SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

Tony Hawk Foundation Brings Signature Benefit Event To Wynn Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Strip has seen some incredible productions over the years, but Saturday, November 7 will mark the first time the world of action-sports descends upon the Wynn Las Vegas resort for a day of fun and festivities for the whole family, all to benefit an important cause. Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks is an outdoor action-sports carnival, featuring a Vert Demo with top skateboarding and BMX pros, including Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Jamie Bestwick, Andy Macdonald, Simon Tabron, Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, and others riding on Hawk’s personal ramp, plus a special musical performance by Rancid.

Now in its sixth year, Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks raises critical funds to support the Tony Hawk Foundation’s mission to bring high-quality, free public skateparks to youth in low-income communities across the U.S. A special Pledge Drive at the event will also raise funds to help rebuild Freedom Skatepark, which serves at-risk youth in Las Vegas. Through live and silent auctions, Guests will have the opportunity to support the Tony Hawk Foundation and win some incredible items and experiences:

DUB Edition Customized Tony Hawk 2010 Dodge Challenger RT
Be A Secret Skater in the next Activision Tony Hawk Video Game
Roadie For A Day with Miley Cyrus for (4)
JetBlue Airways Fly Anywhere Tickets between any nonstop destinations
Taunovo Bay 5-Star Resort And Spa 4-Bedroom Beachfront Grand Villa, Fiji
The Ultimate Jason Taylor Experience
11,000-Square-Foot Beachfront Punta Mita, Mexico Luxury 5-Bedroom Villa
Soccer Clinic with U.S. Women’s Soccer Icon Mia Hamm for (10)

Several other unique items and experiences will also be offered, including a 7-Time Tour De France Champion Lance Armstrong Autographed Trek Bike, Tony Hawk Signature Series Autographed Dynacraft BMX Bike, signed skateboards from Tony Hawk, Shaun White, Ryan Sheckler, Paul Rodriguez, and others, plus other signed memorabilia, dining and vacation packages, and items that would make excellent Holiday gifts.

For those who cannot join us for Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks, proxy bids are being accepted for auction items. To learn more about the unique items and experiences, or to make a proxy bid, call (760) 477-2479.

Tickets and packages for Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks are still available. To order, visit standupforskateparks.org

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

Volcom Damn Am Final Results

Ams come, conquor and huck themselves in Costa Mesa for a spot at Tampa Am.
Damn Am

3rd place finisher, Tommy Werner, went everywhere on the course from rails, stairs, pyramids and quarters to the bank to wall. The ams don't mess around.
The Volcom Damn Am finished off with the last 28 ams that advanced from Saturday gnawing at the course for the top spots . And, well...kids these days, man ... wooooo! They're no joke. Every little showing helps them move their way up the ladder, so they skate like their future career depends on it, because, in some ways, it pretty much does. In the end, here were the results of Damn Am 2009:

Street Finals
1. Luan Oliveira
2. Clint Walker
3.Tommy Werner
4. Felipe Gustavo
5. Brodie Penrod
6. Timmy Knuth
7. Louie Lopez
8. Chase Webb
9. Felipe Ortiz
10. CJ Dixon
11. Derek Elmendorf
12. Rob Maatman

Street Best Trick

1. Clint Walker
gap to backlip shuvit, 5-0 across and down kickflip out
2. Aaron Collier—backside bigspin boardslide on pyramid
3. Dylan Witkin—foot gap to noseblunt
4. Chris Mendes—kickflip backside tailslide bigspin out
5. Kechaud Johnson—foot gap to frontside smith on the pyramid rail

The top 12 skaters from the Street finals qualify for Tampa Am and the top two go directly to the Tampa Am Semi-finals, so you'll be seeing these dudes again.

The event showcased some unreal talent and skateboarding's impending future, as am status keeps getting closer and closer to pro, skill-wise. Check back for more coverage from the event tomorrow.

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

Legendary shoe designer and Australian vertical pioneer Sinisa Egelja has tragically passed away this week. Sin was the creative mind behind Airwalk shoes when they became popular in the 80s. Australia’s thevine.com.au has a more in depth read


City Stars and Hype skateboards is joining the World team at their demo at Rhythm Skate Shop in Dallas on October 31 @ 5:00 PM. Kareem Campbell & Kechaud Johnson from City Stars & Jeremy Holmes from Hype will be there to skate with Anthony Shetler, Cody Davis, Mike Franklin & Dustin Blauvelt from World Industries. They may hop in the van and continue on the rest of the tour. We’ll have to wait and see. Here are the dates and times.
10/31 The Vertical Limit - Denton, TX - 12PM - Signing
10/31 Rhythm Skate Shop - Dallas, TX- 5PM - Demo
11/4 Texas Skate- San Marcos - 4PM - Demo
11/5 Goodtimes - New Braunfels, TX - 4PM - Demo
11/9 Skate Spot - Lafayette, LA - 6PM – Demo


The 2nd Annual Halloween Hellraiser Best Trick Contest is happening this Sunday Nov. 1st, in New York City. This one will be hosted once again by Billy Rohan & Alex Corporan and feature 3G’s in prize offerings for the best and most busted on a series of new obstacles. Plus they’ll be a $100 prize for best costume.

To get you all hyped, Acapulco Gold/Run My Game has released a little clip of Billy Rohan, Taji Ameen, Black Dave and others warming up the roof before all hell breaks loose.

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

Don "The Nuge" Nguyen first turned heads being the first skater to ollie a 20-stair. Now he's turning heads again with tons of new tricks and a major sponsorship changes.

Courtesy of DC

Danny Way's Hall of Fame plaque

Danny Way, Tony Hawk, Tony Alva and Bruce Logan were inducted in the International Association of Skateboard Companies' (IASC) first Skateboarding Hall of Fame ceremony. The four skateboarders are, were and will be influential on skateboarding's progression and, fittingly so, were the first to receive this great honor.

Courtesy of DC

L to R: Tony Hawk's plaque (Tony not pictured), Danny Way with his plaque, Tony Alva and Bruce Logan. The first four inductions in the Skateboard Hall of Fame.

Danny Way invented the Mega Ramp and commenced destroying it in "The DC Video," released in 2003. He jumped the Great Wall of China. He has seven world records in the Guinness Book of World Records. Tony Hawk doesn't need much introduction. He has invented countless tricks, was the first to land the 900 and brought skateboarding to the mainstream, benefiting every pro skateboarder to follow him. Tony Alva was also influential in inventing tricks, pioneering riding pools and blazing a path in what professional skateboarding would be. Bruce Logan started skateboarding in the 50s and was one of the first pro skateboarders for Makaha Skateboards and later had his own company with his family.

Courtesy of DC

Danny Way gives his acceptance speech.

The event is unprecedented for everyone involved and a great honor to some of skateboarding's greats. In the coming years, more influential skateboarders will be added to the list. Until then, take a look at the Hall of Fame site.

 

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

BRUCE LOGAN, TONY HAWK, TONY ALVA AND DANNY WAY OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED AS FOUR OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SKATEBOARDERS EVER AT THE HALL OF FAME CELEBRATION LAST WEEKEND
This past weekend, the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) joined hundreds from the skateboard community in a fundraising celebration to honor and induct icons; Bruce Logan, Tony Alva, Tony Hawk and Danny Way; into the Skateboard Hall of Fame at the Vans Skatepark in Orange, CA.
“This event was long overdue and it turned out to be a truly heartwarming and monumental occasion,” said John Bernards, executive director of IASC.  “Skateboarding used to be looked down upon and we were considered criminals or social pariahs – it was time for us to take a moment to acknowledge and honor those who put their hearts and souls into shaping the sport into something positive that anyone can enjoy today.”
The invite-only event was packed with VIPs from every era of action sports, including: honorees, Tony Alva, Bruce Logan and Danny Way (Tony Hawk, on tour, was represented by his brother, Steve Hawk); surf royalty, Pete Townend; vert pioneer, Lance Mountain; surf and skate legend, Jeff Ho, multi-talented boarders, Aaron Astorga, Neil Hendrix and Andy MacDonald; skateboarding pioneer, George Powell; author of the Disposable Skateboard Bible, Sean Cliver; and owner of Skatelab, Todd Huber (Skatelab, located in Simi Valley, is home of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame and Museum); amongst others.
Guests mingled and reminisced while enjoying live musical performances and competed for priceless memorabilia and high-end auction items in a bidding frenzy that was spurred on by an open bar and friendly rivalry.  The highlight of the evening, however, was the official induction ceremony in which each skateboarder was recognized individually and then took the stage to speak humbly to their passion for the sport and give thanks to significant individuals in their own lives.
Bruce Logan, while accepting his award said, “Old-school skaters should always be remembered, because what they did in the ‘70s changed skateboarding forever.”  Tony Alva affirmed Logan’s sentiments throughout his own acceptance speech and credited him and other old-school skaters for acting as role models, providing him with guidance and essentially with the sport of skateboarding, which brought Alva “a life of nothing but, one beautiful and spontaneous moment after another.”
As the youngest athlete to take the stage, inducted from the most current decade, Danny Way also paid homage to those before him.  He spoke graciously and humbly of the industry’s collective triumphs, challenges and its sense of brotherhood by adding, “I was learning to drop-in while Tony Hawk was practicing 540s and never dreamed that our names could ever be in the same sentence someday.  Tony and the others here tonight are the reason that I pursued skating, and in turn, I couldn’t be blessed with a better family than the skateboard family – it’s the most genuine community that exists and when you quit skating, it’s like you quit living.”

The event raised more than $42,000 for non-profit organization, The Go Skateboarding Foundation, that provides positive educational experiences, career-minded programming and scholarships for skateboarders, and donates to various skateboard-related charities, including: The Tony Hawk Foundation, Ray Underhill, the Johnny Romano Foundation and the Patrick Kerr Foundation. To learn more, please visit skateboardiasc.org.

This past Saturday, the second annual Boost Mobile Rock the Cradle for Johnny Romano Memorial Contest took place in Houston. More than 1,500 fans came out to the Lee & Joe Jamail Skate Park to watch this World Cup skateboarding competition which is a fundraiser benefiting the Johnny Kicks Cancer Foundation. $16,000 was raised for the Johnny Kicks Cancer Foundation and 22 blood donations were given (which is said to save 66 lives). Pierre Luc Gagnon was there to support the cause, and competing skateboarders included: Omar Hassan, Rune Glifberg, Alex Perelson, Kevin Kowalski, Ben Raybourn, Pedro Barros, Tim Johnson, Sergie Ventura, Bryan Pennington and Lester Kasai. This was Texas’ first ever Pro-Women’s bowl-rider event and drew participation from Carabeth Burnside, Mimi Knoop and Lyn-z Adams Hawkins.

éS Game of SKATE Amateur World Championships Comes to Orange County, CA

Be Part of History As The First-Ever Complete Online Flat-Ground “Tricktionary” is Filmed – All Are Welcome To Come Film a Trick!

More than 12,000 skaters competed in over 100 cities in more than 25 countries around the world in the éS game of SKATE Global Tour. Each éS Game of SKATE Global Tour stop crowned their local winners and the winners of each location have been given an all-expenses-paid trip to Orange County, California to compete in the éS Game of SKATE Amateur World Championships on Saturday, November 14, 2009. The éS Game of SKATE Amateur World Championships is open to the public and admission is free.
This year at the éS Game of SKATE Amateur World Championships, éS is going to film the first-ever complete online flat-ground “Tricktionary” to give all skateboarders a chance to try and stomp their best variation of a skateboard trick. In the following weeks, éS will pick the cleanest variations of each trick and put the how-to videos in the first-ever flat-ground “Tricktionary” on the éS Game of SKATE website. The “Tricktionary” will give skateboarders the chance to see the correct footwork fundamentals of what goes into over 200 different variations of flat-ground tricks.

Visit gameofskate.com for a list of these tricks and to add your own suggestions.

What:              éS Game of SKATE Amateur World Championships
When:             Saturday, November 14, 2009
Trictionary Filming - 10:00 a.m. (PST)
éS Game of SKATE – 3:00 p.m. (PST)
Where:            éS Headquarters
20162 Windrow Drive
Lake Forest, CA 92631

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

This weekend was the 2009 Damn AM contest at the Volcom out door skatepark in Costa Mesa, CA. Louie Lopez and Luan Olivera took first place on Friday and Saturday, respectively, securing themselves spots in Sunday’s semi-finals. Luan came through with a win, with Clint Walker in a close 2nd and Tommy Werner in 3rd. Here are some photos from Sunday’s carnage.

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

Phil Jackson isn't one to sit at the bottom of a staircase, flashes at the ready, waiting hours for Little Timmy to try a nollie flip crooked grind. No, Phil would rather be in on a session, skating, yelling, laughing and shooting photos of his friends. He may tend toward the transition aspects of skateboarding in his photos. But that's mostly because that's what he's out skating, on crazy missions across the country. Not one of the photogs getting chubby behind the lens, Phil will get the shot and then kill the spot, too. (Phil Jackson)


Crailtap

The director of "Where the Wild Things Are" turns 40.
Spike Jonze has been all over the place in the last few months, promoting his movie, "Where the Wild Things Are*." After over a year of post-production and negotiations with the studio to make the movie with his vision, it's out and he has also turned 40. The BMX journalist turned skateboard filmmaker turned music video director turned skateboard company owner turned feature filmmaker has a lot to be happy about and the people who know him over at Crailtap have a Crail Couch video wishing him happy birthday. So, happy birthday, Spike. Thanks for all the years of wonderful videos, companies and films. While you're at it, take a look at this great piece Brian Tunney did on Spike's journey from BMXer to who he is now.

*I highly recommend checking it out. It's quite an interesting adaptation of the children's book most of us grew up loving.


DVS

Torey blasts the manny pad with a kickflip. Yeow!
A while back, DVS held a contest for shops around the country to film, edit and produce called Shopliftin'. They judged numerous vids from all over the US, chose four finalists and out of those finalists, Platform skateshop in Pomona won. So, a couple weekends ago, they headed out to their shop and put on a ripping demo with Kerry Getz, Daewon Song, Jimmy Cao, Andrew Brophy, Kenny Hoyle, Paul Shier, Steve Berra, Torey Pudwill, Daniel Castillo and some locals. Take a second to watch DVS Shopliftin' at Platform.

SKBSG SK8 NEWS UPDATES

With some Internet fanfare Zero skateboards has finally announced the premiere dates and locations to their much-anticipated video, "Strange World." Though premieres are locked in for the west coast, east coast and Texas, the content of the video is still largely shrouded in mystery. Zero hasn't had a full-length video out since 2005's "New Blood." Though a promo video, a boxset of all previous videos and the Fallen video (which featured several Zero riders) has dropped in he interim, the new Zero video should certainly be one to watch.

Following their show stopping parts in last year's dynamic Fallen video, "Ride the Sky," there's some speculation that popular Zero riders including Chris Cole and the Chief Jamie Thomas won't have full parts in this latest release. The team has 12 official riders after all. But given that both Thomas and Cole are workhorse skateboarders, we wouldn't be surprised if new parts from both made their way into this release.

Joining the team since the last video are new-ish riders, Elissa Steamer, Sheldon Meleshinski, Keegan Sauder, Ben Gilley and Jamie Tancowny. Rumor mills are swirling with the stuff that tancowny has been putting down. And this video could mark the point where longtime amateur (and serious ESPN Skateboarding favorite) Keegan Sauder final gets the pro nod.

The only other questions looming about the new video are whether serious flow-rider contenders Marisa Dal Santo and Australia's Dane Burman get bumped up to full team status and then, of course, who will have the coveted first and last parts. No matter the order, the video is sure to be one to watch.

Michael BurnettWill Keegan Sauder's part be the one to finally turn him pro?

World Premiere: 7:00 pm October 29th
La Paloma Theater
Encinitas, CA

East Coast Premiere: 8:30 pm October 31st
Reign Skateshop
Langhorne, PA

Texas Premiere: 7:00 pm November 7th
Southside Skatepark
Houston, TX