This is a detail of this week’s Shot of the Week, and another one from the archives. I can’t remember who this kids was, but I do remember feeling like I was becoming obsolete when I saw this young kid ollie to 5-0 on an overturned bike rack. It was something I would have thought of, but not pulled off. Anyway, this is one of the last skate shots I took before moving out of the Champaign-Urbana area to start silkscreen business in Chicago with a few partners. Needless to say, I didn’t skate a lot in those first years of trying get the business off the ground. This remains one of my favorite shots, partially because it reminds me of a pinnacle in my life. Dang, that kid looks familiar. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week.

I don’t know whether the architects are cooler in Europe and Asia, or the people with the deep pockets have more progressive outlook. Why doesn’t any of this stuff get built over here? The Aphalt Spot is in Tokamashi, Japan. Head on over to SpaceInvading to get the pics. Bonus walk through vid after the jump. – Thanks to Sk8 D for the tip.

I’ve got this mental notion that everyone in New Zealand is sort of nerdy but very interesting. I don’t know if Flight of the Conchords has had a positive or negative effect on the public image of New Zealand, but it’s one of my favorite shows. I’m probably annoying the hell out the guy from New Zealand who sent me these pictures by bringing it up. Then again, Eagle vs. Shark just adds fuel to the fire… Sorry Richard. Check out some DIY action from a crew in Papakura, New Zealand after the jump. I’m not down with the local lingo, so someone will need to fill me in on the definition of “splur.”

I almost forgot to do a Shot of the Week, so I pulled this one out. This is street skating circa 1989, and part of that scene was being a dick to pedestrians and cars… This shot involved the fake ollies (layback ollies?) where you skate up to something and put your hand on it to support your weight while you ollie the board onto whatever impossibly high obstacle was in front of you. Of course, nowadays people could probably ollie onto the hood of a car without help. I still love to do this trick, and recently brought it out of retirement, although not on the hoods of a cars belonging to people I don’t know. The guy in this pictures shall be named only as “Carl” as he has since gone onto become a productive member of society, and probably wouldn’t appreciate this picture showing up in his background check the next time he applies for a job. Check out the full frame Shot of the Week.

This D.I.Y. spot in SE Portland only lasted a couple of weeks. The spot had been home to a wooden bench made by skaters for at least a year before this bank went up. The neighborhood reaction was positive, but obviously someone in the City of Portland wasn’t impressed. The builders opted for the “it’s better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission” tactic, but it didn’t work out, obviously. I applaud the effort, but in this case the location was too ostentatious. Choose your renegade spots wisely kids. In a situation like this (a well used public park, already frequented by skaters) it would be advisable to get it sanctioned first. Write up a nice proposal. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but use a spell checker. Talk about the benefits and address negative concerns. Spin it as a community project. Get a petition signed by neighbors and park users, than take all this to the Parks department. The fact that you aren’t asking for money might help your chances. Stress the small overall size of the obstacle and minimal impact on the surroundings. Good luck! Thanks to… I’m not telling. That kid in the green shirt is…

Spot check, Seattle. John Aguilar sent these in. It’s near the Bell Street Pier in the Port of Seattle. He said the street view from Google Maps was better than his shots. You can be the judge after the jump. Looks like a rad spot.

Insert Van Halen reference here. Skater: Mirlo Trick: Rock to fakie on a street barrier Where: Panama, Central America. Photo: Jerzick Oliveros Thanks to Milorad Vardic for sending it in. You can see the full frame shot plus a bonus street sequence after the jump.

Tom Miller sent this shot from his recent trip to Anchorage, Alaska. Props to the Samoans (non-angry) for building a skateable wall in front of their church, as the Samoan-constructed walls in PDX aren’t so skateable. Insert Sarah Palin joke here.

This week’s Shot of the Week is a Jeffery Beard shot of Andy Goncher taken in Atlanta, Georgia in March of this year. That’s right, streetskating you mofos! Fakie to kickflip. Kickflip to fakie. Check out the Shot of the Week.

I haven’t been paying attention to Richie Jackson lately, not through any conscious decision. Like a lot of people, I am a huge fan of his video parts from Death, so I was excited to check this out too. Not too stoked on this Ipath clip, and a big part of it is probably the weak music. I get it, he loves the 60’s, however the soundtrack stokes me like a wet dishrag. Something a little more uptempo might have served him better. No matter, the last ten seconds of the video are worth it. [Source: Respect Authority]