Two groups of dinosaurs in two Pacific Northwest cities are trying to scrape up enough DNA to clone respective skate facilities back from the dead. In Portland, our own GVK is trying to spearhead a grass roots movement to get a vert ramp built in Portland. Meanwhile, there’s a freestyle/flatground enthusiast in Seattle who is trying to get a wide, smooth, flat surface for practicing some sort of discipline known as “freestyle slalom.” So here is the petri dish, leave your lab results in the comments. The image for this post? It’s a Mark Teague illustration from a Jane Yolen children’s book titled How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends?

Lots of interest in the new concrete at WIndells. You can hear about in a recent interview with Billy Coulon over on Callin on Colin. Hre’s some video footage of the park shot by KC. It looks like a heckuva lot of lines and possibilities. I need to drag my lazy ass out there. Oh yeah, also included, official Windells contest video from earlier this summer.

Sportlife Vibes is not the name of an adult film, but rather some European, possibly Dutch gum and or mint. There’s a TV commercial and a web site. I have no idea what they are saying. Maybe Sportlife Phibes is the name of the unfinished Dr Phibes sequel. All hail Vincent Price.

UPDATE: English version of a commercial after the jump.

– Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.

Lents Park is bounded by SE Steele and SE Holgate, SE 88th and SE 92nd. The skatepark master plan has it at 5000 sq. ft. Take the time to check this out and comment. There is nothing designed yet skate-wise but there is some opposition to a skatespot in this park so there should be equal or more positive comments. View the three concepts proposed for the Lents Park Master Plan and submit your comments by Wednesday, September 15, 5:00 PM. Comment Opportunity

Thanks Brian for the heads up.

The Skateboard Bandit may have been busted. I don’t know, this guy looks like kind of a putz. I’m disillusioned. Did I mention I met the Choir Boy Bandit?

– Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

P.S. Still buzzed from the earlier post. (Update: Obviously, I forgot to include the link.)

Well, you know. This is the age after Jackass. Apres Jackass, if you will. It’s entirely socially acceptable to have a commercial with a naked dude skateboarding in it. At least I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say the guy is naked and not just wearing a flesh colored speedo (and a transforming Eastpak backpack suit.) I’m loaded as I type this. A DVR, an episode of Mad Men and a couple leftover bottles of rum is all it takes. This is an advertisement for Eastpak backpacks that features skateboarding and a naked dude. Get some!

– Thanks to Boh Ipoh for the tip.

But they seem pretty clever. I’ve never seen the show America’s Got Talent or even the UK version that I have to assume exists and the original idea was licensed form was licensed from. That’s OK, one good “homage” deserves another. From this clip, it’s apparent that a group of frat boys got together to make their own version of BMG, and it looks surprisingly good.These frat guys are called Defying Gravity. They’re ex-frat guys actually, I guess they dropped out of school to be on the show. I hope it works out for you guys, but you need a new name. I guess it’s at this point that I’m going to need to add some sort of “circus” category, seeing as how this isn’t the first time we’ve had skateboarding mentioned in conjunction with the circus. Defying Gravity takes on a bit of skateboarding in this segment that reminds me a little bit of some of those fingerboarding videos where they skate on turntables with fixed obstacles.

– Thanks to Seth Levy for the tip.

I think that’s going to wrap it up for alternative vehicles week at Hopeless Old Men On Skateboards.