Category: Skateboarding News

Sometimes skaters are nothing but a herd of senseless sheep. If it isn’t our coordination in the wardrobe apartments, it’s the spots we choose to skate. Barcelona got a proper rinsing recently and since then the finger has pointing North, South, East and West in search of the guilty culprit. Newsflash: We’re all to blame for the downfall of Barca and the risk of impending fines!

Anyway, take it back to the roots lady boys and remember when we used to skate wherever, whenever we wanted regardless of the law. Just respect the locals! And if you don’t know where to go, click on www.skatebarcelona.com

Chocolate Skateboards pro Marc Johnson won the 2005 Trick of the Year competition here at Crossfire. Voters visiting this site decided he won hands down for his perfecty controlled manual tre flip out filmed in Barcelona.

MJ’s steez had more sting than runner up Manuel Margrieter whose killer instinct provided a kickflip backside blunt slide at speed and also had legs on Brandon Biebel whose nollie bs tail on a famous Barca table won over the votes to come third.

Your votes assured a tie for 4th place for a Paul Regan switch tre flip to bolts special and also Patrick Scheepers incredible switch nose slide shuv switch nose up the Moorgate step-up ledge.

In other Chocolate related news, UK skaters will be happy to know that a Chocolate Tour DVD titled Hittin’ Britain and Oui Will Rock You documenting the teams European antics from last year is scheduled to come free with a future copy of Sidewalk Magazine. The DVD will also feature the Yes We Canada DVD with the Girl Skateboards team.

Look out for updates on www.sidewalkmag.com

We await a personal response from Marc on the news of his win but in the meantime for all Chocolate related updates (and those amazing new red radios) go to www.chocolateskateboards.com and the mothership over at www.crailtap.com

News just in that Adam Dyet has taken his backside noseblunts over to Darkstar Skateboards, whilst Gailea Momolu ditched Globe for a pair of Osiris. Can you do that..?

I think this has been mentioned before, but Tosh Townend has left Emerica in search of a sole (Ha!) over at Element Shoes.Is Element taking a leaf out of IKEA’s book..?

John Igei didn’t want to get jiggy (Promise it’s the last stupid pun!) with Harold Hunter anymore, and decided to stick to his SF roots by hooking up with OG underground company Western Edition. By the way- Igei’s from Washington DC originally.

Oh, and Kris Markovich quit Blind. Some things never change…

Look out for a new distribution company coming out of the States – Empire Distribution. The man in the dark suit and flappy cape will be played by Greg Carroll, whilst the grey fatigues are donned by Justin ‘Ears’ Williams. Expect them to tempt you with the ‘force’ of Uxa Clothing, masterkush bushings, Diamond hardware, Fillmore Wheels and the aptly named new truck company Force Trucks.

Start thinking about booking tickets for Lille, France, anytime between the 12th April to 2nd July because a big Skate Fest is being organised for your pleasure. Lille already boasts a mental street park and indoor park, but things will become even more tempting when the Beautiful Losers, Side Effects of Urethane, Fred Mortagne – photographer, and various bands put up shop to perform demos and shows.

More info at www.exposkate.com – Good stuff.

The Negotiator

Kids don’t skate for peanuts no more. But not every kid has a business head, so say hello to agents, financial planners and negotiators!

Jeremie and the Cliché crew can breathe easy because the tentacles of Girl haven’t got a firm enough grip to steal Lucas Puig from the French camp, but they will satisfy by luring the young styler with 4-Star clothing and Lakai shoes.

Another third-man operation pioneers the skate company cloning techniques as Ali Boulala finds a place among close friends over at Etnies.

2 of the UK’s biggest skateparks launched brand new websites today. Rumour has it that the Bay Sixty 6 site are looking for people to write content and chip in footage for the site. If you are a local rider you should get in touch via the contact options on their new rig.

Check them out from the links below.

Don’t feed the animals.

There is an age old saying that says, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you“. But, then there is also the one about how “You can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink“… So in a slight follow-on from our recent revelations of murky waters and dodgy dealings within the skate industry, news has been leaked that Zoo York is set for a bumpy ride.

The unique New York roster of skate talent was bought up in a bid to save the dwindling company a few years ago (When skating was riding the crest of its wave!) by urban fashion guru, Mack Echo– founder of Ecko Clothing. Since then, the ethic of Zoo York being a raw skate company has simply flown out of the window…

The latest act of injury for the East Coast beast is the loss of Clyde Singleton, professional veteran and full-time comedian. Clyde left the company after contractual disagreements, but isn’t the first to have retired from such a dubious deal; Team manager Sal Barbier has gone, OG heads Jeff Pang and Rodney Smith are long gone, as are other members of the Original Zoo team, and more recently John Igei bowed out too.

The whole situation is turning sour fast, and could stand as a warning for anyone involved in skateboarding for the wrong reasons i.e. fast bucks.

The following information is a press release and not written by anyone here at Crossfire.

Skatepark project manager required

If you are passionate about skate or BMX, and can demonstrate that you know what makes a skatepark work, you could be just what we are looking for!

GBH Engineering Ltd is seeking talented staff to expand a dynamic team providing custom design skateparks to Councils across the UK. Within this demanding role you will get to travel all over the UK, based from our Poole HQ.

To succeed you will need to be an excellent communicator both face to face and on the phone – comfortable relating to people of all ages.

Some days (and on occasion evenings/weekends) you will find yourself dealing with Board Room presentations, and site assessments with highly qualified suits. Other days you could be back at school, surrounded by a bunch of rowdy kids, all with their own ideas. Do you have the ability to both understand and instill understanding during such consultations?

In the office you’ll be part of a lively, highly supportive sales team, (lead by an experienced skater) working hard together to make skateparks a reality for kids across the country. There is a huge amount of feel good factor, and a chance to make your mark within a thriving company in which individual’s opinions really do count.

The person we are looking for is likely to have already had a few years work experience under their belt, confident and with sound organisational skills. It’s no ordinary job and if you are looking to plod along in a 9-5 way of life, this isn’t the career path for you.

If you think you’ve got what it takes, send us your CV and we’ll be in touch – immediate start available for the right candidate.

Email: sue@gbhramps.com
www.gbhramps.com

Satori Movement will premiere the new DVD “Mapping in Time and Space” this January at the following dates:

Please note that the Bristol date is cancelled, please contact 50:50 Store for more details about the date for this premiere.

More info about Satori team can be found at www.satorimovement.com and if you wanna buy Satori wheels and product check out www.crutchshop.com