SK808 Sides: Special Edition - Yuletide Podcast 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I'd write more but I am too busy enjoying myself. I'll add some thoughts about the tracks in the comments over the next few day, but these are my standards. I hope you dig 'em too.

Listen

and one more thing

Don't Forget to Have Some Fun: SK808 Interviews the Locals

After the shopping, the overdraft protection, the high-price-of-cheap-beer and other seasonal woes, one can be cornered into a haze of introspective worry. Well, the Sun is out and it is almost Christmas Etc. in H-Town, so let Cody and Jack remind you to chill, spin your wheels and run your mouth like no one's lookin'.

It is that simple. Later Skaters!

EZ-7 Christmas! Kingpinz releases limited run of classic graphic

A small batch of the Kingpinz EZ-7 graphic deck has just left the oven. I wanna say under 200.

I like that H-Town skaters pay tribute to their spots. What I'd like to see is a Steel Deathtrap Deck paying homage to the prefab rusty razor ramps that line Watonga.

Until then, ditch worship is just dandy. Call the shop if you wanna verify that your size is in stock.
713-783-5506

*Kingpinz is a proud sponsor of SK808.

S-One Giveaway Interview with Caleb Gonzalez of PUSH

Many thanks to the Houston Parks Board, S-One and PUSH for hosting this third annual helmet giveaway. The volunteers are your fellow skaters, some the quiet type, who very much speak with their actions. Their continued efforts bring new riders to the sport and strengthen the positive reputation of Texas skateboarding culture. I enjoyed visiting with Caleb who articulated the message well.

Also, thanks and happy holidays to all the crew @ Jamail. Ya'll got Santa beamin' just for your grom duties, and I appreciate the commitment. Your concrete-hard fruit cake is in the mail.

Skulls now being properly secured, Happy Skating and look out for the next giveaway early next year. You know your pals @ SK808'll will keep you posted!

Reminder: Helmet Giveaway This Saturday @ Jamail Skate Park!

Everone loves free, especially a skull free for cracks and brain damage inducing internal bleeding/bruising, right?

So, if you are under 16, and you show up in front of the Jamail skatepark before 10 AM on December 19th, you and 49 others will score a helmet, provided by the good folks @ S-One and the Houston Parks Board.

You cannot roll @ Jamail without a brain basket, so if you've been stalling, or lack the bread, this could be your golden ticket to ride the concrete waves. Thanks to S-One and the City of Houston. See you there!

Updated! Recap & Interviews from Siren/Reliance Deck Signing @ Source Boardshop

The ought to call them the FoodRiders. Truthriders always come thru with snacks, in today's case pizza. Throw some free stuff in and the recipe for a good event is pretty much sealed, regardless of turnout (in this case light and lively). Nate @ The Source hosted a great open house and I was glad we met. Don't know why I haven't before. Honestly, going to the Village makes me nervous; shopping phobia I guess. Having had a good time tonight, I can at least pretend to be shopping and hide there for a few minutes.

Skating was sporadic. Yunno, once you pass out the Red Bull and cheese pie, it's guaranteed that heads will put the board up and reach for the Snuggy. From time to time groups ventured out to hit the rail, or just shoot a bailed ride off into the unsuspecting holiday shopping throngs and traffic. Good Fun. It was good to step into his kind of session, after work this week.

Being that I normally cover secular skating, I wasn't sure what to expect. Also, some people just don't like cameras, but I found both riders to be friendly and they spent most of the time kicking it with the kids. During the interviews, both mentioned saving money to cop their first pro board, and that struck a chord with me, as I did very much the opposite, with much less successful results.

Elijah had a very engaging and casual way about him. His openness and thoughful answers frame him as a genuine mentor, and good listener. He has not been well, and hasn't been able to ride full-tilt, which I am sure is hard for him. I wish him good health and the strength to weather recovery. His treatment has been costly, and the have an effort to help defray some of those costs @ http://www.moore-love.com/.




Weren't we just talking about this?



Zac was a little guarded at first, though he was candid. I didn't know he recently turned pro, so it must've been kooky, what with the questions I was tossing and my odd mannerisms. He was gracious, though I thought I might've missed something.

While I was packing, we got to chatting about his deck art & he was very enthusiastic about it and how has been working @ Siren, with the artists and woodshop. That kicked off more conversation, and it was clear that Zac enjoys the design and crafting side of skating, which is great on the road, teaching folks how much fantastic stuff goes on to churn out what we ride. I'll be catching up with him again soon to hear more about what is happening @ the Siren lab. I came away encouraged by their paths and efforts, knowing that they'll be going some else to spread more good vibes.



Mmm. Tranny tech.



It carried a thread that I caught onto with John earlier this year, a great approach that I am sure will bring many more to skateboarding, and offers some light to those in in need and ready to heed. Tomorrow Zac and Elijah will be participating in a find raiser at the 3rd Cost Skate Park in Channel View. it's indoor and skateboarding, two things that go well for this time of year.

So, in conclusion, interviews post tomorrow, good night, new friends, goodnight.

Upcoming Event: Deck Signing and Game of Skate @ Source Skateshop, this Friday Dec. 11th @6PM

Tipster and (event sponsor) John Hocutt hipped me to this one-

Pro skaters, for Siren, Zac Archuleta, along with Reliance pro Elijah Moore will be at the source skate shop on December 11th from 6pm-till 8pm or later. There will be a free game of skate for an autographed deck along other great prizes. Take a looky and be enticed further skate devotees.

These guys sport some well designed planks. My own picks shown here. The Archuleta Coffin Drop is nice indeed. This is basically how I feel every time I skate without pads. No further explanation required.

Also, I have nothing but love for the clever designers @ Reliance that chugged out these well-inspired Good Book models: Elijah's is the blue-spined ride, second from the right.

Sadly, no 8.5'ers in the line-up, though I might drop to 8.25 for that Luke Braddock. I have always liked the styling of bible bookbinding art, and it is delivered very well here. It should also be noted that though Christian iconography is regularly mined by skate companies, I find this to be a truly unique model line, stately and completely free of parody. Big unsolicited thumbs up.

There ya go. I'll be on-hand shooting some flix and pix, and I'll be glad to be doin' some skate stuff given the watery gloom of late. You can RSVP through Facebook, or just show up witth pals in tow. So, see you there!


This event is brought to you by:
Christian Skaters of Houston
3rd Coast skate park www.3cs.cc
the source board shop www.sourceboardshop.com
the truthriders www.truthriders.org.

I thought I told Ya!: Kingpinz Winter Advice, seeing as how it Snowed in Houston.

Last month, I did a video shoot for Jason over @ Kingpinz, where he was talking about keeping warm and dry when snowboarding. I won't pretend to be into snowboarding, so I figured why post about it. Then things got cold, and today it snowed. I remembered some of the info Jason was poppin' off and thought -

Hmm, maybe if I had good base layer when this snow clears, I won't look like an overwieght lumberjack when I skate, and won't have to dump a parka and a sweater when I warm up. Could it be true? Could this snow stuff apply to the rest of us?

I called Mr. Cowie, and he said -

Yeah man, it's science. Your grandpa's wool aint gonna cut it homie! Weren't you listening?

I had my headphones on okay?! I was busy in the film moment. Anyway...

To put it blunty, watching this clip could actually provide the answer to Winter Swamp A$$, an affliction that cholo flannel and Naughty-by-Nature inspired warmth just can't touch.

That's probably why local news affiliate CH39 visited his fortress to ask about winter gear recently. So there you go, I learned something new and you will to. Warm and dry works for everybody.

Enjoy the clip, and I'll see ya when the park dries.

Update: looks like Cowie Inc saw this as a great excuse to have pop-up snowboard sale. Didn't see that coming but the hustle continues, nahmeeen?!

Happy Holiday Helmet Giveway @ Jamail Skatepark: December 19, 2009

From tipster Barry - Very simple, if you are under 16, and you show up in front of the Jamail skatepark before 10 AM on December 19th, you and 49 others will score a helmet, provided by the good folks @ S-One and the Houston Parks Board.

Safety is important, and you cannot roll @ Jamail without a brain basket, so this effort is well appreciated on all fronts. Thanks to S-One and the City of Houston. I'll remind ya'll as the date approaches, so that you can forward this promo news to, literally, heads in need.

Speaking Chinese: You may need to buy an imported complete. Shop Smart.

Editor's Note: I have omitted pictures and brand specifics in a effort to diffuse part of the emotion from this topic and to keep from blaming, even indirectly.

I'll be brief everybody. Not every grom can or will get a pro ride this Christmas. Hell, some grown folks won't either. Pockets may be low, or maybe one has decided that "pro" isn't needed to push at the playground. True dat. However, after having scoured the 'net and meatspace for signs of life in general retail, I can tell you that the waters of Chinese completes, crazy cheap at times, can be murky indeed.

On the real, I am cozy saying that major toy stores sell just that, toys; even the boards they offer. Do not be fooled street shapes with okay concave. Plastic wheels/bushings are lurking below and only God knows what kind of metal makes the trucks. These are parts that cannot be compromised and I suggest you stay away from them and discourage others from buying this ornamental trash.

Then there's the pro branded stuff that sits in the sub 100 buck range. I actually think these are okay for a beginner, but since they are usually only offered at general sporting stores, there will be little help in selection and zero rapport for future needs. This disconnect is where I think a lot of steam is lost in keeping kids skating. Since everything from purchase to the nascent rides happens in low-knowledge bubble, interest can easily wane without guidance or information to support budding skate ideas. I actually had a hard time accepting this whole offering, though it is a major one, for a long time. But, after thinking it over a long while, I can pinpoint that I am troubled by the idea of canned skateboarding as an isolated experience. The hard truth is that many of these boards are better than my first "pro board" for street skating. I can't blame companies for finding a low cost entry for kids, at generous profit, but like all sports, infrastructure is needed. In skateboarding, in absence of skilled peers, this is the domain of the core shops.

Which leads me to the most peculiar sounding, yet most logical form of imported complete, the c-note China pro, from your local skatemonger. After you quiet your yammering and wipe your frothing mouth, consider this: Core shop owners can identify goods as meeting minimum standards with both precision and accuracy, especially since they rely heavily on return business. They are very likely to screen dubious goods with better care, largely rejecting them outright.

By being subject matter experts, they can help prospective riders understand the limits of a beginner board and explain developmental stages where better gear will drive performance. This demonstration and explanation makes an impression on friends and family who then can reach out to the shop as a resource to help the new roller.

The shop also acts as a social microcosm, where they can learn from meeting peers and seeing what is popular with better skaters in the field, not just in advertisements. All this is baked into the cake, and helps support the purchase of even the most modest board. Sure, for some, selling imported anything is selling out, but the same people may use their specific and costly personal tastes as an exclusionary tool anyway, rather than really wanting hordes of riders to come in and simply enjoy riding for fun.

A shop owner, catering/caving to a single crowd does not better their business or attract new customers. I feel that it is now, and will be more so in the future, important for core shops to poach this market from general retail, and define what beginner's board are to be. Simultaneously, I think that the term "pro" should fade away some day, in favor of a more useful descriptor. After all, it won't make you pro, and I bet a professional might be able to kill it on a pretty crappy board. Somewhere in between these two efforts. skateboarding can become a wider offering to the full spectrum of folks that want to be part of the sport.

Right now, these folks stare at the wall at MegaMart, or SportMaster Land, imagining themselves on a roll, but not knowing how to start. Let's help those that took the cheap dive in get going without judging and also have in mind beginner's options when talking to potential newbies. In some cases, we may need to make a budget decision ourselves, and it would be sad to deny a board to someone, purely to preserve the sanctity of high-end gear. Come day after Christmas, many more will be putting around thanks to the combined effort, and our beloved shops can enjoy a cushioned exit from combat with corporate behemoths.