SKATE NEWS

Louis Vuitton and famed graffitti artist, Stephen Sprouse teamed up to make a new board. Most likely you won't get one. They are going for $8,250 bucks. Good news though! The proceeds will benefit needy children in New York City.

For the launch, the luxury goods company is also creating two limited edition pieces, which will only be available at the SoHo location: a Stephen Sprouse graffiti skateboard replete with a hard case monogram skateboard trunk, and a Stephen Sprouse "Roses" T-shirt. The company hopes to sell three graffiti skateboards with trunks for $8,250 each, and 70 T-shirts for $250 each.
broccolicity.wordpress.com

(Los Angeles, CA, January 6th, 2009 )— X Games two time gold medalist and active philanthropist, Ryan Sheckler, will host Down for Life — Fight for a Cause. This Friday night fight supports the mission of his non-profit organization, The Sheckler Foundation. The multi discipline event will take place at The Grove in Anaheim, California on Friday, February 6th at 7:00pm, the night before the Monster Energy Supercross Series kicks off. The evening will also feature a performance by a special musical guest.

Professional athletes, Travis Pastrana, Brian Deegan, Jason Ellis, Kit Cope, Erik Apple and Danny Abbadi will be among the guests who head to the ring to raise money for charitable causes supported by The Sheckler Foundation. Charities benefiting from this contest include Road 2 Recovery, which provides financial assistance to seriously injured motocross and supercross athletes and their families and Talk About Curing Autism, TACA, which provides information, resources, and support to families affected by autism.

"I like raising money, but I love giving it to worthy causes, even more. I believe there will be a cure for cancer in my lifetime." Ryan Sheckler

The Sheckler Foundation is happy to join forces with Fight Night, LLC to make this spectacular event possible.

www.shecklerfoundation.org

Tickets available Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at www.grove-of-anaheim.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Los Angeles, CA — We could sit here all day and tell you how awesome Braydon Szafranski's first Emerica pro shoe is--how it's something new and different, something truly special, and designed by Braydon for 100% pure skateboarding destruction right out of the box. We could go on for a long time, but we thought it would be best to have Braydon tell you about it himself.

Check out the video: http://emericaskate.com/shoes/

Szafranski Scratch 'n' Skate Emerica Contest
EmericaAfter you watch the video, be sure to enter the Emerica Braydon Szafranski Scratch 'n' Skate sweepstakes right now! All you have to do is get your paws on a Braydon Szafranski Scratch 'n' Skate lottery card. If your card contains any of the combination of Braydon shoe colorways shown on the contest page, you're a winner!

Click here for the contest page: http://emericaskate.com/scratchandskate/

SKATE NEWS

Black Box Distribution is hosting the first ever Crossroads Retail Show on January 21 complete with a demo, best trick contest, and product toss open to the public. Over 40 skate brands will be represented. Come check it out!

Gatorade Welcomes Chaz Ortiz to the Team

CHICAGO, January 5, 2009 – The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, announced today the addition of 14-year-old skateboarder Chaz Ortiz to its elite team roster. This is Ortiz’s first beverage sponsorship deal.

“The support from Gatorade means a lot to me and I think it’s important for skateboarding too,” said Ortiz. “It’s a sweaty sport, and if you want to stay out there and keep skating, you have to be hydrated so it just makes sense for Gatorade to support skaters.”
Ortiz is one of the top young up-and-comers and took home several big wins in 2008, including the overall 2008 Dew Tour title in Skate Park, edging out three-time reigning champ Ryan Sheckler.

In addition to working with action sports athletes like Ortiz, snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth, and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester, Gatorade also has plans to support professional and amateur action sports events in 2009 and will do more with parks and in films as well.

“We’re excited to take our presence in action sports to the next level,” said Kenny Mitchell, action sports team manager with Gatorade. “Many skaters are using our products already because they know Gatorade is what you reach for when you want to stay hydrated and fueled so you can session longer. We think tapping into this interest is a very authentic move for us as a brand.”

NEW PRODUCTS

The Converse Skateboarding collection has launched on the 1st of January 2009. Here we give you a look at the Black & Gold Pack out of the collection.

The pack consists of the high top ERX 300 model, coming in a black/gold/red colorway with a nice mix of leathers on the upper, and the CTS model, which comes in a subtle black perforated leather version. The ERX 300 goes for 90 USD and the CTS for 70 USD.

Talk about a blast from the past, Poets Skateshop in Long Island has a very old Nike Skateboarding Stock. Were talking about Nike SB Dunkle’s, Leather SB Jacket, and the Mafia Pack Peacoat Jacket. Head over to Poets Skateshop to view more older Nike Skateboarding Product.
In4mation has released the FUCKING AWESOME x Etnies Perry Plus last year, if you missed out, better head over to CommonWealth to cop your pair. Right now there are only select half sizes left, so if your an 8.5-10.5, then your in luck. 110

NEW PRODUCTS

Lakai/DVS are one of the most recognizable skateboarding sneakers in the industry, and now for the previous month of December they dropped their Belmont Mid in a nice black colorway. Hit the link below to view a more detailed image of the sneaker.

NEW PRODUCTS

Earlier we posted on the upcoming CONS Black & Gold Pack, now thanks to Converse Blog, we have a detailed look at the Erx 300. The color-up is pretty unique, but there’s also key details like memory foam in the anke area so the shoe will contour to your foot the more you skate/wear it. Also interesting to note is a lobster, yes, a lobster, on the inside of the label on the tongue. Check out more images below and expect these to hit retailers in February ‘09.Just a few months ago, word was confirmed that Converse was back in the skate game. They launched a brand new website showcasing their team, and most importantly, they’re brand new lineup of skate shoes - CONS. Now CONS updated their site with the Black & Cold Pack, which consists of the high-top Erx 300 model in a smooth black/gold/red color-up (above) along with the CTS model in black perforated leather with gold and red accents - straight up butter. The Black & Gold Erx 300 will retail for $90 while the CTS Black Perforated will retail for $70. Available 2/15/09. See detailed images below.


Back in February, we saw Travis Pastrana’s custom gold Pro Spec 1.0 racing shoes, but now you can get your hands on some Pro Spec 1.0’s as well as official Subaru Team Gear. There’s plenty of tees, hats, and jackets, all featuring Rally Car logos and homages to top guns Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. Pictured above is the Volcano SRT ($80), but also check out other rally-inspired gear like Pro Spec 1.0 ($199.99) and Chicane $124.99) shoes below. Available now through the DC Online Store.

According to Weartested, the latest Nike SB Tre AD’s (above) and Dunk’s all have new Kevlar shoelaces, with “Kevlar” printed on the aglet (tip) over a staggered checkered background. But where does this Kevlar material come into play? If you skateboard, you know that your laces rip quickly, so the bigwig innovators at Nike decided to put a strand of Kevlar string inside the laces to prevent them from tearing up and/or breaking so fast. Kevlar is used in bullet proof vests, so it should stand up to skateboard sneaker abuse pretty well. Take a look at the Kevlar inside of the shoelace below and let us know how your laces hold up if you got a pair of new SB’s.

Whether you’re down with flip trick extraordinaire Mike Mo, newbie Sean Malto, or the OG killers Koston and Carrol, the tight-knit Girl skateboard team is one to represent without shame. So do it up right with this gray denim/wool-blend New Era featuring the classic Girl logo that you see on skateboards and bathrooms across the world. Check more images below, including the Girl script loog on the back, and grab one online through AMAZING STORE. And yes, these Girl hats are sell out quick.

SKATE NEWS

Check out the second half of the “Hot Seat” interview with legendary skateboard artist Todd Francis. In this interview Todd delves more into the early days of Stereo and discusses some of his favorite board graphics, what it is like creating graphics for very diverse brands and more.
Also check out some photos from our recent roadtrip to San Diego to meet up with John Lupfer in his hometown.

Todd Francis has part 2 of his Hot Seat interview up at the Sound Agency. has done some of the most influential graphics of the 90s, gracing the undercarriages of Real,Stereo, Antihero, Element and New Deal. His work centered in a comic book style, but he ran the gambit between twisted toon drawings (see Antihero above), 60s beatnik-style art (Stereo graphics), vibrant print art (Element) and quirky, almost Akira-style caricatures (New Deal).

Stereo
He's back talking with the Stereo crew and they have an interesting interview getting into his work, Stereo's legacy and vision and some of the funny insider info you'd never know unless you had the history Dune and Jason Lee have had with him. Peep the interview, then check his site at www.toddfrancis.com.

Venice Skatepark

No Hurrah-ta Just Yet

RRM Design Group
Maybe Chris Roberts and Joey Brezinski are just fine with the Santa Monica ledges and Venice manny pad, but other people may be jumping for joy over the new skatepark proposed for the beach front of Venice. The project has been given to RRM Design group and the plans look pretty legit, except for the little section that says "Skate Dance Area." What is that anyway? Will there be rogue clans of oddly dressed people skate/breakdance fighting like the lunging gangsters from "Bad"? I'm waffling between excitement and indifference, since these beautifully drawn plans can so often be butchered. On one hand, Frank Hirata's not involved, so that's good (click here and scroll down to the bottom). On the other hand, the idea that there's an area called the "Skate Dance Area" makes me suspicious. Innocent until proven guilty. I hope it's nice. I'm not too far from there.

SUPPORTS LOCAL SKATESHOP PROMOTION SINGAPORE

SUPPORTS LOCAL SKATESHOP PROMOTION
INTERSTATE BOARDSHOP SUPER SALES
Event Info Host: SINGAPORE SKATEBOARDING HISTORY (FACEBOOK GROUP)
Type: Sports - Pick-Up
Network: Global
Time and Place Start Time: Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 2:00pm
End Time: Saturday, January 31, 2009 at 8:00pm
Location: INTERSTATE BOARDSHOP. EXCEELSIOR SHOPPING CENTRE, #02-12
Street: COLEMAN STREET.
City/Town: Singapore, Singapore
Contact Info Phone: 97995896
Email: www.interstateboardshop@gmail.com

Description-Invite all old school n New school skateboarders to join our group. Once a skateboarder , forever a skateboarder.
NEVER TOO OLD TO SKATE. never too young to start.

SKATE NEWS

A 100 person collective of creativity relating to contemporary art, skateboarding, and street culture. All organized by the unstoppably productive Bob Kronbauer. TransWorld’s own Eric Stricker, Blair Alley, and Mike O’Meally are up in it. Check it out!

Here’s an interesting one in the NY Times about the massive amount of home foreclosures and how it’s stoking out pool skaters around the world. Read on.

Here’s a secret… If you pick up next month’s (February) issue, you might just see one-half of the cover devoted to the one and only Christian Hosoi. What’s the other half all about? Check out Fuel TV’s Daily Habit on Wednesday (New Years Eve) at 6 p.m. pacific time and let guest host, TransWorld Surf’s very own Chris Cote, and featured guest Holmes tell you all about it.

Etnies announced via its Web site that Rune Glifberg is no longer on the team. For more on Rune, stay tuned to the Flip blog as the Extremely Sorry deadline quickly approaches.

Political

Black Label

Lance Conklin, Ron Paul supporter

Skating got even more political this year, but not in the typical sense of interview-pulling power moves or team transitions (although those did happen—see Arto Saari leaves Flip for Alien, bunch of dudes get on Converse, Nyjah leaves Element). No, I meant nationally in the presidential election. People stated their allegiance in ads and on the internet. A few of the guys at Black Label threw their support behind Ron Paul and John Lupfer got a photo with a Ron Paul sticker on his board. The Berrics put out the Koston Dope logo, Lakai released their Election series and every pro or am interview featured questions about who he interviewee would a) go and vote for, b) vote for if they were old enough or c) vote for if they were to theoretically vote (even if they clearly didn't plan to). All in all, the skate community was on the right side of history, generally backing political candidates that stood for people other than rich old white guys.

We Lost Some Greats
The Story of J-Grom

First there was Ray Underhill in August, then Van Wastell and Johnny Romano in September. It was hard to see them all go. Ray was a staple of the 80s Bone Brigade, Wastell was a skater with impeccable style and friend to many and Johnny Romano reminded us just how grateful we should be for the life we get. There is so much more that can be said about them, but if you knew them or were inspired by them, their influence will live on in your own life. Here are some sites to remember them by: Romano's Blog , a Matix tribute to Wastell and a site devoted to Ray Underhill.They will be missed.

SOTY

Silas Baxter-Neal showed there was no need to dress up. He was what he was and what he was, was impressive. He was the epitome of skating everything. Check the interview.

The Bottom Fell Out

This review of 2008 may seem like a depressing reminder of all things sh*tty, but eventually good will come out of this year's economic decline. First, where there is loss, there will be a new opening to build a greater and stronger skate industry. Second, while pay may suffer, we'll have the constant reminder that skateboarding is fun (often more fun) when there's no money and it's just you and your friends spending hours by a ledge in a back alley or pooling your money to get a little bit of food to share in the middle of the day. The best memories, it seems, are borne out of the moments that don't work out seamlessly. Lend your hand to others. Bring friends and acquaintances together. It's time to remember how great we can be. Grapes of Wrath

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009

HAPPY NEW YEARS 09 n best wishes 2 all friends n your families.
Great years ahead. HUATSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

SKATE FOR LIFE. ENJOI SKATEBOARDING SINGAPORE.

SKATE NEWS

Randy Laybourne’s solo show of 20X20 work is finally here. The first ever showing of all 20 images will be at Swiv Tackle Circus in Oceanside, Califoria. The series was a big labor of love and took over 2 years to finish.

The opening is Jan 17, 2009 starting at 6 pm and goes to 10 pm.
It will be up for a month, till Feb 16, 2009

Randy, Dustin Koop, John Antoski, Mike Carter and others will be doing a Zine Work Shop Jan 25 (12 pm to 4 pm). It’s open to the public and everyone can stop by to cut/paste/photocopy and raise heck all over the place.

For more about Randy, check out his site: lookforwardtothepast.wordpress.com

Sometimes it's easy to be annoyed by antics, whoever the court jester, which is why the switch needs a good flipping to off when I've watched a few too many Rob & Bigs. This may suit MTV well, since I have an attention span, which lasts longer than the time it takes to melt butter, or my brain, in a microwave (about 15 seconds) and don't require the acne-fighting services of OxyClean Pads (unless I ate some really greasy pizza the night before). However, so many of my non-skateboarding friends think this guy's the coolest thing since whatever reality TV show was hot before. They seem to realize that he's all tongue and cheek—a skewering of traditional reality TV (albeit, a sometimes unbearable skewering, in my eyes)

But, his MTV pursuits—the mini horse, the boy band alter-ego and the scripted feel of every episode—aside, you have got to give Rob Dyrdek his respect for his origins. The other day, I looked him up, after I saw the above clip of the Fantasy Factory, and thought back to the days of Alien Workshop, when they staked their beginnings on a little Dyrdek who shredded everything (before I even skated). As always, I'm happy for the man. Like I've said before, get some (First sponsored writer, Josh Brooks? Monster, follow up on this one). While I'll chuckle through a few of his reality shows, before I go insane, his part in Memory Screen will always root him in greatness (Note to devout Rob and Big fans: his part is wedged into lots of artsy footage, so I suggest upping the Ritalin to get to Dyrdek's part).

Check Up Your Mind Field

Alien Workshop
Always committed to the quality of their products, Alien Workshop took a break from updating the AWSfilmworks site, more concerned with a finite release date of Mind Field (02/06/09). But, they have thrown a few more lines up on the site of Omar Salazar and Mikey Taylor and some odd packages from Arto Saari. Check them here. There's also a link to an interview between former AWS pro John Drake and Mikey Taylor.

NEW PRODUCTS

Last week, we let you know that you could purcase some of the Nike SB January shoes at Flat Spot, now we have the full collection of shoes and clothing. Beanies, hoodies, tees, belts, socks, and a clean brown/tan houndstooth jacket (above) are part of the mix. Get a look at all the pieces below as well as a rundown of the new Veloce model and expect the gear to hit a select SB retailer near you.

Skate magazine Thrasher got together with Gallery 1950 on a capsule collection. The line consists of a series of logo t-shirts, mugs and a Porter travel bag. All pieces feature the infamous Thrasher logo. The collaborative collection will be released on 3rd of January.

NEW PRODUCTS

2009 is going to be a huge year for Mr. Kennedy, not only is his Supra “Society” Sneaker releasing, Fly Society is taking off! Check out the latest offerings from Baker as they selected Skateboard Photographer Atiba for their Photo Series decks. Head over to Baker Skateboards for more information.

It’s finally here, the Lakai Final Flare DVD is currently available for purchase at Active Mailorder. This Final Flare includes 5 hours of bonus footage and never before seen scenes. Head over to Active to cop this DVD, you will not be disappointed.

We’ve seen the Rogue Status x Silver Gun Show and Money Shot trucks in the past, now Rogue hooks up Rob Dyrdek’s pro model with their mean Insurgent logo and script “RD” logo all in a clean white/silver color-up. Oh yeah, throw on this Estate x Rogue Status Fleece Fitted and bang, that half-cab crooks will look that much meaner. $39.98

SKATE NEWS

Element Europe is proud to release the teaser for “Travel Well,” a full-length video coming Fall 2009.

The teaser introduces Madars Apse and Phil Zwijsen and features the rest of the Element Europe team including full parts from Pirkka Pollari and Michael Mackrodt.

Watch it now.

The Element Europe team includes Madars Apse, Phil Zwijsen, Michael Mackrodt, Bas Janssen, Evelien Bouilliart, Gauthier Rouger, Guillaume Mocquin, Janne Saario, Jo Lorenz, Lucien Clarke, Pirkka Pollari And Ruben Rodrigues.

Visit elementskateboards.com/team/ for more info.