Category: Skateboarding News

The skate shoe business is a funny old place… No sooner have you received a press release saying so and so is so stoked to be wearing X’s comfortable, that it would take Hell to freeze over for them to change their mind, and next thing you know the rumour mill is in full swing announcing the contractual split that is destined to follow exactly 6-12 months later! Oh well…

Today’s hot commodity is Stefan Janowski who has taken off his Etnies and swapped them for Nikes.

In unrelated news, Stefan’s buddy, Omar Salazaar, gets one step closer by securing a place on Alien Workshop. Also, the latest hot shoe gossip is a return of Adidas with a brand new team of hot pros- Yeah Right!

Obviously some people just don’t get it, do they? Matt Pritchard’s Sleep While your Dead (SWYD) Globe Shoes advert has been officially sanctioned by the Advertising Standards Authority and will no longer appear in print.

The high brow board of cronies frowned upon the advert’s depictions of gambling, alcohol, nudity and FUN (!), and managed to breach the clauses for Responsibility and Children, but didn’t manage to condemn it for decency.

Apparently, the playing of strip poker showed no actual nudity and wasn’t deemed explicit enough. Obviously, Globe fought hard for their fun-loving criminal (minded) posterboy, by explaining the artistic direction of the ad as similar to Pritch’s life style, hence the Sleep When Your Dead motto.

Their valiant pleas fell on the deaf ears of a bunch of busybodies who banned a Weetabix © ad for falsely attesting to their cereal being made of oats, and Sky © television for airing a “disturbing” plug for a new series about pathology… Some people need to get out more.

For all your Globe needs, hit up www.globe.tv

Whilst surfing the cyber wave, we stumbled across this soundtrack to the concrete wave.

Skaterdater is an award winning movie from the 60’s whose soundtrack encapsulated the easyrider living of our ancestors.

The soundtrack was scored by Mike Curb (Pun intended..?) and is available if you click the image here.

This years Girls Skate Jam UK has had a change of date and it has been brought forward to SATURDAY 27th MAY . This date is set in stone and won’t be moved again.

It will run between 12-5pm at Pioneer Skate Park, St Albans (20 mins north of London) with skate for everyone and party afterwards.

Email jen and jen at girlskatejamuk@btinternet.com for any more info.

Obviously the pro-model truck fetish is a sure thing because after announcing Tony Trujillo’s soon to be released pro-model truck, Independent have just signed Eric Koston to the company, with a very special re-design by the skater in question.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t involve an LA Lakers colourway!

Has America finally realised Europe is worth its weight in gold? Well, Matix Clothing seems to think so because they have just established a UK Team.

The lucky buggers that will be dressed to impress are Joey Pressey, Daniel “Snowy” Kinloch, Chewy Cannon, Jody Smith, Danny Brady, Josh Perret, Jak Pietryga and Joe Lynsky.

For more info about these Euro musings go to: www.matixclothing.com/europe.

Check back to Crossfire in the future for a Chewy interview….

Understandably, Rampworx has come in for some (sometimes well deserved) criticism for its ignorance to the needs of their loyal skateboarders. Now their frustrations can be tempered by the fact that they have pulled all the stops out for a completely new section at the rear of the skate park.

Over the last 4 months, Rob Godfrey and his team of expert ramp builders (thanks to Gaz, Perry, Chris) have been hard at work during the long cold and dark months of winter and believe me if it’s just you and 3 guys cutting wood in sub zero temperatures, the park is a solemn, ghostly and, almost arctic place post festive season!

So what can skaters look forward to when they roll up to the park this forthcoming spring?

Well, here is a short list of what the ‘build team’ have come up with:

• Mini Half Pipe Flows Into Mini Spine,
• 30 Ft Quarter 30 Foot Long With 8 Ft Flat Bank In Middle,
• 24ft Wall Ride, Quarter To Flat Bank Into Wall Ride,
• Quarter Pipe, Burnside Pillar,
• 24ft Flat Bank With Roll In,
• New Flatbank With Boxes and rails,
• 3 New Drive Ways With Box Rails And Drop Off Boxes,
• 2 Mini Humps,
• Quarter Into 2 Pump Ramps

It’s also worth noting that the park has just launched a brand new membership scheme. For the nominal fee of £20, you get a whole host of goodies including Members t-shirt, sticker pack, reduced door entry, 10% shop discount and a member’s only day.

For more information call 0151 530 1500, or 0151 666 2224 or visit the new site at www.rampworx.com

Similarly email the park at info@rampworx.com.

A Graphic Short Story
by Jody Barton

“I’m a survivor… …have you got a spare cigarette?”

Opened on Wednesday 1st of March
6 until 8.30 pm
CIDE 88b Gallery
88 Lower Marsh
Waterloo
London SE1 7AB

Embryo Boy is an unwanted child who won’t give up. He won’t give up smoking. This book sees his conception, double eviction from the womb, search for housing and gainful employment. All with a dark and mischievous humour that will hopefully alienate nearly everyone. Defiantly Anti Life, Embryo Boy has a sense of world weariness not usually seen in one so young. And before you ask ‘does it have a happy ending?’, it doesn’t have a sad ending…

Also there will be some new screenprints, some free copies of the book and more. Embryo Boy will be making a personal appearance.

Propmaking by: Rich Holland and Charlotte Mann.
Sponsored by: MonkeyShoulder

www.jodybarton.co.uk
www.bigactive.com
www.skatecide.com

We know Marseille is good. We also know Brixlegg is a beast, but, do you know about Courtrai in Belgium?

Well, you do now because they have a brand new concrete bowl complex plus cradle, designed by Team Pain, that is waiting to feel your urethane and taste your blood!

Well, not until mid April… On March 4th skaters from far and wide tried to put pressure on local authority to get the park opened, seeing as it’s finished and yearning for a thrashing. Crossfire were there to witness the confrontation with police. Check the skate features section on this site to find out what happened…