Vol. 10 No. 2 Fall 2011

A PASSAGE TO INDIA SWITZER’S HAT TRICK LONGBOARDING IN ITALY & MALAYSIA

Vol.10 No.2

FALL 2011

$4.95

CONTENTS >>

Rich Purnell navigates a high rise in downtown Denver. Photo: Scott Cramer

26

EDITORIAL

64

PORTFOLIO: MARCUS BANDY

32

LETTERS

72

PEACEFUL INVASION

36

NOTEWORTHY

76

THE STORY OF THE CHIANTI DRIFTERS

44

SKATE SHOOTING

80

LONGBOARDING MALAYSIA

50

WHISTLER LONGBOARD FESTIVAL

83

SHERED MAGAZINE

54

SO CAL BREAKOUT

100

A PASSAGE TO INDIA

56

MANUFACTURING CLOSE-UP PART 3

106

IGSA REPORT

62

SLALOM REPORT

14 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

TM

Vol. 10 No. 2 FALL 2011

PUBLISHER/EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR ART DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR DOWNHILL EDITOR PHOTO EDITORS IGSA WORLD CUP EDITOR SLALOM/FREESTYLE EDITORS CONTRIBUTING EDITORS CORRESPONDENT I.T. DEPT. HEAD COPY EDITOR PROBLEM SOLVER HEAD OFFICE

SKATESHOP DISTRIBUTION

Michael Brooke | mbrooke@interlog.com Blair Watson Mark Tzerelshtein | MarkintoshDesign.com Buddy Carr Jon Caften Jon Huey | Dan Bourqui Marcus Rietema Richy and Maria Carrasco Erik Basil Malakai Kingston 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): Marcus Bandy, Dave Kessler, Scott Cramer, Pierre Moatti, Andrew Monaghan, Paul Wright, James Kelly, Jeff Budro, Michael Alfuso, Dan Mathieu, Pierre Hazera, Benji Watson, Jeff Nass, Monique Soderhall, CL Buchanan Photography, John Ravitch, Craig Robinson, Guto Jiminez, Vitor "Bossa" Viera, Eliseo Mattioli, David Marsilli, Ching Ling Ho, Mambu Longboards, Gan Khiaw Choor, Jamie Lim, Kai Dunkel, Gigi Lopatriello, Barbara Britvin, Guilaume Saint-Criq, Jani Soderhall. 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: Eric Singer. Notgonnatell, CA. Photo: Marcus Bandy COVER 2: Patrick Switzer leads Ramon Konigshausen (Maryhill winner) and James Kelly.

Photo by Dave Kessler OPENING SPREAD: The final race at the 2011 Winsport Canada Cup, September 4, 2011. Patrick Switzer makes it four in a row. In the pack are George Mackenzie, Louis Pilloni (seen crashing), James Kelly, Jackson Shapiera and Niko Desmarais.

Photo: Benji Watson.

WELCOME TO THE FINE PRINT: The simple joys of just riding a skateboard sometimes get eclipsed by what other people seem to feel is their God-given right to be total jerks to fellow skaters. What do I mean by this? Well, take this gem found on a website forum: “None of us will ever care about what gets done on a longboard. Like roller bladers, rip stickers, scooterers and mountainboarders, you will always be the bridesmaid to skateboarding. Second string.

Followers. Losers. That’s a fact.”

Really? It’s a fact? Sorry, I must have missed that memo. It’s actually pretty pathetic that some skaters believe that longboarding is somehow a “bridesmaid.” The reality is that longboarding has deep roots within skateboarding.

Slalom and freestyle have been with us since the very beginning too. In fact, the whole damn concept of skateboarding is based on the joy of just riding.

How you choose to ride is entirely up to you. I don’t need to put other skaters down to feel better about myself. What is incredible about ignorance of the roots of skateboarding is that the more longboarding (and related disciplines) grow, the harder some skaters dig their heels in. Not only don’t they get this renaissance, they seem to derive a certain satisfaction in keeping themselves ignorant. Some might eventually understand that other forms of skateboarding can coexist peacefully with longboarding. A few enlightened souls might even pick up a longboard. And in ironic twist, some may even find themselves enjoying the ride. Imagine that.

20 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

EDITORIAL >>

T

here’s no doubt that over the past year longboarding has exploded in popularity.

Skate shops that for years had no interest in selling longboards are suddenly trying to acquire as much stock they can get their hands on. Of course, those shops who years ago saw a future in longboarding and helped nurture this revolution are reaping incredible rewards. But that’s another story!

This increase in participation comes with a lot more attention from the media, from law enforcement and from the general public. With respect to the media, this increased attention can be both a blessing and a curse. It seems that every week

brings stories about this “new type of skateboarding” along with pieces about longboarders who are getting injured. Unfortunately, for every story that is objective and precise, there are dozens that are sensationalistic and present a very biased portrait. Thankfully, there are a number of longboarders who work tirelessly to ensure the other side of the story is presented. As longboarding becomes increasingly popular, it will become more of a lightning-rod issue for those wishing to curtail where people ride.

If you are still on the fence about whether or not to step things up and get involved, ask yourself, “How much do I value the things that

longboarding has given me?” If you do nothing to counter the inaccurate or incomplete information, you may eventually find yourself losing some of the things you cherish the most. Sadly, this could include the freedom to ride. When the spotlight hits your community and the issue of safety or reckless behavior rears its head, I urge you not run away and expect someone else to stick up for you. Step up into the light and let your voice be heard.

Here’s to the future!

Michael Brooke, Publisher

s oto: Jeff Nas

k Smith | Ph

Rider: Dere

26 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

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LETTERS >> HOOKED

REINTRODUCED

I started longboarding about a year ago, and when I bought my first board, a Landyachtz Bamboo Pinner, it came with some stickers and a free issue of CW. I instantly got hooked, both on longboarding and your magazine. It rains here a lot (I live in the Vancouver area) and whenever it does, I find myself reading your mag. I get so stoked from reading the articles, seeing the gnarly pics and hearing about the awesome things happening in the world of skating I’d compare it to longboarding – but without a board. Obviously, nothing can equal the pure awesomeness of bombing hills and shredding streets, but Concrete Wave is the closest thing I’ve found to it. Thank you for making the most awesome magazine there is!

Spread the stoke!

Eric Flewitt Surrey, British Columbia

LETTER OF THE MONTH Let me start by saying congratulations on your 10th anniversary issue of Concrete Wave. I received my subscription copy of the 10th anniversary issue weeks ago, set it aside and forgot about it. As I packed for my beach vacation last week, I noticed the issue still in its plastic sleeve, unopened. I took it to the beach and read it there. Maybe it was being in the skate mecca of the NC Outer Banks, maybe it was the brilliant photo of Jay Adams at age 50, or maybe it was the article recalling the origins of the magazine; but whatever it was, I was reintroduced to the beauty of it all.

My first issue of CW was the Vol. 2 issue that was the first you issued with two covers. I was stunned by the photography, the glossy feel, the product ads and the old-school feel of the magazine. I know I was just like so many other older skaters that finally saw a magazine that spoke to us. I immediately subscribed, and even became a contributor to the magazine.

Over the last eight years, I have seen the magazine transform into more of a longboarding focus, with less of the old-school vert skating that I crave. The recap of your older issues will Fatboy meets Uncle Sam confirm that I’m right in this assessment. Nevertheless, no at Derby Downs, Ohio. one can argue that the magazine isn’t head and shoulders Ph oto: Michael Brooke above any other current skate magazine in terms of its quality. The ads and articles are brilliant to look at, and it’s not hard to figure out how the magazine has lasted 10 years. It will be a long time before I leave a new copy lying around unread again. Welcome back!

John Egertson Culpeper, Virginia

STILL ROLLIN’ I hate to bother you, but in an effort NOT to miss an issue of Concrete Wave, I renewed 4/3/11 by PayPal. I’m not sure when my subscription expired but I had received a postcard.

For the past two issues, I have received duplicates. Better too many than not enough. I didn’t worry too much the first issue but when two came again this issue, I thought I’d better touch base. The “extras” haven’t gone to waste. I just pass them along to young skater friends. They are read and appreciated. I just don’t want to take advantage of an oversight. I appreciate all of your efforts and ALL that you do for the sport/hobby that has been a passion for me for much longer than most skaters have been alive.

Being 60 years old, busted up (rods & screws in my neck) and out of shape, I am on “restriction.” My wife frowns on my desire to pretend that I am a “skater for life.” BUT ... as long as I am breathing and able, I WILL roll a little every Go Skateboarding Day. I sent you the photo a couple of years ago of me skating with the walker. I rolled last year, and came home from work this year after a long day and went straight to the garage and pulled out my Bulldog Long Pig and set it in the driveway. I put one foot on and damn! It felt a lot faster than last year! I looked at [my wife] and said, “What do you think?” She said, “You KNOW what I think!” With that, I pushed off and cruised across the driveway and turned toward the street. I looked over at her and jumped off!

I was stoked, she was relieved and I had skated for the first time since turning 60. I can’t wait ’til next year!

LETTER OF THE MONTH RECEIVES A PRIZE

PACK FROM ORIGINAL SKATEBOARDS

VERT VET VENTS OK, Concrete Wave, what gives? I am 53 and have been subscribing for years. The reason I started was your mag was the only one that had rad shots and stories of pool skating. I just received your 10th anniversary issue and was bummed to find one, count ’em, ONE picture of Jay Adams on page 14 skating vert. I’m all for longboarding, sliding and racing, but come on, how many pics of longboarders carving and in racing tucks do you need? I ain’t hating, but please give the vert skaters more coverage.

Thank you very much.

Kevin Niccoli Santa Maria, California Dear Kevin: Thanks for your letter. I know that CW’s move to showcase all areas of longboarding has meant that we’ve had to cut back considerably on other parts of skateboarding. The decision to do this was based on a number of factors.

The most important was that many readers were asking for more focus. Our advertisers are also mostly longboard companies and were pleased with the change in direction. You will see all types of terrain in CW, including vert and transition, but it will mostly feature folks riding longboards. – Ed.

Finally!

You can now read ® Concrete Wave on your iPad It’s only $0.99! And you can enjoy the full edition plus extras.

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

Pat Maphis Abingdon, Maryland

32 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

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NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS OUTLIER Outlier Boards was founded earlier this year by Canadian high school student Mitch MacKichan.

Their featured board is an all-around board they call the Beaver. The Beaver is 41” long, 9” wide, with 4” long concave tips that are gradually curved up 3/8 of an inch. The main focus at Outlier boards is innovation: a board you can dance down the boardwalk, rip down hills, easily kick out for gnarly slides, and do some great freestyle tricks on. outlierboards.com MADRID Longboards might be the hot new thing down at the mall, but for Madrid they’re nothing new.

Madrid made these sweet 36” and 40” kicktail “Long Board” models back in ’82. These were the first longboards ever made with a concave. They brought ’em back for 2011 because they’re still radical and fun to ride. fullcircledistribution.com

proper amount of grip when cornering and carving. However, the trademarked Fireball SlidePrepped® surface allows you to break into a slide and create clean lines when you feel that urge. The angled lips create a progressively larger contact patch as the wheel is slowly worn down from rippin’ slides.

A fiery blend of freeride and grip, the Incendo is an ideal all-around 70mm wheel. The offset cores with fat lips allow for the proper amount of grip when cornering and carving. However, the Fireball SlidePrepped® surface allows you to break into a slide and create smoking clean lines when you feel that urge. The angled lips create a progressively larger contact patch as the wheel is slowly worn down from rippin’ slides. fireballwheels.com GATORGRIP

VENOM Cooked up in response to their riders’ requests for a 70mm freeride wheel, the new Venom Tweakers combine the popular 78A Cannibal urethane with a large core and an offset, round-lipped profile for ultimate standup slide fun times. fullcircledistribution.com FIREBALL The 76mm Beasts are available in both 84A and 87A durometer. They have offset cores with fat lips, allowing for the

36 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

GatorGrip® is made to last with its premium-quality coarse grip. Their product helps to keep your feet in place when racing, freeriding or just cruising around town. GatorGrip®’s aggressive abrasive grit surface will not melt or chunk off. gatorgriptape.com

RAYNE The Killswitch says it all and does it all. The brainchild of Kevin “K-Rimes” Reimer is out and ready to steal your time, your urethane and your minds. With years of World Championship experience riding downhill and a sharp mind, Kevin has taken the time to think about each and every movement you make when riding downhill, and how a board could make those maneuvers easier through being positively “locked in.” raynelongboards.com SEISMIC

Nearly a year in the making, Seismic now unveils two advanced freeride wheels: the 70mm x 50mm Bootleg and the 75mm x 54mm Landslide. Seismic spent many months testing and refining a breakthrough freeride formula with AEND Industries. The result is smooth, controlled slides with great hookup and grip when you need it. The new wheels also last longer because of the smart new formula, slightly wider contact patches, and centerset hubs, which make them completely rotatable. Both shapes feature stoneground running surfaces and generous double radius.

The 70mm Bootlegs come in red 80A and blue 84A; the 75mm Landslides in 79A yellow and 83A blue. seismicskate.com MARK MARK makes limited-edition skateboard decks for the discriminating skater and collector. MARK decks are hand silkscreened right here in the United States, on the finest laminated North American maple harvested from a sustainable forest. MARK Skateboards’ interests are global; their art and their decks are personal. They are steeped in art, culture(s), literature, film, music, travel and whatever else strikes their fancy. markskateboards.com

SK8KINGS

Sk8Kings releases Mini-Shredder – the solution to your mini-cruising needs!

Featuring concave, kicktail, multiple wheelbases, front wheel wells and tail skid plate option, this killer little shredder is just 27” long with a comfortable 8 1/2” width – the perfect go-anywhere fun ride! Great beginner slalom setup for mini-racers and 100% SoCal made. sk8kings.com TUNNEL Tunnel founder Mitch Haake started out shaping surfboards, and Tunnel is proud to release two new surf-style longboards.

The 42” by 9.5” Tunnel Surf Plank is a 7-ply maple deck with a diamond tail design, pressed in California. Rock artist Jason Cooper provided full-color graphics of the California coast.

In 1885, three Hawaiian princes traveled to California and made surfboards out of redwood, introducing the sport to California. In homage, Tunnel has created the Redwood Plank. The Tunnel Redwood Plank, also 9.5” x 42”, is six plies of maple with a top ply of salvaged redwood. Clear grip allows everyone to see the spectacular redwood grain below. tunnelskateboards.com NINETYSIXTY

The BooBam 100 is a drop-through lowered board for everyone, from beginners up to downhill cracks. The Ninetysixty BooBam is a high-quality, 100 cm long and 25.5 cm wide board that includes grip tape, 69mm/78A wheels, 180mm/50° aluminum trucks and ABEC 5 bearings at an incredibly low price. The board comes with

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bamboo veneer on the top and bottom ply and is available in three flex levels at longboardshop.eu.

POGO

The all new Pogo RoadKill 95 is a downhill machine, has everything you need to standup slide with perfect control and is built with snowboard technology to make it last a lifetime. RoadKill 95 means: 95 cm long and 24.5 cm wide CNC-milled deck, gas pedal, available in drop-through and drop-up for Pogo-Raceplates, adjustable wheelbase, Titanal and Kevlar layers, real yew tree veneer and abalone sword inlay. Includes Pogo lifelong repair service. longboardshop.eu

makes it perfect for big, fast slides. And the functional nose and tail kicks allow you to go straight from ripping up your favorite DH runs to busting out shove-its and big spins. bastlboards.com BIG MYTH Big Myth’s current lineup features three decks, each for a different discipline. Gangsta Logic is a top-mounted speedboard; mild but deep concave locks you in while staying comfortable on your feet. It is 10” wide by 38” long, with adjustable wheelbases of 29”, 30” and 31” giving it great versatility on wheelbase lengths. All these decks feature art by Troy Winscott. bigmythskateboards.com BEAR

SURF-RODZ

Surf-Rodz introduces its first skateboard wheel, the Free Fallin’. The wheel was designed around freeriding for intermediate to advanced skaters. The wide 45mm contact patch allows for a bit more grip and is great for creating a smooth slide. The 70mm 83A Free Fallin’ offers an all-around design for quick acceleration and enhanced control. surf-rodz.com BASTL

Bastl Boards offers unique and functional longboards, handcrafted in Germany. Each board is constructed from a combination of fiberglass, carbon and wood from local forests. The date of completion and serial number are printed directly on the graphic, making every Bastl Board 100% unique.

The Kathak remains the fastest Bastl Board. A wedged and rockered platform

Bear had team riders testing prototypes and making alterations for nearly two years before nailing down the ultimate product. Using titanium for the axles and kingpins, we are able to increase the strength while lowering the weight.

The fully wrapped, variable lean system bushing seat provides no restriction on turn but gives the needed support for high speeds. It’s compatible with just about every bushing on the market. Mix up the precision parts with your cast trucks. The entire Grizzly line is based on the same geometry, so the parts all fit together. They also fit the 2009 and newer Bear Smokie baseplates, giving you angle options from 20° all the way up to 55°. beartrucks.com RIPTIDE RipTide Bushings are available in two compounds, four shapes and a durometer range of 60A to 95A. The compounds feature APS™ – Animated Polymer System™ – lively and responsive high-performance urethane

with just the right amount of rebound, so you control the bushing instead of the other way around. And WFB™ – World’s Fastest Bushings™ – the same compound as the APS™, with an internal lubricant added for smooth, fast, lowfriction transitions in any competitive discipline! riptidesports.com THE SKATEBOARD STORES Welcome to The Skateboard Stores. Here you can find the newest ideas in skate decks. You can customize your street decks to longboards and get everything you need to build the ultimate board. Mike Royal, a renowned artist, has many designs and can create your special request. You can also view videos of decks being created.

Win $100.00 with your picture using our products. theskateboardstores.com ASHES Ashes, based out of Stratford, Ontario, has spent the summer prototyping two urban cruisers: the 30” Blocka, inspired by Kensington Market rider Jordan Prentice; and the Ziggy, a 36” bamboo-cored urban go-to board. Product development, not sales, has been their main focus in 2011. asheslongboards.com ZEN Conceived by boarders, for boarders, the Banzai is the epitome of a do-it-all board. Whether you prefer bombing down a gnarly hill at 50 into a chicane, cruising around your neighborhood or throwing down a nice line at the park; the Zen Banzai can handle it all. Featuring strong 9-ply maple construction, comfy concave and a kicktail, this is one board you can truly ride anywhere. zenlongboards.com

FLOOD KONTROL Flood Kontrol launched in early 2004 and has been reissuing a few of the original shapes with all new and improved graphics. The crossover Ditch Stick II measures at a unique 9” x 33.75” with a 16” wheelbase.

The rest of the lineup ranges from an 8” standard shape to the jumbo 10” x 38” shaped monster deck. Available at socalskateshop.com for direct orders.

LOADED

The Fattail is a chunky little monkey that features a wider and more refined cambered/concave standing platform, two wheelbase options, a nominal nose kick and a functional if corpulent kicktail.

Designed for parking garages, pumping, freestyle, a bit of freeride, commuting and eating tubs of rocky road. Because as we all know, she gotta pack much back. loadedskateboards.com MOTO-D RACING Stop racing naked!

MOTO-D Racing is pleased to announce a 1-piece, front-zip undersuit for sliding in or out of protective racing leathers with ease. The innersuit is made from a premium Lycra blend designed to stretch and fit comfortably under you – no more chafing. Material wicks moisture and perspiration away from the body, helping you keep cool during hot weather days. motodracing.com BOHDANA Ottawa, Canada-based Bohdana Boards has created a free iPhone/Android/Web app that allows longboarders to

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 37

NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS enter their favorite longboard spots with the ability to add notes and specifics such as pavement conditions, traffic and difficulty level. The app makes organizing a group ride so much easier. bohdanalongboards.com

SUPER MELLOW BEACH CRUISE

TOY BOARDERS

Super Mellow Beach Cruise was another success for July 2011. We saw nearly 40 longboarders as stragglers carved their way through the crowds to catch up to the group.

Photo: Pierre Moatti

Original AJ’s Toy Boarders™ is a simple toy that lets kids (of any age) use their imagination. Toy Soldiers have been around for years, and it seems pretty obvious to marry that concept with skateboarding. Let the fun begin! toyboarders.com SAYSHUN Sayshun Longboards has just released their new YouTube series, “The Unscene.” Instead of adding endless amounts of footage of people just longboarding, Sayshun has made an effort to go to the major races in the Western Canadian tour and feature more of a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be a part of this amazing longboarding scene. sayshun.com REPLAY The Replay XD 1080 brings the action camera game to an entirely new level with an easy twobutton Start/Stop system and a variety of video and photo settings including 720p at 60fps all the way up to 1080p at 30fps. All of these features, including HDMI out and customizable settings, are packed into a 2.8-oz. aluminum body that can be mounted just about anywhere – including your trucks! replayxd.com KOASTAL KID Congrats to Derek and Alexa Horn of Koastal Skateboards on the birth of their daughter Brooke.

38 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

RETURN TO DERBY DOWNS Words and Photos by Michael Brooke

On July 23, 2011, downhill skateboarding returned to the legendary Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Judging by their reaction, spectators were absolutely stoked to see downhill skaters and lugers charging down the famous course. Back in the late ’70s, the California Free Former company hosted a contest at Derby Downs for slalom, downhill and even skatecars. In 2011 it was a bit like déjà vu all over again to see the Ultimate Speed Cars hit the track, as they look very much like the skatecars from 35 years ago.

Back in April Concrete Wave magazine was contacted by Bob Cohen of the All American Soap Box Derby. The AASBD were looking into the concept of

incorporating a street luge demonstration into their contest. The discussion soon led to idea of featuring downhill skateboarding and slalom. From this conversation, things quickly developed and Marcus Rietema of the IGSA and Ron “Fatboy” Barbagallo of the International Slalom Skateboarding Association were brought into the mix. Added to the mix was Fred Zimny of the U.S. Olympic Luge Team, which is actively recruiting lugers in training.

Over the course of several months, a number of discussions were held to iron out the details of the demo. As the date approached, one got the feeling that this was the beginning of a truly symbiotic relationship.

The Soap Box Derby has faced a number of challenges over the years, including declining participation and sponsors. At its height, the Derby championships had in excess of 40,000 spectators. But times change, and a number of kids are engaged in very different activities nowadays. But what hasn’t changed are the dozens of hills run by the Soap Box Derby – hills that are pristine and car-free! Derby Downs in Akron is the jewel in the crown.

This world championship event marked the event’s 74th anniversary. It featured racers from all over the USA, Canada, New Zealand and even Japan.

There were more than 2,000 spectators in attendance when the demo began.

The feedback from the Soap Box Derby executives and riders was extremely positive. Plans are underway for more demos and contests and to explore the opportunity to work much closer together. Many thanks to all those riders who participated and worked tirelessly demonstrating luges and longboards.

AXS GEAR

AXSGear longboard directory is where people read and write reviews about their favorite local skate shops and skateboard companies. It was put together by web guru Rick Tetz, who also runs the Cal Streets website.

“It’s the ultimate Longboard/Skateboard explorer’s guide, written by locals who are in the know for every major metropolitan area in the USA and Canada,” Rick says. It’s a place to go where you can share your own personal longboard experiences with any shop or manufacturer.

Through Rick’s hard work and expertise in web translation, AXSGear.com now has international sites in Spain, France, Germany and Argentina.

AXSGear.com provides online local skate shop search capabilities for longboarders and skaters everywhere. As Rick explains, a typical search includes what the user is seeking (e.g., longboards) and the location from which the search is to be performed, entered as a specific address, neighborhood, city/state combination or zip code. Each skateboard shop listing result contains a five-point rating, reviews from other skaters, and details such as the business address, videos, Facebook, Twitter, shop hours, latest shop promotions and local shop articles. Skaters can aid in

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NOTEWORTHY >> PRODUCTS, PEOPLE, EVENTS keeping the business listings up to date, with moderator approval, and shop owners can directly add articles or update their own business’ listing information on AXSGear.

AXS strengthens the online skate community through offline charity events (Vans Warped Tour 2011 Passport Program), Longboard Trade Shows (Vancouver, Sept. 2011), downhill race events (Danger Bay and Maryhill) and the Readers’ Choice Awards. Rick has also designed a special category of contributors. They are called “Elite members.” Elite members must provide a photo and their real name, be at least of legal drinking age, and not own a local business. In return these members receive a special badge on their personalized page for every year they author a specific number of reviews or contribute to the improvement of the online community. The concept is meant to indicate that the user is a trusted longboarder and author of business reviews. To gain Elite status, it is often helpful to be nominated by other Elite

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

40 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

DIARY OF A TRUCK PART 1.5

By Neil Carver

users, but recognition is bestowed when one writes useful, funny or cool reviews.

The response to the site has been extraordinary. “AXSGear.com peers seem to live on the site, messaging one another about their social lives, reacting to reviews and planning get-togethers.

That’s the social-networking part,” says Rick. As is the case on most social networks, AXSGear.com is rife with self-conscious patter. But there’s a point to all the yammering: finding longboard stuff that’s not too far away. It’s a mission everyone seems to take seriously. axsgear.com WARPED TOUR 2011 Alex Nauth and Daisy of Foxy Shazam with Passport tour manager Devin Hornbeek showing off some of the great decks made for the tour.

Devin gives away a Never Summer deck at the Asking Alexander show in Darien Lake, New York.

Concrete Wave worked with a number of artists to add a special twist to this year’s Passport Program. They created customized decks that reflected the various non-profits that are on the tour.

Pictured are members of Foxy Shazam with two outstanding decks.

“Friday, June 2, 2011: The finished truck masters were supposed to have been sent to the pattern shop yesterday, but before they left I decided to make one small change ... ” And so began another wrinkle in the story of the development of the new freeride RKP truck by Neil Carver, chronicled in the previous issue. The story takes another side path down more design refinements and delays in production of the truck, as well as pushing the completion of “Diary of a Truck Part 2: Manufacturing” to the following issue.

Behind-the-scenes stories and thoughts on truck design are laid out online, along with extra photos of the process, like this image of the hand-carved SLA master before paint. Visit carverskateboards.com and read all about it.

Want to know where to find Concrete Wave мagazine? 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 PayPal 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

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42 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

Skate Shooting PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR CAPTURING LONGBOARD ACTION

Mike Dunworth and Jason Rutherford

By Daniel Milchev Professional commercial photographer Daniel Milchev has been published all over the world.

His work is unique, recognizable and masterfully edited. Daniel is co-owner of Action Photo School with Connor Walberg, and loves to share his photography knowledge.

His sponsors include LumiQuest, Enlight Photo (Orbis & Frio) and Dirty Dog Eyewear.

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L

ongboarding is not like most action sports. Often, when you pick up your camera and take a photo of a buddy longboarding, it is going to look like he is just standing on the board, and that’s not very exciting! If you want to capture great images, you need to get creative, and by using a few different techniques you can achieve awesome results on any shoot. In this article, Action Photo School is going to show you how to improve your longboard images and take photos like the pros.

We are going to start with few basic techniques for the “point and shoot” owners and then progress to more advanced techniques for people who have more sophisticated cameras or DSLRs.

 SAFETY BEFORE ALL. Make sure you are at a safe spot before you start taking pictures. Longboarders can go really fast, but sometimes they can’t turn really quick, so make sure you are out of the way.

low angle, everything around you will be defined much better. Grass, trees, rocks, and even the pavement has a ton more detail at sunrise/sunset than if you take the pictures in the middle of the day.

 LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Find a scenic road overlooking the city, or look for a mountain backdrop.

Choosing the right location could be the key to a great shot, and choosing the wrong spot could easily ruin it even if you have great talent to shoot.

 PLACE THE ATHLETE ANYWHERE IN THE FRAME BUT THE CENTER. There is a complicated explanation on why your subject shouldn’t be dead centered in the photo, but we won’t get into details; just take our word for it. Don’t place your buddy right in the middle of the shot.

 THE GOLDEN HOURS. If you think about it, probably most of the best photos you have ever seen were captured during sunrise or sunset. When the sun is at a

 CHOOSE AN INTERESTING ANGLE. Don’t just shoot standing on your feet. Try getting low; being closer to the ground will give you a more exciting perspective, and

IF YOU WANT TO CAPTURE GREAT IMAGES, YOU NEED TO GET CREATIVE people love to see exciting images. Or maybe hop on the hill right next to the road to get an angle from above.  BRIGHT CLOTHING. Talk to your friends and see if you get them to wear something bright. A bright red T-shirt creates great contrast against the blue sky and won’t blend with the background.  SO FAR SO GOOD. Any of the above tips will make your images much better and you don’t need any special equipment to apply them. These tips can also be applied to “regular” skateboarding and other sports. For this part of the article we are going to get into more technical details for the advanced camera users.  KEEP THE SPEED UP. If your athlete can go fast, it will make for more exciting shots, but you will also have to keep your shutter speed up so you can freeze the action. Shutter speeds above 1/500 to 1/800 of a second are recommended to guarantee sharp photographs.  FOCUS. There are two ways for getting your subject in focus. You can either use continuous focusing and keep the focusing point on your subject as he or she is coming your way, or you can choose a spot (on the ground or something on the side of the road that would be right next to your athlete) and focus on it. Then you will need to take the shot as your athlete passes through it.  MOTION BLUR. The easiest way to convey motion in your images is by blurring them. No, I am not talking about blurring the whole image. You can either blur your background and leave the athlete sharp, or blur the athlete and keep the backdrop in focus. To achieve either one of these techniques you have to set your camera’s shutter

speed to a relatively low number of about 1/15 to 1/60th of a second.

For the first technique, set a slow shutter speed and have the athlete skate down the hill while you are standing off to the side. Follow him with your camera and take as many shots as your camera allows.

Matching the rider’s speed by panning your camera will keep your subject sharp and your background blurred.

For the second technique, find a nice, scenic spot, set your camera on a tripod and have your athlete ride through the scene. Don’t forget that you will need a slow shutter speed to achieve the blur. Again, take as many shots as you can.

Since you are going for a blur effect, a lot of the images will be too blurry, or not blurred enough. So how do you know the right setting?

You don’t. The best way to get great shots is by experimenting. So don’t be afraid to try different settings!  LIFESTYLES. Last but not least, don’t forget to capture a couple of lifestyle/portrait shots of your athletes. Capture your friend as he is enjoying a nice view, or while she is adjusting her longboard with a screwdriver in her hand. These kinds of shots make for great composites or just great portraits by themselves.

These are just some of the “guidelines” that every pro has on his mind when shooting longboarding. Try to apply more than one of the tips in a shot for the best results.

Hopefully we have gotten your imagination going and you already have a great idea for a photo in your head. If you are stoked on longboarding and action sports photography, visit actionphotoschool.com to learn tons more tips, discuss your photos with other photographers and win great prizes by entering our photo competitions. CW

Steven Wilgenhof

Justin McCarty and Mike Schranz

Mike Dunworth

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Whistler Longboard Festival

By Andrew Monaghan Photos: Paul Wright

ell, after a full year of anticipation, imagining and second-hand stories of this downhill track, the first Whistler Longboard Festival exploded onto the race schedule on June 25-26, 2011. It was an epic two-day battle on what some consider the best course in the North American downhill longboard scene. The hill has a 1,000-foot vertical drop, and the course had eight corners jammed into a one-mile-long track.

At the start, a long straightaway launches riders onto the track with just the right amount of speed to rail the first corner. Holding your tuck becomes important while rolling over the bridge and before the insanity starts. After the straight the course begins its epic vertical drop with the second corner feeling more like a chicane where riders either throw down a small predrift or roll through the first bend and toss a heavy predrift in the main corner.

W

Nick Breton keeps his eyes on the prize.

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The second corner eats a lot of the riders’ speed and leads to some serious jockeying for position before entering the third corner. Approaching the fourth corner, riders start to understand how nuts the hill is; corners pop up one after another in speedy succession with barely enough space to set up for the next.

After the fourth corner, another quick drop in elevation gives riders a nice pickup of speed and sends them hauling through the fifth corner and on to the biggest drop on the course, before corner six. This year, the straight after corner five was where most of the racing action took place. Riders had to make a decision whether or not to hold a full tuck into corner six with an uncomfortable amount of speed, or predrift before entering the corner. The consequences of that decision meant that exit speed into the slower bottom corners was enough to command a lead or be stuck chasing. Kyle Martin was hauling into corner six with full speed and railing it all weekend long, which proved to be the best strategy, as he had a clear lead over James Kelly in the finals after corner six and seven.

Corner seven was typically a chance to regroup and set up for what can best be described as “Holy crap, when are all these corners gonna stop?” The remaining four corners, although not as steep as the upper section, are very tight together and amazingly fun to ride. Spectators in the bottom four corners were everywhere and lined the course; their cheers motivated riders to “give ’er” everything they had before the finish.

The last corner was to the finish line, which was a nice, relaxing uphill so riders could save their shoes from undue footbraking. The uphill finish also provided a chance to see who could make it up the hill the furthest, which of course meant that the rider had the most speed through the finish line. Officially Louis Pilloni won that contest, but unofficially Nick Breton made it the highest.

Most riders visiting Whistler for the first time were blown away by what the city and its inhabitants had to offer. The festival saw one of the largest turnouts of spectators that a race in BC has seen in recent years, and an abundance of action sports photographers with massive cameras and flashes made it feel like the “red carpet” event of the DH scene.

In addition to all the action that took place on the mountain, there were organized parties each night to keep the fun happening even after the race. Rockstar Beer hosted one at Tapley’s on Saturday night and another one at the Longhorn on Sunday; both were amazing – not only because they were in the heart of the action in downtown Whistler, but also because there was FREE BEER! After the long days of freeriding, racing and partying, it was a treat to crash in a swanky hotel for the low, low cost of only $30 per night. The accommodation was at the Athletes’ Centre from the 2010 Winter Olympics, so it was brand new and had world-class amenities.

The Whistler Longboard Festival set a high standard,

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Tony Graves

Aidan Lynz, Alex Johnson and Wolfgang "Splitter Hog" Coleman

Kyle Martin (left) and James Kelly charge down the mountain.

offering riders a taste of what the sport could be in the future as the community steadily grows and evolves. The course itself was enough to make the short trip from Vancouver well worth it. Adding perks like cheap meals, free beer and comfortable accommodations for affordable prices has really redefined what a downhill skateboarding event can look and feel like. The first year for any event organizer can be an anxious experience, and this year was no exception as, surprisingly, fewer than 100 riders turned out. But now that the riders who were lucky enough to ride the hill this year know what Whistler has to offer, it will undoubtedly become a sellout event in years to come. Mark your calendars for another lateJune event next year! CW Stoked winners (left to right) Jim Z, Lee Cation and Kelsey Crozier FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 53

THE ARBOR TEAM GOES HILL HUNTING IN THE HIGH SIERRA

By James Kelly rbor riders have participated in events on three different continents in eight different countries so far this year.

We’ve been spreading the stoke of skateboarding and everyone’s been having a blast. However, we felt we needed to capture another side of what we’re doing.

We want to show the community what happens outside events. So much happens outside of a closed course, away from the cameras and competitive atmosphere. When you have a group of talented skaters in one spot, sessions pop up everywhere and anywhere. They quickly migrate from the curb or slope and converge at nearby skateparks and hills. Sometimes it just takes a parking block to get things started. It’s always random, usually rowdy and purely awesome. The point is, how rad would it be to go on a “hill hunting” skate trip with your buddies/teammates and find the most epic hills to bomb?

That was the plan for our team of eight: Break out of SoCal and explore unskated terrain in California’s Sierra mountain range. The trip was to be a week long, filmed the entire time and made into three Web episodes. The goal was to showcase what skateboarding means to us. Simply put, hitting the streets or hills with your homies, searching for new and epic spots to push the limits of what you do. To capture our team’s

A

Max Myers. Photo: Jeff Budro

Photos: Jeff Budro

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James Kelly. Photo : Michael Alfuso

exploration of new terrain, taking on what comes, keeping it random, spontaneous and, of course, mellow. Our goal was to shred new spots every day and progress the sport. We wanted to capture what we love to do. With this goal in mind, we set off on an expedition, a monumental film trip that was to become Arbor’s “Get Elevated Tour 2011.”

I could go into detail, write pages on how awesome the trip was, tell you about all the crazy times, awesome waterfalls and cliffs. I could mention Duke’s brakes going out down that steep as sh*t hill. I

Photo: Jeff Budro

could go on and on about all the gnarly skate moments, like Eric and Josh going down at 55 mph plus. And I could Josh Hunt. Photo: Jeff Budro probably leak all the names of the epic spots we skated. But I’ll just let these shots and the video do the talking. We surpassed all our hopes and expectations. The “Get Elevated Tour” is dropping on skatehousemedia.com and via Arbor Collective on youtube.com this fall. CW

o Jimmy Riha. Photo: Michael Alfus

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MANUFACTURING

CLOSE-UP N

By MICH

AEL BRO

N A E S CALLISTER MA NEVER SUMMER How did you get involved in making skateboard products?

All of us at Never Summer come from a skate/snow/surf background. About seven years ago I started to get into longboarding, and more and more people I knew were longboarding. Our customers were also starting to ask us to build longboards. I looked at what everyone else was building and knew we could use our knowledge of composite manufacturing from our 20-plus years of building snowboards to make the best longboards you could buy. We don’t want to be everything for everyone, just to build the best boards we can for those who can appreciate the difference.

What gives you the most satisfaction when it comes to building skateboards?

A lot of different things make me happy about building skateboards. First off, I am making and selling skateboards; it has to be better than, say, the paper industry.

(I’ve never worked in paper, so I can’t say for sure, but I will speculate.) Longboarding is fun.

I personally find satisfaction in knowing that Never Summer is doing something to support the local economy, and we actually have control over the quality of the skateboards we are building. It is great to be able to create skateboards from the ground up. Having our own factory affords us the ability to come up with a new idea and have prototypes within a week or two.

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Photos: Jeff Nass

How many years have you been involved with it?

About six years for longboards, but I started at NS in 1995 building snowboards. Worked my way up from there, and after about 16 years of dedication to sideways-standing sports, I am directing the longboard division and overseeing all domestic and international sales.

OKE

The last thing is the ability to innovate in longboarding. From our launch in 2007 until today, we have been able to pioneer several new technologies in longboarding. In addition to all our boards being built with composite construction, we were the first to use inlaid tip and tail protection, with our exclusive UHMW P-tex from our snowboards, our exclusive PTECH technology, and also the first to use elastomeric foil for damping under the trucks to reduce vibrations and stabilize your ride. Many of our innovative construction techniques have been emulated by multiple companies since we started. That gives me satisfaction as well. As they say, “Imitation is the highest form … “ What do you see happening to North American skateboard manufacturing?

You have already seen what has happened to North American manufacturing in general. Over the last 20 years, within skateboarding, you have probably seen over 90% of the manufacturing go overseas, and mostly to China. I just heard about yet another very large domestic skate manufacturer that recently moved to China.

In essence, the only thing you see happening in North American skateboard manufacturing is long-

board builders. We are already seeing a huge amount of inferior product coming in from overseas.

Big companies will continue to go to overseas, but there will still be a few small guys like us that still build skateboards here.

On the positive side, there is only one way to go from here, and that is the return to domestic manufacturing. I personally believe that you will see more manufacturing return to North America in the future.

I believe this will happen for several reasons, including the cost of manufacturing in China is going up, as well as fuel and shipping costs. You have the China Contract Labor Law enacted in 2008, organized labor, and the minimum wage [there] has been dramatically increased.

Once companies can no longer have products produced over there and shipped here cheaply enough to offset the negatives of overseas production, we should see a return to domestic manufacturing. Until then we will continue to do what we do: build every longboard by hand, start to finish, in our Denver, Colorado factory. We are obviously big proponents of “Made in the USA.” Can’t get off on a rant here, but I hope everyone reading this supports both longboards made in North America and [their] local retailer.

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Photos: Dan Mathieu 58 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

MAX DUFOUR WOODCHUCK LAMINATES How did you get involved in making skateboard products?

I started making decks in March 1996. At that time, all the high-end boards were made in California with hard rock Canadian maple. I thought I could do as good or better boards as what the market was doing. The passion from skateboarding and entrepreneurship definitely drove me to do this.

How many years have you been involved with it?

I have been skateboarding for 24 years now. I skated professionally for 10 years, and I have manufactured skateboards for 14 years now. So it’s safe to say I am all about skateboarding.

What gives you the most satisfaction when it comes to building skateboards?

When I get riders telling about their skating and how our decks perform. Each time I see a skater on our boards, it makes me happy.

What do you see happening to North American skateboard manufacturing?

The manufacturing supply is consolidating into blocks of companies where efficiencies are gained. We already are seeing it happen, and it will continue this way.

I also think more innovations are to come because of pricing pressure. It’s an exciting time right now for skateboard manufacturing. Woodchuck is presently finalizing R&D on our offering for longboarding manufacturing for 2011.

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 59

DAVE CINDRICH CINDRICH LONGBOARDS How long have you been making skateboards? About four years now.

The first boards I ever made were made from polycarbonate plastic and carbon fiber, just to make something that was not made from wood. Then a few years later I started making aluminum boards just for fun.

How did you get into it? I had some friends who longboarded. After riding theirs a few times I had to buy one. The first board I bought was an Arbor pintail.

What is the one thing that gives you the most satisfaction about making skateboards? The most satisfying thing for me is to have some crazy idea in my head, then creating it in the computer, then making it and having a tangible thing in my hands. Then the next best thing is to hear people’s reactions to the things I create.

Where do you see North American skateboard manufacturing headed? Honestly, I don't really know. I'd like to think that it will all stay in North America and not move overseas. I think you are going to see more smaller companies making up the majority of the boards, and of those I think there will be a few that make it big. CW

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SLALOM REPORT >>

EUROPE N

By Guillaume Saint-Criq, Jani Soderhall and Jonathan Harms

CHAMPIONSHIPS EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS Giant Slalom 1. Dominik Kowalski, GER 2. Mikael Hadestrand, SWE 3. Viking Hadestrand, SWE 4. Janis Kuzmins, LAT 5. Josef Stefka, CZE

Viking Hadestrand (L) and Janis Kuzmins (R) attack the special slalom course at the European Championships in Grenoble, France.

T

he sun was very much present on July 1-3 for the fifth edition of the Désaxé World Ride in Grenoble, France for the 2011 European Championships. And riders, too, who came from all over Europe to compete for the title of European Champion.

Friday began with giant slalom. The course at Saint-Martin le Vinoux was probably the fastest GS ever run in Europe, with speeds at around 60km/h (37 mph). Racers were doing their best to find just the right equation between speed, controlled turns and pumping the cones. The road offered some spectacular sections, with solid rock on one side and steep slopes just off the road on the other side.

At the end of the course racers had to engage in impressive footbraking stretching over several tens of meters. Germany’s Dominik Kowalski confirmed his dominance in this discipline by placing first, ahead of Swedish racers – father and son, respectively – Mika Hadestrand and Viking Hadestrand.

Germany’s Kathrin Sehl won the women’s GS. After a somewhat chaotic start because of technical problems on Saturday, the tight straight slalom got underway. The course of 50 cones with 1.7-meter (5 feet, 7 inches) spacing, flat surface and a strong headwind required the riders to dip into their reserves. Janis Kuzmins of Latvia confirmed his dominance in TS by beating Kowalski. Kuzmins ran both faster and cleaner than any other racer; in the finals against Kowalski, he recorded the two fastest runs of all five elimination rounds, while hitting a total of only two cones in 12 runs (including qualifying). Mika Hadestrand made another strong showing in third, followed again by his son Viking in

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Straight Slalom 1. Janis Kuzmins, LAT 2. Dominik Kowalski, GER 3. Mikael Hadstrand, SWE 4. Viking Hadestrand, SWE 5. Stanislas Mironenko, UKR/GER Special Slalom: 1. Dominik Kowalski, GER 2. Viking Hadestrand, SWE 3. Janis Kuzmins, LAT 4. Mikael Hadestrand, SWE 5. Michel Dupont, FRA

Kuzmins dodges between a cone and a hard place at 35+ mph in the Euros GS.

fourth and Stas Mironenko of Ukraine, nowadays living in Germany, in fifth. In the women’s division, Latvia’s Lienite Skaraine defeated Sehl for the title.

Sunday was devoted to special slalom. The course generated a lot of discussions, being considered too advantageous for goofy-foot riders, so the race director decided to mirror the courses, offering two completely opposite courses. This setup had not

been used in a big race in Europe since the 2004 Euros, but it set a good precedent for future races.

After some intense rounds, Dominik Kowalski once again came out on top. Last year’s special/hybrid slalom world champion Viking Hadestrand (SWE) finished second, and Kuzmins took third place over Mika Hadestrand. The races were exceedingly close, with only about one second’s difference between second (12.007) and 15th places (13.076), giving an average of 0.07 per place in between. That’s some close racing up there in the top 16 bracket! Skaraine claimed her second win of the weekend by again defeating Sehl for the women’s title.

Summing up, this year’s Pro category was pretty much dominated by the top four of Dominik, Janis, Mika and Viking, just exchanging places on each of the podiums. But it’s promising to see that there is a healthy group just outside the top as well, with veteran racers like Michel Dupont, Josef Stefka, Stas Mironenko, Robert Thiele and Christoph Baumann, and younger up-and-comers Christopher Dupont, Gustavs Gailitis and Chris Schütz. Getting into the top 10 is no easy task!

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WORLD

& T

he 2011 World Championships of Slalom Skateboarding in Ottawa began with large ambitions. Main race organizer Claude Regnier had participated in the Expo ’86 world championships in Vancouver and wanted to evoke some of the inclusive, festive atmosphere of that event, and had assembled numerous sponsors, partners and volunteers to pull it off. Pre-race communication and publicity were excellent, and racers from Sweden, France, Latvia, Germany, Brazil, the USA and Canada attended the event, anticipating an exciting three days of racing on Ottawa’s Carling Avenue, a main thoroughfare into the Canadian capital city.

However, a lack of anticipated sponsor money forced the organizing team to make the difficult decision to condense three days of racing into two, with the tight slalom event taking place in suburban Dovercourt on Friday, Aug. 19 and the hybrid and giant slalom on Carling Avenue on Saturday, Aug. 20.

(L-R) 2011 pro world champions Louis Ricard (Hybrid slalom), Janis Kuzmins (TS) and Joe McLaren (GS).

Photo: CL Buchanan Photography

Lynn Kramer, shown here in tight slalom, won all three women's world titles.

Photo: CL Buchanan Photography

TIGHT SLALOM Tight slalom is the most demanding slalom discipline.

Tiny changes in equipment or technique can have huge effects on results, and only the fittest and best-prepared riders will advance to the final rounds. No one showed this better than Latvia’s Janis Kuzmins and Colorado’s Joe McLaren, who tore through the 57-cone pro TS course with identical qualifying times of 13.535 seconds, more than a full second ahead of third-place qualifier Seb Leger. Kuzmins and McLaren likewise tore through the elimination rounds to meet in the finals, where McLaren’s uncharacteristic first-run DQ practically guaranteed the win to Kuzmins. Instead of just cruising the second run, however, the Latvian dynamo blazed through it cleanly with the secondfastest time of the day to score a convincing victory and earn his second World TS title. McLaren was second, followed by Louis Ricard and Richy Carrasco.

Lynn Kramer dominated the women’s division to win her seventh world TS title. Canada’s Julie Boulanger finished second, followed by last year’s TS champion, Lienite Skaraine from Latvia, and Canada’s Emilie Gascon. Canadians Stéphane Fournier and Thomas Duplessis took the open amateur and junior divisions, respectively, and Florida veteran Keith Hollien skated like a man 30 years younger to win the masters division.

HYBRID AND GIANT SLALOM With two events to get through, racing began early on Carling Ave. on Saturday, beginning with hybrid

Julie Boulanger and Emilie Gascon. Photo: John Ravitch

Joe McLaren was the overall pro winner at Ottawa by taking first in giant slalom and second in hybrid and tight. Photo: Craig Robinson

slalom, a mix of tight and widely spaced cones. Unfortunately, a rain shower soaked the course just as pro qualifying was ending. Waiting for the course to dry forced another difficult decision for the organizers: Use hybrid qualifying times as final times, or cancel the giant slalom? They opted for the former, so Louis Ricard’s run of 25.611 on the nearly 300-meter-long course made him the 2011 hybrid world champion.

Ricard has been near the top of every race he’s entered in the last couple of years, but this was his first major win and his first world championship. Joe McLaren again finished second, and Robert Thiele, a Czech skater living in Germany, finished third. Lynn Kramer earned her fifth world hybrid slalom title by again winning the women’s division. Texas Outlaw Lou Statman and Washington’s Brad Jackman finally shed their big-race bugaboos by winning the amateur and masters’ divisions, respectively, and Canada’s Gabe Duquet won the juniors, his second world hybrid title.

The giant slalom began as soon as the rain had dried and finished under threatening skies. Joe McLaren dominated the pro class with a time of 24.604, winning by more than a second over fellow Colorado rider Martin Reaves. Janis Kuzmins, not normally known for his GS skills, finished a strong third. Kramer won her seventh world GS crown, making it her 19th (yes, 19th!) world title in all. Statman and Jackman repeated their hybrid wins by taking the amateur and masters titles, and Thomas Duplessis took home the junior division title to add to his TS win.

Despite the difficulties of time and weather, and despite the absence of top competitors like Dominik Kowalski, Ramón Königshausen and Kathrin Sehl, the Worlds again featured some amazing skating. Once organizers can work out the sponsorship bugs, future slalom races should start getting bigger and better than ever before. The pro and amateur divisions have a mix of young and veteran talent, any of whom could win on any given day; the junior crown is always up for grabs; the masters are not showing any signs of slowing down; and Queen Lynn the First is always ready to take on all comers. When’s the next race?

For more information, including complete results of the Worlds, go to slalomskateboarder.com. CW

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 63

MARCUS BANDY P

O

R

T

F

O

L

I

O

If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer . . .

If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in!

— Shel Silverstein

Marcus Bandy — Skater, Photographer, Writer and Wheelbase Magazine Editor. Photo: David Marano.

Louis Pilloni with a 14-karat sunset slider.

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 65

“Big Dave” Tannaci, shralpin' off the lip somewhere in New Mexico.

66 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

Liam Morgan charging it down an epic road we found on one of the Tristan da Cunha islands.

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68 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

Kody Noble grinding a fat bowl in Weed, California.

Louis Pilloni taking the scenic route into the City.

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 71

PEACEFUL

INVASION The world’s attention turned to Rio de Janeiro last November, when the National Forces (local and federal police, plus the Army and the Marines) invaded a huge area known as “Complexo do Alemão” to bring peace back to a crime-infested neighborhood. You probably saw it on CNN and also got jawdropped by the scenes of drug dealers running away from the Force like cockroaches escaping a sanitization. It was the bestplanned military action in modern Brazilian history.

Just a couple of months later, a group of skaters went to Morro do Adeus (the largest favela in the infamous area) and discovered wild, rough and extremely steep hills ready to be ridden. They saw, they planned and then performed another invasion – only this time a peaceful one. One of the guys was Bruno “noBru” Ribeiro, and this is their story.

Note: Get yourself a good glass of cold water and a napkin before reading this, as your mouth will become dry reading the story – and you’ll certainly drool looking at the pictures!

By GUTO JIMINEZ | Photos: VITOR “BOSSA” VIEIRA

72 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

Bruno “noBru” Ribeiro testing the limits of traction.

noBru, dusty slide.

Rio de Janeiro is a city full of hills, which would be great for downhill skateboarding if only the terrain would be as nice as the rest of the “Wonder City.” Pavement is usually rough and uneven, so not all hills can be regarded as truly skateable. This only makes the search for new spots a must and a need for all carioca riders.

Local longboarders have dreamed for quite a while about riding the hills in Complexo do Alemão, since this huge area full of favelas is basically set on Zona Norte’s largest chain of hills. Riding there would be a privilege, as there are many options for freeriding, high-speed runs, slalom, carving – you name it.

But not everything is as simple as that. One must never enter this area without some sort of help from the local inhabitants, as the local social organization is confusing to say the least.

This skateboarding paradise was controlled by a fierce and violent drug gang, which of course made the place itself hazardous to one’s health and impossible to be ridden by anyone. So when the government initiated its actions to bring peace to the community, the Clube de Skate de Ladeiras do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro Downhill Skateboarding Club, a local crew of riders) couldn’t miss the opportunity – and there we went to ride those hills.

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 73

Felipe Cobra

In order to do so, Felipe Cobra (the club’s president) contacted Afro Reggae Organization’s sports coordinator, Fernando Medeiros, and he took Felipe, Luciano “DMF” Vasconcelos, Fabio “Gorducho” and me to the steepest and hardest hill I’ve ever ridden in my lifetime: the Morro do Adeus.

The key for a good ride at this spot is the predrift, since the curves are really tough and very few see the place with good eyes. If that weren’t enough, the pavement is made of concrete, with extra grooves to give cars enough traction to go uphill. But we were so amped to ride the spot that we didn’t even care about the final works on the road, or the “extras” – dust, sand, rocks and horse sh*t – on the pavement (lots of each, I might add).

Morro do Adeus is definitely not for beginners, and only very experienced riders would be able to dominate the spot. If we compare skateboarding to martial arts, this would be a “black belt only” kind of ride, if you know what I mean. It’s not enough just to make the usual speed checks; this spot is for those who’ve got their slides truly wired. Also, managing to visualize different lines is essential to escape the “extras.”

Other similar insane locations are already being searched by our crew. After all, we’re all devotees of one of skateboarding’s universal truths: “Seek, and thou shalt find.” CW

.

— cab waits noBru slides

The crew (L to R): Bruno “noB ru,” Felipe Cobra, Lu ciano “DMF” Va sconcelos.

74 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

The view from below.

noBru getting there.

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CONCRETEWAVEMAGAZINE.COM

The Story of the

Chianti Drifters

By ELISEO MATTIOLI Photos DAVID MARSILI

he Chianti hills of Italy are one of the most famous places in the entire world. They are renowned for their superior wine, great food and beautiful landscapes. But what about skating them? At the end of 2006, when I had to move to Siena, just at the doorstep of the Chianti area, I knew I was going to a place that could offer more hills than I had ever seen around my hometown, a flat seaside city in the South. I had been longboarding for about a year, mostly on flatland or mellow slopes, and was thrilled by the possibility of learning to skate down real hills.

Actually, the terrain didn’t disappoint, with slopes everywhere: in the city streets, in the parking lots and right outside my house. However, I had to reckon with what I already knew: Longboarding in Italy was not an easy passion to cultivate.

Essentially, I was alone. I had always been so, but I had hoped this could change in the new place. Most people didn’t even imagine something like a longboard existed, and were regularly giving me “the look of the alien” when they came across me walking back up a hill fully padded. I knew there were a few other longboarders scattered through the country, thanks to a national forum where we met each other and started to share the stoke. But we were very far apart, and from the screen of my computer they couldn’t help me learn to ride the steep, twisting roads I had around me.

You do want spotters when riding open roads in Italy. Traffic may or may not be heavy, but Italians like to have fun driving, and they’re often in a hurry. They don’t even suspect some “wacko” could roll out of a turn on a wooden board with wheels (and no brakes).

Plus, the sexiest roads among the hills were narrow,

O

Dario Nincheri takes on a sweet corner.

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 77

leaving not much room for mistakes or inconveniences. So I had to cope with that, and devoted myself to hard-wheel sliding. I got the basics down and had fun learning slide tricks by myself on straight hills.

Things unexpectedly started to change by the end of 2008, when I was carving some flowy lines in a small park and met a guy named David. He was there rollerblading, but he knew longboards were out there and was curious to try. So I let him try my boards, told him about sliding and finally set him up with his first rig. It was a basic carving/cruising setup. I was just getting more into soft-wheel sliding and David picked it up quickly, so it wasn’t long before we switched our carving boards for DH/freeride setups and started looking for spots to practice drifting corners. Soon I discovered that my new friend was not only an amusing skate mate and a proficient rider, but also a skilled, passionate sports photographer, who had as much fun shooting great pics as he had skateboarding.

So, things were feeling fresh and exciting, but the best was yet to come. A few months later the two of us became three, as we were joined by Dario, an acquaintance of David who had been bombing hills on skateboards (and other unlikely wheeled devices) since he was a kid, with just big balls but no knowledge whatsoever of what he was doing or how to save

After almost five years living at the doorstep of the Chianti area, Elesio Mattioli has the place dialed in nicely.

Antonio Giordano has been ripping up transition since the 1980s and was looking for some downhill fun.

He's definitely found it here!

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CONCRETEWAVEMAGAZINE.COM

longboarding and freeriding. The bond between the four of us stays strong, and we still get together from time to time to have fun shredding old and new spots in the Chianti area and to spread some stoke.

Meanwhile, the Italian scene has been growing fast, with lots of people picking up the sport during the last months and setting up for what could be the first Italian “longboard summer.” The Chianti Drifters will be part of it and are proud to have contributed to sparking the passion for freeriding and drifting down the hills of Italy.

In this promising scenario, many longboardrelated initiatives are brewing. David is working on a photo book entitled “Black Box” (with a clear reference to airplane flight recorders), where he’ll collect the best shots from 2008 to this day, as a testimony of the freeride beginnings of the Chianti Drifters. The book also features Team Flat (Federico Barboni and Roberto Marasca – teamflat.it) and others. The progress of this project can be followed on the Facebook group named “Somewhere in Italy – Longskate.”CW

Each one of the Drifters has his own distinct style and preferences. They are united to find the gnarliest corners and most technical switchbacks. Dario powers into a turn.

his life. Shortly after, three became four with the arrival of Antonio, a hardcore surfer (and a true character) and a seasoned skater who had been ripping on ramps and bowls since the ’80s and was now looking for some downhill fun. The four of us got along very well and started sessioning on a regular basis on the weekends. Thus the Chianti Drifters were born, and the attack on the hills began.

Although each one of us had his own distinct style U-Haul and preferences, we specialized in findingPagan the gnarliest corners and most technical switchbacks, aiming at riding them sideways, with occasional stretches of speed here and there. We geared up with walkietalkies to check on cars in blind corners and longer runs, and we even had a few “sunrise sessions” to be able to ride some sexy hairpins we found in busy residential areas. We had a lot of fun on and off our boards; our technique got better and better, with faster speeds, cleaner lines and steezier slides; the stoke was flying high, as we felt we were riding the hills of Tuscany in a way no one else had done before. On top of this, David was shooting sick photos all the way.

Unfortunately, good things don’t last forever. After about one year of riding together, the Chianti Drifters went through some darker times; I had to move back to my hometown, Dario moved to Spain for a while, and Antonio had to deal with some surf-related injuries.

However, we did not give up, and today we’re all still skating and looking to get more people involved in

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 79

Believe it or not, the cops love longboarders in Malaysia. Our sources say there have been no issues.

Maybe it's time to move there?

Longboarding

MALAYSIA

By CHING LING HO

I

Photo: Mambu Longboards

80 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

t’s been little more than a year since I last wrote my little report on the Malaysian longboarding scene for Silverfish Longboarding. Back then hosting an event where only 10 people showed up was considered an achievement in itself, and coming across a store that stocked one Sector 9 board was an awesome find.

Looking back, it’s amazing how much the scene has picked up here and how far we’ve come since then.

Before I go on, I know most of you reading now must be wondering, what on earth is Malaysia and where in the world is it? We’re that country occupying the chunk of land just above Singapore and under Thailand. Just ask Martin Siegrist for directions the next time you see him.

As some of you are probably aware, Martin had moved to Malaysia in 2009 for a little under a year, which was more than enough to get the kids star-struck and stoked. Everyone (or at least those who weren’t too intimidated by him) would start looking to him for skating tips and just for a chance to skate with an industry pro. Of course, his short stay here did a lot for the scene. I think it’s safe to say that a lot more people started to focus more on

downhill skateboarding, and we also managed to get a government-approved downhill event going on at Bukit Putus.

We even got the police to escort us up and down the hill! It’s pretty common for the cops to come down hard on skateboarders in general, but for some strange reason the cops seem to love us here!

Maybe it’s the absence of any law on longboarding, or maybe they just don’t know what to think when they see a bunch of aliens going down a hill, but we have yet to have any nasty run-ins with the law.

Even the press seems to love longboarding – well, for now at least. While there have only been two news reports on longboarding here that I know of, longboarding in Malaysia has generated nothing but good press, and I think that’s a great start! A local newspaper covered the event at Bukit Putus, and a show on one of our local television channels dedicated one whole episode (that’s 30 whole minutes) to showcase longboarding.

Another big push to getting the scene growing was by our very own Mambu Longboards. Much to my amazement, by the time I returned back to Malaysia, we had gone from having to source all our CONCRETEWAVEMAGAZINE.COM

gear overseas to having our own local longboard manufacturer. The good thing about the guys at Mambu is they make some affordable and reliable gear. This really made all the difference, because the prices of a complete North American or European-made longboard would literally put most people here on a diet of instant noodles until the next solar eclipse.

A good majority of the riders here are teenagers still in high school, making it really difficult for them to fork out more than 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit for a setup, so Mambu

from 10 in the morning until 5 in the evening!

That was too bad, because a good number of Singaporean riders turned up, making it a total of 24 riders that day. Because of the weather conditions, only the street luge races were run that day. In order to satisfy the craving of the downhill skateboarders, another KKB race was held only a couple of weeks later. Even though only 12 riders raced that day, the absence of rain, getting in a bunch of runs down and some tight racing were more than enough to satisfy the hunger.

Photo: Gan Khiaw Cho or

No matter where you go, longboarders everywhere simply love the Go-Pro camera! Photo: Jamie Lim

boards are definitely the go-to boards for most of them starting out. And hey, not only does Mambu make boards, they host regular skate sessions over the weekends! Some pretty hands-on work from these guys!

We’ve also had a ton of support from probably the one and only local longboard retail store.

Wheel Love skate shop has started carrying gear from Landyachtz, Abec 11, TimeShip Racing, Caliber trucks and others and has helped sponsor most of the longboarding events here in Malaysia. Shout out to the guys at Wheel Love for all the stoke!

We recently had two downhill outlaw races at Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB) organized by Abdil Mahdzan and Gilbert Wong. The road at KKB was about an hour out of the city and was a two-lane highway than ran along a dam, making it a pretty scenic run. The first race got rained on, hard, which didn’t surprise much, as we’re in a tropical country. What we didn’t expect, of course, was for it to rain nonstop

A few other notable happenings worth mentioning: Having Troy and Huw from New Zealand pass through our land for their Skateventure trip through Southeast Asia and sharing some cold mac and cheese with them at Wheel Love while skating in the rain (yes, rain again!). We heard some really cool stories on their trip, mainly about their gnar spills and falls on crappy Malaysian roads. Some Malaysian roads are infamously known for their inconsistent surfaces, ankle-deep potholes and, of course, the crazy drivers on the roads. I have to admit it is a bit of a challenge scouting for rideable roads around the area.

In addition to the bad road surfaces, the heavy traffic makes it too dangerous to ride most roads. But when we do find good runs, they’re definitely keepers! Some of the best are Wang Kelian in Perlis (hairpins galore!), Bukit Tinggi (what Abdil and Martin would describe as “Maryhill on steroids”), Janda Baik (a good mellow run with jungle surroundings and the

occasional pack of wild dogs giving chase) and Hulu Langat.

Despite what has been going on, the scene in Malaysia is still relatively low-key compared to our Southeast Asia counterparts like Philippines and Singapore, but with longboarding videos from all over the nation and groups popping out everywhere on Facebook, longboarding here is definitely heading in the right direction. So what can you expect to see happen in Malaysia in the not so distant future? Well, we’ve got kids putting themselves out there and pushing the limits, more skate sessions and events being organized every week, and outlaws, outlaws and more outlaws!

If you’re ever passing through this part of the world, be sure to drop by! Get in touch with the crew on our website, longboardingmalaysia.ning.com, say hi, and we promise to treat you well. Much stoke from everyone here in Malaysia! CW FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 81

www.golongboarding.ca Abec11 Bennett Black Label Cadillac Carver Comet Gordon & Smith Gunmetal Dregs Fireball

Element Gravity H Street Jessup Grip Tape Kebbek Khiro Kostal Ladera Loaded Lush

Madrid Orangatang Paris Truck Co. Palisades Pimp Grip Randal Trucks Reflex Retro Riveria Sabre

Santa Cruz Sims Triple 8 Tunnel Venom Veloz Tracker Trucks

S&J Sales Co. Ltd. Skateboard Distribution since 1985. • 905-420-5001 east • 604-244-2361 west • Info@sjsales.com 82 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

magazine

A / INSPIR / E R U T / CUL S K AT E /

TION

THE

3G

s of NYC

188 MILE

RACE PEGGY

OKI PORTRAIT OF THE ZEPHYR LADY

+MIMI KNOOP A 5-TIME X GAMES MEDALIST WITH A CREATIVE MIND

VOL.1 NO. 1 | SEPT 2011

04

08

7 12

Move over boys! Shered Magazine is here to highlight the amazing

female talent in the global skateboarding community. Our mission is simply to share the inspirational stories and accomplishments of female skateboarders around the world. Enjoy this first issue and check us out at www.sheredmag.com!

The skateboarder world never looked so good! ~ SHERED Magazine

CONTENTS

4

THE 3Gs SHEREDDING THE SCENE IN NYC

7

SHERED STYLIN’ SKATERS

8

MEET MIMI KNOOP

10

The girls who ignited the female longboarding scene in the city

Our summer jam session at a warehouse loft in Brooklyn

12

MARYHILL FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2011

13

PEGGY OKI: A PROFILE OF PASSION

14

3 DAYS. 188 MILES. IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER

A 5-time X Games medalist with a creative mind

BEHIND THE SCENES Super talented, alluring and daring: The Longboard Girls Crew from Spain

THANK

U

Sara Paulshock rides Maryhill for the first time

Riding hard with the Zephyr crew in the 70s, Peggy now focuses on art & environmentalism

An intense long-distance push race through the South

Bustin Boards, Paulie Connor, Mike Dallas, James Espiritu, David Fuller, Jeff Gaites & Kristen Howard@Uncle Funky’s, Julian Lesser, Marc Lussier, King Solomon, Earl Stout III@Hogwash, Mike Stone, Paul Tam, Philippe Trinh, Theseus Williams@RatRod NYC, all the people who supported us on Kickstarter.com, and of course Michael Brooke for giving us this opportunity.

CONTRIBUTORS Co-Publishers: Linh Trinh & Carina Fuller Creative Director: David Thomas Art Director: Philippe Hoang Copy Editor: Renée Banta; Doyle Avant Webmaster: ~CF Contributing Writers: Susan Mipanyarack, Sara Paulshock, ~CF Guest Photographers: Annah Rowe, Danielle Dejesus, .alt.

Guest Stylists & Designers: Lady J, Kim Ha, Ashley McAleavy Please contact our editorial team via: stories@sheredmag.com For advertising inquiries, contact us at: adspace@sheredmag.com

2 SHERED Magazine | SHEREDmag.com

SHERED Magazine LLC published by SHERED Magazine LLC. All materials Copyright © 2011 SHERED Magazine LLC / All rights reserved. Opinions and claims made by advertisers are advertisers’ claims only. SHERED Magazine LLC accepts no responsibility for any claims made by advertisers. SHERED Magazine reserves the right to publish any images without providing photo/image credit. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

THE 3Gs NYC C SHEREDDING THE SCENE in

SHE STRIVES. SHE STRUTS. SHE SHREDS

New York

represents the b e a u t y of diversity and talent. The city is dense with the excitement of new opportunities, challenges and experiences. Few people know this better than the 3Gs: Jenica Davenport, Micku Murgolo and Nathalie Herring. These graceful Broadway bombers have been a fundamental part of the growing female push culture, and their energy exudes a fresh and feminine style that resonates with the female New York City longboarding scene. Their positive attitude makes it easy for newcomers to slip into the newly discovered mode of skateboarding freedom.

The three daring girls are bombing concrete waves with their longboards, which have become their preferred means of transportation.

However, transportation isn’t the only thing that fuels their desire to fight aggressive traffic, hidden potholes and armies of pedestrians: They are cruising the streets to connect with the world - discovering new parts of town and diverse cultures. They cruise the streets as an outlet and an efficient mental and physical exercise. These talented ladies and their passion for the sport have inspired many female longboarders to try it out and stick with it. When skating with these girls, you’ll experience the connection, enthusiasm and support that exemplifies the camaraderie of the female longboarding scene.

Their effortless shredding styles, mixed with their passion to spread the stoke, empower girls to challenge themselves. In a city where

4 SHERED Magazine | SHEREDmag.com

MICKU MURGOLO style and commuting are equally essential, It all started about nine years ago when I was these girls succeed in making both factors in high school back in Venezuela. I had a few fun - and far less intimidating. Between work friends that would bomb hills pretty much every and skating, they are able to balance skate day after school, so one day I decided to try it culture with the professionalism of their caand fell in love with it. My first deck was a real reers in music, marketing, fashion and design. long-ass board and it was set up with some soft They’ve crafted a lifestyle to accommodate wheels. After my skating started to evolve, I the d i c h o t o my bebegan traveling and also tween both worlds. decided to try shorter THEY'VE CRAFTED A LIFESTYLE TO ACCOMMODATE THE DICHOTOMY boards to play with differLa s t y e a r, female ent types of skating (hills BETWEEN BOTH WORLDS. longboarders weren’t and parks). as ubiquitous as they appear today. More girls are now shredding In 2007 I moved to New Jersey. I would drive these New York avenues, armed with yoga almost every weekend to skate in the city. mats or shopping bags, pushing their way to That’s when I met the Earthwing crew and their next destination. You can catch these started to get involved in the New York longgirls popping hand slides in Central Park, boarding community. Later that year, I attended at fashion or music events, or competing in my first contest in California. Passion and love street races alongside some of the top men is what keeps me in the sport. Since the first in the scene. Meet the girls who helped carve time I stepped on a board, I haven’t let go bethe path for the New York push culture scene cause longboarding — and skating in general and discover how longboarding inspires them.

— is who I am and how I express myself. Additionally, I have discovered that the skate community around the world is so supportive and dedicated to the sport that it makes any skater proud to be a part of it. To make the sport even radder, your board can also be a form of green

[

]

Top, from left: Shredding in NY: Micku Murgolo at West Side Highway, Jenica Davenport in Brooklyn, and Nathalie Herring near Columbus Circle.

Bottom: Micku Murgolo presenting awards at the Freestyle Session in San Diego, Venezuela.

transportation. When I get to the city, that’s how I move around with my girls.

Having that transportation option is a plus for anybody who is looking to save the environment and forget about the parking hassle in NYC. Longboarding has taken me to new places; thanks to this sport I have met other people that share the same passion. In many cases, longboarding has been an outlet for releasing stress, a reason to celebrate good things or simply a passion I can share.

WHAT HAS BEEN MOST INSPIRING TO ME IS EXPERIENCING HOW THE SPORT HAS GROWN SINCE I STARTED AND SEEING MORE GIRLS JOIN OUR COMMUNITY, WANTING TO BE A PART OF IT. A big topic to talk about when it comes to longboarding is its evolution. I can definitely speak about the things I have seen: STYLE and GROWTH. As companies start to come out with different shapes of boards and new products, skaters adapt to these products. Consequently, it adds to the way we skate and the things we do with longboards. Also, as people start to organize events and begin to create a longboarding culture in their area, the sport spreads to more people — making the scene grow every year.

So far, I am very happy with the involvement that women have in the sport, though I always want to see more! Girls will always be girls; there are times to be gnarly and times to wear heels. I personally love the contrast that an action sport brings with being a girl. When fashion and skateboards are mixed, the result is explosive! Your fashion style somehow affects how you skate and, of course, your image - and vice versa. I encourage every girl to try it and stick with it.

Make it part of your life and I’ll guarantee you it’ll change your world.

Micku Murgolo Age: 25 Hometown: Valencia, Venezuela Current Location: New Jersey & Venezuela Occupation: BS in Marketing N.Y.; Street Cred: 2nd place at Central Park Race, N.Y.; ce e 2nd place at Go Fast Speed Days, U.K.; 1st place at SlideFest, CA, 2nd at Broadway Bomb, N.Y.; attended Danger Bay, CAN Photo by HIGHBRAINS

SHEREDmag.com | SHERED Magazine 5

JENICA DAVENPORT a.k.a. LADY J Age: 25 Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina Current Location: BROOKLYN!!

Occupation: Skateboard Apparel Designer Street Cred: 3rd place at Broadway Bomb, NY; 2nd place at Mini Bomb, NY; 2nd in Tech Sliding at Sergio Yuppie’s Slide Jam, MD // PHOTO BY MATT KAMINSKI

JENICA DAVENPORT

NATHALIE HERRING

My brother put me on a skateboard around the age of 6 and sent me down my first hill... Even with the road rash, I’ve been in love since. It was once I moved to NYC and met my husband that he introduced me to a longboard. I experienced that feeling of love all over again. So I’ve been at it for about eight years in NY so far, and have been commuting through these city streets every day since then. I used to work for a couturier in Manhattan. I would skate to work from Brooklyn every day in a dress and Vans, IT'S SUCH A THERAPEUTIC and I would always come into work with this huge EXPERIENCE smile on my face from my morning skate sesh! We’ve recently started a skateboard apparel company, so skating is a big part of research and development! It’s such a therapeutic experience to be able to hop on your board and push past everyone, everything. It’s invigorating. Dodging potholes, unaware pedestrians, vindictive cab drivers. That’s what I’ve fallen in love with, what makes getting from point A to point B an experience, not just a task.

And walking is for suckers!

The first time I’d ever seen a longboard was 2004 while on my way to class at Barry University in Miami. This cool guy with the funky headphones cruised past me, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I just froze and continued watching the “flow” of movement my eyes were witnessing until he was gone. It was a singular moment in my life that I’ll never forget because it brought truth to my existence: that I was here to live and longboarding was the catalyst to my change.

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I’m continually inspired by the people I meet skating and the thrill of the ride. It’s a sense of accomplishment. To know you can skate some of the grittiest streets with the most gnarly conditions, and have a hell of a good time doing it. It’s empowering. I remember when, on the rare occasion, I’d see another longboarder and chase them down 15 blocks just to make a connection. Now every day, I run into new riders and it’s incredible! People are stoked, and that inspires me to enable more females to get on a board. I’m so stoked to see how far this industry will push it.

I’ve been longboarding in NYC for seven years now and aggressively in the scene for three of those years. I started out skating solo around Flushing Meadow Park, teaching myself how to balance and getting comfortable with low stances, carving and creating my own personal style. When I became more comfortable and fearless, I turned my progression toward the streets. New York City, my hometown, used to be so unfamiliar to me because I was stuck in a repetitive daily routine of commuting from train to bus.

Once I joined up with Jenica, Micku and the Bustin crew, I began to evolve into the longboarding scene. I witnessed firsthand the huge increase in people, especially females, beginning to skate for transportation in the city. Longboarding gave me the ultimate freedom to explore the “concrete jungle.” And every night when I surf down Broadway through Times Square, my “flow” through the traffic is a testament to that. Being a female in this scene is the most fun part! Most people have no idea that I skate until they actually see me with a board in tow! My coworkers find it impressive that I can roll up to work, via my longboard, take off my Converse and switch into a pair of designer heels! Being a female longboarder is extremely empowering and inspirational. Since the beginning, this sport has helped me build the confidence to rise above the influence of society’s pressures on young adults and take back charge of my life. I longboard to promote change. And I can only hope that my journeys through the city will help others find the confidence to elevate their own journeys through life.

I AM NAT2LEGIT ;-) From top: Jenica Davenport at Earthwing Super Sessions; Jenica at her design studio; Nathalie Herring after work.

NATALIE HERRING a.k.a. NAT2LEGIT Age: 25 Hometown: Queens, N.Y. Current Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. Occupation: Works in Marketing Street Cred: Featured in HUCK Magazine, Jay-Z’s Life + Times, Transworld Business, and TRACE Magazine; attended Central Park Race, N.Y.; Broadway Bomb, N.Y.; Toronto Board Meeting, CAN; Adrenalina, N.Y.

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Skating &lojaftmonmainSugnday in Paulie’s klyn, NY. afternoon in Broo

Stylist: Lady J Skaters: Priscilla Bouillon, Jersey Banks Photo: Danielle Dejesus

SHEREDmag.com | SHERED Magazine 7 6

MEET MIMI KNOOP

{

X GameS medalist /creator of hoopla skateboards / multimedia artist

Whether she is dropping into a bowl, designing for Hoopla Skateboards or traveling the globe to share her experience as a pro skater, Mimi’s days are action packed.

As one of the top female ramp/vert skateboarders in the world, this girl exudes energy!

Hoodie print design

by Mimi Knoop for nikitaclothing.com 8 SHERED Magazine | SHEREDmag.com

This page, from left: Photo courtesy of NIKITA CLOTHING; Photo by Dave Östlunds: Mimi Knoop getting air. Opposite page, from left: Mimi Knoop designs; Tony Alva & Mimi Knoop; Both photos courtesy of Mimi Knoop.

SKATE

ART & DESIGN

As a five-time X Games medalist and winner of the 2008 Pro-tec Pool Party, how do you encourage girls to avoid intimidation in this male-dominated sport? Well, it’s just like

How has skateboarding influenced your artistic side?

anything; if you love to do something, then don’t let anyone stop you from doing it. That’s usually what I tell the girls that ask. Most of the pro girls that skate have gotten past the intimidation factor - but for the newbies that’s what I would recommend.

What inspires you to travel and promote skating? I just love to skate. I have skated off and on most of my life (since I was about 8).

Traveling is often times a perk and also a great way to meet new people and introduce them to girls’ skating too.

You recently traveled to Iraq and Kuwait to skateboard.

Can you tell us about the reason for your visit and your experience there? Yes, I went to Kuwait and Iraq in March. I was asked to go by a sports group that organizes goodwill tours for the troops over there. My dad was stationed in Iraq for seven months back in 2005. He ran a hospital in the middle of the desert. We are super proud of him for it. So, it was important for me to go. It was an amazing experience and also a demanding one. We had to fly to different military bases almost on a daily basis in military aircrafts in a war zone. I got pretty sick on some of the flights, but seeing the smiles on the troops’ faces made it all worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Tell us a bit about your experience with Babes on Boards and the 2011 Shreducation. Babes on Boards was started by my friend Lori Peltier in Houston, Texas. She has run the event for the past four years, and I have been to almost all of them. Her event really encouraged girls in Houston who had never tried it before because of intimidation, etc., to come out and skate. It gave them the confidence to give skating a try, and now a lot of them from the first clinic are really good! Most of them kept up with it and love skating now. The TWS Shreducation (now called “Shred 101”) was also a great event put on

by Mahfia and TWS in California. It basically was a clinic set up for women/girls that work in the action sports industry to come out and meet us pros and also learn how to skate. Many of the ladies had never even stepped on a skateboard and by the end of the day they were hooked! Hoopla Skateboards donated a bunch of completes, so we left them for the girls and now they skate all the time.

Skating has influenced my artistic side subtly, I guess. They are two in the same. I have been doing both for so long, it’s hard to think of them separately! Basically I would say skating is my physical/emotional outlet, and art is my mental/spiritual outlet. So they definitely influence each other by both having no rules and extreme freedom of expression.

How was your experience during the DIE POSERS DIE! – “The Nonconformist” Exhibit? I was super hyped at the DIE POSERS DIE show(s). Alva invited me to contribute to the first one back in 2009 and then the second one this past spring. If you look at the names of the skaters showing work, mine was definitely the oddball name on the list! Thanks, Tony! It’s always an honor.

What inspires most of the art pieces you create? I guess I just see how I’m feeling at that moment and then start with one thing whether that’s an animal or a color or a mood or even a line - and then just see where it takes me. Most of my work has little premeditation.

What kind of tunes do you typically like to jam out to while creating your art pieces? All kinds of stuff…punk rock to rap to Native American flute music. I go all over the place!

What experience or person has shaped the way you think the most? I would say moving around a bunch growing up shaped the way I think a lot…and traveling more when I got older. Every thing/place has pros and cons; it’s your attitude that makes the experience in life.

Are you planning on exhibiting any new work this year?

Of course! You will have to wait and see... check my website for updates and new work here: www.mimi-knoop.com

As a co-founder of Hoopla Skateboards, tell us a little bit about your brand (hooplaskateboards.com). Hoopla began with Skate One (manufacturer and distributor of brands such as Powell-Peralta and Bones Wheels) wanting to get behind the ladies in skateboarding in some way. My business partner Cara-Beth Burnside had a few conversations with them in the beginning, and they decided to create a brand together. I came on board soon after and was responsible for creating the brand name and logo, and was also heavily assisting in brand management and art direction with board graphics, the website, etc. It has been a great experience and we are so stoked on Hoopla!

As a co-founder of The Alliance and sport organizer for the professional women’s skate events at the X Games, what other events can female skaters look forward to since the drop of the X Games’ women’s vert? Well, we have a lot of

How did you meet Cara-Beth Burnside? I met CB a few weeks

ideas right now and we are working together to put them into motion.

We have some meetings with ESPN coming up, along with some other stuff. Basically, if you want something done, sometimes you have to do it yourself! We hope to create a series of fun events throughout the next year that will bring some more opportunities for girls that want to skate.

before I entered my first pro contest (the Soul Bowl 2002?). She was there when I dropped in on vert for the first time - and right afterwards, she talked me into entering Soul Bowl two weeks later! We always have fun skating and pushing each other to progress, and have always worked well together on projects/business.

SHEREDmag.com | SHERED Magazine 9

Behind

the scenEs // PHOTOS BY JUAN RAYOS When the ladies behind the Longboard Girls Crew met fellow longboarder Juan Rayos in their usual spot in Madrid, it was then they us, it’s the girls out there. We started this decided to create a beautiful video that but we are only “the staff.” There are many shows the amazing vibe that occurs when girls participating; some of them are shown women ride together. in the videos and The video “Girls Can Ride“ others are not, but has accumulated internathey are there and tional hits on Vimeo and it’s only fair to recYoutube.com and continues ognize them.

That occurs WHEN WOMEN to inspire. Discover what the Longboard Girls Crew How often does is about: the group meet

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SHOWING THE AMAZING VIBE

RIDE TOGETHER

Who were the people that initially developed the idea of forming LGC and when?

Initially it was only Jacky and Valeria. We turned a year this August. Nowadays, the LGC staff consists of Val, Jacky, Charlie, Mónica, Chus and to some degree, Juan. This is a good opportunity to explain that LGC is a platform for supporting and embracing all the female longboarders, not only in Madrid or Spain, but worldwide. In addition, there are also our international members who are behind the different LGCs that exist internationally, who should also be recognized. The LGC is not

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to skate, and in what areas of Madrid do you usually skate? Well, there isn’t a regular schedule - sometimes we ride every day, sometimes we ride on our own, sometimes we go a week or more without skating together. But one thing that has been established as a routine is skating almost every Sunday at El Parque del Oeste. There are many spots in the city and surrounding areas, and the more girls that join, the more opportunities we have to learn about new spots and explore unknown ones.

How many female skaters are participating on average? What is the age range?

There have been gatherings of up to 25 girls. The age range is from 17 years old to 40! On average, most of the girls are between 22-25.

How does LGC engage, support and encourage skaters within the surrounding cities? Are you involved in any skateboarding events? With the distance, it’s a bit complicated. For now, we encourage girls living in other cities through the social networks, giving advice by email and posting general tips and news about the female scene on our blog. We have been involved in many local events and, apart from the road trip we did with Amanda Powell and Marisa Nuñez around Spain, we are also organizing a Surf and Longboard Camp with the biggest surf camp in Spain in September. And more things to come.

What were your intentions for making the LGC (Madrid) video by Juan Rayos?

We really didn’t have any premeditated intentions. We only wanted to have fun and shoot beautiful images of girls riding on a summer morning in Madrid. Of course, the main idea (and that’s where the name of the video comes from) is to make a statement saying that girls can ride and cheer them up to get together.

Did you anticipate 35,000+ fans and over 250,000 views with that video? No, we didn’t. Everything happened really fast. We would have never thought we would get this overwhelming response. Nor did we anticipate much in terms of response for our second video, but it reached one million views in less than three weeks. It’s crazy!

longboarding l

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can be a feminine

We heard that for the video, girls from different cities in Spain came to Madrid to take part in the filming - for example Cadiz, Cantabria, Barcelona. How did you all connect? We connected thanks to the Longboard Girls Crew page and many, many calls and contacts through people we knew.

expression

and also the level of longboarding increasing everywhere. What we aim for is working toward gender equality in this sport as it exists in other disciplines and helping to create awareness that girls can also ride and that longboarding can be a feminine expression.

Foremost, our aim is to encourage more girls to get in this sport and have male skaters start seeing them as equals and not like chicks on boards. Finally, LGC works toward supporting girl skaters, making them feel confident and giving advice.

Photos: LGC shredding the streets of Madrid.

What changes are you hoping to see develop in the female skateboarding scene? We are witnessing the percentage of girls shredding growing exponentially,

SHEREDmag.com | SHERED Magazine 11

R AC ER

MARYHILL SPEED FESTIVAL

// WORDS BY SARA PAULSHOCK

// PHOTOS BY ANNAH ROWE

NAME: SARA PAULSHOCK | AGE: 22 HOMETOWN: Celebration, Florida | CURRENT LOCATION: New York OCCUPATION: Sales Representative at Longboard Loft NYC

My experience at the Maryhill Festival of Speed 2011, a five-day gravity sports summer event, exceeded my wildest expectations. As my first real downhill event, I felt overwhelmingly intimidated, but I couldn’t have picked a better hill and a more encouraging group of skaters.

Never before have I simultaneously felt so terrified and yet so captivated. Everyone from pros to groms was exceptionally supportive. The stoke level is seriously out of this world and dangerously contagious. It took a little convincing, but I finally caught the bug, faced my fear and did the hill. During my first attempt, I got scared and Coleman-spilled to a stop three different times. The next day, however, thanks to the support of many – especially my fellow teammate William Royce – I was able to gather enough confidence to successfully skate the entire hill. Going fast the whole way down proved to be a truly invigorating experience. I will never forget the whirlwind of emotions and the jolt of adrenaline going down my first big hill. Going down that 2.2-mile hill in full tuck I reached speeds of about 45 mph. The best part is you can stick all the turns and you don’t need to slide.

The female competitors were very supportive. They tried to convince me to go on an all -girls run, but I wasn’t ready yet, still scared of going that fast with anyone at my side. But it wasn’t long before I found myself head over heels and craving more. I also learned that falling at high speeds, so long as you have leathers on, doesn’t hurt so much - or at least leaves you free of road rash, something that is quite novel to a New York City skater.

The best part is that the ride is never truly over at Maryhill. Half the experience is surviving the campground wars, but of course, everything is all in good fun. My time there was priceless and has left me with an entirely new outlook on racing, the scene and longboarding in general. Skating New York City traffic is a rush, but going fast is surreal and addicting. I can’t wait to experience more!

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S' STO

K ED Q

U OT ES

KATIE NEILSON a.k.a. SKATIE KATIE AGE: 24 HOMETOWN: Vancouver, British Columbia!

CURRENT LOCATION: Home sweet home OCCUPATION: Sales, Marketing and Skateboarder for Landyachtz Longboards

“L o n g b o a r d i n g is i n s p i r i n g for me for a variety of reasons. I am constantly surrounded by the best riders in the world here at home, and it is because of this that I have been able to develop the skill level to travel worldwide and represent my home and nation.

I am also blessed to watch so many up and comers grow into themselves and rise to be top competitors in this sport!”

REBEKKA GEMPERLE a.k.a. BEKKS AGE: 26 HOMETOWN: Rorschach, Switzerland CURRENT LOCATION: Bern, Switzerland OCCUPATION: Student, Bicycle Courier

“Longboarding is balance. Longboarding is meditation. Longboarding is control, precise work and concentration. I usually longboard in the most stunning landscapes with great people - try to shred what’s around. And I love to discover new terrain!”

MARYHILL FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2011 (WOMEN’S FINAL DOWNHILL RACING RESULTS)

1ST : KATIE NEILSON 2ND : REBEKKA GEMPERLE 3RD : DOMINIQUE VUKOREP

From top: Rebekka in full gear; the girls enjoying the Freeride at Maryhill.

Peggy Oki:

A PROFILE OF PASSION

// WORDS BY Susan Mipanyarack

// WORDS BY SUSAN MIPANYARACK // PHOTO BY MATT DAYKA PHOTOGRAPHY

ATHLETE +ARTIST+ ACTIVIST Peggy Oki, a legend of “Dogtown,” has no desire to rest on her laurels. Since her days as the only female member of the groundbreaking Zephyr team – a group that revolutionized skateboarding by extending their surf regime to the asphalt – she has had plenty of ambitious projects to keep her busy. A classic Californian, Peggy has skated for more than 25 years, travels the world to surf and loves rock climbing in treasured places, such as our nation’s national parks.

Peggy’s deep love of nature and aerobic activity fuel her passion for her current projects. On a personal level, she expresses her appreciation for aquatic life through her artwork.

With a B.F.A. in Painting from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Peggy has presented her art in more than 50 group exhibitions and 20 one-woman exhibitions. But her passion for conservation of wildlife is expressed beyond her paintings. Through the Origami Whales Project (OWP), Peggy has melded art and activism, generating awareness for her cause on a global level. Inspired by the Japanese legend of 1,000 origami cranes, she created and collected 1,400 origami whales. “Rather than the traditional 1,000, we chose the number 1,400, as it represented the total number of whales that would be killed in the year 2004. This was the sum of the ‘quotas’ set by Iceland, Japan and Norway,” Peggy stated. She assembled her origami whales into the “curtain” it is today. Sadly, this curtain now contains a staggering 36,000 paper whales.

“For the first time since the original Save the Whales movement, the general public was learning that the slaughter of dolphins and whales continues by the thousands annually,” she further explains. Peggy has hosted events globally, using the OWP and the documentary The Cove to inform the public about the harm we humans are inflicting on cetaceans.

In February 2011, the updated “Curtain of 36,000 Origami Whales” was exhibited for the fourth year in a row at the annual Whale Day event on Maui. Peggy herself hosts special tours of the curtain to school groups at the second annual Keiki ECO Day (Educating Children Outdoors), in concurrence with Whale Day.

Peggy Oki with her “Curtain of 2,285 Origami Whales” in 2006, before expanding to 30,000 in 2007.

Peggy also encourages collaboration and affords educational opportunities to the public through the Whales and Dolphins Ambassador Program. She created this program to “provide an overview of the natural history of cetaceans,” inspire “cetacean appreciation” (as she calls it), and shed light on the impact of humanity in today’s aquatic environments. “As an expert activist for cetaceans and OWP founder and director, I present impacts and offer the class opportunities to engage in basic art projects and activities that are part of the solution. It’s a fun way to educate, engage and empower the kids,” she says. Peggy collaborates with students of all ages, creating art or assembling a letter campaign to save her beloved sea creatures.

As the Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer said, “Until we extend the circle of compassion to all living beings, we shall not find peace.” Peggy cites this quote as inspiration and seems to follow this notion through her "WHAT YOU FOCUS on daily actions. When asked how she feels about being an inspiration herself, Peggy says she considers the best part of fame to be the opportunity she has to educate and influence everyone to take action. “As human beings, we each can find and follow our passions. The mind is the most powerful aspect of your being. What you focus on will manifest. I hope that everybody will contribute their own special skills to support a cause that matters to them, whether it is bringing a skate park to your town, volunteering with an environmental organization…or saving the Whales!”

WILL MANIFEST."

For more information and inspiration, please visit: www.peggy-oki.com http://www.peggy-oki.com/environmt/urgent.html www.peggy-oki.com/cu_origami.html

SH E RED MAGAZINE 2 SHEREDmag.com | SHERED Magazine 13

3 Days. 188 MileS. in the heat of summer.

Two ladies with strong minds share their experience of overcoming challenges and the power of teamwork during their 188-mile push race from Georgia to Alabama and back, along the CHIEF LADIGA SILVER COMET trail.

Interview by ~CF | Photos by Alejandra Borunda

CAMi BEST Age: 22 Longboarding since: 2007, skateboarding since 1999 Team-rider for: Bustin Boards, A-Team Hometown: Where Brooklyn at?

Philosophy: Hakuna Matata

T

What inspired you to participate in a 188-mile-long push race?

CB: First and foremost, I wanted to contribute to the 30 percent of all proceeds going to www.charitywater.org to provide clean water to people in countries who need it. In addition to that, I needed to challenge my mind and body in an extraordinary way. Also there was a lot of doubt about whether Maribeth and I would finish or not by a lot of people...and, well, obviously they needed to be shut down, lol.

“I dare you to experience something so unreal and very attainable.”

MM: Pushing this marathon wasn’t really an option. It was something I felt I had to do since the very first moment I had read the words “188 mile skateboard race.” I am very attracted to the idea of testing my limits. I wanted to experience a skate like I never had before. For me it was very personal.

What was your board setup and why?

CB: I was riding a Bustin Maestro, Randal 180s, Abec11 Reflex Barrel Bushing 86A Orange on bottom and Khiro Cone yellow 92A on top, Bones Super Reds, and Atobe Bonneville wheels. I knew there would be times along the trail that would be long and boring, so having my Maestro allowed me to do some tricks along the way to keep myself encouraged and entertained.

MM: I rode a five-ply Fiberglass Bustin Maestro, 76mm Atobe Bonneville, and Randal 180s with soft Venom SHR bushings and Bones Swiss bearings.

How did you prepare for this long-distance push race?

CB: The first way I prepared for this race was I changed my diet. Eating the right things plays a major part in how your body preforms. In addition to that, consistent training, daily stretching and meditation. I focused my training on what areas specifically needed work that would aid me during the long push.

MM: I had the privilege of skating with distance pusher, Jeff Vyain. Chasing a top male competitor around the city is excellent endurance training.

Unfortunately, I was sick the week before the race so I took it very easy.

Lots of rest, water, protein, good carbs, fruits and veggies were key. Stretching, meditation and deep breathing exercises were daily routine in the months leading up to the marathon.

What were room & board like on the go? Were you provided overnight accommodation or did you camp?

MM: An overabundance of Clif bars and bananas were pretty much most of what we had consumed the entire course of the event. Water and Vitamin Waters were also supplied to us in high doses. We were, however, surprised with an amazing lunch and homemade ice cream after our first 38 miles on day one, by the awesome people of Rockmart. Later that day, before retiring to bed, a few of us treated ourselves to some fine Mexican dining! As far as lodging went, we had the option to camp, but myself and about five others threw in for motel rooms after days one and two in both Georgia and Alabama.

Air conditioning and mattresses had been well deserved. On the last night of our trip, after skating 94 miles back to Smyrna, Georgia, Chad and Georgia Hall of Stoked Skateboards and Fireball were kind enough to house us all, where we were provided hot showers, comfortable beds and an incredible Southern breakfast.

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THE CHALLENGE DAY 1: APPROX.40 MILES DAY 2: APPROX.50 MILES DAY 3: APPROX.94 MILES

“I remember sitting on the ground in the middle of the trail crying.”

MARIBETH MCHUGH Age: 25 Longboarding since: 2008 Team-rider for: Bustin Boards Hometown: Bucks County, Pennsylvania Philosophy: Skate for fun!!!

How did you both motivate each other on the go?

CB: We kept reminding each other that we had to prove the haters wrong!

We shared the road, we drafted, we kept talking about the next checkpoint making miniature destination points that led us closer to the finish line. Even with Maribeth’s knee injury that occurred about 25-30 miles into the final day of the race, I promised her that we were BOTH going to cross the finish line.

Her determination to finish with her knee motivated me to keep on pulling her the rest of the miles to the finish.

What ignited your interest in longboarding and what does longboarding mean to you personally?

CB: In high school some friends of mine had longboards, and I still had a shortboard. One Halloween I went skating with them - and kept up with them pretty well. At the following 2007 Broadway Bomb, I purchased a longboard the day before, bought another one for ten bucks from a homeless man, and then caught one during a product toss - lol. I was hooked.

What would you tell girls new to longboarding about the sport?

Were there any moments when you thought you wouldn’t be able to finish and, if so, what helped you keep focus and carry on to the finish line?

CB: I dare you. I dare you to experience something so unreal and very attainable. Longboard and live the life that you’ve always been missing.

MM: Take risks, think big, and spread the love.

CB: There wasn’t a moment that I didn’t think we wouldn’t finish. Unlike some people, I did not doubt myself before or during this race - that’s the number one contributor to not completing a task, doubting oneself. Of course there were times when, from an outsider’s perspective it would seem as if we wouldn’t finish - like Maribeth’s injured knee and my asthma - but our faith in ourselves and each other carried us across the finish line.

MM: There was one moment where I completely doubted my ability to finish.

I was about five miles into day three, the whole 94 mile journey back to Georgia from Alabama. My body was hurting from the previous two days of skating. I had a huge blister on the ball of my push foot, but that wasn’t the worst of the pain. After pushing my body and ignoring the pain, my knee gave out from under me. I remember sitting on the ground in the middle of the trail crying. This had meant so much to me. I came to the South to complete a skate of 188 miles. Through my tears I looked up and saw a hand. Cami smiled, helped me up, and pulled me a good amount of the way. I was given a knee brace at the next rest stop. 94 miles later, with the help of a competitor, a teammate, and a friend, I had made it. Without my drive and without Cami, I can’t imagine having found my way to the finish line.

Cami, with placing first in competitions comes recognition, especially in this new world of social networking. Are there any negative aspects that come with all the attention?

CB: Everything is still the same. Whenever a skater starts skating, there have always been and always will be haters. In the community and outside it. What else is there to do but keep on skating?

What do you both aspire to do next?

CB: There are loads of awesome events coming up this year, including four Adrenalina races in the United States! I am planning on attending them all and training to make my first Adrenalina podium debut!

MM: Keep pushing! I would like to go to South America and do a distance trek. Experience some new ground under my feet. I would also love to do more charity events such as this one. To do something I love, and make a positive impact at the same time.... Now that is livin’!

Can you say, that this is the greatest accomplishment in your personal longboarding career?

CB: I think this may be the greatest accomplishment in my personal history, not just longboarding history! The adventure of not leaving Maribeth behind has been spiritually unreal since the moment I began pushing and pulling her to the finish line (with our awesome cinematographer friend Alejandra Borunda). It was tough, but that just makes it all the better.

MM: This is definitely the accomplishment I am most proud of. I skated 188 miles, met some of the most kind-hearted people in the process, and discovered the true essence of teamwork.

How many girls participated and how many of them finished?

MM: There were two women. Myself and Cami. We both finished!

Opposite page, from top: Maribeth McHugh (in back), Cami Best (in front); Cami Best (close-up). This page, from top: Maribeth McHugh; Cami and Maribeth.

SHEREDmag.com | SHERED Magazine 15

magazine

Photo by Jenna Bascom

s h e s t r i v e s // s h e s t r u t s // s h e s h r e d s

FALL 2011 CONCRETE WAVE 99

By Kai Dunkel

A Passage to

East meets west via Kai Dunkel's truckstand in front of a Hindu temple.

100 CONCRETE WAVE FALL 2011

Aaron sh fish with Kai enjoys fre

lolem Beach.

Revell at Pa

Day 1 After a flight of 15 hours, 39 minutes, we walk off the plane into a country we have never been to. It feels like arriving in the early 1960s. At the Bangalore airport, the staff behind the desk are wearing private clothing, not uniforms, in a very unique combination of shorts and mustaches. No advertising or anything commercial is calling your attention compared to other international airports. Everything seems to be quite relaxed – until we walk out through the last gates of the airport into the city.

I never realized how fast a relaxed feeling could change into a stressful one. We were looking for a reliable taxi driver who would bring us safely to our hotel. After we didn’t find any, we gave up and focused on the one who seemed to have the best working car. Being way too tired for talking, thinking or counting, we just agreed and paid. We made it to the main hotel and passed out right away.

Day 2 Waking up way too late, you don’t even know where you are and what to do. It is always the best solution to order room service to get up – finding yourself and planning the day. Of course first thing that came to our mind was, where is the closest skatepark? The best spots to film? Where do the people skate, and where do they hang out? The only contact we had so far was Nick, a guy from England who created the first skatepark in India and is there to push the scene. We didn’t think for long; we decided, that’s the place to be, so we caught up with him for the next day.

Day 3 Just the opposite of Day 2, we woke up way too early, to get ready to skate the streets of Bangalore.

But first we had some good breakfast, which was a bit different and a bit spicy compared to our usual breakfast.

On the way to Nick’s skatepark, we chose the hotel shuttle instead of a regular cab. After an almost two-hour drive – for a way we could probably make in one hour – we finally arrived at the park. It was in the middle of nowhere, but full of skaters. The park includes a giant flatland area surrounded by banks, plus two bowls (one is bigger than the other), and a small street course as well.

We skated the whole park, until we got surprised by the monsoon rain. We escaped to Nick’s office and had to continue the next day.

Day 4 Back in a cab. Different driver, different company, but still the same problem. The driver had no clue at all, and we had to guide him the right way to the X Games sports park.

Arriving at the park, we met Aaron, a very good friend of Nick’s from the U.K. and a talented skateboarder. He was rocking every single part of the skatepark and always pushing his limits to the furthest extremes.

After a hard session, Aaron was starving, and he recommended a lunch break at the total mall, just five minutes from the park, where we had the best lamb burger ever. We got back just in time for a bowl session, which was off the hook.

At the bowl session, we got introduced to a kid named Amit Subba, also known as the “The Searcher,” who has probably the most insane story to tell of all India.

When Amit was 14 years old, he got inspired by Danny Way, and decided he wanted to be a skateboarder. But when he told his parents about his idea, they didn’t allow him to skate, because where he came from, people had no idea what skateboarding was and what it was about. So he decided to tour just by himself in search of skateboarding.

At the age of 17 he started to earn his first money by having painting classes for kids. He used the money to buy skateboards and for his tour. He wanted a good skateboard, but the only skateboards he could find in India were of terrible quality. He started traveling all around the country but ended up with nothing.

In December 2010 he found out about the skatepark in Goa, more than 550 km (345 miles) away on the west coast of India. The next day he decided right away to go to Goa. But all of a sudden he got a message that the Goa skatepark was derelict. After two difficult weeks of depression, he came up with the idea to look for skateboarders in India on Facebook. A couple of messages later, he found out about the Bangalore skatepark. And of course moved there as soon as possible…

Kai gives an Indian boy

his first skateboard

lesson.

HolyStoked crew, Ban galore skatepark.

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Kai gives the locals a freestyle demo at the train station.

Day 5 Like the last five days, the morning started again with rain, so we seriously had to check the weather conditions from then on. It didn’t look too good – rain for the next seven days. So we had to came up with a brilliant idea to cover the next days and turn them into skating wonderland. There was just one person who could really help us: Nick, the skatepark builder. After two short calls with Nick, the decision was made; we had five hours to pack all our stuff and get ready for Palolem Beach, Goa with Nick and Aaron.

We made it just in time for our 12-hour bus ride to Goa. At 7:00 a.m. local time, three exhausted skateboarders and one photographer made it to their final destination at Palolem Beach. We couldn’t believe how beautiful nature could be. It was off season in Goa and nobody else on the beach for miles. For the rest of the day, the beach was there just for us.

The good times could start.

Day 6 First time waking up at our new sleeping place. It was four dollars per night, with palm trees all around, and it could not have been any closer to the ocean. It was time to check out all the untouched skate spots. It seemed as if nobody had ever skated them before and there was the possibility to be the first person to land a trick there on camera.

Sounds easy, but it isn’t if you are on tour with skateboarders who love to have a long sleep. So much time passed by that photographer Bjorn Dunkel and I decided to explore the east side of Palolem Beach to capture some skate tricks in the crowded jungle. On the way there we got almost hit by a coconut. We usually think they are small and brown, but in real life they are much bigger, with a green cover. We stopped and tried to break the coconut with our bare hands, which turned into an hour-long challenge. But we finally did it. The taste was incredibly good and gave us enough energy to have a nice skate session.

near Freestyle show

ore. tside Bangal the slums ou

Walking to the secret spo t at

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Goa's Palolem Beach.

Waiting out the monsoon rains.

Day 7 Another day in a different world – hard to believe this is real. But we set out with full energy to finally find the secret spot we were looking for. We packed all the camera gear and made ourselves climb over the rocks on the west point break of Palolem. Not even five minutes later, we found the first beautiful spot to skate: a little concrete area between the rocks of an old hippie village, with an amazing panorama view over the ocean. Landed some great Primo triple-flip variations and no-hand Butterflips. Addicted to find more , we climbed up the next hill in front of us, feeling like the Christopher Columbus of skating, and ended up at probably the most gorgeous skate spot of all Goa: a smooth concrete flat surrounded by palm trees, on the top of a hill with a view over the whole beach. Unfortunately, the monsoon rain suddenly came back and made us leave our new favorite spot. The rain got stronger and stronger while we were running along the beach to reach our apartment.

switch ollie.

Aaron Revell,

Day 8 Such a frustrating day for the group because the rain just didn’t stop. But everybody was motivated to discover the new secret spot and try to find out how creative we could get.

Day 9 Finally the morning surprised us with a well-deserved sunshine, which brought good vibes for the day.

Right in front of our apartment, the catch of the day just happened. A group of old fishermen was working as hard as they could to get the best seafood out of the shorebreak. We joined the local BBQ get-together and enjoyed the freshest fish you can imagine.

With a full tummy of fish, prawns and crabs, the time had us back in life to focus on the hill. Not being on a search anymore and knowing where to go this time, made the way up pretty quick, and I believe Aaron had the same first impression as I had: Is this real?

From one second to another, the quiet place became a battle of freestyle tricks vs. street tricks and we broke out on the entire hill, trying to find any new obstacle to skate. We were constantly pushing each other from the first moment on, to see what was possible. I ended up landing my first Primo 540 flip pivots. I barely had any chance to enjoy the feeling of it before Aaron topped my trick bigtime by wall-riding the palm trees, so stylish and far up that I couldn’t wait to see the shots.

Day 10 Last time breathing the fresh air of Goa and chilling along the beach with our U.K. friends, who planned to stay a couple more days after we left.

We brought a ton of great memories with us in the crazy-bus back to Bangalore. We hoped we would have a better ride this time, but the old man driver was even worse. We’d never seen somebody driving a bus that insane. That old man had some real potential to begin a new life as a rally driver.

A few bruises more and another 12-hour bus ride in our journey, we fell straight into our beds at the hotel.

Day 11

Amit Subba, a.k .a.

"The Searcher."

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There we were, 9:00 a.m. local time, about to plan the last full day in India. Hundreds of different ideas were rushing to our minds, but no idea sounded perfect enough for the last day, until we came up with the idea to drive one hour out of Bangalore, close to the slums, and skate a spontaneous show for the kids.

The idea was quite a success. Before we had been skating even two minutes, people were coming to watch from every corner. Cars started to stop in the middle of the street, and the crowd got bigger every minute.

After skating for 20 minutes, I involved some kids to show them how much fun skateboarding is and what the feeling is like. Each kid surprised me by not showing any fear to the sport and being super-excited to try their first skate tricks. Unfortunately, it quickly turned into a bit of a problem, because the kids didn’t want to stop or let us go. We finally had to escape to the closest taxi.

The next show followed at the main train station. Exactly the same story as the show before. We were having such a good time presenting skating to people who have never seen it.

Then suddenly everybody got sidetracked by a little monkey that was sitting right above me. But I got their attention back while feeding it bananas. I saved my last impressions right there, where all the people around me were laughing and having fun times. CW

Aaron Revell, palm tree wallride.

IGSA REPORT >>

By MARCUS RIETEMA

MARYHILL FESTIVAL OF SPEED Goldendale, WA, United States

Königshausen Wins Maryhill fter dedicating himself to downhill four years ago, former slalom world champion Ramón Königshausen finally earned his first IGSA World Cup victory at the Maryhill Festival of Speed. The event was held June 29-July 3, 2011, near Goldendale, Washington.

On the first day of qualifying, Königshausen, who hails from Zürich, Switzerland, put in a great run, posting the fastest time of the day. His 3:08.903 on the twisty, 3.5-km (2.2 mi) Maryhill Loops Road placed him firmly in the No. 1 spot. James Kelly from

A

Ramón Königshausen leads Zen Shikaze, Martin Siegrist and Tim Del Rosario-Rojas into the last corner during the finals. Photo: Gigi Lopatriello

2010 Maryhill winner Zak Maytum (red helmet) had a tough day, finishing 17th, while Zen Shikaze (black helmet) was fifth. Photo: John Longfellow

Petaluma, California was second with a time of 3:09.325. Joshua Torres, who also hails from Petaluma, shocked the establishment by turning in the third-quickest time with a 3:10.036.

Qualifying was ultra-important at Maryhill this year.

With 207 skaters registered in the Open Downhill Skateboard class and only the top 96 making it into Sunday’s race, the competition was fierce. The second and final round of qualifying took place on Saturday. Both Königshausen and Kelly were unable to improve their times; however, neither was anyone else. They would line up in the first and second positions, respectively.

Zen Shikaze ran a 3:09.473, setting the quickest time of the second round and moving into the No. 3 position.

Torres would line up fourth, based on his Friday time.

Martin Siegrist, who had been left sitting in the No. 12 spot on Friday, improved his time by more than three seconds to qualify fifth.

Sunday’s big race saw a number of the favorites eliminated early. Former Series champions Mischo Erban and Scoot Smith went out in the second round.

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No. 2 qualifier Kelly and defending Maryhill champion Zak Maytum were eliminated in the third round when they collided while running in first and second position in their heat race.

The final was a battle from start to finish between the No. 1 qualifier Königshausen, Graham Buksa, No. 3 qualifier Shikaze, No. 5 qualifier Siegrist, Tim Del Rosario-Rojas, and Maryhill Rat Billy Meiners. As they entered the final corner, Königshausen was in the lead, Shikaze was second, Siegrist third and Del Rosario-Rojas fourth, running in a tight bunch. As they entered the corner, Siegrist attempted to pass Shikaze in a small gap to the inside. Siegrist ended up touching Shikaze with both of his hands, causing Shikaze to lose traction.

Shikaze ended up crashing hard as a result and finished last. Siegrist finished in second place, followed

by Del Rosario-Rojas, Meiners and Buksa.

Following the incident, the IGSA officials viewed numerous photos and videos of the crash. Even though the IGSA officials did not feel Siegrist had intentionally pushed Shikaze, it was determined that Siegrist caused the incident. The IGSA rule book states, “Overtaking competitors assume the responsibility of avoiding the lead competitor. A racer who violates the passing protocol will be penalized.” For this reason, Siegrist was disqualified and placed last (sixth) in the heat. Tim Del Rosario-Rojas was moved up to second and Billy Meiners to third. Graham

Buksa was scored in fourth and Shikaze in fifth.

Königshausen was stoked to earn his first World Cup victory after coming close on a number of occasions. He grabbed the early points lead going into the second round in the Czech Republic.

Ramón Königshausen celebrates his first World Cup victory, with Billy Meiners in second and Tim Del Rosario-Rojas third. Photo: Nick Breton

2011 MARYHILL FESTIVAL OF SPEED FINAL RESULTS 1. Ramón Königshausen, Switzerland 2. Tim Del Rosario-Rojas, United States 3. Billy Meiners, United States 4. Graham Buksa, Canada 5. Zen Shikaze, Canada 6. Martin Siegrist, Switzerland 7. Joshua Torres, United States 8. Mike Snyder, United States 9. Max Wippermann, United States 10. Tommy Watson, United States

Switzer Takes The Kozakov Challenge Patrick Switzer shoots the gap between Sebastian Hertler and Dominik Kowalski to take the lead in the semifinals. Photo: Dave Kessler

wo weeks after Maryhill, the 2011 IGSA World Cup Series resumed with the second round in the Czech Republic. Practice began on Wednesday, July 20 under warm and sunny skies. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the following days did not look good.

Early Thursday morning a thunderstorm moved in, bringing a combination of rain, strong winds and heavy fog. The day was a complete washout. Rain continued to fall throughout the night and into Friday. The athlete campground was turned into a giant mud pit and everyone’s spirits were low. By afternoon, the wind had finally subsided and the fog had begun to lift.

Previously the organizers had determined that the road would be too dangerous to ride in wet conditions.

Confronted with the prospect of both qualifying days

T

Jackson Shapiera equaled his best-ever World Cup finish with second place. Photo: Dave Kessler

Maryhill winner Ramón Königshausen was third with a 1:36.363. Fourth was Robin Sandberg with 1:36.988.

Sebastian Hertler rounded out the top five with a 1:37.045.

Race day arrived with sunny and warming conditions. Everyone was really happy to be drying out after two incessant days of rain. Switzer, who comes from Ontario, Canada, stormed to victory. He dominated all of his heats and looked unbeatable the entire day.

Shapiera from Australia was second while German Jakob Raab, who is virtually unknown outside of Europe, earned the final podium spot in third. James Kelly from the United States was fourth.

The consolation final was won by Hertler from Germany, placing him in fifth. Canadian George Mackenzie was sixth. Former world champion slalom racers Königshausen from Switzerland and Dominik Kowalski from Germany were seventh and eighth, respectively. With a win and a second-place finish in the first two races, Königshausen retained his points lead and went to round three in Insul, Germany the following week looking strong.

James Kelly ran a solid race to finish fourth. Photo: Dave Kessler

being canceled and race day not looking much better, everyone was faced the reality of the entire event being forfeited. The IGSA officials felt this was not an option, so they approached the organizers with a plan to remove the fastest sections at the top and bottom of the course to increase the safety factor. The organizers agreed and the race was on.

141 riders were entered, although a few of them chose not to ride in the rain. Among them was threetime world champion Martin Siegrist, who decided to pack his bags and head home to Switzerland. Still, 127 riders did make qualifying attempts. The riders found the track surface to be quite grippy in the wet.

Patrick Switzer earned the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 1:32.359. Jackson Shapiera was second at 1:34.090.

Jackson Shapiera, Switzer and Jakob Raab were stoked to make the Kozakov podium. Photo: Dave Kessler

2011 KOZAKOV CHALLENGE FINAL RESULTS 1. Patrick Switzer, Canada 2. Jackson Shapiera, Australia 3. Jakob Raab, Germany 4. James Kelly, United States 5. Sebastian Hertler, Germany 6. George Mackenzie, Canada 7. Ramón Königshausen, Switzerland 8. Dominik Kowalski, Germany 9. Kyle Martin, Canada 10. Stefan Rüfli, Switzerland

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IGSA REPORT >>

By MARCUS RIETEMA

Drama Dominates The Day in Insul he Insul Cup was held for the second consecutive year in the Eifel region of Western Germany July 29-31. After successfully hosting last year’s European Championships, the race was upgraded to World Cup status for 2011.

Qualifying got underway under overcast conditions.

Rain had been predicted all week, so everyone was elated to be riding in the dry. Patrick Switzer was the first skater down the hill in qualifying and set a blistering 2:24.824. He then sat back and watched 133

T

By MARCUS RIETEMA and NORMAN KINNISH

Königshausen on probation for the remainder of the year.

Switzer confirmed his season’s dominant performance by winning the final. Second place went to Stefan Rüfli. In a display of superb sportsmanship, Schinke and American rider Alex Tongue, who had crashed out earlier in the course, crossed the line together hand in hand to tie for third place. The gesture emphasized to the assembled rider community that downhill racing has a strong and supportive community Alex Tongue leads Stefan Rüfli to the line in the semis. Photo: Dave Kessler of like-minded competitors.

With Königshausen scoring zero points, the No one could have predicted how the day would Series standings were completely shuffled. Tongue end, with controversy and the full disqualificanow leads with 1146.77. James Kelly is second with tion for one of the sport’s up-and-coming stars.

1134.87 and Andrew Chapman third with 1117.39.

Early heats ran problem-free, with the organWith each rider’s five best finishes counting this year, izers ensuring efficient management to enable consistency is more important than ever. Round four racers to concentrate on the task at hand. In the in Teolo, Italy would follow one week later. first semifinal, an incident at the top of the course led to Königshausen crashing out. He L-R: Rüfli, Switzer, Tongue and Schinke made the Insul podium.

Photo: Dave Kessler raised an objection to the incident, and IGSA Chief Steward Norman Kinnish found on his behalf. However, Königshausen reacted badly to

Third-place finisher Boris Schinke leaves a trail of smoke.

Photo: Dave Kessler

others try to beat him. Martin Siegrist came the closest, with a time 2:25.927. Andrew Chapman was third, posting a time of 2:26.234. Local Boris Schinke was fourth with a 2:27.501. World Cup points leader Ramón Königshausen rounded out the top five with a 2:27.546.

In Saturday’s second qualifying session, Switzer earned the No. 1 qualifying position for the second World Cup in a row. The winner of the previous weekend’s Kozakov Challenge set the quickest time of both qualifying runs. Saturday’s second qualifying session conditions were not as good as those of the previous day, so most of the riders who qualified in the top 10 on Friday were not able to improve their times. Both of Switzer’s runs were the quickest of their respective sessions.

The racing promised to be close and exciting as Sunday dawned in the pretty German town of Insul.

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2011 INSUL CUP FINAL RESULTS Patrick Switzer balancing on the rail en route to his second World Cup victory of the year. Photo: Dave Kessler

the news that the decision did not lead to him moving into the final. In front of a significant crowd in the shutdown zone, Königshausen physically assaulted fellow Swiss rider Nicolas Robert, resulting in Königshausen’s disqualification from the entire event.

IGSA officials subsequently confirmed their zero-tolerance policy for unsporting behavior by placing

1. Patrick Switzer, Canada 2. Stefan Rüfli, Switzerland 3. Boris Schinke, Germany 3. Alex Tongue, United States 5. Torbjorn Sunde, Norway 6. Stefan Kolpatzik, Germany 7. Nicolas Robert, Switzerland 8. Sebastian Hertler, Germany 9. James Kelly, United States 10. Dominik Kowalski, Germany

Switzer’s Hat Trick Alex Tongue completes his early pass on Patrick Switzer in the finals. Photo: Dave Kessler

fter two weeks of cool and rainy weather in the Czech Republic and Germany, the IGSA World Cup Series moved to warm and sunny Teolo, Italy August 5-7 for the Padova Grand Prix. The fourth round of the 2011 Series was also the third and final World Cup race of the year in Europe.

Patrick Switzer continued his domination of the European World Cup races when he posted the quickest time in the first run of qualifying. Switzer was the first skater down the course and posted a time of 1:58.801. Ramón Königshausen was second with a time of 1:59.465. Sunday’s race was looking to once again be a showdown between the only two skaters that have won World Cup races in 2011. Canadian Maxim Garant-Rousseau was a surprise third with a time of 2:01.112. Jackson Shapiera was fourth with a 2:01.300. World Cup points leader Alex Tongue rounded out the top five with a time of 2:01.401.

In Saturday’s final qualifying round, Switzer retained the No. 1 qualifying position that he earned

A

Maxim Garant-Rousseau was stoked to earn his first World Cup podium finish. Photo: Dave Kessler

Katie Neilson earned her fourth straight victory in the Women’s division. She has been undefeated in World Cup races this year. Photo: Barbara Britvin

on Friday when none of the top five riders were able to improve their time. Friday’s No. 2 qualifier Ramón Königshausen crashed on his run while GarantRousseau, Shapiera and Tongue all went slower than they had on Friday.

Race day began sunny, but the weather forecast was calling for rain showers in the afternoon. Switzer sailed through the first round of the 64-man bracket.

As the riders were preparing for the second run a brief, 10-minute downpour came through and soaked the track. The track had been repaved about three months earlier and had been slick all weekend. With the addition of water it became like ice. In the subsequent heats, the riders were sliding and crashing all over the place. Some of the top riders, including No. 2 qualifier Königshausen, were eliminated before the semifinals.

In the finals it was Switzer, Tongue, GarantRousseau and Bouaich. The track had dried considerably by this point and was nearly dry. Off the line and through the high-speed section it was Switzer

in the lead followed closely by Tongue, GarantRousseau and Switzerland’s Kevin Bouaich. Heading into the first hairpin, Tongue made a move and passed Switzer for the lead. As they exited the corner, Switzer charged back and retook it. From that point forward, Switzer was in control. Tongue shadowed his every move but couldn’t generate the speed to make a pass.

As they crossed the line it was Switzer making history by being the first skater to ever win three consecutive World Cup races. Tongue was second, earning the 18year-old from Portland, Oregon his best-ever World Cup finish. Garant-Rousseau finished third, placing the likeable Canadian on a World Cup podium for the first time in his career.

Alex Tongue retained the lead he took in Insul and now has 1579.39 points. Stefan Rüfli has moved into second place with 1399.56, while Andrew Chapman remains third with 1363.81. After missing Maryhill, Switzer has rocketed up the points standings with his three victories and now has 1350.00 points, placing him fourth. James Kelly dropped from second to fifth after having a bearing explode in the first round and finishing in 63rd position. The World Cup Series will now take a three-week break before resuming in Calgary September 2-4.

Switzer celebrates his record-breaking third consecutive World Cup victory. Photo: Barbara Britvin

2011 PADOVA GRAND PRIX FINAL RESULTS 1. Patrick Switzer, Canada 2. Alex Tongue, United States 3. Maxim Garant-Rousseau, Canada 4. Kevin Bouaich, Switzerland 5. Torbjorn Sunde, Norway 6. Justin Readings, Canada 7. Robin Sandberg, Sweden 8. Silon Garcia, Brazil 9. Max Ballesteros, Brazil 10. Spencer Smith, United States

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ANNOUNCING THE WORLD’S FIRST

LONGBOARD EXPO

JUST FOR THE TRADE!

JANUARY 5-6th 9 am – 6pm Hilton Hotel Catalina Room 701 West Ocean Boulevard Long Beach, California This show is focused on bringing brands and buyers together in one place to conduct business in a professional environment.

The time is right for a truly focused show that celebrates the innovations found within longboarding.

More than 50 longboard companies will be exhibiting their products.

Please note this show is open to skate shops and distributors only.

THE LONGBOARD EXPO January 5-6, 2012, Long Beach Hilton, Long Beach, California

Dealers and distributors, please visit concretewavemagazine.com to register For more information please email mbrooke@interlog.com or call 905-738-0804

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