We ridicule a lot of so-called skateboard improvements here on S&A, but here’s one that actually could be useful for a select subset of skateboarders who already use riser pads. Why not have the option to stash “something” in your risers or pop in a mount that holds your Go Pro? That’s probably the biggest seller right there, one that I’m surprised GoPro doesn’t already offer. I wonder if it’s similar to the setup they use on the Sony Action Cam. If you want to buy them you can fund their Indiegogo campaign. They are also trying to fund a much less novel idea in the form of another clear skateboard. I guess it’s worth noting that the deck is made from bulletproof glass, so if there’s a drive-by shooting you can hide behind it.

If you’re not in Riccione, Italy, you can watch it here on S&A on Saturday, May 29th and Sunday May, 30th. Skateboarding, live bands, etc. I believe it is being co-hosted by Jim Gray and Jeff Grosso… Click through for the live stream and a preview.

During the finale of Men in Blazers they aired a TV commercial for the Mini Cooper Countryman featuring Tony Hawk hauling his kids out to a waterpark in the middle of the desert. While trying to find the commercial online saw that he had ditched Jeep and signed some sort of extended agreement with Mini USA last year, appearing in several videos. And thanks to longtime contributor Matthijs, I also had some pictures of a weird MINI Skater, which is small skateboard with a built in strap binding produced by the Mini Cooper parent company some time around 2002. And just when you thought you couldn’t get enough MINI skateboard action, MINI released some augmented reality glasses that pair with your MINI to provide enhanced safety and visibility. I am not making this up! Whenever there’s a need to illustrate dangerous pedestrian (no driving) behavior, you can bet you’ll find a skateboard or two, and even a dog.

Visited the new Grindline bowl on Vashon island over the Memorial Day weekend, great session with some Seattle veterans, amazing bowl. Here’s a short video I put together, enjoy …

Weapons of Mass Construction. This is a great graphic and shape from Wouldshop. These hand-crafted, screen printed boards are priced to sell, and available in other shapes too. – Via Clayton Graul

Lactantia smart milk from Canada. Is that a missing skateboarder? Lactantia sounds like the name of a villainess in a Russ Meyer film. – Thanks to Kevin Live (Yes, I’m cleaning out my inbox)

This image came from TheTruth.com about a year ago. Another installment in the car as skateboard series, or in this case, model truck. Must have a skateboarder in charge of this setup, because instead of a straight 50-50 grind they went with an alley-ooo. – Thanks to Kevin Live for the tip, last year.

This not the first time skateboards have been used to sell feminine protection. Recall Stayfree Maxi Pads in 1978. Playtex has a print ad and a TV commercial in rotation for their Sport Ultra Thin line of pads. Who is this woman (Update: She is Nikki Rose Quinlan.) and where was this shot? Catch the commercial and the advert after the break. Somewhere in this post there’s a joke about helmets and pad nannies, but I can’t find it.

An update from Kevin Live on the pour at the DIY park in L’ile Perrot. Looks like the kids (and adults) had a fun and productive session. So I went big this year and blew my budget a bit for crete, I dipped into the cash for the contest this year, more crete means less prizes for the kids. So I let the word out and Vans gave me 5 pairs of shoes to raffle away for kids showing up and helping and some $ for the contest. I also emailed OG Tommy Guerrero at dlxsf and passed the message onto Damon Thornley. They were stoked on my diy and sent me a package to give away at the contest at the end of May.They filled the gaps for prizes. So really big thanks to Industry for backing up the scene. This day came together so good, no rain great weather, and a ton of kids just so stoked on building a park. One kid told me that I’m like a father to them, Respect. Just want to thank every body that helped and came to help make a really sick ass park that would stand ground in Portland Oregon…

You’re looking at a propose multistory skatepark as part of the Folkestone Sports Park in the county Kent, England. It’s a proposed design, so it may ever see a groundbreaking ceremony. Still, it’s more than just theoretical architectural wanking from Guy Hollaway Architects, as the general projuct has some backing from Roger de Haan Charitable Trust. So while it has yet to be decided whether this particular vision gets built, something likely will. The bottom of the bowls will actually be the ceiling of the floor below, and the whole thing will be visible from the outside via (hopefully protected) glass walls. The only thing missing in my opinion is some sort of spiral track along the outside forming a skatepark recreation of a parking garage. Of course that might conflict with the boxing ring in the basement. I’m not sure why those two sports make any sense together. The design does seem to be more about architectural wanking, and I’ll be shocked if it actually gets built, but if it does it would be an amazing thing to have in any town. [Source: designboom] – Thanks to MC for the tip.