One of the lynchpins of the BMX vs. Skateboards in skateparks arguments is that BMXers are always leeching of of skateboarders efforts. Well, that’s not always true. The first half pipe I ever saw, rode, or photographed was built by BMX kids in the woods of suburban Naperville Illinois, some time around 1984-85. The skaters (all three of us) were definitely riding the coat tails of the BMX guys. More pics, bad fashion and words after the jump.

ID check, supervision, consent, annual fee, per use fee, helmet, elbow pads, kneepads. A problem exists when facilities designed to promote action sports are more of a burden than a blessing. This burden is the Southern California skate park standard.

From the editorial titled Skate parks constrained by unnecessary regulation by former skatepark employee Kory (Webster?) Prindle in the North County Times in Escondido, CA. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but if you are from the land of free and relatively unregulated skateparks (i.e. Oregon, Washington, Idaho…) it can be a shocker when you travel elsewhere and suddenly have to worry about how much the park will cost, does it require elbow pads of all things, and whether or not the park will even be open during school hours or on holidays. it’s about time someone spoke up.

5-Minute Project: Drill-Powered Skateboard is a D.I.Y. project on the Instructables web site. It was a lot cooler before I realized that you were basically dragging the drill on the ground as the fourth wheel. I’m guessing battery powered drills won’t last long under the torque required to move an adult. I can foresee rigs with long extension cords and beer for a racing circuit. [Source: Zedomax.com]

Portland Police are upset that a skateboard shop also sells (expensive) spray paint, as they see skateboarding and graffiti culture intertwined. The cops say The Office is tacitly encouraging graffiti by selling the spray paint. The Office says their paint is expensive and therefore typically used by commissioned artists rather than your garden variety high school delinquent. I hate taggers and I hate graffiti, but I like stencil art. Normally I wouldn’t bother to report on this but I thought The Office’s manager, Kevin Nimick, made a good point:

“I don’t want to go head to head with the police,” says Nimick. “But they’re just trying to have a place to direct blame for Portland’s graffiti. Why not ban the sale of handguns, if they’re worried about people getting shot?”

More skateboards and spray paint after the jump. [Source: Portland Mercury]

All Claus Grabke, all the time! You know we love us some Claus over here. Check out this video tour of Claus Grabke’s complete pro skateboard model history, from Titus to Madrid to Powell to Santa Cruz to Titus to Pocket Pistols. It’s narrated by the man Claus himself. In this video you’ll learn many interesting facts such as the correct pronunciation for Titus (Tee-tus not tite-us) the fact that Jerry Madrid still owes Claus some money, and of all his 80’s graphics, the Madrid board might have been the best one. Actually it’s hard to tell because the whole thing looks like it was filmed by the light of a match. The screen capture above is highly processed to make it more visible. I was going to post pics of the decks or even re-edit the video myself with superimposed shots, but they are next to impossible to find. I couldn’t find a picture of the early Titus deck anywhere on the web, but we did have a rare Powell socked away in an eBay watch. At this point I gave up. Fortunately, the audio content is enough to make the video worthwhile.

SkateDaily recently pointed to an interview with artist Jeremy Fish. I saw one of these carved and painted skate decks at a skateboard art show. I liked how he transformed the wooden blank, other artists in the show just painted or illustrated the bottom of the deck or stuck crap to the board.

Taylor, with his short haircut and businesslike demeanor, doesn’t fit the profile of the average skateboarder, who’s often a teenager with stylishly long hair and a devil-may-care attitude. Taylor’s more the Tony Hawk type, a guy in his 30s who can make money doing what he loves.

He doesn’t fit the stereotype, but they still used This dude’s rad boards ‘feel right’ as the headline for an article about Drifter Skateboards, a small D.I.Y. skateboard manufacturer. Hmm… sounds familiar. Other than that, this article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution is OK, just brief. Hold on… of all the interesting parts of the process involved, they chose a picture of owner Ryan Taylor shrink wrapping an unidentified object. Someone fire that photo editor. Those graphics remind me of a certain Blockhead era. Update: Drifter web site.

ANNE Brunell is a skateboarder with a difference. When pregnancy made it impossible for this paralympian and mother of two to wear her artificial legs, she relied on her trusty skateboard to get around. Despite being born without her lower legs, Ms Brunell has made the most of every opportunity with vigour, passion and a laugh.

Today she will be one of 30 women inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women by Women’s Affairs Minister Jacinta Allan to commemorate International Women’s Day.

Be nice in the comments. [Source: Herald Sun ]