SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

It's almost too easy to call this gallery the "Dirty South," I know. But, have you ever been down South? The skaters, like the spots and the overall environment, are rawer. A good analogy is southern rap—you've heard it. It's tight as hell, but it's just straight trash talk and strip clubs and the same words over and over. It's simple and grimey, but you can't help but bob your head. It's no coincidence it's from the south—the south's like that (I'm not saying it's like a rap video, I'm saying it's oddly simple and complex at the same time with a nice dingy sheen). There have been plenty of southerners in skateboarding. But, with skaters like Crockett, Hardy, Brock, Clark, Taylor, Newport, Plunkett and a slew of others born out of that rawness coming up in the scene over the past few years, the Dirty South (cities, spots and all) is gaining it's place in skateboarding. And, well, Ryan Flynn will be down there in Atlanta to cover it all. Peep his gallery: The Dirty South

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

$10,000 donation to the Vancouver Parks board for restoration and repairs of Vancouver Skate Plaza


The DC King Of Vancouver contest is a week away and 50 of Canada’s top amateur skateboarders will face off on August 22 & 23, 2009 at the Vancouver Skate Plaza, located under the Georgia Street Viaduct. Selected street features in the Plaza will be skated, as the 50 pre-qualified skaters compete for part of the $10,000 cash purse.

The King Of Vancouver is serving as the finals for this summer’s DC Nationals. Seven City Qualifiers were held across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax. The top 5 contestants have received invites to complete alongside Canada’s best.

Not only will the winner be crowned the King, they will walk away with instant global exposure throughout the skate world, a piece of the $10,000 cash purse and a spot on DC’s newly formed DC Kings Team, DC’s latest skate squad based completely of DC King Of contest winners. They will also have a chance to receive a SHAZAM feature in Color Magazine, where they will be partnered with some of the best photographers and writers in the industry.

As part of the event DC will match the weekend’s prize purse with a $10,000 donation to the Vancouver Board of Park and Recreation for some much needed repairs and restorations of the Vancouver Skate Plaza. The cheque will be presented to a group of Vancouver Park Board Commissioners on Sunday, August 23, 2009, at 4:00PM at the Vancouver Plaza. “These funds will be used for much-needed improvements to the Vancouver Skate Plaza including the repair of the granite ledge and resurfacing of the brick bank,” says Sarah Blyth, Vancouver Park Board Commissioner. “On behalf of the Vancouver Park Board I would like to thank DC for this generous donation.”

“Since the Plaza opened it has been skated hard every day by so many people,” says Trevn Sharp, Canadian Skate Team Manager. “We are excited to help the Vancouver Skate Plaza with some necessary maintenance. As a company within the skateboard community we need to make sure we are investing to keep our skateparks as pristine as the day they opened. This contribution will help with the restorations so skateboarders can enjoy the Plaza for years to come.”


King Of Vancouver Schedule
Saturday, August 22, 2009 – Day 1
11:00AM – 1:00PM Practice
1:00PM – 3:30PM Contest
4:00PM Awards

Sunday, August 23, 2009 – Day 2
11:00AM – 1:00PM Practice
1:00PM – 3:30PM Contest
4:00PM Awards and Presentation of Donation to Vancouver Skate Plaza


Friday was the beginning of the Wendy’s Invitational, the second stop on the Dew Tour in Portland. The skatepark prelims kicked off on Friday with Chaz Ortiz nearly landing every single trick he tried, leaving no one surprised when the dude qualified first. Tomorrow the finals go live on NBC, the TWS Best Trick wrap up is on Sunday, and we’ll be featuring it all here on skateboarding.com. Here’s the top twelve advancing to the finals.

1. Chaz Ortiz
2. Paul Rodriguez
3. Rodolfo Ramos
4. Greg Lutzka
5. Dave Bachinsky
6. Carlos De Andrade
7. Kurtis Colamonico
8. Milton Martinez
9. Fabrizio Santos
10. Timmy Knuth
11. Jordan Hoffart
12. Chad Bartie

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

Join Vans this Saturday, August 15 to celebrate the grand opening of the newest Vans Store located in Belmont Shore in Long Beach, CA. Johnny Layton, Christian Hosoi and Ray Barbee will be signing autographs followed by a live acoustic performance by Ray Barbee. The Vans “what if” skate bus (vans.com/whatif) will also be parked outside the store all day long, so bring your board and try out the mini ramp! Visit vans.com for more info.