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…]
Former pro snowboarder Andrew Crawford, 32, graduated from Kalispell, Montana’s Flathead Valley Community College this week with an AS degree in pre-engineering, according to a story in the Daily Interlake.
Crawford says he owes a debt of gratitude to Flathead Valley Community College and the support of his parents, Bill and Sue Crawford of Kalispell. His three years of hard work just helped him win a paid internship this summer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. . . “Over 5,000 kids apply for these and I got one,” he said. “I’m so excited. It’s the closest thing to a little kid’s dream coming true — to actually work for NASA.”
This summer, Crawdaddy can answer without lying: “Why yes, in fact, I am a rocket scientist.”
Mike Parillo is opening a new showing of his recent paintings titled Watch What You See at the CES/FA in Laguna Beach, California on May 20, 2011.
Observations and notations from current events, personalities, and places invoke a new series of paintings and mixed media work from Wyoming based artist Mike Parillo. Parillo’s report on the now comes in fragmented groups of work within one major body. Watch what you see is a social commentary conveying the artist’s fascination with various symbolic icons, locations and ideas from contemporary culture that have an indefinite resonating affect on his vision of the current global landscape.
Yes, Tyler Wright (pictured above) slayed Courtney Conlogue and Claire Bevilacqua in Round 1 Heat 1 of the 2011 Billabong Pro Rio and after a few falls Stephanie Gilmore finally got back into world champion form in the two to three-foot surf, but it was Alana Blanchard’s bronzed, bouncing buns bobbing between breaks that had the Internet buzzing.
“After watching Alana’s heat this am, I am fried,” said one fan. “My gosh. When in Rio do as the Rios do.”
Even the webcast camera operators seemed to find it hard to keep the coverage in the PG rated zone whenever Alana was in the water. They were constantly panning away, or zooming in on the back of her head while Alana was paddling out.
For her part, Alana looked pretty comfortable in her tiny Rip Curl Alana’s Closet bikini. After a third place finish in Round 1 behind Sofia Mulanovich and Coco Ho, she turned it up in Round 2 and soundly trounced Jessi Miley-Dyer 13.10 to 8.70.
The rest of the women’s Round 1 and 2 heats went pretty much as expected with the top seeds doing what they do. For the official word from the ASP, including not one word about Alana Blanchard, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Society is tough on the aging, white, American male. We’re not sure how this “52-fuckin’-year-old” Reno man ended up with the job of keeping snowboarders off the rails in this park, but if we were guessing we’d say it was a horrible string of divorces, bankruptcies, and years of substance abuse. Just watch and you’ll see what we mean.
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!
Today, French fashion giant PPR announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Transfer Holding, Inc. has begun the cash tender offer to slurp up all outstanding shares of Volcom common stock for $24.50 a share.
If all closing conditions are met, including the requirement that at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Volcom common stock (on a fully diluted basis) are tendered, any remaining shares not tendered will be converted into the right to receive the same consideration in cash in connection with a merger of Transfer Holding into Volcom. Following the transaction, Volcom will be a wholly owned subsidiary of PPR.
Not surprisingly, the Volcom board of directors has recommended that Volcom shareholders accept the offer. Looks like this deal is getting done. Time to wave Salut to the VeeCo. Follow the jump for all the nearly unintelligible details. [click to continue…]
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 Newport Beach, California City Council voted unanimously last night (May 10, 2011) to approve a zoning change that would allow iconic 50-year-old surf shop The Frog House to remain in its current location, according to a story in the Daily Pilot.
By unanimously approving a zoning change for the store’s West Newport property, the council caused cheers from the crowd. . . “I’m stoked,” shop owner T.K. Brimer said after the vote. “The city has treated us very well at every step.”
Dealing with City Hall is never easy. It is good see things working out well this time.
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. 
