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Skate Safety: Protect Yourself

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:45:34 -0400

No matter what skill level you are or where you skate, safety is important. Sure, it’s just the nature of skating that everyone who ever steps on a board is going to end up with a gnarly bruise at some point, but when it comes to preventing more serious injuries, it’s worth investing in some strong, lightweight pads and a helmet to protect your vulnerable spots.

In the last few years, tons of companies have developed pads especially for skaters - bulky shields are gone in favor of tougher, sleeker plastic and foam that won’t restrict your movement on the street or on the ramp. There are a lot of great pad brands and models on the market, but some of the best are the ones you’ll see on dudes like Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist, the pro-grade 187s. With a no-slip foam construction that’ll keep them in place no matter what and replaceable, lightweight plastic guards, the 187s are a rad way to keep your joints protected so you’ll be skating harder and longer.

It’s the same deal with helmets - as more and more skaters get out skating on the street, more of the sickest skate brands and biggest skaters are teaming up with protective gear companies for signature helmets. Any helmet is better than no helmet, but for a sweet pro-quality helmet, you can’t go wrong with TSG gear, which is designed by riders.

The best part? The better you protect yourself now, the longer you’ll be able to skate, so make sure when you head out to your local shop this weekend for Local Skateshop Day, you pick up some of these pads and helmets with the rest of your new gear.

Kickflipping a human skateboard - ‘nuff said.

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:09:15 -0400

Kickflipping a human skateboard - ‘nuff said.

This Weekend: Local Skateshop Day

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:54:08 -0400

You’ve all been uploading some sweet vids and pics to the SkateHub app over the past few weekends - now it’s time for you to head out and support your local shop by visiting this weekend, Oct. 9/10, for Local Skateshop Day.

Now in its second year, Local Skateshop Day was started last year by the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) as a way to promote core skateshops and the ways core shops give back to their local skate communities.

Check with your local shop to see if they’re participating, and when you head out to your local shop this weekend, make sure you take pictures of some sweet gear - SkateHub supports making sure your local shop stays in business, so for this weekend, for every picture you take of yourself at your local shop and upload to SkateHub, you’ll earn 20 ptz.

You can head over to the IASC site for more info, or if you’re a shop owner, on how to get involved.

Thrasher’s sweet Downtown Showdown recap video - check it.

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:31:47 -0400

Thrasher’s sweet Downtown Showdown recap video - check it.

It Seems Like Everywhere You Look...

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:46:28 -0400

…there’s another town on the news voting down the idea of building a skatepark for its young skaters. But in the last few days, we’ve been seeing too many deaths caused by there not being enough places for skaters to skate.

Let’s face it - skateparks give skaters of all ages and skill levels a safe place to practice their sickest street or vert moves without the threat of cars chasing them down or being cited for skating illegally.

Of course, getting a skatepark built in your community is easier said than done. Between major national newspapers ripping into skateboarders and lack of public funding, building a skatepark isn’t the easiest task, but it’s been proven time and again that skateparks make communities better and safer.

If your hometown doesn’t have a skatepark nearby, check out the Skaters for Public Skateparks organization - they have some rad info on how to get a movement started to build a skatepark near you. In the meantime, check around your town - there may already be a group of people trying to get a skatepark project started.

In the meantime, stay safe skating, and keeps your eyes peeled for another SkateHub contest - we’ve still got a few more copies of Stay Gold to give away!

Check out Alli’s recap of the Dew Tour so far, the...

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:33:05 -0400

Check out Alli’s recap of the Dew Tour so far, the rankings and predictions going into a final Vegas stop with a new points system. Do you think PLG will stay strong and take it home?

West 49 Pro Competition Turns into Game of Skate (blame the rain)

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:59:16 -0400

West 49 Pro Competition Turns into Game of Skate (blame the rain)

Team Pretzel Grip Dominates Downtown Showdown

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 12:52:20 -0400

Congrats are in order for Team Pretzel Grip (Girl/Anti Hero) for taking the best Team Performance at the 6th annual Vans Downtown Showdown yesterday and winning $30K on a sick course. For full results, head over to Vans, and make sure to check out Top Am Nick Merlino and Top Pro Vincent Alvarez.

Shred or Die's Gear 4 a Year

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 12:52:53 -0400

Want to be in the Tampa Am and be featured on the flow teams of seven of the sickest skate brands out there? Then head over to Shred or Die for their Gear 4 a Year contest.

Gear 4 a Year includes some gnarly prizes, including a year’s worth of product from Armourdillo, Toy Machine, Bones, Quiksilver, DC, Dakine and Theeve. You’ll also get your pic in The Skateboard Mag and a free week at Camp Woodward - when you enter, there’s also a chance you’ll be featured as the video of the day and win a GoPro HD camera while Gear 4 a Year is going on.

Instructions and rules are over at Shred or Die - this contest is too sweet to miss, so start filming your sponsor video now!

John Rattray’s known for a fearless shredding style that...

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:38:26 -0400

John Rattray’s known for a fearless shredding style that combines truly sick technical skating with a lot of speed. He’s also hilarious - watch him sit down with Thrasher to share some of his King of the Road memories of “pirate gratitude,” mangling his elbow and what it was like to see Tommy Sandoval skate naked.

This Weekend: 6th Annual Vans Downtown Showdown

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:42:02 -0400

It’s that time again - Vans is heading to Paramount Studios in LA for its 6th annual Downtown Showdown this weekend on a course based on custom designs from Black Label, Girl, Foundation and Zero. Teams will be able to snag part of the $85,000 purse for prizes like top team, best pro, top am and best obstacle performance.

As always, Downtown Showdown is going to be the event to watch this weekend - with skaters like Leo Romero, Billy Marks, Collin Provost, Chris Pfanner and Chris Cole expected to show up and slaughter the course, it should be one to remember.

If you can’t make it out to LA, Downtown Showdown will be webcast at www.vans.com/showdown on Saturday (Oct. 2) from 5-10pm. If you’re watching, you’ll have a chance to win $10K in prizes from Vans and the Showdown’s other sponsors - check out www.vans.com for more info.

Check out this gnarly recap video from the freestyle.ch finals.

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:22:44 -0400

Check out this gnarly recap video from the freestyle.ch finals.

Oakland artists are using skateboards, human knuckles and shoes as canvases (@ SF Gate)

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:27:06 -0400

Oakland artists are using skateboards, human knuckles and shoes as canvases (@ SF Gate)

We all know skating and music go hand-in-hand - there are a ton...

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:51:08 -0400

We all know skating and music go hand-in-hand - there are a ton of pro skaters who moonlight as musicians, and a load of musicians who love to get out and skate. And it’s not rare for a skate company to team up with musicians - like SkateHub (check out the bands on our sampler here), all skate companies know music is part of the culture. That’s why if you’re in Los Angeles on November 13, you won’t want to miss legend Mike Vallely’s first annual Glory Bound Festival.

A skate jam/concert, Glory Bound has invited gnarly skaters like Tony Alva, Lance Mountain and Christian Hosoi and bands like Pennywise and Alkaline Trio to the Hollywood Palladium to skate and perform alongside Mike and his new band Banished. Did we mention the custom mini-ramp built especially for Glory Bound? If you’re going to be in Southern California, make sure you grab your tickets now for Glory Bound - they won’t last long.

Check out Transworld's "10 Skate Bands and the Pros They Feature"

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:27:15 -0400

Check out Transworld's "10 Skate Bands and the Pros They Feature"

Way back in the spring, C1RCA announced it would be teaming up...

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:09:04 -0400

Way back in the spring, C1RCA announced it would be teaming up with legendary black-and-gray tattoo artist Jun Cha for the second time on its Holiday 2010 line.

And the results are gnarly - Cha and C1RCA have created a sick shoe, tee and hat combo that should be available in early October. Make sure you visit your local shop to see if they have the C1RCA x Jun Cha: Coma Capsule line - with gear design this sweet, it’s sure to sell out fast.

Wondering where the pros will be this weekend? Check out West 49's Take the Cake competition.

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:02:01 -0400

Wondering where the pros will be this weekend? Check out West 49's Take the Cake competition.

Nyjah Huston is the First Official Street League Champ

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:15:55 -0400

(image via Street League)

If you haven’t heard yet, the biggest news from the weekend was the last date of Street League - Nyjah Huston took home the grand prize in Vegas with the overall points lead for the league, followed by Vegas winner Shane O’Neill and Sean Malto to round out the top three. Thanks to his sick moves and that fearless style that’s quickly turning him into a living legend, Nyjah’s leaving this year’s Street League with a pocketful of cash and that sweet diamond-encrusted Nixon watch. Shane also killed it in Vegas, taking home not only first place at the Vegas stop but also snagging a pair of gnarly best trick bonuses.

If you couldn’t make it out to Street League, don’t worry - the Vegas date will be shown on ESPN2 this Wednesday (September 29) at 8pm EST/5pm PST. Don’t forget to head over to Street League for the full results from both the Vegas stop and the overall points totals.

In case you missed them, here are some of the biggest stories and videos of the weekend:

*”I’m never tearing down another park” - the Maloofs are looking at building a rad permanent home for the Maloof Money Cup OC competition.

*”That goddamn ‘Takin’ Care of Business’ song” - Thrasher’s posted the strengths and weaknesses of their King of the Road skaters.

*The SK8MAFIA team is hilarious - Transworld has proof from the team’s month in Spain.

Want to know if you’re one copy of Emerica’s Stay Gold richer? If told us your Street League predictions, check Twitter and Facebook at 4pm EST/1pm PST to see if you’re the winner!

Watch This: Lords of Dogtown

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 11:33:46 -0400

Ever wondered about some of the great moments in skate history? If you’re into learning more about the rise of skating in America, you’ve heard about the Z-Boys, a 70s California skate team who’ve influenced almost everything about skating in America.

And while skate movies are pretty much unheard of in Hollywood, the legendary Stacy Peralta (inventor of the frontside flip to fakie and co-founder of Powell-Peralta - bow down) himself wrote 2005’s Lords of Dogtown.

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you’re missing out - you’ll see how polyurethane wheels and bowl skating got their start and Stacy Peralta’s rise to being one of skating’s first superstars. It’s a piece of history every skater should know, so if you’ve got two hours and nowhere to skate, rent Lords of Dogtown and chill with the Z-Boys.

For All You Laguna Skaters...

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:06:08 -0400

(image courtesy of the OC Register)

…this is what we like to see - in a world where it seems like skateboarding is illegal just about everywhere but a skatepark, Laguna Beach in California has decided against banning street skating on four hill streets. Though parts of the potential law were passed - including a fine for safety offenses - downhill skating will be allowed on these four popular skate streets. The 2003 World Champion downhill skater Mark Golter, who learned on the streets of Laguna Beach, was on hand to show support for keeping the streets open to skaters.

And this isn’t just a victory for Laguna skaters - it’s a big step forward for skaters everywhere. Most news stories about skateboarding are about skateboarding being banned, but hopefully the decision in Laguna about downhill skating will start a trend of cities everywhere being more open to sharing the streets with skaters or with providing skaters safe places to skate.

Is skating legal in your city or town? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!