Frank Daniello's Column

The Canadian Side of the Brain with Sierra Fellers

2010-03-04T20:50:00Z

Long drives, especially solo and with no music, can be pretty damn boring. I managed to catch Long Beach, California's Sierra Fellers on speakerphone under such circumstances, as he navigated between Kansas City and Oklahoma City in an ill-equipped rental.

The 23 year-old pro (who rides for C1RCA, Foundation, Venture, Bones wheels, FKD bearings, Dakine bags and CCS mail order) probably held the biggest knowledge-of-Canada advantage the CSOTB series has ever seen. He grew up just south of the Alberta/BC border in Whitefish, Montana, and has likely been to more places in Canada than many of its own citizens. On top of that, he lived in Vancouver for 3 months during summer '09. As for recent achievements, Sierra had a 10-page "Milestone" interview in the December '09 issue of The Skateboard Mag, and he got laced with his first pro shoe.

We had all kinds of technical difficulties doing this interview. First try, the reception was piss-poor since it seemed as if he was driving through a massive zone void of cell-towers. "Huh? What?...Sorry, you broke up with me," he said laughing during one of our muddled, glitchy attempts at an on-the-road Q&A. A few tries later, he was back with full bars:

How many times have you been to Canada?
I have a lot of friends in Canada, and I've been back and forth to visit a bunch of times. I've got friends in Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Fernie, Kamloops, Cranbrook and Vancouver. I've been to Quebec City in '04 on a Zero/Mystery tour, and it is not Canada. It's more like France. I've also been to Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg.

Which Canadian cities are your favourites?
I like Vancouver a lot. The people are rad, but I hate driving there. It seems like the roads were made for bikes, not for cars [laughs]. I was only in Toronto for a couple days, but I liked it. Calgary is OK, but it's kinda redneck. I actually got choke-slammed by a security guard there while we were on a C1RCA tour. I wouldn't give him my board. He was a douche-bag. But I liked that old Source park there – the big indoor one.

360 flip to nosegrind. Jeff Landi sequence.

What are some differences and similarities between Vancouver and Long Beach?
The skate spots are rough, but there's way more spots in Vancouver compared to Long Beach. I have to drive at least 30 minutes out of Long Beach to go skate. The skateparks in Vancouver are way better. The plaza's great, I skated there most of the time. I also skated Bonsor – that pump section is really fun. I'd go swimming down at English Bay in Vancouver, but there's all kinds of weird floaties in the water. It's pretty gross. The ocean water quality is similar to Long Beach water, which has a break-wall off-shore. There's no waves or anything, so it's just filth sitting in the ocean. There's a lot more hippies in Vancouver, and a lot more people smoke weed out in the open there.

Isn't Snoop Dogg from Long Beach though?
Yeah...but that's just one person. I'm talking about everyone in Vancouver [laughs].

Nollie backside flip. Justin Ponce sequence.

Americans (and some Canadians for that matter) never get this question: Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?
I have no idea. I think I've heard his name before, but I'm drawing a blank. Ron Harper? If you even asked me about politics in the States I'd be clueless. I don't follow it at all.

Okay, do you know who the president of Norway is? [Sierra's wife Hanne is Norwegian.]
Well, they have a king. It's King Harald. I know that because King Harald's Gate is the name of the street my lady's parents' live on.

Having grown up so close to the Canadian border, do you still find there's a noticeable Canadian accent going on?
Yeah, definitely noticeable. It's pretty funny. It gets thicker the deeper you get into Canada it seems. It's mostly just certain words that stand oot [laughs]. I've met a few Newfies – that accent's a whole other world.

Can you name 3 Canadian bands or musicians?
Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, and I know there's another one...I can name a bunch of actors: Jim Carrey, Mike Meyers, Seth Rogen, and almost the whole cast of Smallville because it's filmed in Vancouver. One more band...I wanna say Nickelback. When you think of Canada, think of Nickelback [laughs].

Can you name 3 Canadian sports teams?
I got this. There's the only remaining Canadian baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. There's the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and the Montreal Canadiens. I played hockey for 4 years growing up in Montana. I was left wing, and Jaromir Jagr was my favourite player. When my family moved to Pentacle, Florida for 3 years when I was 12, ice-time was too expensive so I had to quit hockey. My parents bought me skateboards instead, and encouraged me to skate.

Frontside shuv to noseslide. Jeff Landi sequence.

What restaurant or specific food have you had that you regard as exclusively Canadian?
Poutine. I had no idea what it was until I had it for the first time at an A&W in Fernie, BC when I was about 16.

If you could bring specific Canadian restaurant home to Long Beach, what would it be?
De Dutch restaurant. It's so good. I lived on 16th and Oak in Vancouver, right above that restaurant. We'd eat there every morning, and I'd get the turkey-bacon with eggs and raisin toast. They've got really good dressing for their salads, too. I'd also say Tim Hortons, but they have those in the States.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
A re-edit of some Fellers footy from Foundation's ‘Cataclysmic Abyss' [‘07]. Click here to watch his ‘Bangin' part on the Berrics.

If you're a Twitter-tweaker, hit this to follow Sierra.

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Related:
Sierra Fellers: C1RCA's "Talon"
The Canadian Side of the Brain with Mikey Taylor
The Canadian Side of the Brain with Derek Elemendorf

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Torino 2006: Hoffart and Sharp Welcome the World to 2010

2010-02-19T03:52:00Z

The Winter Olympics are usually synonymous with home-country pride, and cheering on the highly trained and dedicated athletes who've worked long and hard in various disciplines to make the cut and represent the maple leaf. Well, during the previous Winter Games in 2006 – the 20th Winter Olympics held in Torino, Italy – two highly trained athletes of a different kind were hired as part of the Canadian contingent of the closing ceremonies that welcomed the world to Vancouver/Whistler for the 2010 Games, which began on February 12th.

"It was a really sick experience," Powell Pro Jordan Hoffart says of the Torino experience. "I got to go to Italy and experience the Olympics with my friends, meet the Italians and the athletes, party with everyone, and see a Ricky Martin concert [laughs]. The whole thing was a trip."

Hoffart and his close friend, DC Canada team manager Trevn Sharp, provide their stories of the big event back in ‘06, which involved motorized skateboards, training with the Cirque Du Soleil, skin-tight luge suits, and more...

The Road To Torino...
"My friend Jay Matte, who worked at Timebomb at the time, got word that they were looking for skateboarders to audition for the Olympics, and thought Trevn and I would be interested. When we got there for the audition down at the PNE Roller Dome in Vancouver, they wanted us to carve and do weird stuff on our boards. We were kinda like, ‘What the hell's going on?' They made cuts throughout the day, and we were the last few people there. Finally, they pulled out this motorized skateboard with a snowboard drilled to the top of it and a hand-held throttle. They were like, ‘You're going to be kind of imitating snowboarding on stage...' We had no idea until that point. It all made sense once we realized it was for the Torino Winter Olympics, and it was for the closing ceremonies where they welcome the world to Vancouver for the 2010 Games. It came down to 4 of us: Jeremiah Doubt, who's a filmer, Jay, Trevn and myself."—Jordan Hoffart

The Rehearsal Sessions...
"We got that deal, and we super excited and pumped to go out there. I was injury free and skating tons, then a week before, we all went to the RDS indoor for a contest and I ate it down the hubba. I heard my knee pop, and I tore my ACL. That's the worst injury. I went to physio the next day and popped some T3s because I wasn't going to miss the opportunity in Italy. We practiced the Olympic routine in Vancouver for about a month. Basically, we'd just show up in the morning and rip on these boards. To us, it was super easy because you're just standing and carving – not doing any tricks. It was really cheesy, but definitely fun."—Trevn Sharp

"We had the rehearsals at BC Place to get it all down with the whole group – Cirque Du Soleil from Montreal, the dancers, and some other gymnasts and whatnot."—Jordan Hoffart

The Party...
"We all flew out to Torino in mid-February of '06. They rented us 25 rooms at a hotel for the whole cast, and it was pretty much a party. It was insane. We were there for 6 days and didn't really do anything until the night of the closing ceremonies. During the Games, the athletes would finish their events and have a big party; the streets were just packed with people getting drunk. A celebration of life, really. It was a crazy Olympic bender the whole time, but it was so much fun."—Jordan Hoffart

"It was super fun to see how dedicated the Cirque Du Soleil people were. They ripped. We'd just walk around the city, and they'd have their juggling pins with them, just talking and juggling everywhere, standing on each other's heads and stuff." —Trevn Sharp

The Closing Ceremonies: Welcoming the World to 2010...
"We only got one rehearsal day in Torino the day before the closing ceremonies. But it was an open dome and it was raining, which would cause our boards to short-circuit. We couldn't ride them, and there was nothing we could do about it, so we just sat in the stands like bum skateboarders laughing at everyone getting soaked on stage for hours. I think on the day-of, Trevn's board was still short-circuiting – it would go forward then just stop [laughs]."—Jordan Hoffart

"Avril Lavigne sang the welcoming song [laughs], and we had to do this run where we'd have to go in front of her and do these circles around her without hitting her. Then we had to stop, whip off our snowboard suits that were velcroed on, and we're in this one-piece skin-tight bobsled suit. We had to lie down in the coffin position on the boards and give the illusion of luging [laughs]."—Trevn Sharp

"As soon as I got on stage and saw the stadium packed full of people, it was like ‘holy shit'. The stage was way bigger than the one we practiced on at BC Place, so everyone's queue points and end points were off by a lot. We just winged it. It was crazy, but everyone was professional and pulled it off."—Jordan Hoffart

(Please visit the site to view this media)
Canada welcomes the world at the closing ceremonies of the Torino Winter Olympics, 2006.

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Related:
Talkin' TM with Trevn Sharp
On The Horn with Jordan Hoffart
Jordan Hoffart in California (video) Part 1, 2, 3

Rise Up: Desmond Hoostie

2010-02-12T00:27:00Z

"I'm always at the plaza skating. It doesn't matter if anyone else is there, I'll skate by myself," Desmond Hoostie says with a laugh. But it's true. He honed his street skating skills by becoming a dedicated Vancouver plaza local back when it first opened in September 2004. A few years later, numerous Canadian skaters migrated westward to come skate the now-iconic spot under the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. Desmond took notice of the new talent congregating there: "Alot of east coast guys came like Spencer Hamilton, Paul Trep and Wade Desarmo," he explains. "It was insane watching Spencer progress to where he is now."

Desmond has also joined the ranks of fast-paced progression. In 2009, he beat out Spencer Hamilton and Mike "Hashbrown" Schulze at the Matix Lord Of The Lines final event, taking home a $3500 stack. He also stood out as the third-best overall skater on Day 1 of DC's King of Vancouver. Contests aside, his latest footage can be seen in TENS, and he recently sealed the deal as an official signed member of the Adidas Canada skate team. Dez is on the rise.

Age: 21
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Current Residence: East Van
Stance: Regular
Sponsors: Adidas Canada, BLVD skateshop, Think skateboards, Hubba wheels, and United clothing.
Video Resume:
-Bigger and Better Things [Don't Sleep Productions], 2006 – "The first clip I had in an actual video was in Benny Stoddard's first one, but it was only one trick hidden in the bonus section of the DVD."

-Wizard Smoke [Salazar Productions], 2009 – "I was really hyped to be a part of it. Stacy Gabriel asked me if I could do this backside bigspin for the project. The dust made that trick a little harder because it was flying into my eyes – I just closed them and committed, then somehow rolled away."

-TENS, [Don't Sleep Prod.], 2010 - "That's the first video I've actually had a section in."

Favourite movie quote: "And you know what else? I don't give a f*ck."-Bishop (played by Tupac), Juice

When did you start skating, and how did you first get into it?
I pretty much started in Grade 8. I grew up in East Van and ended up moving right next to China Creek skatepark [Vancouver-proper's oldest concrete park, built in 1979]. I could see it from my house, and I was always wondering what they were doing there. One day I ended up getting a board and cruised around there.

You grew up skating the Creek's historic bowls, but you're a tech street skater. How did that happen?
I would always carve around doing speed lines at China Creek, but I didn't really see myself progressing that way. Then again, it took me like 2 years to be able to 50-50 stall in the tea-cup [laughs]. The city ended up putting in flat bars on the rough ground around the park, and I would just skate those everyday. When the Vancouver plaza opened, I wanted to skate there a lot more. That's what changed the way I skate to this day. It's been awhile, but I'm sure I can still launch an airwalk out of the tub at China Creek [laughs].

Fakie bigspin manual bigspin out. Brett Box sequence.

How did you get involved with TENS?
I randomly went down to Cali 2 years ago with Stacy Gabriel and Derek Swaim, and I came back with maybe 5 clips. I'd been filming a lot in Vancouver, and Sean Lowe came up to me and said, "You're gonna have some tricks in the video...", which caught me by surprise. I was stoked. I guess Dave [Ehrenreich] and Benny [Stoddard] wanted to put me in there. They had that old Cali footy of me, so I kept sending them clips and it went from there.

Why are you so drawn to manuals?
Probably because the first time I'd ever seen someone do one, it made no sense to me. There was this older guy named Darcy who skated China Creek; he would do flatground nose manuals around the park every day. That's what drew me to manuals. Once you figure them out, they're the funnest. But it's definitely challenging to be creative and do manuals you've never seen before.

What manual combo has given you the most trouble?
That's hard to say, because I've spent hours on so many. One I really had to work for was in this old promo video I made. It was just at Bonsor skatepark, on the Pier ledge – an inward heel manny to front 3-shuv out. I couldn't believe I landed it.

In late Jan '10, Adidas flew you out to Toronto as a sort of "meet-and-greet" with the Canadian team. How did that go?
It was my first time going to Toronto. It felt a little awkward at first because I didn't really know anyone on the team other than Chuck [Charles Rivard] – he used to live in Vancouver and we'd skate the plaza all the time. On the Toronto trip I just skated and got to know the guys. I had no idea Tim [O'Connor] was going to be there, that was a surprise.

Didn't you fully rep Adidas gear way before you ever got on?
[Laughs] Yeah, I'd always rock the shell-toe – my favourite shoe for the longest time. Once they put a team together in Canada, I thought: "Wow, if I could be on anything, I'd wanna be on that program." Now that I'm actually on, it's unreal. I can't even believe it.

What's your worst habit?
Probably sugar. I throw down pop like nothing – I'm down for any kind of root beer. I wish I could cut it. With skating, I hear that some people say I stress too much. But I don't care, I'm just skating – you have those good days and those bad days.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"Day or Two", 2009. Featuring Desmond Hoostie ripping his headquarters - the Vancouver Plaza.

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Related:
Lord Of The Lines Finals Video
Video: Billabong Damn Am Day 2
DC King Of Vancouver 2009

Rise Up: Nate Roline

2010-02-03T05:20:00Z

Talking with Nate Roline gives you that instant sense of "this is a good dude". The Edmonton ripper created a buzz back in 2005 when he appeared in the 14-minute C1RCA Canada promo video, Kybosh, which was assembled by Jeremy Pettit.

"I got on C1RCA and they asked me to do a trip to Calgary for a week to film with the whole Canadian team," Nate explains. "It just came up randomly, and I was hyped. The Decenzos and Magnus Hanson are in that video too, which is sick."

Stepping into 2010, Rise Up is a new column series not unlike the ongoing On The Horn interviews, but it focuses more on the under-the-radar rippers who are catching fire, so to speak. In this installation, Nate discusses a kidnapping, putting on weight for TENS, getting stiffed by the City Of Champions, a serious wax problem, and more.

Age: 22
Hometown: Edmonton, AB
Current Residence: West End – Downtown Vancouver, BC
Stance: Goofy
Sponsors: Element skateboards, C1RCA footwear, and Plush & Famous skateshops in Edmonton.

Video Resume:

(Please visit the site to view this media)
Kybosh, ‘05 – "That was pretty much the first video I was in."

-Red Hot [Plush & Famous], 2006 – "Glenn Suggitt, the owner of Plush & Famous usually does a local skate video every couple of years. So I've had a couple parts. They're pretty rad."
-Young Folk, 2007 - "My buddy Liam Mitchell worked on that video for so long. People were stoked."
-TENS, 2010 - "That's the latest one. They did such a good job on it."

Favouite movie quote: "The only good bug is a dead bug."—Johnny Rico, Starship Troopers

It seems like after Kybosh, you had some momentum but sort of slipped under the radar. How come?
I knew this question would pop up [laughs]. I was barely 18 at the time, and had all my friends in Edmonton. I just wasn't really ready to make a Vancouver move. There aren't any photographers and filmers who are always on the go in Edmonton like out west, so I didn't really have access to that for a while. I've always been skating, but was just under the radar in terms of coverage until TENS, basically. I finally made the move to Vancouver, and I'm stoked to try and get stuff done.

Speaking of coming to ‘Couver, can you tell the story behind being kidnapped from Edmonton by Liam Mitchell, Dave Ehrenreich, and Ben Marvin with nothing but lint in your pocket?
So random [laughs]. Those guys showed up outta nowhere in like July '09. Liam's a really good friend of mine, so I met up with him while he was in Edmonton. He introduced me to Dave and Ben. We ended up hanging out the whole time, and when they were leaving they said, "Nate, you're coming with us." So I packed a bag and caught a ride. I filmed a trick every day for a week in Vancouver with Dave, and it was so fun. I filmed most of my stuff for TENS.

How was the experience filming for that vid?
I gained a little bit of weight last year – a lot of people definitely like to joke about it [laughs]. I don't really care, it is what it is. It's kinda funny. You can't really tell in the footage, but in my TENS section, I'm probably about 220 pounds for pretty much all of those tricks [laughs]. I was a hefty kid, but I've definitely lost about 50 pounds since then just from skating a lot.

Nollie 270 Heelflip. Owen Woytowich sequence.

Over summer '09, I heard you were hired as the "park host" at that sick new Callingwood plaza in Edmonton...
That was basically the best job I've had. I was just there to make sure the park's OK – clean it up a bit, ask sketchy people to leave, and make sure everything's cool with the kids throughout the day. I had to wear a helmet, which was shitty, but all I did was skate all day. The only bad thing was missing my first paycheque because I was late getting my direct-deposit bank information in. The cheque was supposed to get added on later, but it never did. My boss even admitted I got screwed over.

What's the best non-incriminating Glenn Suggitt road trip story you have?
I don't want to get an angry email from him [laughs]. It's always an amazing time with that guy. He's the life of it, and I know a lot of other people out there would say the same. I went on a trip to Cali with Glenn and a bunch of people from Edmonton, probably in '05 before Kybosh. We drove to Kamloops, then Vancouver, and all the way down the west coast. I was pretty straight-edge back then, but looking back I wish I loosened up a bit more because it was pretty crazy [laughs]. Total Edmonton style. Glenn knows a lot of famous spots around LA, so it was rad to be able to go skate them.

Do you have an obsession with the movie Starship Troopers?
It's just a ridiculous movie I saw when I was like 11 [laughs]. I think the cheesy lines are hilarious, and it was probably the first movie I saw that had a lot of gore. I was stoked on it. Everyone's got their stupid movie that they're hyped on. Starship Troopers is mine.

What's your worst habit?
It's waxing. I've really angered some people with it [laughs]. I'd way rather slip out than stick. Stacy Gabriel is actually worse than I am for waxing, which is crazy. Guaranteed some people at the Vancouver plaza have seen me waxing stuff [laughs]. I need to put up warning signs when I wax.

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Related:
Count 'Em: TENS

Banner Year: Chad Dickson

2010-01-26T23:04:00Z

"It seems harsh to say, but before I got hurt I wasn't as motivated as I am now," 24 year old Chad Dickson admits. "I was in perfect health, I just didn't go out skating every day. I took things for granted. After that accident, when I was watching people skate but wasn't able to, it just put me in a whole different mind-state."

The scenario goes something like this: Chad ended 2008 with a near-fatal strike by a car, then made it through a grueling multi-month recovery only to tear ankle ligaments once he started skating again. He then used a 4-month window to accomplish 2 serious magazine covers and film for his City Of New Lights ender-part. Chad's truly had a banner year, and his story epitomizes the resilient nature of a driven skateboarder.

Photo: Matt Forsythe

To recap, how did this saga begin on December 1, '08?
I was at a birthday party in Abbotsford, BC and then decided to walk back to my friend's place. It was dark and foggy and we were walking up this massive hill when a Dodge Durango came out of the corner full-speed. My friend just made it onto the sidewalk but the driver didn't see me, so he full-on hit me. The truck hit me hard on the right side. The weird thing is my right side was totally fine, other than chipping some bones in my arm. The imprint of the Dodge symbol from the grill was on my leg. Apparently I was 15 feet in the air and did a cartwheel, then landed on my left arm and head. I don't really remember any of it.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

What were your injuries exactly?
I hit my head so hard I got a stage-3 concussion. My lower body was fine but my legs just felt like I got a bunch of charley horses. It was all upper-body: I bruised every single one of my ribs, got 10 stitches on my head, severe whiplash, and I broke my left humerus clean. My liver was bleeding, I had a contusion in my spleen, and I bruised half of my bowels. They didn't even notice my left shoulder because my arm was broken so badly. I didn't find out my shoulder was separated until a month later.

How did you handle the rehab?
I pretty much only had to do rehab on my left arm. I went to physio a few times a week, but I had to pay for half of it. It got expensive after a while so I just did it on my own at home. I was so determined to recover fast and skate so I worked out like crazy.

I heard you got really good at darts...
I've been playing since I was a kid. I can get bulls-eyes every time [laughs]. I got a lot better while I was hurt – I played darts every single day because my right arm was good.

When exactly were you able to start skating again, and how long did it take for you to feel comfortable and fully get back in the saddle?
From the accident until I was fully recovered and right back into skating stairs and stuff was about 7 and-a-half months. The first session where it felt good to skate was at Bonsor skatepark. I was skating the 3-block but ended up tweaking my ankle, tearing 2 ligaments and chipping a bone [laughs]. So that took another month and-a-half, but it gave me more time to work on getting better range of motion in my arm.

Nollie backside heel. Sequence: Rich Odam

Was your first-ever magazine cover [Concrete Skateboarding / August ‘09] the first photo you shot when you got back on-board?
The Concrete cover was maybe the second thing I shot once I was back skating. I couldn't believe I was jumping down something that big because I hadn't really jumped down anything since before the accident. Getting that photo just made me realize, "If I can do this, I can do so much more..." My confidence went so much higher.

Switch ollie. Sequence: Odam

What was the situation surrounding your next crazy NBD cover for Color magazine?
I've always thought of getting a trick at the black double. One trick I have really good is the switch heel, so that seemed like the way to go. I was out for 2 weeks after trying it the first time in October '09. The next time, I was watching a hockey game with my roommate Josh Kline, and we ended up drinking a couple pitchers. I went home and took a nap, then Jarvis Nigelsky called and said, "You still wanna do it?" We all met up at the black double, set up, and dried off the wet ground with the halogen lights. It was tricky because I was just running and jumping on my board, so I'd have to try and get my feet on there in the right position.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"I remember landing it so clearly because it happened so slow, like I was gliding forever. It was the best feeling. We showed up at 10 and we were outta there by quarter to 11. It was shot probably 4 weeks before City Of New Lights premiered in Vancouver, and that was the last trick in the video." —Chad Dickson

Filming for last part in CONL was a goal for you, but the accident understandably caused Jarvis to think it wouldn't be possible...
It was decided who was going to be in City Of New Lights probably a couple months before my accident, and me getting last part was Jarvis' original plan. Once I got hurt, I thought Montie or Spencer would get last part and I'd just end up with a couple tricks in the friends section. That situation helped me get in the right mind-set to film like crazy once I recovered from my injuries.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"Chad ended up surprising everyone. He wasn't really filming a lot before the accident - we only had a few clips of him. It took him a little while to get back, but he was fiending to skate." —Jarvis Nigelsky

Kickflip. Sequence: Odam

Chad Dickson currently rides for DC Canada, LRG clothing, Expedition wood, Underworld skateshop, OGIO bags, Gold wheels, Diamond hardware, and Jessup grip.

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Related:
Chad Dickson Is Back For More
Hello, My Name Is: Chad Dickson
Chad Dickson's First Cover

An Inside Look: Wizard Smoke

2010-01-19T23:21:00Z

24 year-old Liam Mitchell, originally from Edmonton, made the migratory move to Vancouver in 2007 to attend the 2-year Cinematography Program at Capilano University's Film Centre.

"They were the best years of school I've ever had," Liam says about the program he graduated from in June ‘09. "They gave you complete creative freedom and the equipment to make it happen. You could basically do whatever you wanted as long as you made the deadline."

Prior to rolling into ‘Couver for his educational pursuits, Liam linked up with west coast video outfit Don't Sleep Productions (the creators of TENS) as a helping hand for their filming and post-production needs. He also linked up with Salazar – the film collective that helped out with Liam's video concept for the ‘Net called Wizard Smoke.

"Salazar is based in Vancouver and headed by Nathan Drillot, Jessie Savath, and Jeff Petry," Liam explains. "Basically they were all working parallel to each other in the film industry and realized that if they pooled their talents they'd be able to accomplish much more. The guys saw some of my videos online and contacted me; I joined after I graduated."

Wizard Smoke features Bradley Sheppard, Dan "Alien" Nelson, Chris Connolly, Nate Lacoste, Nate Roline, Stacy Gabriel, Desmond Hoostie, Mike Klinkhamer, and Rob Rickaby. Scroll onward for a Q&A with Liam Mitchell about this creative project, along with some photos shot during the making-of, and the video itself in case you missed out while it clocked heavy view numbers on the web in late '09.

Can you explain your motion-picture background a bit?
I bought my own camera at 16 and became more serious about it, and I began churning out a bunch of short local Edmonton videos and montages to get familiar with the equipment and software. Once I had a little more experience, I took on a full video and 2 years later, in 2007, Young Folk came out. Attending Capilano was really good because I was able to experiment with other projects – things like documentaries and short films. The project I worked on before Wizard Smoke was a music video for the song "It Hurts Me All the Time" by the Faunts.

How did you formulate the Wizard Smoke concept?
The idea floated around in my head for a long time. I wanted to do another skate video, but not something traditional. Salazar was really psyched when I told them about the concept so Jessie Savath, Nathan Drillot and I shot the whole thing. The very first day we shot at the White Rock park, and with only that one location and two riders we were able to put together a basic cut. Once we saw that it was a viable concept, we elaborated on the idea more and it evolved into a bigger piece.

What was the "smoke" made of? It must've presented some challenges...
It was tempura powdered paint that we mixed with flour to make it last longer. I remember fooling around with it in play-school. It's super cheap and you just mix it with water. Most importantly, if a kid (or a skater) eats it they won't die because it's not toxic. It was really slippery on their boards, and it would get everywhere – in their eyes and mouths. It was tough trying to figure out how to accentuate it and shoot it in a way that really emphasized the clouds of smoke.

Any good powder-related stories?
Alien probably got it the worst. In one shot we put a bunch in his mouth and had him spit it out. The inside of his mouth was completely caked, and it took him about an hour to scrape it out. In another shot we loaded up his hair and had him shake it out. Afterwards he couldn't wash out all the powder so he had to buzz his head.

How did you convince the skaters to take part?
Without beer and cigarettes, this project wouldn't have happened. The guys were really good and understood we didn't really have a budget to pay them. Although the idea was a little strange, they were all really supportive... We threw in some cases of beer as payment, except we still owe Rob Rickaby a 6-pack.

Did you deal with a lot of curious public while shooting?
The whole second intro, which we shot on Robson Street, was intended to get people to react. We were hoping people would get pissed, but they just seemed more intrigued than anything. We did get some pretty funny looks – you can see people staring in the background of some shots. We were more worried about people at skateparks. We were making a huge mess, but for the most part everyone thought it was really cool.

What cameras did you guys use and how were the underwater shots done?
We used three Panasonic HVX 200A cameras with 35mm adapters. For the underwater shots, Nathan Drillot had this German-made underwater bag with a clear lens on the front. It's basically a Ziploc bag with an $8000 camera inside.

How long did it take to put together?
We shot a total of about 14 days, but they were spread out between other projects. A lot of things had to line up. Everyone's schedules had to work, we had to have the equipment available, and it was weather permitting. In total, the video took around 5 months to complete.

Wizard Smoke got a lot of web-attention. What sites were giving it love?
We were pretty lucky because right off the bat Bob Kronbauer put it up on Vancouver Is Awesome. From there it got on Club Mumble and booooooom.com, then it really snowballed from there. It landed on Hypebeast and Juxtapoz Magazine, and it also got on the homepages of Vimeo, TransWorld, The Skateboard Mag, and Sidewalk Mag. For the most part feedback has been really great. It'd be pretty naïve to think you're not going to get negative feedback, but even that has been pretty mellow and constructive for the most part.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
Liam Mitchell's "Wizard Smoke", 2009.

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Related:
Count 'Em: TENS
Video: Catching Up With Alien

The Almighty Barrier

2010-01-12T23:13:00Z

Whenever possible, we visually comb the urban landscape of any given city to find sources of fun and the satisfaction of a successful rollaway. This unofficial playground of both polished and decrepit concrete also surrounds the average citizen, but they're oblivious to the same street-details that speak volumes to skateboarders. One of the most commonly utilized concrete formations that can be found in varying shapes and sizes is the barrier. They tend to line streets, construction sites and parking lots, and their simplistic design provides a skater with numerous options.

Here, you'll find a few barrier photos along with testimonial captions from each skater that further explain the appeal and challenges these common urban obstacles provide. Barrier skating even has a mysterious underground subculture, which is brought forth through an all-caps statement written for this column by the Barrier Kult's own Depth Leviathan Dweller.

"I haven't skated too many barriers, but I've noticed how deceiving they can be. They look so easy to ride up and they're nicely cemented, but you've gotta remember your standard barrier (approx 2-3 ft. high) is only a couple degrees shy of vert with maybe a foot of tranny. As confident as I am with back 50-50s on tranny, riding up a barrier always gives me a rude jolt about halfway up that reminds me about how steep and gnar these things are. In this photo shot in Vancouver, you can see that I chose an easy way by ollieing up to backtail. The great thing about barriers is the fact that you can skate them so many different ways, including the casual wallie-over – one of my faves. Every city has barriers, so go out and make them skateable!"—Hilliard Sulpher

"This pic was taken when Josh Clark, Kyle MacDonald, Andrew McGraw and myself were livin' at the ‘Crooked House', which is located on the busiest corner of the Island (MTL)! Photographer Geoff Clifford and Darrell Smith were our neighbours, so every day was a mission. This barrier spot is probably the only one I like to skate that McGraw actually likes – he's usually pretty bummed on my spots [laughs]. McGraw got his trick right away [check the photo below], and I had to work a little harder as usual. This place is kind of in an industrial area and has been skated to death for years now. I've seen so much go down here, like Hugo Balek's wallie B/S 360 and Bob LaSalle's line in Lo Def where he does the smoothest no-comply wallie over this barrier and into the bank, which really got me hyped! Skating a barrier is what I look for. I like the fact that I can be rollin' down the street and just slash one as I pass by. It makes you feel like Ricky Oyola!"—Adam Green

"Andrew McGraw's a pretty versatile skater who can get down on all types of terrain. This barrier spot in Montreal, called the Acadie Barriers, is perfect because you can hit them in a variety of different ways. You can grind them, wallie them, or pop right over them from either side. On this day Andrew decided to forgo grinding ‘em and decided to blast a giant backside flip over one of the barriers from the side with the bump. Just so you know, though: the bump is not that nice. I have no idea how Andrew popped out of it so high. I guess that's why I'm behind the lens and he's in front of it."—Geoff Clifford, photographer

(Please visit the site to view this media)
Deer Man Of Dark Woods and the Barrier Kult in a video ensemble for Heroin Skateboards, 2007. You'll find a full BA.KU section in Creature's late '09 release, "Hesh Law".

BA.KU. STATEMENT:

THE BARRIER IS THE STATUE OF PURITY – THE TRANSISTION TO THE VERTICAL REALM – BUT VIOLENT LIKE A W.W.1 BAYONET. NATURE WORSHIP TRANSCENDS THE TRANSITION BLOOD RITUALS AS THE BARRIER ALSO SIGNIFIES THE BRUTALITY OF ROOTS AND THE TRANSITIONAL TREE TRUNK IN THE DARK FOREST – THE SPIKED, WOOD TRANSITION THAT FOLLOWS IN THE 1980s QUARTERPIPE REALM OF RITUAL.

SNOW COVERS THE MOUNTAINS AND THE FORESTS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST, BRINGING A MINIMALIST ENTITY AND AESTHETIC TO THE FRONTIERS – AN EPIC VISAGE OF BARRIERS ATOP CONCRETE AND PAVEMENT OF OLD.

MINIMALISM IS POWER – THE SUBLIME AND VIOLENT TRANSITION BARRIER IS PURITY THROUGH MILITANT SKATEBOARDING.

DEPTH LEVIATHAN DWELLER
THE BARRIER KULT
BA.KU.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
A video of the "transitional tree trunk" described in the above statement, which was skated by DMODW for Concrete Skateboarding magazine's Issue 100 cover, 2009.

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Related:
Lost: Hill Sulpher's Cover Virginity
Making the Mag Pt. 1: Concrete Skateboarding #100 - The Cover
Depth Leviathan Dweller

The Canadian Side of the Brain with Mikey Taylor

2010-01-05T22:21:00Z

After playing a little communication tag with Newbury Park, California's Mikey Taylor, I finally managed to catch up with him over the phone while he was getting ready for an early afternoon surf in nearby Ventura. As you well know, the 27 year-old is pro for Alien Workshop, Etnies, Thunder, and recently joined The Canteen's pro roster.

"The Berrics has mail order now, and I'm on the team. I've got a key to the skatepark, which is nice," he says.

Mikey was sweating this interview a little because he thought it would be a lot of Canadian trivia, rather than a combination of opinion-based inquiries along with a couple of mellow skill-testing questions.

"Before we even start, I just want to apologize because I know I'm going to be awful at answering any sort of trivia. Canada, I'm sorry [laughs]," he was quick to chime-in. And when I mentioned that Adam Alfaro has been the champ so far, Mikey responds with: "Really? That's rad. As long as I do better than Malto, dude."

So let's run a little CSOTB with Mikey Taylor, shall we? He definitely brought some unexpected hockey passion and a genuine love for Winnipeg to the table, and he became yet another American skater who expressed his admiration for the refreshing and intoxicating Iceberg beer topping.

Have you traveled to Canada much before?
I've been to Canada a bunch of times. I was probably 11 the first time I went, when I was on a traveling ice hockey team [laughs]. I wish I could remember the name of our team! That first trip was to the place with the huge mall – Edmonton. I remember we went to the water park and stuff. We went to some crazy hot springs out there, too.

In recent years, the trips up there have been to Winnipeg. We love Winnipeg, dude [laughs]. There's an awesome park there, but other than that it's just good people. We became friends with so many people there. It's a blast, so we have this little thing going on now – we go out there every summer and it's basically a reunion.

Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?
Oh, yeah. I'm gonna fail [laughs]. I have no clue. Not even the slightest. I couldn't even name a former one. Did Malto know that one?

Not sure I even asked him that. To you, what are the biggest differences between Canada and California?
The biggest difference for me is the people – they generally seem more kind. I grew up in California and nobody holds the door open for you, nobody lets you over in traffic, and a lot of the skate kids are so harsh out here, man [laughs]. They're so critical. Also, the skateparks in Canada are so massive, and you don't have to wear helmets. Down here they'll make the stupidest skatepark where nothing is over 2 feet tall, there's a big fence around it, and you have to wear full pads. It's so bad, man. If Canada was sunny and warm at all times, I'd live there.

Can you describe something you've learned specifically about Canada from your visits?
I don't know if this is what you're talking about, but why are the girls so hot up there? It's insane, man [laughs]. There's like 5 girls to every one dude and they're all so good looking! I guess that's my eye-opening Canadian experience. The girls down here have more of a fake look. You don't really see a lot of naturally pretty girls in California. It's more done-up.

To you, is a Canadian's accent substantially noticeable?
Right off the bat it's totally noticeable. It's not as strong with some people, but it's noticeable when people say certain words like "about". It depends on who it is, because when I'm talking to you I don't really hear it. When we're talking to girls up there, we'll just start laughing sometimes because the accent is so apparent and sounds funny to us. We're just not used to it.

Can you name 3 Canadian bands or musicians?
Oh, God. Does Drake count? He's your new all-star rapper up there. He played "Wheelchair" Jimmy on that show Degrassi: The Next Generation. I've never actually seen the show, but Wheelchair raps now and he's like the next big thing in the States. He just signed a huge record deal and he's on every radio station. He's unbelievable at rapping but I think he's catching a little bit of heat from being on Degrassi. I thinking I'm sticking with one pick for this question, unfortunately [laughs].

Can you name 3 Canadian sports teams?
Let's go with the Edmonton Oilers. The Calgary Flyers? No, that's not it...I know the Calgary logo, I'll get back to that one. There's the Toronto Maple Leafs, and...I'm not gonna fail this question; I should be so good at this one, dude! Hockey was my life as a kid, and my favourite player is Luc Robitaille. Alright, the Montreal Canadiens. That's it! And Calgary is the Flames, so there's a bonus.

What specific food or drink have you had here that you regard as exclusively Canadian?
Oh, Icebergs [draft beer with lemon slush on top]. I never even heard of it before I had one in Canada. Someone ordered it for me in Winnipeg and it was the best thing ever. Those things are so sick.

If you could bring a specific Canadian product home, what would it be?
It would definitely be the Iceberg. We've actually thought of how we could start that down here. Like, import the Iceberg [laughs]. We would just steal the idea, start a bar, and put slushie in every single beer. Or we could just bring Earls down here in its entirety – all the girls and everything.

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Related:
Etnies: Rollin' In The 'Peg
The Canadian Side Of The Brain with Sean Malto
The Canadian Side Of The Brain with Adam Alfaro

On The Horn with Brandon Del Bianco

2009-12-23T03:25:00Z

It comes as no surprise that the GTA's B.D.B is constantly progressing and most certainly establishing a skate-presence. All you need to do is walk over to your nearest skate shop or convenience store and pick up any Canadian skateboard magazine. You'll find him.

"He has such a unique style I could watch for days," says Hayden Kelly. "I've never met a kid that has so much motivation to go out and skate – it's the best. Bink has a good head on his shoulders and will go far."

"Binko is pretty much the gnarliest kid when it comes to getting his trick at a spot, he won't stop even if he's been slamming hard for 2 hours," adds Morgan Smith. "Not to mention that every trick is always amazing and he gets like 30-a-week! Pure destruction."

Without further adieu, here's Brandon Del Bianco's O.T.H. chapter:

Age: 18
Residence: Lorne Park – Mississauga, ON
Sponsors: Venture trucks direct (through Street Corner in SF), Element Canada (wood, wheels, footwear and apparel)
Setup: "My setup has Venture 6.0 lows, 49mm Element wheels, Element bearings, and a Tony Tave Element board – 7.75, Shape #9. When you test out their shapes and find which one you like, you can just get that shape and not worry about the size or whatever. It's awesome. For shoes, I just started skating the Element Tim Tim – they have good board feel and grip, they're not too thick, and they're nice and low. They have vulancized soles, which is basically what I skate."
Music: "I like anything that sounds good and has a good beat, something that would go good with a skate part. I have an iPod but I'm too lazy to set it up, so I just listen to the radio and stuff [laughs]. The Beatles are pretty sick. Some Tupac stuff is not bad. Ice Cube's sick, too. When I'm driving in Toronto, I listen to 98.1 CHFI ["Toronto's Lite Favourites"], which is like easy rock [laughs], and FLOW 93.5 – they play rap songs. I don't like scream-o music."
Transportation: 2006 Honda Civic
Stance: Goofy
Switch mongo push, or regular switch push?: "It's not the mongo. I've always just thought that since I'm goofy footed and I'm not pushing mongo to begin with, I might as well just push the same way switch. The regular switch push feels stable, and it's good for throwing your board down and jumping on it with your top foot first when there's a short run-up."

What was your first published photo?
Shane Hutton shot a nollie noseslide on an indoor hubba at York University when I was 16. It was in a little Color article about indoor spots ["Under The Weather"/#5.1, 2007]. That's how I actually met Alex Neary. He had a photo next to mine in the article. One day at the skatepark I asked if he was the guy in the photo, and we're really good friends now. I skate with him a lot.

Will Marshall mentioned I should get you to explain the VOF (Voyage Of Friendship) crew and its Spring Break trips.
The VOF crew went to Miami on the first trip in '07, and we went again in '08 [appeared in Concrete #93, May ‘08]. The '09 March break trip to Atlanta had about 10 people [story appeared in SBC Skateboard #11.3, late summer ‘09]; Will came and is now part of VOF. The crew is me, Andrew Norton, Will Marshall, Brandon McAusland, Jay Brown, Terrence Goddard, Morgan Smith, Koty Brown and a few others.

Your dad owns The Rail indoor park in Toronto. Can you sum it up?
It's definitely a good size, and it's not too crammed up with all the ramps and everything. There's a lot of open areas where you could skate flat, there's a bunch of good rails...it's probably my favourite indoor skatepark. Gord [Hardie] from Blue Tile Lounge designed and built the ramps.

And you've got the all-access pass...
Yeah, the VIP [laughs].

(Please visit the site to view this media)
Brandon and Max Fairley skating at The Rail, October 2009. Click here to catch Brandon skating the park during Mike Helfrich's First Photos shoot.

How do you feel about contest skating?
I try to skate as many as I can, I find them pretty fun. You get to see all your homies and stuff like that. I don't really get nervous, either. I just think about it as skating and that's what I do basically every day. I'm skateboarding – it keeps me calm and relaxed.

You made the trip to Vancouver for Damn Am 2009 in September. How was that?
It was an awesome time. I've been to Vancouver 3 times now for skateboarding, and each time it just gets better. The weather was better this time, so we did a lot more skating. We were shooting with Caissie pretty much every day, so that got me stoked. I got to meet some new people, and I went to Chad Dickson's birthday party – it was a fun time. I stayed out in Richmond at Brandon Alton's house with TJ Rogers, Will Marshall, and Hayden Kelly.

Obviously you watch a lot of videos...which parts are in your top 3 right now?
Right now, Mark Appleyard's part in the new Flip video, Extremely Sorry, is my favourite part. Mark's from Toronto, he has amazing style, and just his whole vibe and flow makes me stoked to skate. I like Nick Trapasso's part in Toy Machine's Suffer The Joy [‘06]; his trick selection is sick and the way he catches and tweaks out his tricks is crazy. I like Stefan Janoski's part in Habitat's Inhabitants [‘07]. That whole video is sick. Janoski and Appleyard are my favourite skaters – they've always been.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
Brandon's 2009 footage from The Prodrome – a promo-prelude to Devin Guiney's upcoming feature, Social Withdrawal, which is aimed for release in Spring 2010. Click here to watch Brandon's full part from early '08 as featured on the Element site.

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Related:
Billabong Damn Am 2009
Toronto In Two Days: The First Photos Experience (Brandon photo)
Video: Toronto Hot Spot # 3

The Follow Up: City Of New Lights

2009-12-16T11:50:00Z

"I wanted to break away from my last project, Yesterday's Future, and do something new – more of a low-key video, and nothing outrageous production-wise," explains Jarvis Nigelsky, a Vancouver-based skate video filmer/editor/producer. "City Of New Lights was the idea."

The first premiere held on the eve before Remembrance Day at Vancouver's Fortune Sound Club was indeed a memorable one, and set the momentous tone for the video project's cross-Canada premiere run.

"I was really nervous about how many people would show," Jarvis says about the kick-off premiere. "Luckily people came, and it was lined up down the street! For a 19+ event, I was really surprised that around 500 people showed."

The following Q&A with JN explores the details of CONL, and the multimedia vision he brings to the skate video table.

How did you select CONL's cast of characters?
Dustin Montie, Chad Dickson and myself have known each other for years – ever since we were a part of this movie I shouldn't even mention called Sk8 Life. I've always been stoked on Ryan Bonnell. He has a good push [laughs], which is why I took that photo of him pushing in front of the Vancouver skyline for the premiere posters. Bonnell lived with Spencer Hamilton in Vancouver, and Spencer was just down to go skate and get stuff done. Micky Papa was originally supposed to have a full part, but he had to spread his footage around to a couple other projects. Over time, I thought it would be good to have Micky and his best friend Arte Lew in a shared part. Josh Kline is Chad's roommate, and he's another guy that would always come out with us. We included him in a part with Lee Saunders.

The video also has Josh Clark's first feature part, but he seems to be removed from the way the other skaters are connected in this video. How did his part materialize?
When I was in Montreal in summer '08 for AM Getting Paid, I stayed there for an extra two weeks with Bonnell just to film. We stayed at Jai Ball's place, and Josh Clark lived in the area. Josh would come out with us, and by September '08 he came out to Vancouver for the Damn Am contest. He showed me some of his footage, but it ended up getting used in a Strange Brew montage. Josh was down to film for a full part and Trevn Sharp gave me the heads up when they just put him on the DC Canada team. It all worked out well since DC was one of the video's sponsors (LRG, Underworld, and Color magazine also sponsor the video).

How about the media partnership with Color?
I've known Sandro Grison since he opened up shop but we've never really collaborated on anything, so I approached him about it. It's great that the magazine is local, so it was a lot easier to coordinate things. Ideally I wanted to have an article about the video in the magazine (appears in Color #7.5, November 2009, which also features a sick cover photo of Chad Dickson from the video). It also worked out perfectly that the issue premiered at the same time as the video. Aside from the skateboard tricks as an obvious key thing in the video, I wanted to do something on a 3-dimensional media plane: look at it in the magazine, watch it online, and make DVDs available. Basically, give the project a big impact in a short amount of time. That was the plan.

You have a lot more technical knowledge aside from filming and editing. How do you attack your projects from a multimedia angle?
I try and look at a video project as a brand to start off with. For CONL I started with the riders, then the direction, and I set goals for the project – like what I'd like to see media-wise, getting t-shirts made, shooting photos for promotional material and stuff like that. I built a title, logo and a blog-based website around the project that gets regularly updated. I built a flash site as well that shows more photos and mini-bios about the guys in the video. I've been filming for countless years, so I always want to push my other skill-sets to a new level.

Micky Papa, bigspin frontside noseslide. Jarvis Nigelsky sequence.

The "Shine Your Light" contest was a pretty unique element to the video. Can you explain?
There are so many good skaters in Canada, and I wanted to give someone who isn't in my circle a chance to get involved. So I had this contest where anyone across Canada could enter a complete video part to appear as a bonus on the CONL DVD. We got about 10 good entries over summer '09.

And Adam Hopkins's part won it...
His footage is really good and edited well. He had a McTwist in there and a feeble down this big rail. Adam also won some shoes and clothing from our sponsors, and $500 cash that I put in myself. It's kind of ironic, because there was a photo of Adam at Leeside that was perfect for a promotional flyer I did for "Shine Your Light" early on. It just so happened he ended up winning the contest itself because his submission was good.

"You Can Cut It" was another contest (put on by DC Shoes and Color Magazine) that closed on January 1, 2010. The challenge was to download footage from CONL, and edit a part for prizes. Click here to watch the winning entry.

It seems like you trimmed the CONL's presentation down compared to your past work (The Substance/2002 and Yesterday's Future/2007)
With CONL, I knew it would go online so I didn't want it to be too long. It's 25 minutes. I didn't want to put hip-hop in there because Yesterday's Future was pretty much all hip-hop. This time, it was more what I wanted to do for music. The soundtrack kind of brings it back to the classic pre-2000 style of skate videos.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
City Of New Lights, 2009. Click here to watch individual parts and B-Roll extras. Keep an eye out at your local skateshop (or hit up info@cityofnewlights.com) for the DVD that comes complete with a photo booklet, the Adam Hopkins' "Shine Your Light" bonus part, a photo slideshow, and more.

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Related:
Jarvis Nigelsky: Living For The Golden Hour
Beat The Heat Video
City Of New Lights: Toronto Premiere

Open House: Change Skateboards

2009-12-08T22:04:00Z

There are numerous small board brands that help build, support and promote regional skate scenes in Canada. Originally from Windsor, Ontario and currently Toronto-based, Change Skateboards is one of those companies.

After owning and running a skateshop and indoor park in Windsor, James Denomme decided to team up with graphic artist Jeff Rae and local Windsor skater Jesse Tessier to form Change in 2002.

"We really had the scene going well in Windsor," says the 26 year-old Denomme, who co-owns and heads up sales for the board brand. "We started up Change the last year I had the shop and park – I decided I wanted to focus more on the board company and leave retail. We wanted Change to be a focused, independent company."

Here, James Denomme drops some knowledge on Change, I.O.S.S, and backing his Windsor skate brethren.

James Denomme.

What's the story behind Ian's Old Skate Shop?
I took over a skateshop in Windsor when I was 15, and I ran it for about 8 years. Originally it was called Ian's Skate Shop. This dude had it for a long time and started it in his basement. Then he moved it to downtown Windsor and it was always a go-to skateboarder-owned shop. He gave that up, so I bought his inventory off him. I got a really small space and changed the name to Ian's Old Skateboard Shop (I.O.S.S) because he had all the signage, so we just added "Old" with marker, pretty much [laughs]. We never really changed the name, and it grew from there. Eventually we rented out a warehouse space in Windsor, kept the shop in there, and opened up a small indoor park. It was close to 5000 square feet.

After leaving the shop and indoor to fully focus on Change, what became the initial motivation behind the company?
Everyone's heard of Windsor but they've never really been there. It doesn't get a lot of attention from the Canadian skate industry. I found that we really needed to support the dudes that are really pushing it in Windsor. That was the main idea, and I think that's why we had Jesse Tessier as our first team rider. We wanted it to be a skateboarder-owned company that really supported its own people. That was it.

How would you describe the artistic direction of the company?
Over the past 5 years, it's mostly been co-owner Jeff Rae's work. He's done wheel graphics and board designs, constructed the website, and laid out any ads we've done. We also get input from the riders, and we work with other artists. There's a board series we're going to do called "Street Corner" where we asked a few Toronto skateboarder/artists to pick out their favourite intersection in Toronto and give us their individual interpretation of it. We ended up with some pretty interesting stuff from Wes Loates and Jeff Rae. We're looking for a third graphic for that series from an artist/skateboarder, so hit up change@changeskateboards.com if you're interested.

I know this is a touchy subject for some board company owners, but does Change house-press or outsource its manufacturing?
We work with a North American manufacturer. There was a period of time when a lot of big board brands started outsourcing their manufacturing to China, and there was a big hate-on for that because of the quality control and labour practices. At that time, we started making stickers that said "Friends Don't Let Friends Ride Chinese Skateboards" and stuff like that. We got heat from people claiming it was racist, but it had nothing to do with that. We've always stuck with North American manufacturing for pretty much everything. It's all about trying to produce the most high quality stuff, as locally as possible, so we can be involved in the whole process and get exactly what we want.

How do you get the product out there and how wide spread is its availability?
It's definitely Ontario-based at this point, and it's available in skateshops in Toronto, London, Chatham, Thunder Bay, Windsor, and a handful of shops in Michigan as well We've also been in Quebec a little bit.

What can you say about the guys on the Change team?
Everyone on the team is really easy to get along with and really loyal:

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"We got lucky with Mitch Pryma. When I had the shop, I bugged the Fallen rep from Centre Distribution to send me sponsor-me tapes he was getting because they didn't have the budget to add to the team. We came across Mitch's tape and contacted him. He ended up taking a Greyhound down from Orangeville to meet the crew in Windsor, and we put him on."

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"I grew up skating with Jesse Tessier, and he owned part of the company initially. He became our first team rider and he hasn't really stopped progressing."

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"Max Fairley is from Brampton. He's younger, and was introduced to us by Chris Quick, who filmed our ‘Midnight Lumberjacks' video."

(Please visit the site to view this media)
"When I used to have the indoor park in Windsor, I got to watch Hill Sulpher grow up and progress over the years. Recently, Hill got on Black Label so unfortunately he will be leaving us after 5 years of riding for Change. I'm sad to see him go, but also really excited for him."

2009's Midnight Lumberjacks is Change's second video?
Fireworks, Dancing, and Cartwheels [2006] was our first one. We had Dallas Ives on the team at the time, and he actually had last part in the video. With Midnight Lumberjacks, pretty much everyone on the team, including filmer Chris Quick, lives in the same house [the Windsor Hut] in Toronto. They push each other all the time and were super focused on the video for over a year.

Check out Change's product here, and keep tabs on all the company's happenings via their blog right here.

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Related:
Inside Out: The Windsor Hut (video)
Lost: Hill Sulpher's Cover Virginity
Open House: Studio Skateboards

Open House: Auto Repairs R ‘Wee'

2009-12-02T00:18:00Z

In 1966, when he was 3, Wee Wong moved to Vancouver from Hong Kong with his family, and it didn't take long for him to pick up his first skateboard.

"It was '72, I think I was about 9 years-old," he says. "That's when the Cal 240s [find that skateboard here] started coming out, and I got my first one at Woodward's in Gastown."

Wee started rolling with a small, core group of Vancouver skaters that included Skull Skates' PD, Rob Nurmi, Cory Campbell, Niko Weiss, Kevin Harris, and Don Hartley. By 1979, Wee and a few others would appear in Skateboarder magazine. Once vert skating began to slow down in the beginning-‘80s, Wee decided to take a long hiatus from skateboarding in order to build his auto mechanic career and eventually his one-stop shop, Auto Repairs R ‘Wee' [1115 Kingsway, East Vancouver].

However, the saying, "Once a skater, always a skater" holds very true with the 46 year-old, who got back on-board about 7 years ago and ties it into his business.

"Tiles and pool coping, that's my thing," Wee Wong explains during our interview. "I don't grind that much, but I like it to be on pool coping when I do [laughs]."

What did you skate back in the early ‘70s?
'72 was pretty much the beginning of skateboarding. It was the second wave when urethane wheels came out, and we were basically just riding around on the streets. There was the early freestyle tricks we used to do, the stuff that Kevin Harris still does. We used to do the high jump, the long jump, and that sorta stuff – a lot different than skating today. The West Van bowl was built around '75, and it was the first, but it's buried now. Seylynn came along after that, and there was the Skateboard Palace in Burnaby...

Were you sponsored at the time?
I wouldn't say sponsored, but I used to get a lot of stuff from this shop called Nippon Cycles downtown on Denman and Georgia. They'd give me boards and stuff to test and try out. Now I'm sponsored by BLVD Skateshop. Kevin [Kelly] comes here and supports me, so I try to support him however I can. Keep things within the friends, you know?

Wee Wong, frontside tail-block – late-'70s.

How did your photo in Skateboarder come about?
We were in the January '79 issue of Skateboarder [click here to see the photos]. Jim Goodrich came up from California to cover the 1978 annual Canadian Skateboard Championship at the PNE. He ended up doing a write-up on Niko Weiss, and I was in there too. The photo was shot at the Nelson halfpipe, which was downtown from about '77 to ‘79, right behind St. Paul's hospital. That was a wooden ramp, about 11-foot, with no flat and big, long transitions. There's some footage of it in PD's video, Resist Control [Skull Skates, 2004].

What was the state of skateboarding after that?
We only had about 4 years of riding vert, from '76 to '80, then everything just kinda shut down. The group of us that liked to ride vert at that time, we just went on and did other stuff. I stopped in the late ‘70s-early ‘80s – I went from skateboarding to cars [laughs].

How long did it take for you to become a mechanic?
I've been in the trade since High School. I was a jockey at a gas station pumping gas, then I moved up from there. I took my apprenticeship and became a licensed mechanic around '85. I worked at various other shops in the past, and the time came to do my own thing. I've had my own shop for 11 years now, and it seems to be working out pretty well.

How long was your hiatus from skating after you stopped in the early ‘80s?
I stopped skating for around 23 years. In '03 I bumped into Don Hartley and Cory Campbell at Hastings bowl, and I was pretty stoked they were still skating [laughs]. My oldest son Tyler was just getting into skating and parks were popping up everywhere the last 10 years, so I got back into it.

How does skating tie into your business?
Once I got back into it, I got to meet more skaters. One-by-one they start coming by to get their cars fixed. A lot of them are repeat customers. Some people that come by are Kevin Harris, Steve Denham, Seb Templer, Michelle Pezel from Antisocial, and Chris Parry...he works on the EA Skate games and his character actually wears one of my Auto Repairs R ‘Wee' shirts in Skate 2 [laughs].

Can you explain the interesting "business cards" you were making for a while?
I had a bunch of boards made that were like business cards, and I'd give them to my customers who skate. It's a nice, big board that I'd buy uncut and shape myself because I can't seem to find the size I want – a bigger board with a square nose and tail.

What services does your shop offer?
I have 5 people working here and we offer one-stop automotive servicing: oil changes, brakes, exhaust, tune-ups, transmission repairs, front-end, tires...just about everything. What we can't do, I can point a person in the direction of someone who can. We also have shuttle service, and courtesy cars.

At 46, how has your approach to skateboarding changed?
The key for me being able to still skate is by wearing knee pads – I wear all my safety equipment all the time. I can't run out on the tranny at my age, so it's safer to knee slide on a big tranny when you fall. As I'm getting older, I find that skateboarding helps keep my back loose and frees up the body. I try and skate for at least an hour every day if I can. On most dry weeknights from the end of September, I bring a generator to light up the bowl at Bonsor. We get some pretty good sessions going, and the guys that come out are the ones that really wanna skate.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
A run at Bonsor with Wee Wong, September 2009.

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Related:
In The Park: Seylynn
Open House: BLVD Skateshop

Etnies: Rollin' in the ‘Peg

2009-11-27T00:22:00Z

"Winnipeg is one of the few trips that I look forward to every year. I've been going there for the past 4 years, and hopefully for the next 10. The skate camps are pretty tight, and some of those kids have been getting so good! I've met so many good people either at the park or just kickin' it and having a few beers. I love Winnipeg!"
—Sean Malto

"We all really look forward to the Canada trips, and talk about them for the whole year to come. Winnipeg is always the best trip of the summer!"
—Mikey Taylor

It seems strange to hear testimonials like this about an isolated prairie city in middle-Canada, especially from well-traveled and high profile American skaters. But the ‘Peg is an anomaly. At first you might wonder, "Why the hell would I go there?" But if you took the trip during the summer months, you'd find yourself immediately scheming on ways to extend your stay.

Sean Malto, Tyler Bledsoe, Mikey Taylor, and Davis Torgerson from Etnies, along with Chris "Kentucky" Anderson (DVS and Alien Workshop flow) have been making annual under-the-radar pilgrimages to Winnipeg (well it was Davis' first time) since around 2006. In '09, the Plaza at the Forks Skatecamp took place in late August and was sponsored by Etnies and Timebomb, Investors Group, The Forks, and hosted by Sk8 Skates. The 5-day camp gave 50 young skaters the chance to skate a handful of quality parks with the aforementioned Etnies bros. Sam McGuire – both a photographer for Etnies and contributor to The Skateboard Mag – has been to the camps since the beginning. This year he chipped in some photos and did some explainin':

Why did you start going to Winnipeg?
The first time was for the opening of the Forks plaza to shoot a "Festivus" page for The Skateboard Mag in 2006. I just went up for the weekend and ended up staying 4 extra days because Kentucky [Chris Anderson] and Mikey Taylor were there. Sometimes you go to a city and it doesn't work out, but in Winnipeg it worked out right away.

How were the camps first established?
We had met Genico Aiello (owner of Sk8 Skates) when Chris Anderson did skatecamps with him in ‘06. The following year, Chris was going again for the camps, so me and Malto came along for the first WAM contest. Malto did 3 weeks of camps, skated WAM, and made some money [he got 4^th place and $1000]. He wasn't as well known as he is now. We were there for 21 days the second visit. Omar Salazar and Stefan Janoski came out for the camps that year, too. In 2008, we went to WAM again and did the skatecamps, but in '09 there was no contest so we just went to do the summer camps.

What are the camps all about?
I've been to a few around America, and the kids are usually crazy – especially when you have pros and stuff. But the kids in Winnipeg are super rad and really grateful. They don't just ask you for your board and shoes. For the most part it was just about hanging out and skating with the kids. There's a lot of event type things at the camps every day, like races and big games of SKATE. Each year on the last day of they do "King Of The Camp" which is "King Of The Road" style, with 2 or 3 pages of tricks you have to do, and you get one of the Etnies guys on your team to help. It's pretty much the same kids every year, so it's cool to see them progress. There's this one kid, Kyle Nickoshie, who everyone calls "Little Malto". He's getting really good.

Tyler Bledsoe, backside tailslide heelfip out.

What parks did you guys hit?
We skated The Forks, and everybody's pretty partial to the Michael Komenda park. And how could you not like the park in Kenora, Ontario? All you see is lake when you look around. You can skate, then jump in the water. The camps are really fun. That'll keep us coming back, for sure. Genico definitely has a cool thing going.

What happened at the bridge in Kenora this year?
Mikey, Chris, Zach Knight and Dawson Friesen all jumped off the big one [on Hwy 17]. They got in this chest puff-out moment where they wanted to outdo each other. It was funny watching them all stand on this bridge quivering in fear, all looking at each other like, "I'll jump if you jump." They lagged on it for a half-hour then the cops came and said, "You guys better not be jumping." It was almost like the cop telling them they couldn't do it is what made them want to do it more. So Dawson jumped after the cop left, then Mikey and Chris jumped. It's huge, so it was funny to watch because instead of actually jumping, everyone kind of daintily fell off [laughs].

You guys are repeat offenders in regards to where you stay and where you go out in Winnipeg. Where are your spots?
I'm not sure if the Fairmont downtown [2 Lombard Place] gives us discounts now...but if not, them putting up with us is worth its discount weight. You can drink when you're 18 in Winnipeg, so the younger dudes on the trip can go to the bars. Everybody likes going to Earls [191 Main St.], which is close by. They have Icebergs (pint of beer with lemon slush floating on top) there, which are pretty hard to get burnt out on [laughs]. We go to Bar Italia [café/pub/main hangout – 737 Corydon Ave.] a lot. Every year we try and go to Wasabi [Japanese restaurant – 588 Broadway], and getting the chance to go to 529 [high-end a la carte steakhouse – 529 Wellington Cres.] is always amazing. I feel like we go to the same places every year, but I mean it in a good way. It's comfortably exotic.

"I guess my favourite restaurant would be Earls seeing as how we went there 75% of the time. There was definitely a lot of tail to look at, and the Icebergs were clutch."
–Davis Torgerson

All photos: Sam McGuire

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Related:
The Canadian Side Of The Brain with Sean Malto
Run It Back with Colin Lambert (Winnipeg)
In The Park: Michael Komenda Memorial Park (Winnipeg)

On The Horn with Hayden Kelly

2009-11-18T01:36:00Z

Upon first meeting Hayden Kelly on a skate/camping trip to BC's Okanagan during summer '08, he was very quiet, shy, and height challenged. Well, not much has changed since then except his latest penchant for picking on dudes way bigger than him (which is everyone). Speaking of stature, Hayden jokingly blames the java for his stunted growth.

"I don't know if they're lying, but some people say I've been growing," he says laughing over the phone from his family home in Point Roberts, Washington. "I drink a lot of coffee, and started when I was around 14 – in 8^th Grade. It might've stopped my growth at 14, but probably not. For now, I'll blame the coffee."

Hayden played hooky from home school to partake in this O.T.H. episode where he sheds light on things like border hopping, behind-the-wheel challenges, being tied to a chair, and a few mild pre-trick quirks.

Age: 17
Residence: Ladner, BC / Point Roberts, Washington
Sponsors: KR3W Apparel, Supra Footwear, Destructo trucks, and Underworld skateshop.
Transportation: "I hate driving, but when I do it's a Volkswagon Jetta. I'd rather skate or ride my bike."
Setup: "A 7.625 ‘This is my Element' board, Momentum Haslam 49s, Destructo mids, and I don't know what kind of hardware or bearings [laughs]. I like wearing the Supra Antwuan Dixon shoes - they're narrow, I like the toecap, and they're super plain with cupsoles."
Music: "I like old music. ‘I Can't Get Next To You' by The Temptations, ‘I'm Looking Through You' by The Beatles and ‘7^th Chamber (Part II)' by Wu-Tang would be my top 3 songs right now."
Stance: Goofy
Switch mongo push, or regular switch push?: "Some days I can do the switch regular push better, and other days it just looks horrible so I go mongo [laughs]. Josh Kalis has the best switch mongo push."

It seems like you're a Vancouverite and Canadian, but you kind of live slightly on the US side.
I'm in Canada skating mostly every day, and I stay on the weekends. Point Roberts is a peninsula off Tsawwassen, BC, so it's pretty much in Canada. It's super small, and it's mostly forest. There's no stoplights, sidewalks or streetlights – it kinda sucks.

So you have to cross the border every day?
Yeah, but it's a super small border. I go through it so much that I don't have to show them ID or anything – they just let me through. Canada is super nice and so much more chill than when I go to California and stuff.

Are you considered American or Canadian?
I was born in Richmond, BC, but grew up in Point Roberts. I'm a dual citizen but I might have to decide on one side when I turn 18. Right now it's no problem to stay in Canada and work, or do the same in the States. I don't need a Visa or anything.

Nosegrind to shuv out. Rich Odam sequence.

Growing up in a small place like Point Roberts, how did you get into skating?
One of my best friends picked up a skateboard so I did too. We started going out every day just skating flat and curbs until Tsawwassen got their skatepark – we started crossing the border and going over there.

Who are your preferred homies to skate and shoot with?
I really like skating with Stacy Gabriel, and I go filming with Brandon Alton a lot. I like shooting with [Brian] Caissie and Rich [Odam]. They're both really funny, and super sick. They're always down for whatever.

Do you have any pre-trick quirks or rituals?
Sometimes I check my shoes to make sure everything's good, then I'll pat my griptape before I go for it. I try to just go wild and not think before a trick. Sometimes I'll yell stuff, and sometimes I'll just dance a little to shake off a bad try [laughs].

Do you collect anything?
I like to collect the Polaroid test shots from a photographer. Rich Odam usually gives them to me because he knows I like to have ‘em. I wish I had a Polaroid camera – the photos are cool.

Odam told me you're like a Gremlin – super energetic at night.
I'm always tired during the day. I think the caffeine from all the coffee just stays in me, then comes out at night [laughs].

What kind of issues do you have with driving and looking too young behind the wheel?
I hate driving. It's stressful. There's accidents and it's hectic. I think I drove around downtown Vancouver once, and I didn't like it at all. I can see over the steering wheel, but I sit on a bunched-up hoody because I like to be higher up. I got pulled over once: I driving with Will Marshall and TJ Rogers, and we got ambushed by a cop after going into Burger King. He didn't believe it was my car, so I had to show him the paperwork.

In Concrete #101, the opening spread of Underworld's camping trip story was a hilarious photo of you tied up on a dock looking totally traumatized. What's the story behind that?
Oh, that sucked [laughs]. Justin Allain did that because I did something to him the night before. In the morning, he duct taped me to a chair, poured cold water from the hose on me and left me on the dock for 45 minutes. It was payback [laughs]. When I first showed my mom that photo, she was like, "Oh, why did they do that to you?" Then she started laughing and said I probably deserved it.

Do you always pick on people who are way bigger than you?
Yeah, I always try and pick on Dan Redmond because he picks on me [laughs]. I tried to wrestle John Hanlon once and take him down, but it didn't work out. I thought I had a chance, but he's big.

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Related:
An Inside Look: Brian Caissie Pt.1 (Photography)
Rich Odam: His Favourite Shots
On The Horn With John Hanlon

Count ‘Em: TENS

2009-11-04T09:53:00Z

Ben Stoddard and Dave Ehrenreich – partners in crime at the Vancouver-based Don't Sleep Productions – are calibrating their trick-counters for their upcoming free Canadian skate video project, TENS.

"10 tricks was a personal quota for the summer. Myself, Liam Mitchell, and some other friends agreed that getting 10 tricks on film, just for fun, would be really cool," says Ehrenreich regarding the initial spark behind this project. "Me and Benny first talked about it in May '09 while at the skatepark in Squamish, and figured we could actually make a good movie with the 10-tricks idea."

Over a couple coldies, I recently went to one of Don't Sleep's video labs for a sneak-peak at some footy, and of course to discuss TENS – the video that's pushing a very diverse and ample roster of skateboard talent from across Canada.

Keith Henry, Lee Saunders, Dave Ehrenreich, and Sean Lowe.

How did you first approach the TENS project?
Ben: As a concept, we went around to the people that we know who shoot, and the companies that supported us in the past to pitch the idea. Dane Collison got the TM job at Supra Distribution, and he's always filming. He worked on Sophomore Jinx with us, so we got him on board for TENS early...

Dave: Getting people involved filming-wise was a big deal. Chris Quick films a bunch of guys in Toronto, including Hill Sulpher – who we really wanted in the movie. Benny talked to Chris, and he became a contributor. It's a blessing that guy was super down.

Who did you get involved sponsorship-wise?
Dave: Independent, MOB grip, and Jim Fenton at Momentum hooked it up for us. There's also Element, C1RCA and Antisocial. The brands' team managers helped by getting some of their riders involved. For example, Chad Albert at Element Canada helped us get guys out east like Brandon Del Bianco involved. Elliot Heintzman at C1RCA Canada helped us out with getting access to some of their riders in BC who we haven't shot with before.

Ben: OGIO has sponsored us for years. They're slowly building a skate team right now for 2010, and we're helping them with that. Also, Push.ca has been backing our work – Dave and I pretty much started working on web videos for them since the site first went live – and they're the main media sponsor for TENS. We've got some behind-the-scenes videos and bonus footage that will go up on Push.ca.

Dave: Color magazine, Concrete, King Shit, and SBC Skateboard are also supporting the project with ads and content.

How many skaters appear in it, and what kind of diversity can people expect?
Dave: There's around 42 people in the video [laughs].

Ben: Usually we're the dudes at the bottom of the stairs filming for the street videos because that's what kids want to see. TENS is a free video, so we wanted to cover all of Canadian skateboarding. We've got the pool rippers like Richard Sarrazin; we've got the tranny rippers like Bradley Sheppard and Chris Connelly; we've got guys that are more tech/ledge dudes like Derek Swaim, then we've got jumpers like TJ Rogers. There's street line dudes like Bryan Wherry and Cory Wilson. We've also got the Barrier Kult, which is pretty awesome.

So TENS is a little more of a free-form video...
Dave: The standard in skate videos is small. To keep it interesting, we're trying to take a different route within the standard. But we still want it to stay raw and fast – that gets you pumped to skate. We have room to explore with TENS. Maybe having a whole part in a skatepark is a bit much, but it's 10 tricks so we can do that because we're moving on to the next skater and next spot choices so quickly in the video.

What is the criteria for 10 tricks exactly? Does a flatground trick in a line count as one?
Ben: That was the main question asked by every skater. Lee Yankou asked me, Magnus Hanson and John Hanlon asked me – everyone. "So, does a line count as one trick or is it as many tricks as you do in a line?"

Dave: It's pretty soft [laughs]. We're contemplating doing a disclaimer. [Dave grabs a crumpled piece of paper and reads...] "The distinction between a trick and a pure transportation or board setup is at the discretion of the editors. Some trick counts have been fudged for necessary flow or feel. Skateboarding isn't worth structuring anyways...trick count disagreements are welcomed. Enjoy." That was just rough. But for example, a ripping backside powerslide could be considered a trick, just like a good slam could be. "Slams aren't bails." That's the Thrasher quote.

Gaining more experience from polished festival shorts like Downhill Massacre and Hairy Houdini's Hairy Tale, what are a few production elements used in TENS?
Dave: There's some dolly track stuff. The HD we're using is mostly for lifestyle, comedic-effect, and cut-away shots. We're shooting with the Panasonic DVX (Standard Def), and HVX (HD) cameras. We're definitely using the Sony VX-1000, which is cool. We're also working on some 8mm stop-frame animation as well. Art direction-wise, we're stepping it up more than we have before. We have Bob K from Mumble Agency helping us out with that.

You created Bigger And Better Things in ‘06 and Sophomore Jinx in ‘08 – both of which were "for sale" DVDs. In a sea of free content, how did you adapt a strategy for TENS within the rapidly changing framework of video availability?
Ben: Giving it away for free was part of the original idea. But we want an actual hard copy DVD in a proper case that goes in your DVD library – I find those little cardboard sleeves just get lost.

Dave: In the long run, parts from TENS going online is great for us, the skaters, and the sponsors. Just like how small bands get bigger picture exposure from being on the web, we might as well jump on that and promote ourselves. The skaters are really excited because we're going to make their parts really accessible to people everywhere.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
TENS teaser, November 2009.

(Please visit the site to view this media)
TENS (full video) – Don't Sleep Productions, 2010. DVDs along with bonus material are available for free at select Canadian skateshops.

Bookmark Push.ca/skateboarding and check back for more TENS related updates and exclusive content.

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Related:
TENS: New Video Coming From Don't Sleep
Derek Swain in Sophmore Jinx
The Follow Up: Team Grizzlies' Downhill Massacre