Skateboard News | December 1-15, 2023
Deanna @deannatempleton and Ed Templeton's @ed.templeton art exhibition "Death Metal Summer" is on view at the Art Gallery of Western Australia @artgallerywa from Nov 25, 2023 - April 21, 2024. The exhibition features over 140 selected photographs shot between 1995 and 2022, displayed in three wall installations.
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The Embassy of Japan in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and UNICEF donated skateboards to Ethiopian Girl Skaters @ethiopian_girl_skaters. EGS is an organization that promotes a supportive community for underprivileged female skaters. Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, the UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia, also announced plans for a new skatepark in Addis Ababa.
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Daewon Song @daewon1song is now an author. "Skateboarding For Dummies," part of the For Dummies series of instructional reference books, is now available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble @barnesandnoble and other major bookstores. The book will be released in March 2024.
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Another Schmitt Stix sticker has been added to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History collections @professorschmitt And, so was a Leo Baker deck @leobaker
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KLTV profiled Surrender Skateboard Ministry, a faith-based organization that meets every other Friday at the Faulkner Skatepark in Tyler, Texas.
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Eurocities @eurocities.eu published a spotlight of Gustav Svanborg Edén @gustaveden, Malmo, Sweden's Skateboarding Coordinator. He discusses the aim of his work, its challenges, and the inclusive function of public urban spaces.
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CNBC reported that pro skater Jagger Eaton @jaggereaton 22-year-old Olympic bronze medalist, owns three long-term residential rental properties in Mesa, Arizona. Eaton uses the passive income from these properties to build wealth and cover his own rent for an apartment in California.
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The Concrete Jungle Foundation @concretejunglefoundation is a non-profit organization that empowers youth populations through skateboarding and social programs in Peru, Jamaica, and Morocco. These skating and education programs take place at various skateparks in those three countries. CFJ seeks to affect positive change and support the collective well-being of communities.
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The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation heard several oral arguments recently regarding a slew of Onewheel injury lawsuits and whether or not to consolidate them. Onewheel issued a recall at the end of September of this year, which applied to 300,000 units sold in America. The complaints collectively state that the Onewheel will just nosedive and toss the rider onto the ground. Allegedly, the malfunction is related to the "pushback" safety feature that is meant to establish resistance.
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The Town of Chapel Hill in North Carolina @wchlchapelboro will have two "public input sessions" for conversations about upgrading Homestead Skate Park. The community is encouraged to share ideas for improvements to the skatepark. The Parks and Recreation Department, and the design company 5th Pocket Skateparks @5thpocketskateparks, will hold one session on Dec 17 and second one on Dec 18.
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Rydelle Abarico @adelleociraba, a downhill skateboarder from the Philippines, won gold at the Nov 27, 2023 Tropical Downhill Race, which took place in Khao E-to, Prachinburi District, Thailand.
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Michèle Lamy @lalamichmich collaborated with Skateroom @theskateroom on a collection of art decks. The decks feature photographs of Lamy at ComplexCon, which were taken by Juergen Teller @juergenteller_ The revenue generated from the sale of the boards will go toward the creation of "moveable skate parks in refugee camps."
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@11Alive reported that the non-profit Can'd Aid @candaid, in partnership with Monster, built and donated 65 complete skateboards to 5th Grade students at Argyle Elementary. This donation effort is meant to encourage children to go outside and exercise.
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Robert Glover @robert_glover is a Namibian adaptive skateboarder with sacral agenesis. He is ripping even though his spine and lower body are underdeveloped.
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A new skatepark will be built in Waterford, Ontario next year. Construction will begin in April 2024 and is expected to take 10-12 weeks. The Waterford Skate Park will be built for all wheels, including skateboards, rollerblades, scooters, and BMX bikes.
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BAYSIXTY6 skatepark @baysixty6_in Kensington, London hosts a "Girl's Only" skate night on the first Friday of each month. Group lessons are available for beginners. The monthly event is meant to provide a safe and supportive space for skaters to express themselves without judgment.
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A mural painted by artist and Unity Skateboards @unityskateboarding owner Jeffrey Cheung @jeffcheung1 on the outside of Dale Zine shop @dale_zine in Miami has been transferred to the store's new location after they were forced to move due to gentrification. Artist Kelly Breez @kellybreez removed Cheung's mural, mounted it on wood, and it is now in the new Dale Zine shop location in Little River.
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Professional skater Neen Williams @neenwilliams and chef Phillip Frankland @phillipfranklandlee opened NADC (Not a Damn Chance) @nadcburger Burger at 1007 E. Sixth St in Austin, Texas. The restaurant serves Wagyu smash burgers and is open 12pm-12am Mon thru Thurs and Sun, and 12pm-3am Fri and Sat.
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Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island now has a skateboard club. The Bryant Skateboarding Club The Bryant Skateboarding Club @bryantskateclub is designed to create an "open skateboarding community on campus." The club welcomes skaters of all skill levels and will host events, take trips to skateparks, and teach members how to produce videos.
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On New Years Eve, the City Council of Palmerston North in New Zealand will host an alcohol-free festival for families that will feature fireworks, a circus, food trucks, and a skateboard competition for all ages. OnBoard Skate will supply boards, ramps, and rails for anyone to use. The best trick competition will start at 5pm for skaters under 16 and at 9:30pm for skaters 17 and up.
19-year-old Winnipeg skater Jackson Toone @jackson_toone released the seventh edition of his physical skate magazine DWT, which features 100 pages of his own original skateboard photography. Toone started the magazine while he was still in high school and it is available at McNally Robinson Booksellers @mcnallyrobinson, @sk8Skates, and @scamskate in Winnipeg.
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The second Skate Art Jam organized by the NAU Skate Club @nauskate at Northern Arizona University took place on December 1st. The event featured local musicians, a raffle for skate goods, and a SKATE competition to win prizes from Melly Skateboarding @mellyskateboardingaz, @jamystix, @lamebrainskateboards, and @zumiez.
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Nokose Skateboards owner Cordell Burris @mrburry187 is donating skateboards to children via the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Children & Family Services' Angel Tree program.
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The Conversation published an article highlighting seven 1970s skateparks that are still in existence today. The parks are the Livingston Skatepark in Scotland, Rom Skatepark in Hornchurch, the Kennington Bowl in London, the Bro Bowl in Tampa, Pista de Skate do Marinha in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the Albany Snake Run in Australia, the Automobilen Skatepark in Falkenburg, Sweden, and the Turf Skatepark in Milwaukee.
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Olympic medalist Sky Brown @skybrown has written an illustrated book titled "The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding," which will be released in April 2024.
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The city of Launceston in Tasmania, Australia has secured funding for a new skatepark. The London-based design company Betongpark is going to construct the park in 2024. Launceston has already held at least one public consultation so that they can better understand what locals desire and build the park accordingly.
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Persecuted Rohingya Muslim refugees who arrived in Indonesia via boat used a skatepark as a temporary shelter after they were refused and/or rejected by local residents, according to Reuters.
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Miguel Vega, a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison "for violating the civil rights of a man at a Compton skate park by improperly detaining him and then acting to cover up his actions." After Vega serves his sentence, he will also have to undergo three years of supervised release and pay a $5000 fine. Christopher Hernandez, Vega's former partner, pleaded guilty to conspiracy - his sentencing hearing will take place in January.
The incident: On April 13, 2020, the two deputies, Vega and Hernandez, made contact with two Black men outside an enclosed skatepark in Compton. Vega stated he thought one of the men was on probation. A 23-year-old skateboarder in the skatepark, named J.A., shouted at the deputies to leave the two men alone. Then, Vega entered into an argument with J.A. and challenged him to a fight. After this exchange, Vega grabbed J.A., pulled him "through an opening in the park fence," and then put him in the back of the deputies' patrol vehicle. They did not handcuff the skater, tell him he was under arrest, or restrain him with a seatbelt.
As the deputies drove away, Vega challenged the victim again, and both he and his partner taunted the skater. Vega apparently commented that he and his partner would also falsely state that J.A. was under the influence to justify their actions.
The deputies then engaged in a vehicle pursuit of a group of men on bikes. Hernandez bailed from the patrol SUV and pursued a suspect on foot. Meanwhile, Vega continued driving and then collided with a wall and another car. J.A., unbuckled and in the backseat, smashed his head and face as a result of the crash.
Following the collision, Vega removed J.A. from the patrol vehicle, instructed him to leave, and then radioed a report that a "suspect with a gun had run through an alley," describing a man who resembled J.A. Both deputies did not "initially disclose[] that they had detained J.A. or that he was in the SUV when the crash occurred." Only after J.A. was detained by a different deputy in the area did Vega inform his supervisor that J.A. was in his patrol vehicle. Then, when J.A. was receiving medical treatment at a hospital, Hernandez stated to yet another deputy that he should issue a citation to J.A. for being under the influence of meth, even though he was fully aware that accusation was false. Ultimately, J.A. settled with the county for an undisclosed amount.