Authors: Giuseppe Ventrella
Electrifying Late-20s Skateboarding: The Bolts of Thunder Story
Bolts of Thunder Gone Wild is an upcoming skateboard video due to premier August 12. This video is a little different than what you would expect to see from most professional and local videos. It’s not filmed in HD and there probably aren’t any names you will recognize from local or national videos. What this video does have is a bunch of skateboard “lifers.” … read more
Ramp Locals on a Sunny Day in the Northwest
This year for Go Skateboarding Day, I decided to explore something new and head to the Northwestern United States. I had never been to Seattle, Wash. before and felt it was time to experience some new terrain. I flew in early the morning of June 21 ready to skate and have a good time. I am lucky enough to quickly jump into a skate gang in any town I visit, and Seattle was no exception. I was inducted into the Ramp Locals upon arrival. … read more
Skateboard Drive-In
Milosport Orem owner Benny Pellegrino noticed that there were a lot of kids in his community who skateboarded, but didn’t really care about the contest circuit. In an effort to decrease the emphasis on competition at skate events and get back to having fun, positive sessions, Pellegrino decided to do something different this year. Instead of throwing contests at the skatepark, Pellegrino and Milosport are throwing a series of Skateboard Drive-ins in their parking lot. … read more
Weekend Warriors
By the time you read this article, school will be back in full swing. Just like all the grown-ups, all the teenagers and college students will be confined to weekend skateboard missions. Being a weekend warrior sounds like a severe loss of freedom, at least when you think about it during the relaxing summer months. However, fall often brings some of the best skateboarding. The best way to enjoy your free time is to have less of it. … read more
Skate Date
A few years back, I had the opportunity to interview legendary skateboarder Duane Peters. We discussed the finer things in life and how, even as you age, if you’re a “lifer,” skateboarding is always there. I was thinking about this particular conversation the other day and realized that my longest committed relationship has been with skateboarding. I’ve made “friends” with other things along the way, but skateboarding has always been my number-one crush. … read more
Skateboards: A Magnet for Crazy
If there is a crazy bum in my general area, they’ll usually head straight for me and spark up a conversation. It doesn’t matter if I have a skateboard or not—bums love to talk to me—but the attraction is especially strong with a skateboard. At first, I thought it was something about my personality. I just naturally emitted some scent or aura that drew crazy people to me. Eventually, though, I realized it’s something to do with being a skateboarder. … read more
The True Skateboarders Behind Blood Wizard
There are people who ride skateboards, and then there are skateboarders. It sounds redundant, but it’s true. Toad is a true skateboarder. Toad’s been around since the “back-in-the-day” days and still skateboards. Toad is the kind of person skateboarders want to run skateboard companies. Luckily for us skateboarders, in the year of our lord 2012, we have Blood Wizard Skateboards. … read more
Capturing an Era: Skate Photographer Hugh Holland
Thanks to this revival of pool skating and some of the older tricks, a book like Hugh Holland’s Locals Only, featuring skate photography of Southern California’s infamous mid-’70s scene, is able to see the light of day. Originally released in 2010 and re-released on May 1 this year, the book contains images that sat in boxes for over thirty years. I was able to ask Holland a few questions about his great time-piece on a part of skateboarding’s history. … read more