On May 18, 2011at the 13th Annual Transworld Skateboarding Awards in Hollywood, the magazine will present the inaugural Eric Stricker Memorial Award to Miki Vuckuvich.
The award, which honors “individuals in the skateboarding industry that have shown a continued dedication to the positive growth, longevity, and love of skateboarding,” couldn’t have a more appropriate first recipient. Here’s a little of Miki’s background.
Miki was born and raised in San Jose, California, and a local skater at the Winchester Skatepark. When Winchester closed its doors in July of 1981, Miki persuaded his mom into moving to Del Mar, California, where the Skate Ranch was conveniently located. It was around this time Miki started shooting every photo class assignment at the Ranch with high school friend Tony Hawk. In ’82, Miki became the first-ever subscriber to TransWorld SKATEboarding, saving up 13 dollars of his allowance money. Miki then became a regular contributor to the pages of TransWorld SKATEboarding through the ’80s and ’90s. An accomplished photographer and writer, Miki traveled through Europe and Russia while still shooting extensively all through California. He then went on to become full-time editor of TransWorld Skate Business, director at On Video, and is now executive director at The Tony Hawk Foundation.
Congrats, Miki, and thanks. Follow the jump for more details. [click to continue…]
For a guy responsible for millions of kids sitting indoors all day playing video games, it is so quaint that Tony Hawk announced today (May 12, 2011) that he is launching a 24 volume series of SF adventure novels for kids 10 – 14 titled, Tony Hawk’s 900 Revolution with Capstone Publishing Group, according to a story on Publishers Weekly.
The series is inspired by Hawk’s feat, first accomplished in 1999: successfully completing in a competition a 2.5 revolution, 900 degree aerial spin on his skateboard. The premise behind the series is that when Hawk lands his initial 900-degree aerial spin, a mysterious force shatters his skateboard, catapulting pieces of it all over the world. A group of teenagers set out on a quest to collect the pieces of the magical skateboard, and put it together again, thus restoring its powers.
We’d get critical, but at this point anything that gets kids away from the video games is fine with us. Happy birthday, Tony!
The line-up for Ryan Sheckler’s Skate For A Cause presented by etnies and benefitting Autism Speaks on Saturday May 14, 2011 at the etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest, California looks pretty heavy. In fact it’s running 30 deep and includes pretty much everyone. Many of the skaters will be competing for $15,000 in prizes.
The Ball Park SkaterCross will start at noon with a $3,000 purse. The best trick contests will begin at 2 p.m. with $4,000 for the CCS best trick on tranny, $4,000 on the Red Bull tech center and $4,000 on the Power Balance stairs, rails and hubba section. . . Fans can experience the live skate action with VIP seating inside the etnies skatepark available for only $50.00 per ticket. Preferred seating in the bleachers outside the skatepark is also available for only $20.00 per ticket. Tickets can be purchased by visiting shecklerfoundation.org.
Now we know where the skate world will be on Saturday. Follow the jump for all the details. [click to continue…]
The funding comes after Super Heat said in February that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Japanese trading card giant Konami Digital Entertainment, which distributes the popular Yu-Gi-Oh collectible cards. Konami will be the sole distributor of Super Heat cards in North America and South America. . . “The action sports industry is one of the fastest growing youth segments in the U.S. We feel our Super Heat Skateboard Trading Card Game will appeal to a rapidly emerging audience of action sports enthusiasts,” said Robert Reynolds, the company’s chief executive.
The trading cards feature is solid line-up of pros including Bucky Lasek, Erik Elliington, Mark Appleyard, Geoff Rowley, Bob Burnquist, Steve Caballero, Christian Hosoi, and more. If kids are still playing card games, and not fiddling with their iPod touches, then this could be good.
Nyjah Huston slipped past Shane O’Neil and Chaz Ortiz to win the first stop of the 2011 Street League DC Pro Tour in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, May 8, 2011, and take home $165,000 in prize money.
Perhaps the most memorable moment was on Huston’s last attempt, when he landed a backside 270 nose bluntslide on the big section rail for the highest scoring trick of Street League to-date and ending the event as the crowd roared. With that trick, Huston also took home the Monster Energy Best Trick Award worth another $15,000.
During the Buffalo Bill Downhill skateboarding race, held yesterday May 8, 2011, in Golden, Colorado, former pro snowboarder Chris Pappas caught a helicopter crash on video, according to The Denver Channel.
The helicopter was being used to film the downhill race when it apparently got into trouble.
It was pretty windy,” Pappas said. “He came in close to the trees and then i think he lost control and the tail came out and then he just dropped the last 10 or 20 feet.”
Luckily, none of the four people in the helicopter nor anyone on the ground were injured.
Don’t think that Andrew Reynolds’ is letting big business get in the way of his skateboarding. As Stay Gold proved, the boss is still on top of the monster drops. Here’s a little more evidence for a Friday morning.
It appears that DC Shoes is progressing even more in the direction of becoming it’s own nation state with the unveiling of its new flag. While we originally had mistaken it for an updated Puerto Rican flag, it is nice to know DC is giving its fans something to wave during Street League events and (MMA brawls).
And in these terror ridden times DC has given it such an appropriate name––the Riot Flag.
Rob Dyrdek’s skateboarding 2011 street extravaganza kicks off this weekend (May 7-8, 2011) from Seattle, Washington’s Key Arena and anyone with an Internet connection can watch the Street League qualifiers LIVE on facebook. Saturday’s qualifier and Sunday’s last chance qualifier will be broadcast on the Street League Facebook page from 3 to 7 PST on Saturday and at noon on Sunday.
To watch the finals you’ll have to have ESPN (International viewers (and those who know how to pretend to be from outside the US) can catch the finals live on the DC Shoes Facebook page). Follow the jump for all the details. [click to continue…]
The day-long event will include an adaptive skateboard clinic for quadriplegics, paraplegics and amputees; a professional skate exhibition; and adaptive skate contest featuring a prize purse of $10,000. . . “They Will Skate Again” is a spin-off of Life Rolls On’s popular and award-winning adaptive surfing program “They Will Surf Again.” Through the platform of action sports, LRO helps individuals discover the limitless possibilities beyond paralysis. This is the second They Will Skate Again event hosted by Life Rolls On, which launched the program in March, 2010.
On May 18, 2011at the 13th Annual Transworld Skateboarding Awards in Hollywood, the magazine will present the inaugural Eric Stricker Memorial Award to Miki Vuckuvich. 
