Team Pain is cranking on the Ed Austin Skatepark in Jacksonville, Florida. There’s an article in the Florida Times-Union that talks about the situation a little. It looks like they might be getting another street plaza in Arlington as well? (“When the new site is completed it will be about 6 miles away from Ed Austin Skate Park.”) Maybe it’s a typo in the article, and “Skate Park” should read “State Park.” I’m no local… but Martin Ramos, the owner of nearby Kona displayed some astonishing character when asked about competition from a nearby and assumedly free skatepark: “What is good for skateboarding is good for Kona.”

Swank Zine – the Anarchy issue doesn’t have a date on it, but from the record reviews listed, it dates to early 1886. Typical Swank Zine fare, high contrast photos and arty drawings, incoherent Swankisms littered throughout. Short and sweet. Other issues of Swank zine are numbered, but this one isn’t. Thanks again to John Drummond for making this available.

By: Tod Swank
Photos: Tod Swank, J. Grant Brittain

Featuring: Dave Swift, Josh Nelson, Bill Danforth, Britt Parrott, Monty Nolder, Lance Mountain, Steve Rocco

Spots: Delking, Delmar, Upland, Oceanside

Highlights: A recounting of one of the Godoys spitting on Stan Hoffman’s face after getting kicked out of Upland (for?), Swank using his zine to pick up girls via personal full page messages (Denise, call Swank!) There’s a back page ad of Kevin Staab that’s manipulated in such a way that it makes him looks like a sulky young girl.

Check out: Swank Zine – The Anarchy Issue, comments in the gallery.

Well, March was good, but April was even better! I feature 49 items, of which 14 went for over $1,000. There were no $3000+ decks this month, but still, lots of good stuff changing hands. There was a lot of cash being thrown around. Maybe tax refunds being spent? And just wait until the stimulus checks hit!

Check out: eBay Watch – April 2008

I skate pools because Thrasher told me I in so many words that I was supposed to. I can’t remember the first time I read it, but I know the idea occurred to me originally because I would read about it Thrasher in the Mid 80’s. Each new issue of Thrasher used to be an all encompassing event for me. There simply was no other way to connect with skaters across the country, and across time. Reading Thrasher left an indelible imprint in my mind that roots skaters, real skaters skated backyard pools. As a result, I skated some pretty crappy pools in central Illinois. These weren’t exactly backyard, but more like municipal pools and hotel or apartment building pools. None of them were anything to write home about, and yet we pressed on.

Here at Skate and Annoy we hate to reinforce stereotypes, like say, I don’t know, picking one at random, Australia is not a backwards country where the skateparks are made out of stone (literally) and you have to watch out for marauding fruit bats, kangaroos and other, uh, nightlife. Oh wait…

But seriously folks, tip your cocktail waitresses… Negative Ion has a massive photo essay and travel journal of a trip Australia. Aside from the naturally occurring rock skateparks, there is also the more commercial fare of Wold Cup contest at Bondi Beach with lots of names you’ll recognize. As with the rest of the Negative Ion site, the journey is half the fun of getting there. Pay attention to your scroll bars and be prepared to do more than a little exploring. It can be easy to get lost in there. If you come to the end of the line tweak those scroll bars a little, there might be something hiding nearby. Give yourself at least 45 minutes. Now go there.

This week’s Shot of the Week comes from Carl Warren and features Ben Krahn ollieing the gap to transition. You should check out the full frame version to get the whole picture.

I checked out the Sammamish Washington skatepark this weekend. It was my second time skatign there, but hte first time I got hailed out after about 15 minutes. This weekend it was hot as hell, which may account for why the park was sparsely populated on both days. I had some reservations about the park based on the construction pictures I shot in 2006. So what’s the verdict? Find out after the jump.

Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, these skateboards from Greece is for Lovers are not meant to be ridden, they just meant to be marveled at, or puzzled over. Although they appear to sell some items, these skateboards titled Tougher than Leather and Ridden in Stone appear to be more like exercises than actual products. greece is for Lovers is a design studio that likes to dabble in Greece-schtick items, some of them more useful than others, and some of them just amusing. If you want to see the full size versions head on over to Greece is for Lovers from the links above. In the event that they close up shop, there are somewhat smaller versions archived after the jump.

– Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

So I went to the beach on Friday. It was hot as balls there too. Canon Beach was the destination, low and behold the new park was finished the guy was putting in the rules sign as we arrived. I asked when is the park open (three times) and he finally said “When this sign is up.” What you witness is what happened after the sign was posted. Peace Off!

I’ll be up there this weekend, but alas, not to skate. You may see me a little at the Sammamish skatepark with my nephew and son, but that’s about it. Family obligations again. If you’re not tied down like me, there’s a contest going on right now at Del Mar… I mean there’s a opening day demo/contest for the Bellvue Wa skate plaza. That’s TODAY folks, 3:30 to 10 p.m. There’s a $3000 purse (!) and a demo by the Nike SB team. Next week there’s a Girl/Antihero tour and a crazy contest weekend in Port Angeles – Park slalom and doubles bowl riding Saturday, and if you win the bowlriders contest on Sunday, Lib Tech will fly you to SWEDEN to compete at the finals. bowlriders Here’s another one for later on in the month, the 4th annual Sleestak Trash (oops, Thrash) Bash BBQ at Bainbridge Island. The flyer says Saturday, May 31st, although it’s not yet on the Sleestak calendar for some reason. Look closely a that flyer, Bobcat is guaranteeing sunshine!

– Sleecrest out!