Skateboarding Articles

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? As long as it's not copyright infringement, I guess it's not bad. But what about notoriety or celebrity? How do they measure up? Say you're a professional skateboarder and suddenly you're on the cover of Life Magazine (like 1965 Woman's Skateboard Champion, Pattie McGee). That has to catch you off-guard. Recently Jamie Thomas was on the front page of the New York Times as was Lyn-z Adams Hawkins and Bob Burnquist in earlier articles. That's quite a departure from the average sk8 rag, eh?

Leave it to Pro skater and reality TV star, Rob Dyrdek (of Mtv's "Rob & Big") to appear in an article in the modern architecture & design mag, Dwell (Dec/Jan 2006 issue). "For what?" you ask...

I guess when a pro skater works with a city architect a level of interest begins to brew. They take a brief look at the skate plaza in Kettering, OH and detail some of the background on how it came to be. Dwell didn't bust open any new info and they probably still know next to nothing about skateboarding, but they have exposed a huge group of people (everyone who reads their rag) to skateboarding and the possibilities that lie within building a skatepark or a park in which to skate - aka: a skate plaza.

How many architects have ever designed a skate park? How many stuffy modernist home owners know anything about skateboarding? If your answer was fairly close to zero, write a letter to Dwell thanking them for furthering the sk8 cause to parents of kid's who'd give a limb for a sk8 plaza in their town.

Go dig up your copy of Rob's Groundbreaking documentary (I know you have one - it was only $4) & that free promo DVD from Grindline and see if you can't stir up some interest in your hometown. While you're at it, pick up a copy of Dwell to wave in the face of those who think skating is only about skaters. Reference those NYT articles. Skateboarding is huge, but to the narrow minds of power, "huge" is a subjective quantity. I.E. if it doesn't make money, it isn't worth anything.

Changing minds and mind-sets is no easy task. Neither is learning to skate. You figured out the skateboard part, now tackle city hall. The Public Skatepark Development Guide will help out too. Sk8 or die!

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? As long as it's not copyright infringement, I guess it's not bad. But what about notoriety or celebrity? How do they measure up? Say you're a professional skateboarder and suddenly you're on the cover of fucking Life Magazine (like 1965 Woman's Skateboard Champion, Pattie McGee). That has to catch you off-guard. Recently Jamie Thomas was on the front page of the New York Times as was Lyn-z Adams Hawkins and Bob Burnquist in earlier articles. That's quite a departure from the average fucking sk8 rag, eh?

Leave it to Pro skater and reality TV star, Rob Dyrdek (of Mtv's "Rob & Big") to appear in an article in the modern architecture & design mag, Dwell (Dec/Jan 2006 issue). "For what?" you ask...

I guess when a pro skater works with a city architect a level of interest begins to brew. They take a brief look at the skate plaza in Kettering, OH and detail some of the background on how it came to be. Dwell didn't bust open any new info and they probably still don't know shit about skateboarding, but they have exposed a huge group of people (everyone who reads their fucking rag) to skateboarding and the possibilities that lie within building a skatepark or a park in which to skate - aka: a skate plaza.

How many architects have ever designed a skate park? How many stuffy modernist home owners know anything about skateboarding? If your answer was fairly close to zero, write a letter to Dwell thanking them for furthering the sk8 cause to parents of kid's who'd give a limb for a sk8 plaza in their fucking town.

Go dig up your copy of Rob's Groundbreaking documentary (I know you have one - it was only $4) & that free promo DVD from Grindline and see if you can't stir up some interest in your hometown. While you're at it, pick up a copy of Dwell to wave in the face of those fuckos who think skating is only about skaters. Reference those NYT articles. Skateboarding is huge, but to the narrow minds of power, "huge" is a subjective quantity. I.E. if it doesn't make money, it isn't worth shit.

Changing minds and mind-sets is no easy task. Neither is learning to skate. You figured out the fucking skateboard part, now tackle city hall. The Public Skatepark Development Guide will help out too. Sk8 or die!