bomb blast

Burnside is/is not Ground Zero

People who run skateboard web sites get some weird mail. There’s a guy out there that wants to warn Portland skateboarders… of what, I’m not sure. Something to do with a nuclear blast drill being held in Portland. Curiously, this image from a Harvard University’s 2007 Day After Report shows the outlying St Johns bridge near Pier Park as ground zero, and not the Burnside Bridge, which is typically thought of as ground zero for skateboarding and Portland at large.

Subject: potential crisis at Burnside

I’m a former skater and I have seen info on the militaries operation Nobel Resolve scheduled for Portland, OR Aug 20-24. The public is nervous because they are doing a drill to respond to a nuclear device in downtown Portland. The target area includes the river and bridge area and after Minneapolis I’d shut Burnside down tomorrow morning, since it’s under a bridge and it can be destroy by the city of Portland at any time it wishes. Here’s a link to what’s flying around the Internet. Better to be safe than sorry.

I hope you can contact people who can warn the skaters in Portland quickly. Call skate shops please and skate magazines.

Know this your media or government have said nothing about this Noble Resolve Operation. Here’s a link to the Day After report that is part of this operation.

The military has looked at this document.

Better to be safe than sorry.

So consider yourself warned. Anarchy Burger! [Source: Skate Oregon]

Legends of vert.

Legends of vert.

There’s a big vert ramp with Jane’s Addiction playing over the loudspeakers, and guys like Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Chris Miller, Tony Hawk, Duane Peters, Tony Magnussen, Lester Kasai and Steve Steadham are skating. Is this 1987? No, it’s the “Legends of Vert” demo that Steve Steadham organized at the Summer X Games. The real tip off that it’s not 1987 is the almost total indifference registered by the crowd. Brian Baade tipped us off to some video he took from the judges stand.

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Alligator Wheels

Another blast from the past.

back in the 70’s there was a different approach to skateboard company logos. A lot of times they were treated as car racing graphics, like say the Super Bee. Jim Phillips made a career out of the cartoonish design style for skateboard product logos. Nowadays a more distressed look and hip hop styles are in vogue. Other companies have maintained the cartoon like art direction, but I don’t think they are as memorable as some of the old 70’s stuff. In the mid 80’s I received a well worn stack of old Skateboarder and Action Now magazines. I never actually saw any of the old Alligator wheels, but the logo was burned into my mind as an archetypal 70’s skateboarding graphic. Bennett Truks has resurrected the Alligator Wheels product name, but curiously enough, doesn’t have them on their sparsely populated web site. They are the same color and rough shape as the old ones appear to be, although it’s hard to tell. I had some of Madrid’s reborn Cadillac Wheels and found them to be good for completing a nice vintage look, but not very useful for riding, even as a cruiser. It seemed to be a fault of the old design stlye. Although still not center set, these new Alligator’s seem to be more useful for some types of riding. They are being billed as longboard and park riders.
[Source: Tail Tap]

Bellingham Washingotn

Bellingham is open.

Aside from Vancouver, there was another skatepark opening of sorts in Washington last week. Bellingham Washington got some new Dreamland additions to an existing craptacular skatepark. We’ve shown you some pictures of the progress before thanks to John Aguilar, and he has come through again with a bunch more. They are strictly non-action photos though. There’s also a couple on Sleestak. Dan Hughes from Northwest Skater actually got in a session before the rain, as soon as his pics go live I’ll link them up.

Don't be a dick!

How not to comment on Skate and Annoy

Due to a rash of recent comment flame wars on our beloved Skate and Annoy I thought I should point out a few simple guidelines to keep in mind when commenting:

  1. Don’t be a dick.
  2. Keep gratuitous swearing to a minimum, especially when it comes to phrases you might hear in an adult film.

The first guideline keeps the site from being stupid. The second keeps the site from being added to the content blacklists and filters that some companies and schools use to block content for their viewers. I’d prefer not to have users register to post comments, and I swear, if I have to pull this car over you’ll be sorry!

With your help, we can keep Skate and Annoy from becoming this.

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070819_skateboard_chaplain.jpg

16 year old skateboarder falls while being towed by car, dies.

I just got home from the Dew Tour and I turn on the TV to this, I want to send out my deepest sympathy to the family of Joseph Madison.

By KATU Web Staff
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A 16-year-old Vancouver boy was killed Sunday after falling from his skateboard while hanging onto a moving vehicle, police said.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office identified the teen as Joseph Stefano Madison of Vancouver, Wash.

According to the sheriff’s office, Madison was being pulled by a vehicle driven by another 16-year-old when the incident happened about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Northeast 29th Avenue and Northeast 139th Street – just down the street from Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.

The sheriff’s office said Madison was holding the rear driver’s side window and was being pulled down a road when the vehicle suddenly hit a dip in the street and Madison lost his grip on the window. The teen then fell to the ground and hit his head on the pavement.

Madison was declared dead at the scene.

Authorities did not say how fast they believe the car was traveling when the teen fell.

No one else was injured. There were two other 16-year-old passengers in the vehicle at the time.

The sheriff’s office said neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be a factor in the crash.

Source

Good, clean fun.

Good, clean fun.

While you are out sessioning the new Vancouver Washington skate park this weekend, keep your eyes open for these guys and thank them for taking time off work to help clean off the graffiti so the parks district would actually open the place. If you think you know who’s tagging the park, please help them learn not to be such mental midgets, by any means necessary. Photo and elbow grease by Earth Patrol Media. That’s Mark Conahan as Mr Clean. Thanks guys, Reinert too.