Hey, did you hear? Skateboarding is/was in the Olympics! This made some people really happy, and an equal amount really cranky, if not downright mad. Here at Skate and Annoy it made us feel ambivalent because, let’s face it, the counterculture era of skateboarding died circa 2005. OK, I take that back there is definitley a healthy DIY counterculture, especially when it comes to rconcrete, but that’s got nothing to do with the Olympics, or 75% of the skateboarders out there. Of course, this post is 100% not what the title says it is, but man, think of those SEO hits we’d be getting. Too bad we don’t have any cost per click advertising… This is instead, some little Olympic themed skateboarding tchotches mostly brought you by friend of the S&A Josh Baker, AKA @beachpartyattitude.

Leo Baker (né Lacey Baker) coming out as transgender has all the narrow-minded and transphobes up in arms, especially because it meant he couldn’t represent his country at the Olympics. Oh for shame, for shame… Yes, the skateboarding community is gradually becoming more inclusive to the LGBQT population, but you know, there’s still a lot of knuckleheads out there, especially when it comes to so-called “core” skaters. Although I’m sure it only scratches the surface, this Time Magazine article provides really good insight into Leo’s journey and decision. It’s a must read for anybody that naively parrots “Why doesn’t he just skate and leave his personal life out of it?” [Photos: Ethan James Green for TIME]

The count on the Vintage Skate Sticker Gallery has reached 400! The last hundred added span from the 70’s to the 90’s/ Some of the highlights include healthy additions to the Zorlac category as well as some great 70’s era additions to Sims, G&S, Z-flex and Cadillac Wheels. Also of note, some wacky color ways of Independent logos made in the early 80’s.

Seriously, it brings me joy that in the year 2021 I can still make the occasional Gratuitous Tony Hawk post. These rubber rings from Groove Life feature two “new” designs, which means the other two must have been around for a while. I’m pretty sure Ive seen these before today, the images must be languishing in one of many “Save for future posts” folders on my hard drive. The construction of these makes sense if you want to wear a ring and your day to day circumstances make that a potentially dangerous proposition. The thing that doesn’t make a lot of sense is making them so explicitly Tony Hawk themed. I feel like if I wore one it would signify some sort of personal commitment to Tony, like those teenagers who give and wear rings as a promise to abstain from sex. At the rate Tony is going through wives, maybe mass production made more sense… Sorry Tony, that was a cheap shot. I don’t have a distinguished career as a professional skateboarder to fall back on. All I got is the low hanging fruit….

Once again proving semi interesting things come to those with OCD who wait… While updating the Vintage Skate Magazine Advert gallery I thought I recognized this Top Line ad for a “Do it Yourself Skateboard Kit.” I was the subject of a post 4 years ago, and now we know it dates to 1975 since it appears in the Fall 1975 issue of Skateboarder magazine. Check out the advert and/or the original post.

Longtime Skate and Annoy readers might remember Dallas Oberholzer from the 2005 interview we published on the South African skate scene. While we’re officially ambivalent about skateboarding in the Olympics, it’s our pleasure to see him going there. Dallas gets around. We first ran into him in 2004 at the Oregon Trifecta contest series. Source: 947 – Photo @dallasaffrica

Just added another 50 stickers to the Vintage Skate Sticker Gallery, bringing the total to 300. This lates batch spans from the 70-80’s.

Companies in China will rip off anything. Check out this 12 shot block from Ox Fireworks featuring a very well known Bones logo. I’ve seen a guy blow off the tips of his fingers with fireworks. He had a bloody pulp of a hand with what looked like sticks of chalk poking out. It was gnarly. He recovered well enough to become a doctor, so give him a hand. True story. Ox made videos of what their fireworks look like, which is a pretty good sales tool. Don’t be a tool, be safe this 4th of July.

Celebrate GSD by putting on your skeleton pants and making a zine! No skeleton pants and no photocopier? Then read this 2019 interview and buy the Best of Skate Fate, now available in softcover.Photo: Swank

Way back in 2014 I saw one of these things on eBay and couldn’t figure out what it was, or even if it was skateboard related. I looked like it might have possibly been made for rollerskating rinks, I couldn’t tell. Fast forward 8 years and turns the this thing was the “Sit Skate,” and it is a skateboarding alternative that is/was “the wave of the future” for people who can’t be bothered to learn how to stand up on a skateboard. If anything, this device looks like its would be harder to maneuver than if you just sat on a regular skateboard. In any case, mystery solved. This advert is from the October 1981 edition of Action Now. The kid in the ad is wearing a t-shirt with the manufacturers logo on it, a lo and behold Mark 10 Industries is still around. They make an odd and small assortment of automotive related products these days, and I’ve contacted them asking for more info on the Sit Skate. If you want see pictures of the Sit-Skate, check out This is a thing. What is this thing?- Thanks to Darren Haugen for the tip.