CCS recently caught up with team rider Mark Appleyard for a catalog cover shoot. Have a look as Apples skates the Flip mini ramp, gives a preview of his new hand-drawn board graphics, and talks shop about Extremely Sorry, traveling and his website, Werd Life. éS Skateboarding Proudly Welcomes Ben Raemers to the Team
Ben’s official team announcement was sidetracked by an ankle injury, but he’s already booked for a team trip in April to the States to start skating with the rest of the éS team in full-force. Down but not out, Ben will be shredding any terrain in his path very soon. Welcome to the team Ben! Go to eSskateboarding.com to check out Ben’s team page for any additional Raemers updates. About Ben Raemers:
Don’t let these simple mannerisms fool you, this softly spoken Brit wields a powerful stick. Ben Raemers’s ascent through the ranks, although swift, comes as no-surprise to the folks of the ‘green and pleasant land’. Like the youthful sap rising swiftly through the oaky trunk of British skateboarding; his boundless enthusiasm and positivity breathe life into every trip he embarks on. Ben has more than proved his worth on numerous occasions over the years and all the notches he’s been slowly carving into everything he skates have not gone un-noticed. In 2009 he began to reap the rewards and he and his skateboard finally began to make their way around the world, for free.
Filmmaker Suziie Wang (you may know her from the stellar Off The Board videos she’s produced for skateboarding.com) filmed this video with HUF about his store for a Spanish Web site. Be sure to pick up our May 2010 issue that will hit newsstands April 6 and read more with HUF in the Shop Talk column. Theeve is excited to welcome Andrew Cannon as its second amateur. Andrew is probably the most well-known Man Am in the world, a title he’s earned well!
“Mandrew Cannon is one of the best people to skate and hang out with. He is always positive and has some serious skills on the board. A great inspiration for the fat kid in all of us.”—Trevor Ward, Theeve Team Manager
Real’s Lost Days and Throwaways are back, New and Improved. Check out the newly added Chapter 35 Lost Korner with Ramondetta, Torres, Aultz, Hardy, Donnelly, Perelson, Torgerson, and Robbie Brockel in Arizona, plus a new archive with all of the previous chapters ready to watch. Utility is having a mini ramp jam event on April 3rd. Daewon Song & Chris Haslam are coming out to cheese & cracker it up along with any other pro/am that wants to come out for a chance to win $1000.
DC posted a new Jim N Juice video of Lindsey Robertson going back to his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida after an 8 year hiatus, and reminiscing on the spots he grew up skating. Check it at the 7Zine.
Our bros at the Tiltmode Army now have an online zine. Check out the first issue here.
Arcade is making boards again. The new team line up consists of Jon Newport, Kenny Hughes, SAD, Casey Rigney, Sean McNulty, and Justin Guillen. Stay on their game at arcademfg.com.
Chad Shelter took a repeat win at the 3rd Annual Ultimate Boarder event. The contest combines surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding and announced it's winners in Reno, Nevada this weekend. Surfer Mike Morrisey shares the win with Chad with an overall points tie. In the team competition, Team Hosoi takes home their second repeat win. Check out http://www.ultimateboarder.com/ for more info.
On the same day that Rob Dydrek announced his new Street League venture that includes exclusive competition agreements with Paul Rodriguez, Chris Cole and Ryan Sheckler among others, Joe Maloof was in Flushing along with Geoff Rowley and 5boro's Steve Rodriguez for the groundbreaking on the street course for the Maloof Money Cup's expansion into New York City.
Adam SaloSteve Rodriguez, Joe Maloof and Geoff Rowley at the groundbreaking.
With the Maloof Money Cup NYC, The Maloof brothers will offer the same world-class contest they've brought to Costa Mesa, Calif. for the last two years, only this time they're leaving the skatepark for the skaters of New York City.
Courtesy of Maloof Money CupThe design has a ton of features inspired by skate spots in NYC.
Adam SaloThis is how close the Maloof NYC site is to the original Flushing skate spot beneath the Unisphere.
At the groundbreaking I got a chance to speak with Maloof, Rowley and Rodriguez about their shared vision for a contest and park that can really benefit skaters in the region. The course is set to be built over the next six weeks by California Skateparks and should be ready for the contest's arrival on June 5th. Inspired by several of the iconic skate spots of New York's past and present, the course is being built a stone's throw from the Flushing Meadows Unisphere fountain, a well worn NYC street skating hot spot that is currently fenced off and due for re-outfitting. Since the Unisphere ledges will no longer be skateable, their likeness is being recreated as part of the design of the Maloof course even including a replica of the grate gap sessioned in its original form by New York greats including Gino Iannucci and Rodney Torres.
With Street League allowing its riders only two major contest appearances outside of their tour this year, it remains to be determined if we'll see Chris Cole or Paul Rodriguez in Flushing come June. But two things are certain: there will be a world class contest here in New York and there will be a world class park left to the skaters of NYC for years and years to come.
Plan BPudwill joins Plan B.
Plan B welcomes Torey Pudwill to the team. Look for Torey's debut Plan B Pro Models at a skate shop near you this April. Also, be sure to check out Torey's welcome clip now playing on B TV.
Skating pools goes back to the late 1960s. Since early skaters discovered they could emulate surfing turns on the transitioned walls of empty swimming pools, the ride has never stopped. Pools are where skaters discovered air time even before the ollie. Today replica pools and bowls in skateparks all over the world make the pool riding experience available to nearly everyone. Perfect as those prefab structures may be, nothing beats getting weird in a real backyard pool, not built with skateboarding in mind but perfect for it none the less. (Photos: Ying, Jackson, McGuire, Smith, Mapstone, Zaslavzky)
Nike 6.0 BMX Open, July 23-24 Chicago, Ill. at Museum Campus
Wendy's Invitational, Aug. 12-15 Portland, Ore. at Rose Quarter
Toyota Challenge, Sept. 16-19 Salt Lake City, Utah at Energy Solutions Arena
Dew Tour Championships, Oct. 14-17 Las Vegas, Nev. at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Burr Ridge, Ill. (March 15, 2010))-- The Dew Tour, the world's premier season-long action sports tour, today announced its complete schedule for the 2010 season. The 2010 circuit will return to Boston and Chicago for single-sport competitions and to Portland, Ore. and Salt Lake City for multi-sport events. Highlighting the 2010 schedule is the addition of new host city Las Vegas, where the final stop of the season -- the Dew Tour Championships -- will be held in conjunction with the year-end awards ceremony.
Bringing the Dew Tour to Las Vegas for the first time in the Tour's six-year history, the world-famous strip will serve as a backdrop for the Dew Tour Championships as well as the Dew Cup awards ceremony. After moving the event closer to what many consider the mecca of action sports -- Southern California -- the finale to the sixth season will be highlighted by fierce competition in addition to an elevated awards ceremony for the Dew Tour's year-end accolades.
"We are excited to host the first Dew Tour Championships in Las Vegas," said Pat Christenson, President of Las Vegas Events. "Las Vegas has a long and storied history of supporting high-profile, season-ending championships. This event will be our first foray into championship action sports and a great addition to our roster of Signature Events."
"I'm excited that the Dew Tour is going to be in Las Vegas this year. I love Vegas, so to be able to compete there seems almost surreal," said three-time Dew Cup champion, Ryan Sheckler. "The talent on the Dew Tour is going to be amazing this year, so I'm just looking forward to the season and the level of skateboarding that we'll bring to fans."
The full Dew Tour schedule also includes a skate-specific (park and vert) stop in Boston in June, followed by a BMX-specific (park, dirt and vert) event in Chicago. The five-stop tour will then continue on to Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, all featuring multi-sport events. Over the course of the Tour, athletes will compete to accumulate points based on their individual-event finishes, each vying for the most overall points and the title of Dew Cup champion.
"All five of our host cities for this upcoming year have shown tremendous support, and the addition of Las Vegas to the slate will make the final event of the year that much more dynamic and dramatic," said Chris Prybylo, Alli Vice President of Events and Dew Tour General Manager. "We look forward to what this season will bring and the climatic conclusion of the Dew Tour Championships in Vegas this October."
That’s right, the handsome ripper that was part of the OG éS team is now back in the Sole Tech building, this time team managing the etnies squad. Congrats buddy! etnies rounded up some of his best work right here.
Learn kickflip frontside disasters with Alex Mizurov. Trick tip courtesy of Osiris.
With the Carlsbad gap being torn out sooner than later, we, along with DC and Monster, decided to make sure we got one last session in before it gets bulldozed into oblivion. So, the ams are coming, the trick list of NBDs has been written, and it’s only a matter of time before we get to see what goes down… for the last time. Stay tuned this week and next for more updates.
Woodward skatecamp has been expanding their facilities into China’s second largest city, and just finished building the park at Woodward Beijing. With a full outdoor plaza and indoor everything else, it looks amazing. Take a look at the photos below. Stay tuned for more photos and videos from the grand opening on May 15th.
The Skullcandy crew headed to Northern California and the home of Corey Duffel for a recent photo shoot featuring some of the new SKDY goods. Go behind the scenes as they journey through the streets of San Francisco, to inside Corey’s home and DeathBeat workshop.
This Thursday’s footage comes in the form of Stereo flow rider Curtis Rapp enjoying a nighttime mini ramp session back East. Go catch Curtis and a host of other East Coast staples in Chris Mulhern’s new video, This Time Tomorrow. Also, get the full story on our man Curtis here. Welcome to Spring.
Rob Dyrdek, founder of Street League Skateboarding, revealed yesterday the launch of the first-ever professional skateboarding league where skaters will compete in a three-stop arena-style skate contest series that will offer up a million dollars worth of prize money, making it the highest paying contest in skateboarding’s history. Twenty four pros, including Chris Cole, Ryan Sheckler, Greg Lutzka, Torey Pudwill, PJ Ladd, Sean Malto, Mike Mo Capaldi, Mikey Taylor, Billy Marks, Tommy Sandoval, and Paul Rodriguez, have signed multi-year contracts and the first of three comps is set to being on August 28th in Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
With cement skate plazas being bulit for each course and with judges using the Instant Scoring Experience, a Dyrdek inspired type of scoring, looks like things will be getting very interesting in the contest world. Read the full press release below. The world’s best street skateboarders sign to the first million dollar professional tour with three stops in 2010
LOS ANGELES, CA (March 24, 2010) – Street League Skateboarding™ announced today that for the first time in history, street skateboarding competition has been organized into its very own professional league, with the best skateboarders in the world competing head-to-head in a series of individual tour stops in the summer of 2010. Founded by twenty-year professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, Rob Dyrdek, Street League™ is truly the future of competitive street skateboarding.
Signed to multi-year contracts, a total of twenty-four of the world’s biggest skateboarding stars will compete in Street League™ exclusively. The first pros that have signed are arguably the top skateboarders in the world and include Chris Cole, Ryan Sheckler, Greg Lutzka, Torey Pudwill, PJ Ladd, Sean Malto, Mike Mo Capaldi, Mikey Taylor, Billy Marks, Tommy Sandoval, and Paul Rodriguez. The Street League™ pros will be battling it out for more than $1MM in prize money on a 3-stop arena tour this summer.
Dyrdek, in discussing the origins of the league says, “It has been a dream of mine to create a professional tour that bridges the gap between true street skateboarding and contest skating, which to date has been fragmented and misguided. Street League™ is more than just a new contest series; it will redefine the way skateboarding competitions are done.”
Chris Cole, 2009’s Dew Tour Champion, Maloof Money Cup Winner, two-times X Games gold medalist and Thrasher’s Skater of the Year, in regards to his exclusive commitment to Street League™ adds, “It’s what we have always wanted – it’s a contest circuit that is actually created, owned, and operated by skaters.”
To maximize the talents of these street skateboarding stars, Street League™ has designed authentic concrete skate plazas to be built on the floors of world-class sports arenas. In addition, Street League™ brings with it the exclusive use of the instant scoring technology, ISX (Instant Scoring Experience™), to the world of skateboarding. Using real time scoring and an exciting proprietary format, Street League™ will tell a compelling story about each skateboarder’s performance and will have fans on the edge of their seats from the first trick to the very last.
The inaugural year of Street League™ features a 3-stop arena tour beginning at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona on August 28th, Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on September 11th, and the final stop in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center on September 25th. The skaters will be competing at each event for the largest prize pool in skateboarding history.
Street League™ is the culmination of more than five years of development, which began with a professional contest Dyrdek held at the opening of the world’s first skate plaza he built in Kettering, Ohio in 2005. Building on the knowledge gained from this event, Dyrdek and his team began planning for the launch of the league, consulting for and developing several major skateboarding events to serve as additional case studies.
IMG Action Sports, the go-to event production company in the industry, is producing and executing Street League™ in 2010. The worldwide leader in skate park design and construction, California Skateparks™, will provide skate plaza construction. Instant Scoring Experience™ is a partnership between MXi, Dialsmith, and Street League™.
For more information go to www.streetleague.com.
About Street League Skateboarding ™
Street League Skateboarding™ is the first sports entertainment property that gives professional street skateboarding its very own league for individual competition. Street League™ features the exclusive participation of the world’s best professionals, over $1MM in prize money, and real skate plaza course design inside world-class arenas. Driven by the need to enhance the experience of live professional street skateboarding, Street League™ utilizes real-time scoring and a proprietary format that makes every trick count. Street League™ is the brainchild of twenty-year professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, Rob Dyrdek. More information is available at www.streetleague.com.
New news in the shoe world today. Longtime ruling pro Steve Nesser has made the switch to Ipath. Peep his requisite welcome video below—two minutes of new footy!
Spice up your desktop each week with a new wallpaper. This week we’ve got Eli Reed doing a frontside hurricane on a street sculpture in Japan. Check the All Roads Lead To Disney Tokyo article in our spanking new May issue that hit subscribers and skateshops last week. The mag will be on newsstands April 6. Click on the image for the desktop-sized version, then drag to your desktop or right click to save it.
Photo: Sean Cronan
Tulio Oliveira Age: 22 Home: L.A./São Paulo, Brazil Sponsors: CityStars, Airwalk, Mountain Dew Year you started skating:2003 Video you can’t wait to see: Street Cinema 2 (Next Citystars VIdeo) and Classic video (Brazil—me and my friends have been filming for 3 years, it’s dropping in 2010). Newest music you’ve acquired: Dom Kennedy, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane. Next meal: BBQ. Last good interview you read: P-Rod, Rodrigo TX. What makes you laugh: So many things, but Family Guy its pretty good. What scares the crap outta you: Spicy food! Daily skate crew: Manny Salazar, Rudy Patino, Carlos Zarazua, Nigel, Dan the man, Herman Jimenez, Andrew Pott, Ytalo Farias, Tiago Lemos, Renato Ratinho, Thomas Teixeira, Kimathi, Dayne Brummet. Who hooked you up: Dayne Brummet, Paul Rodriguez , Kareem Campbell. Best thing about your hometown: Friends, food, family.
I have followed skaters all over the world and Tulio had been one of the rawest skaters I’d seen, and we all know that Brazil has brought out some of the most gifted skaters. When I had the chance to meet him and talk with him, I realized he was perfect for Citystars. After speaking with the team and already having him in mind, I knew we had a new team banger for the terror squad. I’m blessed to know him as a friend and as a teammate. Be on the lookout for the Brazilian stallion of the future.—Kareem Campbell
FKD Bearings has an interview up with the Golden Boy Paul Rodriguez. Find out about The Valley, Mini Pauls, being a father, and helping build skateparks.
Yeah, the saying, “your favorite skater’s favorite skater” has become pretty cliché, but there’s still no one better than Gino to which the phrase most applies. Every taste of skating he gives us only keeps us salivating for more. So, will he ever put out another video part? And what’s up with his shop in Long Island? Well, here are the answers. Looking back on the past twelve months, what have been the highlights for you?
2009 was pretty much me just my getting my life back in order. I was in some legal trouble at the end of 2007, so I had to go away for a while. I returned home at the end of 2008 and had to start from scratch. I had to find a new place to live, and my business partner opened up POETS while I was gone, so when I returned, I jumped right into being a store owner. It was a bit foreign, even though I had a shop for a second in 2003. I hadn’t skated in a long time, so I gradually got on the board whenever possible, and that was a bit tough too. POETS had its one-year anniversary on August 25, and I made it out West a few times to catch up with everyone at Chocolate and all my close friends out there. I did some skating and just tried to get in the mix again. Now I’m pretty much trying to balance owning a store and skateboarding, and so far so good. How did getting on Mighty Healthy come together?
Mighty Healthy came about through my old friends Ray and Dennis. I’ve known them forever, and I guess when Ray saw that I was amped to skate and I was willing to put myself out there, he figured, “Why not team up?” Mighty was going to hit the skate world and I’m getting back in, it so let’s do it together. What about Nike? Is there anything in the works?
Nike has been great to me and they have stuck by my side through my down times. As of now, me and my friend and business partner Matt Bell finished up a shoe for POETS, which should drop in Fall 2010. Also, I’m working out a contract for the next year or so. My main goal is to keep it realistic as far as what I can produce. Take us through an average day in your life? How has your day-to-day changed from years past?
My day-to-day goes like this: I’m up at six every morning, naturally. I hit the track around the block and run three or four miles, breakfast, news, stare at the telly for a while, get on the computer and do the usual—check mail, the business account, bills, jot down what needs to be done for the day ‘cause I’ll forget real quick. Around ten or eleven I’ll head to the shop, open up, et cetera. It’s winter and there’s snow on the ground, so there’s not much skating going on. Some of the fellas from Long Island will hit some indoor parks now and again, so I try to get out with them whenever possible. Still it’s not enough. There’s nothing worse than wanting to skate but you can’t. I close up shop at eight, head home ‘cause I got a nine o’clock curfew due to parole, and that’s pretty much it. I grab some dinner, check the boob tube, and fall out by midnight. The day-to-day has changed dramatically—it’s a lot more boring and groundhogish, but at the same time that’s how I like it.
Gino in The Chocolate Tour ['99].
Have you been filming at all for the Chocolate video? Will you have any footage in the video? A full part?
I’m not going to say I’ve been fully committed to filming for this Chocolate vid because let’s face it, it’s been tough just being on my board consistently enough to feel confident enough to film. My main concern right now is getting through this winter, getting on the board as much as possible, take a few trips to Cali, and hopefully by May 2010 I’ll be off parole and I can make a better effort to coming through for this vid. As of now, I have a few clips, and of course I want to come through with a lot more for my team and myself. The desire is definitely there. What’s the hardest thing about running a skate shop?
The hardest thing for me is the constant socializing. Some days I’m just not in the mood, but you gotta be down to show love to everyone who walks through the door. What’s the best thing?
It’s been cool seeing people come through from all over, like other states, Europe, and a lot of friends from the past I haven’t seen in years. Do you think you’ll ever move back out to California? Why or why not?
I can’t see myself moving back to Cali. It’s just not ever a thought that crosses my mind. I like living on the east coast and I like the occasional trips out West. It isn’t that deep, I just feel at home here.
Gino in Trilogy ['96].
You’ve been on countless skaters’ favorites lists. Who are some of your favorite?
Skaters of all time:
Natas [Kaupas], [Matt] Hensley, Mike V, and each and every person who rides or has ridden for Girl and Chocolate. Styles of all time:
Of course J Lee [Jason Lee], [Matt] Hensley, and each and every person who rides or has ridden for Girl and Chocolate. [Jason] Dill, Huf, [Ronnie] Bertino, ‘Reem [Kareem Campbell], [Tom] Penny, D Way. Those come to mind first. Video parts of all time:
Wow, let me think. Natas in Streets On Fire, Hensley in Hocus Pocus, Vallely in Rubbish Heap, Dune [Chris Pastras] in Two World Industries Men, Gonz, J Lee, Rudy [Johnson], and Guy [Mariano] in Video Days; Tim [Gavin] and Henry [Sanchez] in Pack Of Lies; Chico [Brenes], Shiloh [Greathouse], [Song] and ‘Reem in Love Child and New World Order; [Sean] Sheffey in A Soldiers Story; Rick [Howard], [Mike] Carroll, Sheffey, [Pat] Duffy, and D Way in Questionable; Keenan [Milton] and Guy in Mouse; D Way and J Wray in Revolution; [Andrew] Reynolds and [Jim Greco] Grecs in 2G; BA in Yeah Right!; Guy, Marc [Johnson], [Mike] Mo, Carroll, JB [Gillet], Jesus [Fernandez], and [Lucas] Puig in Fully Flared; and Rune [Glifberg], [Geoff] Rowely and Bob [Burnquist] in Extremely Sorry. How’s that for a breakdown?
Kennan and Gino in Mouse ['96].
Inspirations—inside and outside of skateboarding:
My dog Gus R.I.P.; my mother, father, and sister; Guy’s comeback; Mike Bossy’s 50 in 50; Marc J’s consistent innovation and dedication; all my good friends working hard doing their thing; Joe Pesci laying in the weeds over in Secaucus, restin’. Like anybody, you’ve had your highs and you’ve had your lows, and have spent time on and off the board. But skateboarding is something that always calls us back no matter what cards life deals us. What about skateboarding can’t we get enough of? Why do we keep coming back for more?
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.
15 Sightings from Chami’s Hard Drive
Cairo Foster hits this rail from the back for a lipslide ride.
The Berkeley banks cop a sweet lein to tailslide from Mr. Caswell Berry.
The backflip was lunacy (March 2010 issue) but Chris Jatoft’s stalefish ain’t playing either.
You’d never know he is injured half of the year, Corey Duffel flies out to crooked grind.
When Buena was going, Emmanuel Guzman was juicing it, frontside air in the corner.
City boy Jimmy Cao pounces on switch heels.
Jon Goemann rides a roller coaster boardslide in Oz.
Lem Villemin eats double sets, nollie heelflip.
Matt Miller keeps the Embarcadero flame lit with a tall back Smith.
Paul Trep kept the Bay Area on it’s toes for a minute, back Smith at Daryl’s spot.
Silas Baxter Neal’s nosegrind took the cake, but it was all skill to bring this lipslide back into the bank without deck checking.
He had ‘em on lock, so I made him do 10 of them, Taylor Bingaman owns nosegrinds.
Keep your eyes peeled for this kid, Taylor McClung holds a curvy frontside bluntslide.
Tony Manfre boosts a tidy frontside flip in the hood.
Osiris just posted some new footy of Chad Bartie skating the PQ park in San Diego, California.
Come get TWS DVDs and gear super cheap! Saturday March 27 in our parking lot.
Congrats to Bradley Elias, the overall winner at the Delano, CA stop on the Element MAKE IT COUNT International Contest Series. Skaters from all over the California Central Valley came to compete in the contest, where Chad Muska, Chad Tim Tim, Darrell Stanton, Levi Brown, Mike V and others were on hand to judge. Bradley will join contest winners from all over the world at the finals at Element YMCA Skate Camp June 20, 2010.
Javier Mendizabal hails from the beautiful lands of Vizcaya, Basque Country, Spain. H’s a staple on the Gravis skateboarding team and is one of the best skaters to ever come out of Europe. Look for Javier to be joining Arto and the rest of the Gravis team as they float about Europe the next few weeks in search of new spots and fine wines, oh yes and to promote Arto’s new shoe(s).
Real’s Online Catalog 3rd Strike is now live with new behind the scenes footage of Peter Ramondetta from his recent ad. Plus a new Actions Realized deck benefiting the Harold Hunter Foundation, a new Classic Pro Oval series, and pro one-off decks from Justin Brock, Ernie Torres, and HUF. Check it out.
Plan B announces today that Paul Schmitt Stix Factory will be its new exclusive board manufacturer. See the official press release below.
In continuing promotion for the HBO series How To Make It In America, peep this mini-documentary, The Get By, about New York City skateboarding with footage and interviews with Gino Iannucci, Anthony Pappalardo, Fred Gall, Billy Rohan, Zered Bassett, and many more.
Theeve is excited to welcome Andrew Cannon as its second amateur. Andrew is probably the most well-known Man Am in the world, a title he’s earned well!
Adam SaloSteve Rodriguez, Joe Maloof and Geoff Rowley at the groundbreaking.
Courtesy of Maloof Money CupThe design has a ton of features inspired by skate spots in NYC.
