Vol. 14 No. 3 Winter 2015

JONNY MILLER

PROVES AGE IS JUST A SKATE OF MIND

$5.95

R: Liam Morgan P: Dustin Damron

Liam morgan pro model

Sector 9 Skateboard Co. is proud to introduce our latest Artist Series collaboration with renowned street artist MEGGS. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, his street art and gallery works are recognized internationally for his unique blend of graffiti and fine arts. We are stoked to release these limited edition boards in collaboration with such a talented, humble and rad artist, and hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Check your local retailer for available boards.

photo: meister

WINTER 2015

REGULARS:

18 THE FINE PRINT

Illustrator Mark Short beautifully captures Pam Diaz.

22 EDITORIAL

Trust us when we say white line fever is not just a trucker exploitation film from the 1970s.

28 NOTEWORTHY

Tons of new gear along with our annual Holiday Gift Guide.

36 SHRAPLPERS UNION UPDATE

From South Carolina to Kansas City, the vision of Noel Korman lights the way.Noel Korman lights the way.

80 LONGBOARDING FOR PEACE

Reports from Poland, Jordan and our work with the wrongfully convicted.

81 SLALOM

The HOSS crew hosts the World Championships in Ashland, Kentucky.

82 ARTIST PROFILE

Beware: The Grominator creates psychedelic monsters with spray paint.

FEATURES:

The Puerto Rico event hits 10 years. Book your flight to San Juan now!

Let’s face it – snow is coming, so you’d better get ready.

Profiles of five unique skaters with a combined life experience of over 300 years..

Cindy Whitehead finds that great vibes and a supportive environment make for an incredible event.

No rules, no limits and a chance to skate everywhere. Longboard dancing continues to flourish in Europe.

Valeria Kechichian of the Longboard Girls Crew presents her passionate TEDx Talk.

Covering a wide variety of disciplines, these seven skaters are truly inspiring.

A profile of Colorado’s Lynn Cooper and Brazil’s Per Canguru.

A book excerpt from their 40-year history.

Besides being an inspiration to many skaters, Jonny Miller also inspired this month’s cover story.

Max Watson enjoys the golden sunshine of Hood River, Oregon.

Photo: Michael Alfuso

Photo: Lance Koudele

40 GUAJATACA

As I was putting this issue together I just had another of those moments where you just have to laugh. I was skating to my parents-in-law’s house when I heard, “Aren’t you a little bit too old to be riding that thing?” coming from a car parked just near their house. I stopped and respectfully turned to the person and said, with the biggest smile I could muster, “Hey, it works for me – I’ll stop rolling when I am dead.” I then kept skating.

It seems that some people have their own opinion when you should stop riding. These people probably need to focus more on themselves before they go around judging others.

Speaking of judging others, we just had a federal election here in Canada. I’ve tried to encourage others to vote, since the last election was won by just 6,201 votes. Next year the USA will elect a new president, and while the choice this time around is particularly bewildering, the fact is that it is imperative you vote.

As we are entering winter and there will be snow on the ground in many places when this magazine gets delivered, I wanted to revisit snowskating and powder surfing. It feels like I am flogging a dead horse here, but I swear on my life that if you live near snow, you gotta get your hands on a snowskate or a powder surfer. They make the tiniest hill a thing of pure joy.

Speaking of pure joy, as the holiday season approaches, we hope that all our readers and supporters take the time to enjoy the time with family and friends. Is it me or has 2015 gone by pretty damn quickly? As I look over the content we’ve created for this particular issue, I realize that we’ve come up with quite remarkable stories. I promise you that Concrete Wave will continue to challenge you in 2016 and beyond.

Pam Diaz. Illustration by Mark Short

The Shooter is a true downhill attacker! It has a solid directional shape with W-Concave and a slight rocker. Multiple truck mounting options gives riders the ability to switch the position of their wheelbase, a perfect choice for someone who’s looking to get the most stability while bombing hills at high speeds. Routered wheel wells, double barrel bushings in the 180MM 50° Slant reverse kingpin trucks and our Abec 7 bearings paired with Green Kryptonics Star Trac 86A wheels promises the everyday rider the balance and speed sought by the most experienced veterans.

WHITE LINE FEVER

Oddly enough, the photo for this month’s editorial hits on a number of unique ideas. First, it’s a great visual metaphor for “not keeping in within the lines.” I love the fact that as skaters, we are constantly pushing boundaries and questioning things. Where we skate, what we skate, how old we are as skaters: there are truly no limits. This issue celebrates that idea to the fullest with an article on skaters who regard age as being just a state of mind.

Of course, the idea of “crossing the line” is an entirely different matter and it can get quite complicated. When does legitimate questioning cross over a line? Thanks to the Web, we can explore this topic on a daily basis. It’s amazing how many people, once they are in front of a camera or behind a keyboard, feel they can do or say whatever they want. Our digital footprints, unlike the ones we leave in the sand, can last for a significant amount of time.

If you live in Australia, the term “white line fever” describes a person’s radical change of behavior when they start playing team sports. They step over the “white line,” and their radical change can result in a mild-mannered person becoming aggressive, loud and extremely competitive. These people may even become violent during gameplay. But once the game is over, they return back to their usual mild-mannered selves.

I’m sure some of you have met people with this condition. Someone with white line fever can be insufferable – it’s just a question of how far they take things. I’d say that in skateboarding we have our own slightly milder version of white line fever –maybe “blue tile fever”? Many of us have had an encounter with skaters who are fairly mellow, but once you get them on a hill or in a backyard pool, they become extremely competitive. This attitude can propel them to achieve some incredible things. Now that skateboarding is poised to be part of the 2020 Olympics in Japan, it will be interesting how this changes the dynamics of skate culture. But we’ll save that debate for later.

Michael Brooke Publisher/Editor

Rider: Alex “Geims” Luciano

Photo: Simone Mondino

NOTEWORTHY

- THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

ARSENAL ABEC 11

RAYNE

Arsenal had one goal in mind when developing and testing its new cast line of trucks: Be as close to precision performance as possible. Designed with the same geometry and attitude as their precision trucks, the new Cast Arsenals are available in both 180 mm and 165 mm hanger widths. They are precisely matched to either 50- or 44-degree baseplates. Utilizing permanent mold technology, military-grade materials and digitally controlled heat-treating processes, the results are astonishing. arsenaltrucks.com

The Flow series is the first Rayne cruiser line. Featuring all new K.I.S.S. construction with maple and bamboo around a Fat Bottom core in the Flight and Anthem, these are the best-feeling cruisers available. They are available in three shapes: the Anthem, Flight and Forge. rayne.com

SK8KINGS

The FreeRide name returns in a brand new size with a stone-ground finish. The new 70 mm version is perfect for slide jams and downhill freeriding. No chatter, no bounces, this is ALL about smooth and predictable slides. The high-performance Classic Formula is the most consistent urethane on the planet and will last all the way to the tiniest core. It also features the wide “FreeRide Core,” which provides extra support to keep the wheel amazingly stable while sliding. abec11.com

The new Micro Slicks feature 1200 dpi graphic resolution and the brightest colors ever to be printed on a skateboard. This brand new process comes from LAX Skateboards. This technology is way beyond an inkjet-printed vinyl sticker sprayed over with lacquer. This is real “Everslick”-style board construction, taken to the next level. LAX will be offering one-off, custom-printed boards with your graphic on professional street decks, cruisers, oldschool and longboard shapes. laxskate.com

The Gary Holl Midtown Collector Edition features art by the legendary Jimbo Phillips. The graphic depicts skaters riding all disciplines throughout the Midtown NorCal neighborhood of Gary’s youth. This bidirectional-shape mini street deck is available in two colorways: blue or gray. A full-color park model is coming soon. The deck’s dimensions are 7 5/8” x 30” with a wheelbase of 13.25”. Crafted from seven-ply hard rock maple in SoCal USA. sk8kings.com

LAX SKATE

Djinn’s is a German-based fashion company that has just collaborated with one of Germany’s most popular longboard brands, Olson & Hekmati. Besides longboards, sneakers and hats are also available. djinns.eu

For this Z-Flex Master Crafted series, legendary skateboard craftsman “Professor” Paul Schmitt teamed up with George Wilson and Eric Dressen. Wilson’s diamond-tail winger shape is offered in 9.5” and 8.75”, and Dressen’s square-tailed sled in 9” and 8.5”. All four boards feature custom Dressen graphics on exposed natural wood grain. zflex.com

The new Anyway “freestyle cruiser” walks – or rather skates – the fine line between cruiser and trick board, making it perfect for both. Like the rest of Aluminati’s offerings, the Anyway deck is made from recyclable aircraft-grade aluminum. It measures approximately 6.5” x 27.5”. The Anyway is available with 3” or 5” trucks and 99A durometer wheels. aluminatiboards.com

At 43 mm wide by 39 mm tall, the fiberglass-reinforced Cobra Core provides a considerably more rigid base for the proven Cannibal shape, now 2 mm wider. The result is a wheel that rolls faster, grips harder, slides smoother, wears more evenly and brakes more effectively than the original. fullcircledistribution.com

Z-FLEX

Based in Florida, Palm Beach focuses on creating handmade longboards. The company combines exotic hardwoods (African mahogany and clear hard rock Canadian maple) in such a way that it’s reminiscent of a classic surfboard design, while also giving you a level of flex and strength you would have never dreamed possible with a solid wood shaped and contoured board. To top it off, it’s combined with premium hardware and components for ultimate performance in its class. palmbeachlongboards.com

FS BOARDS

NOTEWORTHY

Fs Boards Inc. has released two new boards, the Jersey Devil and the Ozark Howler. The Jersey Devil has a nine-ply Canadian maple construction with a quarter-inch micro-drop and a half-inch of rocker between the truck mounts. It comes in at 35.5 inches long and 10 inches wide with wheelbase options of 27.5 to 28 inches. The Ozark Howler has an eight-ply Canadian maple construction with a full 1.5-inch drop. It comes in at 38.5 inches long and 10 inches wide with a wheelbase of 30.5 inches. All boards are handmade from start to finish in Long Island, New York.. fsboardsinc.com

Created four years in Veneto, Italy, Medusa is manufacturing some stunning decks. Founder Edoardo Stocco says the company prides itself on precision, and they use mathematical models to create their decks. The unique but highly functional shapes are created with advanced manufacturing technology along with a variety of substrates. medusaskateboards.com

ARRAY WASHER CUPS

In an effort to eliminate slop in trucks and create much more support for the kingpin, Array has created a very specialized product for skaters. The company just received a U.S. patent for the sleeved gripped washer system and a number of other products. The system works on all types of trucks and on all aftermarket bushings. Array Products is proud to have been the first to bring the precision sleeved gripped washer system to the market and change how the skateboard truck is used. array-products.com

On October 13, the skate world mourned the passing of Gerry Hurtado, aka Skatemaster Tate. Tate was an accomplished skater and musician whose music appeared in Powell-Peralta’s Public Domain and other skate videos. He is perhaps best known for his work on Nickelodeon’s SK8-TV. He will be remembered as a constant source of fun, laughter and good humor.

PALM BEACH MEDUSA

GERRY HURTADO

NOW YOU KNOW -

NOTEWORTHY

ROCKOCHET

From his breakout video section in Powell Peralta’s Public Domain, right up to his 2015 X Games Real Street Fan Favorite gold medal, Mike Vallely keeps redefining street skating. Mike has recently surprised many skaters by choosing to wear a helmet every time he skates, after decades of skating without one. The culture of street skating largely rejects helmets, but after some soul-searching, Mike decided it was time for him to make a personal change. Mike V and Triple Eight have collaborated on “Get Used to It,” a project to provide a different perspective on helmets. getusedtoit.com

CORRECTIONS

In Vol. 14 No. 2 we incorrectly misspelled Esther Suave’s name in the Rider Setups feature. In our Zen of Freestyle article, the photos of Shen Meng were taken by Joe Shen.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

SK8OLOGY

The Sk8ology Carabiner Sk8 Tool 2.0 weighs just 1.9 ounces. It is the world’s lightest fully functional skateboard tool/keychain/bottle opener. Like all skate tools it handles the basics of axle nut, kingpin nut, and mounting hardware adjustments.  It’s also got a handy grip tape file and bottle opener. sk8ology.com

Rockochet is the world’s first and only rock and debris deflector for most skateboards. Rockochet attaches universally to the RKP trucks of your longboard. It’s been designed to fit most popular trucks like Caliber, Paris and Bear. The deflector is height-adjustable to accommodate different-sized wheels and trucks, including 45- and 50-degree. The deflector is spring-loaded and the face is angled to rise up and over cracks in the sidewalk. rockochet.com

BADASS SKATEMOM

2015 Slalom World Champion Judi Oyama has created a clothing line that’s geared to moms who skate, moms with skate kids and future Badasses. Judi’s product line includes tank tops, T-shirts and beanies. badassskatemom.com

BOOSTED AND INBOARD

Some of first electric skateboards were advertised in CW over a decade ago. They weren’t that functional, and their weight hit 60 lbs. or more. How things have changed. Two brands that are creating quite a buzz are Boosted and Inboard.

Boosted used the power of Kickstarter to raise almost $500,000 for their initial offering. Their Dual+ model is powered by 2,000 watts and has a top speed of 22 mph. With a range of 7 miles and weight of 15 lbs., this board is exceptionally fun to ride. Skate shops are reporting very brisk sales. boostedboards.com

Based in Santa Cruz, Inboard has been working on some very interesting concepts related to motor functionality. Their M1 model ingeniously hides the board’s electric parts, making it almost indistinguishable from any other longboard. The board weighs 12 lbs., has a top speed of 24 mph and a range of 10 miles. inboardskate.com

We’ve picked out some interesting items for skaters on your holiday gift list. Prices range from under $15 all the way up to $1,400.

SHRALPERS UNION UPDATE:

by Luke Ayata

In the last issue of Concrete Wave we introduced the Shralpers Union. Close to a decade in the making, the concept is finally starting to take shape. Each chapter has been busy spreading high fives and positive vibes around the world. We have grown significantly, and in the next couple of issues we will be bringing you news from all of our chapters. We plan on being here for the long haul, as we have dedicated ourselves to our mission to unite like-minded people who share the same passion of board sports.

“It’s been a long ride for all of us since the rock that held us all together, Noel Korman, suddenly passed, but that hasn’t stopped us from keeping his dream alive,” says Matthew Williams of the 212 chapter. “In fact, we are stepping up and trying to change the way people think and live skating.”

Down South’s 864 was the first chapter to be established outside of the parent chapter. (In case, you’re just tuning in, the parent chapter of the Shralpers Union is New Jersey’s 973.) In 2011 Sasha Popper was skating from New York City to San Diego sponsored by the Shralpers Union. In true Sasha fashion, instead of skating straight through, he made his way 767 miles to Greenwood, South Carolina, to meet up with a guy named Andrew Walker. In 2012 Sasha returned with a van full of people for the Chief Ladiga Silver Comet Challenge in Georgia. Andrew met Noel, Luke, and Jeff Vyain, and before you know it the 864 was established, with Andrew as its

regional president.

With the Carolinas being no strangers to taking the lead, they made the first changes to the logo by adopting the palmetto tree as its corner logo. The 864 hosts an annual event called the Emerald Powerbox, and its members have been regulars at the Flight of the Doves, with the intent of raising awareness and funds for various local charities. This year alone the 864 has raised $1,500 for the Connie Maxwell Home for Children. As a whole the Carolinas look forward to keeping the stoke going by mentoring the younger shralpers, helping them to progress as positive members in both the Union and their communities. Leading by example is one the Union’s key virtues. Currently there are more chapters being formed in the region as Andrew is working on implementing the Longboarding for Peace after-school/mentoring programs.

Kansas City, Missouri, is also known as the 816, with co-presidents Joseph Burnham and Billy Angus running the show. This chapter was born in 2013 during the weekend of the Broadway Bomb, when the two were staying in New York with Noel and his father, Ray Korman. Joseph and Billy had opened up a shop called Burning Spider Stoke Company, and at one point they were working out of Joseph’s garage while

trying to keep their day jobs to get by. Joseph and Billy had met Neil Weiland at the previous Bomb and managed to keep in contact with him throughout the year. In 2013 when the duo was strapped for cash and needed a place to stay, Neil introduced them to Noel. Noel and Ray took them in with open arms.

“Noel’s vision on what the Union could become was awesome, but more importantly was its mission,” says Joseph. “He believed that the sidestance sports industries could do much better. He believed that anyone that wanted to be a part of the industry and worked hard to support their local communities should be able to live the dream.”

Once again Noel’s vision lights the way. Joseph Burnham and Billy Angus are now out of the garage and have a storefront. As a Union store, they do their best to stoke out their local community and other chapters. They take pride in supporting small, hard-working businesses within the industry. You can always get your Union gear and affiliated products in their shop. They have done a superb job of bringing their community together through various meet-ups and events, giving the local scene a platform to grow on.

To find out more or to see how you can get involved with a chapter near you, visit us at shralpersunion.nationbulder.com.

JANUARY 29-31-2016

QUEBRADILLAS, PUERTO RICO

Photo: Brendan Klein (IG: @brendan_klein)

GUAJATACA

A Paradise for Skaters in Puerto Rico

By Hector R. Valle Sr. and Joel Cardona

The Guajataca Downhill Skateboarding and Music Festival is a perfect example of an organically grown event. What started in 2007 with a group of 25 skaters going downhill has become one of the most attended skateboarding events in the world. Where else can you find all the disciplines of skateboarding in one neat package that extends for four days and three nights in a tropical atmosphere with breathtaking views? A bright Caribbean sun, warm water, great weather and excellent beaches are what make this event on the enchanted Island of Puerto Rico (a U.S territory) so special.

Fueled by mass Island-wide media coverage, the Guajataca Downhill event continues to attract huge crowds, with an estimated 25,000 spectators in attendance in January 2015. In terms of competitors, this past event generated more than 300 registrations from all over the world. This included the top skaters in each discipline from Brazil, Colombia, France, Estonia, Canada, Santo Domingo, Australia, Peru, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and numerous states of the USA including Florida, California, Colorado, New York, Texas, Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, Delaware and many others. (Apologies if we forgot to mention your state or country!)

In recent years, a parade of worldwide luminaries, such as Scoot Smith, Douglas Dalua and Kevin Reimer (just to name a few), have amped the event to legendary status among the world DH

Kevin Reimer is always a formidable competitor.

Photos: Angel Lugo

community. Our town mayor, Heriberto Velez, continues to be a driving force to secure the necessary permits and resources for this event, which many on the political structure of the Island consider a model to follow and recreate.

The action kicks off at the skatepark event on Thursday, followed by the downhill eliminatory on Friday. Slalom and sliding, events that always attract large crowds, take place on Saturday. And the downhill finals take place on Sunday, with amateur age groups, boys and girls first, then women, men, and finally the pros, trying to get their share of many thousands in cash money and prizes.

Thanks to an army of staff volunteers from the Pirate Surf Club and the production and sponsorship expertise of Guajataca X Inc., we have been able to maintain a delicate balance between the large crowds, sponsors, area residents, emergency services and racers to control

the race route and enable the heats in all age groups to proceed smoothly. The wipeouts are always spectacular, with racers paying dearly for any slight mistake made on the course.

The GDH 10th anniversary promises to be even better than last year’s. It’s truly a worldwide celebration of skateboarding culture. We will definitely close the town square again with rocking afterparties that will last into the morning

hours and many related activities. If you plan to come, book your flight into the Aguadilla (BQN) airport early, and find a cozy place to stay near the beach. It fills up fast and you may have to sleep at the campground under the stars (not a bad option). Just try to get some sleep if you are planning to race, and you may get some of the prize money in any of the multiple disciplines we will be offering this year. See you there!

SNOWSKATING & POWDER SURFING –THE BEST ANTIDOTE TO WINTER

By Michael Brooke

For many skaters, there is no getting around winter. Despite what you’ve read, El Niño will only do so much to make things warmer. The truth is, in many parts of the world we are going to get snow – and lots of it! The best antidote to not being able to ride concrete or asphalt is to take up snowskating and powder surfing.

This past February, my son Ethan and I were fortunate to spend a full day riding together at a minuscule hill here in Ontario. How small was this hill? Well, if you went down full-tilt on a snowboard, it would probably take you about 10 seconds. But on a snowskate, things take a much more interesting path, and suddenly, it’s much more challenging.

If you’re lucky enough to live near snow that falls as shimmering powder, then I strongly suggest you look into powder surfing. If you love carving on your longboard, you will absolutely love powder surfing.

Whether you are carving on packed powder or drifting through endless waves of fluffy snow, there is no doubt in my mind: Once you try snowskating or powder surfing, you will be praying for snow.

Philip Lemire shreds on a LY Snow skate.

Photo: David Price

HOVLAND

Hovland’s Ram Snowskate is new for the 2015 season and can be used in both parks and all over the mountain. The board has some flex but is also very poppy. The blunted nose gives this deck a very unique shape.

Also of note is Lyle Hansberger. Lyle is a team rider for Hovland and also rides on Never Summer’s longboard team. He’s passionate about both sports and says they fit together perfectly: “Flying down the mountain on a snowskate at 50 mph in a aerodynamic tuck is a feeling you won’t soon forget. Groomed runs are the winter equivalent of highspeed downhill runs and so much fun!” We completely agree with Lyle when he says, “If you do one, you should definitely try the other.” Hovland will be holding on-hill public demos at resorts all over the U.S. this season. hovlandsnowskates.com

LY SNOW

LY Snow’s high-end model features a shorter, more agile sub-deck specifically designed for skateboard-inspired tricks. This model features a Hollow Tech deck, which is lightweight, incredibly strong and stiff. Connected to Harfang trucks, the shorter sub-deck features a bamboo core and black sintered base. Turn any run into your very own skatepark with the Super Deluxe HT from LY Snow. ly-snow.com

POGO

The Pogo Asueto powder surfer has gained enthusiastic feedback from riders all over the world, including masters of the art like Terje Haakonsen. This year, Pogo refined the construction and improved the grip pads. The grip pads are especially developed for the purpose of powder surfing. Pogo is currently working on two new models with new 3D features: one skatestyle-oriented model and one model for the deep powder days. pogo.biz

GRASSROOTS

Grassroots was first to bring powsurfers to the market, and they continue blazing the trail with original and innovative designs. They shape to fit any size rider and meticulously designed each model to excel in specific types of snow conditions and terrain. Their 2016 powsurfers feature three-dimensional bases, giving the boards even better float, faster glide, more leverage and enhanced edge control in all conditions. powsurf.com

Ben Dietermann on the Pogo Asueto. Photo: Danny Strasser

Jay Adams famously said, “You don’t stop skateboarding because you get old; you get old because you stop skateboarding.” This feature explores the idea of how skateboarding keeps people young, by examining the lives of four unique individuals. Each of them challenges people’s assumptions. With a combined life experience of over 300 years, these five redefine what it means to be a skater. Some started, quit and then magically returned. Others began skating quite a bit later in life. Through their actions they inspire all skaters to never stop rolling.

JONNY MILLER – FINDING YOUR BEARINGS

to fool around with the wheels.” You can imagine what happened next. “I took one of the nuts off the truck and all these ball bearings fell onto the shag carpet.” Jonny says he managed to collect all the bearings but one. “Then my mom starting vacuuming. I can still recall hearing the sound of the vacuum cleaner sucking up that ball bearing. I never got to ride that Black Knight!”

Fortunately for Jonny, things turned out better in the 1970s. He was living in Southern California and had an opportunity to skate a number of amazing parks, as well as his own terrain. “I built a ramp at my parents’ house that leaned up against a telephone pole,” he says. “It was insane.”

Although Jonny enjoyed skating, during his sophomore year in high school he found himself drifting to surfing. “My parents sent me to this private school, but eventually I returned to public school and slowly got back into skating in my junior year,” he says. “But once I got a car in my senior year, I went fully into surfing.”

It took almost 20 years, until 1999, before Jonny came back to skateboarding. His return was due to a traumatic experience. “My former wife left our family under some pretty heavy circumstances,” he says. “One night I was at the top of this hill. I was absolutely miserable and remembered the one thing that got me through things when I was younger. It was my Caster skateboard.”

It would probably take a few volumes to adequately describe the remarkable life that Jonny Miller has led thus far. A fixture at numerous sliding, downhill and slalom events, Jonny has a personality that is truly larger than life. In fact, it was Jonny Miller who inspired this piece. In a sense, Jonny is the poster child for keeping the skate stoke burning well past

what “society” thinks is acceptable.

Jonny’s earliest skate memory began at the age of 4. “I recall receiving a Black Knight board in 1968 for Christmas,” he says. “But I never got to ride it!” His uncle borrowed it from Jonny and didn’t return it until about a year later. “I had a skate key and my mom warned me not

Slowly but surely, Jonny started to connect with the local skate community on the Central California coast. He heard about people doing slalom racing and decided to check it out. “It was the old crew – people like Jack Smith and Gary Fluitt,” he says. “I went out and raced them all on this little surf skate and I got my butt whipped. But the vibe was so cool, and I realized this was something that I could do with my family.”

Jonny kept attending events and races and eventually wound up meeting Richy Carrasco, Dave Hackett and Steve Olson, legendary skaters who were a part of

Jonny Miller keeps his eyes on the prize. Photo: Michael Alfuso

his youth, which fanned the flames of Jonny’s stoke for skateboarding. Besides slalom, Jonny also turned his attention to downhill and sliding.

“Skateboarding grounded me,” he says. “Whenever I would get depressed, I’d jump on my board and everything negative just left me. All I had was this feeling of pure stoke and this feeling of euphoric energy.”

Besides enjoying skateboarding, Jonny has spent years honing his skills as an artist. Eventually skating influenced his art, too. “When I first started, I created enormous pieces and never considered using skateboards,” he says. “I am really into recycling, and I decided to focus my efforts to use skateboard-related items into my art.”

Jonny is perhaps best known, however, for his creation of Toyland, an oasis of skateboarding on a dusty ranch near San Luis Obispo. Toyland’s multiple wooden ramps, DIY concrete and rustic location, along with Jonny’s infectious energy, gave it a vibe that just oozed soul, and the ranch hosted many an epic session and party. Sadly, Toyland was dismantled just over three years ago, but the memories live on.

At the age of 51, with over four and a half decades of riding, Jonny says he is blessed to be a pro skater. He rides for Abec 11, Jet Skateboards, Liquid Trucks, Black Leather Racing, Khiro, Riptide and Muir Skate. “I take a very professional approach,” he says. “I can be a mentor in ways that I could never have done before.” Jonny acknowledges that both old and young look up to him and considers it a big responsibility.

Since his return to skateboarding, Jonny has made a number of great friends that span a wide range of ages. “They live the same lifestyle that I do and all have the same passion,” he says. “I feel truly blessed to be able to connect and ride with people in their late teens and twenties. It definitely keeps me young.”

Jonny’s enthusiasm for skateboarding, and for life, is boundless: “When I get up in the morning, I may see the odd gray hair,” he says, “but thanks to skateboarding, I am as excited as I was back when I was a kid.”

Laying down some thane. Photo: Michael Alfuso

Bill Wennerholm hails from Prescott, Arizona. He’s 75 and started skateboarding in 1947 at the age of 7. “We would take a 2 x 4 and nail two metal skates to each end and use that as a skateboard,” he says. “This was years before actual skateboards were made.”

It took almost two decades before Bill purchased a ready-made skateboard. In 1964, when he was a graduate student at the University of Southern California, an ad for a skateboard in a local newspaper caught his eye, and he promptly went out and purchased one.

Bill skated seriously from his mid-20s until his early 40s. Sometime after that,

he quit. That hiatus lasted almost 20 years. In the early 2000s he resumed skating, this time on a longboard. His company of choice is Sector 9, and the folks at Sector are well aware of his skate stoke. “My plan is to at skate on my 90th birthday,” he says. “I ride 240 miles a week on my bike and skate on the weekends. When I turn 90 I may consider tapering off at least just a little bit.”

But it’s not always smooth sailing for Bill. “I do get both positive and negative feedback from people with regards to me being a skateboarder at the age of almost 76,” he says. “I think the negative comments are mostly relative to feelings

of envy and jealousy that people would like to be able to do what I do at my age.”

Bill says he encounters stereotypical remarks about skateboarding in general. “Even here, in the 21st century, skateboarding is associated with negativity amongst many,” he says. “The fact is that many could benefit from skateboarding and could actually do it in their aging process. But it’s not as culturally supported as being on the ski slopes, for example.”

Bill acknowledges his chosen activities are not without risk: “I have taken some falls both on my bike and on my skateboard over the past years,” he says,

Besides skating and driving a bad-ass car, Bill rides 240 miles each week on his bike. Photo: Tami Webber

“but I think that my body, along with the positive synergism of other decisions that I’ve made with regards to diet, etc., has given me a foundation that includes the ability to heal relatively quickly.”

Bill hardly lives a life of leisure, however. He is a professional psychotherapist in private practice, seeing an average of 50 clients a week. “I really benefit from being on a skateboard, which requires my full attention and adds to my feeling of mastery with regards to sensory integration in my body,” he says. Skating also has proven helpful in the work itself: “I’m very grateful for the bridge that skateboarding has created between myself and the troubled youth that I serve.”

Bill says that bombing long hills provides him an endorphin release and a calming effect that he taps into during his strenuous workweek. When he gets stressed out or experiences compassion fatigue, “I will go and spend some time on my board bombing a hill, or in fact several hills,” he says. Afterwards, “I will be more calm, more centered … and somehow, with looking about at all of creation, feel a little more energized to face the world as a healer.

“I think skateboarding has helped me in many ways personally in terms of health, balance, etc., but also helped me to continue to be one of the elements that connects me with my youth and my empathic residence with young people. There have been many times that a young person will tell his parents, ‘I’m not talking with no bleepin’ counselor,’ and is then willing to come to see me and to open up when they see my office, which is decorated with pictures and longboards fastened to the wall.”

Bill says his love and encouragement goes out to all who skate, regardless of their age: “I am grateful for those that promote skating and who respect and honor those who do skate, young and old!”

Bill plans to skate on his 90th birthday, Photo: Tami Webber

STEPHEN JEPSON – NEVER LEAVE THE PLAYGROUND

Stephen Jepson first tried skateboarding at age 25, in the spring of 1965, on a trip from Iowa City to Sycamore, Illinois. “I had gone to visit my girlfriend’s parents,” he says, “and their son was on his board outside of their house. He let me try it, and before I had the chance to think about it, the board went out from under me.” Stephen wound up with quite a bruise on his hip.

Seven years later, Stephen was teaching at a university. Several college students were going down a steep concrete ramp that led to the main entrance of the library. Stephen watched for several minutes as time after time several young male students shot down the ramp and attempted to negotiate a very sharp left-hand turn at the bottom of the ramp. On each occasion, the skateboard shot into the street and the rider jumped off. Despite his earlier experience, “I asked for a try on their board,” he says. “I zipped down the incline and leaned into the sharp left – and, wonder of wonders, I nailed it.”

Stephen recalls that he acted nonchalantly, but inside he was amazed. “The young college students could hardly believe it,” he says. “I was a good water skier and I knew what it feels like to lean real hard on a slalom ski to make a sharp turn, and that’s what I did: leaned on the board real hard and rounded the corner.”

Still, it would take another 36 years before Stephen would step back on a skateboard. “I started longboarding when I was about 68 years old,” he says. “I had learned to tightrope walk at age 55 and walk on a loose rope at about 63. So at this time in my life my balance was quite good. However, longboarding has contributed substantially to my balance.

“I think anybody that wants to start skateboarding at any age can do it,” he continues, “but I do believe it is important to start slowly and to be careful.” He admits that a few times in his life he has started going so fast downhill that he was unable to stop and had to bail into the grass. “I made a definite effort to learn to speed check. Now I am able to slow down the board by sliding a foot.”

Stephen says he now skates as far as 20 miles at a time and will push with both feet. “I go out regular and come back goofy foot,” he says. “I push half the distance with my left foot and half the distance with my right foot so my hip doesn’t get too tired.”

He admits that he has taken some fairly nasty falls but has never been badly hurt. “Once I ran over something that I did not see, which caused the board to come to an abrupt stop. I went down instantly. After that I got the biggest wheels for my board I could get. The Abec 11 90 mm Flywheels run over almost anything.”

Stephen has also created his own unusual decks using a vacuum press. But beyond this, his entire life’s philosophy is about movement. He lectures around the world on the concept of “never leaving the playground.” His zest for life is infectious, and both his mind and body are razor-sharp. I had the opportunity to hang out with Stephen at Surf Expo this past September. He has more energy than people a third his age. Stephen’s plan is to keep skating and exploring the many trails in Florida for as long he is physically able – which, by my estimation, should lead him well past the year 2040.

Kids, don’t try this at home.

Rolling at 75 and enjoying every moment.

Over the past several years, more women and girls have started longboarding, a trend that shows no sign of slowing down. There is no doubt the Longboard Girls Crew has been an inspiration to many around the world. But Isabelle can trace her skateboard journey back to 1980. “I started skateboarding with the guys on the UCSD Surf Team. We would go to Del Mar [skatepark]. There was this kid who ripped. Later I realized it was Tony Hawk!” After a long hiatus for work, marriage and starting a family, Isabelle sent her children to the Encinitas YMCA Skate camp over the summer of 1997. From there, she says, “We got hooked on parks and downhill!”

Fast-forward almost two decades and Isabelle is still rolling happily. “Longboarding keeps me feeling graceful, balanced and strong,” she says. “I also feel content because the feeling of flowing on cement is such a wonderful release of energy. It’s also easily accessible.”

When it comes to answering people who tell her she’s “too old to skate,” Isabelle is forthright in her conviction. “Setting limitations on yourself, especially your physical being, is unnecessary and shortsighted in the bigger picture of a

long, fruitful, healthy life,” she says. She says she listens to her own body, not what other people think of their body. “My body is strong and flexible, and skating keeps me that way. Skating has always kept my youthful body into my old age. I feel just as I did when I was 16: free, strong, spirited and happy. I don’t think there’s any age limitation on those needed emotions!”

Isabelle says longboarding makes her a better teacher, mother and partner. “I just feel like a better human being,” she says. “Feeling the wind in my face and being in the moment of enjoying the ride while making sure I don’t splat on the asphalt allows me to clear my head of any negative emotions. When I’m done skating, I feel freer from any baggage that I had before I started skating.”

All this physical activity has meant incredible payoffs for Isabelle. She can run up a flight of stairs without being winded or spend three hours in the ocean, surfing. “I can even snowboard the full eight hours to get the maximum output for my dollars spent!” she says.

When it comes to falling, Isabelle takes a pragmatic approach. “A body definitely does not bounce as well when you’re older as it did when you were younger,”

she admits. “But if you stay flexible and strong, it still bounces very well, and that’s part of keeping my healthy body into old age.” Because falling is inevitable, she doesn’t baby herself. “If I guard my body from small impacts, it will not be prepared for me slipping and falling later in life. This is when most people break their hips. I will bounce and walk to see the next day because I keep my body physically young.”

As her children grew up, Isabelle was able to be at many skate competitions with them. This has led to some truly memorable experiences. “At the age of 40, I dropped in on a vert ramp,” she says. “At 45, I skated the Albuquerque Ditch Slap with my son.” Isabelle loves interacting with all the people she’s met in the skate world. “We have such a tightknit community. They are giving and open-minded people who love sharing of the joy of community.” Over the years, both Gravity Skateboards and clothing line Emily Strange have supported Isabelle.

I’ve known Isabelle for well over a decade. Her zest for life is incredible. She teaches math to high school students, and I am quite sure she takes her passion and enthusiasm into her classroom and motivates her students in brilliant ways.

Photo: Nicole Grodesky

“longboarding keeps me feeling graceful, balanced and strong”

VICTOR EARHART – THE GODFATHER OF DOWNHILL

realize that Victor has more than six complete decades of rolling under his belt. This is quite a feat.

Of all the people profiled, only Victor actually has a full-time job working at a skateboard company. That’s right, if you head down to San Diego and the HQ of Sector 9, you will find him working in the wood shop! Victor says he is thankful to everyone at Sector 9 for letting him work there. But Victor doesn’t just make skateboards for the company; he’s also been featured in more than a few of its videos. The raw run from Guajataca 2014 in Puerto Rico is particularly inspiring.

Upon checking our CW archives, I noticed that we did a rider profile Victor in 2010. It received a great deal of positive response. In fact, one of the photos in the profile (taken by Jeff Budro) went viral and is still floating around the Internet to this day!

Isabelle’s free spirit mirrors perfectly what skateboarding represents to so many people around the world. “Life is short, so as I search for emotional and physical enjoyment I define what my needs are, not other people,” she says. “Skateboarding has allowed me from the age of 36 until 54 to hold onto my youthful body. Skateboarding builds confidence, determination, balance, strength [and] grace and makes for an excellent night’s sleep – it’s all good!”

I couldn’t agree more.

I’ve known Victor for a number of years, and trust me when I say that his skate stoke is infectious. “I was 7 years old when I borrowed this kid’s skateboard that lived in my neighborhood,” he says. “The next day I went and took apart my sister’s roller skates, grabbed a 2 x 4 and made my own skateboard on the sidewalk in front of my house. I’ve been skateboarding ever since. I’m now 68 years old.” When you do the math, you

When I asked Victor about how he deals with accidents, he was pretty blunt. “If you’re afraid of falling, then you shouldn’t be skateboarding. Falling is a part of skateboarding. Either you enjoy it or you quit. I do heal pretty fast for a guy who is almost 70 years old.”

Victor feels that you’re never too old to skateboard and says that it definitely keeps him young. “Longboarding and shortboarding are all the same to me,” he says. “They are both useless wooden toys

with wheels on them. Skateboarding in general relaxes my mind and is a great deal of fun!”

Asked for any final comments about skateboarding, Victor wanted to stress the importance of having fun. “Skateboarding is a big family. You must have respect for everyone in our community as well as humanity.” With an attitude like that, not to mention the medical advancements taking place every day, there’s no telling just how long Victor will be rolling.

Photo: Nicole Grodesky Victor about to bomb a hill. Photo: Jeff Budro

“If you’re afraid of falling, you shouldn’t be skateboarding.”

Photo: Jeff Budro

Maryhill SheRide

By Cindy Whitehead

Maryhill. The name is spoken with reverence in skate circles. It doesn’t matter if you skate vert, pipe, park, street, slalom, freestyle, or downhill; almost everyone in skateboarding knows stories about this famous hill and the skaters who slay it. To be able to say you skated Maryhill Loops Road is the equivalent of being able to say you skated the Arizona Pipes back in the 1970s. Both are places skaters dream of skating, but not everyone has the balls or skills to skate them.

Photos: Ian Logan

One group of hardcore skaters that ride this famous hill is known as the Maryhill Ratz. Since 2008, the Ratz have organized numerous freerides – sessions on a closed hill and free lifts back to the top – to allow riders to experience this amazing road in a non-race environment.

When Dean Ozuna from the Maryhill Ratz invited me to come to their threeday SheRide last August, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The SheRide is an all-girls skate weekend – just rad girls flying fast down that hill for three days straight. They kick ass, they sometimes get hurt, and they suck it up, get back on their boards, and do it all over again. I knew a lot of these girls already, as I had connected with many of them via social media over the years. But I had no idea what it would be like for a downhill newbie like me to enter their world and to have my first time be at the legendary Maryhill.

Beyond having fun, this year’s SheRide had an extra meaning. Just weeks before the event, a fast-moving fire had

whipped through the area near Maryhill, and the Wolfe family, who live at the bottom of the historic hill, lost their home and everything in it to the fire. Being the wonderful group that they are, the Ratz decided to open the event to all skaters, male and female, and make it a SheRide/Wolfe Family Fundraiser. The entire Wolfe family has been super supportive to the Ratz over the years, so all the skaters immediately jumped on board with opening up the SheRide to everyone to help give back.

From the moment I arrived, I was blown away by the Ratz’ kindness and sense of community. It was truly like the skateboard family we all created in the 1970s, when we were all just renegades doing our thing and stoked every single day to be among people who loved skating and were like-minded. I felt as if I had been transported back in time and was reliving all the good memories skateboarding created for me back in the day.

For those who were not skating in the 1970s, I would compare the scene, the people and the entire weekend to Woodstock or the movie Almost Famous,

but instead of musicians or hippies, just insert “skateboarders.” Everyone shared what they had or brought – food, tools, leathers, wheels, gloves, tents, camping spots, secret skate spots, lunch, etc. It didn’t matter what you needed, someone stopped and helped. People were nice to everyone they came in contact with. The sense of family and community was overwhelmingly positive.

Female skaters showed up from as far away as Canada and Australia, and drove or flew in from all over the United States. A group of downhill girls called “Girls Gone Fast” had started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their road trip. They rented a van and drove in from Colorado, stopping to pick up other girls along the way. They skated everything they came across, shooting photos and filming one another before they arrived at Maryhill. It’s very cool to see girls creating opportunities for themselves and creating media to support women in skateboarding along the way.

I watched as numerous female skaters took time out of their weekend to encourage and help a new rider, 15-yearold Nora Manger. She went from sitting

Erni Villanueva leads the charge.

on her board and easing her way down the hill to get a feel for the turns and how fast it was, to standing up and riding by the third day.

I experienced the same treatment myself. Many girls that weekend reached out to tell me I was doing great and to keep on going. They hung out and helped me work on my form and graciously got off the U-Haul with me when I started from “Cowzers,” which is only the last section of the hill. When downhill is nothing like the type of skateboarding you have been doing for over 30 years, it’s an awesome feeling to have these top female skaters working with you and giving you positive tips.

The other thing I noticed is that these girls get hurt from time to time. Serious road rash is the most common, and it’s sometimes inevitable when you are doing speeds like they are. But they don’t whine about it; they head to the EMT tent, get fixed up and head back out. These female downhill skaters are a tough breed. I have nothing but mad respect for all these girls.

The Maryhill Ratz crew also likes to make their own fun. On the second day of the event they do a “dress run,” on which skaters put on dresses (instead of leathers or their normal protective clothing) and

ride down the hill. They also do a “naked ride,” which is exactly what it sounds like: nude skaters with helmets, gloves and sneakers racing one another down Maryhill. I had seen and heard about both these portions of the SheRide over the years, but I was grossly mistaken in assuming they took it slow and it was just for the cameras to capture some crazy shots. I was 100 percent wrong. They were going as fast as always, and fully committed.

These female downhill girls are wild, crazy, fun, committed, rad and totally bad-ass. They skate hard and fast, they blow past guys and don’t make apologizes for kicking butt. They own it. But most importantly, they are

supportive of one another – on and off the hill. They are family.

I have been a skateboarder my whole life and have seen many changes, good and bad, in the skateboard world over the years. But as I was on the plane home, feeling tired and happy, I had one major thought after experiencing my first SheRide …

Skateboarding, its soul and its “we are a family” spirit have not been lost. These skaters are truly keeping it alive and well. Thank you to the Maryhill Ratz, Dean and Ali and all the skaters I met!

Great vibes thanks to the Maryhill Ratz, and especially Dean Ozuna and Ali Johnson.

Candice Dungan, one of the Girls Gone Fast.

Peter Markgraf.

Photo: Paul Wilke

By Peter Markgraf

DANCING FINDS ITS GROOVE

Ahoy, this is Peter Markgraf, professional longboarder from Leipzig, Germany. My favorite discipline of longboarding is dancing. The great thing about dancing is the unbelievable possibility and multifaceted aspect about it. Dancing for me is vivid anarchy because there are no limits concerning tricks, and furthermore there are no rules, no limitations, which I truly love! Besides that, you are not depending on a hill to go bombing, because you can make it happen everywhere. Go out there and search for a nice spot to skate –either a parking place or a nice little spot in the park. This might also be why longboard dancing is so popular in Europe. You don’t need anything but your board and a street to shred. You are probably asking yourself why dancing is so freaking big over here. Well, I want to try to explain it and give you an impression on how everything developed in Europe within the last years – especially putting an eye on dancing, of course.

So, how did everything start?

In the swinging ’60s, the first disciplines in skateboard competitions were slalom – a timed race down a marked course –and freestyle. Freestyle, sometimes called flatland, looked something like modernday longboard dancing; riders created choreographed routines full of wheelies, turns, spins and flowing lines, which they presented on their boards. Unfortunately this episode ended pretty quickly after the Zephyr team and their aggressive bank/vertical style stole the show at the Del Mar Nationals in 1975. (By the way: Dogtown and Z-Boys is a nice movie to

get an overview of that period of time.) But who would have thought that freestyle was unkillable? During a time when most people focused on vert and pool skating, a guy named John Rodney Mullen reinvented flatland skating. He was the guy who shaped and dominated the face of freestyle back in the ’80s with his incredible innovation, consistency and style, and also helped lay the foundation for modern street skating.

The term “dancing” surfaced in the mid-2000s, when the two Adams, Adam Colton and Adam Stokowski, started with a new way to combine board walking, old-school tricks and manuals.

They helped inspire the modern way of longboard dancing and freestyle as we know it today, and their videos sparked the flame for that style of longboarding in Europe. Around this time the first longboard shops opened, contests were taking place, people became curious about longboarding and more and more people were digging it.

When I started longboarding in Berlin five years ago, I was just one of a bunch of people who met each other regularly. We talked about setups or new tricks we saw on the Internet, we skated through the city at night and supported one another to improve and learn new

Pablo Nicieza López. Photo: Unai Bellamy

Peter Markgraf.

Photo: Miguel Glez

combos. After a certain time we wanted more! That’s when we started to connect with like-minded people from other bigger cities in Germany.

When we began to check out the first contests, downhill was pretty popular in the south of Germany. But we don’t have many bigger hills in the north of Germany, so we sought out what we knew. Also, for people who start longboarding, it is often easier to start with cruising and dancing, to develop some sort of feeling for the board. Besides that, I think that when you start to skate, you also want to be part of the community, to get some inspiration or some little help from others – and if most people do dancing, I would say that you first of all orient yourself to the rank and file. The biggest dance happening is taking place in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, for example. Also in Germany we have several dance/ freestyle events.

To broaden our horizon further, we also started to go on our first skate trips abroad. We were interested to see people from different countries skate. How did they ride? What kind of tricks did they do? Where did they get their inspiration?

On my first trip, some friends and I rented a bus and drove over to Paris for the TangTang Contest. I was pretty excited because I really didn’t know what to expect. It was stoking to arrive early in the morning, get a coffee and skate close to the Eiffel Tower.

I immediately recognized, when the contest had begun, that the style of the French was kind of special, very different from what I had seen so far. They did their crazy hand tricks, wellknown as the “pizza baker” tricks. Our dearest friends from the Netherlands also participated. The Dutchies, tall as a lighthouse, with their 48” long boards, doing their freaking kickflips and a lot of street skate-related tricks. Soon I could usually tell where somebody might come from, just by watching them skate. Awesome and inspiring!

For me it is incredible that across borders and hundreds of kilometers of distance people come together to skate with each other. I wouldn’t have expected that something like that could be possible,

because Europe consists of 47 countries with more than 24 spoken languages. But no matter where somebody is coming from, or which languages you know (or don’t know) we can all be connected by sharing the same passion – skating.

When I look back on the last years, I think of all the beautiful people I got to know and how much I learned and improved by traveling and skating with different people. Even by traveling to Madrid, which basically was a birthday present, I got to know so many lovely people by skating in the streets. We came together, skated, had a lot of nice talks and felt connected to each other – not just for skating. During the days I spent in Madrid, the idea of making a video arose, to show people around the world that skating connects, and how much fun one can have by doing what you love.

I’d love to come around to skate with you guys and to give you an impression on how special and interesting dancing is. With the help of creativity, which you can develop also, you can combine so many tricks – even if you only know the basics, you can start something extraordinary. I’m telling you, the possibilities are endless, and as a friend used to say: “It is fun as f---!”

facebook.com/peter.markgraf. longboarder instagram.com/petermarkgraf twitter.com/peter_markgraf

“...it is often easier to start with cruising and dancing, to develop some sort of feeling for the board.”

Peter Markgraf. Photo: Paul Wilke

Esther Suave. Photo: Pablo Paxi

Peter Markgraf. Photo: Bleed Organic Clothing

WE RIDE THE SHIFT

Editor’s note: When I heard that Valeria Kechichian had given a TEDx Talk in July, I knew it would address some key issues. I was eager to find out what exactly she had presented, and I asked for a copy of her talk. I wanted to ensure that all CW readers got an opportunity to read her words. They are powerful and I am sure they will resonate with many readers. Take the time to view Valeria’s TEDx Talk and reflect on her message.

My name is Valeria, and I’m a 35-year-old skateboarder who developed the current biggest community in the action sports industry based in love and camaraderie values.

Yes, I’m 35 and I’m a skateboarder. I’m not as skilled as Tony Hawk gracefully killing it as a senior skater. I’m actually clumsy and try not to die every time I step on my board. I didn’t start skating as a kid and have it inside me. Rather, I started skating at 28 as an almost desperate measure while trying to quit alcohol and other really bad habits in my life.

I’m [in] the third generation of Armenians born in Argentina after my great-grandparents escaped from the Turkish genocide. I haven’t had an easy life. I ran away from Argentina when I was 20 because my family’s situation was a bit out of control.

I arrived in Spain 15 years ago, alone and with no money, and things weren’t easy at all. I did every job I could, and I always tried to make the best out of it. Still, I spent most of those years getting in and out different addictions including drugs, alcohol and eating disorders, until one day, at 28, I decided it was time to stop and uncomfortably dig inside me to see what was causing all these problems. In the process, I realized I needed healthy leisure activities to replace the bad ones, and that’s how I started skating at 28 years old.

I never fitted in any of the roles or obligations society wants to put us in. I never fit in at school, high school or at any of the different corporate jobs I had. Now I lead the biggest female movement in a man’s world.

Most of my friends laughed when I told them the theme for today’s event. I think I’ve been shaking up the order since I was born, and I guess my mom (who’s today in the audience) could confirm that. Right, mom?

If you grow up with a mainstream western education like me, chances are that you have been taught what you need to do at every age – what they expect from us at every age. We are born, we go to school; we’re all the same. We don’t focus in any particular gift we may have; we have to fit in. Since the time we are little we live in a society where the meanest wins: It is strongest and ruthless for boys and the prettiest and meanest for the girls. And this never changes. We graduate, find a job, go on holiday three weeks per year and try to survive in this jungle following these rules someone made up for us. We vote and choose politicians who openly lie to us and most of the time have wildly stepped over their opponents outside and inside their own parties to get where they are.

We buy what they tell us to buy and eat what they tell us to. We believe whatever the manipulated media worldwide wants to sell to us and rarely feel excited about things because at some point we cannot hear or feel for ourselves anymore. And this is what I think they teach us. This is how they have us in control.

Charles Bukowski said: “The area dividing the brain and the soul is affected in many ways by experience. Some lose all mind and become soul: insane. Some lose all soul and become mind: intellectual. Some lose both and become: accepted.”

Valeria riding in Madrid. Photo: Noelia Otegui

When it comes to women, among many other things they make us chase these ideals that are impossible to achieve regarding youth, beauty and body shape. They make us think, in a not so subliminal way, that our looks are more important than anything else we can offer to the world … instead of trying to reach our true potential. We’re also often portrayed as trophies and highly objectified. The main message is DO NOT LOVE YOURSELF.

All this is linked to a deeper habit in our society, where small girls should not get dirty or do anything too dangerous and young boys cannot be sensitive or express any feeling. And this is what women in action sports are. Even some top athletes think it’s better to show their bodies instead of their skills. Women are not portrayed doing things that are too dangerous or require high skills. The boobs and the ass still sell better because that’s what they have been teaching to us for the past 80 years. We don’t know any better … or that’s what they think.

We created LGC back in the summer of 2010 in Madrid to get more women into our sport, longboarding. We realized how much fun we had when a bunch of girls that usually rode with men got together, and we wanted to create more of those situations.

At first it was something local. We shot group videos showing how much fun we had together, and apparently that was never done before. We portrayed women doing something fun and accessible supporting each other, not competing. That feeling we transmitted resonated in many women (and men) around the world, and that’s how we got women excited on longboarding worldwide.

Many years of hard work later, we’re the biggest community in the action sports industry. We get millions of views of our videos and are present in 200 countries, with official crews and ambassadors in more than 70. We created something empowering for women in the sports field that was not based in competition but on camaraderie, love and support. We broke the

mold, and acted with love.

I also felt that the bigger we got, the less happy some of the big boys in the industry were. The guys that have been running the action sports scene and business since its beginning felt they were losing control. We are giving power to women not only through longboarding or skateboarding but through that feeling of stepping out of their comfort zones, doing something they never thought they would – and that feeling affects your whole life. It gives you the empowering sense of freedom. For us, skateboarding is the tool. You choose your own.

This has not been an easy ride, and many people will try to bring you down. People fear things that are done differently because that’s what we’ve been taught. We’ve been taught different is bad. We’re not in the box, and that means we’re not under their control anymore.

Living outside the box can be scary. It was definitely scary for me and sometimes it still is. You’re working for something you believe in but you have no monthly salary, no “security” and as in my case, no savings. Everyone around you tells you you’re crazy. Suddenly a lot of people hate you for reasons they’ve made up, and even my parents were freaking out about my financial situation. You’re scared enough and you have to deal with everyone’s fears projected on you. But the truth is, nothing ever felt so right in my life. I’ve never

“ People fear things that are done differently because that’s what we’ve been taught. We’ve been taught different is bad. We’re not in the box, and that means we’re not under their control anymore. ”

Photo: Noelia Otegui

“It’s time to shake things up –but not with anger or in fear.”

been so sure of anything else, and my life has never made as much sense as it makes now. I work every day for change. I want to believe I work to make a difference in the world. I work every day for women I don’t know, and I face many problems every day of my life. But I believe in what I do, and I believe greatness comes to the thinkers and the changers, to the people the people that are not afraid to fight hard and work harder, even if that means fighting alone. It’s time to wake up.

One day, I realized something with Longboard Girls Crew. When we started getting together and joining forces instead of competing between us, and actually achieving big things and getting much stronger, it made me realize that this same thing we are doing in a longboarding community could actually be applied to every discipline of every field in every country in the world. That we have been doing it all wrong all this time because that’s what they taught us to do.

They make us think that there are so few spots for women in action sports, in business, in politics or any field that’s maledominated that we have to fiercely fight between each other and compete for those few spots, when the truth was absolutely different all the way: We will only REALLY make it if we stick together. Because I believe that WE as women and WE as a society have much bigger power and potential than what they want us to believe. With what we did in our sport, we’re inspiring women worldwide to use the same camaraderie forces and apply them in their own fields.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, explains it perfectly in her book her [2014] book Lean In: The more women help one another, the more we help ourselves. vActing like a coalition truly does produce results. In 2004,

four female executives at Merrill Lynch started having lunch together once a month. They shared their accomplishments and frustrations. ... After the lunches, they would all go back to their offices and tout one another’s achievements. They couldn’t brag about themselves, but they could easily do it for their colleagues. Their careers flourished and each rose up to the ranks to reach managing director and executive officer levels. The queen bee was banished, and the hive became stronger.”

The world is changing fast. The collective consciousness is awakening, and that means we all are. The market is changing because we are. Now is the time to start doing things in a different way than the established order.

It’s time to shake things up – but not with anger or in fear. Very angry people only want to fight, and fear has broken more dreams that actually trying.

I want to change things. I want to learn. I want to educate. I want to inspire and be inspired by others. We all have our baggage, but we’ve got to let go in order to get things done and most importantly, be happy.

It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you’re coming from. Whatever you’ve been through life, we can all work for change. We should all work for change. It’s time to unlearn what we’ve been taught and start thinking out of the box. It’s time to shift.

Today, the biggest revolution is love. Be revolutionary.

A friendly gathering of one of the most powerful forces in skateboarding today: The Longboard Girls Crew. Photo: Juan Rayos

RIDER SETUPS

We are proud once again to showcase a number of riders and the product that works for them. No matter what terrain they hit, these folks trust what’s under their feet to deliver the best performance possible.

ARIAN CHAMASMANY

When it comes to how I prefer to ride my skateboard, I’m about as odd as they come, and my ride selection to complement that preference is no exception. My style of skating has always demanded a lot from my decks, specifically by the way of character. That’s why I’ve grown rather partial to a lively little board with a trampoline-like flex that has a sharp, snappy response. This may feel awkward on the slide jam hill at first, but once mastered, allows for some really interesting stuff. Hence, I’ve been wrestling with the Loaded Boards Fattail Flex 1.

Pair this board with a solid set of 50-degree Paris 180 trucks, nice and perky Orangatang Nipple bushings (purple), and shoe it with 83A purple Orangatang Moronga wheels, and you have yourself a recipe for weird. Weird isn’t always a bad thing. Think weird along the same vein as, say, Salvador Dali, David Bowie, or Vincent van Gogh (minus the severed ear). All visionaries, all out there doing it weird on their own planes of existence. She’s a feisty little devil, yes, but has quite the latent ability to be a total bad-ass, just as long as you are willing to work to teach yourself how to conjure it.

PHOTO - CHRISTIAN ROSILLO

LYNN KRAMER

I tailor my boards toward quick turning rather than raw power. This shows in that my favorite event is the tight slalom. The Sk8Kings Ultimate decks in medium to soft flex allow me to initiate turns easily. The snappy flex decreases the turning radius. My trucks, Radikals, have quick, accelerating turns built in, with the help of a Khiro wedge kit for maximum steering without buckle. I can easily push around the hardest Abec 11 Zig Zags or Sk8Kings Turbo wheels, and soft Reflex bushings in the front are the detail that make turning effortless.

PHOTO - MARIA CARRASCO

TROY “YARDWASTE” GRENIER

I skate it all … street, downhill, freeriding and everything in between. Landyachtz offers a huge variety of boards for me to choose from, but I stick to anything with a kicktail, preferably so I can always skate everything, or at least try to, with one board. I’m currently riding an Osteon, but I’ve got a new board in the works so I’ve been playing around with that as well. For wheels I use Biggie Hawgs when racing and going fast. I prefer thaney Tracer Hawgs or Micro Monsters for most of my freeriding. Paris Savants are my go-to truck. They have a great surfy feel but are very precise still. Venom bushings, red 90A on roadside and green 93A on boardside, keep my Savants stable yet playful. I’m always rocking Timeship gloves, a TSG fullface or an S1 half-shell and wearing Push Culture apparel.

PHOTO - JACOB LAMBERT

BRANDON TISSEN

I’ve been riding the Arbor Backlash 39 for about three years now, and I don’t think I could change this setup. It has the most comfortable concave I’ve ridden, with deep radial, rocker and a very unnoticeable micro drop. The board really allows me to do anything I want, whether it’s downhill mobbing or snapping ollies. When set up with Caliber 44s and some Blood Orange wheels, the Backlash really performs. I prefer the Blood Orange Alpine wheels for downhill and how long they last. I couldn’t ask for a better-feeling setup.

PHOTO - DUSTIN DAMRON

ANDY ANDRAS

I am the 24-hour Ultra-Skate world record holder, pushing exactly 283.2 miles. My setup pushes me as much as I push it. It starts with a two-piece deck and spine engineered by Scott Moore of Subsonic Skateboards. “La Máquina,” as it’s called, is a mix of maple and bamboo woods carefully crafted and mixed with composite materials such as triaxial fiberglass and carbon fiber. This gives it an unparalleled performance with its flex and pop.

Combining the deck with G-Bomb brackets amplifies the deck’s performance, giving me multiple options on angles for the trucks. The deck rides on Dont-Trip Poppy trucks with spherical bearings in the hangers and pivot cup. Fitted with titanium axles and kingpins, these give it a lightweight, smooth and precise turning ability that results in an amazing economical pumping ability; there’s just no slop in these trucks. RipTide APS bushings give it the magical touch to finish off the trucks. The maximum and sustained speed of this whole setup can be attributed to the amazing combo of Seismic’s new Defcon urethane wheels and Tekton ceramic bearings.

PHOTO - IVAN CASTRILLON

The Zen of Freestyle, 2

Interviews by Monty Little

It’s 6:30 a.m. and I am dreading the rather dull hourlong commute into Vancouver. To make things worse, it’s raining and still dark outside. Flipping through the stations on the radio, I hone in on an upbeat song – and since I’m familiar with it, I sing along:

“She’s got a heart of gold, she’d never let me down. But you’re the one that always turns me on, you keep me comin’ round.”

The lyrics suggest the singer has another love in his life. But it’s not another woman; it’s his guitar. He loves playing it so much that it may be jeopardizing another relationship.

That love affair is similar to the one freestyle skaters have with their skateboards. They spend hours and hours in solitude practicing tricks that, when mastered, give the illusion that the board and rider are truly one, mirroring the Zen philosophy of mind and body coinciding in perfect harmony. In this second article, looking into the lives of some of the world’s top freestyle skaters, we talk about the Zen relationship they have with their board and what drives them to perfection.

Lynn lives with his wife and their two cats, Barney and Mini-Cooper, on five acres hidden in a small valley 45 minutes south of Denver, Colorado. Besides being a technical director for one of the world’s largest software companies, Lynn is also accomplished behind the lens of a video camera and is the official videographer of the Colorado 8th Air Force Historical Society. A real plane buff, Lynn also recently became a certified private pilot.

Lynn, your skating career spans several decades. How old were you when you took it up?

I had a board with clay wheels when I was younger, but I really started in 1975 when I was 14, and have been continuously skating for over 40 years. Back then we weren’t focused on just one element of skateboarding; you did it all: slalom, pools, high jump, banks.

When did you start to dedicate more time to freestyle?

I was competing in a National Skateboard Association contest series, and since

you got extra points if you went in more events, I decided to give freestyle a try. When I first started competing in 1981 I didn’t even have a freestyle board. I took my Eddie Elguera pool board, cut it down and used that.

I have always thought of you as a freestyler. Do you still skate pools and banks?

Yes, definitely. I enjoy all forms of skateboarding. But freestyle is very different. You don’t have transitions or obstacles to work off of; you just have this flat piece of ground. You have to get creative. There are no rules or expectations; you just take whatever comes out of your body and your mind and just put it out there. It’s similar to when I am tinkering on my guitar; it eventually evolves into a piece of music that I composed. That’s what I get from freestyle; I feel like I’m creating something very unique that makes me feel good about myself.

You seem to put a lot of importance on music in your freestyle routines.

I never gave it much thought until 1982 when I was at a freestyle contest at Paramount Skatepark. I was watching Kevin Harris, whose routine was synchronized to [music from] “Flashdance,” and Per Welinder, who I think skated to “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie. Both of their routines were choreographed to the music; every trick was to the beat of the song. I wanted to skate like that, so I went out to my truck and looked through my cassette tapes until I found “Cold as Ice” by Foreigner and started practicing to it in the parking lot before I went out to skate. After that contest I really focused on flowing with the music, not trying to do so many hard tricks [as] was the norm, but more like Primo Desiderio, whose routines were all about the music.

By the way, congratulations on placing first in the Legends Freestyle Classic at the World Round-Up in Vancouver. What’s it feel like to still be winning contests at age 54?

It was great to skate with my friends and to receive the recognition, but it’s not

Lynn Cooper. Photo: Joel Peterson

Lynn pops a gritty railflip. Photo: Joel Peterson

Fingerflip in tranquil surroundings.

Photo: Bozena Cooper

Per lives with his girlfriend of 15 years in São Paulo, Brazil, the 10th-largest city in the world. He works for an advertising company as a photographer, helping to market clients’ brands. Actively involved in promoting freestyle, Per has also developed several skateboard products and is one of the founders of F.L.I.P.S., the Freestyle League of Professional Skaters.

After the guys from the United States, Brazil has consistently had the secondlargest representation of skaters at the World Freestyle Round-Up. Six of you showed up this year alone. What is it that keeps bringing you guys back?

You and Kevin Harris have found a way to honor, reward and provide a unique experience to all participants. It’s like this

fun demo, disguised as a championship, that promotes the sport globally. Freestyle has always had great public appeal, but then in the late ’80s it was suddenly banished from major competitions for over a decade. You guys have put it back in the forefront, something no one else has been able to do. The other thing that keeps bringing us back is your incredible staff, [who] always greet us with open arms, even putting us up in their homes. That’s why I tell my friends, “I’m going to Canada to see my family.”

It must be well over 6,000 miles from São Paulo to your second home in Vancouver. What’s a flight cost anyway? From 800 to 1,300 U.S. dollars. If you consider that the monthly base salary in Brazil is $207 U.S., you have an idea how hard it is for an unsponsored skater to get there. You also have to change planes in Chicago or Toronto before you fly on to Vancouver, making for an 18- to 24-hour day.

Crossfooted G-turn. Photo: René Jr

Per Canguru. Photo: Monty Little

One-handed railstand.

Photo: René Jr

LONGBOARDING FOR PEACE

KIDS, BOARDS AND DREAMS

By Mariusz Pozan, Founder of Longboard Kids and Ambassador of LFP Poland

I was nine when I became a tournament ballroom dancer. I dreamed about helping other kids bring their dreams to life in my own ballroom dance academy. After six years I realized that ballroom dancing at a high level is available only for the elite due its expense. It wasn’t my world, and my dream made no sense anymore. Instead, I joined a team of sailing scouts. The leader, Maria Markuszewska, has for the past 50 years taught children respect for work and other people through sailing. After I finished college, I moved to Ireland and was working for a charity preventing cruelty to children (ISPCC). After this, I moved closer to the sea where I could surf and became a swimming teacher for kids.

A few years ago I had a wish to move to Germany and learn the language. I chose a place called Selzen. It’s a tiny village from the year 782 with an amazing infrastructure of asphalted paths and hills surrounded by vineyards. It is perfect for longboarding. After some time, I began to notice there was some tension in the community. There were people harboring some very unkind stereotypes about people from Poland. It was then I decided I wanted to do something for kids. I wanted to break the prejudice that runs like a river through generations. I wanted to give the kids a surf and snowboard feeling in their own town, and using longboards was the best way to achieve this goal.

I bought few a longboards, created the Longboard Kids Instructor’s profile and Longboard Kids logo and began “tolerance lessons.” Despite having some of my course posters being destroyed, I didn’t give up. I went out a second time and hung them back up. My first course started with 15 kids. We were rolling and speaking about values that are important in a sustainable world. In return they

were teaching me German. After the course, they borrowed my longboards and kept chatting with me.

When my longboard project appeared in a German newspaper, parents from other villages started to bring their kids. Other villages and towns were inviting me for courses where I could spread a spirit of “magic longboards.” Later I met a Norwegian, Phil Merken, who created the Longboard Kids Crew in Nuremberg. He told me about a worldwide movement helping repair the world through longboarding. I wrote to Michael and proudly became a Poland ambassador for Longboarding for Peace.

I came back to Poland to set up Longboard Kids as a charitable foundation, where LFP is a very important link in the chain of goodness. We’re swapping kids’ dreams from getting the newest smartphone or video game to having a longboard. Plans are underway for a Polish and German Longboard Kids meeting. International friendships are our solution for intolerance.

We are traveling around big and small communities showing people that longboarding is for everyone. Please follow Longboard Kids on Facebook and YouTube.

LFP worked with Globe Skateboards and Landyachtz to bring 20 complete skateboards to the Word Is Yours Festival in Amman, Jordan on October 2-3, 2015. About 1,000 people made their way to 7Hills Skatepark to listen to local hip hop and support some young shredders. Check out facebook.com/ thewordisyoursfestival and stay tuned for more updates about our work in Jordan.

Thanks to the generosity of these two companies, LFP was able to raise almost $600 for the Canadian nonprofit organization Association in Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted. Visit aidwyc.org to learn more.

BEERCAN AND IXO BOARDS

SLALOM RACING SPOTLIGHT:

Slalom World Championships Cone Fest 10

Words and photos by Maria Carrasco

The small town of Ashland, Kentucky, along the banks of the Ohio River, was host to the 2015 World Championships of Slalom Skateboarding Sept. 18-20. More than 60 competitors came from all over the USA, Canada and as far away as Latvia for three days of racing and fun in the tristate Appalachian region.

The event was organized and run by the local racing crew, HOSS (Hillbilly Outlaw Slalom Skaters) in conjunction with the annual Cone Fest/Poage Landing Days Festival. The weekend featured great racing with head-to-head hybrid and tight slalom events along with a singlelane giant slalom. This ISSA sanctioned grand finale of the 2015 slalom season offered racers top world ranking points and world titles, but everyone knows the skate family camaraderie is a major draw as well.

Full results and more coverage available at: http://bit.ly/worlds2015conefest

RACE RESULTS:

Pro Men

1st Joe McLaren – USA

2nd Janis Kuzmins – LAT

3rd Louis Ricard – CAN

Master Men

1st Kevin Delaney – USA

2nd David Hackett – USA

3rd Rick Floyd – USA

Women

1st Judi Oyama – USA

2nd Joyce Wheldrake – CAN

3rd Courtney Helms – USA

Amateur Men

1st Patrick Brassard – CAN

2nd Stephane Fournier – CAN

3rd Danilo Percich – CAN

Junior (Under 18)

1st Oshean Lehrmann – USA

2nd Orion Lehrmann – USA

3rd Lucas Pauley – USA

OVERALL WORLD CHAMPIONS

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: JOE MCLAREN JUDI OYAMA KEVIN DELANEY OSHEAN LEHRMANN PATRICK BRASSARD

Kevin Delaney charging the giant slalom on Sunday to seal his win for the overall in the Master division.

Junior top guns Oshean Lehrmann and Orion Lehrmann battle it out at Saturday’s tight slalom in downtown Ashland.

THE GROMINATOR

The Grominator, a Canadian graffiti artist, is widely recognized for his psychedelic monsters and graffiti on trains throughout Canada and the United States. He began painting trains in 2008 in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, and initially creating art in 2006. Since then he has traveled throughout Canada and the United States and created a strong following in North America and worldwide. He is consistently creating and sharing new forms of artwork

ranging from canvases, model trains and toys to collaborations with clothing companies and longboarding companies. His work has been in skate shops, glass shops, galleries and murals throughout Canada and the United States. He continues to hit every town and city he visits, always making an undeniable presence. Grominator or Grominate has recently done an exhibition at Ayden Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is continuing to expand his art career around the world.

PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Michael Brooke - mbrooke@interlog.com

COPY EDITOR: Jonathan Harms

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER: Stacy Lowery

I.T. DEPARTMENT HEAD: Rick Tetz of CalStreets.com

CONTRIBUTORS: Michael Alfuso, Lance Koudele, Simone Modino, Jim Gray, Luke Ayata, Hector R. Valle, Joel Cardona, Angel Lugo, David Price, Danny Strasser, Tami Webber, Nicole Grodesky, Jeff Budro, Cindy Whitehead, Ian Logan, Peter Markgraf, Unai Bellamy, Miguel Glez, Bleed Clothing, Paul Wilke, Pablo Paxi, Valeria Kechichian, Noela Otegui, Juan Rayos, Christian Rosillo, Mikel Echegaray Diez, Jacob Lambert, Dustin Damron, Ivan Castrillon, Maria Carrasco, Mariusz Pozan, The Grominator, Monty Little, Joel Peterson, Rene Jr.

HEAD OFFICE: 1136-3 Center Street, Suite 293, Thornhill, Ontario, L4J 3M8 Ph: 905.738.0804

CANADIAN DISTRIBUTION Inward Supply 514-996-7138 Landyachtz 778-785-6855

Concrete Wave is published by North of La Jolla Inc. Subscriptions (6 issues) are US$26 FIRST CLASS or CAN$26. Address change? Mag not arriving? Contact usdon’t go postal. We can sort it out. mbrooke@interlog.com.

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