A hornet’s sting brought down pioneer skateboarding legend Andy Kessler yesterday in Montauk, Long Island NY.
Kessler was an original member of the Zoo York Crew and was featured in Deathbowl to Downtown, the evolution of skating in New York. A clip can be seen below.
He was salty and hard boiled like a true New Yorker should be but he was also the first guy to help someone out. I don’t mean that as a cliche like when someone dies they were all of a sudden a saint- no- Kess really helped people out. He was a sponsor to people trying to kick drugs or drinking, (he was clean and sober for years and years and then one day he quit drinking coffee and smoking cigs to boot!), he built skateparks, went to community meeting and generally tried to make New York a better place to live.
Images speak louder than words ever could. This image of normalcy in war torn Afghanistan is so promising.
The above image was taken from the LA Times, who have a full slideshow showing kids skating and enjoying themselves despite the stress their country has endured.
I was on twitter (username @energyspray) when I saw a link about the Skateboard Film Fest in Seattle, WA, August 14-15.
From their website About page:
The Skateboard Film Festival is a collaborative effort by some of the industry’s most respected entrepreneurs, filmmakers, photographers, and skateboarders. It was brought about to promote independent film making in the skateboard community at large. It is open to the entire public by way of video submissions, and there will be several categories by which each film maker can submit his or her video short or full-length movie. Videos are carefully selected by a panel of judges and some 40-60 will be shown during the film festival weekend.
Films will be screened at the Siff Cinema in Seattle, and events will take place in local parks. Tickets are not yet on sale, but keep checking their website for details.
June 21st saw Go Skateboarding Day in the Washington DC, when more than 600 kids descended on Freedom Plaza to shred away the day.
Yeah, it’s that time of the year again. Everyone’s done with school. We have tons of hours to spend honing our skills and enjoying the freedom. Days are longer, curfews are later, the sun is hot.
Hellertown PA is talking about building a skatepark in the SW corner of Dimmick Park. Fergus Falls MN wants to move theirs from the parking lot of the middle school and into Roosevelt Park, but their holding off. Unlikely to happen this summer.
One of the benefits of a skate park versus just flying down the steps in front of the local shopping mall means sanctioned skating. You’re free to practice bold moves without hitting pedestrians or having the cops breathing down your neck all the time. Not every town has one, but a lot of town councils and municipal boards across the country have realized that giving skaters a place to shred is just as important as installing tennis courts or swimming pools.
So where do you go in your area? Do you even know?
We found this awesome comprehensive list of skateparks across the country - even Alaska and Hawaii! There are thousands - tens of thousands - all across America! So the next time you’re all sitting around a parking lot somewhere, boards in hand, wondering where to go, remember this list!
You never know… The All-Day Girls may show up at one of them near you!
