Author: Crossfire

5th March 2007

This weeks Freshblood burst onto the scene only a year or so ago, and they don’t show any hesitation when it comes to complete annihilation.

The usual route for a career in skateboarding would be to build up your confidence and gain recognition gradually, but these three skaters wasted no time in getting noticed and serving up a severe warning to lagging pros. Jerome Campbell, Ante and David Gonzalez are no joke on their boards.

I think together, this trio can establish the lead in new Super-Ams category. Who needs a board with your name on it, if your name is already on everyone’s tongue?

Feature by Zac Slack and Ralph LD.

Jerome Campbell – Blueprint

Portrait ph. Neil Chester

If you’re scanning Great Britain for talent, then you’ve probably spotted Jerome Campbell, not once, nor twice but three times. You can’t really miss it when a kid rolls past you with such smooth manoeuvres.

Jerome was first spotted in Matt Hirst’s video killing all his local spots with ease. It only took a minute for Blueprint to take the teenager under their wing and before you knew it Jerome was touring Europe and the UK dishing out many a lesson in style and power.

When the Sheffield Story Store posted a daily clip of Jerome frontside nosesliding over the L-bench, people took notice. Do you have any idea how hard that is? And Jerome did it asleep at the wheel…

Full Name: – Jerome Campbell
Age: 19
Sponsors: Blueprint Skateboards, Nike SB, Thunder Trucks, Krew and The Story Store
Hometown: Sheffield
How long been skating: 6 years.
Favourite tricks: “Just learnt airwalks and 900’s”
Favourite kind of spots: “Anything really, odd stuff, quirky stuff!”

“You know when you move into a house with someone you don’t know very well, then find out about all their little quirks? Well in the past year I have discovered that Jerome:

A) Spends much of his time acquiring new possessions and then instantly lose them by leaving them at a spot.
B) May try and borrow money from you, even though he has a wad of notes in his sock draw.
C) Thinks that there are 500 real people in the world and everyone else is a prop.

This is the part where I tell you how much Jerome skates with the speed, style and thought of a veteran beyond his years.” Neil Chester, Blueprint Team manager/Filmer

Frontside flip in Mallorca, Spain ph. Dom Marley

Watch Jerome train up some buttery skills in Italy here.

Antonio ‘Ante’ Aiello – Yama

Portrait ph. Machine Braudisch

Brought up in a town called Hard and sharing an uncanny resemblance with evil Sideshow Bob, Ante fella has burst onto the European skate scene with some explosive tricks in Antiz’ Z-Movie, and a few eye openers in various European magazines.

You see, Ante rides for Yama and Yama are nomads of the skate world. They just skate wherever life puts them and usually leave devastation wherever they roam. Ante has taken the confidence and determination of misled youth and applied it to his skateboarding to produce some of the cleanest and gnarliest skating of the moment.

We know Ante is destined to make it big on his board, so he’s a direct candidate for Freshblood.

Full Name: Antonio Aiello
Age: 18
Sponsors: YAMA Skateboards, Emerica.
Hometown: Hard, Austria
How long been skating: Since summer 2000
Favourite tricks: Olli, Kick Flip, cruising in the streets
Favourite kind of spots: I try to skate everything

“Without skateboarding I would probably be one of the guys, who spend their time with felony and thefts. Before I started skating, I was hanging out with the wrong kids, but skateboarding kept me out of that way of life and showed me a lot of beautiful things like travelling and many new friendships. I want to thank Alex Kramer, the whole Yama Crew, Oli Bürgin (soletech), my family and all my friends.” Ante himself.

Watch Ante serve out a solid beating to some of Europe’s biggest spots in the Yama section of Z-Movie here .

Backside flip skate shot ph. Machine Braudisch

David Gonzalez- Flip

Portrait ph. Daniel Sturt

When the industry is awash with young rippers each as good as the next, it takes whole lot more to differentiate yourself from the bunch. Flip skateboards run a tight ship when it comes to hooking riders up, so when they announced their support for little David Gonzalez from Columbia, a few people might have had doubts as to what their reasons might be.

Flip didn’t have to explain a thing – David did the talking. Or should I say screaming? Honestly, this kid has got a thirst for thrills that an unhealthy dose of energy drinks couldn’t induce.

To quote a UK skate magazine editor that got the chance to witness David’s skating first hand: “Unbelievable is a word I’ve used too often in this article already, but it’s the only thing that comes close“. Howard Cooke’s Everton gap first try, then again with a little layback powerslide for speed control on the approach..? Nuff said.

Full Name: David Gonzalez
Age: 16
Sponsors: Flip, Globe, Ricta, Fury, CCS Mailorder, Libre skateshop.
Hometown: Medellin, Columbia
How long been skating: 11 Years
Favourite tricks: I haven’t seen one he doesn’t like.
Favourite kind of spots: Anywhere his wheels can roll.

“On a highway to hell with no fear in his blood, David Gonzalez hails from Medellin Colombia, at the tender age of 16 he has lived more than most, and with a story to tell for every occasion that will shock or leave you in fits of laughter. If you ever get to witness him skate live then you’ll understand why I didn’t bother writing any bullshit about how he can do this and that and he rips on this and that terrain, actions speak louder than words and David Gonzalez is really fucking loud.” – Ewan Bowman

Watch how David kills competition during this run at the Tampa Am 2007 comp here .

Grown-man grind in California ph. Daniel Sturt