Weak Boards

Over the past several years, I had a tough time finding time to skate. I had an Alien Pappalardo board that I got off ebay back in 2004 and I rode that until this summer. When I was driving back from Mexico through the States, I picked up a new Habitat deck and set up some new 53mm Guy Mariano soccer wheels that I had laying around since 2001. First session... cracked it. 360 flip on flat. Second session... cracked even more. 360 flip on flat. Definitely not happy. One Alien/Habitat board lasts 4 years. Another barely makes it past 2 sessions. It's gotta be one of my biggest pet peeves. Set up a brand spankin' new deck only to have it crack or break after a day.

Blind Skull and Banana

Blinds classic board series dissing Powell. Another step in the rise of the Rocco skateboard takeover of the early 90's. Another series drawn by Marc McKee.

5 putts

Peter Hanson 5 putted the 10th hole at the Open Championship last weekend. Three of which were within 2 feet. Ouch.

Recycled Golf Balls

On Ebay, there are many resellers of used golf balls. One company in particular, lostgolfballs, has the best quality I have seen. Their 1st quality look brand new. If you live outside of the States, you're out of luck as their international shipping is ridiculous. Another company that I've used in the past is Knetgolf. They do ship to both Canada and the USA but the quality of their highest ball rating is much much less than lostgolfballs. I don't recommend Knet. Just this past week, I ordered from GolfBallPlanet. Their highest rated balls (mint) are great. Definitely much better than Knet. They ship to both Canada and the USA. All of these companies have websites outside of Ebay and you can order from them directly. I've been using reclaimed balls for the past year and I can't notice a difference between them and new ones in terms of performance.

Hail Rocco

When these boards first came out, they were referred to as the Hail Rocco series. I had the 1984 Shiloh board. Unfortunately, I cracked it within the first few sessions. It was a sweet shape for sure. For some reason, I rode a lot of Shiloh boards back in those days. Art by Sean Cliver and Marc McKee.

Maloof Money Cup Footage

I didn't even know this thing was happening until I ran across it on RobBrink.com. Holy crap this 3 minute clip is insane. $100,000 to the winner of the street contest. Jam format. CBS is airing the contest on Sunday July 20th, noon Pacific time. It's about time that pros get some serious dough for a contest win. More footage at Transworld's website.

F^cked Up Blind Kids

Blind was the shit in those years. Classic board series. Drawn by Marc McKee.

Cheap skate shoes @ shoes.com

On the second Saturday of every month, shoes.com has an insane sale up to 60% off. This is an example of what I saw yesterday. You can also use the coupon code julysave to save an additional 15% on your entire order. They carry pretty much all the major brands such as Lakai, DVS, DC, I-Path, Etnies, Emerica, éS etc. Next time it happens is August 9th.

Hubba Hideout

This little feature on Hubba Hideout is a nice 10 minute clip.

Lakai Koston Bogey Shoe Sale $39.99

I posted about the Koston Bogey Selects in an earlier post. Active Mail Order is currently offering them for $39.99. Get 'em while they're available.

World Industries Stickorama

World Industries with a really original concept for a board. Empty street graphic and you get a bunch of stickers to make your own graphics. I had one back in the day that I ordered from some mail order place cuz no shops in my area carried it. I snapped it in a few weeks. I think it was the first board I ever broke. The artist was Marc McKee.

Urethane

Urethane skateboard wheels have been around since the 70's. Back then, professional golfers were using balata covered balls. Only in the 90's did golf ball manufacturers start using urethane. An example of skateboarding being one step ahead.

Happy Canada Day

If you haven't experienced Canada Day in the Nation's Capital, you haven't celebrated it proper. Ottawa has produced plenty of skateboard industry talent. Going back to the late 80's/early 90's, Tony Ferguson was getting flow from H-Street and then became the first am on Real, had a full part in Plan B's Virtual Reality and turned pro for Girl. Jody Morris went from Boardwalk skate shop employee to photographer for all the major skateboard magazines. Rick McCrank grew up skating in Ottawa, got sponsored by a Canadian company called Cherrybomb's when he moved out west and subsequently moved on to Birdhouse, Plan B and Girl. Gailea Momolu rode for local shop On Deck, who put him on their board company District and eventually moved on to Darkstar. Wade Desarmo honed his skill in Ottawa and DGK picked him up several years ago. Paul Trep and Richard Sarrazin are two others from Ottawa who have done well.