political commentator, stroked her ponytail as he considered her future. He said he wanted her to be able to play outside when she turned 15 but worried about society’s reaction.
“Families are still careful and thoughtful about letting their daughters out,” Muram, 65, said. “We’re entitled to be very strict and afraid because negative consequences from the Taliban time are still out there, and men do whatever they want to women.”
He added, “It may take 10 years for things to be normal for women.”
Perhaps no one is more excited for the skateboard park than Mirwais, a 16-year-old boy who can do an ollie, an aerial trick that is the foundation for more advanced moves. Mirwais, who dropped out of school after second grade, first noticed the skate sessions from an adjacent parking lot, where he washed cars for $4 a day to support his family of eight. Percovich said Mirwais was often high from sniffing glue.
Now Mirwais looks more tidy and earns $8 a day working for the Skateistan project, repairing boards, running errands and assisting at the informal skate sessions.
“I want to improve as much as I can, and continue to support my family with skating,” he said. “It’s my future.”
Still, many middle- and upper-class youngsters complain that Mirwais ridicules them using foul language, evidence of the challenge with mixing social classes and ethnic groups here.
But Percovich is determined to overcome the obstacles. He arrived here rather impulsively in early 2007 because his girlfriend at the time had taken a job in Kabul. He gave up his bakery business, stuffed some clothes — and his skateboards — into a bag and left Australia.
Enlarge This Image
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
“It gives me courage, and once I start skating, I completely forget about my fears,” one girl said.
Unable to find work, Percovich did what he has done since he was 6. He rode his skateboard, undaunted by the military convoys, pushcarts, donkeys, a suffocating film of dust and occasional car bombings.
“Whenever I turned up, kids gathered around and asked, ‘What is that?’ ” he said, referring to his skateboard. “They’d ask to have a go, and I realized quite fast it’s an excellent way to interact with youth.”
Afghanistan has the highest proportion of school-age children in the world, 1 in 5, according to the United Nations. For a vast majority of these seven million youngsters, sports are virtually nonexistent.
Most public schools, stretched to provide basic materials like desks, do not have playgrounds. Boys play pickup soccer or volleyball games on dusty fields. But sports are an afterthought for most girls, who are discouraged from public gatherings.
About 20 embassies and nongovernmental organizations rejected Percovich’s financing proposal for a skateboarding school. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he said, he was down to $1,500 and had maxed out his credit card to pay the rent.
“I was banging my head against the wall, saying, ‘What am I doing with no money?’ ” Percovich said. “But in the afternoon, I was laughing and skating with kids running toward me saying, ‘Oli, Oli, Oli.’ ”
Even his successes have been somewhat frustrating. Last March, an Australian retailer donated 30 skate sets — including boards, shoes and body pads — but Percovich could not afford the $5,000 for shipping. The equipment remains in Melbourne.
Percovich’s break came last October, when the Canadian, Norwegian and German governments pledged a combined $120,000. The Kabul Parks Authority chose a site in a poor area of the city, about eight miles from the fountain.
Andreas Schüetzenberger, whose German company, IOU Ramps, has built 300 skate ramps in places like Israel and Mongolia, plans to install the platforms at no cost once Skateistan is built.
Percovich also recruited Titus Dittman, who delivered one ton of secondhand skate equipment this month. In 1982, Dittman transformed a parking lot in Germany into one of the world’s most well-known cult skate scenes, Monster Mastership, which has since become the World Skateboarding Championships.
The goals for Skateistan are a bit more grounded.
“Afghan kids are the same as kids all over the world,” Percovich said. “They just haven’t been given the same opportunities. They need a positive environment to do positive things for Afghanistan and for themselves.”
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Afghan youth have taken to skateboarding since Oliver Percovich of Australia introduced it in Kabul.
SIGN IN TO RECOMMEND
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SINGLE PAGE
REPRINTS
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By ADAM B. ELLICK
Published: January 25, 2009
KABUL, Afghanistan — It looked like an ordinary neighborhood playground: six children tumbling off their skateboards to the tune of laughter. But only hours before, just 20 yards away, the body of a suicide car bomber was sprawled beside a glistening pool of blood.
Enlarge This Image
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Oliver Percovich’s current skateboard park is a decrepit concrete fountain. His Skateistan school will be eight miles away.
Afghan youth have learned to recover almost instantly from such routine violence. One person determined to inject some normalcy into their lives is Oliver Percovich. A 34-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, he plans to open this country’s first skateboarding school, Skateistan, this spring. He sees sport as a way to woo students into after-school activities like English and computer classes, which are otherwise reserved for the elite.
“Teenagers are trying to dissociate from old mentalities, and I’m their servant,” Percovich said. “If they weren’t interested, I would’ve left a long time ago.”
Now, when he pulls his motorcycle into a residential courtyard here, a dozen youngsters pounce before it comes to a stop, yanking six chipped skateboards with fading paint off the back. The children, most participating in a sport for the first time in their war-hardened lives, do not want to waste any time.
Their skateboard park is a decrepit Soviet-style concrete fountain with deep fissures. The tangle of novice skaters resembles bumper cars more than X Games.
But Percovich has raised the money needed to build an 8,600-square-foot bubble to house the nonprofit Skateistan complex, and the Kabul Parks Authority has tentatively donated land. He is still waiting for official permission to begin the project. And since a spate of kidnappings and the car bombing in late November, he has reduced his daily sessions at the fountain to once or twice a week.
Among those who look forward to his visits is Maro, an elfin 9-year-old girl who was terrified of skateboarding at first.
“It gives me courage, and once I start skating, I completely forget about my fears,” she said.
All the children spoke through an interpreter.
Maro’s glittery Mickey Mouse shirt indicated middle-class status. She stood out from the street children in muddied clothes who shared the skate space. Because the sport is so new and unusual here, Percovich said, it may help mend the nation’s deep social and ethnic divisions.
But for Hadisa, a 10-year-old girl from a conservative family, skateboarding has not been accepted. She said two older brothers beat her with wires for skating with poorer children in September. Several friends said they had seen blood flowing from her leg.
“I’m not upset with my brothers for beating me,” Hadisa whispered on a recent day when she did not skate because her oldest brother was nearby. “They have the right.”
But some girls cannot skate enough because their window for participation is short. When Afghan girls reach puberty, they must be veiled and can no longer associate with men outside the family. Percovich said his indoor skate park could be part of the solution, with boys and girls in separate classes.
“If my family doesn’t let me skate when I grow up, and they tell me I need to be at home, then I have to respect my family,” Maro said. “And I won’t be able to skate.”
Maro’s grandfather, Abdul Hai Muram, a retired political commentator, stroked her ponytail as he considered her future. He said he wanted her to be able to play outside when she turned 15 but worried about society’s reaction.
“Families are still careful and thoughtful about letting their daughters out,” Muram, 65, said. “We’re entitled to be very strict and afraid because negative consequences from the Taliban time are still out there, and men do whatever they want to women.”
He added, “It may take 10 years for things to be normal for women.”
Perhaps no one is more excited for the skateboard park than Mirwais, a 16-year-old boy who can do an ollie, an aerial trick that is the foundation for more advanced moves. Mirwais, who dropped out of school after second grade, first noticed the skate sessions from an adjacent parking lot, where he washed cars for $4 a day to support his family of eight. Percovich said Mirwais was often high from sniffing glue.
Now Mirwais looks more tidy and earns $8 a day working for the Skateistan project, repairing boards, running errands and assisting at the informal skate sessions.
“I want to improve as much as I can, and continue to support my family with skating,” he said. “It’s my future.”
Still, many middle- and upper-class youngsters complain that Mirwais ridicules them using foul language, evidence of the challenge with mixing social classes and ethnic groups here.
But Percovich is determined to overcome the obstacles. He arrived here rather impulsively in early 2007 because his girlfriend at the time had taken a job in Kabul. He gave up his bakery business, stuffed some clothes — and his skateboards — into a bag and left Australia.
Enlarge This Image
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
“It gives me courage, and once I start skating, I completely forget about my fears,” one girl said.
Unable to find work, Percovich did what he has done since he was 6. He rode his skateboard, undaunted by the military convoys, pushcarts, donkeys, a suffocating film of dust and occasional car bombings.
“Whenever I turned up, kids gathered around and asked, ‘What is that?’ ” he said, referring to his skateboard. “They’d ask to have a go, and I realized quite fast it’s an excellent way to interact with youth.”
Afghanistan has the highest proportion of school-age children in the world, 1 in 5, according to the United Nations. For a vast majority of these seven million youngsters, sports are virtually nonexistent.
Most public schools, stretched to provide basic materials like desks, do not have playgrounds. Boys play pickup soccer or volleyball games on dusty fields. But sports are an afterthought for most girls, who are discouraged from public gatherings.
About 20 embassies and nongovernmental organizations rejected Percovich’s financing proposal for a skateboarding school. After breaking up with his girlfriend, he said, he was down to $1,500 and had maxed out his credit card to pay the rent.
“I was banging my head against the wall, saying, ‘What am I doing with no money?’ ” Percovich said. “But in the afternoon, I was laughing and skating with kids running toward me saying, ‘Oli, Oli, Oli.’ ”
Even his successes have been somewhat frustrating. Last March, an Australian retailer donated 30 skate sets — including boards, shoes and body pads — but Percovich could not afford the $5,000 for shipping. The equipment remains in Melbourne.
Percovich’s break came last October, when the Canadian, Norwegian and German governments pledged a combined $120,000. The Kabul Parks Authority chose a site in a poor area of the city, about eight miles from the fountain.
Andreas Schüetzenberger, whose German company, IOU Ramps, has built 300 skate ramps in places like Israel and Mongolia, plans to install the platforms at no cost once Skateistan is built.
Percovich also recruited Titus Dittman, who delivered one ton of secondhand skate equipment this month. In 1982, Dittman transformed a parking lot in Germany into one of the world’s most well-known cult skate scenes, Monster Mastership, which has since become the World Skateboarding Championships.
The goals for Skateistan are a bit more grounded.
“Afghan kids are the same as kids all over the world,” Percovich said. “They just haven’t been given the same opportunities. They need a positive environment to do positive things for Afghanistan and for themselves.”
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