MERRY XMAS 2009

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All my Dear BROTHERS n Sisters. All the best for the new year coming ahead.

BTW CHRIS HASLAM in SG now. Look out for him.

SKBSG NEWS UPDATES

Element skateboards' pro Mike Vallely certainly has his fair share of stories. From his days as a rising star in the '80s skate scene with Powell Peralta, his upbringing in Edison, New Jersey, his solo demo tours labeled, 'Man vs. Skatepark," his adventures with Bam Margera and crew and all the infamous scuffles he's gotten in over the years. Skaters got a taste of some recent Vallely rhetoric with his appearance on the Shred or Die feature "Free Lunch." And some of you out there asked Mike your own questions when he chatted live on ESPN Los Angeles.

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Every day until the end of 2009, we’ll be recapping the year that was in skateboarding. Day in and day out, we’ve had skateboarding’s best skaters, and exclusive content you keep coming back to. So here’s a little reminder of what went down way back in April of 2009:

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It's been a long time coming but it's finally here. Stomping Grounds NYC has arrived. We got some of the greatest skaters in the world to take us on a tour of one of the greatest skate cities of all time. Dig in to the video filmed and edited by New York legend RB Umali featuring Zered Bassett, Eli Reed, Joey Pepper, Spencer Fujimoto, Billy Rohan, Todd Jordan and Rodney Torres. Cameo appearances include Clark Hassler, Joel Meinholz, Jaime Reyes and Kenny Hughes. And be sure to check the NYC photo gallery and full written feature as well. Enjoy. Stomping Grounds NYC.

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This is a weird one. Zac Efron, the heartthrob young actor that your sisters and girlfriends all have a crush on, apparently skates. Not only that, The Times of India is reporting that Efron bought a new house, his first, and designed it specifically so he could skate inside it. Oh man. "It's unique, very modern, very clean, very simple, with concrete floors so I can skateboard inside the house," Efron told The Times of India. While you don't have to like Efron as an actor (I don't), and him skating might make you feel queasy (that's how I felt when I read this), the fact that an actor of this level of notoriety is, apparently an avid skater, is certainly eyebrow raising. Remember when the popular kids didn't like us? Nobody bothered to ask Efron if his kickflips have flick or mob style, though.


With all the MegaRampin' Bob Burnquist usually does these days it's almost weird to see him skating an everyday miniramp. Sometimes I forget that Bob is one of the more versatile skaters alive and can tear up virtually any terrain put in front of him. Younger skaters may not remember Bob's switch vert onslaught from his early career days on Antihero or even his ATV attack filming for the éS classic, "Menikmati." Not slowing down "Extremely Sorry", Bob and Luan Oliviera tear apart the Flip miniramp in this clip.

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The current team line-up.

Mystery Skateboards has long been a team that you can always count on, and when I say that, I mean, you can always count on them being the same. But, some of the people we've come to expect to be at the heart of Blackbox's fresher team, have disappeared from the site. Ryan Smith, Ryan Bobier, Pete Eldridge, Dennis Durrant, Windsor James, Jimmy Carlin and Adrian Lopez remain on the squad, but the one-time-figurehead Dan Murphy, backside heelflipper Lindsay Robertson and Everen Stallion have disappeared from the site. No official announcements have been made, but rumor has it that there are some new moves to tighten up the team and bring on some new heavyhitters. Definitely stay tuned.

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ZOO YORK is proud to certify that Eli Reed has completed his amateur course of study, graduating with the highest of honors and is now a licensed Professional. Earning discipline and honing his skills on the streets of Boston, Los Angeles and New York City he is prepared, ready and able.

The latest company to test the waters of porn and skateboarding is Zoo York, and they couldn’t have picked a more legendary sex symbol. Both Jenna Jameson and Zoo York launched their brands back in 1993 and the rest is most definitely history. So why not enlist The CollaBros to make the sultriest of collabos? Limited to 500 decks, the Zoo x Jenna hardgoods will only be available at select skateshops for $75 a pop. They debut next week, so get in line fanboys…

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This week’s installment of Agency Thursdays features Stereo am Ben Gore out on the hustle to get a trick in his current Metropolis called home—San Francisco. Head on over to stereosoundagency.com and watch it now!

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In some ways, I don't envy Lem Villemin. Considering that a good deal of dudes on flow for Chocolate skateboards have either circled the runway for an indeterminable amount of time or appeared as the newest am on another company after years of waiting for Chocolate to put them on, the chance to make it to the pot of gold and become a new am on the company, gives it a whole new sense of prestige (and difficulty). For those of us who are fans of the brand, we appreciate Chocolate's ability to find someone who fits, because that person clicks with the crew as well as skates (no flash-in-the-pans with them). But, if there's anyone who can do it, it's someone like Lem, who lived in a rural town in Thailand, full of rice patties and a meager 500 people until he was 7, only to completely flip the script to cold, busy, bustling and urban Stuttgart, Germany—learning new languages along the way. Fitting in appears to be something he does well, even if it might seem hard at first. And, well, when you see his part in Adidas' "Diagonal" up above, it's clear his skill speaks for itself. But, really, what do I know?

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Ambassadors and helping hands.
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote an article about the new skatepark that opened in Wilmington, California. The park was created as a joint venture between the City of Los Angeles and Maxwell Billieon, an entertainment executive. There seemed to have been some complaints about the way the park was designed, which is fine. But I made the case that if you live in Wilmington, one the top five most dangerous communities in the city of Los Angeles (which is saying quite a lot), you wouldn't give a damn if the bench at your skatepark was a little off. This year I went back for an even put on by Max Billieon, with the help of HOT 106,Element, Jarritos, various artists and DJs and, most importantly, X Games champ Jake Brown. The event was in celebration of the park and in honor of everyone involved in getting the project going (ESPN was even given an award). The event also served as a ceremony for the soon-to-be-re-opened Wilmington Teen Center that will provide art and photography classes for kids in the community. The skatepark has been a positive point of development for this often neglected community. One year later, more and more kids are reaping the benefits. Take a look at the video below to hear Jake Brown and Max Billieon talk about their involvement and learn how one skatepark has greatly changed a community.

SKBSG SK8 NEWS

“When making the Nike SB/Skate Mental apparel, the collection took on this outdoor vibe. So when it was time to do the ads I figured we could go somewhere and camp and relax—use the stuff how it was intended. So my friend offered his family cabin in Clear Lake, California. The week before I made sure we had what we needed (BB Guns, ammo, decoy animals, fog machines, etc.). We rented some vans and hit the road. Nothing was over-organized and I just wanted everybody to just have fun, no pressure. Of course I had to make sure I got all the photos I needed for the ads, but besides that it was pretty loose. So I hope everything translates well enough to get the vibe I was going for. Besides having to hear me ramble and see my face, hopefully you’ll enjoy the outcome.”—Brad Staba
Go to here to check out the Nike SB x Skate Mental Apparel Collection and the Skate Mental Dunk High Premium, available now at Nike SB dealers worldwide.

SKBSG NEWS UPDATES

DC’s new Skateboarding Is Forever trailer is up. It’s a new campaign pushing the mainly the ams. Each am has their own month (trick tip, product review, interview, photo gallery, and finally a full video part). Marquise Henry’s month just began with a trick tip. Keep checking the DC site to see Marquise’s full video part at the end of this month.