Chris Cole New Shoe Design

Chris Cole the image behind Fallen Footwear left and joined DC shoes last year. Earlier this year DC released a video promoting his shoe and what he though about making a shoe with DC. Chris Cole has been skateboarding for many years and has been one of my favorites since I was in high school. He has helped pushed the limits of skateboarding over the years and continues to do it with his new shoe model.

Camera Set Up (DSLR)

Skateboarding has been filmed for years and with new technology it is now easier to create high quality skateboarding video. A few years ago DSLR cameras where built with the capability of taking HD video and this has revolutionized the way videos are being shot.

First they are cheaper than most cinema camers and provide a cinema look. You can shoot in multiple frame rates 24fs, 30fs, and 60fs and the video size ranges from 720p to 1080p. You can also change out your lenses which allows for complete picture control. With a DSLR camera you can also hook up all your favorite attachments to help you record with ease.

My current setup is made up of a Canon 7D with a battery grip, a 28mm Canon lens, a 50mm Canon lens, and a x-grip handle made for filming extreme sports. Here is a picture off what is looks like.

A Rad Skateboarding Shop

If you are looking for good quality skateboard products and a chance to keep up with the local skate scene then you will want to check out the skateshop Kansas City.

Escapist is a skate shop that provides skateboarders with quality products and also houses an art gallery in one of their most recent locations. They also have a full team of local skateboards which includes home grown professional Saun Malto and the shop is run by people who skateboard.

Escapist also host a number of demos throughout the year and signings at select shop locations where kids get a chance to meet the pros. They recently premiered their newest skate video, "Red and Yellow" at the Uptown Theater and hosted a Zero demo this past Saturday.

Check out their website posted below to find out more!

www.escapistskateboarding.com

How To Get To Aberdeen, SD Skatepark

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Topeka, KS
1. Head east on SW 6th Ave toward SW Buchanan St   
0.3 mi
2. Turn left onto SW Taylor St   
0.5 mi
3. Turn right onto W 1st Ave   
0.2 mi
4. Turn left to merge onto I-70 W   
2.9 mi
5. Take exit 358A to merge onto US-75 N
Entering Nebraska
113 mi
6. Turn left onto NE-2 W/US-75 N/J Sterling Morton Beltway   
2.0 mi
7. Take the US-75 N/NE-2 BUS ramp to Nebraska City/Omaha   
0.2 mi
8. Keep left at the fork and merge onto US-75 N   
39.8 mi
9. Continue onto I-480 E
Entering Iowa
4.5 mi
10. Take the I-29 S/I-29 N exit toward Sioux City/Kansas City   
404 ft
11. Keep left at the fork and merge onto I-29 N   
17.9 mi
12. Slight left to stay on I-29 N
Entering South Dakota
258 mi
13. Take exit 177 for US-212   
0.3 mi
14. Turn left onto 9th Ave SE   
3.7 mi
15. Turn right onto S Dakota 20 W/10th St SW
Continue to follow S Dakota 20 W
27.5 mi
16. Turn right onto S Dakota 25 N   
17.3 mi
17. Turn left onto U.S. 12 W   
47.5 mi
18. Turn left onto 390th Ave/Melgaard Rd   
0.9 mi
19. Slight right toward 134th St/E Melgaard Rd   
0.2 mi
20. Continue straight onto 134th St/E Melgaard Rd
Continue to follow E Melgaard Rd
2.2 mi
   
Melgaard Park
Aberdeen, South Dakota

Getting Your First Skateboard (Podcast)

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IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE WORLD OF SKATEBOARDING PICKING OUT A NEW SKATEBOARD CAN BE A CHALLENGE. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR CHOICES.

THE FIRST THING YOU WILL WANT TO DO IS FIND A PLACE TO BUY QUALITY SKATEBOARD PRODUCTS. IF YOU JUST GO DOWN TO A TOY STORE YOU WILL BE THROWING AWAY YOUR MONEY.

THERE ARE TWO PLACES TO BUY SKATEBOARDS, AN ONLINE SKATEBOARDING WEBSITE OR A LOCAL SKATE SHOP. WHEN YOU BUY YOUR FIRST BOARD I WOULD RECOMMEND GOING TO YOUR LOCAL SKATE SHOP SO YOU CAN PHYSICALLY SEE WHAT YOU ARE GETTING. ONCE YOU HAVE DEVELOPED YOUR OWN PERSONALLY PREFERENCE BUYING ONLINE WOULD BE OK.

YOU WILL WANT TO SELECT A DECK WHICH IS THE WOODEN PART OF YOUR SKATEBOARD. DECKS COME IN SIZES FROM 7.5 INCHES TO 8.5 INCHES. I WOULD RECOMMEND A 7.75 IN BOARD FOR A BEGINNER. ONCE YOU HAVE ADVANCED A LITTLE BIT YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR SIZE PREFERENCE. THINGS THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR DECISION ARE SHOE SIZE, HEIGHT, AND TRICK STYLE.

AFTER YOU HAVE SELECTED YOUR DECK YOU WILL WANT TO PICK OUT A GOOD PAIR OF TRUCKS. THE TRUCKS ARE THE METAL AXLES THAT ATTACH THE WHEELS TO THE BOARD. THESE ALSO COME IN A VARIETY OF SIZES BUT YOU WILL WANT TO MATCH THEM WITH THE SIZE OF YOUR BOARD.

NEXT YOU WILL PICK OUT SOME WHEELS. WHEELS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE IN A HUGE VARIETY OF SIZES AND MATERIALS. SOME ARE SOFTER THAN OTHERS AND THIS IS IMPORTANT DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF TERRAIN YOU ARE SKATING. ALONG WITH THE WHEELS YOU WILL WANT TO PICK OUT A SET OF BEARINGS TO PLACE INSIDE THE WHEELS WHICH YOU WILL THEN ATTACH TO THE TRUCKS. YOU DON’T WANT TO START OUT WITH THE FASTEST BEARING BECAUSE YOU WON’T HAVE THE PROPER BALANCING AND IT WILL INCREASE YOU CHANCES OF FALLING.

AS YOU CAN TELL MOST OF THE STUFF YOU ARE GOING TO PICK OUT IS GOING TO VARY BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE SO ITS GOING TO TAKE YOU SOME TIME TO GET A BOARD THAT’S JUST RIGHT FOR YOU.

I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE BY USING WHAT I JUST BOUGHT FOR MY SKATEBOARD. I WILL ALSO GIVE YOU THE REASONS WHY I BOUGHT EACH COMPONENT.

I BOUGHT AN 8 INCH ZERO SKATEBOARD DECK I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE 8 INCHES IS THE PERFECT LENGTH FOR MY FEET WHEN DOING TRICKS. I MOSTLY DO RAIL AND LEDGE TRICKS SO HAVING A BIGGER BASE HELPS ME BALANCE AS I MOVE ALONG A LEDGE.

FOR TRUCKS I BOUGHT A SET OF BLACK TENSOR MAGNESIUM TRUCKS BECAUSE THEY ARE BUILT SOFTER AND LIGHTER THAN MOST OTHER TRUCKS. WHEN GRINDING THE METAL WEARS DOWN FASTER AND THERE IS LESS OF A CHANCE YOU WILL STICK TO A RAIL WHILE SLIDING ACROSS IT.

I GOT A SET OF 42-MILLIMETER WHEELS MADE BY SPITFIRE ACCOMPANIED BY REDS BONES BEARINGS. THE WHEELS ARE A LITTLE BIGGER THAN I USUALLY RIDE BUT THEY WERE ON SALE SO I SAVED A LITTLE MONEY. BUT THEY ARE CLOSE TO WHAT I RIDE WHICH IS USUALLY A 52 MILLIMETER WHEEL. THIS IS A MID RANGE WHEEL AND I LIKE IT BECAUSE THEY ARE BIG ENOUGH TO ROLL OVER TINY ROCKS BUT NOT TO HEAVY TO STOP YOUR BOARD FROM FAST MOVEMENT. THE RED BONES BEARINGS ARE A MID RANGE BEARING AND ARE VERY DURABLE I HAVE BEEN USING THEM FOR 7 YEARS NOW AND HAVE ONLY HAD 3 SETS BREAK AND I HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF BEARINGS. WATER WILL WEAR YOU BEARINGS OUT FASTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE SO AVOID WATER TO KEEP YOUR BEARINGS FRESH. YOU CAN ALSO AD A LITTLE DROP OF BEARING OIL FROM TIME TO TIME TO HELP MAKE THEM LAST LONGER.

SO THAT IS JUST A QUICK RUN THOUGH ON WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN PICKING OUT YOUR FIRST SKATEBOARD. REMEMBER IN THE END IT ALL COMES DOWN TO YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE SO GET OUT THERE AND START RIDING TODAY.

 

Skatepark Reopening

May 15th, 2012, 4:00pm, would officially mark the ribbon cutting and reopening of Penn Valley Skate Park in Kansas City, MO after it's recent expansion. The park also known as the Kansas City Skate Plaza, opened in late 2005 but remained incomplete due to funding until this year. Rob Dyrdek, professional skateboarder, Founder and President of Rob Dyrdek Foundation and Street League Skateboarding, donated $75,000 to complete the park. Also presenting and in attendance for the event were Mark L. McHenry, Director, Kansas City Missouri Parks and Recreation, Cindy Circo, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Kansas City, Missouri, and Jan Marcason, City Council, 4th District.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The park's new addition is comprised of obstacles used in last summer's Street League course held at the Sprint Center. The Rob Dyrdek Foundation founded in 2003, aims to strengthen  communities by promoting and providing assistance to develop, design, and construct safe and legal Skate Plazas as well as educational programs to encourage and promote skateboarding. The Penn Valley Skate Plaza marks the tenth "Safe Spot Skate Spot", that the Rob Dyrdek Foundation has completed which creates a safe and legal place for skateboarders to ride. The Skate Park is located at W. 29th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue in Penn Valley Park, not far from Escapist Skate Shop, a local hot spot for skate gear.

Joe Huggett A Legend On Skates

Life is different for everyone and following your dreams is something only some off us will do. On his way to the top Joe Huggett an Aggressive Inliner had to throw in the towel after a numerous injuries.

Huggett started rollerblading when he was 14 years old after finding an old pair of skates at his parents house. That Christmas he got a pair of professional blades and took to the streets to become one of the greatest rollerbladers in the Midwest.

Most people have never heard of him because he never wanted to be in the spotlight and when approached about a sponsorship he would prefer just to skate for fun than anything else. He placed in the top three a few times at the skate competition in Watertown, South Dakota but he was mainly know for his video parts featuring his signature front flip. 

Between the years of 2002 and 2006 he suffered a number of injuries that put an end to the dream that could have been for Huggett. The video featured shows just some of the footage he was collecting that never went to a final video. There is still talk about a video being released in the winter of 2012 that will have a special feature dedicated to the legend Joe Hugget.

Skateboarding Mobile App Brings Organization

Imagine your sponsor calls you and tells you that they have room for you in their upcoming video but you only have six months to film your footage. This is where Blackbook, a mobile application released on June 1rst, 2012, comes in handy.

Blackbook helps skateboarders organize skate spots, trick lists, and provides a mapping tool to help you get the most out of your skateboarding day. With this application you can organize multiple locations with pictures and tips about the spot so that you will always remember just what you need when the weather is perfect for filming. So when your sponsor calls wanting new footage you will already have everything mapped out, using Blackbook, you no longer have to really on decaying notebooks filled with scribbles and sketches.

Screen shots are taken from the ITunes Application Store. Buy here...  http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blackbook-skate/id503180439?mt=8

The Image on the top left shows the loading screen when you first launch the application. You are immediately taken to the image on the top right, which is the home screen, where you can create your first skate spot entry.

 

 

Once you have created a couple spots you can click on the list button (as shown in the photo on the top right) that will open a list of all the spots you have created. ( as shown in the photo on the lower left) Once you have decided on a place for you and your friends to skateboard you simply click on the map button and the application generates a Google Map with directions to the location. (as shown in the photo on the lower right)

This is just a breif overview of the many thing you can do with this application. It also allows you to add pictures and video, to put along side of your created spots, and give you a complete look at what you or your friends might be getting into.

The application was the brainchild of professional skateboarder Garrett Hill, who rides for Zero Skateboards. Thanks to him skateboarders of all ages can now film more efficiently due to his brilliant idea.

This is a photo of Garrett Hill, in Kansas City, going for a big tail slide on the ledge. 

Photo by: Mike G.