In case you missed the live webcast, Fuel Tv has some Tampa Pro footage online. You’ll have to download their special vidoe player, but it’s a thoroughly painless process. It’s a slick player, supposed to be hiccup free (wasn’t for me..) but I don’t understand why they go through the trouble to roll their own. I guess that’s why our vids are all low-def exercises in YouTube patience. Maybe we need to re-examine the SnA “business model.” Newsflash. Contest videos are pretty boring. I watched the first ten minutes of the 30 minute best trick contest, and there was only a handful of people who actually landed anything – less than one a minute. Right now there are five videos up, and GVK is going to have to get on horn and complain about the utter absence of the vert footage, because there actually was a pro vert contest too… That’s OK, vert contests are pretty boring to watch unedited too. Seriously, have you gone back and tried to watch any of the 80’s vert contest videos? Once the nostalgia wears off (usually in the first five minutes) it can be hard to stay awake. There’s almost seven hours of…

Time was, when there was a big contest coming up you’d learn about it in advance from Thrasher, then have to wait one or two months after the event to read the coverage in the magazines, then another 3-8 months before you could rent the video from from your local skate shop. Remember when skate shops would rent videos? Does anyone do that anymore? The price of skate videos has gone down, for the most part. In 1989 you would have paid $29.99 for Public Domain. . You can get the Thrasher videos for a really reasonable price. Don’t you agree that all skate videos should be $15 or less? Getting back to the point, in my day we had to skate uphill both ways in the rain, on clay wheels that were missing 35% of the open bearings… Nowadays you can just get on the Interwebs™ and watch the contest live, through a series of tubes, as is the case with the Tampa Pro contest at SPOT. Tune in to Fuel TV on Sunday, March 22nd from 12-6pm EST.

Tigard Police to Skateboarders: R U Up 4 a Challenge? – In efforts to honor our community’s youth and recognize their hard work and dedication to master the skateboard, Tigard Police is pleased to host a “Skateboard Challenge.” Come be part of this first ever police-inspired skateboarding competition in the area.

The Berkeley, California skatepark will host the rain delayed Day After St Valentines Day Skate Massacre on this Sunday the 22nd of February. That’s a mouthful. Is that vintage hardcore act Verbal Abuse I see on the flyer as well? Yes it is! I’m sure they’ve aged well, like a fine, angry wine. Catch the full, confusing flyer after the jump. – Thanks to Tom from Weirdo for the tip.

Here is part one of Trifecta (08), Rando got to see the rough version and could barley sit through it because of the music. At that moment I knew I had done something Good. “In your Face” So If I missed you name let me Know so I can add it in. The best Trifecta ever. I am watching kids grow up and become great skaters. Someday I will walk into a skate shop with my son and say we watched that guy at the Trifcta Now he is bigger than Ryan Schekler but not as lame. – Pose Grover out?

Check out Thrasher’s Rumble in Ramona recap for a liberal dose of scantily clad gals reliving the golden age of pinups and vert skating. That looks like Mark Scott getting in on the “photography club” action.

There’s another downhill night race put on by the Zoobomb folks in Portland. More info at PDXdownhill as well. Well, not really guys, you’re slacking. It’s February 15th at 9pm in Portland, rain or shine. One of these days (nights, actually) I’m going to check this out. Not this time, as I’ll be in Florida. Full flyer after the jump. – Thanks to Billy the Kid for the tip.

A good excuse not to post every single picture is in case I need a Shot of the Week and I’m in the middle of a snowstorm, I can pull something from the archives. This is Jon Jon Bryan from the Lincoln City leg of the Trifecta in 2008. Next week I’ve got a scheduled roundup of assorted 2008 Trifecta coverage from various sources, including Brazil! Jon Jon makes skateboards over at ABC. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week.

So Rich of E.P.M. and myself managed a couple press passes out of the A.S.T. crew. As it turns out, video was not allowed, that only slowed me down a couple of times. They threatened to kick me out. I shouted “Do you know who I am?” Apparently they had not heard of G.V.K.. Talk about living under a rock, or not really being involved in skateboarding. (the riding side). You may notice a difference in video quality. That is because I checked out a Get HI Def video camera from the E.P.M. library. Wow, what a difference. Watch out Mack Dawg productions. Well this video made me want a vert ramp so bad. How about you? P.S. I went to San Diego and skated the ramp at the Y.M.C.A that where 80 percent of these guys ride. Vert is dying and becoming incestuous. Lets build some f-king ramps and take it back bizzellitch.. – Poser off.

The Department is hosting what is supposed to be Portland’s biggest contest this year, AKA the Holiday Havoc which is on December 19th. And Windells would like everyone to know that they are now open for public sessions as well as doing the whole skate camp thing. Flyers after the jump.