The Board Meeting: Saturday, April14th, 2012

Is it time for an lASC alternative...?

There's been a lot of talk these days about us, in the skateboard industry, creating some sort of "alternative" to IASC. Especially given some of the news that's coming out of Agenda, right now. Apparently, IASC has committed to a "new push... to make sure every genre of skateboarding is well-represented within IASC". I'm guessing that a lot of people are taking this as code for, "We finally want to capitalize on this whole 'longboard' trend, fifteen years after it became popular"...or, "We want a slice of that cash pie, fool!"... or, maybe even "We want to screw up longboarding the same way that we bastardized street skating"... or, whatever is making everybody so damned irritable at Agenda this week. Personally, I just thought it was funny- as usual. Like, "Oh, really?! That's cool. Where in the hell have you guys been for the last ten years...?!"

Oh, by the way: The show doesn't even start until tomorrow. So basically, we're still twelve hours away from the doors opening... and yet, IASC has already somehow managed to piss everybody off? Go, team...!



"The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) is the not-for-profit trade association of skateboarding. The mission of the IASC is to represent the global skateboarding community as a united force by listening, understanding and acting on the needs of skateboarders and the skateboard industry..."

- from www.skateboardiasc.org, IASC's website."Listening". I love that one...



So, yeah. It just might be time to finally put that last nail in the 'ol IASC coffin, and hammer that bitch home. But then, the question becomes: What's the alternative? Doesn't this industry of ours need some sort of "unified voice" representing it...? Well, if you ask most skaters (as well as most skateboard company owners), I think that the best answer that you'll get is, "Well... maybe".




"It is a group collection with the single aim of increasing skateboarding and Pushing Skateboarding Forward..."

- from www.skateboardiasc.org



The biggest problem is that, skateboarders (as a general rule) will only "organize" themselves in any sort of effective (and sustainable) manner, when they perceive that a genuine threat to the "greater good of skateboarding" is coming over the horizon. And then once that threat passes, they tend to immediately disorganize, and go along their merry way. This is the reality that, unfortunately, plagues most of skateboarding's "industry organizations" with ambivalence and indifference, leaving them unable (and unprepared) to act in a true time of crisis.




"IASC’s goals are to promote skateboarding, increase participation, save its members money, and educate. IASC serves it’s members and the skateboarding community by focusing on areas which affect not only the business, but the overall sustainability and health of skateboarding..."

- from www.skateboardiasc.org, IASC's website




IASC, today, apparently represents that "threat to the greater good of skateboarding" that is compelling everybody else to finally take action, and get organized. Which is sort of ironic, isn't it...? That our very own "trade group" that exists... on paper, at least... to "protect the better interests of skateboarding"... is the very thing that skateboarders (as well as, a whole lotta skateboard business owners) feel like they need to be protected from...? What does this say about our "industry leaders", and our industry...? Personally, I think it says that they're both epic fails.

As far as "alternatives" go... believe it or not, about five years ago, Michael Brooke (of Concrete Wave Magazine), AJ Kohn (of One Skateboard Co), Jeremy Welch (of TOC Skateshop), and I... we started brainstorming that very topic. We all recognized that, if IASC kept operating as a totally ineffective, highly secretive, perpetually blundering, and hopelessly out-of-touch "cool club"... that eventually, they'd probably ineffective, secret, blunder, or cool their asses either right out of existence, or straight into irrelevance. Or, worst of all: Both.

From those discussions, we came to a concept that we regularly refer to internally as "The Collective". Until now, The Collective has existed largely as an experiment... a "trial run", so to speak. It was established mostly as a troubleshooting exercise, to explore the possibilities of what any future "trade group" might look like. And what, if anything, it might actually accomplish.

What we finally ended up with, was a concept that might be best described as an "Un-organized, industry organization". At first, this might seem pretty confusing, and extremely counter-intuitive. If not, downright stupid. However, we all recognized that in order to come up with something that actually works... and works well, and effortlessly, long-term... that we might have to think pretty far "outside the box", in order to finally solve a few of the problems that are unique to skateboarding's culture, values, identity, and industry.

This week, I asked all of the guys (and gals) that took the idea from us, and ran with it... for permission to take the hard lessons that we've learned privately over the last five years, public. Nobody disagreed. So with that, this is a brief outline of what we've come up with as a sustainable and effective paradigm for what the future might hold. And given the toxic tone coming out of Agenda already, who knows? We might even see this materialize, and even expand, sooner than we think:


"Formed in 1995, IASC is a diverse group of skateboard manufacturers, distributors, contest organizers, private skateparks, and individuals. A collaboration of people passionate about skateboarding- with the single aim of protecting the integrity of skateboarding and pushing skateboarding forward on a global level..."

- from www.skateboardiasc.org, IASC's website



The Name

"The Collective" is simply a collection of like-minded individuals, and industry representatives, that are moving toward a set of common ambitions and goals. Not that unlike IASC, actually. Except, The Collective strives to be all-inclusive, and somewhat informal.

As for how the name came about... let's face facts: I'm not all that smart. So when I'm in doubt about these sorts of things, I do have a tendency to literally, go literal.



The Mission

The mission of The collective is pretty obvious, and it's not too unlike any other "trade group". Primarily, it serves as an industry-wide advocacy group that looks after the interests of... and, supports the success of... all of our members, as well as skateboarding, as a whole.

Nothing too fancy there.



Primary Function:

Essentially, as it stands today, The Collective is best summed up with two simple words: "Think Tank". It's an information conduit. Or, put another way: An idea brokerage. If people (or businesses) have problems, or questions? Then, we put them in touch with solutions, and answers.

Still, pretty simple.



Secondary Function:

To launch far-reaching, broad-based, and ongoing initiatives that work toward common goals.

At some point, I think that everyone involved with this decided that we just didn't need to look at IASC for any sort of "guidance", in terms of setting an agenda. Nor did we need their blessing, either. Really, all we needed to do was to figure out what we wanted to do, and then start moving on it. No permission necessary.

I think we turned a corner on that one. Instead of simply "reacting" to whatever IASC was doing at the time... we became a bit more pro-active, and started moving on our own accord. IASC at this point, became much less of an influence on what we were doing.

It only got better from there.



One Skateboarding, One Industry

One thing that has always baffled me, is why in the good grace of God we'd ever need two, competing "industry groups" working against each other. One being IASC, which largely represented the interests of the brands. And then BRA, on the other side of the fence, which represents the interests of the retailers. Aren't these two things part of the same industry...? If so: Why do we need two different groups, representing it...?

The Collective includes representatives from manufacturing, branding, distribution, retail, nonprofits, and media- all under one roof.

Likewise: Skateboarding also has a lot of "other organizations", that represent specialized interests within skateboarding. WFSA (World Freestyle Association), ISSA (International Slalom Skateboard Association), SPAUSA (Skatepark Association of the USA), SPS (Skaters For Public Skateparks)... the list goes on. All, representing some particular interest in the overall spectrum of skateboarding. But nothing that represents just "skateboarding".

We support all of these specialized groups... but, we also recognize the importance of having a larger, all-inclusive organization that represents the entire spectrum of skateboarding.




The Practical Problem of Herding Cats:

Skaters, as a rule, just don't like to be "organized". They don't really like being "members". And they sure as hell don't like the idea of having to pay cash "dues", in order to have a voice at the table, either. That's just bullshit. And, everybody knows it.

We simply solved the whole issue, by boldly eliminating all three.



Membership:

There is really no such thing as "membership" in The Collective. "Affiliation" is really a much better word for it. There's no forms to fill out, no hoops to jump through, no bullshit to wade around in, and no litmus test to pass. If you're in, then you're in. It's that simple.




What's better than "non-profit"...? "Non-revenue"...!

There are also no "membership dues". The only requirements are that you actively participate (generally, by bringing ideas and concepts to the table), and that you get something out of it (generally, by taking ideas away from the table).

The Collective can, and will, act as a "unified voice", if and when the need arises. But truth be told, that just doesn't happen very often.



Recognizing The Power Of The Individual Contribution

Likewise, The Collective rarely moves as a cohesive power bloc (except for The Board Meeting initiative). Rather, we tend to support individuals (in any way we can) that decide to take the initiative either entirely on their own, or as a part of a small group of Collective members, acting autonomously. Rarely do we take the time to build a broad-based consensus on any given initiative. In the fast-moving world of skateboarding, we found out the hard way that that's paralyzingly time-consuming.

Instead, we recognize that when individuals (or small groups) take the initiative upon themselves to do good stuff for skateboarding- everybody wins. And, we support that.



Transparency

One of the biggest frustrations that everybody seems to have with IASC, is that they are not "transparent" at all. They do not answer criticism- neither publicly, nor privately (maybe it's because they just get so much of it these days). IASC does not seem to seek out council from outside sources (unless it's from Harley-Davidson, of all places). This ultimately leads to inherent mistrust (or distrust- you choose). They certainly don't speak for "the rest of us". And even worse: When they do speak for "the rest of us", they're doing it by putting out horrible initiatives "in our name" ("Under Fire") that are universally hated (except, predictably, by the IASC members themselves).

The Collective simply believes in transparency, at all times. The Collective has a surprisingly liberal "open door policy". We read, and answer, all e-mails. Even critical ones. We answer all questions. And, The Collective is truly all-inclusive. There is no board, no president, no "insiders"... and thus, no "outsiders", either.



"Trade Shows: IASC takes an active role in helping you bring new products to market. Our partnership with ASR Trade Show will enhance your trade show experience with added discounts and on-site promotions. IASC will supply you with a list of the items available to your company while attending the ultimate showcase of the action sports and youth lifestyle market. IASC Members generally save the amount they pay in dues through discounts at our partner trade shows..."

- from www.skateboardiasc.org, IASC's website




The Board Meeting

This is an example of a Collective initiative, in action. This one was instigated by ASR's downfall, which naturally led straight to the question of, "What will the future of trade shows look like...?"

The clear winners were trade shows that would be all-inclusive (open to anybody and everybody), low-key, mellow, affordable, fun... and that could be easily (and quickly) organized by a very small handful of people. In short: This is totally DIY. Which is the way that skateboarding- and, the skateboard industry- should be. Doing It For Ourselves.

It is, after all, our industry. It seems only fitting that we run it in a manner that's consistent with the vibe, and the spirit, of skateboarding.



Communications

The best by-product of The Collective's ongoing efforts are simply more open, honest, effective, and beneficial lines of communication between the Collective affiliates. This is, after all, an exercise in building better relationships between people. This has been especially helpful in the ongoing dialogue between brands, and retailers. Respectful disagreements happen all the time (I've never argued with anybody more in my entire life, than I've argued with Michael Brooke over the last five years). But at least they're respectful. And the bonus of "getting along great" (most of the time) is absolutely priceless.



"Healthy Skateboarding Community = Healthy Skateboarding Business"

- from www.skateboardiasc.org, IASC's website



Is It Time...?

There's definitely a consensus building that IASC... and to a lesser extent, BRA... just aren't serving the needs of the overall skateboarding community any more. Priorities are all out of proportion, and far too many people are feeling like they're simply being shut out of the process. And the more that The Collective works, the more tenuous that IASC and BRA's futures become. They represent exclusions and restrictions.

The Collective, which fundamentally represents inclusion and freedom, is essentially the opposite of IASC.

I think that's an idea who's time has come.

Memo To IASC:

"Under Fire", Five Years Later

Five years ago this week, the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) released their now-infamous "Under Fire" report at the [now defunct] annual ASR trade show. You might remember it: It was the "initiative" that basically told kids that if they bought blanks (or shop decks), then they were committing some sort of cardinal sin against the skateboarding world...? Yeah, that's the one. Five Years Later, I decided it was high time to revisit "Under Fire", and to see where the skateboarding industry... and, IASC... are at, today.






This is the cover of the "Under Fire" report. For some strange reason, many of us in the media had a good six-month (or-so) head's up that this thing was coming out. Apparently, some of the biggest enemies that IASC will ever have, also happen to be members of IASC themselves... because us "media guys" had some really, really excellent sources with all sorts of crazy-ass "insider information" to share with us. Some of it was pretty damned funny, too. I do remember hearing something about a scheme that included having all of the IASC member brands putting some sort of "Professional Skateboard League" holograms on all "branded" skateboard decks(?!). Just so everybody would know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are indeed supporting "professionally approved skateboard products" when they buy a pro skateboard deck. As if the big-ass pro name splashed all over pro decks these days just isn't enough of a clue...

As bad as "Under Fire" was... in hindsight, I suppose that it really could've been much, much worse. Although at the time, that was pretty hard to imagine.

Even stranger: I personally recieved my copy (in the picture) from IASC's Executive Director (at the time), John Bernards, himself. I'm betting that, to this day, he probably regrets making that jughead move. How'd I even get into ASR, you ask...!? Oh, ummmm... well... I snuck in, incognito. That's the funny thing about "trade shows": The most important person in the whole damned industry... that is, the average kid that actually buys skateboards, and supports this industry with their hard-earned dollars... never seem to be invited to these things. Which means that the most valuable player in "the industry" doesn't even have a seat at the table, or a voice in the "dialog". Which has never made the slightest bit of sense to me. But, hey: At least I got in, right...?!

I've saved my copy over the years, just to remind myself that whatever "success" I might achieve, or how over-inflated my precious ego may become... no matter what, there are still things that only total fucking douchebags do.

Telling kids that they're somehow "evil" for buying the wrong skateboard being chief among them. Of course.

Kids: No matter what anybody tells you (even me)... the bottom line is that your life is still your life. And ultimately, you should do whatever you wanna do with it. The only person that you should ever have to answer to, is yourself. And never, ever, ever let anybody (even me) tell you any differently.






By far, the most "toxic" part of the report was the Dwindle ad that said, "make a statement" at the top, followed by a sentence that said "every time you purchase a blank deck you are saying:"... followed by a laundry-list of complete bullshit that you're supposedly "saying", whenever you buy a blank deck.

Now, I pointed out to IASC early on, that when kids buy blank skateboards... they're generally saying something along the lines of, "Dude! I totally wish I could afford a pro board... but, I just can't right now". Or, "If I don't buy a blank, I probably won't be able to skate at all for quite some time". Or sometimes even, "Skateboard companies are greedy assholes, so I'd much rather support nothing".

But, two things that I've never, ever heard anybody say... ever... is that "I buy blank skateboards, because I love rollerblades" (seventh one down, on the left), or "I buy blank skateboards, because I drink my own pee" (third one down, on the right).

As a kid that came from a single-parent household (read: poor) that actually had to buy a blank from time to time, just to be able to skate... I found this awfully offensive. Since then, I've basically boycotted IASC, and all of their member companies. And I've encouraged a whole lotta heads to do the same thing.






I always did love the "industry should be run by frat boys" quip. Shit, dude: I thought that IASC was run by "frat boys"...! What the...?

The strangest thing about it all, though, was that IASC never really said all that much, publicly, about any of this. Their main talking point was that all they were doing, was "creating a dialog" about the plight of those under-paid, and under-appreciated pro skateboarders that were suffering and starving at the hands of "The Evil Blank-Buyers". The fact that they pissed off an entire army of kids around the world, seemed to escape them entirely. Or maybe, they just didn't care...?

I, for one, have always thought that an apology might have been the appropriate thing to offer to all of those kids. Something that said, "Hey, look, we totally meant well... but man, we also completely fucked up the translation. We're really, really sorry about that". That would have been really cool, and sort of noble and kind of them to do.

Five years later, I'm still waiting...






"I donate to the nazi regime"...?! Guys. You can't be serious...

These days, IASC is but a shell of its former self. Bernards is long gone. IASC "initiatives" are few and far between. Shop decks (the other "target" of the "Under Fire" report) are an even bigger chunk of the market now, than they were back then. Longboarding has taken over as the "most popular" form of skateboarding, while virtually no "longboard" companies at all are IASC members. And lastly... whereas "blanks" were considered an "easy" target, because they "don't support skateboarders, and/or skateboarding"... five years later, IASC's biggest, current threat... by far... are those 10,000,000 small, skater-owned companies that are popping up like weeds, all over the place. And unlike "blank companies", those companies are actually run by skaters, that do contribute an awful lot to skateboarding. And those companies, almost to a man, despise IASC, and all that it stands for.

Even worse: There is movement happening, amongst these companies, to start their own "trade organization". To take on IASC toe-to-toe, and to do legitimately cool things for skateboarding. Many of these companies are taking the "initiative" on their own, and coming up with some super-creative stuff. We even have a "trade show" coming up in April, that is as far removed from the stale, old "ASR model" as you could possibly get.

It gets even worse, guys: There's more than one of these "DIY Trade Shows" in the works. I think that's awesome...! Let skaters run the trade shows, the way that skaters want to see them run. By, and for, skaters! Oh, my gawd. What a concept.

In short: The future of skateboarding is actually starting to look pretty damn bright. But not so much, if you're IASC.






A lot of people credit me, personally, as "The guy that brought down Under Fire". But honestly, this is a huge misnomer. I'm not comfortable with that description one damn bit. It's honestly giving a whole lotta credit, where credit is in no way due. Yeah, sure: I did write some pretty snappy "think pieces" (that's code, by the way, for "sufferably long-winded diatribes") about the whole shebang. But as we all know, "think pieces" don't go over particularly well amongst skateboarders.

But, "funny" sure as hell does...! Enter Neal Boyd, and his classicly-hysterical "spoof" website, titled "A World Without CEOS". It, too, is now long gone... forever lost to the fast-moving sands of internet history. But if anybody, anywhere deserves any "credit" at all for "killing" Under Fire, it's probably Neal.

I'd add: Along with the 50-gazillion everyday kids, that also thought that the whole "initiative" was total bullshit...

But in my life... even though I did practically nothing at all to advance the cause (outside of lending one more voice to the chorus of pissed-off voices)... it was still a pretty pivotal moment. One thing that I realized, is that this "initiative" was a carefully orchestrated effort between IASC, TransWorld Business, and Trans World Skateboarding (all of their logos are on the cover, as you can plainly see in the first photo of the article).

Before "Under Fire", I had never questioned the ethics, and the integrity of the skateboard media. But, I sure as hell started to after "Under Fire" came out. The fact the the media heads didn't somehow stand up for the average kid (aka,"their readers") ultimately inspired me to help create the Everything Skateboarding that we all love to hate, today. Just to even up those odds a little bit, right...?

Maybe most importantly: It pressured me to take a closer look at who, and what, I'm supporting, whenever I'm buying any kind of skateboard product. Who is this company...? What do they stand for...? Who owns it...? Where is this product made...? Are they IASC members...? And, finally... can I really trust these dudes to do what's right for skateboarding?

It's a hard lesson to learn... but in this industry, you can never be too careful. I learned that one from Under Fire, too.






This is one of Paul Schmitt's Q&A's in "Under Fire". In hindsight, I think that the question- and, the answer- speak volumes. First of all, the damned question doesn't even make any sense. "What would happen to the industry if there were no hardgoods skate companies"...?! Well, I guess there'd be nobody making skate hardgoods...?(?!)

I think they meant to say, "branded hardgoods skate companies". But, whatever.

Anyway... five years later, what's happened to IASC, and their member companies...? Under the guiding hand of IASC, their member hardgoods companies have lost their "core", slipped into being a "commodity product", and are largely sold in big-box stores (like Zumiez) that pump no promotion into the market, leading to a pretty un-excited customer. Exactly what "The Professor" professed. Simply amazing.

Now, compare that to your typical small, non-IASC company. Those brands are still hella "core", and are making some pretty unique products, that are still largely sold at independent retailers, that give their blood, sweat, and tears to make skateboarding a better place for everybody... which leads to quite a few happy kids.

I'm sorry, but why are we lining up to join IASC again...? To be a part of epic fails like this...?



So, IASC. My five-year-anniversary question is pretty simple: How'd that "dialog" end up workin' out for ya...?!

Busy Making New Artwork...

Every so often, I like to take a few days off to create some new, hand-drawn artwork for Everything Skateboarding. Since it's a long weekend for me... as well as a brand-new year... I figured it was time to put pen to paper, and have a little bit of fun with our "art direction"...





A lot of the artwork that I do, is loosely autobiographical. In this case, I found a self-poitrait that I'd sketched back in 1995... probably when I was in my senior year of college. In it, I'm doing a "tindy" air on my old Morrow Revert 154 (that even featured Switch Step-Ins!)... a real find, straight out of the 'ol archives. Just goes to show the cool shit that you can find, when you actually bother to unpack your boxes, and stay in one place for a little while.

By the way: I still own this board, and the corresponding Vans Axioms that go with it. I still take it out once in a while, too... and when I do, I feel like I'm 24 all over again.






I've been snowboarding since 1987, when my buddies first took me out on their old Sims Blades, Avalanches, and Barfoots. At first, I couldn't afford to do it regularly... that shit was pretty expensive back in the day (it still is, actually)... but as I grew older, I developed a real appreciation for snowboarding's "early days". I wanted to celebrate that this year, by drawing up a bunch of icons featuring notable snowboards from the past... this 1990 Burton Craig Kelly "Air" being one of my personal favorites of the series.






While I was at it, I wanted to bang out a quick "slalom" logo to go with Fatboy's slalom articles. If I'm gonna support something, I'm gonna do it all the way down to the icons that we use in the article footers. Note the difference betwen the "current day" self-poitrait, and the 1995 version above. This, kids, is where bad genes, pizza, Cokes, and cigarettes will ultimately take you: Fat, old, and balding. On the other hand: As long as you're still having fun, who really cares about the "fashion show" style-critics...? Clearly, I don't. And it shows, too.

Happy New Year...!

Although we're busy- as usual- goofing off, causing trouble, and having fun (which is exactly what you should be doing, too)... we wanted to say just a few words to close out 2011, and welcome in 2012.

For many of us, 2011 probably won't be seen as much of a banner year. "Bummer" might be a good word for it, though. Skateboarding, on the whole of it, seemed just a little bit stale, and flat. The industry continues to struggle with a whole host of issues... declining-to-flat sales figures only being one of the many (unless you're a longboard company... then, you're doing awesome!). "Leadership" is almost entirely nonexistent. Even in terms of the "bigger picture"... the economy still sucked. Joblessness and depression reigned. Politics stood at a stalemate, resulting in hopeless gridlock. Gas prices are pure lunacy. Global warming is rearing its ugly head again, in the form of snowless mountains and ski... no, make that "snowboard"... resorts.

Yet, when I look back at 2011... I have to admit, I see a pretty good year in the 'ol rearview. The difference, I think, is a question of motivation and priorities.

The truth of the matter is that, the future truly does belong to the ambitious, and the bold. "Ambition" and "boldness" are two things that I'm typically percieved to have an overabundance of. As do most of the dudes (and ladies) that I know, love, and have the pleasure of working with on a regular basis. When I look back on 2011, I see a lot of heads finally saying, "You know what? Enough of the bullshit...!", rolling up their sleeves, getting their hands dirty... and getting their heads, and their asses, in gear. Which is always a great, great thing to see... let alone, actually being a part of. Of course, some people do get left behind. Maybe they just don't have the gonads, or the spine, to take matters into their own hands, take charge, and take the lead. What can I say...? Life's rough, and Darwinism works...?

But if you take a hard look around, and open your eyes up enough... you'll see hope everywhere. I certainly do. Even through the turmoil, there's still some great shit to be found. Yes: Skateshops are dying all over the place. But, the few that remain are doing some killer stuff. Yes: Most media is made up of pure fluff, marketing hype, and gullible readership. But again, there are standouts that are doing truly remarkable things, making thier readers think (whether the readers actually want to think, or not, isn't really the point), and making a small, but significant, difference. Yes: Most skateboard companies are purely concerned with pumping out obsolete widgets in the interest of making a quick buck, and running for the bank. But, there's also a small handful of truly legitimate little companies coming out of the woodwork (literally), that are doing truly innovative things, and for all the right reasons. Yes: Everyone wants to make a dollar, and survive to make another dollar tomorrow. But, there are also people (and businesses) out there that aren't afraid to put their self-interests aside for a moment, and work together to protect skateboarding from those that would prefer to hijack the whole thing, strictly to advance their own interests, their own overly-developed egos, and their own profit margins.

So, sure. The future can look pretty shitty, if you want it to. But, it can also look really, really bright. Ultimately, it all depends on how you choose to look at it, and what you choose to do with it.

Here at Everything Skateboarding, I'm extremely lucky to have an extremely talented and intelligent group of incredibly good people around me at all times. That's where the question of "priorities" comes into play. If I had to make the choice between having a pile of cash, or the love and support of incredible friends around me... what would I do? Well, damn, man... everyone knows the answer to that one...! I'll take the "friends", every single time. Never falters, and never fails.

Here's why: When I'm old, broken, shriveled up, and on my death bed, waiting to pass on to the "other side"... I'm not gonna fuckin' remember how much money I made in any given year, or how well my stock portfolio performed, or what might (or might not) be chillin' in my bank account. At the end of the day, those things just don't matter very much, in the grand scheme of things. But, the memories of time well-spent with true friends, doing what we love to do... creating, snowboarding, skateboarding... wrecking shit... and then, starting the circle anew... and, having a total blast while doing it all... that's the best that you or I will ever get, pal. Sometimes, we forget that. And that's a damn shame. Never forget: Friends and Fun are Everything. And that's the truth.

Even all the money in the world, still can't buy the very best things in life.

So when you're out tonight, partying away 2011, and looking ahead to 2012... take a moment, and take a good look around. If you're wise enough, you'll clearly see that everything you'll ever need in life, will be right in front of you. In my case, that'll be some slush (masquerading as "snow"....)... a snowboard strapped to my feet... a cold Coke, a couple of (bummed) cigs, and a bottle of wine... a few friends... good times... and my sweetie, Kenda.

In short: I'm ringing in my 2012, in much the same way that I spent my 2011.

And in retrospect, that makes 2011 a damn good year that'll definitely be well worth remembering.

Have fun out there, be safe... and if you're drinking tonight, do me a favor: Designate a driver. Because starting off 2012 in a body bag is definitely not the way to go, bro.

Love you all, and we'll see you next week.






I'd like to take a quick second to recognize a few of the people that made 2011 such a banner year for Everything Skateboarding:

Michael Brooke of Concrete Wave Magazine, our media partner; Jack Smith, my boss at The Skateboarder's Journal; the Everything Skateboarding staff of editors, contributors, and advisers: AJ Kohn, Hans Lucas, Fatboy, Lew Ross, Aaron Ross, Husain Alfraid, Daniel Gesmer, Maria and Richie Carrasco, Michael Niemann, Richard Kirby, and Keith Gillogly; Perfect North Slopes, and Lonnie and Lindsay at Mount Bohemia; Terry Hertel of Hertel (Snowboard) Wax; Mark at 5150; Von at Sun Valley Sports, and Ron at Rusted Moon Outfitters (our snowboard techs); The Old Indy Skaters, and The Good Vibe Tribe; all of the advertisers and supporters... all of our retail partners... and of course, You... the readers.

There's also a few guys that have helped out this year in significant, but (largely) unseen ways that I feel deserve a quick word of "thanks". Those guys include Bob at Ollie's Skatepark in Florence, Kentucky (host of The Board Meeting 2012)... Blair "Slobbo" Watson at Skull and Bones... Jim Thiebaud at Deluxe Distribution... and Skip Engblom at Santa Monica Airlines.

Thank you all so very much.

The Board Meeting 2012 Update:

Happy Holidays to everybody that reads Everything Skateboarding. While I'm spending my time healing my back from a good 'ol snowboard/handrail slam, I figured it was high time for a Board Meeting 2012 update. Here goes:



"It's not 'my show'..."

First off: The classification that this whole shindig is somehow "my show", isn't entirely true. I'm merely facilitating the show, and helping with a little bit of the organization, and a few of the logistics. The show, though, is really "everybody's show". The people that attend will have the freedom, and the latitude, to do whatever they want... and in turn, make it truly "their show".

Which is exactly the way it should be.




Credentials and Invites:

"Everybody's Invited...!"

This is a concept that some folks seem to be having a really, really hard time with. I think a lot of it comes from people that have worked in the past with either the now-defunct ASR, or Agenda (the two prominent west-coast shows). Both ASR and Agenda are famous for making people jump through all sorts of hoops, fill out piles of paperwork, and cough up some serious "credentials"... as well as, a substantial pile of money... to get into their shows. And strangely enough, the most important person in the whole "industry" equation... that is, the average kid that actively supports our industry, by actually buying skateboards... is left uninvited at the door, or tossed out by "security" if and when they sneak into the show. And don't even get me started on "press passes"... which are seriously out of reach from any kind of "independent media", and require their own contrived and arbitrary set of cool-club credentials.

Look, man. This is the wrong way to run a "trade show", "industry summit", or whatever you wanna call it. I am not the self-appointed enforcer of some "cool club" litmus test, and I certainly don't want to make anybody feel less-than-welcome to the fun-fest. If you:

- Make skateboards,
- Sell skateboards,
- Buy skateboards,
- Ride skateboards,
- Write about skateboards (or skateboarding),
- Film skateboarding,
- Photograph skateboarding,
- Collect skateboards, or even
- Enjoy skateboards,

...then, consider yourself invited.

This clearly includes: All manufacturers, distributors, retailers, bloggers, filmers, photographers, 'zinesters, editors, publishers... and, most importantly, skaters.







As for the invites themselves: I'm all apologies here, everybody... but I just haven't had the time to reach out to everybody personally, and invite everybody all by myself. I promise, I'm not snubbing anybody...!

But if you're ever in doubt... just assume that you're invited (because you are), and feel absolutely free to show up.



IASC and BRA:

I've been asked a few times now, "Are IASC and BRA invited...?" The answers is, "Of course they are! Why wouldn't they be invited...?".

Once again: This is not my show. And, the show is open to everybody. This is a totally "inclusional" event. And I would be a damned hypocrite if I told anybody that they couldn't come, for any reason. But that's not my style, anyway. So, you'll never, ever hear that from me.

The same answer obviously applies to all IASC and BRA member companies and retailers.



"But I might not wanna go, if my jerkhead nemesis-competitor is going..."

I've heard this one, too. Too much. Which is unfortunate. Naturally, I don't think it's really a good idea for anybody's business. And I don't think it's really all that good for skateboarding, either.

Personally speaking: I fully believe that there are times when we all need to put our respective self-interests on hold, for the sake of promoting the interests of the "greater good of skateboarding". Hell, I've told a ton of people that I'll happily buy the entire IASC and BRA contingent a beer (or two, or three, or several, or whatever it takes...) when they get to Florence. That is, if they choose to come. And I sincerely hope that they do.

So: Why would I freely and willingly offer, at my own discretion, to happily and enthusiastically buy "my enemies" beers all f'n weekend long...?! Because the spirit, and the intention, of the damned show is "inclusion", folks. And if you're gonna set a standard, then you'd better be willing to stand tall, and stand by that shit.

Obviously: The beer-buy offer is open to all my friends, as well as my "enemies". As for me, I don't drink. But I'll happily accept cold Cokes all day long. If anybody cares, that is.

Bottom line? If you don't want to be here, because someone you don't like might also be here...? Then, you are truly missing out. I'm sorry. But it's the blunt and honest truth.








Shop Outreach:

We started mailing out direct mailers around November 15th to all midwest retailers... but we paused after Thanksgiving, and through The Holidays, so that the retailers could focus on their customers, undisturbed, throughout the busy holiday shopping season.

We'll resume the direct mailings, and start the follow-up invite calls, around January 15th.

Retailers that RSVP before April1st, 2012, get into the show for free. Please let us know which shop you're representing, and how many people there will be in your party.



Tables & Chairs:

Several vendors have asked if we could provide rental tables and chairs, for a nominal add-on fee. You asked, and we listened: We're looking into this, and we should have an answer after the first of the year. If you're an exhibitor that requires table(s) or chair(s), let us know asap, and we'll put you on the list.



First Come, First Pick, First Setup:

Again, because of old ASR and Agenda policies... many exhibitors have expressed worries about being cast off into some "un-cool, dark corner" somewhere if they don't meet our "cool credentials". Well, I'm a much bigger dork than you are, so I'm definitely not the guy to judge anybody's "cool-ness credentials". But for this show, space will be appropriated on a "first come, first pick, first setup" basis. To keep the entire process as fair, democratic, and balanced as possible for everybody.



Happy Holidays, everybody. See you next year...!


Questions? Concerns? Input? Advice? Hit it at budstratford@aol.com.

An Open Letter to BRA: Let'sGet Back To Basics

Every now and then, I get random "update" e-mails from the folks over at Board Retailers Association (BRA). How, or why, I ever got on their mailing list, I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it's because I had a pretty happy-go-lucky relationship with Melissa Clary when she was working there... I don't know. I just think it's kind of funny that they send e-mails to somebody, every month (that's me), that spends the better part of their time these days kicking them in the nuts.

But, I've gotta tell ya: I'm generally inclined to support BRA. Any organization who's mission it is to support the independent retailer, is automatically on my "good" side. It's not the mission where BRA continually fails. Their failures are almost always in transparency, and the execution of that mission.

Before I go any farther with this... you might wanna take a few minutes, and familiarize yourself with BRA, via their website. Especially if you're a skateshop owner... in that case, it's tedious (but mandatory) reading. The address is here:

http://www.boardretailers.org

But, be warned: You might wanna have a fistful of Advil right at hand, when you do. Because there's fucking acres of ridiculously confusing, and fully nauseating "industry-speak" on that damned website. A thesaurus, a dictionary, and a Bullshit-Babelfish would probably be pretty handy, too.





We go to some pretty extraordinary lengths around here, to show our support for the independent skateboard retailer. But at some point, the best "support" that you could ever give them, is to tell 'em like it is, and in a language that they can actually understand.



Let me address the "transparency problem" first. Ironically enough, BRA does go to some pretty extreme lengths, to be as transparent as possible. Obviously, given those acres of "hokey hubbub"all over the BRA website. So, again: It's not a lack of effort that's the problem. It's the execution. BRA is famous for doing a ton of fucking talking... but at the same time, saying absolutely nothing in the process. The first post that I saw on their blog, was a pretty convenient example of what I'm saying here:

"Huntington Beach, Calif. (October 25, 2011) – On Monday, October 24, more than 135 manufacturers and retailers reported for duty at Industry Boot Camp, co-presented by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) and Board Retailers Association (BRA). For the third time in the Boot Camp series, SIMA and BRA partnered to bring surf manufacturers and retailers together for educational seminars, roundtable discussions and valuable networking time. The ocean-front conference rooms at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif., were filled with attendees who were engaged in seminars that offered lessons on consumer research, web search optimization, marketing campaigns, public relations, media and driving sales. The event, sponsored by Surf Expo and UPS, was deemed a success by those in attendance..."


Now, here's the Bullshit-Babelfish Translation:

"We had an industry brouhaha at a swanky resort, and everybody thought it was pretty cool". This one sentence probably would have sufficed.





Idea: Instead of having these "retailer roundtables" in some swanky hotel/resort/spa/whatever somewhere... why don't we start having them right on the retailers' home turf, and in their backyards...? Maybe even at a place where we can keep our "real mission" in focus at all times: In a skatepark, where kids are actually skateboarding...?



But, I think the really telling part of that statement, is this:

"...engaged in seminars that offered lessons on consumer research, web search optimization, marketing campaigns, public relations, media, and driving sales..."


This, my friends and enemies, is precisely where BRA is dropping the ball. And this is exactly why I'm not inclined to support BRA, on an everyday, give-them-my-money sort of level.

The truth is, BRA does a hell of a lot for the average retailer. Membership- for a retailer- is a mere $99 a year. Included in that, are a ton of benefits that really go a long way to easing the burden of shop owners. There's a health and dental insurance benefit, for example, that's probably well worth the $99, all by itself, in today's shitty-ass health-care environment (where insurance is damn near mandatory, but nay impossible to get for any private individual orbusiness owner). There's a benefit from Electronic Transaction Systems Corporation (ETS) that promises to save retailers money on their credit-card-processing services. And there's a pretty kick-ass Freight Savings Plan (from FedEx, Roadway, and Yellow) that saves retailers all sorts of money on their shipping. I remember Jeff Harbaugh telling me one time, that retailers would be damned idiots for not joining BRA... just for the member savings alone. And for the most part, I concur with Jeff on this. They do some damn good work. It truly is impressive. That is: If you can actually understand what the hell it is that they're doing over there.

However, I don't think that the retailers really "get it". Nor are they particularly worried about saving money on shipping, or enrolling in a comprehensive dental plan these days. Not the retailers I know, at least. This is another place where BRA is failing on the execution: I simply think they're shooting way, way over the heads of the average "core retailer".















My personal photo album is literally filled with photos (from my many tours around the midwest) of skateshops (and skate parks) that "used to be here". Just a few of them, top, to bottom: Boards, Inc. (Richmond,Indiana); The Board Room (Columbus, Indiana); Adrenaline Zone (Louisville,Kentucky); and Just Ride (Muncie, Indiana). What is BRA doing to stop this menace from happening in your town...?



The core retailer's first and foremost goal in today's retail environment, is simply to survive. To keep the lights on, the shelves stocked, and to (hopefully) open the doors the next day. "Dying" is a very real concern for a lot of these shops. "Avoiding Dying", then, becomes the everyday, de-facto "Job One". And everything else... that is, "everything else that BRA offers, or even talks about"... becomes a bit of a distant-second-concern, by comparison.

Here at Everything Skateboarding, we've launched a broad-scale initiative, aimed directly at the core retailer, titled (simply enough) "Spotlight On The Independent Skateshop". It's an incredibly simple initiative that talks to shops... and, everybody else along the way... about where shops really need the help right now. And where they really need the help, is in getting back to the basics of what they're in business to do, how to do it well, and how to do it successfully. We focus over and over again on the simple stuff, like:

- Having the right product, in stock, at the right price.
- Knowing that product, and knowing it thoroughly.
- Always being cool to everybody that walks in their door (after all, anybody could be a customer...),
- Making positive investments in their local skate scenes, tokeepthose scenes growing, and
- Being diverse in their philosophies, and in the types of skating that they support. (Translated: Having a much bigger "worldview" of skateboarding than the "typical" skateboard shop, opening up thier customers'eyes to "alternative" forms of skating, and diversifying their shops, to truly become full-service skateboard shops).


And most importantly: We talk about these things in a language that damn near anybody with even a tiny fraction of a fucking brain, can still fully understand. Which is really important, because that also dutifully describes the editor of this damned magazine.






I think that BRA's biggest mistake, is to write these things off as "common knowledge", and ignore them altogether. In this, I would normally be inclined to whole-heartedly agree with BRA. These things really should be common knowledge. However, as the old saying goes: "Common knowledge just ain't so common anymore". Just because BRA (and I) think that they should be common knowledge, certainly doesn't mean that they actually are.

Most skate shops that go out of business, do so because they're blowing it on one (or usually, most) of these levels. As a direct answer to that reality, I'd encourage BRA to follow our lead, and make "Getting Back To Basics" a cornerstone of their 2012 initiatives. Everything Skateboarding is completely non-profit, and we don't enforce any sort of "copyright" around here. So, feel absolutely free to blatantly rip off, re-package, and re-use anything that you'd like. Hell: Steal the whole damned intitative if you want, we don't give a toss. We'd much rather see shops survive and thrive, then have ourselves look "cool", "visionary", or "having any sort of leadership skills". I don't give a damn about any of that stuff. I just want independent skateshops to stop going out of business. Nothing more, and nothing less.


If BRA could find a way to strip things down to "focusing on basic goals, and getting results"... and back that up with some fluff-free, straight talk... I'd totally support that. I'd happily... no wait, "enthusiastically"... no wait, "overjoyously"... send in my $99 to help the cause. And, I'd tell every skateshop that I know to do the same. And I don't even own a skate shop! But, it's a goal that's worth supporting. And I know a lot of heads that feel the same exact way.

The knock-on bonus would be that when some core skateshop calls you guys (and gals) up about becoming a member.. and they want to know what the advantages are, or what BRA is gonna do for them... you've got something tangible and hard-hitting, right at hand, that they can actually get their hands and heads around. Point them to the "Back To Basics" initiative, and simply say, "Read this. We've compiled this for you... and it's totally beneficial to you, and your shop... and you're not even a member yet." That's pretty powerful stuff. It could be compiled and posted on the BRA website once, and it's readily transparent, and accessible for posterity. And best of all, I think it would actually drive membership.

But most importantly, it would give BRA a renewed sense of focus in a world where the problems are multiplying, and the solutions are usually pretty fuzzy and impractical. Let's start with the easy stuff, and get that nailed down pat, first. We can talk about "acting as the primary voice and action group within the retail boardsports industry" when BRA actually has someting useful to say.

Likewise: Maybe we should put off worrying about shit like "factoring search optimization skills into social sites", "driving offline sales with location-based social and search tactics", and "encouraging consumer engagement, and driving user participation" for when we got the average core retailer off life support.

Best regards, and well wishes,


Bud Stratford
Publisher, Editor, and Chief Troublemaker,
Everything Skateboarding Magazine

www.everythingskateboardingmagazine.blogspot.com

A Public Service Announcement:

The Way It Outta Be:

Mailbox, December 2011:

"Mystery Shopping Zumiez" feedback:


Great article. Been telling the "core" skateshops [these things] for years, but to no avail. Keep at it.

Best regards,
Cedric Cornell



Our kind of letter...!:


Whats up, man! My name is [name deleted, for obvious reasons]. We met when Jeremy ran TOC in Terre Haute. Just thought I'd drop you an invite... any time you'd like to skate our indoor ramp. It's four feet [tall], sixteen feet wide, with a hip to a vert wall, and a six foot spine section. We work on ramp every Sunday. If you want directions, call me at [number also deleted, for obvious reasons].

The Freestyle Report: November/December 2011

Welcome to the December 2011 installment of "The Freestyle Report". The first bit of news that we have is a staffing change here at Everything Skateboarding. For the last couple of years, our freestyle correspondent has been our good friend AJ Kohn of One Skateboards, and Performance Tip Technologies.

A couple months ago, AJ asked if he could take on more ambitious projects here at Everything Skateboarding, and hand off the compiling of The Freestyle Report to the current World Freestyle Association (WFSA) Secretary, Hans Lucas. Of course, I'm totally cool with whatever AJ's cool with. So if AJ had confidence in Hans, then who in the world am I to say "no"...?

Turns out that Hans Lucas already does a monthly freestyle newsletter for the worldwide freestyle community. The plan was simple enough: Hans would put me on the WFSA mailing list; I'd edit the newsletter down, and clarify it a bit for our non-freestyling readers; and then, we'd simply publish the revised newsletter. Perfect...!

What follows are the highlights of the November and December newsletters (in that order). I'd like to take a moment, and thank AJ for all that he's contributed to Everything Skateboarding... as well as to Hans for coming on board, and being a part of the staff. You guys rock. Thanks so much.

Lastly: Everything Skateboarding remains committed to supporting flatland and freestyle skateboarding in any way that we can. Even though it's largely ignored by the "mainstream" media, freestyle remains a vibrant and growing community of skaters that are dedicated to their craft. They deserve recognition, and they deserve coverage. Freestyle's impact on modern street skating cannot be emphasized enough. And if you want to see what street skating will look like in ten to twenty years...? Then stay tuned to The Freestyle Report. Because the future happens here.

Enjoy...!



New WFSA Secretary 2012-2015:


Currently, Hans is the Secretary of the WFSA until the end of 2012. Last month, he said:

"I'm prepared to continue to be the Secretary from 2012, through 2015. But if you're confident that you are more experienced, or have better ideas, or more available time that could benefit the freestyle community... then I invite you to nominate yourself as a candidate. Of course, I will continue to support the new Secretary, the WFSA, and freestyle if I'm not re-elected...!"

This month, I got an update:

"Since there were no other candidates who nominated himself/herself before 1st December for WFSA Secretary 2012-2015, I am willing and able to continue this position for 4 more years with the same dedication as during the past 4 years..."

Congratulations, Hans, on your unchallenged re-election...!




Freestyle Links:

As part of his monthly freestyle reports, Hans sent over, like, a million YouTube links to various freestyle-related YouTube channels. These were, by far, the best parts of the November and December reports. Here's a few that I picked out for our readers:







Dan Garb does so many flip-in,flip-out pogo variations that it's almost dizzying. You can see more of Daniel Garb's YouTube Channel, here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Doom1213








Hans also sent over the link for Rodney Mullen Skate TV Channel, which is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RodneyMullenSkateTV

Here, you can find pretty much anything and everything "Rodney Mullen" that you'd ever want to know...

This clip is of Rodney Mullen's finals run at the NSA Munster, Germany, contest, circa 1990. Notice how the "freestyle area" is actually in the middle of the street course. A harbinger of things to come, perhaps...? The description says that this was his last freestyle contest...but I could've sworn that his "last" freestyle competition was the "Back To The City" contest in San Fran later that year.








This is WFSA Board Member, and The Freestyle Report cover-guy, Terry Synnott. Terry Synnott also hand-shapes and screenprints dedicated freestyle decks under his brand, "Mode", for freestylers all over the world. This is just a recent sampling of his work (below):














This is just the sort of thing that I love to get from Hans: Bruce Logan's "inductee profile" video for the Skateboarding Hall Of Fame and Museum in Simi Valley, California. If IASC keeps supporting the making of these sorts of archival documents, I might just have to start supporting 'em.









This just might be the very best thing in the entire WFSA Newsletter. It's a clip called "Unseen- Part 1" from some freestyle prodigy named Matt Galizia. I don't know who this Matt kid is... I've never even heard of him. Nor have I seen any of his footage. But if this is "Part 1", then I'm really kinda wondering where "Part 2" is, and when I'm gonna be able to check it out.









If you don't recognize who this is, don't worry- I'm about to tell you: It's legendary freestyler Rob Rodrigues, from New York City. In 1990, Rob was part of the "next wave" of freestylers that started going after Rodney's crown (along with peers like Cameron Martin). Rob had a bold, brash, street-influenced freestyling style. He skated fast, he skated smooth, and he made no apologies whatsoever for breaking the "freestyle mold". He was destined for great things... that is, until the NSA and Powell-Peralta (his sponsor at the time) permanently pulled the plug on freestyle forever. And then, poof: He was gone.

Rob's a true East Coast legend, in every sense of the word. His reputation was known everywhere- even to kids (like me) all the way up in New England.

Last year, I actually got to meet Rob at The Worlds in Philly. He wasn't skating much... apparently, he was too injured to make the comp last year. I was so, so bummed. Here I was, hanging out with the man... and I couldn't even watch him skate. Damn...

This year, though, Rob was back...! Skating! And that's always a great thing to see...









Here's some footage I found of Rob Rodrigues, circa 1990. Now, you know what I'm talking about. Check it out, man: Anybody that skates to "Axis: Bold as Love" is pretty fucking bad ass.

Do yourself a favor, and go learn how to skate like Rob. Now...!








Ahhhhh...! Joe Flemke. AJ warned me about this kid a couple years back. He described Flemke as a flatland machine, a singular talent, a total freestyle threat that skates faster than anybody else, and does completely ridiculous combinations of absolutely impossible stuff. Basically, the kid's nuts. And after watching this video three times back to back, and being horribly confused every single time, I must say that I'd have to agree.

You can probably guess that Joe won the US Championships in Philly this year. Well, you guessed right, kid. He did. And now, you can see why.









There was an extremely large Japanese presence at The Worlds in Philly a couple years back, and AJ explained to me a few weeks later (when I finally got around to asking) why that's the case: Freestyle is actually pretty popular in Japan. Oh, well... that does make perfectly good sense, now doesn't it...?! From what I saw, the Japanese blend a very "traditional" freestyle worldview, with a very smooth and precise execution, to create a strange, new, modern hybrid. This is Toshiaki Fujii from the Japanese feestyle video, "M80 Crossover". Yes: Even freestyle videos flourish in Japan...










... and Hidemi Ohishi, also from the "M80 Crossover" video. Check out how crazy fast this kid skates. Damn.




Upcoming Freestyle Events:
_______________________________________________


April 14th, 2012-

Freestyle demo, as a part of another event.

Ollie's Skatepark in Florence, KY (near Cincinnati, Ohio, USA)
Indoor flatland area - about as large as a full-size basketball court - with a polished concrete floor.



May 18th - 21st, 2012-

"The World Round-up":

A series of skating demos and a battle format.
Everybody can register for this, but only the top 30 freestylers can enter the event.
Cloverdale Curling Rink - Cloverdale Exhibition grounds, 6050A 176th Street, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada



June 21st, 2012-

"Go Skateboarding Day"

Create your own event to promote flatland and freestyle skateboarding.



July 7th - 8th, 2012-

World Championships 2012
(a.k.a. Freestyle BBQ Contest) Goldgrund Skatepark, Paderborn, Germany
Masters, girls, am, pro



July 6th - 8th, 2012:

NASS, Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, U.K.

This is a large 3-day annual extreme "relentless" sports festival and the entry fee includes free camping and free transport to the nearest train station (Castle Cary).
Format: Jam
Camping times: Fri 10am - Sun 6pm
Entry: £72.00 + booking fee



August 23rd - 27th, 2012:

Flatcamp 2012

Rollerskating rink, Schillerplatz, Schweinfurt, Germany





Welcome To America, Kilian...!






As our last bit of news for this month, we here at Everything Skateboarding would like to welcome Kilian Martin to America. Kilian made the voyage from his native homeland of Spain, to bright and sunny California on December 10th, to further pursue his skating career with Powell-Peralta. Hats off, buddy! We're glad to have ya...!




If you'd like your own, un-edited copy of the WFSA Newsletter sent to your e-mail in-box every month, simply send an empty e-mail to wfsa-join @ mylist.net. Hans will take care of you from there.



"Thank you...!"


Hans Lucas
WFSA Secretary
WFSA Mailinglist Administrator
World Freestyle Skateboard Association"



(For those that are curious, the WFSA web address is: www.wfsafreestyle.org)