If skateboarding were easy.. everyone whould be doing it.

Origninal Source: Antigravitypress.com

Skater Punks, an essay by Kathy Fish

Skater Punks You know exactly what I am talking about. We have all seen them: the thrashed skate boards with nightmarish graphics, the bizarre array of boxers peeking out of the ridiculously baggy pants, jewelry protruding from places previously only inhabited by the stray hair trying to avoid being plucked, that's right, the skater punks. They aren't just boys or men; girls who played dress up and Barbie have thrown off the perception of pale pink and purple and are clad in black, brown, army green or any drab variation of the ominous colors Generation X has chosen for their coat of arms. Young men and women dress the same, walk the same, skate the same and sport the same flippantly arrogant attitude. What on earth would possess the youth of our nation to dress, behave and mutilate themselves in such a manner? Have you ever seen an X-Games skate board competition? These people are amazing. Why would you waste that athleticism and agility on a sport that has nothing to offer but a bad reputation, injury and trouble with the law?

"Mom, I'm home! Guess where Grandma took me to today. We found a skateboard at a garage sale and we bought it for $2.00 and we went to the skate park. It is so cool. I met some new friends and they showed me some tricks. Grandma is going to take me back next week," Conner, my then six year old, excitedly gushed as he walked through the front door.

Fear and anger seized me. I didn't know who to yell at first. Conner, seeing the fierce look in my eyes, yelled, "Grandma made me do it!" In her quest to become "cool," grandma had been turned to the "dark side." In Benedict Arnold style, facing battle and guaranteed desecration of her sainthood, she caved, switched allegiances, and sold me out for the price of a smile. I couldn't trust her, or the vipers she was now "hangin" with. Disbelief engulfed me like a dark, damp heavy cloud. My ally was gone, deserted; I stood alone to bear accusations like "you don't understand," "my friends who have cool parents get to skate," "you're closed minded and prejudiced," "just because you're old doesn't mean you know everything." The verbal battle was in full array and the arrows were hitting their target.

I pause from the narration at this time to relate an observation that has come as a morbid dose of reality for me. You will all have the following experience, at one time or another, it is unavoidable. You will supply grandchildren for your parents who have shamelessly begged, bribed, pleaded and blackmailed you to procreate. By giving in to their pleas you will have equipped them with the opportunity to earn their sainthood. Then, watching you stagger from a near fatal battle wound, they will step forward, take the sword from your child's hand and drive the final blow straight through your heart. With this one act they will forever endear themselves to your offspring and irrevocably reveal their true alliances— with them, against you.

'You know honey, you really should come check out the skate park before you make your final decision," a woman I did not know, who bore a striking resemblance to my mother, cooed logically. I spun around, a cornered, wild animal sensing the battle to ensue. "How dare you...We have talked endlessly about the problems with the youth of today, not the least of which is the 'skater-tude'... I entrusted my child to you and this is where you take him?...I don't care if he asked you to, be the adult,...show some back bone. You never had a problem saying the word 'no' when I was his age." My emotional diatribe was unashamedly being ignored. The traitor smiled, winked at Conner and said over her shoulder as she turned to leave: "Conner and I would be happy to let you tag along next time." I was speechless.

Defeated, weary from the staunch defense of ideals and perceptions my faculties began to call an all out retreat. "What could it hurt to go?...are you really afraid of some skater punks?...ratify your assumptions...prove your perceptions...isn't Conner worth your time...are you seriously going to let a 70-year-old grandma be more open-minded than you?" Finally with a sigh of surrender, "I'll go."

As I walked up the dirt trail to the "bowls" I tried to not look as scared as I felt. At first glance all I could see was concrete. There are two large "bowls" that are side by side and have a small lip that connects them. The "track" is the ring around the outer edge of the cement that incorporates two large ramps for building speed for jumps. In the middle there is a crisscross design with stairs and rails for "grinding." The design was ingenious, not much space but lots of options.

Conner threw his board down, put on his helmet, and off he rolled; around the track, up and down the ramps over and over, his smile spreading wider and wider across his innocent face. "Hi Conner," called a tall stereotypical skater. I bristled, started to step forward and the icy stiletto fingers from my childhood grabbed my arm. Without a word my mom rescued Conner from certain social death. "Hi Grandma, who's your friend?" the skater called out. Introductions were made and the grip on my perceptions began to erode.

Then my fears were realized, Conner took a nasty spill trying to grind. His board was too "sticky" to slide on the metal rail and he landed on his elbow and hip. To my surprise the skater punk got there before Conner's over protective mom. He gently picked him up, asked if he was okay, looked to make sure there was no blood, and walked him over to sit down.

"Next time borrow some of my wax to rub on the rail so it slides," came the helpful suggestion from the "punk." I was dumbfounded. Where were the "flippantly arrogant attitudes," disrespectful indifference, and the scorching defiant eyes? "He'll be okay, don't worry," the punk said reassuringly. "Thanks" I mumbled. "Mom, you said you rode a skateboard when you were young, try mine, its fun." "You rode a board? How cool, hop on and see if you remember how to roll" the skater kid smiled. "I wish my parents did something cool like that, then maybe they would understand. You are lucky Conner."

I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or proud. My tattle-tale conscience reminded me of those ten minutes earlier I was reciting the evils of skateboarding to myself. I cautiously placed Conner's board down and assumed the stance. The wheels rolled slowly at first, then faster and my confidence began to build. The adrenaline rush was instant. The faster I went the more intoxicated I felt. What a rush. I could do this all day.

"Mom, could I have my board now?""One more time around," I pleaded as I rolled quickly by."Come on mom, it's my board." I slowed down and jumped off. Conner took off and yelled "Hey mom, watch this."

Teachers come in all shapes, sizes and wear all kinds of different clothes. From eight to eighteen to seventy there are many different people from diverse walks of life that can show us things about who we are, who we think we are and most importantly who we want to become. I didn't change my choice of clothes, music or friends, but my custom board and pierced belly button have raised some eyebrows and given me the opportunity to do a little teaching of my own.

Original Source: realskate.com

Improving Your Style - Now, about that outfit…

This is skate rock - The Faction

In the early '80s, skateboarders' reputations as artistic misfits and misunderstood troublemakers were growing. So was another cultural phenomenon: punk rock. The new sound meshed perfectly with the attitude of skateboarding. To both, the rules were simple: "There are no rules."

The faster and louder you skated or played, the better. It was a match made not in heaven but in the places where suburban kids who sucked at football and baseball congregated. You didn't just skate; you didn't just listen to punk. Skating and punk became your outlook. Your opinion. Your big middle finger to the status quo. It was your life.

The connection between punk rock and skateboarding is undeniable--a symbiotic relationship. You really can't have one without the other. Maybe it's the omnipresent boom box blaring from the deck of the half-pipe during the backyard ramp jam. Or over the PA at the skatepark. Or from the car stereo while a curb session is in full grind.

San Jose has a long and rich skateboard history, churning out some of the world's best pros. Steve Caballero was one of the top pros who put the city on the map in the early '80s, and he still rips today. Jeff Kendall, Mike Prosenko, John Fabriquer, Corey O'Brien (who started the San Jose-based Sonic Skateboards with brother Gavin) and countless other old-schoolers made the city proud with their talent on a skateboard.

And from that pool of artistic aggression surfaced the band that best represents the punk-skateboarding connection known as skate rock: the Faction. They were skateboarders, and they made music for skateboarding.

Though the lyrics of only two songs in their entire discography dealt explicitly with skating, the Faction was still the pioneering force in this punk rock offshoot. After all, they composed the quintessential skate-rock song, "Skate and Destroy."

The band was literally thrown together during breaks at the daily ramp jams in Caballero's San Jose backyard in 1982, and no one had a clue how far the Faction was going to go--or that two decades later, how skateboarding and punk rock would leap from subculture to pop culture.

In their brief existence, from 1982 to 1985, Caballero (bass, then later guitar), Gavin O'Brien (vocals), Ray Stevens (bass), Russ Wright (guitar) and Keith Rendon (drums)--along with former members Adam "Bomb" Segal (guitar) and Craig Bosch (drums)--toured the United States twice, recorded five records and played shows with fellow skate-rock legends JFA, Fear, Los Olvidados and Drunk Injuns (Stevens also played bass for the latter two).

After just three years, personalities began clashing over songwriting, and the fun was gone. So the Faction just broke up. "The band had run its course with Adam 'Bomb' Segal on guitar, and the direction he was trying to lead the band," Stevens says.

"We were all good friends," O'Brien adds, "but it wasn't fun anymore. It was no different from being at the end of a relationship that had run out of passion and understanding." In 1989, the band reunited for two sold-out shows at the Cactus Club (with local pro skater Jeff Kendall filling Segal's vacancy).

But a full-fledged reunion was still far off. O'Brien's life was too hectic, and he couldn't devote the time. For the next 10 years, Caballero and Stevens badgered O'Brien to get the group back together. When fellow San Jose punkers Los Olvidados reunited at the Rockin' Rob Dapello tribute show in March 2001, Los O's guitarist, Mike Fox, laid down the gauntlet to O'Brien, challenging him to get the Faction back together. Fox had done it; now it was O'Brien's turn. And he finally caved in.

"[Fox] ground me down for three days until I called Stevie and Ray," O'Brien recalls. "I told them I'd be willing to do it as long as there were no metal riffs in the band."

The band members were surprised to find themselves playing music together again. But the prophetic message on the back of the Epitaph (IM Records) album--the Faction's last release--read, "We'll be back." And indeed they are.

On July 14, 2001, the quintet stepped onto the stage together for the first time in 12 years. It was a sold-out reunion show at the Usual that looked like a who's who of San Jose skateboard and punk-rock lineage. The band killed it. That show was supposed to be just that--one show--but the Faction was having too much fun playing together again.

As a testament to its rekindled musical fire, the band is recording a new set of songs, just finishing the first session with longtime friend Randy Burk at his Stout Studios in Oakland. So far, the Faction has completed three new songs and one cover. And the guys couldn't be more stoked. While the old songs were strong, production quality (for virtually every early-'80s punk band) left a lot to be desired, the new tunes are full-on wall-of-guitar punk rock.

O'Brien says "Cut It Out" is about "waking up out of your reality distortion field and accepting life for what it is." "The Whistler" is inspired by an old joke his friends use to do on the phone. "Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?" is a cover song from the mockumentary Hardcore Logo, "probably the best rock & roll movie of all time," in O'Brien's opinion. The fourth song is as yet untitled.

In mid-August, the Faction traveled to Seattle to play the Hey Punk! Festival at the Experience Music Project Museum and, more importantly, celebrate their inclusion in the EMP's permanent section centered on something the Faction helped create: skate rock. Along with pictures and fliers, there's a video loop on a hanging television showing the Faction playing at CBGB's in New York on its 1985 U.S. tour.

"It really put things into perspective for me," O'Brien says. "Because I never felt the Faction was anything special. But the EMP thing was a sign of respect and recognition of our contribution to the scene."

This is an era of one-off reunion tours where homage is being paid not to the music but to the dollar. The Warped Tour ranks high in the top-grossing tours of the year along with Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" can be heard on mainstream radio (OPM had to pay Consolidated Skateboards' Alan Petersen to do all the skateboarding in their video. Read: not skate rock).

What is so refreshing and significant about the Faction's music? It is timeless. "Skate Harassment," "Tongue Like a Battering Ram," "AUK" and the rest of the Faction library could have been written last week. This is not some nostalgic throwback to the '80s, since the music and the lyrics are just as relevant today. Whether they're intending to or not, they're here to set the record straight. This is skate rock, and the Faction does it better than the rest. And they should. They invented it.

Original Source: Metro Active, By Paul Wotel

The Faction - The Godfathers of South Bay Punk and Skateboarding

The Faction was a hardcore punk rock band from Halloween 1982 until Halloween 1985. Coming from the heart of the once skateboarding capital of the world, (Thats San Jose, if you though I was talking San Francisco or Santa Cruz you're just wrong!) the band was one of the original "Skate Rock" bands whose music and lifestyle tastes centered on skateboarding and punk rock.

One of skateboarding's brightest stars for 20 plus years (he's been arguably the best all-around skateboarder in the world) played bass, and then guitar, in the Faction. Steve Caballero probably attracted a lot of young skateboarder's interest to the band, but the music kept us coming back for more, and he wasn't the only skater in the band. Singer Gavin O'Brien was a heavy local at the Winchester Skatepark and was more than able to hold his own in any session: vert, street, banks, whatever. Adam "Bomb" Segal's trademark high top Vans in all the bright, cool colors of the day had ollie holes on both shoes-the dude was doing switch tricks before anyone. He was a damn fine guitar player, too. Keith Rendon (drummer #1), Ray Stevens, II (bass) and Craig Bosch (drummer #2) were all accomplished skaters; Craig even has a trick named after him: the Bosch (a invert to blunt on a curb, ledge, etc).

But as much as the Faction were into skateboarding, they were just as much about playing loud and fast and heavy punk rock with an emphasis on guitars. The first lineup was Adam playing guitar, Steve playing bass, Keith on drums, and Gavin singing. I think Corey O'Brien had a pretty steady gig as the roadie, too. As a four piece, they recorded two 7" EPs, one LP, and songs for several comps, including the infamous Thrasher "Skate Rock" tape (vol.1) and LP (vol. 2). In 1984, Keith left the band, Craig came aboard, Stevie switched from bass to guitar, and Ray Stevens (who had played in such great bands as the Drunk Injuns and Los Olvidados, and more recently, the Clay Wheels) lent his bass skills. As a five piece, they recorded two more 12" EPs: "Dark Room" and the posthumous "Epitaph," with six songs each. Thirty-four songs in all, recorded over two and a half years, which progress from fairly simple fast thrash/punk to heavy and layered quality punk songs that are fast and loud and beautiful!

As Adam got more into heavy metal (Went on to form The Living End, which became The End), his influence on the guitar leads became more prevalent, but was just one of the factors that led to the band's breakup. It was a sad day in early November 1985, when they'd finaly broken up.

Faction shows were fun and chaotic, and all of us westside San Jose skaters were always up for them: they were an event not to be missed. We never missed one whenever they played in San Jose or SF. I won't go into how it was different then; if you weren't there, you wouldn't understand.

"Collection..." comes with a list of every Faction gig they ever played, including the three shows represented by four songs on the CD. "Spineless Majority" was one of my favorite songs, and they never recorded it in a studio, so we used it live from a Halloween 1984 show live in the studio at KFJC, the South Bay's dominant force in punk rock radio for at least 15 years, way before "it was safe," as Gavin put it in the liner notes. Ironically, that song is about being a free-thinker in a world of jocks, idiots, rednecks: the Spineless Majority. If you're into the history of hardcore/punk rock, it's all there: shows with Social Distortion, Void, Big Boys, JFA, Executioner, Corrosion of Conformity, the Melvins, Scream, Agent Orange, Aggression, Suicidal Tendencies, RKL, Code of Honor, Wasted Youth... the list goes on. Those bands were in good company.

The CD also has a dupe of the original Love 22 dollar bill which was found in a San Jose mall and started a mini phenomenon, plus lyrics to all 28 songs.

Longboarding, transportation trend among adults

"Hey, Dad, can I borrow your skateboard tonight?"

If that's a sentence you have never heard, you probably haven't heard of longboard skateboards. Longboards are the hottest thing in skateboarding for adults. At the basic level, longboards are exactly that: longer skateboards, from 42 to even 80 inches in length, compared with regular boards that are 30 to 38 inches. The biggest difference is these sidewalk surfboards are designed for comfortable riding, not X Games-type tricks on the halfpipe or at the skate park.

"A general rule of thumb is 'the longer the board, the older the rider,' " says Ken Perkins of Arbor Snowboards and Skateboards, whose Hawaii-influenced designs are among the most popular sold.

"It's not unusual to see 40-year-olds commuting on them. During the recent New York transit strike, I saw some Wall Street types riding their boards to work."

Longboards are more stable and smoother riding because the board is more flexible and the wheels are made of softer plastic, allowing them to roll over pebbles and rough concrete that could cause a trick boarder to crash.

"About 85% of skateboarders leave the sport by the time they reach 18," says Michael Brooke, publisher and editor of Concrete Wave, a magazine dedicated to longboarding. "The high attrition rate is due to the true difficulty of doing the tricks. They're very technical and sometimes dangerous."

In 1998, a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission study said 80% of the then-11.4 million U.S. skateboarders were under 18. Seven years later, a report by Transworld Skateboarding magazine said skaters 6 to 17 represented only half the nation's 16.4 million skateboarders. Hence the trend toward longboarding. It has become the No. 2-ranked skateboard activity in North America, according to a study by Label Networks, a Venice Beach, Calif., company that tracks youth culture trends. Street-style trick skating is first, and vert-park skating (half-pipe style tricks) is third.

"It is more utilitarian," Kathleen Gasperini, senior vice president of Label Networks, says of longboarding. "You can use it as transportation or have your dog pull you around the neighborhood.

"Girls (whose participation levels in longboarding are 2% higher than boys) love it because it is easier than dropping into a vert ramp and a lot more fun."

Transforming trends

As with regular skateboards, longboards have their gnarly roots in surfing. In the early 1600s, Hawaiian surfriders used 18- to 25-foot mahogany and balsa boards. The modern 8- to 12-foot surfboard emerged in the 1930s. Today's highly maneuverable plastic-foam boards are as small as 6 feet in length. Skateboarding went through a similar but more accelerated metamorphosis. Skateboarding was created in the late 1950s by bored surfers looking for something to do until wave conditions improved. They bolted skate wheels to planks and cruised beach roads and sidewalks, sometimes setting up slalom courses in parking lots. In the 1960s, however, Tony Alva and his merry band of Dogtown surfer-skaters developed a skateboarding style that mimicked the swooping cutback moves of real surfing. Boards got smaller to accommodate their use in empty swimming pools. This evolved into halfpipe ramps and street-skate parks that emphasized riding on rails and ledges.

"That's when they threw the baby out with the bathwater," Brooke says.

Long days journey

Today's longboards are a return to those early days of road riding and slalom racing. Some longboarders are even going to extremes, in a laid-back, longboard sort of way. Adam Colton and two of his friends rode their longboards nearly 3,000 miles from Newport, Ore., to his home in Springfield, Va., last year. They skated more than 50 miles a day and had to tape their sneakers with thick layers of duct tape to keep them from disintegrating.

"The key to the whole trip was switching legs to push off, otherwise I would have had one huge leg," Colton says.

Colton, 22, and associate Adam Stokowski, 21, also from Springfield, are taking longboards in a completely new direction by choreographing dance steps to be performed on them. They are also taping promotional videos for a line of longboards.

"I hurt my leg doing tricks," the lanky Stokowski says. "My parents are really happy that I'm able to make a living with longboards."

Parents aren't a visible component of trick skating, but Gasperini says longboards are giving the sport a cross-generational boost. "In longboarding, you now have parents who used to do vert riding skating with their young kids," she says. "This is the first time that has happened."

Original Source: USAToday

Jacksonville FL youth shreds!

Jacksnnville, FL – When Patterson Mohrman walks to the top of the 8-foot ramp at the skateboard park near Atlantic beach, everyone pays attention.That's because the four-year-old boy, who stands less than a foot taller than his skateboard, is the youngest in the crowd. "He saw a video and he wanted to skateboard," his mom, Colleen Mohrman told First Coast News. "We thought it was a little dangerous, but apparently he's got a little knack for it." Patterson has only been skateboarding since April, but already, he can drop 8-foot ramps and is working his way toward the 11-foot ramp. His talent doesn't go unnoticed at Skatelab, a private skateboarding park on Mayport Road. Patterson spends between six to eight hours a day there, everyday. "He's one of the youngest kids out here and he just skates his heart out and tries so hard and gets it done," said skateboarder Cory Newton. Skateboarding can be a dangerous sport, but Patterson's parents make sure he wears a helmet and all his protective pads. Patterson will compete in his first competition next Saturday at Skatelab. It's the DC Shoes Back-To-School-Jam competition. He will competing in the 10 years and under division. His dad, Brett Mohrman, says it's not about winning. "It's more about having fun than competition."

Original Source: Ashley Coleman - First Coast News

2007 Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship Recipients Announced

Philadelphia, PA - The 2007 recipients of the Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship, the nation's only college scholarship program for skateboarders, have been selected. The scholarships are awarded to students who have been activists for skateboarding in their communities.

$5000 scholarship to Wesley Canup presented by Activision/Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Wesley created a petition for a public skatepark in Calvert City, Ky. He lobbied City Council members, served on the skatepark committee, and helped with the plan and design of the Chris Bynum Skate Park. Wesley is an Eagle Scout and will attend the University of Louisville.

$1000 scholarship to Peter Danzig presented by The Tony Hawk Foundation Peter served as a student advisor to the Lamorinda, CA, Skate Park Committee He gives skate lessons to beginners at a camp he founded and often travels to Mexico to help build houses for families in need. He will attend San Francisco State University.

$1000 scholarship to Ross Cooper presented by Jones Soda Ross was the driving force behind the Sebring, Florida, public skatepark. He collected petitions, lobbied City Council, held fundraisers, and worked on designs and grants. He will attend Florida Southern College.

$1000 scholarship to Matthew Hubbard presented by The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) Matthew organized a fund-raising drive for a public skatepark in Cave City, AR. He lobbied and worked with City Council and received a national award for a video he made concerning the need for a public skatepark. He will attend the Art Institute of Seattle.

$1000 scholarship to Geoffrey Daily presented by The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) Geoff is the Supervisor of the Spokane Valley, WA, YMCA Skatepark, a park that he helped to design and build. An Eagle Scout, Geoff puts on demos, organizes park clean-ups and is very involved in his community. He will attend Spokane Falls Community College.

$1000 scholarship to Timothy McCormack presented by The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC)In memory of Tim's friend, Scott Reilly, he helped create a DVD called 'Students Skate for Scott'. Proceeds from this and other fundraisers were donated to a new public skatepark in Scott's name and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He will attend the University of Massachusetts.

$1000 scholarship to Alexander Haschen presented by The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) Starting at age 12, Alex created petitions and lobbied local politicians for a skatepark. He fundraised tirelessly until the Easton, MD, Skate Park was opened in 2004. He will attend Mount Saint Mary's University.

The Rebecca Westcott Award $1000 scholarship to Marlo Goldstein Marlo was the founder and president of her high school's Skateboard Club. She has been instrumental in the creation of a public skatepark in Wilmette, IL - lobbying, writing letters to newspapers, and working with the design firm to formulate a plan. She will attend the University of Illinois.

Skateboard Parks

In suburban areas and inner cities alike, all across the country, a large number of young athletes find themselves with no place to play. When they skate in public areas, wherever they can find the space, they often end up facing fines, possible arrest, confiscation of their boards or worse. Yet when these young people ask their local governments for skateparks where they can skate safely and legally, they are often dismissed without consideration and told they will never get their skatepark.

But, as many towns and cities are finding out, a skate park's value lies not only in the athletic opportunities it provides, but also in the community it creates. In Lynnwood, a tough neighborhood of Los Angeles, the recent construction of a skate park has allowed young people, who might otherwise be fighting with each other on the streets, to come together to enjoy a common interest. Kids are crossing neighborhood boundaries to find refuge in the park, which has yet to experience the violence seen outside its gates.

Local governments are reluctant to build parks for a variety of reasons: the feeling that skateboarding is not a legitimate sport; uneasiness over creating a place for young people to gather; fear of lawsuits and liability issues; and, in many cases, because of pressure on local governments not to build parks from special interests.

According to Heidi Lemmon, a mother of a skateboarder and a skatepark activist, anyone trying to get a park built in their town should plan to face these and other obstacles. Her organization, Skatepark Association of The United States of America, has revolutionized the process of getting skate parks built by teaching skaters and their supporters how to effectively work within the system and fight for skateparks in their communities.

For a long time, the very nature of skateboarding as individualistic and anti-establishment meant there was little organization within the sport. The introduction of leadership from skate park advocates like Heidi Lemmon has unified skaters around the country and given them focus. Her organization offers information and advice on how to deal with your local city council, how to qualify for a participating insurance plan for your park, the costs involved and how to raise that money, safety issues, where to find the best park designers and builders, and most importantly, how not to take "no" for an answer.

Skateboarding has been around for over 50 years. For much of that time it was an "underground" sport, forbidden in many places. Despite a resurgence of popularity in the 1980's and an estimated 9.5 million skateboarders in the United States today, skateboarding, up to now, has never been able to kick its outlaw image. Skateboarders continually suffer from that prejudice and as a result have a difficult time being taken seriously.

That may be changing as the number of skateboarders continues to increase. According to Jim Fitzpatrick of the International Association of Skateboard Companies, the results of the latest recreation and parks survey show that skateparks are the number one recreation request across the nation. It is not only skateboarders who benefit from the parks. In-line skaters and BMX freestyle riders also need a place where they can legally ride and practice their tricks. Skateparks are now finding ways to accommodate these athletes as well.

Of the approximately 400 parks in the country, over 300 have been built in the last year, most with guidance from SPAUSA, and all with a lot of persistence on the part of these young athletes and their parents. Not only has their hard work paid off in the form of a place to skate, they have learned valuable lessons about how their government works, the good and the bad. These kids have achieved their goal and learned that they can make things happen in their lives and in their communities.

Original Source: Paige Stoyer / momsteam.com

Clean those skateboard bearings!

You should clean your skateboard bearings if your bearings have slowed down, seem mucky, or if they make a gravely, scraping sound when you spin your wheels. To avoid getting to this point, you should clean your bearings fairly often, even when they are just a little dirty, or just haven't been cleaned in a long time. Cleaning your skateboard bearings like this from time to time will increase your bearing's lifespan, and improve your skateboarding experience.

First, you'll want to remove your skateboard bearings. You can clean your bearings without removing them, but you won't get them very clean that way. To clean your skateboard bearings well they will need to be removed from your skateboard wheels. If you are not sure how to do that, it’s quick and easy to figure out. But just check out our other post for info on how to remove bearings.

Next you will also need some rags, towels or paper towels. This will get messy, so if you are going to clean your bearings in the living room of your house, make sure you put down a lot of towels. And, you might not want to wear your favorite white shirt or other important clothes.

Get yourself some lubricant made for ball bearings; DO NOT use WD-40, or any other lubricant like it! WD-40 and other cheaper lubricants leave behind a film that actually collects dirt and dust. When I was young and impetuous I used WD-40 on my very first set of skateboard bearings, and they were garbage in a month. The key here is to clean your bearings with a lubricant made for it, you want the bearings lubed up, but you don't want any sticky film or residue left behind.

Hold the bearing, and using your can of lube, blast them thoroughly. Aim around the edges of the bearing, try to blast into every edge and opening you can find; also be sure to flip the bearings over and clean the other side. You should notice allot of dark and blackish, dirt coming out of the bearing. This means that they were really dirty and needed to be cleaned. So don't spare the lube and just keep blasting away at them. This is why you really want a lot of rags, towels, or news papers, under your work area.

Once the lube starts to look clear of the dirt you've cleaned the bearing enough, pat them with a towel or rag to get the excess lubricant off, and set them aside. They will tend to leak fluid for a bit so you'll want to set them on some more rags or towels. Be sure to get all 8 sets of bearings (two for each wheel).

Once you are done, you can let the bearings bleed and dry out a little if you would like. However, this isn't required! Next pop these fresh and clean bearings right back into your wheels, or into a new set of skateboard wheels, and go skate!

How to remove skateboard bearings

There are several reasons to remove your skateboard bearings; for cleaning or to replace them with some fresh new skateboard bearings. If your bearings don't spin quite as easily as they used to, or if they feel gritty, it might be time to perform some regular skateboard maintenance. Removing your skateboard bearings is fairly easy; however, there are a couple of tricks you should know.

Before beginning read through these instructions and be careful while taking the bearings out, it's easy to accidentally damage your wheels if you aren't careful. The only tools that you'll need are for the removal of your skateboard wheels, any skate tool or set of screw drivers and wrenches will do.

Begin by removing your skateboard's wheels. The easiest way to do this is with a handy skate tool, or a 1/2 inch socket wrench. If your skateboard had some kind of special bearing shields, you will need to remove these too.

Next, place the wheel slightly back on the skateboard trucks axle, just barely. You want to hook the tip of the axle inside the bearings, be sure that you are only letting it touch the bearing and not the wheel.

Now, slowly and gently, pry the wheel at a downward angle. The bearing should pop out of the wheel, but it might not want to right away. So be careful, and take it slow. If you pry on them too hard, you might just damage your bearing. However, if you are planning on replacing your bearings with brand new skateboard bearings, then give it all you got! Generally I recommend being gentle and taking your time, everything should be fine!

Once the bearing pops out, you are done! Repeat with all 8 bearings on your skateboard.

Pushing Mongo Bad?

You might be asking yourself, what is "pushing mongo"? Most skaters start pushing their new skateboards with their back foot, but sometimes skaters find it easier to push with their front foot instead. This is called "pushing mongo". Pushing mongo is alright, but it can be a bad habit if you plan on learning technical flip tricks.

It's tough to say that pushing mongo is "wrong"; we don't believe that there is a right or wrong way to skate, and if it works for you, then you should enjoy it! Besides you can be a big name skater and push mongo, if it's working for you, then go for it! However, if you are unsure and looking for someones opinion, then we would say it's usually better to push with your back foot. If you are just learning to skate, this is a good time to re-learn to push with your back foot. Pushing "mongo" can get in your way, with you having to shuffle your feet around before doing technical tricks. If, however, you have been pushing mongo for a long time, it can be a little more tricky to decide if you should switch or not.

There's nothing wrong with pushing with your front foot. At all. The only problem is that most skaters push with their back foot, and a lot of people agree that this is the better way. But, if you've already pushed with your front foot for a long time, and it's not getting in your way, then why not stick with it? So the answer to the question, "is it OK to push mongo?"; sure go for it. You can push mongo all you want. But, my advice is to push with your back foot. I think you'll be more stable, and be more quickly set up to do tricks. But, if you already push with your front foot and it's working for you, then why change?