Mark Gonzales is interviewed over on Rolling Stone. It’s technically an interview as he is asked some questions, and “answers” them in typical Gonz fashion. Among the hot topics, you can sort of learn his take on skateboarding in the Olympics. What’s he doing in Rolling Stone? I suspect it has something to do with Adidas reps reaching out. Check out a trailer for Away Days after the jump.

Check out these fundraising stickers made in the style of vintage steel-wheeled skateboard decks. These stickers benefit the Troutdale skatepark efforts, and you can get yours in person at Cal Skate or by via Paypal to tylerjaycole at gmail.com. Please provide your mailing address and verify which sticker(s) you’re ordering and how many when making payment using Paypal… Small stickers are $2.00 each, Large stickers are $4.00 each. Here’s atop, use the “Friends and Family” option so there’s no service fee for Tyler, and all the funds can go towards the skatepark.

This “miniramp” setup cracks me up. It’s created from some quarter pipes made for use in the street. If the metal kick plates weren’t enough of a giveaway, the rope handles and coaster wheels behind the platform make it obvious. I love that the flat bottom is just a piece plywood laying on the grass, soon to be dirt. I’m not sure which one is going to rot away first, the plywood flat bottom or the masonite on the surface. Still, the next time I see a session there I’m going to grab my stick and ask if I can join in. Notice the coping on the right is PVC. My first ramp had PVC coping too. Come to think of it, my first ramp was also in the front yard of a rental property.

Allison Waters is trying to start another indoor skatepark in NE Portland, Oregon. She’s investing a lot of her own money in the project but has turned to Kickstarter for help. The assumption is that feels Commonwealth is not large enough to meet demands and D Block isn’t in our city limits. There are some tentative renderings of the park that look a little bit uninspired, but nothing is set in stone yet. Key words: Family Friendly and All Ages. It will be interesting to see if this can come together, and if so, how long it can last. In my experience, DOS was always family friendly during corresponding times you might expect a family to be there. However, you’re always going to need a bit of the crust to fill those time slots when the kiddies are at school or in bed. When it opens, it will be called Stronger Skatepark.

[Source: Oregonian]

I saw a color version of this floating around Facebook, so I tried to track down the original which it turns out was done by Ben Jensen, and was not a specific response to sad events in Orlando. It’s been out for at least 9 months, and you can get them at Antique Skate as well as No Gods No Masters.

Posts about the blue fiberglass ramps that were used in Thrasherland and Skateball skateparks remain some of the most popular on Skate and Annoy. Stephen Smith was trolling the site and remembered he had saved an old flyer for the Great Bay Skatepark of Newington, New Hampshire:

I went there in the summer of 78 or 79 while on vacation with the folks from Nova Scotia. We got there at like 3 in the morning and all slept in the car so I could go skating as soon as it opened up. What a blast, great memories! Also while at the World Freestyle comp a few weeks ago , I chatted with old school East coast skate legend Bert Mathieson and he had skated there back in the day too. I got the flyer at the pro shop there.

As you can see, as well as “faster and safer,” the Great Bay Arena claimed to be the world’s first indoor fiberglass skatepark. I’m imagining a guy behind the counter at the pro shop mumbling to himself as he crosses off the incorrect session times and rewrites them by hand. He probably stole a coke that day because he was so annoyed.

Here’s an excellent time capsule of skateboard harassment from a local Springfield Illinois news channel concerning a proposed ban on skateboarding downtown. Local business and civic leaders speak out against “skateboard terrorists” in advance of the ban, which ultimately passed. The video was digitized from a decrepit old VHS tape, so there are tracking issues and the sound doesn’t always sync right, but it’s still a good watch. One of the skateboarders makes a reasonable request for a public skatepark to serve the needs of the population, and they did get one after only 25 years.

– Thanks to Nick Rudd for the tip.

Check out Dan Bourqui’s Downhill Disco edit:

The Downhill Disco is an yearly San Diego event which mixes disco music with longboarding, downhill skating, jump ramps and even a smaller megaramp like gap. It also features a mini ramp jam, disco night and Sunday races that are not showcased in this video clip. The entire event feels more like a weekend festival than a contest.

Two skateboard shops from Wales, Dave Friar’s Surf Shop and the Welsh Skateboard Centre. Then there’s Mercury Flyer air freighted skateboards direct from the USA, and the Superb Sitco Rocket.

In this round, not one, but two ads for Alley Cat, some very boring text-only ads from Cardiff Skateboard Shop, and Dolphin Skateboards, plastic skateboards from Alpine Sports, and the creepy, faceless skateboarder of the South London Skateboard Centre.