Westbound Boarder

…I am for reals here! All you have to do is submit your best video and you could earn yourself a spot in the Gatorade Free Flow Finals stop of the Dew Tour. It all takes place in Salt Lake City and these guys will even pay for your airfare and lodging if you are selected!

Events included are BMX park, Skate park and Skate vert - so check out Dylan Stark’s submission that the Dew Tour has shared with the world - think you are better than this youngster? Than get your video in ASAP, there are only a few days left to enter.

And I almost forgot, since the Gatorade Free Flow Tour is an amateur circuit competition, you do have to be an am to enter… (21 & under for BMX, 18 & under for skate). On top of competing in the Dew Tour, you just may find yourself competing against your favorite pros, because the winner of each competition will be up against the Dew Tour Pro’s in Orlando bABy!

UPDATE: We just spoke with the dudes at the Dew Tour and ladies are welcome and encouraged to enter the contest! C’mon ladies, make us proud!!

For those of you not paying attention, August has proven to be a pretty epic extreme sports month for the Portland area. Downtown Portland was host to the 2009 Wake Jam a couple weeks back (check out our recap & pics!) and is now bringing you the Dew Tour this weekend. That’s right. Today, Thursday August 13th - Sunday August 16th, the best Skate, BMX and Freestyle Moto Cross athletes will be competing for the highly coveted Dew Cup, and you can be there to witness it.

Tickets are available at the Rose Quarter and Online. Prices are quite reasonable and you can enjoy the entire weekend for less than $100 bucks.  It gets better too, with any single day or all session ticket purchase, you will receive a free ticket for Thursday’s event’s, which are not on sale to the public.

Still wondering what the Dew Tour is really about? Check ‘em out online, but here is a brief run down. The Dew Tour has been around since 2005 and is the first ever action sports tour. It consists of a five month tour, featuring competitions in three different action sports (Skate, FMX and BMX). At the end of it all an overall Dew Cup winner is determined and over $2.5 mill in prize money will be allocated accordingly.

Last years Dew Tour champs include FMX pro Adam Jones, BMX Vert competitor Jamie Bestwick, BMX park rider Daniel Dhers, BMX dirty dawg Cameron White, Skate Verter Pierre Luc Gagnon and lastly Chax Ortiz, Skateboard Park extrordinare. Where were all the ladies last year you ask? I really don’t know, but I will be on the look out for them this weekend, that is for sure!

Before I get into talkin’ about my experience with the Shred Sled, let me tell you a little bit about it. The Shred Sled is the next gen caster board and the first 4 wheel in-line, dual-deck board. You do not pump the ground like you do on a traditional skateboard. You use your hips, legs and arms to gain momentum to maneuver the shred sled - very similar to how you move yourself on a snowboard and surfboard. Don’t believe it? Check out this Shred Sled Demo Video on you tube here and the siiiick trick video here.

When I first heard from the Shred Sled experts, who described the shred sled as a skateboard that, ‘combines the movements of skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding,’ I could not believe what I was hearing. I thought if the Shred Sled really emulates snowboarding and surfing in one, then I am already sold. Obviously I had to try it out before I really jumped on board with the Shred Sled, so I impatiently waited its arrival.

My husband (Lance) and I took out the Shred Sled together and bravely attempted the unknown. My first ride on the Shred Sled was not exactly like a fairy tale. I quickly became discouraged as I had a difficult time keeping my balance and starting off on the Shred Sled. The narrow, 4 in-line wheels do make balancing on the Shred Sled, at first, a bit difficult. After about 10 minutes of failure and death gripping Lance’s arm for balance, I was able to start the Shred Sled without using something else for balance. After I was able to kick off to get my initial speed, the rest was really easy and comfortable. The carving turns you make by propelling your hips, legs and arms, are VERY similar to snowboarding and I really felt like I was making powder turns on the sidewalk. Unlike a normal skateboard or longboard, because the shred sled has the 4 in-line wheels, you are able to go any direction you want, make extra sharp turns, and even spin in full circles. Things you would never be able to do on a regular skate!

….

Once Lance and I were both able to effortlessly maneuver the Shred Sled, we had a hard time sharing as we were both having so much fun. The Shred Sled really is like riding a bicycle. You may have a little bit of trouble balancing and squirming around at first, but guaranteed, you will get the hang of it sooner than later. And to top it all off? You don’t have to be a ‘boarder’ to learn how to Shred Sled. We have shown a number of our friends who don’t have any snowboarding or skateboarding ability, and they have been able to get the hang of the Shred Sled just as well.

Interested in getting a Shred Sled of your own? Check out the Shred Sled home page where you will find ordering information, testimonials and even tips for learning how to Shred Sled. You already part of the craze? Let us know what you thinkof the Shred Sled by leaving us a comment and be sure to check out our Shred Sled pictures on Flickr!

The ladies of the 2009 Summer X Games raised the bar in Skate Vert, Skate Street and Moto X this year with stellar performances in all areas. Here are some of the highlights:

The X Games Street victory goes to Marisa Dal Santo, now 2 time X Game gold medalist - although the triumph did not come easily for her. Santo was up against her friend, skateboard legend and four time gold medalist, Elissa Steamer (who took Bronze this time around). Alexis Sablone (recent comeback skater after taking time off of the sport to complete her college degree, go Alexis!), was there to give Marisa a run for her $$$ too. Lucky for Marisa - who entered the final round with her work cut out for her -nailed a frontside boardslide down the 12-stair bringing her into third and sealed the deal (and the gold baby) with a frontside lipslide down the rail. Congrats to Marisa Dal Santo!

The Women’s Vert contest was just as exciting as Street, as competition history was made for the ladies. As of a couple of years ago, no one had ever pulled off a kickflip indy in a women’s vert comp - and during the Women’s X-games vert contest, just that was done. Three out of the eight ladies competing in the vert comp, pulled off the trick in their run, resulting in podium spots for each of them.  Despite the solidity of last year’s gold medalist, Karen Jonz’ runs this year, gold went to Lynz Adams Hawkins for her commitment to raising the bar even higher and higher with her multiple McTwist attempts.  Lynz was surprised when she received the first place gold medal this year, but no one else was. Silver went to Karen Jonz and bronze to Gaby Ponce. Cheers to these ladies, keep on raising that bar!

Motocross took place on Saturday night of the weekend comp and the motocross teen sensation, Ashley Fiolek, did not disappoint anybody. Fiolek, who has been deaf since birth, was excited to come to the x games and do this well - and for good reason. The 18-year-old was forced to withdrawal from last year’s X Games due to an injury, but made up for lost time this year for sure. Fiolek did not get out of the gate very well and struggled against competitor Jessica Patterson for the remainder of the race. It was during the final lap that Fiolek took the lead and raced herself to the gold standing that she had been waiting for since last year’s X Games. And to top it off? The Moto X Games led to the highest billing a women’s X Games event has ever received on ESPN. Go Moto X Ladies!

So here is a shout out to all of the ladies who participated in raising the bar at the Summer X Games this year. Keep on shreddin’!

Well that’s a wrap and what a skate week it has been here at Westbound. I am off to the grand ole state of Utah this morning to make my rounds with the ladies and gents of Arkade Magazine (oh and attend an old friends wedding ;)) These guys rock as they are all about promoting a snowboarding culture and you can find their mag all throughout local pizza, coffee and snowboard shops all throughout the NW - but more about Arkade next week. Be sure to check em out!

This week has been cram packed with all kinds of skate resources, so if you missed any of it be sure to check out our recap.

• Want to learn to skate, but need to invest in your very own board first? Check out our article on How to Buy a Skateboard for the First Time! to find out exactly what you should be looking for in your new skate.
• Westbound Fav Sk8 Shops. WARNING! These shops are super sick, based in Portland and they even sell their goods online!
• Have a skateboard, but don’t know how to use it? That’s OK, freshen up on my skater-tips for beginners.
• Practice really does make perfect and before you know it, you will have already perfected the most basic (albeit, stylish and impressive) skate tricks. Read on for Westbound’s tips on how to improve your skate resume!
• Whether you live in the Golden State where skateboarding was born or in the Beaver State where there are more skate parks than trees, check out the respective local skate park hot spots. Westbound has the skate park recommendations for both the greater Los Angeles and Portland areas.

Until next week, let your new skateboard roll!

If the parks in Oregon were not enough for you, check out our SoCal skate park picks. If the peeps at California Girls Skateboards like them, they have got to be legit, right?!

• Santa Monica: The Cove is more than a skate park. It is actually where skateboarding was born. Located in the Dogtown area of Santa Monica this is where sidewalk surfing transformed into what street skating has become 40 years later.
• Lake Forest: Luck enough to live in Orange County? Check out the Etnies skate park all the way down in lake forest.
• Burbank: The Valley Skate Skate park is without a doubt a park for beginners. So grab your skate and get-a-learnin’.

So here’s a little somthing for everyone and in every corner of SoCal. There really are no excuse not to check out a skate park near YOU!

For those of you who are old pros or now ready to hit the skateboard park, here is a list of Westbound’s favorite skateboard parks in the grand state of Oregon!

• Burnside: The most well known. You may recognize this one from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, he ranks it one of the top 5 skate parks altogether.
• West Linn: It’s great for the pool lovers and is known for its large and fast bowls. (Plus it is in my hometown, so check it out!)
• Lincoln City: Ranked 9/10 by Thrasher Skateboard mag, this one is a must visit.
• Tualatin: This park maybe super flat, but a great place to learn and get comfortable in the park.
• Newberg: Sorry Lincoln City, but thrasher ranked this park an 11/10. Just when we didn’t think the Oregon skate parks could get any better, they have!
  

Skateboarding may have been invented in Andrea’s state of California, although Oregon genuinely boasts a much higher skate park per capita than Cali does. So check out Skate Oregon if the skate parks we have listed are not close enough to home for you! Let us know what you fav skate park is, by leaving a comment!

Thanks to Skate Week, Westbound is your online skate resource for any kind of skate related questions you may have. We have already told you what to look for in your new skate, where to buy it and how to ride it. Now it is time to learn how to master those tricks on it. Just remember to be patient with yourself as perfecting these tricks takes time. So don’t forget, practice is what really makes perfect.

(1) Ollie: The ollie really is the mother of all of the skateboard tricks as it is the basis of nearly every skate trick in the book. With that said, it can also be one of the harder tricks for people to get the hang of. SO don’t be discouraged if you have trouble getting airborne on your ollie! When you are learning to Ollie, try it out next to a curb, or in the grass while you are stationary (which will keep you from rolling away while you are focusing on trying to first learn the trick). To ollie, you put your back foot on the tail of the board and your front foot in the middle of the board. Push down on the tail then push your front foot up the board to your front trucks. Do the same with your back foot so that it goes towards the back trucks. The board should then be in the air. Land on the board with your knees bent. Next Step: when you are ready, do the ollie when you are moving on your skate and eventually ollie over an object or a curb.

(2) Manual: This can be an easier trick for some people as it just takes balance and some practice (plus, it adds great variety to your skating resume). A manual is when you balance on your back wheels while rolling along (like a wheelie). To try a manual you will be rolling forward on your board and the front wheels of the skateboard are lifted off the ground, but the tail does not touch the ground. Keep your back foot over the tail of the skateboard and bend your front knee. Be sure not to lean back, or you will fall backwards. Next Step: As manuals are slow and hard to maintain, it is very difficult manualing a long distance. So impress a crowd, and yourself, by manualing a long distance (once you have got the hang of it, of course).

(3) Kick turn: A kick turn  is when you balance on your back wheels for a moment and then swing the front of your board around in a new direction (notice the picture to the right) Work you way to a full 180 degree kick turn by starting with a 90 degree kick turn. This can be a simple trick, although it takes some balance and practice. Next Step: Once you have a kick turn down comfortably in one direction, and can go 180 degrees, work on doing it the other direction (ultimately work on both frontside and backside kick turns).

Once you have mastered these tricks, don’t stop here! The book of skate tricks is never ending and there are always more challenging tricks to perfect. Need some tips? Lets us know exactly what trick you want to learn and we will tell you how! Now get on out to the Skate Jam tonight and get your skate tricks on!

So you have already found your new skate, now it’s on to more important things, actually skating. Learning to skate can be challenging, although with a little forethought and technique, you will be comfortable on your skateboard in no time.

(1) Armor: First things first. It may seem ridiculous, but when you are learning to skate my first recommendation is to pad up. That is right, wear the wrist guards, knee pads and a helmet. Worried that you will look like an idiot? Well than read Andrea’s safety post from a few months ago, and then read what happened when she didn’t take her own advice (and she is now paying for it with a a serious hand surgery). Learn from Andrea’s mistakes, and when you are new to skateboarding, pad up.

(2) Which foot forward: Now that you are ready for battle, figure out if you are regular or goofy footed (tip: run and slide across the kitchen floor in your socks, which foot did you put forward?) Right foot forward: you’re goofy footed. Left foot forward: you’re regular footed. Oh, and for some there is the mongo foot pusher, where they are comfortable planting their back foot on the skate and pumping with their front foot. It’s that simple.

(3) Jumping on your board: Start by getting comfortable with your board. Try different ways to get on and off of your board and do this by simply jumping on and off of your motionless board. Practice getting your balance right on your board and notice how your balance changes when your stance does, or when your legs are close together vs. far apart.  A general rule of thumb is that, to a point, a wider stance is going to help you balance. So keep your feet far enough apart to create a great base resulting in great balance.

(4) Tilt your board back: Also practice pushing down hard with your back foot on the board so that you tilt the front of the board up, all the while staying on the board. You will be in a position where only the two back wheels are on the ground and the tail of the board is nearly resting on the ground behind you. Pause there momentarily and then shift your weight back forward, landing back on the ground with all four wheels flat on the ground. Any variation of this transition will help to improve your balance and comfort on the skate. Even if you cannot tilt the skate back very far, no worries; work yourself to that point. It all takes time. Rinse and repeat until mastered.

(5) The Run and Jump: Another great way to get comfortable on your skate is by running at your board and jumping on it, all the while, working to keep your balance as long as possible. Start with a slow run. Your board won’t go very far, but in no time you will be naturally increasing your speed and eventually it will become natural to begin pumping your feet and actually skating.

(6) Knees Bent: Also, remember to keep your knees bent. Your knees will serve to absorb the movement of the skateboard, and if you have stiff knees, your skate will kick you off your board in no time. So in the back of your mind should always be, “Keep. Knees. Bent.”

(7) Pumping: When you get to the point where you are comfortable with the above practice methods, begin working on your pumping technique. This can be difficult as it is easy for the skate to get away from you when your pushing. Imagine that you are simply walking and making a step forward with the foot that you are pushing on the side of the skateboard. Keep your planted foot parallel to the board and your knee bent.  It is also easier to make more powerful pushes vs. smaller less powerful pushes, which in the long run will significantly help you in your skating.

(8) Learn how to stop: You have four options here: Foot breaking, Heel Drag, Power Slide, The Bail Out. I am sure you can use your imagination with these folks, but I’ll break it down for you.

• Foot breaking is done by making sure your front foot is as parallel as possible with the board (your toes should be facing the nose of the board), your chest should also be facing forward as well. You simply transfer your weight to your front foot, swing your back leg out and lower it straight to the ground. Keep your body centered around the board and apply light pressure to the ground with the sole of your shoe and gradually increase the pressure as you need to slow down.
• Heel Drag: With a little more experience the heel drag can be done. Place your back foot at the back of your skate (let your heel stick out off the kicktail). Lean back so the tail of the board and your heel are pressed against the ground, the nose of your board will come up into the air and you will stop.
• Power Slide: is an advanced way to stop, but involves placing your front foot near the front trucks and your back foot near the back trucks. You then push your back foot forward (or backwards) and slide the rear wheels on the ground resulting in a 90 degree shift and subsequent stop.
• Bail Out: When you do not have any other options, just bail, your life is more important than your skate’s.

I know this is a lot of information so don’t expect to go out there and do all of this at once. Take your time and just get comfortable on your skate. Practice is what makes perfect so practice, practice, practice! Are you more of a visual learner? Well then check out this Learn to Ride a Skateboard video, you can actually download it for free, and we think it is pretty helpful.

So do the time and you will, in no time, be comfortable enough on your skate to learn a few of the basic tricks.  Are you already comfortable on your skate? Well then check out our Sk8 Tricks post later this afternoon!

In the mean time, check out the Skate Like a Girl event tonight July 21st at the Department of Skateboarding @ 15 NE Hancock Portland, OR.

Listen up! It’s Skate Week here at Westbound and with that we have found the perfect event for your. Tonight SLAG is brinigng you a Girls Only Skate Jam and BBQ. It goes from 6pm-9pm on Tuesday July 21st. All Ages and Abilities are welcome and it’s FREE! Gals from the SLAG tour will be there including pros and locals. So come on down to the Department of Skateboarding @ 15 NE Hancock, Portland, OR and get your skate on!

« Older Entries