That was just the first half, click for the payoff make sure you don’t have a mouthful of coffee. Chris Onstadt says he doesn’t skate much these days but he makes a funny damn webcomic.

Skate and Annoy’s pro contest coverage of the rained out Battle Ground Washington leg of the Oregon Trifecta that was moved to Tobin’s backyard bowl in Portland (Whew!) comes from Shawn Reinert. I don’t think Tobin envisioned this when he built his bowl. Talk about stoked! These two pics are some of Shawn’s longer exposures that picked up flashes from the other multiple cameras present, and the results are strange. Old expanding sponge head on the left is Donovan Rice. The lien-to-tail on the six wheeled skateboard is Josh Sandoval. More weird shit and conventional pictures as well in the feature. Check out: 2007 Oregon Trifecta – Tobin’s Bowl

If you are going to have a crappy job, it might as well be at a skateboard magazine. Actually, I’m just assuming it will be a crappy job, but historically, photogs in second string magazines are not the best paid. No ding on Slap, I actually haven’t seen an issue in years, but it’s obvious that Thrasher is the flagship of that publisher. Submit your photos and you could win a six month paid position with real photo assignments. It will likely be low paying, but it’s temporary and it would be invaluable experience if you actually wanted to take a crack at doing it for a living. For some reason they are also accepting video submissions for a photo job, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. They are looking for young photographers with technical knowhow, so I’m out on both counts. Hey kids! Now’s your chance.

This photo of Speedy Duncan (is that his real name?) was sent in by his father Guy. Learn the shocking truth about this up and coming X-Games daredevil after the jump.

left: the current Gabriel Park design, right: Geth Noble at the Talent Skatepark. Photo from THRASHER Magazine, August 1999. Another chance to give your two-cents to Geth Noble from Airspeed Skateparks. Starting at Pier Park at noon Thursday, August 23. We’ll decide from there. He will be dropping in to skate some Portland area skateparks and listen to what skaters like and don’t like about them in preparation for the Gabriel Park skatepark. Think about making some time on Thursday to provide useful input. Save your street plaza ideas for Ed Benedict Park, the next of Portland’s 19 skatepark system after Gabriel which will be built by Newline and California Skateparks in partnership and will be a street plaza.

So I broke my jaw (Sunday) and here’s what came out. First Thursday art ramp. The city set this ramp up to help create public awarness for the need for more skate parks. I filmed it. Soundtrack in honor of Conahan’s new skater girlfriend.

There’s a big vert ramp with Jane’s Addiction playing over the loudspeakers, and guys like Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Chris Miller, Tony Hawk, Duane Peters, Tony Magnussen, Lester Kasai and Steve Steadham are skating. Is this 1987? No, it’s the “Legends of Vert” demo that Steve Steadham organized at the Summer X Games. The real tip off that it’s not 1987 is the almost total indifference registered by the crowd. Brian Baade tipped us off to some video he took from the judges stand.

Aside from Vancouver, there was another skatepark opening of sorts in Washington last week. Bellingham Washington got some new Dreamland additions to an existing craptacular skatepark. We’ve shown you some pictures of the progress before thanks to John Aguilar, and he has come through again with a bunch more. They are strictly non-action photos though. There’s also a couple on Sleestak. Dan Hughes from Northwest Skater actually got in a session before the rain, as soon as his pics go live I’ll link them up.

I just got home from the Dew Tour and I turn on the TV to this, I want to send out my deepest sympathy to the family of Joseph Madison. By KATU Web Staff VANCOUVER, Wash. – A 16-year-old Vancouver boy was killed Sunday after falling from his skateboard while hanging onto a moving vehicle, police said. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office identified the teen as Joseph Stefano Madison of Vancouver, Wash. According to the sheriff’s office, Madison was being pulled by a vehicle driven by another 16-year-old when the incident happened about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 29th Avenue and Northeast 139th Street – just down the street from Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital. The sheriff’s office said Madison was holding the rear driver’s side window and was being pulled down a road when the vehicle suddenly hit a dip in the street and Madison lost his grip on the window. The teen then fell to the ground and hit his head on the pavement. Madison was declared dead at the scene. Authorities did not say how fast they believe the car was traveling when the teen fell. No one else was injured. There were two other 16-year-old…