To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Santa Cruz Skateboards the crew is getting together this weekend with a series of gatherings staring at 11 AM on Saturday, September 23, 2023 and culminating in the evening with a free show from Dinosaur Jr., according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
The third and final session will be held 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, where professional skaters will grind the park’s approximately 40-foot Mega Rail. The roster includes Steve Alba, Eric Dressen, Erick Winkowski, Emmanuel Guzman, Jake Wooten, Rob Pace, Fabiana Delfino, Kevin Braun, Blake Johnson, Justin Sommer, Nora Vasconcellos, Chris Cope, Yndiara Asp and many more. The skaters will also be on hand to autograph Santa Cruz Skateboards decks, which can be purchased at Threads.
Wonder if Rob Roskopp will be there? For all the details, please click the link.
Legendary skateboarder and businessman Jamie Thomas has teamed up with OTIS Eyewear on a new frame named The Outsider.
The Outsider draws inspiration from vintage frames, while adding bow tie temple pins as a nod to the classic fashion of the 60s. An unpolished finish on the nose bridge then brings out the personality of Jamie’s skate culture – raw and unrefined. The frame comes in two different sizes, offering a tailored fit in the hero dual tone colour or matte tortoise shell, plus a larger version in classic black and tortoise too. Every piece is made with optically correct, scratch-resistant mineral glass lenses, offering the clarity and focus Jamie demands of himself.
Look pretty nice, don’t they? For a look at the official line click here.
Rad sock makers Merge4 announce a new partnership with skateboarder Minna Stess.
The MERGE4 x Minna Stess collaboration will showcase art by Kayla Caballero, skateboard legend Steve Caballero’s daughter, designed exclusively for her. The design will feature bats and donuts on MERGE4’s performance socks. “I have always loved my MERGE4 fam, and they have always been so supportive of me since I was a little SF Bay Area skater. Having my own sock means a lot to me and I’m super stoked on it!“ Said Minna Stess.
For a better look at the new socks, plus all the others, please click the link. Or follow the jump for the official word.
Authentic Brands Group has officially completed its purchase of Boardriders (parent company to most every action sports brand you remember from your youth) for the alleged sale price of $1.25 billion and added a reported $1.4 billion to its annual sales totals, according to a blurb in Women’s Wear Daily.
In March, the brand development, marketing and entertainment firm inked a deal to acquire Boardriders, the parent of Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element, VonZipper, Honolua and Boardriders, for a reported $1.25 billion. At the time, Authentic had sales of $27.6 billion. . . The company said it would shortly begin to orchestrate its plan to “announce a roster of best-in-class partners around the world to help drive the brands in their next stage of growth.”
And to think, it all started for Jamie Salter with a little company called Kemper Snowboards. Ah, those were the days, weren’t they?
From the “whatever are they up to now” files comes this story of former pro skateboarder, artist, New Deal co-founder Andy Howell, his return to the Outer Banks in 2021, and the startup of his skateboarding x fishing brand Ghost Ship, from the pages of The Outer Banks Voice.
“Point blank, my best childhood memories are from here,” Howell told the Voice. “My dad taught me to fish the surf here, and I caught my first fish off the beach in Kitty Hawk. First time I ever stood up on a surfboard was in Kitty Hawk. My first surfboard was a Lightning Bolt from Secret Spot. The first skate park I ever skated as a kid in the late 70’s was Barney’s Concrete Curl. Those moments are so core to who I am.”
Ghost Ship is a “lifestyle brand specializing in skateboards, surfboards, fishing rods, apparel, and accessories that represent Outer Banks history and culture.” Click the link for all the details.
Yes, Tony Hawk skates back and forth in front of the Oceanside, California pier while singing Nine Inch Nails Wish (performed by a super group of rock players you might know). It sounds good and even features a suburban Trent Reznor sighting.
Through a new partnership Street League Skateboarding is streaming its content on Rumble, video home of pretty much every single right-wing nut job on the internet, according to a story in The Guardian.
“We are excited to partner with a growing platform like Rumble to create one truly global destination for action sports fans,” Thrill One CEO Joe Carr said in a March press release. “Our athletes have over 100 million social followers worldwide and that community will finally have the opportunity to watch every NRX and SLS event, live and free, for the first time.”
SLS will likely be right at home with Russell Brand, and fans of a certain former head of state. Ah, marketing!
It’s been a while, but it seems skateboard towing deaths will never go away. The family of Liam McGuire, a 16-year-old skateboarder from Manlius, New York, won’t be the same after he hung on to the side of his best friend’s car and fell, hitting his head. He died four days later on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
Liam touched many people. Family and friends gathered Sunday at a vigil in the neighborhood to share stories about him. That’s where one woman shared how Liam spent hours teaching her to snowboard. . . Liam’s best friend was driving the car that Liam was holding on to when he fell. Liam’s family said the friend and his family stopped by the hospital several times.
Horrible reminder that skateboard towing rarely ends well. Don’t do it.
Authentic Brands Group has officially completed its purchase of Boardriders (parent company to most every action sports brand you remember from your youth) for the alleged sale price of $1.25 billion and added a reported $1.4 billion to its annual sales totals, according to a blurb in 
