How do you know when is the perfect time for a skater to turn pro? For starters, the skater has to completed such tasks as nailing a few video clips, covering a few articles in magazines and blogs, traveled with a few tours, made some shop appearances, and earned their stripes with a few contest winnings. Once that skater has done so, the skateboard industry would be sure to have a demand and desire for a few products with his name on it.
Well this years newest addition to the professional aspect of the skating industry is Element’s very own Evan Smith. His video entitled “The Evan Smith Experience drops this Thursday, March 21st along with his very first signature product.
In other news, skater Paul Zitzer has recently been added to Roger Skateboards. Paul Shier & Nick Jensen’s new skate company has publicized 5 of its 6 team skaters as of now. In addition to themselves of course, the squad features Tom Know of the UK, Sylvain Tognelli, along with Jon Nguyen. The question now is, who’s going to have the last slot?
Stereo Skateboards has officially added Ben Fisher to their squad of skaters. Chris Russell has been welcomed to the crew over at Creature and Nick Tucker recently enlisted with the Supra team.
After a whole day of crappy weather and unruly skies, mother nature decided to let up and let Vans appropriately hold their Bowl-A-Rama Event and mystify everyone who came out to watch these incredible individuals showcase their talent.
The multi talented Pedro Barros and surprisingly young skater of 17 proved his worth with his incredible victory of 4 championships within this event. He pulled out a collective of tricks including high indy 540′s and a mean back tail slide that topped it off. Bucky Lasek did what he does best and shredded the bowl apart and snagged the 2nd place spot followed by another legend of Rune Gilfberg who took in 3rd. The Vans Bowl-A-Rama podium stood exactly how it did last year, same look and all.
Denmark’s native professional veteran Nicky Guerrero bullied Steve Caballero out of the way to capture and hold the Masters title with a great deal of consistency along with an innovative set skill of different stunts and tricks.
Final Results
Pros
1. Pedros Barros
2. Bucky Lasek
3. Rune Glifberg
4. Josh Stafford
5. Sam Beckett
6. Alex Sorgente
7. Brad McClain
8. Omar Hassan
9. Kalani David
10. Kevin Kowalski
Masters
1. Nicky Guerrero
2. Steve Caballero
3. Eddie Elguera
4. Pat Ngoho
5. Christian Hosoi
6. Mike McGill
7. Sergie Ventura
8. Adam Luxford
9. Lester Kasai
10. Jeff Grosso
Offthewall.tv delivers you behind the scenes footage this week with a skater that suffers from a common disability that many Americans as well as people across the globe face each and everyday. Autism is a term commonly known for a complex disorder of brain development. This particular disorder is characterized in various degrees, some of which can be known as difficulties within social interaction, verbal as well as nonverbal communication, and repetitive behavior. Autism can also be related to intellectual disability, complications with motor coordination, and overall health issues regarding sleep patterns and gastrointestinal problems. However, people with this disorder may have an exceptional talent of exceeding with their visual skills, music, as well as math and art.
Vans brings you a deeper look into the life of Autism as well as bringing the awareness to full view. This week they’ll show you behind the scenes footage of an Autistic skater named Raymond Wetzel and his battle against Autism along with his mother discussing the overpowering impact that the A. Skate foundation made on her son.
Vans and offthewall.tv is a proud partner of the producers of Heart Child, an intense documentary on the take of a 9 year old Autistic son and his 29-year old mother Crys Worley, the founder and heart of the A. Skate Foundation that was mentioned above. This tale documents the story of a mother’s struggle, not just her health alone but the overall well-being of herself and her son as well.
Her story was inspired and influenced by the willingness to push forward and the dedication of strong parents of autistic children and her own promise to to her son to never give up and to break down barriers on a daily basis. She started the A.Skate foundation which is modeled after this, Skating with Kids through Acceptance, Therapy, & Education.
This particular foundation is a non profit charity that enables youth with autism to take part in our social everyday world through the culture of skateboarding. They hold clinics for kids with autism charge free and they offer grants to them as well for items such as skateboarding equipment, and promote the awareness and education of autism and skateboarding to individuals everywhere.
Autism is something that individuals face everyday and its up to us to promote and spread the awareness to understand and help in any way you can.
For all the avid skaters and skateboarding fans alike, we have a list of updates and recent news regarding the skate scene. This particular industry goes through a cycle of changes on a constant basis with new recruits, drops, along with product endorsements to a broad range of other topics.
For instance skater Jamie Tancowny has parted ways with the Zero camp and has since been welcomed to the gang over at Life Extension program. Its been said that Tom Remillard has departed from Anti Hero skateboards as well. In other news after a great deal of time spent, Paul Shier has parted ways with the United Kingdom’s very own Blueprint Skateboards. Its in the works as to whether the ever talented skater will retire and give up what he loves, embrace another company or start up his own, time will have to tell.
Its been rumored that Cody McEntire has been getting down with Silver Trucks while California’s native Jerry Gurney has been added to the crew of Lucky Bearings as the newest member. It may not be a “Welcome to the Crew” mashup, but nonetheless Ethan Loy has been seen shredding and holding it down with Destructo Trucks.
And to conclude the latest news, Bones Wheels has proudly welcomed one of the original Bones Brigade team riders to its diversified group of skaters. Tony Hawk is back with a vengeance as well as some signature wheels thats sure to hit shelves very soon.
The skate scene is constantly changing and ever-evolving in this day in age with new recruits, drops, and signature products. It revolves around the essence of the now, the current hype and attention that is centered on certain individuals and products. Skaters can be dropped from their sponsors for poor performance or they can be added as new additions for their stellar accomplishments.
For starters, Torey Pudwill signed a contract extension with DVS for another three years as well as his 3rd signature shoe to come out in the next few months to come. Skater Ben Raybourn joined forces with Aaron “Jaws” Homoki down at Birdhouse, keep your eyes peeled for a twisted “Welcome to the team” drop from him as well.
Send Help finally revealed Randy Ploesser’s very first signature model to ploy him into the professional status.
Ashbury has recently acquired San Pedro’s very own Robbie Russo and Colorado’s native Josh Murphy to their squad. Theeve Trucks recently picked up Dolan Stearns and Element was said to get ahold of 12 year old skate prodigy Tom Schaar.
Brixton was pleased to welcome renowned skate legend Jason Jessee to their posse as well. Brixton’s co-founder David Stoddard was quoted saying “Jason is an inspiration to people inside and outside of skateboarding, he brings a rich heritage to the Brixton family and we are honored to be working with him.”
“I feel right at home on Brixton,” said Jessee. “I’m into everything they’re into, so it’s very comfortable. I wear two hats and a lot of clothes and their stuff rules, so I am fully stoked on being a part of this.”
Jason joins forces with the rest of the team including Taylor Bingaman, Jordan Taylor, and a lot of other greats as well. Look for big things to come out of this powerhouse team.
As a kid you grow up admiring your favorite athletes, entertainers, musicians, or whatever passion that struck your fancy. Those individuals may have led you to follow the path you chose or they may have influenced you in some kind of way. As far as skating is concerned, you may have a chance to experience those memories one way or another with Bones.
So for all the longtime skate fans and admirers alike, Bones Brigade is here to accommodate the needs and desires you’ve desperately been looking for. Bones has been in the works of creating their Autobiography film on skateboarding legends including Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Mike McGill, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, George Powell, as well as Stacy Peralta. Alongside the film these skaters will pull out a significant piece of equipment from their person collection available for purchase on BonesBrigade.com
There will be a large assortment of items including awards and trophies, signed magazines, and a bundle of personally used boards that Tony Hawk used himself as well as McGill’s Powell Peralta jacket, and all kinds of items to Lance’s custom hand made scooters. They’ve even labeled the prices at market rate to make them available to collectors everywhere not just ebay resellers trying to make a quick buck. Be on the lookout because these priceless items are going to sell quick, take a part of history with you and relive those memories through your favorite skaters memorabilia.
The big Apple had its fair share of thrills this past weekend with an abundance of some of the most talented skaters at each others necks. The competition held was the inaugural Vans Bowl-a-rama Nyc , and it was divided into two separate contests of pro’s and the masters. This group of daredevils certainly put on quite a show for the swarms of fans down at the Hudson River Park’s Pier 62 Skatepark.
Lance Mountain was the declared Master of all with his victory over skate legend Steve Caballero while Eddie “El Gato” Elguera followed closely behind in 3rd place.
In the Pro’s division Pedro Barros reigned supreme with now 7 Bowl-a-rama titles under his belt. A young up an coming skater by the name Alex Sorgante tailed Pedro with 2nd place with Ben Hatchell claiming 3rd.
In addition to the two series of Masters and Pro’s results came the “Spirit of Kessler Award”. Its in honor of the late and legendary Andy Kessler. This prestigious reward is entitled to the one skater that illustrated and best identified Andy’s spirit an aura in regards to their skating as well as their general persona. The illustrious George Orton snagged the award with his fellow skaters and fans alike applauding with praise.
End Results
Pros
1. Pedro Barros
2. Alex Sorgente
3. Ben Hatchell
4. Kevin Kowalski
5. Mike Owen
6. Andy Macdonald
7. Josh Rodriguez
8. Sky Siljeg Masters
1. Lance Mountain
2. Steve Caballero
3. Eddie Elguera
4. Christian Hosoi
5. Mike McGill
6. Chris Miller
7. Pat Ngoho
8. Tony Magnusson
This month marks the 20th Anniversary of the most popular skate shoe of all time: Steve Caballero’s signature model Half Cab. For this joyous occasion, Vans has decided to team up and collaborate with one of the most popular Rock Bands of all time as well. The band is Metallica and its an honor and pleasure for Steve to have this collaboration come into play for the celebration of his very own signature shoe.
This month will mark the release of this shoe to an abundance of different skate shops around the world. The heavyweight shoe featuring a smooth suede background will feature Metallic embossing all along the pair. This one of a kind collaboration will also include classic lyrics stamped on the side as well as an exclusive clear rubber sole with the Kill Em All album artwork debuting through it.
It couldn’t have been more appropriate to work with Metallica on this important project considering this, “To have Metallica, my all-time favorite metal band, collaborating with me on this 20th anniversary Half Cab shoe is an honor and a dream come true.” -Steve Caballero himself.
This only marks the beginning of something great considering there will be many more surprises to come. In Spring of 2013 its been said that there will be a 2 product drop that’ll feature a collection designed by every member of the band itself. Look for big things to come!
Vans seems to be cooking up something new and exciting as time passes, from competitions to music festivals, the festivities are endless. Well in this case Vans has teamed up with an artist by the name of Jay Howell stemming from San Francisco, and this communion marks the first of an animated web series following the stories and tales of Vans skaters. The series is under the name of “Classic Tales”, and it’ll include interviews, stories, as well as loony cartoon antics to tie it in.
The premiere will include Christian Hosoi as well as other skaters being featured down the line from Joel Tudor to Tony Alva, and an abundance of others to watch. Their debut episode will explain Christian Hosoi’s marveling and mesmerizing adventure he had while spending time in Hawaii. It includes a gnarly mushroom trip that he and his friends went through some years back while on the island of kaneohe. I’d like to explain further but its best if you watch it for yourself, also, Christian Hosoi is going on 13 years of sobriety!
Be on the lookout for this series to launch in the near future, you can check it out at offthewall.tv
As a skater, you may have come across thousand of shred spots where you might of lost some skin and got harassed by the cops. With those countless memories and locations as well as dealing with your everyday life, it could be hard to keep track of those certain spots where you went on an adventure to find with some of your buddies. Well whatever the case was you forgot that one dope spot.
But now you can rejoice because all your prayers have been answered thanks to creator Jason Ossenmacher & this great little app called the BlackBook Skate. You now have the ability to pin point every single shred spot on a gps map that’ll enable you to get there with precise directions and an incredible amount of time saved getting there. That pin also includes pictures and videos that you can attach to it for whatever reason as well. The BlackBook also comes with a to-do list that comes in handy when you want to be productive like taking a checklist of tricks you want to do.
Make sure you iPhone users check it out and download it from the app store, its a must for skaters and its only a buck!
