Monday, December 5, 2011

CONTEST




Friday, October 7, 2011

Snaps - Brad Cantrell, Dylan Wynne

 Above - Brad Cantrell, Wallride Melon as shot by Chris Jolly

 Below - Dylan Wynne, as shot by Joe Puglisi


Monday, September 19, 2011

Friday, September 16, 2011

Nostalgia - Kids (1995)

1995 was a funny year for me. I was just starting high school. I was finally, for once, finding a comfortable group of friends to hang out with. Skateboarding has been a part of my life for as long as I remember, but it wasn’t until high school that I really felt like I could enjoy being around other people. Skateboarding had finally helped me find these people. Up until then, I was pretty much on my own. I had friends on an individual basis, of course. But not like this.
Together, we would sit around, talk, some of us learned how to smoke, or drink, or just do things we didn’t need to be doing in general. We’d watch skate videos and talk shit to each other, we’d go skateboarding, and we’d try to find girls to bring into the group so we could hook up with them. That’s how it worked, we were a tight group and we kept it that way.
      Saying that the film Kids portrays a life similar to my own youth may be a bit shocking to someone that may know me now, but didn’t then-and I get that. This movie is kinda fucked if you watch it from an adult perspective--especially if you are one of those adults that spent their youth on a cul-de-sac in a gated community. Sure, I wasn’t 12 years old smoking pot on the couch with my peers in a New York apartment, and my parents were pretty awesome people that kept an eye on me. But they gave me a lot of freedom to hang out with whomever I wanted, and trusted me to do the right thing. A lot of the time, I did. That’s not to say all my friends did. Skateboarders are a notoriously diverse group of people, after all.

       In Kids, Larry Clark paints a picture of a modern, realistic pair of teenagers much like any average teenager you might know today. They ride skateboards, smoke, lust after the opposite sex, and generally do whatever they can get away with. I remember my dad watching the movie and telling me that ‘those guys are a couple of shitheads’. They certainly were, but it’s not like I couldn't relate to them on some level. (Yikes.)

      If you want the basic plot of the story given to you, Kids is a story about what unsupervised young people are like in real life. It’s about AIDS, it’s about skateboarders hanging out, and it’s about tragedies in parenting. Some people refer to the film as a wake-up call to parents. I never saw it in that way, at least until just recently watching it again. When a guy explains how to roll a blunt to young teenagers openly in a city park in the film, I laughed. That’s where I learned how it was done—by watching the movie Kids. I now realize I could very well have learned it at the skate park.

     I’m straying from the point I meant to make, so let me tell you about the movie. ‘Kids’ is an honest, unsettling, but entirely engrossing film. When you watch it, at times, you could almost be convinced that you were watching a documentary about youth and AIDS. Or if you are a skateboarder, it's about some people you may know. You’ll dislike the main characters right from the get-go, and even more as the movie progresses. They are, as my dad so eloquently put it- “shit heads”. But if you really pay attention to what’s going on here, you may learn a thing or two from them. Kids certainly scared me straight for a while.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Lance Katz interview, Part 2

Lance Week is going into indefinite overtime. You got a problem with that? 
-Norm
The Lance Interview, Part 2. By Jordon Fink

When is the last time you landed a crooked grind?
It's probably been about 10 years haha maybe 2001ish?

How many consecutive years did you rock the bowl cut, and is there any chance of it ever making a comeback?
You didn't hear 2012 is the year of the bowl. I'm gonna bring that shit back hard.

Is it true that at one point you lived with no less than 6 chows?
Yeah it’s true, we had a pack of Chows in the backyard. Now I'm a borderline cat lady.

Who in your opinion has the best 360 flip in Jacksonville/ OP? You can't say yourself.
Well since I can't say me and Dorien doesn't live here anymore so I'll go with Pat I guess. He has that shit on lock.

How many Madrid boards have you skated in your life?
Probably 5 too many.

Why do you love them so much?
Because they were the only boards in the sale bin for a while haha.

Explain the origin of the "904".
The 50-50 to front lip slide which would later become the 666...

When's the last time you landed one?
The last time the street course at Kona was awesome.

You've amassed quite a collection of sneakers over the years. What’s your favorite skate shoe of all time?
DVS Revival or the DVS Getz 1 

Least favorite?
Matt Mumford Globes? For 10.00 they were pretty rad though.

How many guitars does your dad own?
I seriously think it’s in the mid-20s to 30s now.



Does he still rock his Denver Broncos Brian Griese jersey?
No but he rocks a Favre Green Bay Packers jersey sometimes.

What's the best fight ever to go down in pine tree plaza?
The one where the cop body slammed that guy into the glass right in front of the shop.

Handrails or ledges?
Ledges for sure, maybe Lance like 6 years ago would have took handrails.

Remember that time i got held at gunpoint by the clay county sheriff dept. in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot cause of you?
My bad. I knew this question was coming. I had a bottle of gin under my seat that night and I was only like 19 haha. Good looking out Deputy Hawkins.

You saw and were part of a lot of amazing things to go down at the now closed Board City. With that said, what's your top 3 funniest memories from the shop?
Dropping in the top of the stairs with the carpet board for sure. That time you turned the shop into a sports bar since we couldn't go anywhere to watch the Jags game. Remember when you made that steak for your birthday and you had that horrible necklace on? That was a good one too.

What's your favorite Mr. Butler story?
Ready to Rolls and the bear claw, throwing people out of helicopters... I see him walking down Drs. Lake sometimes, He's a legend.

Who would win in a cage match, Matt Werth or Andre the giant from GameStop?
I gotta go with Matt, Andre would be too slow. I could see Matt tiring him out and going in for the kill. If Andre was to catch Matt flush with a clean hit it could be over though.

Give me a good Dan K story.
Dan came over to my house one night a long time ago back when my dad was still drinking and he answered the door when Dan rang the doorbell next thing I know I go outside and Dan and my dad are karate fighting out in my front yard around like 11 at night.

What's the longest period you have ever gone without skating, since you've been skating?
A couple months.

Worst slam?
Broke my ribs skating that railroad bar down that loading dock and I slipped out doing that 50-50 and I thought I had shit myself.

Best basketball jersey you own? And by best I mean worst.
AK-47?

Better Board City team hookup, Hooters Wing parties or Ventures at cost?
Wing party, Remember that girl Chrissy used to like Isak and we told him she was young because she was around my age and we used to sing that Winger song to him "Seventeen"


More appalling waste of money, Osiris D3 2001's, or boy scout anything?

Boy scout stuff, D3's last forever.

Say you're in the middle of an intense game of carpet board skate, what's you're ender if it's T to T?
Widow maker.... Nuff said

Top 5 carpet boarders of all time?
You, Me, Chad, Sal and it’s a tie between Andy and Scott

Best non skate movie to watch at the shop when you were working/hanging out?
Star Wars, Rocky, Joe Dirt, Anchorman

What's scarier, Nazi zombies from hell, or riding in any car that Chad DeBerry is driving ever?
Chad driving, you can't pass and exit on the interstate and then put your car into reverse. What the fuck haha

Favorite skate video of all time?
Mega Future. Chad, C-Bach and I made one called Anthrax
one time that one was good.

What's the best deck you ever skated?
Wachovia colored shop deck.

Worst?
The shop deck I broke doing a nollie shuv it in the parking lot 5 minutes after I put it together.


who'd you rather have on your team during the apocalypse, predator Arnold, or running man Arnold?
Predator, That Arnold was a beast.

When's the last time you had a chicken tender sub?
It's been a while.

Top 3 Publix deli workers?
Russ, Tony and Ed

How many games of skate do you think you've played in the board city parking lot?
In the thousands. You and I have played the majority of them.


What's the longest game of skate you've ever played?
One with you I know that much.

Top 3 favorite OP skate spots of all time?
Grove Park, Toys R Us ledge, Board City Parking lot

What's your dream line at grove?
Back 180 nosegrind on one ledge then kickflip back tail on another

Hardest trick for you to do down the 6 at OP?
It had to have been hardflip.

If you could skate any spot during any era of skateboarding, what would it be and why?
I'd love to skate any spot with perfect yellow painted curbs

Top 5 favorite pro skaters of all time?

Kerry Getz, Stevie Williams, P-Rod, Koston, Reynolds
Top 5 favorite local skaters of all time?
Dorien, Pat, Ralph, Bruce and Wildman

It's Saturday night, and you got a date in 20 minutes, but there's been a rocky marathon on all day. Rock just got done training in the Russian snow, and Drago's talking shit. How long does it take for you decide to be indefinitely late for dinner?
The moment I turn my TV on and see that Rocky is on.

Top 5 Favorite Movies of all time?
The Last Dragon, Anchorman, C.H.U.D., Star Wars (All of them make one long movie), Rocky

Top 5 least favorite movies of all time?
Judge Dredd, Saw, Stay Alive, Plasterhead, The Corpse Grinders

Top 3 80's metal bands?
W.A.S.P, Maiden and Metallica (before they turned gay)


Greatest rapper of all time?
Big L
Worst rapper of all time?
Nate Sherwood

Why do you love the audio torture machine known as the Scorpions so much?
They make nothing but classic music...

What makes you laugh?
Anything that's really fucked up.

What's your favorite curse word?
fuck haha.

You got one day to live, what's going down?
I'd catch the first flight I could to LA and we would go do something with Muska....


Thanks man.

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Lance Katz Interview - LANCE WEEK 2K11

If there were such a thing as Mayors of Skateboarding, surely Lance Katz would be the Mayor of Orange Park. With a straightforward and blunt personality and a sense of humor to rival your favorite comedian, Lance is an individual you won’t soon forget. Interview by Duane Weeks.

Board City had obviously been around forever. There were like ten different eras during its time. Name your favorite era and explain why?

The big shop era will always be my favorite. I started riding for the shop in 1999 and I'll never forget Matt, Isak, Andy and Jordon taking care of Chad and I. I can't thank those guys enough, or the Butlers for being really cool to us also. Letting Chad and I work with Jordon and we would get decks or shirts or something else awesome. I also loved right when the shop moved next door and all the Boy Scouts stuff got 86'd. It was fucking awesome telling people they could no longer get pinewood derby kits or merit badge books. Last but not least the Jeremy/Chris era, those guys were awesome to me as well letting me get so involved behind the scenes and helping spread the word about the shop. I believe seeing the shop from both sides of the counter helped me get a good idea of the skate industry and helped me become the person I am today. Haha.

Who would you rather see skate in the flesh - Chad DeBerry circa 2004, or Pat Schaefer now? (Both were/are amazing)

Chad is my brother and all that and I was blessed to see them both in their respective primes. I have to go with Pat. That kid is amazing hands down.

The pair of Nikes that you are the most proud of and why?
That’s a tough one too; most likely it’s a pair that my ex-girlfriend/best friend/ future ex-wife/new roommate a Ms. Jenny Rodriguez purchased for me. Probably the Custom Wu-Tang Dunks... Only seven pairs made and I have the box marked 1 of 7. I'm totally proud of those.

Best story involving one or more of these people: Scott Mortimer, Isak Spoor and/or Chris Krabach.
I'm trying to think of a good story but I am slightly distracted because I'm answering these in the living room and my mom is watching Walker Texas Ranger… One time we were trampoline boarding at Krabach’s house and in mid trick I hit him in the dick with a tennis ball. One time I covered Isak’s car with Navigator truck stickers-that was pretty funny. There was also the time Chad and I wrapped his whole car in plastic wrap when we missed the Tampa trip. Watching Scott do 270s or 360s at Skateboard House was always awesome. There was the time Chad and I skated that Tampa contest and Jordon and Scott came down to watch and they got retarded drunk the night before, so they showed up feeling like shit. I was also really hyped on the guy at Treaty who launched out of a quarter pipe and he crushed me and he looked right at me and he said "get the fuck outta my way" Isak was also there for that one.

Why is the Lakeside ditch one of the best places to skate ever?
Because it’s the Lakeside Ditch, It's awesome. If you don't like it go fuck yourself. My Mom is still watching Walker; it is hard to stay focused...

Favorite Board City graphic that Jordon Fink did for the shop and why?
My favorite is probably the Jordan Board and the Corn Rows ad that Chris Thom had made.

Dream Board City Parking Lot Session...who is there?
Me, Jordon, Duane, Kevin, Isak, Chad, Andy Burr and probably Wolverine.

Best Big Lots purchase?
Two Steven Seagal Energy Drinks and a pair of Foster Grant Sunglasses and the 20.00 in fake tattoos for Jordon so he could dress up like Chris Thom.


If you could relive one day in your skating life so far, which one would it be and why?
The night at Kona I learned kickflip back tail shove it first try ever. Ask Isak.

What is the future of the Orange Park skate scene and how long will you be doing this?
I'm gonna rock this shit till the wheels fall off. The OP Skate scene is gonna be around a while with kids like Pat and David just killing it on the reg… Watch out for Santino and Evil Archie too, those kids are on the come up. Oh yeah and King of Flat Ground...

Most obscene t-shirt you own?
Probably the one that says FUCK BITCHES GET MONEY. Inside where it says FUCK BITCHES there is a girl naked spread eagle. It's a pretty rad shirt.

You have an awesome affinity for shitty horror movies. Best/Worst horror movie of all time is and why?
I might have to say C.H.U.D. or Plasterhead or Snakes on a Train or maybe Deadgirl, damn this is a tough one maybe Chopping Mall??? Youtube all of those movies and watch the previews then you can tell me.


Anything else you want to add?
First, I want to thank you Norm for doing this and Duane for asking me these questions. I've known you guys forever now. Norm I have some Test stickers if you want them, and Duane if I get a cd that happens to have Juke Box Hero on it and leave it in your car is it going to survive a car accident?


(Thanks, Lance. I’d love to have some of those Test stickers. –Norm)

Monday, August 15, 2011

Win Tickets to See the Birdhouse 2011 MIA to NYC Tour Courtesy of Kona


















Birdhouse MIA to NYC 2011 Tour Promo from Birdhouse on Vimeo.


Tony Hawk and the Birdhouse team are coming to town, and BusStop has some tickets to give away! All you need to do for your chance to win tickets to this demo is send an email to me here and tell me the best skateboard trick you've ever seen go down at Kona, and who did the trick. That's all! You have to hurry, time is running short!


Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Emerson Contest – July 30th, 2011

There is a right way to do a contest, and a wrong way to do a contest. If you want to know the right way to do a contest, ask Craig Lockwood. What Craig has created-with the help and support of some friends and the local industry guys-is something totally free to enter, totally fun to participate in, and totally rad in every way.

The concept behind the Emerson contest was as simple as you can get. It consisted of a few six-man heats, with one skater per heat heading toward the next round. Each round was a jam format, which means that there are 6 guys skating at once. It was hands down one of my favorite contests of all time. No bad vibes, no trouble, just a good time all around.

Thanks are certainly in order, so first off I’d like to say thanks to everyone who came. Most importantly. Thanks to Craig, who put the event together, and thanks to all of the sponsors of the event, including Duval Boards and Jordon Fink for the prizes, Martin Ramos from Kona Skatepark for helping out the announcers, Clyde Singleton for showing up and spicing up the commentary, and all the other personalities that were a part of this weekend’s event. Thanks to the guys from Moonshine Skateboards for showing up to grill hot dogs and burgers for everyone, totally free! We all owe you huge thanks for that. I can certainly appreciate their special brand of white lightning.
(inset - David Jordan)

You can check out more photos of the faces seen at the event here. Once again, thanks to everyone for a hugely successful event, and I love you all. (scroll down for more photos)


1st place - "Stackhouse" Marcus J.


Nick Blanco


Craig Clements



You can check out the rest of the photos on my flickr set here.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Skatepark Guide: Treaty Park / Robert-Laryn Skate Park in St. Augustine, FL


Treaty Park in St. Augustine is a rather large complex, containing multiple tennis courts, racquetball courts, baseball fields, a dog park, and most importantly the Robert-Laryn Skate Park. Built by Team Pain, this large transition-based park is great for experienced skateboarders, but also has a few things for the beginners and the intermediate skaters, too.


The park is mostly a bowled-edged tranny pit, with significant transitions on most sides, and fun a fun box/pyramid in the middle of the park. Since being built, the park has added handrails along the back edge, and a smaller beginner bowl near the entrance of the park.

Some of the main features of the park include a step up on the far side of the park with hubbas, a deep vert bowl in a left-hand kidney shape, and the beginner bowl. Some of the transitions show some wear beneath the coping, but it's nothing that should effect skaters with experience riding transition. I really don't have too much else to say about the park that can't be described with the pictures here.

The cost to skate the park is $1, which is payed at the skateshop at the entrance of the park. The shop itself seems to be pretty comprehensive, with multiple types of boards and accessories. I'm not sure whether helmets are required to skate the park, though I did see a couple of kids skating without them.

All in all, Treaty Park seems to be a pretty well rounded and fun place to skate. You can check the gallery of photos of the park here




View Skate Spots of Jacksonville in a larger map

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Skatepark Guide - Hamilton Upchurch Park in St Augustine, FL


If you’ve been to the Surf Station at Anastasia beach in the past couple of years, chances are you’ve seen Hamilton Upchurch Park. I don’t know much about the backstory of this place, but what I do know from the signs is that the park is free, and there are board, pads, and helmet rentals available at the Surf Station. I also know that the place is on the corner of Anastasia and Red Cox road. So there you have it. It’s a nice small cement park with Curved 2 tier bench, a bowled corner at the entrance, a quarterpipe, and some other random obstacles. 

For photos of the park, check out the Flickr gallery here













Snaps - Kyle Parisi

Sunday, June 12, 2011

10 Questions - Nick Blanco

Tell me your name and age.
Nick Blanco, I'm 19 years old.

Who are your sponsors?
8103 Clothing, Square One Skate shop, Ethics Wheels, and Expedition-One.

Tell me about where you are from.
Don't even get me started Haha. I'm from Jacksonville, FL and it blows.

What's an average day of skateboarding like for you?
On weekdays I work until 5 and then skate the park for a few hours until it gets dark. On weekends we slack hard and usually don’t skate until 5 anyways. Haha

Tell me about your favorite spots to skate.
The Playground in Atlanta is the most fun place I've ever been to by far. The old foundation spot in Atlanta was really fun, too.

Favorite contest you've skated in so far?
I hate contests more than anything. Tampa Am is crazy though just because of all the people you get to skate with.




Who are your favorite skaters to watch skate in person?
Peterson, Paul.

What is your favorite video part?
I have too many favorites, Haha. I'd say it's a tie between Tommy Fynn in Part and Parcel and Arto (Saari) in Menikmati

What do you usually do when you can't skate?
Indulge.

What are you going to do when you are done with this? 
Go to work and hate life.

Monday, May 30, 2011

10 Questions - Paul Hart

First off – tell me your name and age.
Paul Hart, and I am 17 years old.

Who are your sponsors?
8103clothing, Bones, Circa, Cliché, Vestal, Usko Collective, Kona, and Monavie

Where exactly are you from?
I’m from Ponte Vedra, FL.

Is it hard living in an area that's far away from your usual crew of homies?
It's not hard at all I just hate when my mom makes me drive the smart car. Haha.

What's your favorite type of obstacle to skate and why?
I would have to say ledges just because it's a good simple thing to skate with your friends.

Name your favorite city.
Boston




What video part hypes you up the most to go skate?
Andrew Reynolds’ Stay Gold Part for sure!!!

If you could have any sponsor (non-skateboarding brands included), who would it be?
Definitely Dove for men!

What's the coolest thing that's ever happened to you while skateboarding? 
I would have to say getting the January cover and interview of FORTHEKREW Mag. 

What are you going to do after this?
I'm out to school, haha!







Photo Cred: Skateparkoftampa.com, Trevor Stevens, respectively.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Snaps - Dorien & Ralph


Dorien and Ralph, OG J-Ville All-Stars.



Not exactly sure of the year on this one. Back in the early 2000s, there were a few contests held at what is now the night club called Plush. Primarily a miniramp jam which took place inside the club, in the later years a game of skate was added to the mix. What’s funny is that to the skaters, the game of skate was way more popular than what was going on inside the club – A mix of random rock-rap performers and skateboarding going down on a huge miniramp that filled the entire floor area of the club.

Another funny thing about this contest is that one of the bands was to play as the jam session on the ramp started. Good in theory, but for some reason the person running the lights thought that the only lighting in the place should be directed at the band. It happened so fast, so startlingly, that people skating at the time pretty much ate shit.
I’m not positive the name of the contest, but I believe it was something like ‘Skate Wars’. And that is pretty much all I remember about it.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Snaps - Andrew Langi @ Kona Skatepark





Photo: Craig Lockwood, as seen here.

Florida Bowlriders Cup 2011 - In Photos

Florida Bowlriders Cup 2011
Stop 2: Kona Skatepark



Riding a bowl is a hell of a thing. It’s one thing to learn to ride transition, learning to get speed without pushing, learning to utilize curved surfaces for momentum. But riding a bowl is another beast entirely. You have not only vertical tranny, but horizontal, too. This is why in my eyes, the pros who ride both roundwall and vert with skill are some of the best skaters in the business. I’m grateful for events like Florida Bowlriders, which celebrate the art of bowlriding. It might not be on ESPN during primetime, but to me, what goes down in the pool at Kona is about as real as
contest skateboarding gets.







Kona was the second and final stop of the Florida Bowlriders competition this year, and
just like last year, it was pretty exciting. The contest included an Am division, Ladies, Masters, and Pro. For me, the masters section was a highlight. Spectators got to see some familiar, long unseen faces and some familiar ones too. Buck Smith, Donnie Griffin, Mike McGill, Duane Peters (not skating @ Kona) and numerous others. It was a real treat. Kurt Baker took first for this years Masters Division at Kona.

As usual the pros were exciting to watch, with guys like Sky Siljig, Mikey O’friel, Pedro Barros, and Tim Johnson ripping it up. Standing out above the rest @ Kona was Nor Cal's Brad McClain.

For the rest of the photos from Kona, check out the Flickr collection here.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Snaps - Craig Lockwood


























You can see more shots from Craig on his Tumblr site located here.

Dennis Busenitz wins Tampa Pro 2011

Unfortunately I had to watch the whole thing from my computer at home, but even so, what an exciting webcast! You can check out the winning run in this video, or go to Skatepark of Tampa's website here for more information, including photo and videos from the weekend's events.


Dennis Busenitz Tampa Pro 2011 Winning Run from Rob Meronek on Vimeo.

Support your local scene ...!!! Ethics Wheels are available at Square One now ...!!! You can pick them up there or still purchase them online at www.Ethicswheels.com ...!!! New Blog coming soon for Ethics Wheels .com ...too ...!!!! So go get your roll on ...!!!