Introducing the Flybar 3-in-1 Skate Trainer, a less elegant version of a concept we’ve seen once or twice before, but hey, it’s been almost 10 years since the original product appeared, and almost 5 since it apparently failed, because you can’t find these for sale anymore and the domain name has expired. This version may look like it exists in renders only, but it’s a real product that you can buy at places like Walmart. In a paradigm shifting development in the multi-use board industry, Flybar adds stationary trucks for ollie training. Hardcore scooter and bouncing enthusiasts may find this a deal breaker. If you’re familiar with the Flybar brand, chances are you’ve seen or used one of their many bumper cars, animal hoppers, hopper balls, “antsy pants” systems, scooters, swurfers, pogo sticks or even pogo stick trainers. It’s OK, we won’t tell anyone. They also make conventional skateboards that are about 80% cheaper than this $50 setup, so you know they are good.
Way back in the 2000’s Skaters for Portland Skateparks (SPS) started organizing to get a proper city-built public skatepark built in the city of Portland. At the time we had Burnside and funky, poorly designed and constructed Army Corp of Engineers Park in a part of town that was technically Portland, but was isolated on the outskirts of an industrial area that eventually leads to shipping terminals. I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly there was some money to rebuild Pier Park. SPS had an ally high up inside the Mayor’s office staff in skateboarder Tom Miller. He and SPS were pushing for a system of skateparks for Portland instead of just the one. I thought the plan was a little bit naive and was possibly going to blow the opportunity to get anything out of the city. Fortunately for the skateboarding community of Portland, Tom did not suffer from my lack of vision. We did end up getting several skateparks out of the proposed system of 20. This one near the Steel Bridge was always going to be the biggest of the lot, and the most complicated to get approved. It took a long time, and frankly most assumed the deal was dead. In a city with a $615M backlog in repairs, somehow this project is going forward. Don’t be like me. Be like Tom and SPS. Dream big.
The USPS has a set of Forever Stamps called Art of the Skateboard and set vinyl skateboard stickers that match the stamp designs. This stamp series might have been better off served with a different title as the “Art Of the Skateboard” typically brings to mind the history of production graphics rather than brand new art stuck on the bottom of the skateboard for the sake of art. So maybe “Art On Skateboards” instead of “Art Of The Skateboard.” It’s nit picky for sure, but you are reading this on a web site devoted to skateboarding and popular culture… How did I find out about it? Obviously, by reading the Winter 2023 issue of the official USPS magazine Philatelic. I’ll save you the trouble of looking it up: the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps. I had a rant locked and loaded about my thoughts on the artistic merits of these stamps and how they looked a little clip art-ish. Then I found out thaty at least one of them was designed by Navajo artist Di’Orr Greenwood, who is indeed a skateboarder herself. From the Navajo-Hopi Observer: “Greenwood said the opportunity to have her art showcased nationwide is important not only for her but for her community and other Native people.” And so now I am shutting myself up, and hopefully saving some of our readers with very strong skateboarding/art opinions from the opportunity of putting their own feet in their mouths. I will say however, that the USPS has lost their collective minds if they think they can justify the $14 price of the set of 4 skateboard/laptop stickers. I’m almost positive that the USPS has dabbled in skateboarding themed stamps before. I can sort of picture it in my head and have a vague idea of what box it might be in (in storage) and assumed I had posted about it before but but all I could find was a recalled set that never got released.
Thanks to longtime reader Will Heespelink who was cleaning out his closets and sent me the August 1987 issue of Transworld. So now there are 900 vintage skateboard magazine adverts in the gallery. Incredibly, with the doubles already posted this came out to exactly 900 and I didn’t have to pad it any. A few of my favorites from this batch include JFA for Kryptonics, Del Mar Skateboard Ranch t-shirts, ol’ Steve Rocco for Vision Street Wear, SLAM! wrist guards, and Radicool!
First of all, Tech Decks are still a thing. Based on my casual perusal of the toy aisles over the past 2 decades it appears they were in a slow decline from their heyday in the 2010’s, but they are still out there releasing new products beyond the endless release of popsicle stick graphics from Element and the like. We get a lot of PR mail sent from various companies, and occasionally I’ll actually reply (usually in a flippant manner) something along the lines of “That sounds amazing! Why don’t you send me a (insert Extreme!™ product) for review? Most often times that is met with no response. However, not the case with The Berrics Transforming Park. Join me, dear readers, as I fulfill my implied contractual duty.Check it out!
There’s a new addition to the Skate and Annoy Galleries, Check out these Skateboard Surfer trading cards from Wall Ice Cream, circa 1978. The gallery features the complete set of 20.
Pocketknife fingerboards, brought to you by Blade HQ. First of all, it’s an old April Fools joke, so settle down. It’s a pretty funny joke too, especially the accompanying video.
Another obscure note in skateboarding history. This is the Gary Horeskowsky pro model, dating back to 1987. You may point out that you’ve never heard of this fellow, and that could be because he may never have actually existed, and if he did, he resided in Finland, home of Statum Skates. According to Mikko Antero (thanks for the pics) it’s a local brand from an era when American pro models were still hard to come by. In the end of the eighties this changed and Statum went dormant, only make a come back in 2012. Statum is indeed a thing again! You can buy decks online. They have a history page online but it’s very short and very light on the details, even if you view the translated page.
CJ Ramone hanging out with celebrities in 1990, wearing a Vision, Mark “Gator” Rogowski t-shirt while one still could…
May 5, 1990, the Ramones played the Mad Monk in Wilmington/North Carolina. In the audience that night were actors Kiefer Sutherland and Julia Roberts, who both fell in love while filming “Flatliners” a few months prior. The hype around Roberts’ latest movie “Pretty Woman” had not started yet, still the couple was recognized by Ramones friend Rick Johnson, who made sure the two would get to meet the band. Soon after, Roberts and Sutherland were welcomed to the Ramones dressing room. As the band got ready for the show, the actress was „intrigued by the alien on my chest“, as CJ recalls, while Sutherland „was laid back and seemed to get a laugh out of he whole scene“.
Head over to our reels to watch CJ remembering his short encounter with Julia Roberts, and learn more about one of his “How the heck did I get here moments”.
