Vol. 10 No. 1 Summer 2011

GREENSKATE 2011 MANUFACTURING PROFILE PART 2 LONGBOARDING TOUR OF VANCOUVER

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10

RY A S R E V ANNI UE ISS

Vol.10 No.1 SUMMER 2011

Complimentary to all skateboarders and their friends and family

CONTENTS >> 24

EDITORIAL

20

LETTERS

34

NOTEWORTHY

42

THE ‘FISH REPORT

44

FRANKIE HILL – RIDER PROFILE

46

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT

44

READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

50

ASK BIKER

52

STREET VS. LONGBOARDING

Jay Adams turns 50.

Photo: Ray Rae Goldman

14 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

54

PORTFOLIO: DUNCAN WRIGHT

62

IN MEMORIAM

64

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

70

HELMET SAFETY AWARENESS

74

FREESTYLE LONGBOARDING

80

HOW TO PERFECT THAT POWERSLIDE

82

LONGBOARD TRADE SHOW IN NYC

84

SLALOM REPORT

86

SPEEDBOARDER OF THE YEAR

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Vol. 10 No. 1 SUMMER 2011

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Michael Brooke | mbrooke@interlog.com

SENIOR EDITOR

Blair Watson

ART DIRECTOR

Mark Tzerelshtein | MarkintoshDesign.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Buddy Carr

DOWNHILL EDITOR

Jon Caften

PHOTO EDITORS

Jon Huey | Dan Bourqui

IGSA WORLD CUP EDITOR

Marcus Rietema

SLALOM/FREESTYLE EDITORS

Richy and Maria Carrasco

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Erik Basil Malakai Kingston

CORRESPONDENT I.T. DEPT. HEAD COPY EDITOR PROBLEM SOLVER HEAD OFFICE

SKATESHOP DISTRIBUTION

Jim Kuiack Rick Tetz of CalStreets.com Jonathan Harms Bud Stratford | budstratford@aol.com 1136-3 Center Street Suite 293 Thornhill, Ontario L4J 3M8 ph: 905.738.0804 Indaba Group PO Box 1895, Carlsbad, CA 92018 tailtapinfo@yahoo.com ph: 760.722.4111

CONTRIBUTORS (In order of appearance): Neil Carver, Jen Wolf, Christopher Vanderyajt, Nate Lang, Justin Rouleau, Aria Pramesi, Judy Edmondson, Frankie Hill, Jonathan Napel, Will Jolly, Oasis Skateboard Factory Students, Duncan Wright, Keith Butterfield, Gary Holl, Jani Söderhäll, Isabelle Fried, Patti McGee, Mitch Caudle, Bri Burkett, Allan Perlas, Annie Sullivan, Tim Rafferty, Mitchell “NOBI” Moshenberg, Brian Bishop, Paul Kent, Adam Colton, Will Edgecombe, Ron “Fatboy” Barbagallo, Steve Pederson, Jason Innes and Chris Chaput. concretewavemagazine.com Concrete Wave is published by North of La Jolla Inc. Subscriptions (5 issues) are US$26 FIRST CLASS or CAN$26 (US$44 outside North America). Address change? Mag not arriving? Email us... don’t go postal. We can sort it out. mbrooke@interlog.com. We will notify you when your subscription expires. Publisher’s permission is required before reproducing any part of this magazine. The views and opinions expressed in Concrete Wave are not necessarily those of the publisher. We happily accept articles and photos. Please contact the publisher directly at mbrooke@interlog.com before you submit anything. We are looking for a variety of stories and images as long as they are skate related.

COVER 1: Corey Juneau. Photo: Dan Bourqui COVER 2: Mike McGoldrick. Photo: Nate Lang COVER 3: V.C. Johnson COVER 4: Neil Carver OPENING SPREAD: Dario – Somewhere in Italy. Photo: David Marsili

WELCOME TO THE FINE PRINT: So we’ve made it to Vol. 10 No. 1. It’s absolutely astounding to think that we’ve hit this milestone. According to statistics, only 10% of magazines make it to a 10th year. The fact is, however, that there are numerous people who have been instrumental to the success of Concrete Wave. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank some of them here. I want to apologize in advance for the folks I couldn’t fit in this space. I’d like to thank Markintosh, my trusty designer (who’s been with me since Vol. 1 No. 4); Jonathan Harms, our eagle-eyed copy editor; Buddy and Traci Carr, who are instrumental in getting the magazine out the door; and Troy Churchill for his insights and inspiration. On the digital side, Rick Tetz of AXS Gear/Cal Streets has been an absolute fountain of creativity. Erik Basil and Malakai Kingston of Silverfish have contributed immensely to the success of CW. “Jungle” Jim Kuiack has been our international publicity guru spreading the stoke worldwide for over a decade. There are dozens of advertisers we’ve worked with over the years, and their support has meant that CW has not just survived, but thrived. It’s a privilege to both work and learn from them. Our loyal readership is a huge part of our success, and if it weren’t for their attention, we would have collapsed years ago. My wife, Michal, has been unwavering in her support. She’s seen me at my very best and at my worst. Through it all, she has remained my greatest source of strength and I truly could not have embarked on this journey without her. My children, Maya, Jonathan, Sarah and Ethan have also had to put up with my antics over the years and I am just hoping I haven’t scarred them for life! On a final note, as we enter the second decade of this magazine and my 36th year skating, I want to reiterate what I’ve always felt, deep down. It’s always been about the act of skateboarding for me. It’s always been about the joy of riding, of discovering new things and challenging the status quo. I am one of the luckiest people in the world to be doing what I do. I thank you for reading and supporting Concrete Wave. It’s been an exceptionally rewarding experience thus far, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

20 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

>> EDITORIAL

THE TIME E N I H C MA

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26 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

CONCRETEWAVEMAGAZINE.COM

LETTERS >> SKATE RECOVERY

HAPPY CAMPER Man, you guys hit it out of the park with this [Spring 2011] issue. I can’t believe the photography in it. Great work.

I love the skate tips. I have been working really hard on my backside slides and this will come in handy. It would be nice to see more photos of foot placement, but that is just my $0.02. Keep up the great job. The mag is outstanding. Looking forward to renewing my subscription. I wasn’t kidding about a lifetime one also.

Chris Werth

STUNT DOUBLES Just a point of interest about your editorial “Back to the Future Primitive.” I thought it was Bob Schmelzer who did the stunt work in the film “Back to the Future.”

Scott R. New York City Dear Scott, We actually received a number of inquiries about this particular issue. So, I went right to the source: Per Welinder. Here is his response: “They ended up using both myself and Bob in the film. Bob stunt doubled the first month when Eric Stoltz was [cast as] Marty McFly. Things changed when the director then decided to go with Michael J Fox. I was hired. I redid all the stunts doubling for him. In the end some of the edits are Bob, and some are me.” – Ed.

LETTER OF THE MONTH Three years ago I was in crummy health, overweight and smoking way too much. I was just sitting around behind the TV, reading or playing with my computers all the time, and getting no exercise because I had bad knees and tendinitis and would rather sit around drinking and taking pills than face the pain. I really had no hope for my knees recovering and figured I was heading for knee replacements like my mom. At one point I was using a cane to get around, and I even built myself a leaded fighting cane because I figured as a cripple I was gonna have “mug me” written on my back. I could ride my motorcycle around, but that was about the extent of my minimal “exercise,” and when I bought a truck I cut way down on even that.

But somehow I took an interest in skating once again. I bought some dumbbells and started lifting.

I porked up pretty bad when I quit smoking, so I Alex Newton contemplates started trying to lose weight. Lo and behold, my the results of his firsth knees started to recover (!) – and quickly, too, and 11th, New York City Longbo ard Show. now they’re so improved you see me skating 30+ Photo: Michael Brooke miles a week. I am even able to run or jog short distances, and I had literally not been able to run from 1999 until 2010.

So I figure that whatever I spend on skate gear is paying me back right now, because I’m saving $250 a month not buying junk food and cigars, and the way I was going I probably wouldn’t have survived to enjoy that retirement money anyhow. Plus having another hobby keeps me occupied and all my habits have improved. This is just really working out.

I don’t know if I’ll ever don leathers and brave the hairpins, but for me this is plenty of stoke.

Best Wishes, Gregory “Uluwatu” Quinn

LETTER OF THE MONTH RECEIVES A PRIZE

PACK FROM ORIGINAL SKATEBOARDS

HELMET AWARENESS I got an issue of CW with my new board, and I was flipping through it and saw the Helmet Safety Awareness article. I had the same thing happen to me. My stepbrother died longboarding downhill with no helmet. I am glad CW continues to promote helmet use.

Jake Riggins

KEEPING THE STOKE ALIVE A word to all you kids out there – I’m talking to all you “30-somethings” still skating. Props to everyone for keeping the stoke alive. I call you kids because at 53 I’m still on it every day. I have my longboard for cruisin’ to and from work every day, and for carving the neighborhood my shorter board does just fine. I’m sure there’s a 70-year-old skate geezer ready to call me a punk and [tell me to] shut my pie hole, and to him or her I humbly bow at their feet. I’m sure when I reach their age I’ll still be skating, unless I’m dead – in which case there had better be a skate shop where I’m goin’ or I’m outta there! Never stop and you’ll never get old!

Jim Koho San Diego P.S. My son just dropped into his first pool today. Brings a tear to his old man’s eye. Just glad the neighbors weren’t home. Explaining the breaking and entering charge to his mom would not have been pleasant.

32 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

Finally! ve You can now read Concrete Wa ® d iPa on your

It’s only $0.99 you can enjoy the full edition plus extras.

For $3.99 you can get a full year – 6 issues.

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Master Ltd. All rights reserved. The following trademarks, © 2011 Tech Deck ® and Collect the Deck ® are registered trademarks of Spin trademark and are distributed under license by related logos & characters are property of the company listed next to the identified Independent Truck Co., Ricta Wheel Dynamics - NHS, Inc. Spin Master Ltd.: Birdhouse® - House of Hawk, LLC; Tony Hawk -Tony Hawk, Inc.;

AD IENS - K ANADI E

NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS NUCKLEDRAGER

Nuckledrager Longboards are proud to introduce the all new Morning Wood topmount and the Usonian to their diverse lineup. Their hand-crafted longboards offer an amazingly smooth and precise ride. nuckledrager.com EARTHWING This is version No. 7 of the Earthwing Superglider. It features mounting holes for Indy and RKP trucks so the wheelbase remains unchanged, and it accommodates both new- and old-school baseplates. It’s available in 4-ply and 5-ply maple sandwiched in pretensioned unidirectional carbon and S-glass. earthwingskates.com SEISMIC Seismic has released the patent-pending Tekton™ bearing – the bearing behind the Official IGSA Downhill Speed World Record. More than two years in development, Tektons feature wide, flat contact surfaces at the ends of integrated, custom-machined half-spacers. The broad flanges square up, co-align and self-stabilize inside your wheels – correcting for flaws in bearing seat levelness, bearing seat spacing, axle diameter and axle straightness. The Tektons literally block themselves from sitting or rocking out of alignment, so they stay straighter than any other bearing system ever. Your wheels roll faster with better control, while the bearings last longer and stay quieter. info@seismicskate.com

36 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

GUNSLINGER Gunslinger Longboards was the idea of Keith Hockly and Ian Pennefather from Durban, South Africa. After many hours spent sourcing quality materials and components, Gunslinger Longboards was finally launched in November 2010. There are currently three board sizes (42”, 44” and 46”), complemented by 8-inch trucks with 76mm wheels in 3 colors. gunslingerlongboards.com SKULL SKATES In the mix since early on in the longboarding world, Skull Skates offers all-new 2011 goods.

Made in Canada in small batches pressed from fresh hard rock Canadian maple, the Meteor, Pintail, Scythe, Shuttle, Pilot and Glider deck models offer a wide variety of shapes, flex patterns and wheelbases suited for carving, freeriding and commuting. Skull Skates has also teamed up with Gullwing to release the killer blacked-out Skull Skates/Gullwing Collaboration version of Gullwing’s durable and versatile Charger longboard truck. Great for cruising, carving it up and bombing hills. 9” or 10” axle. Made in the USA.s kullskates.com ARBOR Arbor continues to develop sustainable riding solutions that blend responsible materials, nextlevel technology and real-world art into the best designs available. Arbor is presenting five series of skateboards including the Carver, Concrete, Mini, Roller and Freeride collections, offering something for everyone. arborcollective.com

UNCUT

Can’t find the right board? Wheelbases too short? Cutouts in the wrong place?

Then BYOB – build your own board!

Check out uncutskateboards.com for pressed blanks. They have drop-down decks, concave decks, double kicks and more. Trace one of their free templates or make your own design. Jigsaw it out, drill some truck holes and ride. You’ll also find free longboard templates and how-to videos.

LAX The all new LAX 9-ply Slide Throughs are technological marvels. They’re completely machined on a five-axis CNC mill for perfect symmetry truck alignment. See a video of this board being made on YouTube at http://youtu.be/_IhCCDleBnU. laxskateboards.com TUNNEL

Tunnel Products has added to their growing wheel lineup – the Tunnel Krakatoa wheel, a 70mm wheel designed specifically for sliding and freeriding. The wheels feature a preground surface for immediate sliding capability. The high-grade urethane is formulated for controlled slides with a clean hook-up and has a resiliency that allows for longer wheel life. Available in 78A Orange, 81A Red and 84A Yellow. tunnelskateboards.com PSD – PRITCHARD SKATE DESIGNS FootStops are for topmount decks and give superior grip, keeping your front foot in place. The FootStops can be

fitted very close to the front of the board, using a truck mounting bolt.

Weighing between 18-23 grams, they’re also very light and come in a variety of colors. pritchardskatedesigns.com SMOKIN MAD LOVE

Smokin Mad Love is proud to present the Midwest’s first longboard-exclusive shop featuring Smokin Mad Love and a ton of other high-end longboard companies, focusing on longboard gear and clothing for the urban downhill freeride commuter junkie! We are so excited to finally be offering our online sales and a full line of six models, all hard rock maple. The other exciting news is SML will be unveiling a 2011/12 snowboard lineup featuring their Pie Eyed rocker technology and Wave of Consciousness edge tech for more surface contact. (616) 4991087 or smokinmadlove@gmail.com.

BUDDY CARR Available now is the newest complete from Buddy Carr Skateboards called “Barre de Chocolat,” which translates to Bar of Chocolate.

When asked about the name Buddy said, “When I was shaping this board it had such a sweet shape it had to be called Chocolate.” The new Barre de Chocolat model is wrapped in a purple coat of paint with a simple, elegant, screen-printed graphic and color-matched, hand-sanded wheels and is topped off with a custom laser-cut grip tape that truly makes the board stand out. buddycarrskateboards.com SK8KINGS Sk8Kings has added new sizes and shapes to their line of nose and tail guards – and they come in black now, too! King Plates range in size from 4” to 6.38” in width and are a smart and effective way to prolong the life of your favorite deck. Great for sliding, freestyle

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currently on the market, weighing in at a mere 1 lb 4.oz. 172mm, 179mm, 186mm, 193mm hanger widths. buzzedprecisiontrucks@gmail.com

and park riding, with a size/shape variety designed to fit many popular deck brands. Sold individually with steel sex bolt mounting hardware included. sk8kings.com ROAD SHARK A newcomer on the scene for 2011, but with deep roots into the past of downhill longboarding, Road Shark Boards is hitting the market with its launch product, the Hammerhead Road Shark. This unique nature-inspired shark board cruiser measures 41” x 9.5” and is being sold complete, featuring Seismic wheels loaded with ABEC 7 bearings.

With team riders in California, Colorado and Texas, these guys are looking for a big launch. roadsharkboards.com ROAD RIDER The “Eights” and “Tens” flex-edge design features a oneof-a-kind domed riding surface for lower rolling resistance, faster straight-line speed and more responsive acceleration out of turns. Available in 68mm and 72mm, 78A hardness. nhs-inc.com BUZZED TRUCKS Buzzed Precision Trucks were designed to deliver the best feeling downhill/freeride experience— without breaking the bank. A few tweaks in design allowed them to produce a truck that enables you to achieve a 45* or 50* pivot axis (depending on the orientation of the hanger). They were also able to maintain an extreme level of strength while delivering the lightest CNC downhill oriented Skateboard truck

METRO WHEELS Metro Wheel Company is proud to announce the addition of the newest wheel in their fast-growing lineup. The new 63mm “Micro Motion” wheel is the smaller version of the popular 70mm Motion. Like its bigger brother, the Micro features the same exclusive slide compounds found in the larger sizes. The Micro Motion has the same slide characteristics, features our sanded rolling surfaces and is finished off with a great graphic. The new Metro Micro Motions are available in two colors and will be at authorized dealers in early July 2011.

Also available is a new T-shirt design dubbed “Mod Squad.” These 100% cotton T-shirts are available in both black and white with screen-printed logos and gofast attitude. tailtap.com COMET

Comet Skateboards builds high-performance skateboards in Ithaca, N.Y. using environmentally and socially responsible materials and practices. Comet presses each board individually using sustainably harvested maple veneer and formaldehyde-free glue. The 2011 graphics include work by artists Kadie Salfi and Arlo Chapple. Salfi’s graphics highlight the power we have as consumers by using bright colors to accent animal parts coveted by society. Salfi’s art calls into question what we value and why. Chapple employs surreal illustrations to buck the traditional commodified notions of what our imagined worlds should be. cometskateboards.com

EDGE BOARDSHOP

Located in Dana Point, Calif., Edge Boardshop is a brand new exclusive longboard store specializing in downhill, freeride, cruisers and all other disciplines of longboard performance skateboarding. The shop is located at 34255 Pacific Coast Highway and is open seven days a week. There is also an Edge Team consisting of two divisions: the AMTEAM, their amateur shredders, and the E-TEAM, their elite pro team. Both teams will be competing at the 2011 Maryhill Festival of Speed, of which the shop is a sponsor. edgeboardshop.com POSITIVE CREATIONS Positive Creations is a unique documentary that follows the life and art episodes of Chris Dyer.

Chris has contributed a number of wonderful pieces for CW, and his background is highly unusual. The film documents his move from a destructive street gang member and drunkard into a tree planter, activist, traveler and eventually a well-respected artist in both the skateboard graphics and visionary art communities. positivecreations.ca “THE SKATEBOARD” At over 250 pages, Ben Marcus’ new book The Skateboard: The Good, the Rad, and the Gnarly packs quite a historical punch. For readers of Concrete Wave, this item is an absolute must-have.

Marcus highlights the roots of skate-

boarding and charts its history during its various boom and bust cycles. Perhaps even more importantly, this book celebrates all the simple fun you can have with four wheels, two trucks and a deck.

Published by MVP Books.

BUD SMITH JOINS MOB GRIP NHS is proud to welcome Bud Smith to the sales team as Mob Griptape sales manager. Jim Phillips captured “Mr. Griptape” in this illustration back in April. nhs-inc.com CONCRETE WAVE UPDATES Look for CW magazine on the 2011 Vans Warped Tour. We’ll be running the Passport Program again. Just stop by our booth, pick up a passport, visit six non-profits and get your passport stamped. Then come back to our booth to win some pretty awesome prizes. Also, be on the lookout for CW on the iPad. Issues are only $.99, and a full year’s subscription is only $3.99 – less than the price of a cheeseburger, and with no heartburn or extra calories.

Don’t forget you can also download a free CW iPhone/Android app. The fan wall continues gain fans worldwide!

LONGBOARDISM The idea for this website started last year after Oz (Andrew Yeung) broke his ankle in a longboard accident and was stuck at home. “I would spend my day looking for longboard videos and news, but half my time was wasted searching for something worth looking at,” he says. “I’d YouTube or Google ‘longboard’ and get hundreds of results. But after clicking through them all, I would only find a few that I liked. There didn’t seem to be any site that took care of showcasing the ‘good stuff.’” This prompted Oz to create longboardism.com, a site curating anything and everything longboard.

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 37

NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS LIB TECH

Twelve-year-old Cameron Roberts from the beaches in Toronto, Ontario is using his passion for the sport to raise awareness and money to fight childhood cancer. He put together an event on June 18, 2011 that incorporated a sixmile route. Cameron is actively looking for sponsors, donations and volunteers.

Longboard4kids is affiliated with Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. longboard4kids.com

these sketchy plastic toys back in the ’70s. Some of us are still riding today!

The banana board harks back to a simpler time, a time of meat loaf and mashed potatoes when tic-tacs ruled the road. Slow fade to black …

Hey, kids! Restoring a beat-up banana board abandoned in a garage can be a fun, rewarding project. Take everything apart, scrub parts down with an old toothbrush, swap out the rusty two-inch kingpins, bolts and nuts with new ones (visit your local hardware store), bring a sparkle to the old-school trucks with steel wool pads (see under kitchen sink), smooth out those pesky frayed edges on the deck with a fine sanding sponge (see garage), and presto! You have yourself a shiny little hot rod. For those who really want to go to town, source old-school pivot cups and bushings on eBay. Unless you’re looking to curate your own skate museum, there are a few more things you can do to enhance your banana board experience. A little-known fact is that the loose bearings found in old-school wheels can be ditched for fancy sealed bearings. Apply some muscle to pop out the cups that hold the loose bearings in place and you’ll be rewarded with a sizzling hot rod! Be sure to use spacers. Or turn your banana board into a Tonka Toy with longboard wheels – the axles then and now are 5/16” or 8mm. For the final spit and polish, replace any vestiges of stickers on the deck top with grip tape.

Go bananas! artofskateboarding.com

FOR THE LOVE OF PLASTIC

By Popi and Ponyta Everyone knows it, nobody wants to admit it, but let’s face it – no skate quiver is complete without a banana board! Many innocent people caught the skate bug while riding one of

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Longboard Girls Crew Republica Dominicana was born on April 5, 2011 as part of Longboard Girls Crew (the International Team), who invited rider Pam Diaz to organize a crew on her island, represent it and expand the movement – in other words, make the scene grow.

The crew’s fresh start took place with only five riders, probably because

Lib Tech is stoked to be working with NW ripper Sky Siljeg. Concrete Wave was one of the first publications to feature Sky, and we are proud of his success. lib-tech.com/skate/ LONGBOARD4KIDS

38 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

for girls who love longboarding all over the world.

Longboarding in the Dominican Republic is growing, not as a simple sport but as a lifestyle.

here in the country the scene is not so recognized yet. But it is growing more every day. If you are a girl with a longboard, some people might think you’re weird, others might love it; but then again, that’s just how life goes about.

Girls who have never ridden a longboard before are writing to us, asking us to teach them, wanting to learn and get together with us to have some fun.

Today, 4 days after the crew was initiated, we are 20 riders and growing by the day. With all kinds of levels and styles: we got cruising, free ride, and downhill. Our supporting boys, always encouraging, are showing us how to ride better each day. We obviously have more male riders than females, and without them it wouldn’t be the same.

Our goal, as that of the international team, is to make this a community page

WARRIORS RACE

By Mike Dallas The Warriors Race is about willpower and teamwork. Start Together, Finish Together. Can you dig it? Choose your crew wisely – your team is your lifeline.

Along the way are 50,000 cops, angry drivers, stoplights, roadblocks, bums, lawyers, crackheads and thousands of thugs as obstacles.

The teams start at Van Cortland Park outside the MTA 1 Train. The race begins when the Warriors shout, “CAN YOU DIG IT?!” Then they set out on their 26-mile gauntlet to the finish line at the entrance to the Cyclone wooden roller coaster at Surf Ave. and West 10th St. on Coney Island.

The second annual Warriors Race was held on March 12, 2011. It started with 45 shredders at 7:00 p.m. A second wave of 30 skaters started late and raced to catch the lead pack. The biggest difference from the 2010 event was the temperature. Last year we had

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NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS

90-degree temperatures and humidity; this year was much colder – in the 40s.

The fastest route from the Bronx to Coney Island is skate Broadway from 242nd St to 1st St. Merge left and cross onto Houston St., then hit a right on Bowery all the way to the Manhattan Bridge at Canal St. Cross the Bridge into Brooklyn, jump the interstate off-ramp, scurry behind a few buildings and exit right on Flatbush Ave until you hit Prospect Park. Continue down Prospect Park West to 20th St., then take a right on MacDonald for the six-mile push under the elevated train, just like the 1970s movie “The Warriors.”

Your body goes through a lot of abuse along a 26-mile skate in New York City. The first leg of the race is the

SKATEBOARD SHOPS LIST ARIZONA Sidewalk Surfer 2602 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale 480.994.1017 admin@sidewalksurfer.com • www.sidewalksurfer.com CALIFORNIA IFYI Inc 1083 Bedmar Street Carson Board Gallery 3333 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach 714.902.3769 Cellular Skate 6787 Carnelian Street Alta Loma 909.941.1004 Mike McGills Skate Shop 335 First Street Suite #S Encinitas 760.943.7730 Ollie Angel 235 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach 619.575.7357 Mike’s Bike Shop 5507 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles 323.935.4338 Viva Skateboards 1709 Howard Road Madera 559.664.8997 Bill’s Wheels Skateshop 1240 Soquel Avenue Santa Cruz 831.469.0904 Purple Skunk Purpleskunk.com 5820 Geary Blvd. San Francisco 415.668.7905 CCMF/Toyland 1260 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805-801-6653 ccmfjay@yahoo.com The Trading Post 622 Upham Street San Luis Obispo 805.801.6653 ccmfjay@yahoo.com Sonoma Old School Skate and Surf 1001 Broadway Sonoma 707.938.5500 skatesos.com Cellular Skate 287 Mountain Ave Upland Tel: 909.981.8856 cellskate@verizon.net Maui and Sons 1415 Ocean Front Walk Venice Beach mauiandsons.com COLORADO All Board Sports 1750 30th Street Boulder 303.415.1600 Diabolical Boardshop 4255 S.Broadway, Englewood CONNECTICUT Skate Pusher 57 McIntosh Drive Bristol 860.593.4550 Skate Valencia 68 Leonard Street, Bristol 203.524.4675 GEORGIA Feral 190 Park Avenue, Athens 706.369.1084 Skate Madness 13800 Hwy. 9 N., Ste. D 145 Alpharetta 770.410.3456 skatemadness.com Woody’s Halfpipe 6135 Peachtree Parkway Suite # 603 Norcross LOUSIANA Board Lords Mall of Louisiana, 6401 Bluebonnet Blvd.

Suite # 2044, Baton Rouge, 225.769.1222 MASSACHUSETTS Boardroom 6 Armory Street Northhampton 413.586.8857 MICHIGAN Ollies Skate Shop 120 ½ E Maumee Adrian 517.265.2031

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most brutal. A series of mile-long uphill and downhill stretches is the first slap in the face. Some teams simply cannot endure the hills and leave the direct path down Broadway for a longer, yet easier route along the East River or Husdon River. The first checkpoint is Union Square, where the all-ladies gang the Lizzies are waiting in scanty clothes and heavy makeup for the first team to the checkpoint. Just like the movie, the lead team gets the girl but must decide whether or not to leave them for the glory of finishing first at Coney Island – still 10 miles down the road.

Most teams dress the part of their chosen gang, which makes the Warriors Race more fun. Thousands of bystanders cheer for us along the skate, stoked to watch the event go down. The name of the game is STAY POSITIVE. The waves of energy are sure to affect teamwork – which is why the Warriors Race is about willpower, endurance and teamwork. The Easy Aces took home both 2010 and 2011 Warriors titles because their teamwork is flawless – the key attribute of great Warriors.

OMAHA LONGBOARDING Words Kevin Harris Photo: Blake Brothers of the 515 Asphalt Crew

On April 16 and 17 the Club of Omaha Longboarders (COOL) put on the Omaha Longboarding Event 2011. The event featured two days of riding, focusing on the disciplines of downhill, sliding and longdistance pushing. Saturday started with the downhill competition. The course contained a 90° right turn at the bottom that made for some spectacular finishes.

Luck was on our side, with clear and sunny conditions and (mostly) dry roads the morning of the event, despite rain

and snowfall the night before. The slide jam later that evening went down outlaw-style. The riders threw down their longest slides and stand-ups. Sunday featured a seven-mile push race. Both days were jam packed with sick riding!

DH 1. Jon Luscavich (+ second-longest stand-up – 44.5 ft.)

2. Dan Kelly 3. Jason Machado 4. Mark Eckardt Slide Comp 1 Jason Machado (+ longest slide – 86 ft.)

2. Teen Chay 3. Mark Eckardt

Want to know where to find Concrete Wave Magazine? Would you like to find all the amazing skate gear you see in these pages? Look no further than our shop list. If you’d like to have your shop listed here, it’s easy. Simply send a check for $115 to Indaba Group PO Box 1895 Carlsbad California 92018 or pay pal tailtapinfo@yahoo.com, ph: 760-722-4111. You’ll get 10 copies of 5 issues mailed out along with this complete listing. For international rates, please email us. Yes, shipping is included. If you think your local shop or park should be carrying Concrete Wave, email mbrooke@interlog.com.

MINNESOTA Old School Skaters 1119 NW 2nd Street Faribault 612.578.3326 www.oldschoolskaters.net MISSOURI Genesis Skateboarding 13 NW Barry Rd. #147 Kansas City 816.456.1307 genesisskateboarding.com MONTANA Wheaton’s 214 1st Avenue West Kalispell 406.257.5808 wheatonscycle.com BlackTop Surfshop 176 5th Avenue West North Kalispell 406-752-6006 NEW JERSEY Black Diamond Skatepark 400 Route 38 Unit 1610 Moorestown NEW MEXICO Koa Nalu Surf Shop 8254 Menaul Blvd NE Albuquerque 505-332-SURF koanalu.com Timeship Raicing 825 Early Street Suite H Sante Fe 505.474.0074 timeshipracing.com NORTH CAROLINA Soul Ride Skatepark 6049 Victory Lane Concord 704.454.7433 soulrideskates.com We’re Board Inc Skatepark and Shop 1423 North Church Street, Ste 104 Burlington NC 27217 OHIO Old Skool Skateboards 19E College Avenue, Westerville roxtar55@hotmail.com OREGON The Uprise 1110 NW Van Buren Ave, Corvallis 541.754.4257 541.480.4254 thelongboardstore.com The Longboard Store 1238 SW Wheeler Place Bend 541.480.4254 thelongboardstore.com Daddies Board Shop 7126 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland 503.281.5123 daddiesboardshop.com Gorge Performance 7400 Southwest Macadam Avenue Portland 503.246.6646 The Mountain Shop 628 NE Broadway Portland Rip City Skate 1510 NE 37th Ave. Portland PENNSYLVANIA Rayzor Tattoos 4 South Front Street Steeltown RHODE ISLAND Seven.Ply 3 Canal Street Westerly 401.348.0656 TENNESSEE Planet Sk8 7024 East Church Street Suite 2 Brentwood 615.377.1947 Sk8sations Skate Shop 3032 N.John B.Dennis Hwy. Kingsport 423.245.0994 tbec@charter.net VIRGINIA EastCoast Boardco. 10358 Fairfax Blvd. Fairfax 703.352.4600 x:8 213 25th Street Va Beach Black Cat Skateshop 1325 A West Main Street, Charlottesville 434.244.0014

WASHINGTON Gravity Sports 126 Rainier Ave South Renton 425.255.1874 Mountain Goat Outfitters 12 W. Sprague Avenue Spokane Motion Boardshop 17230 Bothell Way NE Lake Forest Park 206.372.5268 motionboardshop.com ALBERTA Avenue Skateparks 9030.118 Avenue NW Edmonton 780.477.2149 Easy Rider 4211.106 St., #153 Edmonton 780.413.4554 Pipeline Surf Co 780.421.1575 Comasports 10B-200 Barclay Parade SW 403.233.8841 powerinmotion.ca BRITISH COLUMBIA Area 51 191 Station Street Duncan 250.746.8869 a51.ca Raven Skate Shop 411 Campbell Street Tofino 250.725.1280 ravenskateshop.ca Salton Rides Saltholidays Island, BC 250.537.4984 saltonskate@canada.com Switchback Longboards 4385B Boban Dr. Nanaimo 250.751. 7625 ONTARIO Hammer Skate Shop 2225 Queen Street East Toronto, 416.698.0005 Hogtown 401 King Street West, Toronto 416.598.4192 McPhails 98 King Street North, Waterloo 519.886.4340 QUEBEC DLX/Deluxe 2480, chemin Ste.Foy Ste.Foy 418.653.0783 dlxdeluxe.com OVERSEAS AUSTRALIA Boardshop Australia — boardshop.com.au 04 15883371 — friendlyfolks@boardshop.com.au Cre8ive Sk8 — 5/244 Ross River Road Aitkenvale — Queensland 4814 Australia BRAZIL Ultra Series Skate Shop Tel.:55(41)3023-2480 — ultraseriesskate.blogspot.com FRANCE hawaiisurf.com GERMANY seasondistribution.com, concretewave.de Hackbrett Longskates Im Wechselfeld — 12 St. Peter hack@customlongskates.com longboarders.de — Gustavstrasse 49 90762 Furth kontakt@longboarders.de — Tel: 0911 9772500 JAPAN Y & T Fussa Fussa — 2348 Fussa Fussa City — Tokyo — 1970011 Clover Skateboard Shop — 1-21-3-1201 Befu Jyounan Fukuoka 8140104 — Japan

NETHERLANDS Sickboards Marcelisstraat 80b 2586RX Scheveningen The Netherlands 31-70-7533548 Sickboards.nl NEW ZEALAND Serenity Island Surf & Skate Café 202a Wainui Road — Gisborne — serenityisland.com Ultimate Boards 3/1043 Great North Road Point — Chevalier — Auckland 1022 New Zealand — ultimateboards.co.nz UK octanesport.com skateboardsofchoice.co.uk Bath, United Kingdom — Tel: + 44 1249 715811 Sk8s Go — General Juan Cano 40 — Colony San Miguel Chapultepec — Mexico, D.F 52-55-58132448 Soul dh Alameda Picaflores — 245 San Borja — Lima 41 — Peru Skate of the Nation — Unit 6 GYY Building # 1 Tomas Morato 1100 — Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines Indiana Sports GmbH — Elbestrasse 14 — Wald, 8636 Switzerland — Contact: Christof Peller ON.LINE RETAILERS allboardsports.com blackholeboards.com covertskates.com coldwarskateboards.com daddiesboardshop.com denverskateshop.com ffashop.com genesisskateboarding.com longboardskater.com longboardshop.de longboardstore.com longboardskater.com milehighskates.com motionboardshop.com oldschoolskates.net pressuredroplongboards.com sidewalksurfer.com sk8supply.com socalskateshop.com tactissk8.com tailtap.com vslboardshop.com

CONCRETEWAVEMAGAZINE.COM

SUMMER IS ON, AND STUFF IS GOIN’ DOWN! Skate events, gnarly sessions, free time to skate during the day…all this summer. It’s the 10th anniversary of Concrete Wave mag, and it sure as hell has never been as great to be a longboard skater as it is now. We’ve got races, awesome boards, killer sessions and more stoke than ever. With this issue of the ‘Fish Report, we’ve also got some cool stuff for you…

So what’s coming up? How about the Maryhill Festival of Speed on June 29- July 3? It’s still the ultimate four days of gravity freeriding and international racing in the North American IGSA circuit and if you can get out there to Goldendale, do it! Then right at the end of this month, get yourself out to the scene at the first Adrenalina Marathon for the ’11 season: on Governor’s Island in New York City! Ultraskate/marathon racing is hot (so is NYC in July) and the scene will be huge on Governor’s Island, with a full-on racing scene, over $13k in cash on the podium, live bands, a huge lawn for hangin’ out and the LONGSKATE EXPO. It’s all free admission, and you can check out, and skate out, gear from all kinds of longboard skate companies. Come skate the race, with a few hundred of your new best friends, enjoy some music, food and the latest gear. Hit the ‘Fish for info and check out www.adrenalinaskateboardmarathon.com to register!

Yeah, so you want some travelin’ money to hit the Adrenalina circuit and be part of the scene? How about 10 grand in cash and a flight to New York City? We toldja it was coming, and we’ve got the $10,000 longboard design contest. Three of you will be flown to NYC just to find out if you’ve won the cash! You’ve got ‘til July 15 to enter, so if you’ve got any skill or ideas at all for graphics on a longboard, why not try? Scion cars and Adrenalina are all over the longboarding style and they’ve got the money to back it up! Got a smartphone? Use your code reader below…everyone else, hit the ‘Fish and look up the contest!

Summer is crazy time and when you’re not skatin, setting up sessions or cruising the gear reviews on the ‘fish, you might wanna check out the live auctions goin’ on in our chat room (yeah, we got one of those.) Soda Factory’s Happy Octopussy Seizure Super Chill ( ! ) custom deck was the first, with skaters bidding it up from $.99 ‘till Luneth scored the one-of-a-kinder for $82 in May. Who knows what’s gonna be on the block in July?

Find out, but only after you… Go Skate! Go Skate!

Disco ain’t dead if it’s Downhill Disco… a spring day full of stoke!

First up, right as we’re going to press, Muir Skate’s second Downhill Disco event closed the Spring season with longboard slalom, sliding and banzai jumps –the stoke runs strong! Speaking of stoke, Danger Bay 10 (ten!) concluded with K-Rimes on top of the podium for an event that just keeps getting better and better. And Marion Karr’s Chief Ladiga ultraskate event in Georgia raised the long-distance/marathon skating bar way higher than ever before…congrats to mutants Paul Kent and Jeff Vyain for leading a field nearly 200 miles over three days!

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ART FOR A CAUSE AT THE VANS WARPED TOUR If you're planning on coming to the 2011 Vans Warped Tour, look for the Concrete Wave Passport. Just visit 6 non-profits and get your passport stamped. Then return to our booth to win some great prizes. For more info, visit vanswarpedtour.com A new addition to our Passport Program is the “Art for a Cause” exhibition.

Right next to our booth, you will find more than a dozen artists who have brilliantly created artwork on skateboard decks that reflect a number of the non-profits you’ll find on the tour. Here is a sample of what you’ll find.

“Paradise” Peter Andersson Artist Statement The best thing about art is all the possibilities; it knows no limits. With colors, brushes, words or pictures we can create a world exactly as wonderful and great as we want it. We can change our history and make the future bright and hopeful for everybody. I want art to be impassioned and to inspire us to happy thoughts. With happy thoughts come happy actions, with happy actions come happy changes, and then the wheel is in spin. And this is where it has to start, with you and me. It´s like Gandhi said: “Be the change you want in the world.” Greenpeace Jessica Becker is a self-taught artist from Neptune Beach, Florida. She paints skate ramps, decks, murals and surfboards for local and international clients. Her artwork has been featured in Thrasher and Concrete Wave magazines as well as local publications. Inspired

by Mike Giant and Shepard Fairey, she has her own style, but leans toward expressing social commentary. This skate deck, donated by Sunrise Surf Shop of Jacksonville Beach, is intended to create an awareness of cruelty to chickens

by KFC in their processing for corporate gain.

All proceeds from this deck go to Peta 2.

David DeGrand Artist Statement The world we live in is full of stupidity – stupidity that artists like myself like to make fun of and exploit to no end. I like to use cartoon imagery to accomplish this goal, for the simple fact that it makes everyone enjoy poking fun of the idiotic nature of the world around us. Cartoons immediately take everyone back to childhood, where we were all guilty of laughing at and making fun of everything we thought was stupid. Now as an adult, I like to point the finger back to the viewer in my artwork. Sorry, folks, but we’re all idiots.

Greenpeace Chris Dyer grew up in Peru and now resides in Montreal, Canada. His art has reached thousands via the different magazines and books he’s been featured in, as well as several worldwide exhibitions. A full feature documentary and book are also about to drop this year. Chris started skateboarding at age 8 in 1987 and still skates today. Chris has been a vegetarian and semi-vegan for more than 10 years and is happy to make a board to give a voice to some of the animals he loves, and at the same time help Peta 2 with their righteous mission. PositiveCreations.ca Don Pendleton is an American artist, designer and illustrator out of Dayton, Ohio.

He was raised in Ravenswood, West Virginia, where he started drawing at age 7 and skateboarding at age 14.

Combining his first loves, he eventually became the

52 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

graphic artist for Alien Workshop in 1998. After seven years, he assumed the role of graphic artist for Element Skateboards, where he remained for the next four years. Currently, Don is focusing on painting and working into the fine art realm. He still lives in Dayton and still rides his skateboard. elephont.com and stcoin.com. Habitat for Humanity Colm O’Connor is an artist based in Wexford, Ireland, specializing in good ol’ pen and paper, airbrush and acrylics. He has a background in architecture, tattoo and graphic design and would consider his style to be an eye-catching mix of tattoo, pop and street art. “I jumped at the chance to be part of the Passport Program 2011 and chose Invisible Children as the organization I wanted to represent,” says Colm. The finished design is airbrushed acrylics on a 45” Baltic birch deck, hand-made here in Ireland

by Flow Designs.

Nick Frymark is an artist and designer based in the Washington, D.C. area. He has done designs for numerous bands including Baltimore-based hardcore supergroup Camisado. For this project, Nick took a minimalistic approach and was greatly influenced by Swiss designer Armin Hofmann.

He chose Feed Our Children Now for a nonprofit organization because he felt it addresses a very important problem in contemporary society: people in poverty-stricken areas not getting enough food. Nick enjoys taking an intuitive approach to his art and is inspired by the simpler things in life. He is now currently studying architecture as well as continuing practicing art and design. Feed Our Children Now Will Bryant makes stuff as a freelance creative and is a member of Public School, an Austin-based collective of designers, illustrators and photographers. He’s known for surfing the Internet, crackin’ smiles and holding hands with his wife in public. He enjoys drawing letters, playing basketball, being wacky, browsing record stores and going on bike rides. Will has had the honor to collaborate with clients such as Ace Hotel, Chronicle Books and Nike and has also shown work internationally. Keep a Breast Darian Parker Artist Statement I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, so I'm a city guy. My style is a combination of Andy Warhol and Carl Jung. I break down symbols/archetypes in the psyche which gives my work a psychedelic twist. I am being published in Paris after winning Artaq's international urban art contest, featured on rtist.com, doing some comic work with old school publishers and artists (Tom Brinkmann, Jerry Goebert) and I am working on getting a show at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. I am always in a state of development.

Greenpeace

Mark Todd took his first creative cues from comic books and Star Wars: worlds of inventive fantasy. His work involves intense scrutiny and alteration of classic comic covers from “Fantastic Four,” “X-Men,” “Iron Man,” “Spiderman” and other series, including the work of legendary illustrators like Jack Kirby. “I love the type, the heavy shadows, the colors and the way they seemed to use every inch of the page,” says Todd. “I sit and study them, and my brush reconstructs them.” Todd is referencing the past, waxing nostalgic about it and simultaneously lending his own postmodern sensibility to it, employing a limited palette, repetition, distortion and mixed media materials including spray paint, silkscreen, collage, cel-vinyl, glossy varnishes and dusty stains. The pieces are often rounded at the edges, appearing as prized objects – tablets encoded with civilization’s most iconic collective wisdom. Keep a Breast Kyu Hwang draws and paints. Born in Seoul, Korea, he has spent most of his life abroad – London, Frankfurt, Budapest and Vancouver, where he currently resides. Kyu’s loosely narrative drawings deal with identities and relationships. Invisible Children Trenor Oliver - Artist Statement “Ugandan Adolescence”. A scared, lost, and confused Ugandan boy stands bold and strong.

Conditioned to a life of war, death, and destruction; his existence has become a struggle to stay alive. Abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army at an extremely young age, this young boy is now a brainwashed rebel, trained to murderer. Fighting against the Republic he was originally born into. Greenpeace Sam Spina is a cartoonist and graphic designer living in Denver who takes doodles very seriously. He makes a daily comic about himself and puts it online at spinadoodles.com, where you can buy hand-folded and stapled collections of the daily strip and other cutesy/messed-up mini-comics starring an array of characters ranging from psychopathic monsters who destroy everything to a hammerhead shark who rents a small apartment in Long Beach. Contact sam spinacreative.com. Music Saves Lives Fay Helfer Artist Statement The female breast is symbolic of many things... motherhood, comfort, pure feminine beauty, attraction and obsession, and the very source of nourishment for life. The relentless onslaught of breast cancer ravages the body, and is a cruel attack on the female identity.

With the naked body as a strong yet vulnerable raw material, the snails represent the undertones of this tireless fight against the dangers of breast cancer, while ultimately reminding us of life, hope, and the power of surmounting obstacles.applesquid.com. Boarding for Breast Cancer Empowered by Fepic (livefepic.com)

th

10

ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

CONCRETE WAVE Celebrated its 10th Anniversary with four unique covers:

Corey Ju n Photo: D eau. an Bourq ui

Neil Carver

Mike Mc G Photo: N oldrick. ate Lang

V.C. Johnson

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 53

OSF STUDENTS SPEAK UP >>

TOP 10 SK8 CHARITIES Skate4Cancer Skate4Cancer is a Toronto-based organization, educating people about cancer prevention, and spreading cancer awareness. The founder Robert Dyer travels around North America sharing his messages with people everywhere he goes. S4C aims to make their events open to all ages and free wherever possible. This organization is important not just for people who have been affected directly or indirectly by cancer, but for people who are at risk as well. Young people should learn how to lessen the risk of cancer before it becomes a threat. www.skate4cancer.com

— Gozi skates to avoid cancer daily.

Skateistan

Oasis Skateboard Factory is an alternative school in Toronto with a focus on the creation of community through the lens of street art and skateboard culture. By forming partnerships with businesses and organizations with similar values, OSF gives back to the community at large in a way that promotes social justice through educating, engaging and empowering youth. Our students are mentored by businesses and organizations whose main goals are not just to make money and distribute free gear as promotional advertising; they are committed to giving our students the opportunity to make a difference in society.

Many of our program partners give back to the community by participating in our program: Roarockit donates time and expertise to generously mentor students to build their “dream decks”; Bamboo SK8 works with us to promote environmental sustainability and a “green” consciousness; The Baitshop screenprinting/skate shop lets students take over their space to run a business program that teaches transferable skills; Longboard Living acts as a friendly access point to sell our boards in a competitive market; Concrete Wave includes us it it’s pages to engage students in learning and makes school cool!

Our class chose to categorize charities here based on the ways they impact society instead of a ranked list. Like the organizations involved with OSF who model a positive contribution to society, all the charities or organizations researched below by our class are a constant source of positive influence that inspire us.

*This article was part of a research project for English credit: - Craig Morrison, Teacher & Cameron Gilpin, Guest Editor - Illustrations by Wolf

Skateistan is a skate school that operates out of Afghanistan! It’s is about getting both males and females involved. In addition to teaching kids how to skate, it also holds a back-to-school program that encourages youth to return to school. Skatiestan also works to empower women to learn by holding reading, writing and journalism classes for girls. The school operates in semesters to get kids in to a routine that encourages an educational lifestyle. It is amazing that this school offers the experience of skateboarding where otherwise it may not have existed. www.skateistan.org

— Zach is stoked to know that there is a skate school in Afghanistan.

The Action Sports Environmental Coalition ASEC was started by pro skaters Bob Burnquist, Damon and Danny Way, Cara Burnside and Julia Hill. The idea initially was “What would happen if the action sports industry became a role model for sustainability?” Now it is becoming just that. ASEC is a group of people working to educate and spread the word of eco-friendly skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, and surfing. With the help of the ASEC website this group shows the general public about which companies are trying to be more eco-friendly. www.asecaction.org

— Huckstep feels that using green products and skating go hand in hand.

oasiss

SK8-Positive+: Get on board with other good skate-positve groups in your community!

Also…don’t forget on June 21st to take part in Go Skateboarding Day, an event that has been growing worldwide to give everyone the opportunity to drop everything and get on a skateboard. It promotes skateboard culture and defines skateboarding as the rebellious, creative celebration of independence and community it continues to be. www.goskateboardingday.org

- Every day is skateboarding day for Patrick!

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.blogspot.c

factory kateboard

Stoked Mentoring

Stoked mentoring holds after school programs in NYC and LA in which youth gain a supportive mentor along with a team of people determined to see them succeed. The students participate in activities that result in personal development such as sports.

Stoked addresses community needs such as a lack of exposure to athletics. The sports used in this program (snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing) teach students to get up and try again; not to give up. www.stoked.org

— Prince, after meeting founder Steve Larosiliere, believes that Stoked is extremely beneficial to struggling students by helping them achieve real goals.

Grind For Life

Grind for Life is a Florida-based charity that focus’s on providing financial assistance to cancer patients and their families. Its work strives to provide financial support for families having to travel long distances to visit doctor and hospitals. Grind for Life holds fundraisers in the form of skateboarding events as a way of getting youth involved in helping to raise money for cancer but also to get them involved in charity in general. www.grindforlife.org

— Woody is the OSF shop manager.

Royal 70

Royal 70 is a non-profit charity based in Miami, Florida that collects old and used skateboards and donates them to be distributed in Cuba. Founders, the Lecour family, will sometimes personally ship parts and repair tools in suitcases that they take with them on their flights to Cuba. Royal 70 benefits the people of Cuba who are disadvantaged and don’t have the means to experience skateboarding on their own. This charity is important because it gives kids the chance to skateboard where the sport previously didn’t exist. www.royal70.net

- Anthony is an easy going kid that attends

Longboard4Kids

It’s amazing that 9-year-old Luke Roberts and 12-year-old Cameron Roberts basically started Longboard4Kids, a new charity event as part of the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation who have managed raise to millions of dollars for kid’s cancer research and education. As Coast to Coast continues to encourage kids to be active and live a healthy lifestyle, Longboard4Kids raises money for children with cancer. Longboard4Kids won’t only benefit children with cancer but longboarders and skateboarders too: It will be a chance to make friends and have fun while raising money for a great cause. www.coasttocoastagainstcancer.org/longboard

— Naomi, is happy that she found out about this charity and that it takes place in her home town. She will be volunteering at the event this summer! www.coasttocoastagainstcancer.org/longboard

Grind Out Hunger

Grind Out Hunger is a program made by Danny Keith, owner of Santa Cruz skate shop in Santa Cruz, California. He saw that the Second Harvest food bins that were placed in schools and in his shop weren’t being used as trash bins rather than for donations.

Grind Out Hunger gives high school, middle school, and junior middle school students the incentive to hold fundraising and “foodraising” events at their schools to help benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. The students have to plan and hold the events themselves and Santa Cruz skate shop provides the prizes. This has made fundraising cool, by introducing it as a skateboard related event. It empowers kids to help their community by feeding their hungry neighbours. www.grindouthunger.org

— Richie is psyched that there’s a program run by skaters that’s making a difference in people’s lives.

Skate Like a Girl Skate like a Girl is a non- profit corporation founded by Holly Sheehan and Fleur Larsen in Olympia, Washington working to inspire females to get involved in social justice and skateboarding.

SLAG focuses on getting females to try it out without the fear of being judged. SLAG works to create a safe space for females to get involved in the sport where traditionally they aren’t encouraged to do so. www.skatelikeagirl.com

— Carly is dedicated to producing artwork that encourages female empowerment.

Rob Drydek Foundation/ Safe Spot Skate Spot Rob Dyrdek, a successful professional skateboarder created the foundation in 2003 with the intention of bringing the sport of skateboarding to those kids who may not have the privilege of a proper place to skate. The foundation is committed to providing communities with places to skate legally and safely because every skateboarder at one time or another has had their run in with the authorities. By creating these skate parks, the foundation works to encourage communities to take on a more active lifestyle. www.robdyrdekfoundation.org

— Ross wishes he had a safe skate pot in his community because he is tired of getting hassled by the man.

Safe Spot Skate Spot (part of the Rob Dyrdek Foundation) seeks to create good, wholesome communities by promoting and providing the benefits of skateboarding to all. The foundation helps with the design, development, and construction of skate plazas as well as educational programs that encourage safety and exercise via skateboarding. These plazas were designed as a haven for skaters.

These skate spots stand for community and safety in areas where high crime and poverty is prevalent.

— Faline wants more skate parks to ROCK OUT IN! CW

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 55

MANUFACTURING

CLOSE-UP

O W T PART OOKE AEL BR H C I M By

MIKE EY N O H A M HONEY SKATEBOARDS How long have you been making skateboards?

As Honey Skateboards, it’s going on six years now, but I have been making skateboards since 1977 and made my first longboard in 1994.

What is the one thing that gives you the most satisfaction about making skateboards?

Taking a raw material and making it into something functional and beautiful. Being able to work with your hands and be creative. But one of the most satisfying things about making skateboards is having people ride them and appreciate your work.

Where do you see North American skateboard manufacturing headed?

With respect to longboarding, I think North America (USA and Canada) will continue to push innovation, board construction and board shapes. The smaller manufacturers are driving the development longboarding and will continue to do so as well as fill the needs of the niche segments of skateboarding.

Mike Mahoney: "One of the most satisfying things about makingskateboards is having people ride them and appreciate your work."

Photos: Jeff Nass

Wayne Gallipoli: "Skaters are what drive the market, so SZ is trying to be responsive to them and at the same time be one step ahead of them, too."

Photo: Stephen Ciuccoli

WAYNE GALLIPOLI SURF-RODZ How did you get into the business of making trucks?

Life is a series of doors, so why not open them and see what’s behind them? SZ felt it was time to branch out and focus on the heart of a skate deck. The trucks are what allow a deck to become a part of the skater’s lifeline. They allow skaters to dial in a style of riding. All SZ saw in the marketplace was large selections of cast skate trucks and not much going on as far as adjustable features. Skaters were really beginning to push the sport, so SZ wanted to be up front alongside them. We believed that the skater was ready for more choices, and if the snowboard and surfing market could grow with better gear, then why couldn’t the skate industry grow in that direction as well?

Having complete control of the manufacturing process gave SZ this ability to adapt. Most mass-produced truck operations cannot expand or change direction without large costs, but SZ can, because we manufacture and design in the same location. My office is 20 feet away from our (JVP) production facility. We can respond to skater requirements in a fraction of the time it takes for some of the bigger players to do so. We pride ourselves on our quality, our state-of-the-art equipment and our staff that truly cares about what they produce. More to the point, because of how we’re organized, we can manufacture a quality product at a competitive price and pass this on to our customers.

What gives you the most satisfaction about making skateboard products?

It’s pretty simple… it’s all about connecting the dots with skaters worldwide. Skaters are what drive the market, so SZ is trying to be responsive to them and at the same time be one step ahead of them, too.

Everyone involved with SZ feels that the skateboard industry has many ways to keep growing and pushing forward. If you think about it, riders in every discipline are starting to demand more. If we want to keep skating exciting and new for younger and energetic riders, we have to match or beat their youthful outlook and energy.

The musician Ry Cooder once said in an interview, “I like beautiful things, and things that are tough and serious.” He suggested that the national supply of such things was running out. I’m not sure that’s true, but SZ definitely wants to be among those things that are beautiful, tough and serious. Surf-Rodz has three overarching goals: Be committed to skaters; collaborate whenever and wherever we can; and deliver products that skaters want.

What do you feel about the future of North American skateboard manufacturing?

I look at it all as skateboarding. I see more skaters taking more control of their deck setups and wanting more choices in product design. There are more diverse

riding styles, and SZ hopes the industry sees this as a great way to grow and manufacture right in their own backyard. The international markets are pushing forward fast, and we’re keeping our eyes on that growth as well. Still, SZ will remain a place where design, collaboration and product exploration are paramount. We’re really focused on designing quality products that skaters want, and not just becoming another skate brand. The North American skateboard manufacturing process is full of life, and we see great companies ready to expand and grow… [there’s] such a bright future. CW

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How long have you been making skateboard products?

I lived to surf and skateboard when we started Comet. I was also pretty naive to what the skate industry was really like and did not really care. I thought that all the skateboard companies out there made their own boards. I thought if you were going to have a company you had to do it yourself and make it yourself with your friends... So we did.

I started making skateboards in 1996 – 36’’ flat wooden planks of purpleheart wood with wenge wood wedge tails. They looked like exotic Sims Pure Juices. I was mainly giving them away to girls I liked. When we started Comet, we adapted this design to create beautiful vertically laminated boards with multicolored woods. Purple Skunk was our first customer and inspired us to make a business out of what we were doing because there were barely any longboards in existence. We were skating Mt. Tam full moon sessions, Oakland pools and random hills throughout the Bay Area with good friends.

Comet made its first press in 1999. It took months to weld it, wire it and plumb it. It was a group effort. We have many people to thank for helping make it happen: Jonathan Reese, co founder of Comet; Chris Sullivan; Farron Ezakovich; Matt Buttler, boatyard owner and builder; parents; the Kriegel Clan; and the list goes on… The first board we pressed was the PROflex 40. It was sweet right out of the mold. It was all about pool decks and hill bombers.

We were more of a gang than a skateboard company at the time. Then it just blossomed.

What gives you the most satisfaction about making skateboard products?

Making skateboards is the culmination of many loves for me. My knowledge of composites, bending wood and accurate shaping stems from boat building, surfing and many hours of shop talk with Scott Miller, my good friend and true water wizard. Making skateboards allowed me to replicate curves and lines from the sea and bring flow to the street. There will never be enough skateboards to shred the endless skateparks and roads we humans relentlessly lay. Skateboarding keeps me sane in a world where man is constantly trying to tame nature. Skateboards bring wild unconscious and primal joy to otherwise stark, brutal and utilitarian construction. When I started making skateboards, I was contemplating grad school for Natural Resource Management. I discovered I could apply my passion for making things to sensible management of our limited resources on this planet and help make the world more livable for future generations by inspiring young people to think.

It’s a lifetime pursuit. We have been at it for 13 years and [are] just starting to hit our stride in a way that is scalable.

That all said, there is nothing like seeing the smile and stoke vibrating off of a skateboarder and knowing that in a small way you are helping make it happen.

Jason Salfi: “There is nothing like seeing the smile and stoke vibrating off of a skateboarder and knowing that in a small way you are helping make it happen.”

Photo: Tez Mercer

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What do you feel about the future of North American skateboard manufacturing?

Everything is cyclical. The best skateboards being made right now are made in North America by skateboarder-owned companies. Ideas and innovations immediately make it into new board models. That is something you can’t get from an outsourced and mass-production mentality. At Comet, our goal is to make things that cannot be copied and mass-produced overseas. We make skateboards to meet the needs of modern skateboarders immediately with the quickest R&D team in the world.

Skateboards come from necessity. They are the merger, in a utilitarian sense, of filling the void of endless pavement and supplanting boredom with passion and the raw, romantic notion of just f***ing shredding. Skateboards will always represent a culture that embodies what I feel is the true culture of the USA: freedom, to be who we want to be, live our life the way we want to, and ride our machines…dig? The idea of skateboard manufacture hitting some efficiency of scale overseas so skateboards can be boxed, tagged, processed, imported and sold is anathema to skate culture.

That said, skateboards that come from all the “reviled other places” are not necessarily bad. People from all over have a right to make skateboards wherever it makes sense for them, as long as other people are not being subjected to terrible working conditions and environmental costs are not externalized. North American manufacturing to Comet means taking full responsibility for every material we touch and working toward a Cradle to Cradle ethos, (reducing inputs, upcycling what most would regard as waste and treating people right). That is a very hard thing to manage when you outsource production. Every dollar skateboarders spend perpetuates one paradigm or another. You have to ask yourself, what side of progress are you on? I just spoke to another manufacturer of skateboard products who sent an auditor to the plant that makes his company’s products. The report was appalling, and his company is moving production back to North America as fast as possible.

I am one who watches global trends, money fluctuations, environmental issues and culture. Considering all of those things, skateboard production will always have a home in the USA and Canada. As currency stabilizes, some currencies that are artificially devalued will rise in value and others will go down in value as trade imbalances persist. That, coupled with peak oil and war, will make importing less and less cost-effective [due to] transportation costs – not something I am wishing for... but it will become more practical to manufacture in North America. Exports from the U.S. will likely start to increase as well.

There are people hungry to build a new economy based on pride of craftsmanship, sustainability and community in the U.S. and Canada. This movement is growing here and goods made in the USA will continue to gain value again globally. I love the idea of regionalizing (make stuff where you are selling it) and micro manufacturing. In the question of overseas manufacture, there always looms the specter of mass production and large-factory monoculture. In this case, business practices are opaque and focused on short-term profits. Opacity and chasing short-term profits are as outmoded as colonialism itself and will wane. What is rising, as we are seeing now, are highly technological, transparent, long-term, visionary and localized production centers with thriving agricultural bases that import and export specialized goods globally. The recession we are in now will lead to all sorts of sustainable innovations, and North America has a chance to lead by a new example and thrive again as we move away from this silly service economy over the next few decades.

Lastly, I am a skateboarder for life. My daughter is 6 and starting to skate. I love taking her and her classmates to our production facility. They understand what it takes to make something right, and they are our future.

Shred on!

Left to right: Lorren Hammond design and production management, Jason Salfi -captain, Ira Garrison - CNC Tech, Arlo Chapple - logistics.

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Derek Horn: "I have had people buy two boards from me just so they can have one to hang on the wall and the other one to ride."

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DEREK HORN KOASTAL How did you get involved in making skateboard products?

I got involved in making skateboards mainly because of my father, but also because I love producing and making boards. I have been working alongside my father, Brad, off and on for about 15-plus years now. It is because of him that I am where I am now in the skateboard industry and with Koastal. It is a tough industry to crack, and my father was able to get me through the ups and downs of starting a skateboard company.

The Koastal Crew

Brad Horn is a master craftsman.

How many years have you been involved with it?

My father started in 1993...[when] I was about 12 years old. And, of course, being a kid of that age I was right there by my father’s side learning how to make skateboards. It was exciting to be involved with everything he was doing. I mean, how many kids at that age could tell their friends that their father makes skateboards for a living?

What gives you the satisfaction with respect to making skateboard equipment?

The boards we make today are of very high quality. We put a lot of time and effort into making our wood stringer top sheets for our boards, and that effort truly shows. When someone picks up one of our boards in person and says, “Wow, this should be hanging on the wall,” it just gives you the greatest feeling inside. I have had people buy two boards from me just so they can have one to hang on the wall and the other one to ride.

What do you see happening to North American skateboard manufacturing?

I see a continued growth and innovation still to come. This industry is unstoppable; it has been through a lot, and the way things are manufactured could change, but it will only be for the good of things. The best decks are still made here in the USA.

Dan Hoskins

Mark Siwek puts the finishes touches on a complete.

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Liam Morgan near the San Francisco Bay Area. This is Caliber's favorite photography/video spot.

DUSTIN DAMRON P O R T F O L I O Concrete Wave worked with Caliber’s Brandon Stewart and their head photographer, Dustin Damron to create some dramatic images of the beautiful Northern California coast. Brandon has purposely kept the exact location of these roads vague. If you find this spot, please don’t blow it out! A huge thanks Dustin and Brandon for coordinating these epic shots for Concrete Wave.

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PORTFOLIO >>

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Christin Gregersen rolls through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

PORTFOLIO >>

The lighting makes Nick Rozani’s ride through Santa Cruz Mountains somewhat surreal.

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Riley Crone in Los Angeles.

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PORTFOLIO >>

SF Bay Area - Left: Syd 'Squid' Godfrey Right: Liam Morgan

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DIARY OF A TRUCK DESIGN AND PART 1

TESTING

By NEIL CARVER

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A designer’s job is born from a kind of dissatisfaction, where instead of adapting to the way things are, we seek to adapt things to how we wish they could be. It’s a basic human drive to make the better spear, the sharper flint, the “pumpier” skateboard. Ever the optimists, designers believe things can and will get better, and we hang in there and work on it until they do. Sometimes, though, a simple question can open up a big can of worms.

Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008: It takes the quiet of a weekend to allow enough space to be able to dive into something new. I pad downstairs early, the sun just starting to warm up my studio, and lay out the ruler, the eraser shield, a French curve and an adjustable protractor on a newly emptied desk. I was awakened by an idea for a truck design and just had to come downstairs and draw it out, capture it like a snapshot before it evaporates into the chatter of a busy life. Drawing is all freedom, a line erased and redrawn as easily as a changing mood. Any idea can be sketched out, good or not; the line doesn’t know, so a lot of ground can be covered. It’s a pensive stage, where new ideas become real on the page, even if only like a shadow, hardly substantial proof of anything – more like a reminder to try it out in the real world, because the geometry of a skateboard truck is a sensitive thing, where any small change will affect several aspects of performance at once. I only want to improve one little thing: soften the transition from center to deep turn a bit. Now, I feel the standard reverse kingpin truck is a bit too tight at the rails, so we end up loosening the truck too much, leaving the center position a little loose and wobbly. We’re all starting to use very soft barrel bushings to help with this, but what if it could be fixed in the geometry, so instead we could use stiffer bushings with more rebound and a firmer center? This would improve pushing characteristics while at the same time improving rail range. Should be pretty simple.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008: I’m excited to make this new truck, and I think I’ll save time by changing my typical prototyping method. I usually weld together a pair of steel-plate trucks for testing, but because I’ve done this so many times I know how my design modifications will turn out and I just go right to the master, killing two birds with one stone.

Thursday, May 15, 2008: It always takes longer to finish something than we first think, and I always seem to forget this. Perhaps it’s necessary in order to allow us the nerve to begin anything, rather than be daunted at the

outset by the steepness of the hill ahead. Bits of wood, plastic, steel, putty and paint are coaxed into a shape that looks just like a skateboard truck, and today we’re going to the foundry to cast a few loose parts in aluminum to ride.

It’s almost done!

Friday, May 16, 2008: I spend the morning machining the holes in a few sets and assemble them. New trucks in hand, I hurriedly mount them to a deck, attach wheels and bolt out the door. In five rolling seconds my heart sinks. I haven’t made enough of an adjustment to the kingpin angle, and so the rail is still too stiff. My expectations are usually too high, and I’m often disappointed with my first tests, but still, this is a big hitch and a

blow to my enthusiasm. Had I just made a quick steel prototype, the failure would not have stung as much. At least it was the best-looking failure I’d ever made.

Sunday, June 15, 2008: After nearly 10 years our manufacturing partner has been struggling more than usual, but up until now we didn’t realize the full extent of our problems. We’ve just discovered that we’re heading for bankruptcy fast, and if things don’t change in a few months we’ll be too behind to recover and we’ll have to shut down the company, leaving us hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

Greg, Jen, my wife, and I realize that we have to take over the company and start it over from scratch in order to save it.

We hear the rumblings of the coming recession so we pull all our equity cash out of one bank and deposit it into

another to finance this daunting undertaking. It’s a risky move, because if we fail we’ll not only lose our business but now our homes, too.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008: A week after we pulled out the dough our equity accounts are frozen and our credit limit reduced. The recession is on.

Monday, July 14, 2008: Jen and I cruise around El Segundo looking for a warehouse, weaving up and down the streets, knocking on doors and asking around.

We see a small rental sign and an open door and discover a radio-controlled glider factory moving out. We sign the lease a week later, and a couple of surfers (re)start their truck and skate-

board factory and learn how to run a machine shop, a business and a brand.

Friday, Aug. 15, 2008: Don and Pablo from Loaded come by for a factory visit and they jump on a board with the good-looking cast CV prototypes and immediately comment on the extra rebound in the rails. Oh, yeah, that

truck! I start thinking about it again, and I want to finish it.

Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008: It’s interesting to note how many drawings are made on the weekends. As I type this it’s a beautiful Venice Saturday afternoon; the bamboo in my garden is hissing with the surging onshore winds. A large part of the day involves riding a quiver of different trucks, comparing notes on performance and deciding what to draw next. I adjust the kingpin angle more.

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008: I’ve spent the week immersed in cutting steel plate and TIG welding, and today I’m ready to test the CV2 prototype. I actually finished the truck yesterday, but I’ve learned not to test it the same day I complete it, when I’m tired from welding and machining. I’m always cranky and hate what I’ve made, so these days I wait until the next morning when I’m fresh and optimistic. So after a little morning yoga I hop on this new truck set. At first I’m pretty stoked, because the trucks pump really well.

But as the day progresses and I compare it against previous prototypes and an array of other production trucks, I realize I may have made this one a bit too lively. A quick test ride with the Loaded guys confirms my suspicion.

Back to the drawing board.

Saturday, July 24, 2010: Where did the time go? A busy company, several other trucks later and I’ve already forgotten everything I knew about the CV truck.

The factory is running beautifully now with Greg at the helm, so I can spend a little time in the shop, hunting down that elusive tweak – not too much, not too little – that will complete the CV. Today I build eight boards, each with the same deck, wheels and bushings, but different truck sets, and I set out to remember what it was that

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that I wanted to feel. I take notes on the performance comparisons, charting nine key characteristics: Centering, Early Turn Control, Deep Rail Range, Wheelbite Prevention, Pump, Traction, Turn Rate, Short Game and Fun Factor.

These totally made-up qualities are intended to measure what I think are the performance building blocks of the 0-30 mph truck. I use micro wedges to tweak the various geometries.

Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010: If I’m not sure about something I’ll wait and act on some other thing I’m more sure about, as there’s always plenty to do.

Things seem to take longer, but there tends to be less backtracking. It can be tedious but fun if I rally for it. Having spent weeks riding, testing and charting, the next round of improvements has become clear. I make the prototype drawing for the CV3.

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010: I dream about trucks and awake obsessed. I’m acutely aware of minute details and how they will all fit together. I complete the CV3 prototype in 10 days and begin testing.

Our team rider Ricky is here too, and

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we begin another measured dissection of what each of the many CV3 variables feels like compared to the eight other control sample boards.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010: The past few weeks have been spent in a flurry of riding, comparing, note taking and drawing. Ricky and I, along with some input from the Loaded crew, have been riding every configuration of board on various Venice terrains, from the streets to the park, and we can feel what’s rising to the top. There are some subtle dimensions that turn out to be incredibly influential, so I make a new drawing for the CV4 this afternoon, still sweating from the test ride.

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010: It’s been days of steady rain since I finished the adjustable CV4 proto in record time.

Today there was a momentary break in the deluge, just long enough for the passing cars to dry out a little strip down the middle of the road. Just as I stepped onto my board a light drizzle started coming down. I got in almost 15 minutes before it started pouring again, but in those 15 minutes I finally got to

feel the hard-won fruits of my labors.

The bushing cup was still a tad restrictive and some wedge testing still needed to be fine tuned, but overall I felt the deep, rebounding rail, the snappy pump and the firm center. I can tell this is it. But to be sure we’ll put it in rotation and ride it on an entire quiver of boards, from a mini to a dropthrough, and drop in with the Loaded crew again, who now have some perspective on the evolution and can give us super-targeted feedback. I’m consciously trying to avoid the cost of hubris again.

Monday, Apr. 11, 2011: After a weekend of surfing and camping on the streets of Ventura with Jen in our ’71 VW van, I’m refreshed and ready. I feel like we’ve narrowed the performance down to one favorite configuration, and the continuous feedback message has been “OK, make it.” I wake up early, my studio still dark, and turn up the heat; Ricky, who lives in the attached studio apartment, will appreciate the coziness too, as it’s a chilly morning. I finish the drawing for the final master in just a few hours, summing up months of questions and answers.

Sunday, Apr. 17, 2011: There’s a swell hitting the Venice Breakwater just right and Greg and I paddle out around 11:00, just before the winds pick up. I’m stressing about time, because this article has already been put into motion, and having heard talk of its development, a bunch of our customers are asking if they can order the CV yet, and summer is nearly here. It needs to be done ASAP, but I can’t just disappear into the shop like I used to, a month MIA, covered in dust and paint. So we’re out in the water talking about how I need to find a CAD guy and use rapid prototyping for the masters instead of my usual built-from-scratch approach.

The surfer next to us overhears our discussion and chimes in. Turns out he’s a professor of industrial design at Art Center College of Design and Chris, one of his recent grads, would be perfect to help render the design for us.

Thursday, Apr. 21, 2011: Chris comes over and I give him drawings and samples of the new CX model to use as reference.

Tonight he’ll begin blocking in the forms and defining the curves, but we don’t expect to complete it in the program.

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the jump off the computer screen – and several areas are downright wrong! No worries, though – I had planned to work out the finer points by hand anyway, so I’ll just have to resculpt a few areas. It’s still easier than making it from scratch.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011: I’ve been shadow sanding for days. I work the part next to a bright light bulb to see the subtleties of form as the light glances off the shapes. The shadows, rather than obscuring, actually reveal the form. It’s like the surfboard shaping room, where the glancing low lights allow the shaper to see subtle shapes of rail and contour and feather them just right.

Design shop. Photo: Lance Dalgart

There are always some adjustments to be made, because once you hold a part in your hand you really see it and what it needs, so we’re mostly just blocking it in to save time on the build. I’ll finish it the rest of the way by hand.

Thursday, May 12, 2011: After numerous meetings and emails we get close enough with the modeling to make a 3D print, so we send it off to the rapid-prototyping house. It should be ready in a day. A day! Twenty years ago the idea that we could just press “print” and a little black box would pop out a part was the stuff of sci-fi, and now you can buy a desktop version of it like a cheap copier. One day soon my chisels, saws and files will be in a junk store and some kid with a tiny computer embedded under his skin will wonder why we would ever need such barbarities. But not today.

Monday, May 16, 2011: The parts arrived this morning! I open the box and pull out the grey plastic SLAs and inspect them under the light. A little rougher than I would have hoped for, and the forms look quite different after

Thursday, June 2, 2011: At a certain point the form is done, but the perfect shiny surface of the painted master shows every bump and dimple. Days have been consumed just polishing paint. Under the magnifying lens the part looks huge, and every detail is exaggerated. The smallest of scratches look like deep gouges, and every imperfection jumps out. I imagine it is instead a big part, and work on the form as if it were a building and each detail were in fact large, like some Gulliver’s travel along the surface. It seriously slows me down, and each cranny gets its due. But today the parts are ready to go to the pattern shop, where we’ll make the foundry tooling for production parts. I can hardly believe they’re done – as if a guest who had seriously overstayed their visit has finally left, but instead of being relived I kind of miss them.

Next: Diary of a Truck Part 2 – Fabrication and Manufacture. We’ll follow the Carver CV on its journey from the design shop to the factory and into production, and we’ll take a look into more of the challenges and rewards of manufacturing an American-made skateboard truck. To see an animated version of the panorama rotating in the design shop, go to carverskateboards.com. CW Neil Carver is a trucksmith living in Venice, California and is neighbors and partners with Greg Falk in Carver Skateboards.

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If you’ve just found out about Concrete Wave magazine or you’re someone who enjoys nostalgia, I thought you might appreciate some of the back story on how we’ve come to be. I also thought it might be fun to resurrect some of my ramblings found not only on the editorial pages, but buried in the Fine Print. You’ve been warned!

A huge number of people have participated in the creation of Concrete Wave. They’ve made my dream a reality. My thanks to all who’ve supported Concrete Wave and continue to keep things moving forward. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has gone. I feel we’re just getting warmed up.

Vol. 1 No. 0 You have to start somewhere, but this is prebeta…it’s so far back, you could call it alpha! I decided to do a test copy inside International Longboarder Magazine. This publication was started in 1999 by myself along with Tom Browne. I realized that no one else was going to start a magazine on longboarding, so I jumped in. After about two years, I realized I wanted to forge my own publication with my own take on things. Originally, the magazine was going to be called “Skate Geezer.” This turned into “Skate Legend,” and finally, I just named it after the book I had created in 1999.

At the time, I was working for a travel magazine, co-publishing International Longboarder Magazine and launching Concrete Wave. Luckily, I had a clone.

Vol.1 No,0

Vol. 1 No. 1 – June 2002

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Cover: Duane Peters – photo by Attila Aszodi, 5,000 copies printed Our first advertiser was Dave Anderson of skateboardcollector.com. Dave is now part of skatesupply.com.

However, the two advertisers that really made it happen were Buddy Carr of Tracker Trucks and Jack Smith of Bahne. This was a crucial turning point.

Bahne took the inside front cover, and by securing the back cover, Tracker gave me that much-needed vote of confidence. I managed to use $2,500 worth of barter along with $2,500 cash and get the magazine printed.

This issue was designed by Ryan Tomkinson. He also designed our logo. Last I heard of Ryan, he was in British Columbia heading up a design business that includes an impressive list of clients.

Stories included a feature on the second Old School Skate Jam, a review by Dan Gesmer of the “Dogtown and Z-Boys” documentary, Steve Alba on his 25-plus-year history of skateboarding and a profile of Ray Flores. We even covered Florida Legends, Buttons Kaluhiokalani and skatepark designer Jim Barnum. My favorite story was an interview with Dave Dash, the former publisher of SkateBoarder magazine.

Looking back, it’s amazing we were able to jam so many stories into 32 pages. I was even able to locate Bobby “Casper” Boyden and feature him in the “Catching Up” section.

The most curious part of the first issue was an insert/zine called “Skate Club” that was spearheaded

by Josh Bower. Josh was based in Colorado and was the first distributor of Concrete Wave. The idea was based on “Fight Club,” only it involved skateboards.

Not sure what became of Josh.

Editorial Excerpts: “Justifying Our Existence” “You’ve come to the realization that skateboarding remains one of the most meaningful things in your life. However, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between your love of skateboarding and what you see presented in the skate media.

We are here to reconnect you. Concrete Wave Magazine will take you back and move you forward. We are here to inspire you and draw you closer to skateboarding. The winds of change are blowing within skateboarding and there is an injection of roots and variety. But you crave more and Concrete Wave is here to feed your addiction.”

Vol. 1 No. 2 – September 2002 Well, we survived the first issue and ramped things up to 8,000 copies for the fall. At the time, a U.S. dollar was worth more than $1.55 Canadian. Bulldog Skates stepped up with a triple-page spread and we increased the page count to 48 pages. Unfortunately, digital technology was still a little beyond our grasp and many photos in the issue featured absolutely brutal reproduction. The profile of Ed Economy’s collection was particularly awful. It was embarrassing to show advertisers, and I was thoroughly mortified at the disaster I had published. I was determined to press on, but it was truly a painful time. The cover story on the Hangar Bowl provided readers with a taste of the sheer intensity and madness that continue to rage to this day.

Editorial Excerpts: “Thinking Outside of the Bowl” Changing skaters’ perceptions is something I am very much committed to – it’s one of the reasons I started this magazine. I’d rather be riding in a tunnel than have tunnel vision. But I don’t stop at skaters. Kudos to those stores that make the effort to offer a wide variety of products, and make older skaters feel comfortable.”

As skaters, we must strive not to be boxed in by our own preconceived ideas. Thinking differently is a cornerstone of what it means to be skater. Expressions like “That’s not possible,” “I’m not going to try that” or “We would never carry that” should be banned from our vocabulary.

Vol. 1 No. 3 – November 2002 We began the late fall of 2002 with a new designer and a custom cover from Wes Humpston. This was the first time I wrote “The Fine Print,” which has now become one of the most-read parts of the magazine. We also introduced the Artist Profile section. I am proud of the coverage we’ve given female skaters, and Denise Williams did a terrific job giving an overview of the worldwide scene. A profile of Mike Teele, “The Skateboard Pimp,” remains one of my favorite pieces, if only because it contains a photo of a skeleton holding a skateboard!

Vol. 1 No. 4 – Spring 2003 A trip to Florida led to an opportunity to feature Alan “Ollie” Gelfand on the cover. Gregg Carroll, one of the stars of the 1965 short film “Skaterdater,” provided won-

derful insights into that golden time. “Confessions of Skateboard Heretic” by Dan Gesmer and a profile of Factory 13 were the start of the magazine profiling unique individuals who have contributed so much to the industry.

This issue marked the first time I started working with Mark Tzerelshtein, a.k.a. Markintosh. I am grateful to be able to work with such a terrific designer. Thank you, Mark, for your outstanding dedication to Concrete Wave.

Editorial Excerpts: “Seeds, Roots and Branches” As with most organic things, however, most people can’t see the roots of change as they spread. Change takes time, so for the sake of this editorial, let’s fast forward a little bit. When the groundswell of change finally breaks through and alters the landscape, many skateboarders will be quite shocked. Some might wonder where the change came from or why it happened. But you know the answers. You were there planting the seeds and tending to the roots a long time ago!

Vol.1 No,3

Vol.1 No,2

Vol. 2 No. 1 – Fall 2003 Putting Tom “Wally” Inouye on the cover meant we had that much more canvas to work with, as this marked our move to a wider format! Adding that extra inch seem to really make things come together. The portfolio piece from Scott Starr allowed me to reprint the most reproduced skate photo of all time – Scott’s shot of Roger Muller that graced the cover of Concrete Wave (the book).

We caught up with Bruce Logan, who by 2003 had started to turn his life around. A few years later, I was privileged to skate for Bruce and show him my nose wheelies that he had inspired. “The Screaming Hand of Jim Phillips” celebrated this iconic artist and eventually led to a custom cover in 2006.

Vol.1 No,4

Vol.2 No,1

Vol. 2 No. 3 – Holidays 2003 When I skimmed through this issue I was amazed at the variety we incorporated in 64 pages. We had an interview with Duane Peters, a wrap-up on the slalom season, a profile of Isabelle Fried, a journey to Skatopia and a tribute to Cherry Hill Skatepark. We even covered Cliff Coleman (the Slide Ruler), layback legend Jay Smith and the ditches of Albuquerque, N.M. And this was only half the issue! By this time, it was getting time to quit the day job (I had been discovered working on the magazine at my full-time job in August). So by the time October 2003 rolled around, I gracefully retired from the 9 to 5 treadmill and joined up with those who toil from 9 to 9!

+1”

Vol.2 No,5

Vol. 2 No. 5 – Spring 2004 This was the first time we ran a double cover. The shot of Wentzle Ruml IV by Glen E. Friedman from 1977 contrasted with the modern-day shot of Doug “Pineapple” Saladino. This issue also contains one of the most sought-after articles in the history of the magazine – “The Truth About Bearings,” by our senior editor, Blair Watson.

Blair has been a very strong supporter of CW over the years and puts up with a huge amount of my lunacy!

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 77

Vol. 3 No. 1 – Summer 2004 Vol.3 No,1

Vol.3 No,3

This issue we hit 92 pages and presented readers with a massive 10,000-plus-word story on the life and times of Harvey Hawks. Seven years after this article was published, Harvey is still incarcerated, but there is hope that he’ll be released soon. My interview with legendary artist V.C. Johnson only scratched the surface. He is one of the most spiritual people you’ll ever meet. And six years later, the skate world was overjoyed to hear that he’d reunited with Powell.

Editorial Excerpts: “The Skate Matrix” When you talk to skaters who are only familiar with shortboarding (i.e. rails and ledges), it’s often quite amazing to see their reaction to the other types of skateboarding that are available. When they try softer wheels, highly responsive trucks and bigger/wider boards, it’s as if they enter a whole new world of skateboarding.

Vol. 3 No. 2 – Fall 2004 The tribute to Jim Phillips and his “Screaming Hand” remains a highlight for me. Jim is a very humble individual, and his contributions to skate art are matched only by the amount of influence he’s had on the thousands of artists he’s inspired. Jim’s artwork has also stoked the hell out of millions of skaters worldwide. Although we phased out the “Next Wave” section a while back, it should be noted that we have in fact featured some pretty amazing up-andcomers, including a profile of Nic and Tristan Puehse, the youngest pros ever signed to Nike.

Vol.3 No,4

Vol.4 No,1

Editorial Excerpts: “School’s Out” No matter what the label (old, new, geezer or hesher), the fact remains that each generation has something to offer.

Vol. 3 No. 3 – Holidays 2004 We finally hit 100 pages, and in celebration, I decided to do something unique. We actually published two front covers on a gatefold sleeve. Steve Olson’s cover combined vert with slalom to really show the skate world that variety truly is the spice of life! The “Next Wave” section now reads like a Who’s Who of the skate world: Sky Siljeg (then 9), Taylor Bingaman, Joe McLaren and Apryl Woodcock. A six-page feature on Vancouver’s epic longboarding scene remains one of my favorites, as it allowed me to combine the words “longboarding” and “epidemic” in the headline.

Vol.4 No,2

“Fine Print” Excerpt: If there are 15 million skaters worldwide and a few million each year stayed with skateboarding, the cumulative effects would be awesome. It would mean more customers stay with skateboarding, which in turn would mean more sales. Why limit skateboarding to just one demographic? More variety means there goes the attrition problem!

Vol. 4 No. 1 – Summer 2005 Many visitors to Silverfish Longboarding might have wondered about the history of the site. In this issue, Jeff Gaites and photographer Francois Portmann journeyed to Virginia Beach to interview Marcus Vorwaller, the founder of Silverfish. Marcus said, “Longboarding serves an entrée into all sorts of topics, and friendships begin. Silverfish is the medium, and longboarding serves as an excellent facilitator with many other common interests…” Malakai Kingston and Erik Basil have since brought their expertise to the site, and now it routinely receives more than a hundred million page views a month. The following issue marked the beginning of the “’Fish Report.”

Vol. 4 No. 2 – Fall 2005 Slalom has always been featured in Concrete Wave, but like the tides, coverage has ebbed and flowed. Same goes with freestyle. We try to cover as much as we can, but jamming it all in 100 pages can be a very difficult experience. I am highlighting this story because it was a great way to communicate the passion folks have for slalom. It also has a rather unusual layout and color.

The story about the New York City race in Central Park with 56 entrants laid the foundation for the 2010 Broadway Bomb, when more than 600 longboarders showed up!

While Punk Rock Skateboards may have moved on, this ad remains of the most memorable I’ve ever published. Truly bizarre, but fun!

Editorial Excerpts: “It’s the Journey, Not the Destination” I can’t tell you what will happen next month, or next year.

All I know is that when the dust settles, the efforts of so many people to bring variety within skateboarding will lead to a healthier skate environment. It may take years, it may take decades, but we’ll get to our destination. In the interim, we should take time to enjoy the journey.

Vol. 5 No. 3 – Holidays 2006 Vol. 3 No. 4 – Spring 2004

Vol.5 No,3

This issue featured a story about Benjamin Jordan written by Jeff Gaites. This marked the first time that Jeff had contributed to Concrete Wave and eventually it led to him launching his own longboard magazine in 2010 for the New York community. I was particularly proud to publish a story on riders who had amputations and were riding with artificial limbs.

Talk about inspirational!

“A Man and Two Ghosts” should have won a Pulitzer Prize for the most soulful skateboard article ever written. At 18,000 words and 28 pages, it was by far the biggest feature story I’d ever commissioned. The author and photographer was none other than Mörizen Föche, a.k.a. Mofo. The death of Fausto Vitello, the co-founder of Independent Trucks, Thrasher magazine and numerous other ventures was combined with a deeply moving tribute to Mofo’s father, Butch. Words cannot do

this story justice. It remains one of the best things I’ve ever published. We went over 100 pages for this issue, and it was well worth it. Other highlights included a Rogers Brothers interview, a tribute to Warren Bolster and a profile of the Asphalt Amazons. It was a heavy-duty issue.

“Fine Print” Excerpt: I have a sign in my office that says “one rider at a time, one reader at a time and one subscriber at a time.” My philosophy is about connecting with folks individually.

Sure, this can take a long time, but it builds something into Concrete Wave that I think is remarkable. In this day of Internet mania (today, as I write this, Google announced that it bought YouTube), I think establishing a real tangible connection is crucial... The fact that corporations runs by bean counters are running amok in skateboarding gives me some cause for concern. But I am sure you’d agree the brilliant thing about skateboarding is that it always sorts itself out (at least it does, most of the time!). When the mass market gets bored with skateboarding and the bean counters move onto “the next big thing,” we’ll still be here, skating and publishing.

Vol. 5 No. 5 – Spring 2007 This was our first cover with an actual longboarder.

Not sure why it took that long, but it set a precedent.

It celebrated the Speedboarder of the Year, Mischo Erban. However, the cover was actually a photo of Steve Daddow. We also featured a six-page story on helmets. The intro set the tone: For most skaters, helmets and safety gear are a personal choice. Some ride with safety gear, some do not.

Open up most skateboard magazines and you will rarely see skaters wearing safety gear. Again, it’s a personal choice, but for many of our readers, they dig the fact that we are not afraid to publish photos of skaters with safety gear. But we wanted to take things up a few notches. We felt it was high time to bring the issue of helmets under the microscope and really put some focus on skating safe.

Vol. 6 No. 3 – Holidays 2007 Our first slalom cover, featuring Jason Mitchell.

This issue contains a devastating piece about the accident suffered by John Van Hazinga. John was an avid longboarder and owner of Riding High skate shop. Although he was wearing a helmet, John was involved in a horrifying crash that left him in a coma.

His recovery was documented in painstaking detail.

From CAT scans to feeding tubes, John’s mother, Lauren Shade, shared her most intimate thoughts, providing our readers with much to think about.

Vol. 7 No. 3 – Holidays 2008 Over the past four years, Concrete Wave has forged a special relationship with the International Gravity

Sports Association, headed by Marcus Rietema.

Marcus works tirelessly, traveling around the world putting on events. His organizational skills are matched only by his talent for writing. Marcus captures the essence of the racing action, and we’re proud to be his print media partner. Photographer Jon Huey nails the exuberance of Pender Harbour’s very own Scoot Smith, joyful in the knowledge that he’s just secured first place at Maryhill.

“Fine Print” Excerpt: The way I see it, for many skate companies and skate shops going through this period of “business turbulence,” they must regard themselves as pilots and not passengers. It will require creativity and an immense amount of strength to weather this storm, but it is doable.

Vol.5 No,5

Vol.8 No,4

Vol. 8 No. 5 – Spring 2010 We’ve gone back and forth on the question of “Should we put text on the cover?” This is an example of just letting the cover be the cover. Adding words would have just ruined this shot of Adam Colton (taken by Jonathan Jelkin). For this issue, we decided to really start focusing on longboarding. The story on longboarding in New York City and the interviews with Adam Colton and longboard pioneer Ed Economy gave readers a wide-ranging historical perspective.

Vol. 9 No. 5 – Spring 2011 Editorial Excerpt: “The Big Picture” When you take a moment to reflect on what’s been accomplished over the past few years, you’ll realize just how fortunate we are to be part of this incredible movement.

Vol.8 No,5

The Spine of CW… Many people don’t know that ever since Vol. 6 No. 4, I started to put quotations on the spine of the magazine.

Don’t believe me?

Take a peek.

Below are some of my favorites: • Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. – Albert Einstein • First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. – Mahatma Gandhi • As seen in an elevator at Ogilvie and Mather Advertising: “Be nice to the people on the way up, because you never know who you’ll meet on the way down.”

• The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. – Nelson Henderson CW Vol.6 No,3 SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 79

Kevin Reimer: White Lightning strikes on a bluebird day in Colorado.

80 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

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PAGAN RITUALS AT THE 2011

BUFFALO BILL DOWNHILL

By JASON SALFI Photos: LAURA KEENEY

OK

, let’s get something straight. We are at 7,500 feet of elevation at a veritable 360degree vista in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains overlooking Golden, Colorado. So, “What the f*** don’t you understand about the sound of a horn?” It means get the f*** out of the way. We are here to skateboard on a winding track of perfection.

Don’t know what I am talking about? I am talking about Justin DuBois’ race event management style: direct, efficient, brilliant, and to me, poetic. Maybe you are just too used to standing around and not getting more than 200 miles of freeriding and racing per person done in one weekend. To put that into more perspective, considering that there were 138 racers and 60 volunteers that were allowed to self-manage and score runs all day, more than 30,000 miles of downhill skateboarding got done on a four-mile stretch of hill in two days. This is Jason Salfi from Comet Skateboards coming at you; the guy who hands out PBRs with whatever arm isn’t broken and misspells your name on the Wheel of Death (tell you more about that later). With no corporate sponsorship and a ton of DIY work ethic, Justin DuBois and his posse, including his beautiful wife, Karla, run the best weekend of downhill skateboarding in the USA. BTW, a big shout out to Ty Visser for his starting line prowess and excellent timing with firing the primitive powder musket!

After the race, I sat down with Justin to get the origin story of the race and some of the RADO downhill skateboard scene straight.

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 81

Before this modern incarnation of downhill skateboarding, if you mentioned Colorado to anyone in the DH world, they would say, “Have you ever met Rob McKendry III?” These days you will hear a few new names like Coop (Kevin Cooper), Zak Maytum, Kyle Wester, Joel Putrah, Calvin Staub and Kawika Omoto.

Among others equally as important, each of these people was crucial in gathering critical mass for the inception of the event and the blossoming skate scene in Rado. However, it would remiss not to tip the hat to another OG hill ripper named Gary Fluitt. Gary has been shredding roundwall and cones since the ’70s, getting faster every year in leathers, and was instrumental in getting the BBDH off the ground.

Skateboarding in Colorado is like a hybrid of pool skating and rock climbing. “We are always on the search for a new pass, pulling groms along for the adventure,” says Justin. The hills are shared with friends. The word slowly gets out and eventually you see once-secret spots in magazines. Fifty years ago, rock climbing was what downhill skateboarding now is in Colorado. There were no guidebooks, and new routes were found by pure wanderlust. Downhill skating in the Rockies takes the same kind of

Team Meth Hammer – Zak Maytum and Kyle Martin – placed first and second in the semi-finals, giving them a default tie win due to the canceled finals.

Air Traffic Controller / Race Announcer Bricin “Striker” Lyons high above all the action.

With style like this, it's no wonder George Mackenzie rides for Sector 9

research and is driven by adrenaline, and that is where fellow Pagan skater Coop thrives. Coop is in the zone when it is the hairiest, which is why the ethic that he and Dubois instill in the next generation is pushing downhill skating to new levels and kids like Maytum and Staub have put this place on the map.

That said, I asked Justin why he organizes a race in Colorado – where the authorities, known to confiscate boards until you appear to in court to pay your fine for “playing on the highway,” are not exactly friendly to longboarders.

“Even though we always need to balance between blowing out the scene and growing and sharing our passion with the next generation,” he says, “it seemed timely to share what a gem Colorado is with the downhill skate scene – similar to how Coast Longboarding established western Canada as a stronghold in downhill skate-

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boarding. Zak [Maytum] was tight with Gary through the slalom scene. There was a lot of new DH skating going on, and one day Gary took it upon himself to get the permit for the race. After that it was a necessary community service for me to step in and fill the void.”

Thankfully, Justin got handed the permit and ran with it.

If you have ever been to an organized downhill event, you have probably scratched your head at why, how and maybe even if anything was going to get done – especially when it comes to riding – and hastily denounced the organization with the proverbial “if I was in charge, I would … ” To that Justin clearly says, “Organizing an event is a lot of work. It is tiring, and thankless at times, although a rush like no other. The logistics are maddening, not to mention the day of chaos. Everyone

does his or her best. Don’t complain – it is a blessing to have any hill closed to skate.” The Pagan Downhill ethos stems from “running it just like I would want to

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For some people, Sharpies can be a gateway drug. When they start drawing on each other, things can get a little weird...

Pegan U-Haul

skate it,” says Dubois. “Control the chaos but minimize rules. Let it all go, be irreverent, and let it be what it is, skateboarding on a hill.” He adds that “Deano [Ozuna, organizer of the Maryhill Freeride] has been a major inspiration for how to run it.”

On to the race … In its first year BBDH attracted 48 racers to the hill. In year two there were 96. This year, the third, the race was capped at 140 and sold out in three hours. You can read just about any blog out there – skatehousemedia.com, skateslate.com, wheelbase.com, to name a few – to get the vibe The freeriding was savage: relentless packs of dozens of skaters ripping down the hill with Skatie Katie tearing it up on Zak’s Ducati all day. U-Hauls were maxed out with skaters riding on the roof, hood and anywhere else you could stow yourself. The slashing of the hill was next-level for sure, ending up with more than 150 spins of the “Wheel of Death.”

For those of you that don’t know about keeping it Pagan, you’ve got to know more about the Wheel of Death. Most races have qualifiers to determine the first heats. Pagan Downhill leaves it up to a spin of the wheel with all the names of racers penned on. As Venom founder and lead sponsor of the race Zak Maytum says, “The wheel is neither just, random nor fair.” Interventions happen when necessary. For example, to spur more rivalry, the wheel was rigged to pair Coop and Andrew Chapman in the first heat so they could revisit their pushing match from last year.

If James Kelly were racing, he surely would have been paired again with Joel Putrah, after those two were throwing down hockey style as James turned the hay bales into boards on the last turn in 2010. The wheel included slots that would win you the chance to get a battery-powered PBR shot gun, masterminded by Venom, or a sleeving, which entailed the sleeves of your T-shirt being torn off while everyone shouted wildly. S**t is raw, and that is Pagan.

Day two was race day. To begin the day there were

More people were hurt crashing skateboards than crashing helicopters at the Buffalo Bill Downhill.

30-plus heats determined by the Wheel of Death, gradually whittling the racers down to a final four of Maytum, Kevin Reimer, Alex Tongue and Kyle Martin.

Unfortunately, that is the way it would stay. As you know if you have a pulse and any modern form of media, at 2 p.m., just before the final heat, a helicopter crashed in the narrow strip of steep scree between Turn 3 (the Gooch) and Turn 5 (where the PDX van, Bricin Lyons on the mic and 100 racers and spectators were chilling out). The chopper came in cresting the vast mountain-lined sky and within minutes, the RPMs suddenly dropped dangerously low.

Once the pilot knew he was past the point of no return, he accurately guided the whirlybird to the steep-angled loose dirt and rock scree hillside just feet away from racers and spectators alike.

This all happened while riders were on the course, one of whom was Coop (the man behind the Pagan BBDH after-party that features a six-foot halfpipe, epic music, launch ramp over a bonfire, ziplines, rock climbing and axe throwing. Big ups to him and Shelly).

As Coop slid around the big right-hand turn named the Gooch, the chopper was bouncing off small trees and snapping off its rear stabilizer blade. Coop recounted the event to Bricin, K-Rimes, myself and, later, the Denver news by saying, “I just dropped into my fastest tuck to avoid the shrapnel and safely navigate to my wife, daughter and parents at the next corner.”

After the life-saving chopper landing, its passengers – Pete and Brent, good friends of Pagan; plus a seasoned heli-ops pilot – jumped out, dodging further chaos. Pete, shaking with adrenaline, kept his camera rolling as he scurried down the steep hillside, dodging the spinning prop of the chopper. Meanwhile, people were jumping off of the PDX bus and Bricin was stuck on top of the scaffolding, continuing to give play-byplay action (not a swear word mumbled) amid the spinning propeller bouncing off trees and dirt aimed right at him as hundreds of people scattered.

DuBois later recounted, “There was no way to anticipate the potential carnage from an innocent helicopter swooping in for some epic footage. But once things started to unfold, I felt mellow once I knew no one was hurt. This will definitely be in the longboard hall of fame.”

This is more vestige of the BBDH organizer’s cool.

Looking into the future: perhaps remote control drones?

Next year the event will be bigger than ever.

Planning is already under way. Be on the lookout for jumbo video screens, bleachers, Denver Broncos cheerleaders and more. In closing, Justin would like to thank all that helped make it happen: Venom Racing, Ed’s Cantina, Comet Skateboards, Caliber Trucks, BC Longboards, TimeShip Racing, Never Summer, Munkae, Landyachtz, Predator and Coast Longboarding.

With each year, the Buffalo Bill Downhill increases in popularity. As a result, parking becomes more difficult, as evidenced by this helicopter.. CW

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 83

WELCOME TO Vancouver

By GREG NICHOLLS

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E

ven though it seems like it’s always raining, Vancouver remains one of the top longboard destinations of the world. Built on mountainous terrain, Vancouver is full of amazing hills for all types of riding at all skill levels. Whether you’re looking to session some challenging switchbacks, perfect your tuck, rip up some parking garages or cruise the scenic seawall, you will find what you are looking for. But Vancouver isn’t one of the world’s hot spots just because of great terrain to skate. A larger contributing factor has been the scene created by guys like Bricin Lyons, the man behind Coast Longboarding, along with Tom Edstrand and Mike Perreten, who started Landyachtz Longboards. When these guys started well over a decade ago, longboarding was virtually unknown in Vancouver. PD of Skull Skates was putting on his annual cemetery race and some cruises but there was really no downhill scene.

When the boys from Landyachtz met up with Bricin from Coast, things started to change. After years of spreading stoke they built a solid longboard scene, which perpetuated so drastically over the years that it now has become part of Vancouver’s culture. We got some of the veterans of Vancouver longboarding to weigh in on their favorite spots.

Tom Edstrand and Brian Elderkin Photo: Mike Perreten

THE NORTH SHORE

By TOM EDSTRAND

T

he North Shore of Vancouver is a residential area built at the base of three ski mountains. It’s also the training ground for many top racers and has produced three world champions in the past decade.

Nestled in this residential area is a plethora of great runs for carving and freeriding that take you from a beautiful viewpoint 3,000 feet above sea level right down to the Pacific Ocean. These runs are filled with switchbacks, banked driveways for slashing and all kinds of obstacles to keep you on your toes. Two of the mountains also have 10-km access roads that are a blast for high-speed bombing. There are also six skateparks on the North Shore, making it one of the most complete skateboard regions in the world.

Mike McGoldrick and Travis Craig Photo: Nate Lang

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ALLEY SKATING

By RYAN THEOBALD

I

Kyle Martin hits the North Shore.

Photo: Carly Richardson

Growing up on the North Shore meant riding hills was a huge part of your skating. In the mid-’80s there were only two skateparks on the North Shore, so we built ramps and skated hills. Inspired by the Bones Brigade and the movie Thrashin’, we used a concoction of skate and hockey pads to help us rip the steep hills.

After moving away from the area, I found myself back on the North Shore in the late ’90s, building boards with my childhood friend and co-founder of Landyachtz, Michael Perreten. Mike’s parents lived on one of the steepest hills on the North Shore, and they graciously allowed us to build boards in their garage and basement. We usually finished off our work day by going for a ride and testing our new creations. Our boards became a product of the environment, and we focused on building boards that could conquer these insane hills. The next summer we found a local snowboard company that was willing to sublease us 350 square feet of space in lower North Vancouver. Still close to these mountains, our focus stayed on freeride/downhill boards, and this type of riding began to gain popularity.

With the growth of longboarding over the past decade, the North Shore has become a mecca for longboarders. It’s not uncommon to see a group of 20 or more riders shredding on one of the many sick runs. You’re likely to meet up with some of the best freeriders in the world, and they may teach you a thing or two. Pro rider Mike Benda often gets newer riders together on the North Shore, shows them some cool spots and gives them some tips on their riding.

And because Vancouver is a rapidly growing city, even more hills on the North Shore are being paved – which means more and more great runs to explore every year.

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grew up in the suburbs skating big, wide, well-paved roads. They were fast, and some were pretty challenging, but they all felt the same. When I moved to East Vancouver in 2006 and began skating back alleys, though, it was a total game changer. East Van has all types of alleys –long alleys ideal for cruising with friends, plus some of the steepest, most intimidating terrain. The cruisers are more laid back, fun for all skill levels, and there are always interesting finds on evening rides. The more challenging alleys are super-steep, with wicked banks on either side. The banks are perfect for superhard carving and throwing a slash on each side of the road, ripping back and forth. They also create ideal opportunities for early grabbing and threading the needle between telephone poles and fences. I fell in love with cruising mellow alleys at night with friends, and daytime sessions moved from the big roads on the North Shore to the steep, technical alleys of East and South Van. The South Van alleys have taken on a cultlike status and following. Liam McKenzie and Phillip Lemire were the guys who introduced me to South Van – a dream come true when it comes to diverse, fun and safe skate terrain. The south-facing neighborhood has long alleys that arc and weave their way toward the Fraser River below. There are several known runs that have features galore: banks, drops, grass rides, hippie jumps, hairpin paths, golf course trails – the list is endless. And they’re changing all the time; people repave their driveways, heavy rains erode part of an old bank, new houses get built and schoolyards are being renovated.

Next time you’re skating home from the grocery store, get off that road or sidewalk and hit the alley. Shred it up!

Kyle Martin finds a sweet spot.

Photo: Carly Richardson

CONCRETEWAVEMAGAZINE.COM

Ryan Theobald: "The banks are perfect for superhard carving and throwing a slash on each side of the road."

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 87

Kyle cruises by the site of the 1986 Expo.

Photo: Carly Richardson

88 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

There is just so much terrain to skate in Vancouver. Blake Startup and Andrew Chapman.

Photo: Adrian English

CRUISING VANCOUVER C

ruising is probably my favorite type of skating, and Vancouver has some choice terrain for cruising. There is a bunch of different ways to roll, from organized group cruises to solo grocery runs after work.

One of the most famous Vancouver longboard sessions is Coast Longboarding’s Vancouver Seawall Cruise. The seawall is a 22-km path that runs alongside the ocean. It’s a great cruise and a prime way to see Vancouver’s landscape and features. When Bricin Lyons first organized this event more than 10 years ago, only six of us showed up – but it turned into an awesome day of skating. Since then that event has grown so much that hundreds of people now show up for it annually.

Another well-known Vancouver cruise is the Seymour Demonstration Forest, which is a fantastic 10-km paved trail that is closed to motorized vehicles.

The Demonstration Forest is also home to the annual King of the Forest push race.

Last year’s Go Skateboarding Day seawall cruise also turned into a great skate. For me the highlight of that cruise wasn’t just the feeling of rolling along with buddies and exposing more people to the joys of longboarding, but also the solo skate home through the back streets of Vancouver.

Some of my favorite and most memorable Vancouver cruises over the past couple of years aren’t necessarily all big group rides. A great thing about going for cruises in Vancouver is that it’s so easy to do, because there is so much good terrain to skate. Not much planning is needed. Plus there are bike lanes throughout downtown, so you don’t have to worry so much about traffic.

Last summer I found myself with a few hours to

By MIKE PERRETEN

spare on a beautiful Sunday, so I decided to pop out for a little cruise. I grabbed a super-carvey setup, walked out my door and tried riding a new alley down to the seawall. That alley has subtle banks perfect for slashing and almost no traffic, which seems crazy considering it cuts right through downtown Vancouver.

The alley ends up only a few hundred meters from the seawall, so I made my way down to the seawall and continued rolling pleasantly along enjoying the gorgeous scenery. After a few kilometers along the seawall, I followed a bike path over the Burrard Street Bridge. Like most bridges, it has an uphill hill push for the first half, but it rewards the rider with a nice sustained downhill for the second part. So after a nice bomb down the other side of the bridge, I started making my way home with a new favorite run under my belt. CW

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 89

SKATE TIPS >>

vs.

MAN

CURB

Words and riding by PAUL KENT Photos by JEFF WILKINS

Y

ou’re skating along a city street when your path becomes blocked by a curb. You hop off and then give frantic chase to your board – picking it up moments before it would have struck the curb.

You throw it onto the sidewalk and awkwardly hop back onto it. Just then you notice a troop of street skaters snickering, and you ride away, head down, tail between your legs.

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? If yes, then I’m here to help. This article outlines my personal three favorite techniques to negotiate that pesky curb (or any other obstacle) with style and finesse.

1. METHOD FASTPLANT In my opinion, this is the most stylish of the three moves. Use this to clear small objects like curbs or parking blocks – and you can tackle larger objects if they happen to be sloped. This is a fairly slow-speed move, but that depends on your board. The deck height, wheel size and length of your kicktail (if any) will determine your speed and the size of obstacle you can clear. Experiment with different speeds, boards and terrain.

• Approach your enemy, or in this case the obstacle you wish to tame.

• Squint your eyes and look extra mean.

• Your rear foot goes on the edge of your tail. If you don’t have a tail just use the edge of your baseplate and think happy thoughts.

• Remove your front foot and step toward your heelside onto the obstacle, i.e. left side for regular, right for goofy.

• Let the board pop up under the weight of your rear foot. Feel free to stomp the foot or give the tail a little scoop by bringing your rear foot in toward the object a few inches just before it hits the ground.

• Grab the deck and lift it up. Take your lead hand and grab the front of the heelside rail. This is called a method grab.

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• Jump ultra high off your front foot, all the while keeping your back foot as close to the tail as possible (purely for style). This is easier with more tail.

• With your lead hand, keep a strong hold of the board and push the front end forward while lifting the rear by tilting your wrist forward and down. As soon as the board is level and your knees are both super high, let go of the board.

• Place both feet over the deck with a shoulder-wide spacing. Keep your feet level with the ground or the board will roll sideways.

• Push that board back down to Mother Earth. And soak up the shock with your knees.

2. FLAT TOP The flat top is a great move to clear even large obstacles. And I’ve found the first part of the move – the pop and catch – to be the most useful trick I’ve learned other than sliding. It can be used for quick turnarounds or for covering brief distances on foot. It can also be a great way to dismount in a crowded area.

• Begin by skating up to the obstacle.

• Place your rear foot as you would for a boneless.

• Bend your knees, then step off with your front foot toward your toeside edge while simultaneously stomping your rear foot into the ground. The board should pop upright.

• Reach for the toeside edge of the deck with your lead hand. You’ll want to turn your thumb down toward the ground as you do this. Then grab the deck with a firm grip.

• Take two steps in total. You should have already taken the first with your front foot; the next step should be a big leap off of your rear leg. Jump super high and suck your knees into your chest.

• While all this running is going on you should turn the board 180 degrees. To do this I’d focus on rotating your elbow downward and pulling it back.

You also need to direct the deck under your feet.

The deck should become level to the ground.

• Hold the deck still for a very brief moment so it stops its flat spin. Then let go just before you push your feet out to contact the deck.

• Ensure your feet are level with the ground and push the board toward it.

• Land with your weight centered between your feet and absorb the landing by crouching.

• Laugh in triumph while the defeated concrete basks in the shadow of its new master!

3. EARLY GRAB The early grab is a versatile move because it can be used while riding much faster than the other techniques I outline here – although it can’t be used to get up anything much higher than a curb. Its primary worth is clearing large cracks or dropping down sets of stairs.

• As you approach the obstacle, drop down forcefully into a crouch. This crouch should be mostly over your front foot. You can let your back foot roll forward a few degrees.

• Bounce your butt off of your calves. At the same time, grab the deck just behind your front foot with your lead hand (method grab).

• Explode upward and powerfully raise your rear shoulder. Make sure you are not “girly grabbing” (sorry, ladies, I don’t name this stuff) – that is, don’t grab the board with your rear hand. Keep your back hand free and high as if you were slinging a lasso! Haw! For extra height try pulling your nose up and leaning back during the explosion. Then lurch forward to level out as soon as your front wheels clear the start of your obstacle. If you’d really like to spice this up, experiment with placing your rear foot on your tail or baseplate (with grip tape) and push your rear foot down as you pull the nose up. You’ll stand up tall and you’ll scrape your tail if you have one. Then transfer your weight forward to level out. This works great for curbs when not rolling super fast and it is the coolest variation of the early grab.

Now smile. You’re ready to go forth and reclaim your dignity from the city streets. CW

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SKATE AROUND THE WORLD >>

SKATE PAIN rrez é LONA, S BARCE tonio Sánchez Guti An Photo:

2011

HIGHLIGHTS GreenSkate has a simple but powerful mission: to celebrate and encourage the low impact of longboarding on our environment as an eco-efficient form of travel and recreation. The following are reports from the various cities that participated from Apr. 15-24, 2011.

BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA The Bogota GreenSkate unfortunately got rained out. This didn’t stop 20 dedicated local riders from showing up anyway. As we pushed around the city some drivers gave us a thumbs-up as we passed by. We ended the day with a mini slide session. We want to repeat this event more often – maybe tomorrow!

– Sebastian Niño

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MEXICO GUADALAJARA,over Mexico gathered in Guadalajara for t 6 kilo-

COLOGNE, GERM ANY

Photo: Dong-In Lee

& Heiko

all abou ds and rode for 200+ riders from got on our boar We ed a giant . m 11 for 20 te We ka y.

GreenS streets of our cit ain m e reading th sp of d e meters on on ery red light an d of the our boards at ev g en e tin th lif , At ve . ed wa n ss gree is huge group pa th finished re d he an yw er ion tit ev the stoke freestyle compe a d an ic us m . e sage route we had liv livered the mes . I believe we de – Claudio Uribe with Tarp Surfing

ll of pashills but fu , GERMANY stacle they HAMBURG amburg, city of (almost) no ob d an e op r sl d

H ve , cruise Welcome to oarders ripping whate people met eb 50 of these t es just ou ut ab in y, m sionate skat r several nice Sunda fo a ut n O bo d! da r sliding, fo fin can d a roun rite spot city, blocke of their favo uing, listening to s w do ea through the m g, barbeq invaded the time skatin g out for a for fun and had a good and hangin ne er yo ay er pl ev te et ss ca where l oo an old-sk hmann n! music from – Claudia Le – going gree e os enberg rp os pu R s good Photo: Jani

OATIA ZAGREB, CR oo Photo: Zedo

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 93

MILAN, ITALY Eskate ASD has promoted together with GreenSkate, a non-profit international organization, the GreenSkate day in Milan, involving tens of longboarders as a unique “green cloud,” showing citizens and institutions that there are alternatives to typical urban transport systems such as cars, motorcycles and scooters. Urban raids on our longboard, about 10 kilometers in the center and the middle of Milan’s streets, inside the traffic of a fast (too fast) city! But this city needs to understand that the “green cloud” goes slow, goes clean and does it for them too, for nature, for the future of the world.

– Lorenzo Galimberti

PARIS, FRANCE

UBLIC CH REP ud to E Z C , E PRAGU epublic was pro the

ch R kate in The Cze r GreenS rague. first eve P s f it o e y v it a c h al push the capit ed 8-km x la heart of re a s and a s w t rk n a e The ev e city’s p th f o is year e h n T o Vltava. r through e v rt ri in e ma to suppo along th 30 riders came nce a h c a n a y n more th gave ma ate and up. The GreenSk ngboard in a gro wing, lo ro y g ll is to fina scene ate next ngboard k lo S n h e c e re z G C r e g ig b ta so expec it! s Kahle sh – Thoma year! Pu

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This day was one of the greatest for the Paris longboarding scene. Eighty persons took to the streets Apr. 16 to show how longboarding is healthy, easy to learn and ride, and how longboarding could be another way to exploit the streets and live in the city. Transportation is easy, but it’s easier when you can color the life and make pedestrians smile. This day was great. Stoke was all over the place, thanks to the GreenSkate initiative. Thanks, guys! See you next year for a new adventure on wheels!

– Marvin Thine

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N HINGTO E, WAS okane N A K O p SP s from S

er ar’s Local rid ther at this ye e share a g to to e te m a ca reenSk .and an G y a D Earth earth.. for the hitting passion er passion for iders p e 0r e 3 d n n a eve re th ets! Mo ane to the stre heart of Spok arts e hp th g u in t ro e th m in up ride ro own Ma g d a d e tak Park an area. t n o fr r ntown of Rive Ellwein the dow – Kevin Street in

ZÜRICH, SWITZERLA ND

For GreenSkate Zürich we did something out of the ordinary. Most people that attended expected us to go up and ride the local hill. Instead we follow ed a given route through the city and along the riverside, stopped at a shopping mall and went to BBQ at the lak eside.

This is where people could see us with our longboards and green shirts, hav ing fun on our “truly gre en means of transport.”

– Ramón Königshause n

SYDNEY, AUSTRA LIA

SAN PANCHO, MEXICO A tiny group in every possible way, eight riders ages 3 to 10 (plus parents). From the community center, we rode through the main street, to the beach and then the plaza. We picked up garbage and skated for hours.

The kids were proud and thrilled to be part of such a fun, meaningful event like GreenSkate. It’s amazing to plant this seed in San Pancho! Thanks to entreamigos.org.mx and treee.mx for their support!

A nice longboarde r crew showed up to celebrate and encourag e the low impact of longboard skatebo ards on our environ ment as a form of effectiv e transportation. It was an amazing day, wi th big support from ASRA, Hopkin Racing, Ro bbo, Bugs, Marek, etc., and everyone that ende d up showing up for a nice day of racing and en joying.

WARSAW, POLAND The GreenSkate in Warsaw took place Apr. 20 at 8:00 p.m., with more than 50 participants, representing the fast-growing and very active Warsaw longboard community. This time we were united to express our belief in longboarding as an effective and ecological means of city transportation. Our gathering and night ride through the city center, enhanced by the joy of one of the first warm evenings of the season, gave us a very successful event. I am happy that Warsaw is a part of the green skate movement.

– Marcin Eckert SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 95

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SURVEY SAYS: I

SAFETY at SPEED

By MIKE MAHONEY 100 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

t calls your name; it teases you in your dreams. You know the hill – the one that eludes you, the one that keeps you up at night, the next one on your list to bomb. We all have a new hill in our sights, and when you tame it there’s always another, begging to taste your urethane as you tuck, drift and slide your way from that dream into reality. When everything clicks, time seems to stop. The asphalt is a blur under your feet; it feels effortless. Something magical happens, and the stoke you feel lasts for days.

Leading up to this magical event, your mind dances with thoughts: How fast will this hill take me? What board, wheels, bushings should I use? You start to compile a mental list: Standard helmet or full-face? Leathers or pads? Who will I share this with? Can I make that hairpin? Speed check here, drift that corner, stay left to avoid pothole... We seek that feel of the stoke and the hill that will serve it up. We also want to be able to order up another plate of stoke tomorrow.

There are many variables to consider when riding a hill at speed, some of which you control and others you don’t. Before each and every speed run you should inspect your equipment. Look for cracks or delamination of your board. Small stress cracks around the mounting bolts aren’t a concern unless they penetrate more than one layer. If you are one who changes your wheels or bushings often, the more you remove the lock nut(s), the less effective the nylon becomes in locking that nut to the axle or kingpin. If you can turn the nut by hand, it’s past time to replace it, otherwise it will vibrate off and the wheel or hanger will follow. While your checking your nuts, check to see if your

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Photo: Jozy Brink

“SHARE YOUR STOKE. DON’T RIDE ALONE. WHEN YOU SHARE SOMETHING WITH SOMEONE THAT FEW OTHERS EXPERIENCE, THERE’S A UNIQUE BOND THAT FORMS. WHEN YOU SHARE THE STOKE WITH YOUR MATES YOU’VE ENTERED THE FRATERNITY WE CALL LONGBOARDING.” mounting hardware is tight. If your board is made of wood or has wood in its makeup, it will shrink and swell with the changes in weather and humidity, causing the bolts to loosen. Bushings are a personal choice and should be in good shape with no visible cracks or damage. The same goes for your wheels. Check your wheels for flat spots; the vibration they create will be magnified as your speed increases.

Once you have your board in order, pre-run the hill. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new hill or one you’ve run 100 times. Traffic, weather, road work and even people can change the conditions of the course to be run. The goal is to identify obstacles so they can easily be avoided. This can be done by first driving the hill or by walking it to closely inspect the surface conditions. Make note of traffic, parked cars, blind corners, driveways and side roads that cars may unexpectedly pull out of. Loose gravel, rocks, cracks, wet areas and potholes are especially troublesome. Remove what you can and learn to avoid the rest. Look for run-out areas or places you can quickly shut it down if needed.

Position spotters at blind corners and side streets to alert you of oncoming traffic. The faster you run a hill, the quicker you need to be able to react; prerunning a hill can buy you those lost seconds you may need.

The thrill that speed provides is the drug the hill is pushing. Controlling your speed is vital to managing your risks. You should be able to footbrake, slide/speed check and body/airbrake at a moment’s notice. Everyone has a maximum speed that they are comfortable with; know what yours is. This “comfortable” speed is one you are able to stop safely from. It’s good to push

Justin Roleau. Photo: Jay Vonesh

your limits – that’s how we improve. If you know where that line is, you can push yourself to it, step one foot over and be able to get back. The speed you’re comfortable with is different around a corner than it is on the straights.

On a new hill it’s a good idea to take the first run slow and increase your speed with each run until you find the “line.” Practicing your sliding and drifting techniques will help you manage your speed on the hill. Speed wobbles are never a good thing, and you should learn how to avoid and deal with them if they rear their ugly head (see article in previous issue). Your shoes should be in good shape and well secured in case you need to footbrake; leave the loafers and flip-flops at home.

Share your stoke. Don’t ride alone. When you share something with someone that few others experience, there’s a unique bond that forms.

When you share the stoke with your mates you’ve entered the fraternity we call longboarding.

Ride with someone who is predictable. Learn where their comfort zone is, how each they approach a turn, how they slide and stop. Communication is critical. Take a page from the Lycra-wearing, leg-shaving road cyclists and use hand signals. Develop a system of hand signals where you can notify riders behind you of an obstacle, traffic, a hard corner or when you’re going to throw down a slide or stop. This is good for the spotters to use as well. You’re not going to be able to hear a spotter or another rider with the wind howling in your ears as it forces the skin on your face tight, making you look like you just had Botox injections.

Speaking of hearing, I know many of you like to ride to your favorite tunes. Leave the headphones in the car. You want to be able to hear someone approaching from behind or from around the corner. I have come up on people wearing headphones and scared the s**t out if them because they could not hear me – even when I called out or yelled.

All this is for naught if you don’t take some basic precautions. A helmet, pads and gloves should be the minimum safety gear used when riding hills at speed. Typical skate helmets are not designed to take a fall at high speeds. As you become faster, you will want to look into a full-face helmet and a pair of leathers. Keep in mind that drivers and pedestrians are not expecting to see you on the road. Make yourself as visible as possible. Wear bright colors, and stand up when traffic approaches. Check the hill at different times of the day and ride when traffic is at a minimum.

You should know whom to call if a buddy gets hurt. Tell someone where you’re riding and when to expect you back. Carry your cell phone and have an ICE (In Case of Emergency) number. Emergency medical personnel know what this is and will look for it if you are unable to communicate.

On your journey to find the stoke, you can now approach that hill with confidence, knowing you’re prepared. You can face the challenges the asphalt brings to the table, feast on the stoke and walk away, ready to do it all again tomorrow. Ride Safe! CW DISCLAIMER: This article was written from the responses of more than 400 participants in a survey conducted by Concrete Wave. This article is in no way a complete guide to rider safety. Each circumstance has its own unique challenges, and it is expected that the rider evaluates them and adjusts his/her riding accordingly. Ride within your own ability!

SUMMER 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 101

AN EYE TO THE FUTURE Seismic’s Dan Gesmer Shares His Thoughts Daniel Gesmer founded Seismic Skate Systems in 1993. The company celebrated its 18th birthday in April, making it one of the oldest longboard brands in the world. Long noted for its high-rebound carving trucks and race wheels, Seismic is now branching out to many other product categories, including bearings and grommet-based trucks. We recently caught up with Dan, and he agreed to roll up his sleeves and share his frank thoughts in a freewheeling, take-noprisoners conversation on a variety of topics – ranging from the birth and evolution of Seismic, to the present state of skateboarding, to the future of the sport and the industry. >>

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What was the skate world like in 1993?

Well, I actually started working on advanced truck design in 1983, when I was still in college. Seismic introduced the first version of our spring-loaded carving truck 10 years later, in 1993.

That made it the first of the new generation of carving-oriented trucks. By that time, shortboard myopia was at its peak. If it wasn’t a flip-oriented street board with tiny, hard wheels, it wasn’t skateboarding. Downhill and slalom were taboo, and longboarding was a dirty word. Even ramp, pool and park riding were semi-marginalized.

What compelled you to start Seismic, and how does it feel to have been in the business for 18 years?

I was a pro flatland freestyle skater in the mid-1980s, with an artistic style based on pumping through my routines. I needed trucks with more power and steering precision. I needed them so bad that I pursued collaborations with the leading companies before going off on my own.

Over time the truck business has drawn me into other product categories – wheels starting in 2003, now bearings, and soon new decks and completes.

I’m grateful that I’ve had the wherewithal to succeed for this long. Call it talent, tenacity, destiny, luck or whatever.

And apparently 18 years in business is a good excuse for your friends and staff to arrange a surprise party in a strip club!

But ultimately I don’t know what else I would have done with myself. From the age of 19 I’ve felt a deep “calling” to develop advanced carving-oriented skateboard gear. I’m just doing what it seems like I’m supposed to be doing.

What was the initial reaction to Seismic?

In the early and middle 1990s, being a pioneer of the longboard renaissance meant being an outcast and a heretic – someone for the shortboard world to ridicule and ostracize. That’s usually the way it is for innovators and pathfinders. Those who’re afraid of change do their best to sideline the change-agents.

That dynamic played out in a very literal way with the leading skateboard trade journal of the era. The staff argued that the original Seismic carving

truck was “not a real skateboard product” and had “no place in the market.” Ultimately I persuaded the editor to run a fair article, but much of the shortboard world still bends over backwards to pretend that longboarding doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter.

What obstacles did you face and why?

In addition to resistance from the shortboard media, there simply was not much of a market for longboards back then – at least not outside coastal boardwalks and beach communities.

That’s ironic considering that longboarding was a respectable alternative in the mid-1970s through the mid1980s. In the late 1980s, the skateboard world underwent a Chinese-style “Cultural Revolution,” with the exiled “Gang of Four” being flatland freestyle, longboarding, downhill and slalom. By the early 1990s, most skateboard shops didn’t know how to sell carving-oriented products. In many cases, shop owners feared that even displaying non-shortboard gear would cost them street cred.

Who helped along the way?

Besides my family … I have to say that Jack Smith has been my biggest supporter, through thick and thin, since the day I met him in 1986 at the TransWorld Skateboarding Championships in Vancouver. Thanks, brother! More recently, Doug Baxendell of Catalyst Design has been a tremendous ally. But the full cast of friends, advocates and collaborators is too numerous to mention here.

How does it feel to see so many of your predictions come to pass?

You’re referring to an industry analysis that Salomon commissioned me to write in 1997. Concrete Wave has often remarked how that piece of writing predicted much of the longboard renaissance. It’s nice to be praised for having foresight 14 years ago, but I’m focused on current challenges and opportunities. The past is the past. It’s healthy to occasionally reflect on our previous triumphs and tragedies, but it’s our present choices that matter most.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future, and how?

We’re working as hard and as fast as we can to develop performance-oriented technologies that are two or more generations ahead of the pack. Our slogan “driven to innovate” is not an exaggeration. I’m obsessive-compulsive about this, and I’m not f***ing around.

I’m not arrogant about it, but I have a degree from Yale, and I’ve been intensely focused on R&D since the middle 1980s. For example, 20 years ago I was doing video analysis of skaters making turns at varying speeds, in order to evolve my original theories on steering dynamics and control. At the same time I was dialoguing with distinguished professors of mechanical engineering and consulting with experts in fields as diverse as bicycles and ice skate blades. That’s 25+ years of real research, real science, real engineering.

Seismic takes a stand that it knows more about the true dynamics of skateboard carving, control and speed than anyone in the business. Who else has developed a detailed mathematical model to describe both steering response and control factors? Ours was featured in Scientific American magazine way back in 1997. Who else has written an in-depth breakdown and how-to on pumping, one of the most nuanced techniques in longboarding? We did it more than 20 years ago. Who else has developed innovative weight-saving longboard wheel hubs and done rigorous speed testing with a Tag Heuer timing system?

That’s how Mischo Erban set a new official IGSA downhill speed world record last fall on our wheels.

Only this kind of rigorous R&D, over a significant timespan, positions you to do the serious innovating that will steer longboarding into the future. This is the stuff that separates the men from the boys, the true technology leaders from the marketing-oriented brands. And these are the solid foundations that Seismic is building on.

Those are strong words!

We’re not playing it safe. We chose the name “Seismic” because we’re committed to continually shaking up the skateboard market. Since our earliest beginnings in 1983, we’ve been dedi-

cated to engineering innovative products with breakthrough performance characteristics, and to encouraging diversity and forward evolution in skateboarding.

We believe our sport/art can grow and prosper on the back of the pure, openminded stoke that gave birth to it in the first place. It’s as simple as that, and we’ve got tunnel vision about it.

Tell us about the development of the new Tekton bearing, which is receiving a lot of attention.

I’ve been thinking about advanced bearing designs since 2006. I spent a few years pursuing a blue-sky concept that none of the factories could produce without extremely expensive new fixtures.

The Tekton was a rather spontaneous “Plan B” inspiration, and even this was a significant challenge to get manufactured. But it’s proving to be a big hit, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a genuine innovation that truly improves performance. We’re already working to expand on the new technology.

What’s coming next from Seismic?

I’m often thinking about designs that are challenging to manufacture without new materials or new factory processes. But this week we’re measuring the mechanical properties of advanced deck materials and constructions, to help us make final decisions about the new deck line that we’ll introduce in a few months. (It’s been in development for two-plus years.)

Also in the pipeline are an advanced grommet-based truck that we think will reset the bar for reverse-kingpin truck designs; a radical update on our original spring truck design; two freeride wheel shapes featuring a new urethane formulation; and a big innovation in lowered-deck construction.

We’ll have four new patents pending before the end of the season. That’s significant – very few longboard brands hold even one patent. And much of what passes as innovation is really just imitation of something that’s been done before, possibly 20 or 30 years ago (metallic wheel hubs are a case in point).

We’re about to start working with a university engineering department to study the static and dynamic properties

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of various wheel shapes and constructions. This will feed into ongoing development of next-generation wheel technologies. Beyond that, we’re going to keep doing what we’ve always done: integrate outside-the-box engineering creativity with ongoing in-depth research on skateboard carving and control dynamics. On that score, we believe we’ve been years ahead of everyone else – for about two decades.

What inspires and drives you? What keeps you focused?

It’s a combination of enduring stoke; faith in higher principle; a sense of mission or calling; ignorance about what else to do with myself; and sheer foolishness!

My inspiration comes from a deep experience of pure skating, and from confidence that advanced engineering can bring the same joyous stoke to a wider audience. My drive and focus come partly from a sense of obligation to “give back,” and partly from obsessive-compulsive perfectionism. I’m never completely satisfied with anything. I probably experience a few moments of satisfaction when a new product design is finished, when the first prototypes are in hand, when the first production units arrive and when the first positive user feedback reaches me. But I very quickly move on to the next challenge, the next product idea, the next level of engineering for advanced performance.

I’m also compelled by a sense that unless companies like Seismic operate with a code of honor, integrity and dedication, the darker and greedier elements may hold sway. Finally, I need to pay my bills and take care of my employees!

What are some of the craziest things that have happened to you in skateboarding?

In the 1980s, many police officers assumed that most skateboarders were troublemakers and lawbreakers. While skateboarding on the streets of Chicago in 1983, I was the victim of a police provocation followed by a brutal arrest. I still have some nerve damage on my left thumb from the twisted-handcuff trick that those two peace officers perpetrated on me. Fortunately, relations between

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skateboarders and law enforcement have improved tremendously in most parts of the country, including Colorado, where Seismic is based.

In 1996, I paid a visit to some old friends in Sun Valley, Idaho. We went out to a smooth, hilly road to ride one of my Turner Summer Ski slalom setups – very rare in those days. Someone came barreling over a hill crest and almost took me out, without even stopping to make sure I was OK. It was Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Humvee. (He has a home in Sun Valley.) That was almost an international skateboarding incident!

In 2007 I signed a contract to perform with Cirque du Soleil. I suggested

brilliant, state-of-the-art marketing to package mediocrity as excellence. That has led to an entire generation of skaters being sold, for example, on over-flexy boards that don’t carve or pump well.

Boards with massive flex may be fun to jump on and appealing to beginners.

They may even be smart business in a growing market that’s drawing lots of new skaters. But in the long run, turning bouncy boards into a dominant standard hurts the entire sport and the entire industry. We should promote what performs best, not what’s easiest to sell. If I’ve offended anyone by saying that, well, I won’t apologize.

On a related note, I’m concerned

poor designs, inferior materials, things that just don’t work, cutthroat behavior and bad manners in general. We also need a critical mass of smart, dedicated people – company owners, publishers and longboarding advocates – to form an industry organization or governing body that works in a relatively selfless way on shared long-term goals that truly benefit the skaters of the world. Can I see a show of hands? I’m in.

that they hire me only to help choreograph the other skaters, but they insisted on having me perform. I got into great shape at age 43, and the glamour was intoxicating. But it turned into an exasperating experience. The stage was way too small for me to do the moves that caught their eye in my old videos.

Eventually I quit the production. It was challenging to deal with the extreme high followed by the big disappointment.

Then there was the surprise party that some friends and co-workers threw for me on the occasion of Seismic’s 18th birthday!

that longboarding is increasingly being packaged as narrowly as shortboarding. Formulaic twin-tip and downhill shapes are the new popsicle sticks. Longboarding may be at risk of turning into a fashion-oriented “lifestyle sport” just like shortboarding – where monopolistic corporations with offshore mega-factories pretend to be “core” while promoting only a very narrow approach to skating. The folks who busted their ass to create a new renaissance for longboarding – the industry barons and the unsung heroes alike – wanted something different: a sport/art based on diverse choices in high-performance gear and the freedom to cruise, race or style as you wish.

On a positive note, there’s tremendous opportunity for the industry and the media to work together to steer this thing forward in a healthy, long-term direction.

But the media needs to show more courage about calling out the crap – false manufacturer claims, copycat products,

How do you define “keeping it real,” and who’s the realest mofo out there?

IMHO, “keeping it real” is simply enjoying skateboarding for its own sake, with no thought to what you’re wearing or who’s watching or what they think.

Don’t matter to me how you’re skating, or where, or what gear you’re on – though as a performance purist I like to see people riding stuff that works, preferably Seismic!

Lately I’ve been extremely impressed with what freestyle champion Kilian Martin is putting out. He’s “keeping it real” in the sense of mixing up cool moves from different eras and different disciplines, with no regard for how the Shortboard Illuminati might judge it.

One dude who had a particularly big impact on me is Russ Howell – multi-time world champion freestylist in the mid’70s. He was the world’s foremost pioneer of advanced gymnastic moves and highnumber 360 spinning, and he has “kept it real” since the 1950s! Russ was my boyhood skate hero. In those days before ollies and aerials, handstands and 360s

What are your thoughts on the growth of longboarding?

I’m concerned that the growth of longboarding is increasingly attracting companies that prioritize marketing and profit over product quality and the good of the sport. What maximizes shortterm gain does not always serve the long-term welfare of the field or even the long-term health of that company.

I’m bummed when I see brands using

How can the longboard world form that kind of organization?

Good question. A few industry leaders have already come together for preliminary dialogue. We’ll see where things lead.

were king. I wrote him fan letters when I was 12, and he wrote back!

We became friends when I was a bit older, and I got to skate with Russ in 1982, when he was still in peak form.

Lightning-fast endovers and rolling footwork, massive spins on both one and two feet, supreme control over both one and two boards while rolling a handstand – I’ve never seen as much raw speed and power on a skateboard, before or since.

But over time I’ve been more inspired and encouraged by his steadfast devotion to promoting the best aspects of skateboarding, with no concern about money or profit. Russ was one of skateboarding’s biggest stars during the mid-’70s boom. He saw the good and the bad, and he chose a very pure path. I wish more of those who’ve profited from talent on the board gave back to the sport as much and as selflessly as Russ has. Shortsighted greed and ruthless competitiveness are a bummer to witness – whether it’s on the scale of individuals or on the scale of corporations.

Any thoughts on the downhill movement?

First, let’s get our history straight. DH was not invented last week or last year.

Pro downhill races were staged at least as far back as the mid-’70s, and the present generation should know about great champions from previous eras like John Hutson and Roger Hickey.

That said, I’m concerned, on several fronts, about downhill’s current explosive growth. First, the industry and the media are not doing enough of the right things to emphasize safety. For example, newbies need to know the basic principles for minimizing the risk of speed wobbles. Taking smart precautions doesn’t mean you’re not bad-ass, but it can save your life. The industry and the media need to cooperate on this, starting yesterday. Too many people are dying in downhill accidents.

Second, the present downhill frenzy needs better balance. Downhill is highenergy and high-profile, but it’s not for everyone. Joe Campus and Sidewalk Sally do not need competition downhill setups to do their thing. They need functional longboard shapes with good,

modern trucks and wheels. That’s not any less cool.

Finally, pro downhill racing is getting ugly behind the scenes. The egos, the politics, the backstabbing, the cutthroat competition for sponsored riders and sponsorship positioning – sometimes it’s just gross. It would be great to see more maturity, integrity and old-fashioned sportsmanship. Those things don’t make racers or racing any less bad-ass.

This issue is mostly irrelevant to the topics we’re discussing, but economics may be the only thing that persuades these publications to change their attitude. For example, if leading shortboard brands choose to go after longboard sales, “Shortboard Monthly” may have no choice but to cover longboarding.

How did Seismic end up sponsoring Mischo Erban?

That came about through serendipity.

Mischo approached us, after leaving all his previous sponsors and conducting extensive tests on GMR using our wheels. He had a tough season in 2010 because he changed too many things all at once – deck and trucks as well as wheels. But we think Mischo’s going to kick ass this season!

It was absolutely amazing last fall to witness his record-setting speed runs at close range. Watching someone rocket past you on a skateboard at 80.83 mph – simply superhuman!

Mischo is also a great role model, a wonderful example of old-style class and sportsmanship. We wish there were more racers like him. We’re mighty proud to have him representing Seismic.

How can freestyle and slalom gain a larger following? Do they need to?

I’ve devoted a lot of time and energy over the years to supporting flatland freestyle and slalom. Since 1996, Seismic has probably done more to support slalom than any other active brand.

In addition, our trucks and wheels have a long legacy of victories in elite slalom competitions worldwide. As long ago as 2000 and as recently as last fall, I served as a judge at the World Freestyle Championships. Seismic also has plans to release lightweight freestyle wheels.

It would be nice to see freestyle and slalom evolve, gain wider recognition and increase in popularity. I’ll do what I can to help, and Seismic will continue to develop advanced products for all racing disciplines. But these days I’m mostly focused on product development for general-purpose longboarding and downhill. LDP is another growing discipline that’s interesting.

Will the old-guard shortboard magazines ever embrace longboarding?

When it comes to the mainstream shortboard “lifestyle” magazines, it’s about control of market share, not ignorance or stupidity. Those publishers don’t want longboarding to siphon sales from the shortboard lifestyle brands that pay big dollars for ad space in their fashion pages.

Cullen Poythress’ recent article in TransWorld Business is a case in point. I mean, wow, this guy is still trying to call longboarding a “cult”? He claims that “skateboarding purists” think all longboarders are uncool college boys, kooks or old-timers. Who defines the “skateboarding purists,” and who are they exactly – middle-school shortboarders who subscribe to TransWorld Skateboarding magazine? I’m sorry, Cullen is reaching so far here that it’s just pathetic.

What do you see in the mid-term future for skateboarding?

I’ll respond on four fronts: Technology, Performance, Industry and Media.

Technology: Until radically new materials are developed, evolution in urethane formulations will be about nuance, not breakthrough. But we’ll see real advances in wheel hub constructions and edge profiles – genuine engineering breakthroughs based on solid research and rigorous testing, not hyped-up hubs made of stiff, heavy materials that were tried and rejected more than once in the past.

We’ll see significant advances in the design and engineering of grommetbased trucks. The days of the donut-shaped grommet are numbered.

Deck materials, constructions and shapes will continue to evolve, and eventually bearing standards may even change.

Performance: Freestyle longboarding

began as a simple adaptation of forgotten 1970s flatland moves. But we’ll see continued innovations in mixed styles and event formats. Sk8Cross and LDP are other recent examples. This is exactly what happens in other subcultural art forms like music, dance and painting – a further sign that it is absolutely fair to call skateboarding a true kinetic art form, as well as a sport.

Industry: While the shortboard world maintains its increasingly laughable effort to marginalize longboarding, the longboard market threatens to become the larger of the two. This expansion will draw more “me, too” longboard brands that offer only recycled imitations of others’ products. Over the next two to three years, the market will level off and shake out some of the less creative brands – a repeating cycle in most action sports.

Media: As the sport and the industry mature, the leading magazines and websites will have a foundation for more in-depth coverage of meaty issues, including objective in-depth analysis of product performance based on materials, design and construction. This will form a positive feedback loop with the efforts of leading innovators in the industry.

Closing comments?

Some suggestions for newbies: Learn how to push, glide and steer (in both directions) at low speeds before hitting any hills. Safety equipment – helmet, wrist guards, knee and elbow pads – are a good idea if you’re pushing your limits. To minimize the risk of speed wobbles, keep your weight forward and bend low. Avoid standing straight with all your weight on your rear foot.

Ride what feels right under your feet, not what some website, magazine, brand or person tells you to ride. Don’t blindly buy into the hype about skateboarding being a sport/art of rebels and individuals. If you dress and ride like a hundred other skaters you see or know, guess what – you’re not a rebel, just a member of a different tribe. That’s perfectly fine as far as it goes, but make no mistake: You are only a free-thinking individual if you truly think and act for yourself, regardless of what judgments others may pass on you for doing so. CW

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IGSA REPORT >>

By MARCUS RIETEMA

2011 IGSA World Cup Series Preview A

fter a record-breaking year in 2010 where participation in IGSA races grew by 33% over 2009, we now look ahead to the 2011 IGSA World Cup Series. Some new venues have replaced old ones, raising the level even higher. Prize purses have increased and so has the level of competition.

Kevin Reimer had a dream year in 2010. He won his second World Championship in a row and also secured

his first World Cup Series Championship. Last year each rider’s four best finishes out of the eight World cup races were used to calculate their points. Reimer had four victories, earning him a perfect score. It was a feat that had never been accomplished in the previous 10 IGSA Downhill Skateboarding World Cup seasons.

For 2011, the number of World Cup races has increased to nine and the number of races used to tab-

ulate each rider’s score increased to five. In the past, the IGSA didn’t want it to simply be the rider with the fattest wallet who could attend the most events to be crowned Champion. With the growth of the sport in both competitors and sponsors who are supporting them, more and more skaters are attending more and more races. The sport has now grown to the point where it’s realistic to use a fifth race for scoring.

THE RACES T AR ST

MARYHILL FESTIVAL OF SPEED

KOZAKOV CHALLENGE

INSUL CUP 2011

June 29-July 3 Goldendale, Washington, USA Course Length: 3.5 km (2.2 mi) Top Speed: 75 km/h (47 mph) Defending Champion: Zak Maytum – USA

July 20-23 Kozakov, Czech Republic Course Length: 3.4 km (2.1 mi) Top Speed: 97 km/h (60 mph) Defending Champion: Christoph Batt – SUI

July 29-July 31 Insul, Germany Course Length: 2.1 km (1.3 mi) Top Speed: 70 km/h (45 mph) Defending Champion: Martin Siegrist – SUI

Maryhill is America’s premier downhill skateboarding race. Held in the picturesque hills of southern Washington overlooking the Columbia River, the Festival of Speed has been the scene of some epic battles over the years. Last year Zak Maytum came through for his maiden World Cup win over Kevin Reimer and Scoot Smith.

Kozakov his quickly risen to the top as the premier race in Europe. Held in the mountains about two hours from Prague, the course has both challenging high-speed sections and technical parts that push each rider to the limit. Heavy rain and fog washed out the 2010 race, handing the victory to No. 1 qualifier Christoph Batt.

After hosting a successful European Championship event in 2010, Insul moves up to World Cup status for 2011. The course is located in western Germany not far from the famed Nürburgring motorsport track. It’s highly technical with a series of straights connected by hairpin corners. Martin Siegrist was the winner in 2010, followed by Christoph Batt and Ramón Königshausen.

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Ramón Königshausen

T AR ST

START

Kevin Reimer

Christoph Batt

T AR ST

Calgary, Canada

PADOVA GRAND PRIX

WINSPORT CANADA CUP

COPA DE LOS ANDES TARMA 2011

August 5-7 Teolo, Italy Course Length: 1.6 km (1.0 mi) Top Speed: 80 km/h (50 mph) Defending Champion: Patrick Switzer – CAN

September 2-4 Calgary, Canada Course Length: 1.5 km (.9 mi) Top Speed: 80 km/h (50 mph) Defending Champion: N/A

October 28-30 Tarma, Peru Course Length: 2.9 km (1.9 mi) Top Speed: 85 km/h, (53 mph) Defending Champion: Douglas Silva – BRA

The Padova Grand Prix returns to the IGSA World Cup circuit for the third consecutive year. Situated in northern Italy about 1½ hours from Venice, this highly technical course favors skaters who are able to pump out of the corners slalom-style. Patrick Switzer earned his second World Cup victory here last year. Christoph Batt and Douglas Silva joined him on the podium.

Canada Olympic Park was the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics luge and bobsled competitions.

This all-new event uses the access road of their “bob track” to host the IGSA World Cup Series.

Expect the Canadian riders to be particularly strong as they race for the bragging rights of winning their home World Cup race.

Tarma is located about 230 km (143 mi) east of Lima in the Andes Mountains. After being the very successful host of the 2010 South American Championships, Tarma moves up to full World Cup status in 2011. Douglas Silva was the winner of last year’s race. Kevin Reimer finished second and James Kelly third.

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STA RT

START

STA RT

IGSA REPORT >>

HOT HEELS AFRICA Kogelberg, South Africa

MALARRARA PRO TEUTÔNIA IGSA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS November 4-6 Teutônia, Brazil Course Length: 2.0 km (1.2 mi) Top Speed: 115+ km/h (71+ mph) Defending Champion: Kevin Reimer – CAN

MOUNT KEIRA CHALLENGE

HOT HEELS AFRICA

(Tentative) November 25-27 Wollongong, NSW, Australia Course Length: 1.8 km (1.1 mi) Top Speed: 80 km/h (50 mph) Defending Champion: None

December 9-11 Kogelberg, South Africa Course Length: 1.9 km (1.2 mi) Top Speed: 90 km/h (50 mph) Defending Champion: Mike Zietsman – RSA

Teutônia’s speed is legendary, featuring the fastest side-by-side skateboard racing in the world. In 2011 Teutônia will host the first IGSA World Championships ever to be held in South America. The course is relatively straight, but the 115+ km/h speeds combined with uneven pavement make it one of the world’s most difficult. Reimer won in 2010, Mischo Erban in 2009 and Silva in 2008. Expect an epic battle in 2011.

Newton’s Nation in Bathurst had originally been slated to host an IGSA World Cup event for the fourth time in 2011. Scheduling conflicts with other events forced the organizers to take a one-year hiatus. Newton’s Nation will return in April 2012. The Australian Skateboard Racing Association (ASRA) has stepped in to save the day. Wollongong, a coastal city 1.5 hours south of Sydney, will play host to the Mount Keira Challenge.

It’s a twisty course with fast, sweeping corners and enough gradient and natural obstacles to keep it interesting for everyone. This event is still awaiting final confirmation as we go to press.

Scoot Smith

Douglas Silva

108 CONCRETE WAVE SUMMER 2011

Hot Heels Africa is the longest continually running event on the IGSA circuit. 2011 will mark the eighth consecutive year for the South African season finale.

On numerous occasions the series championship has been determined at Hot Heels. The race is held within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve on a challenging course where wind always seems to be a factor. Last year local veteran Mike Zietsman upset the regulars with a victory.

Patrick Switzer

THE CONTENDERS

Kevin Reimer (2-1) The question on everyone’s lips at the moment is, “Who can stop K-Rimes?” He completely dominated in 2010 with four wins, including his second consecutive World Championship, and wrapped up his first World Cup Series title. He only seems to be getting stronger.

Patrick Switzer (4-1) P-Swiss won in Italy last year and finished on the podium five times. He’s shown he can win, but can he do it consistently?

Often he seems to be the only one capable of beating Reimer.

Christoph Batt (5-1) Over the past two seasons Batt has raised his game to become Europe’s number one contender. He scored his first win last year and will be looking for more.

James Kelly (5-1) “The American Dream” only raced four World Cups in 2010 but still managed to finish sixth in points. He finished in the top 10 all four times, highlighted by a strong second place in Australia. He’s America’s best shot at winning the title.

Mischo Erban (5-1) Last year Erban changed all of his equipment suppliers. That proved to have disastrous consequences, with frequent crashes and early exits throughout the first part of the season. He rebounded in the second part of the year, finding speed and consistency again. Expect Mischo to come back with a vengeance.

Douglas Silva (6-1) Dalua is always fast but struggles with consistency. He finished on the podium twice in 2010 and in the top 10 four times. If he can find the rhythm, he’ll be a consistent winner.

Ramón Königshausen (6-1) Ramón has been focusing on downhill the past few years after winning the World Championship in Tight Slalom in 2006. He’s been steadily improving each year and many expect him to get his first win in 2011.

Scoot Smith (7-1) It wasn’t that long ago that Scoot was a threat to win every race. He struggled in 2010 with only one podium, a third place at Maryhill, but still showed consistency with five top 10 finishes. Can he find his 2008 mojo back?

Jackson Shapiera (7-1) Jacko seems to have the “win or crash” mentality. He’s often fast but is continually dogged by crashes and injuries. If he can get his head together and stay out of the hospital, he’ll win a few.

Andrew Chapman (8-1) Chapman found some consistency with four top 10 finishes in 2010. He could threaten the favorites for some wins in 2011.

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