Sorry for the late notice. Skate Like a Girl (Portland Chapter) has organized a FREE skate today at Ripzu that’s also a fundraiser. It’s girls only until 1pm, but from 1-5pm it’s all skate. (What time is the couples skate?) October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we are going to fund raise skater style. Join us for a day of skating, demo’s, swagg raffles, and awareness for young people. Ripzu owes its creation to a young survivor and it’s logo to another young survivor. Help us raise funds to give back in the support of your loved ones. Check out Ripzu Skatepark on facebook for more updates, or check them out at www.ripzu.com. The Skate Like A Girl Portland girls only session comes before Ripzu’s “Boarders 4 Boobies” event from 11-1pm. It is open to girls of all ages and abilities. We will have volunteer coaches on hand to help teach you the basics and more. If you need gear, we have it! We have a supply of boards, helmets and pads for use during the session. All proceeds from the Skate Like A Girl session will be donated to the Breast Friends (www.breastfriends.com). Then after the session stick…

Listen up spuds. This is your chance to win one of two Weirdo skateboards. All you have to do is leave a weird story about skateboarding in the comments. That’s pretty vague, right? So go for it. Tell us a weird, preferably true story about skateboarding. This contest ends the day after Halloween. At that point we’ll put it up to a vote. The story with the most votes wins a Weirdo skateboard of his or her choice. The second one will be “editor’s choice.” Thanks again to site sponsor Weirdo Skateboards. You know I always hate when there’s a web site contest that makes you actually work for your entry like this one. At least you get to pick your own board if you win. Shipped direct form Weirdo, so it will get there in a reasonable amount of time. Let the games begin! UPDATE: Comments closed while we figure out how to set the voting up.

Not exactly hot off the presses, but I’ve got a day job, a couple of kids, a skateboard company, a yard that needs mowing and a house that is falling apart. When I first saw these Element branded portable skate obstacles (AKA Drop Spots) my first reaction was “I wonder how Freshpark feels about this?” Well it turns out they probably feel pretty good since they are the ones manufacturing it. I’ve never actually set foot on a Freshpark ramp, they seem like they are built for a lighter (Err. uhm, younger?) audience than me. These Element branded obstacles seem to be sturdier in appearance. Maybe it’s the fact that some of the obstacles have been raised one order of magnitude (Like the rainbow rail and the pole jam) or maybe it’s just the red paint. Lazy good for nothing kids. Back when I was a kid, a portable ramp weighed 100 pounds and took tow skateboards to roll, and.. uh, well.. I’d like to get ahold of one of those little kickers. – Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

Here’s a nicely shot video of a night session at the relatively new Kensington Park, err, uhm, skatepark, in Vancouver, BC.. – Thanks to Dylan Davies for the tip.

Kevin Cann has been spearheading an effort to expand a small skatepark in a town called Notre Dame de L’ile Perrot, a small town outside of Montreal, Quebec. It started off as a DIY-esque park with the blessing and financial aid of the town, thanks in part to Kevin’s hard work and some open minds in city hall. I had forgotten to put this story up, actually, but I’m going to do this part first. The backstory will come later. Here’s the bottom line, the first stage of the park was a success (see picture here) and Kevin used that momentum and good will to add a proper bowl to the jersey barrier foundation the park already has. Pictures after the jump, thanks to Kevin.

This Auction and all the auctions on this Ebay account are to raise Money to Pay off Duane Peter’s Recent Hospital Bills. Last month Duane Peters AKA “The Master of Disaster” took a Bad Slam on his left knee resulting in an infection so Bad that they wanted to Amputate it at the Knee. After many Prayers, Miracles and Several Hundred Thousand Dollars later his leg is Healing Up Great and he will be back Ripping at a Park or Pool near you Soon! So please Throw Money at this Auction “Like a Drunk Sailor” and own a piece of Skateboard History and The Honor and Pride that comes with helping one of Skateboarding’s Great to get back on his feet again and Keep the Dream Alive! Gey your D.P. memorabilia on eBay, an when you’re done check out DuanePeters.net. – Thanks to Egbert for the tip.

This is pretty much an expanded version of an idea stolen from Sk8.net. It’s a roundup, or recap, if you will, of the 2010 Rumble in Ramona from the likes of Thrasher, Transworld and Concrete Disciples.

There are re-issues, and there are, well I’m not sure what to call this. First up, there was the Tony Hawk board with fake scuffs printed as part of the graphic. And not too long ago someone (Antihero?) released board graphics with fake rails on the botom of the deck. This Hosoi hammerhead reissue mates a photograph of one of Christian’ old boards with the bottom of some brand spanking new Canadian maple. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the concept but I like it. When I first saw it in an email from Big Block, I thought it was just an illustration to compare the reissue to. Strange thing is, it’s not on the Hosoi web site. Stranger still, it’s here on S&A.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament fully funded a small skatepark in his childhood home town of Big Sandy, Montana. His heart’s even bigger than his wallet. 40k is a lot to spend just to have a place to skate when you visit your p’s. Check out the Great Falls Tribune for the details, and then head on over to Earth Patrol Media to check out some photos of Jeff enjoying some Canadian maple mid-air. – Thanks to Ashley Mott for the tip.

As you can tell, my commitment to the Shot of the Week has wavered over time, but it’s good to get back in the ring again. This week’s shot of the week comes all the way from the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Republic of Cyprus. This actually a detail of a shot of Raphael Akerstrom taken by Rob Mynard at the “King of Skate” competition during the Ayia Napa Youth Festival. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week..