Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Newspaper from mid-level city actually publishes a decent skate photo! Astonishing considering they are essentially giving the Oregonian away these days. Not a week goes by that I don’t get a phone call practically begging me to get the Oregonian for delivered to my door for pennies on the dollar. I’d be more inclined to fill my recycling bucket with the paper if the delivery man (not a boy, because he drives a car on his route) would stop nailing the storm door with the paper and waking me up at 5 in the morning. What’s the point? Oregon lottery money has apparently been funding skateparks in some capacity, and some folks are upset because school funding is and other services have been dwindling. Oregon ballot measure 76 will extend the mandatory parks expenditures from lottery proceeds. The measure isn’t going to increase the 15%, it’s just going to make sure it can’t be diverted to other areas. I think that’s a good idea. I’m voting yes on 76.

– Thanks to Colin for the tip.

Just another skate church, so I wouldn’t normally feature it were it not for the fact that this one is youth led, and well, this horribly awkward photo they used to illustrate it. Actually, as far as skate photos go, it blows. But if you look at the enlargement, something about the guy in the background watching this kid flail is appealing. Read about it in the Seattle Times.

– Thanks to Heidi Randall for the tip.

What do dads want for Father’s day? At least one dad wants a new deck. From the June 15th edition of the Metro in New York.

– Thanks to Doug for the tip.

The Seattle Times has two articles on skateboarding, the first is an actually fairly good piece on skatepark etiquette that is filled with good advice, although it’s perplexing because I’m not sure who the audience is. I especially like the first rule, “No free day care.” Up next is the top 10 skateparks in Washington, which I can’t agree wit, but can’t disagree too strongly because I haven’t been to some of them. Bobcat?

– Thanks to John Aguilar and Heidi Randall for the tips.

The Oregonian had a story about the Lincoln City skatepark today. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Lincoln City is up to phase V with the new skate track. Not a bad story although they seemed to be confused about a few things like calling the pool replica is one of the park’s easiest features when I think they meant the new reservoir bowl.

[Photo: Thomas Boyd /The Oregonian] – Thanks to GVK and my mom for the tip.

The Wall Street Journal Online has a story about skateboard art, or more aptly, art on skateboards. Gotta give them props for the title “Skateboards Now Hang in Galleries, But Are They Wheelie Art?” Are they wheelie art? Good one. Not so much on the subtitle: “Painters Give Old Toys New Tricks—Teen Angst, Nude Portraits, Broken Bones.” Check out the Wall Street Journal for the article and accompanying video.

– Thanks to Brian Susk for the tip.

The Fall 2009 issue of Shotcrete Magaizine had a cover story on recreational projects with a two page spread on skateparks featuring Team Pain. (Update: Actually written by Tim Payne with contributions from Team Pain) with That looks like an old photo of their Cocoa Beach skatepark on the cover. Shotcrete.org doesn’t have the Fall 2009 archive up yet, but you can read it over at Team Pain. While trying to find it, I came across a Spring 2004 article titled The Growing Market for Shotcrete in Skatepark Construction. I’ll say!

Another newspaper story, this one from The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the shocking fact that people over 30 years-old are regularly riding skateboards. There are some interesting details about how they organized and paid for their indoor facility and I did enjoy reading:

“Skating doesn’t make you a skateboarder,” he says, quoting Lance Mountain, a skateboard legend in the ’80s. “Not being able to stop skating, that makes you a skateboarder.”

The crack of 2010, and lo and behold, old dudes in St Louis like to skateboard. That’s crazy talk, I can’t believe it. In the words of MC, “Old guys skateboarding? Well, now I’ve heard everything.” Check out Recapturing thrills, spills from St. Louis Today. Still awake? head on over to An Ethnographic Study of the Skateboarding Culture, which is where the title of this post came from. Unbelievably, the data for this scholarly paper was obtained by watching the DVD Planes, Trains and Skateboards, focusing on X Games X in Los Angeles, CA. Are you kidding me? A scientific analysis based on on someone’s video editing bias? I mean, why not choose the movie Thrashin’ instead? Seems just about as valid.

– Thanks to Bob Mechtly and Daddy Yo for the tips.

As seen in the Philidelphia Enquirer: A skateboarding paradise at FDR Park. 1,649 words on how much they love it.

– Thanks to Doc Murdock for the tip.