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SKATE NEWS

(Huntington Beach, CA), December 11, 2008— In the loudest and most outrageous fashion, Quiksilver skateboarder Tony Hawk along with 20 of the most iconic vert skateboarders of all-time rolled into Quiksilver Headquarters Saturday, December 6, for a single-day skate challenge presented by Quiksilver and ShredOrDie.com. The "All '80s All Day Vert Challenge" was Tony's first competition in more than eight years.

ShredOrDie.com filmed the entire event and, starting today, will be issuing new daily clips over the next week. All video can all be embedded into blogs, social networking pages and other online sites.

"Quiksilver has been sponsoring skaters, throwing cool parties and putting on contests since I was a kid. Our skate team today spans from legends like Tony, Christian and Omar as well as growing young talent like Alex Olsen and Danny Garcia," said Reese Forbes, Quiksilver Skate Program Manager. "The All '80s All Day event blended the old and the new and brought it back to what we are all about, remembering a cool era, hanging with friends and going after the prize."



Dressed head-to-toe in neon brights and rockin' '80s skate setups, the 21 skate legends threw down on a monstrous '80s-inspired Vert Ramp built by bowlmaster and competitor Eddie Reatequi. Skaters competed in three challenges including the Vert Challenge, Big Air Contest and the Signature Trick Jam Session.

Cash prizes were awarded to first through 11th place in the Vert Challenge; first place receiving $1980 cash and a custom Gibson Epiphone guitar. Gibson threw in two other exclusive Epiphones for the Big Air winner and the Overall Best '80s winner.

As a muse for all skaters in attendance, the competitors stepped out in pure '80s inspired style, sporting '80s tees, flip hats, wigs and boards. With fresh highlights and a wave-like hairdo, Tony Hawk rocked the original shirt he wore back in the classic skate film "The Search for Animal Chin." Christian Hosoi donned a pair of his infamous spandex shorts and a signature cut-off tee along with jet black long-hair extensions while Andy Macdonald went for the cool comb-over, sporting a hot pink shirt and dropped down suspenders. The crew clearly showed how they led the way for the industry fashion that followed.

On the equipment front, all skaters were required to ride on original equipment. Tony showed up with a pink noseless board that he rode in the '80s. Many of the other skaters came with their own signature boards that have since become collectible museum pieces.

"We gotta ride the real deal here," he said. Skating the real deal landed Tony first place prize of $1980 and the Gibson guitar (Tony forfeited his cash prize and gave $200 each to the other skaters who did not place).

Quiksilver and ShredorDie.com would like to thank event sponsors, Gibson, for the rad '80s Epiphone guitar trophies, Antics powered by Toyota Matrix for the on-site entertainment, Wahoos and Jones Soda for the food and drinks.

RESULTS
Vert Challenge
1st Tony Hawk
2nd Andy Macdonald
3rd Bucky Lasek
4th Kevin Staab
5th Jeff Grosso
6th Christian Hosoi
7th Steve Caballero
8th Eric Nash
9th Eddie Reategui
10th Henry Gutierrez

Overall Best '80s - Christian Hosoi
Big Air Contest - Bucky Lasek
Gnarliest Skater - Jeff Grosso
Dagger Award - Eddie Reategui
Dead Last Award - Adrian Demain

Signature Trick Jam Session
Hawk Award (biggest/best 540) -Henry Gutierrez Hosoi Award (biggest/best Christ Air) - Bucky Lasek Micke Alba Award (best judo air) - Adrian Demain Lester Kasai Award (best Beni-hana) - Tony Hawk Ray Underhill Award (best Pop Tart) - Cara Beth Burnside Mike Smith Award (best Smith Grind) - Christian Hosoi Craig Johnson Award (scariest skater) - Ben Schroeder

SKATE NEWS

Carlsbad, CA — (December 10, 2008) — Bob Burnquist secures the title of WCS #1 Vert Skater after an amazing performance and three wins at the Oi! Megarampa competition in Brazil. The event was held at Sao Paulo's Sambadrome of Abhembi on November 23rd and over one million viewers tuned-in to TV Global's to watch event coverage.

Over 10,000 loyal fans waited over three hours in a downpour for the semi-finals to commence. Oi! Megarampa set a record in Brazil's skateboarding history by offering the largest contest cash prize of $85,500. Burnquist, co-creator of the event and native of Brazil, placed 1st in the quarter pipe and jump best trick contests after landing a switch backside 360 stalefish and indie 540 over the gap. He also took home the overall win with a three point lead. This is Burnquist's third mega ramp win in a row. His past mega ramp wins include X Games 13 and reigning X Games Big Air champion, proving why WCS ranks him #1.

"It was a lot of work to get this event off the ground and even harder to skate the mega ramp in front of all the cheering Brazilian fans. I want to thank Mega Ramp Events, all the skaters that flew down to Brazil to be a part of the event, and a special thanks to Danny Way for taking yet another slam for the cause. The pressure was almost unbearable with all the craziness going on, but with the support of the riders and the fans, we put on yet another mega show," said Burnquist. As World Cup Skateboarding's point leader, with a margin of 200 points after dominating the competition in Brazil and competing in all four WCS vert contests, Burnquist starts 2009 as a force to be reckoned with.

Bob Burnquist would like to thank the following sponsors: Flip Skateboards, Hurley, Toyota, Oakley, Ipath Shoes, Nixon, Pro-Tec Helmets, Ogio and Sambazan Amazon Energy.

Anybody ever heard of this War Co. business? It looks like War Co. is a new board brand featuring the headlining talents of ex-Element pro, Tosh Townend and Steve Godoy offspring and ex-Baker wise ass, Knox Godoy. Also on the team are Paul Flores and The Sinner. Not much else is known about War Co. Skateboards. However, according to their Myspace page, their Body Type is "5' 9 with some Extra Baggage," they're "Capricorn's," "Proud Parents," "Single," and make "$250,000 and higher." Do we really need to know anymore? I'll keep you posted.

Protect Ya Neck

Skateboarder Sues Baltimore Cop For Throwing Craze

WBAL TV

Eric Bush & His Momma, Ms. Bush.
A while back, the video of a young kid being taken down by a police officer made its way across the web. Apparently the kids name is Eric Bush and the officer in question is Salvatore Rivieri. It appears now, that a judge has given Bush, age 14, the right to sue the officer. Officer Salvatore Rivieri was removed from street duty shortly after the incident made headlines and hasn't yet to return. Hopefully this kid wins, makes an example of this d*ckbag and opens some eyes to the po po's reoccurring abuse of power. Then I hope Eric cuts me a check for a few of his winnings. Not much, just a few G's.

Lutzka's Bangin'

We're Both From Wisconsin…Get Me on Monster Already

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutzka! Yeah! I don't care what anyone says (and some people say a lot), but Lutzka is epic. I hate to sound like I'm begging, but I think he should help me out and get me on Monster…maybe even get me one of those hats. Maybe a house, too?

I just wish that people cared about writing as much as they did about skateboarding, but that's just too much to ask. I totally understand. Reading's for idiots…Wait, no, that's not right.

I guess I just need to get people interested, maybe get a gimmick. Maybe I could be like Kerouac and become a beatnik. I'll write all my books one time. Then, I'll re-write them just from memory, so that it flows…You know what, maybe that's why I can't get sponsored. Nothing about writing a book and then re-writing a book is flashy like Lutzkas Bangin' over at the Berrics. I think the most I'll ever get out of this dream to be the first sponsored writer on Monster is one of those hats.

Power To The Planet

Element Helps Raise Social Awareness

Element

A Preview of Element's Spring '09 footwear
So as you might already know, Element has a program going on called, Power To The Planet. No stranger to assisting in positive social causes, Element's Power To The Planet initiative features a full line of sustainable and organic products which hope to aid in the preservation of the environment. In order to spread the word of the program, 60 Element "family members" got together to explain individually, what Power To The Planet means to them. There's a diverse group of heads in the mix like Mike V., Brian Gaberman and even Rodney Smith of Shutl. Go to the official Power To The Planet mini-site and have a yourself a looksy.

The Carroll Calamity Continues

Epicly Carrolled Part 3

Carroll can laugh it all off now.

He's still good and EMB blows up. This one's got some risque stuff so I'm not gonna embed it but you can watch the episode here. I'm up in SF, so I might swing by Embarcadero tomorrow, even though it's not the same. We'll see.

SKATE NEWS

Beatnik
Many of today's young skaters are approaching this style of dress, but none has quite gotten it right in the way that I can laugh out loud at it. Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," by default, is a book sold to the youth as something that is cool, so we're on the right track. Either your parents, brother or a friend has this book, has most likely not read it, but talks about it as though they have. Now, carry a copy around with you when you skate. Next, go to the thrift store and find black high water pants, a black turtle neck and (here's the most important part) a black beret. If you can grow a goatie, grow it. If not, just let your stray dirt 'stache hairs grow out as much as you can. Last but not least, get some bongos and backtail that ledge, sucker.

After all, skating in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the upper East Coast, the Southwest or down South is just as awesome (sometimes more awesome) than the heavy coverage of Cali. With pics coming out of ATL through Ryan Flynn's site and even more rippers flowing their way into the industry (Grant Taylor, David Clark, Brad Cromer, Dan Murphy, Justin Brock and a whole host of others), they're hard to ignore. Now, Post 22 is documenting much of the sessions coming out of North Cackalacka. It's not that the South wasn't there, it's just that now they're making sure we're looking at the bottom of the map again.

For Ray
Momentum Wheel's Release Limited Edition Ray Underhill Wheel

Momentum Wheel Co.
After battling a Chordoma brain tumor for the past couple of years with radiation and surgery, legendary pro skater, Ray Underhill passed away on August 1, 2008. I was lucky enough to see Ray skate in person years ago, when he, Tony Hawk, Steve Saiz and Eric Sanderson did a demo on the infamous Powell Peralta unfolding mini-ramp at a local shop. The guy straight up, ripped.

To celebrate the life and skate influence that Ray left behind, Momentum Wheels has released a limited edition Ray Underhill wheel featuring Ray's original Powell cross graphic. The 55mm wheel is currently shipping. with all sales proceeds going to the Underhill family. Pick up a pair, pay homage to a legend and help support a worthy cause.

INTERSTATE BOARD SHOP CHRISTMAS SUPER SALES

INTERSTATE BOARDSHOP GREAT CHRISTMAS SUPER SALES

10% OFF ALL ITEMS and more.

Excelsior hotel shopping centre, city hall mrt/clarke quay mrt, Singapore
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SKATE NEWS

The EXIT skateboard team turned Windells into a winter wonderland and we have the video to prove it. Check out Exit team riders Sebo Walker, Erik Billups, Kyle Billups, Elliot Murphy, Steven Farmer, Gene McCann, Bryan Brown, Kyle Hannon, Eden Powers, Brian Dickinson, and Oscar Navarro at Windells Camp in Sandy, Oregon.

We are proud to welcome: Daewon Song, Rodrigo TX, Mikey Taylor, Arto Saari, and the legendary Lance Mountain to the pro team. And young rippers Tyler Bledsoe, Theotis Beasley and Mike Anderson to the am team.

Osiris Releases Some Second Hand Footage as Vintage as Duffel's Gear

Foundation

I doubt either one is hard for Corey Duffel, but I think most people would look at this picture and wonder for themselves whether it's harder to back lip this rail or wear Corey's gear.
Duffel takes it to Earl Warren with some serious rabbit hops and B-roll wobbles. Despite the fact that I know he gets his hair done professionally and no matter how eccentric his gear gets, Corey Duffel is still unbelieveably good. Watch him take this famous spot to school.

Slap Launch Party

Slap's voyage into digital christened with beverages

The crowds poured in for Slap's digital launch. Is that Dune in the middle?
Tadashi

One in a Million Real amateur Jake Donnelly hugs it out with Dave Rickett and Slap Editor, Mark Whiteley.
Tadashi

Joe Brook has been the Photo Editor at Slap for days and is one of the nicest dudes on the planet. Here he is with his new bride.
Tadashi

Jai Tanju has been shooting skate flicks for decades. Here the Turk chills with Jonathan Hays.
Tadashi

Kyle Camarillo filmed your favorite enjoi video. Erik Olsen Art Directs for Slap.
I've read Slap mag since '92. it's always been a favorite and I've always respected what those guys have done to carve out their own niche in the industry. With Slap going completely digital the print mag will be sorely missed but it doesn't seem like the any of the passion the Slap pals have had in the past should have any trouble finiding its way to an all-online format. Celebrating the digital launch, Slap threw a party in SF and our man, Tadashi was there to get in on the action. — Adam Salo

Saturday night my buddies and I went to the Slap party. First off it was located at Club 6 which is in a really sketch part of SF. I parked in the most urine-infested alley in all of the Tenderloin. The smell and dark lighting was befitting because right next my car appeared a man crouching down with a needle in his hand. Dang! Anyways we pushed forward past that and my roommate walked right in to a $100 ticket due to the fact he was carrying an open container of beer. So needless to say the evening started off a little stressful.
Inside the event we were able to relax and the first thing to do was to check out the walls of art of the people who had been featured in Slap's famous Portfolio Profiles. Along side the art were free back issues that coincided with the artist. My friends and I promptly stocked up on them! Also in the back room there was a second bar where John Cardiel was spinning records. On top of the free mags, cool art and reggae music it was a really good turn out of people. Pretty much all the usual SF party guys, the Slap staff (obviously) and SF industry folk came to chop it up.
All in all it was a fun evening lots of broing down and skate talk. Now that I'm back home I get to go thru those back issues we grabbed and afterwards I'll be checking out all their new articles on Slap dot com.

What's Next For Lil' Nyjah?

Element Skateboards & Nyjah Huston Call It Quits

eS Footwear

A big shocker of skateboard news came this weekend when Element distributed an official press release stating they had ended their long relationship with child prodigy, Nyjah Huston.

"Element sincerely wishes Nyjah success in all future endeavors and would like to thank him for all the great accomplishments and achievements during his tenure with Element."

Though Nyjah has been entering pro contests for the past I don't know how many years, he was still listed as am Element am rider, with no signature board in site. Whether his lack of promotion to pro status had anything to do with this split is unknown, but regardless, it's fun to speculate. Was Nyjah's pops involved, talking his skate coach role in his sons career a wee bit too far? Hmmm.

So far, there's no word yet as to where he'll end up. Some are claiming Plan B since he already rides for Syndrome Distribution's Silver Trucks and FKD Bearings. Others are calling bullsh*t on that one, claiming his image is far too crunchy for Plan B's diamond encrusted team of rip-riders. Could Creation, Organika or even Rasa Libre be a possibility? After all, we are talking about a situation where this kids hair weighs more than his own body weight. But who knows...perhaps this departure will cause little Nyjah to shave off his dreads, slip into a pair of stretch denims, a tight-ass ripped tee and embark on a fresh collection of face tats, only to be picked up by the Deathwish squad. We'll have to wait and see what happens. Until then, let the rumors spread like a raging case of gym class ringworm...

Every see Nyjah's part in eS' promo Especial? Most didn't. Whatever. This kid's good as hell.

SKATE NEWS

Element and Nyjah Huston have officially parted ways.
Element sincerely wishes Nyjah success in all future endeavors and would like to thank him for all the great accomplishments and achievements during his tenure with Element.

Tampa Am
Results looked like this:

1. Luan de Oliveira
2. Andrew Langi
3. Nick Merlino
4. Taylor Smith
5. Kechaud Johnson

Best Trick:

Austyn Gillette: Back bigspin back tailslide on the ledge.

Selamat Hari Raya Haji

SKBSG wishes all our Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters Selamat Hari Raya Haji.

HAPPY SKATEBOARDING.

SKATE COMP MALAYSIA

VANS KING OF GAP

BEST TRICK - the KING of GAP

1st - Lert Saeri - Hardflip (Thailand)
2nd - Farris - halfcab heel indy (SINGAPORE)
3rd - Syed - Heelflip (SINGAPORE)

SKATE NEWS

Action sports and lifestyle industry leader Vans is proud to introduce The Vans Mini Cup, a new series of three rail jams being held this winter. The top rider from each Mini Cup stop will qualify for the rail jam at the 2009 Vans Cup at Mammoth, widely regarded as the West Coast's most important professional snowboarding competition.

The first Mini Cup stop, presented by Satellite Boardshop, will take place at Winter Park Resort in Colorado on December 14, 2008, followed by rail jams at New Hampshire's Loon Mountain presented by Eastern Boarder on January 10 and California's Bear Mountain presented by Leroys Boardshop and One Way Boardshop on February 14. The format features an open jam session, narrowing down to a 10-man final judged by the Vans Snow team. The winner from each stop will score an all-expense-paid trip to the Vans Cup at Mammoth and slot in the event's invite-only Friday night rail jam.

The 5th Annual Vans Cup will be held at Mammoth Mountain February 27 through March 1, with nearly $200,000 up for grabs. The weekend kicks off with an invitational rail jam Friday night, where top riders throw down their best tricks for a chance at the coveted Vans Cup and a huge cash prize. The action continues Saturday with a Slopestyle comp and the Vans Cup caps off Sunday with the Superpipe finals.

A special thanks to Satellite Boardshop, Eastern Boarder, Leroys Boardshop and One Way Boardshop for their support!

SKATE NEWS

It's been hard to tell what's going on with SkateMental, but its tough to hear news that's kind of bad. Some might call them another Enjoi or whatever, but SkateMental made some choices as far as riders that definitely differentiated them. John Motta for example is the epitome of weird—that kind of weird that you can't fake (and if you read his interview with Nieratko, you know why). Plus, he rips. Nate Broussard was one of those choices, too, with a part in the most recent Static III. Dude is a graceful giant. But, sadly, SkateMental has parted ways with the large man. In his place, they have added Shane O'Neill to the squad. I'm sure Broussard will find a good home somewhere. I'd like to keep watching him rip.
Nilton On Santa Cruz

Nilton Neves Leaves Rasa Libre For A Spot On Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz

Nilton Appears On Fuel's Daily Habit. And Yep, That's A Santa Cruz Tee He's Wearing.
To my knowledge, there's been no official press release stating that Nilton Neves is officially on Santa Cruz. However, if you drop by the Santa Cruz site, his team member status has been thoroughly documented. Brazilian ripper, Nilton has officially left Rasa Libre and taken up a spot on the SCS pro team. For a sneak peak at Nilton's first pro board as a Santa Cruz rider, skim through the "news" section of their site. And to see what Nilton's been up to as of late, swing by Strange Notes to see his installment of Checkin' In or just peep the YouTube version below. Either way, you're winning.

The Berrics
Everyday, cynics around the earth are quick to pinpoint the conformity in skate tricks being done. "How many kickflips, nollie flips and 360 flips can you watch before you want to launch yourself into a pond of venomous sea urchin?" some say. Well, the truth is, there is without a doubt a degree of likeness when it comes to tricks of choice among the masses, however it's all about how each trick is done that will forever keep the basics fresh.

One staple that differs drastically from one skater to the next is the almighty kickflip. Whether it's Greco or The Gonz stomping down a mobbed-out flick or it's the rising leg extending flick of a Bryan Herman or a PJ Ladd, everyone has got their own brand of ollie flip. For me, I've always had my personal favorites. I've always thought Ryan Gallant had a nice looking kickflip. Zered Bassett has a lofty one too. Mike V.'s even got a sweet one.. But probably one of the best, most snapped, flicked, caught and slammed down kickflips I've ever witnessed, comes courtesy of Michael Plumb, AKA The Lizard King. If you've failed to notice just how ill his kickflips are in his past Pig Slaughterhouse and Baker Has A Deathwishparts, head over to The Berrics and study his powerful flick at the sites latest installment of Trickipedia to see just how a kickflip is done.

INTERSTATE BOARDSHOP SINGAPORE

INTERSTATE BOARDSHOP

BEST PRICING SKATE SHOP IN SINGAPORE

Excelsior hotel shopping centre, city hall mrt/clarke quay mrt, Singapore
#02-12. Excelsior hotel shopping centre(NEXT TO FUNAN IT MALL AND OPP CENTRAL FIRE STATION), 5 MIN WALK FROM CITY HALL OR CLARKE QUAY MRT STATION. FOR ENQUIRIES PLS CALL: 97995896. Emergency: 9247 2724 / 9108 6345 interstateboardshop@gmail.com

SKATE NEWS

Things are looking rough for Blitz. It's official this week that Flip has made a move to NHS (you can see they already have a catalog layout up on their site). After Baker bowed out to start its own distribution BakerBoysDist and Tony Hawk bought Birdhouse, there's not too much left. Just in the general sense, you hope they everyone comes out unscathed. Until then, I'm guessing we'll see more of the Flip guys on StrangeNotes.