Skateboarding at Alondra Park in Lawndale, California

By Rick Bickerstaff

When I moved to Los Angeles five years ago, I have to admit I was a little unsure about what to expect from LA skaters. It's a big city where the level of skating is sky high, and so I imagined territorial skaters protecting their pieces of turf in the vast concrete expanse of Southern California skateparks. To my surprise, though, I found the opposite...

Most skateparks I visit are filled with kids who love skating and love the people they skate with. But I just had a particularly awesome skate session at the Alondra Park in Lawndale, CA, and as I reflected on the sweetness that happened, I wanted to share some things that made it stand out amongst the plethora of skate spots LA has to offer.

Too Old for This? A Skateboard Film

By Rick Bickerstaff

Two years ago, my friend Kyle Hamilton and I set off to make a skate video to commemorate his time in Los Angeles, before moving to the more compressed big city of New York. After day one of shooting left us so sore that day two quickly became a wash, we discovered the title for our movie: "Too Old for This."

Dew Tour Comes to Ocean City, Maryland June 25-29 | Surfing, Skating and BMX

For the 4th year, Ocean City, Maryland will host the opening stop on the Dew Tour series this June 25-29, 2014.  The Beach Championships will feature BMX, skateboarding and surfing as professional athletes compete to win money, prizes, and the Dew Tour title!  Come out to the beach at the southern tip of OCMD to check it all out, free to the public!  And stay for the concerts and other action they have for fans that weekend.

Events include:

• BMX Park
• BMX Street Session
• BMX Vert
• Skateboard Bowl
• Skateboard Legends Bowl
• Skateboard Street Session
• Skateboard Vert
• Am Skateboard Shop Battle
• Am Surf Shop Showdown

More details to follow at the DewTour website.

Visit: www.StoreYourBoard.com

5 Beginner Skateboard Trick Videos | Skateboard YouTube Clips

By Jake Walnut

Beginners in every sport have to start somewhere. In skateboarding this means starting with simple tricks.

It is generally a good idea to learn these tricks first on flat ground before progressing to obstacles. Before attempting these tricks, you should also have a solid command of the basics. You should have a smooth stance, be comfortable pushing around, and be able to kick-turn.

Skateboarding Exhibits at the Everhart Museum Featuring StoreYourBoard Skateboard Racks

By Andrew Sachs
Want to check out two of the coolest exhibits in the history of museums?  Beginning August 2, the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art in Scranton, PA will feature "Sidewalk Surfing: the Art & Culture of Skateboarding" along with "(Skateboard) Decked Out: Community Art."  The Exhibits obviously feature lots of skateboards/decks and when the Museum needed racks to store and display it all, they turned to StoreYourBoard and our large supply of racks perfect for the job.  

Munich X-Games 2013 | Real Street Skateboarding

By Andrew Sachs
The Munich X-Games are coming up on June 27-30.  In anticipation of Munich, the X-Games have already opened up voting for the Real Street video competition, the winner of which will be decided and announced during X-Games Munich.

X Games Foz do Iguacu, Brazil | Preview and Schedule

By Andrew Sachs
The X Games makes its next stop on its 2013 global schedule in Brazil, with the X Games Foz do Iguacu running from April 18-21.  This stop comes on the heels of the Winter X Games Tignes and will be followed by games in Barcelona (May 16-19) and Munich (June 27-30) before closing the season in Los Angeles from August 1-4.

Bikes and Skateboards | A College Student's Best Friends

Hey all!

For those of you that don't know, I am a college student at a university in Pennsylvania hopefully graduating this spring. These have been the best four years of my life filled with friends and fun memories. The only thing that gets slightly annoying is the hike I have to make to classes from my apartment, especially now that I live off campus.

Some colleges and universities are located in the city, but most schools are located in and around towns which makes it convenient for most students to  live within a 15 to 20 minute walk to campus. However if you're like me, waking up and getting to those 8am classes on time can be the hardest part of your day.

Which brings me to some of the best advice I've received as a college student: invest in a bike or a skateboard.

The benefits:

• Cuts down on travel time - if you're running late, need that extra five minutes of sleep, or have a class on the opposite side of campus from the other, a bike or skateboard is the right answer.
• Every building has a bike rack located in the front or back so students don't have to worry about where to leave your bike, just make sure to bring your lock!
• Professors don't care if you bring your skateboard to class.
• Some backpacks allow you to hook your skateboard to your backpack.
• You don't have to worry about paying for gas or parking.
• It's great exercise! Walking in general is exercise but riding a bike or skateboard is more fun!

Both forms of transportation are great ways to get around campus. Deciding which is better really depends on the person's preference. Which do you prefer?

Once you get your skateboard or bike make sure you have a rack to store it in your dorm room or apartment. Check out StoreYourBoard's large variety of skateboard racks and bike racks.

How awesome is this? A professor from UNL skateboards to his classes everyday!

Good luck to all the students out there starting their spring semester!

Ride On,
      Colleen

Visit: www.StoreYourBoard.com

The Dew Tour: Ocean City, Maryland

This past weekend of August 18th, the Dew Tour hit Ocean City, Maryland for a stop on its tour, the Pantech Beach Championships.  The tour took over the ocean side area next to the OC inlet and put on a great show all the way around.  Events included both biking and skating: vert, park, flatland, bowl, and mega skate ramp, not to mention a surf expression session and a bunch of concerts mixed in between events, headlined by Lupe Fiasco on Friday night.

[Bob Burnquist and Andy MacDonald getting ready to drop in]

StoreYourBoard was down in OC checking out the scene and meeting up with some competitors and fans.  In between all that, we took time out to watch the finals of our favorite event: the skate vert.  The vert comp included some big, established names like Bucky Lasek, Andy MacDonald, and Bob Burnquist.  It also included up and coming stars like 12 year old Tom Schaar and 15 year old Mitchie Brusco.  

[Bucky!]

The final round did not disappoint.  The riders were going huge trying to capture the top spot in the vert finals.  Everyone landed some monster tricks and watching it live, you couldn't tell who was going to pull out the win.  In the end, Pierre-Luc Gagnon took first, followed by Bucky Lasek and Sandro Dias.

If you get a chance to check out a Dew Tour stop - do it - these guys rocked.   

[Spotted - Shaun White]



Visit: www.StoreYourBoard.com

Skateboard Parts | Anatomy 101: The Skateboard and Its Parts

No, a skateboard is not just a board on wheels.  Like most things in life, it is composed of various parts that allow it to move.  So for all those inexperienced riders out there that don’t know much about skateboards, here is a list breaking down each vital element of the board.

Deck – The deck is the actual board part of the skateboard.  The skateboarder’s height is crucial to finding the right deck size.  If you are on the shorter size, 4’ and under, try a deck that is 29” long.  If you are 6’ and above, try a deck that is 32.4” long.  Riders who are in the middle of those heights choose accordingly, if you are closer to 4’ choose a deck that is longer than 29” but shorter than 32.4”.  The width of most skateboards is between seven and eight inches, but if you are blessed with larger feet choose a bigger size.  The last, and best, part of a skateboard deck is the graphic.  Have fun with it and choose a brand that stands out to you.

Trucks – Connecting to the bottom of the deck, the truck stables the skateboard while allowing it to turn.  The wheels then mount to the truck.  It is important to pick a truck that is the same width of the deck.  The trucks contain a part called brushings, the spongy circular piece that supports the truck when it turns.  The brushings come in different grades: stiff, medium, and soft.  Softer bushings allow the skateboarder to turn easily, where the stiff bushings support the board better—probably best for beginning riders.

Wheels – You would think that the wheel is simple: it makes the skateboard go.  However, factors such as diameter and durameter (how hard or soft the wheel is) effect the way of the ride.  If your sole purpose is cruising the ramps, you’ll want a larger, harder wheel.  Large wheels roll faster allowing the rider to get air and make it up to the top.  Street riding more your style? Choose wheels that are smaller and lighter, but still hard.  With smaller wheels, you are closer to the ground, which makes it easier to do flip tricks.  If you want a board for both ramp riding and tricks, you’ll want a softer wheel that balances your speed and weight.

Bearings – These are the little metal rings inside of your skateboard wheel.  The bearings are rated on a scale from 1-9.  A skateboarder needs precise, durable wheels that will last through the abuse of jumps, grinds and rides.  A good bearing would be between a 3-5.

Riser – The part between the truck and the deck.  The risers help prevent the deck form cracking while relieving stress from the trucks. 

Griptape – The black, sandpaper like material attached to the top of the deck.  The name says it all: helps the rider grip the skateboard to prevent falling (though that happens no matter what, especially in the beginning days).

Each of these pieces attach together with various nuts, bolts, and screws.  Feeling crafty? Try building your own skateboard!  Let us at StoreYourBoard know how it turns out by sending us a picture through our email or posting it on our Facebook page!


In your search for the perfect skate deck did you find one that is just too nice to even skate?  Check out a skateboard deck display, they make your deck look like art in your house. 

Ride On,

        Colleen

Visit: www.StoreYourBoard.com

X Games Los Angeles 2012 | The Next Generation

When I was 11 or 12, I spent my days outside playing with my neighborhood friends, enjoying our adolescence.  Today, three young boys will be enjoying their summer vacation not by playing flashlight tag, but rather competing in the Summer X games in Los Angeles.  

As the Summer X Games begin, we’re sure to see some familiar faces taking over with their skateboards like every year, but keep your eyes on the big air competition where the youngsters are taking over.  Jagger Eaton (11 years old), Tom Schaar (12 years old) and Trey Wood (11 years old) may seem small but they are forces to be reckoned with.  Schaar was the first 12-year-old to have landed a 1080 when he did so in March 2012, a big feat that many big name skateboarders cannot master themselves.   While they skate among legends, many of them their idols, the boys only fear is the drop on to the MegaRamp.  See what they think in ESPN’s video TricksAre For Kids.

The X Games start June 28^th and end July 1^st. Coverage will be provided by ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC but it can also be live streamed from XGames.com or WatchESPN.com

Ride On,

        Colleen

Visit: www.StoreYourBoard.com