Archives

Skateboard Vampires
|TransWorld Skateboarding
"How long will it take to get to Trento?" we all asked after getting off the plane in Milan, Italy."It should take about one hour and a half," our Italian distributor Paulo replied in very good English.Milan was our first stop on a short, post-summer European tour with DVS. Present were Kerry Getz, Keenan Milton, Team Manager Kelly Bird, Atiba Jefferson¿whose job was to document the entire thing on medium format, and me.Because the flight to Europe is such a long one, the first thing you want to hear when... Read more...
The Seven-Day War
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Welcome to the Seven-Day War. Here's the deal: Sean Cronan thinks he's the shit, and I, Ted Newsome, think I'm the shit. So we battled each other for one week to see who could get the best photos of the best skaters. We both reside in NYC, but no rules applied: go anywhere and shoot anybody you can find. We both went all out, pulled strings, called in favors, and maxed out our credit cards to one-up each other. You, the reader, are judge and jury. Your vote will decide... Read more...
Texas Skate Jam 2000Texas Skate Jam 2000
|TransWorld Skateboarding
For the fourth time in as many years, the skateboard industry has come together to support a great cause¿the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This nonprofit organization raises money to help grant the wishes of terminally ill children, no matter how far-fetched the wish might be. From simply getting a new bicycle to flying a jet fighter over the desert, the foundation does everything it can to make the kids' wishes happen. Over 50 of the world's top pro and am skateboarders came out for the two-day event at Houston's SouthSide Skatepark, which... Read more...
Driving Through The Land Of The Lost
|TransWorld Skateboarding
The cast: Dave Coyne, Chad Knight, Scott Pazelt, Chris Dobstaff, Adam Louder, Jerry Hsu, Cody Branin, Dave McKinney, Mark Delellis (video and ATM), Jimmy Kappel (video), Ed Dominick (photographer), and me.Through my experiences with travel, I would've never thought you could get twelve people together on the road for ten days and have a successful trip. If you'd have said we'd be traveling almost 4,000 miles in a week and a half, I'd have laughed out loud: Everyone would want to do different things, someone would get hurt, others would... Read more...
The Good Fight
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Skateboarding converges on Houston, Texas to support a worthwhile cause.On the surface, the Texas Skate Jam looks like just another infinitely ignorable stop on the never-ending skateboard-contest parade. But upon closer inspection, one realizes the Houston demo/contest is probably the most important, regardless of how much cash the big corporate sponsors have fronted for any of the three "world championships" for sale. Held each year at the SouthSide Skatepark, the Skate Jam donates all its proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps kids with health problems realize their dreams. And... Read more...
Some Funny And Not-So-Funny Stories From The Aesthetics Tour
|TransWorld Skateboarding
The Man-Woman And Her Golf CartAt one of the first schools we skated in Arizona, we were asked to leave by a rather husky man-woman. We started packing up to leave, and the next thing I knew, she had grabbed one of the local's skateboards. Not that unusual. Then she circled around us like a vulture with her golf cart. Rookie Team Manager Barrett helped me round up my flashes and tripods for a quick getaway.The local whose board had been confisicated decided he wanted his skateboard back, so he... Read more...
Litterbox
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Go ahead and hit us up at Skatemag@twsnet.com or mail us at TransWorld SKATEboarding, 353 Airport Road, Oceanside, California 92054. IGNORANT PUNKS I recently finished reading the Hawk tour article with all the bits and pieces of Tony's journal. Tony and the gang were going all over the States, exhausted, skatin' their asses off doing three-hour autograph sessions. I'm not a real good kid or anything, but Tony showed up at these kids' front doors, did an awesome demo and an autograph session, and the little f¿kers were bitchin' about... Read more...
Last Words
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Last movie you saw:Asian Sluts 5.Last CD you bought:Who still buys CDs? If I were to buy one, I'd buy the Touch-Tone Terrorist CD, they're the best crank-callers.Last time you passed out:I don't pass out. Passing out is for pussies.Last book you read:I don't read books because I think books are horrible and stupid.Last time you thought you were going to die:One month ago on my way to Japan via Delta Airlines. I hate flying.Last magazines you subscribed to:WWF and Asian Fever.Last time you were nervous:When I was on the... Read more...
Winging It Coast To Coast- Up in the air with the Globe Shoes team
|TransWorld Skateboarding
You can imagine my excitement when Dave Swift asked me if I would be interested in joining the Globe Shoes team on their U.S. tour. Without knowing too many of the details, I eagerly accepted. The one thing I did know was I'd be traveling to New York, Colorado, Texas, and finishing up back in California. We would also be traveling from demo to demo by airplane¿a welcome relief after spending the better half of my summer in a sweaty, stinky team van. With my gear packed, I left for... Read more...
The First Time- GasbagThe First TimeThe First Time
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Something happened to me the other night that I just have to share with all of you. I've been skateboarding since 1977 and working at TWS since 1989, and I finally got my first skateboarding ticket. It happened just before Christmas 2000, when I got a call from videographer Lee Dupont to come shoot photos of Alex Gall at a rail in Dana Point. I met up with Lee, Alex, Jay Thorpe, and Erik Ellington at the infamous Crown Valley rail at 11:00 p.m. Lee set up the lights while... Read more...
FDR Skatepark
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Skateboarders from our nation's first capital teach us a lesson about rebellion.FDR, not "Phillyside"FDR is to Philadelphia as Burnside is to Portland: city-owned, skater-built, and not for the meek. This sacred space beneath Interstate 95 in South Philly has come a long way since its fledgling days in 1994, when it was born as a result of Philadelphia government's desire to eliminate skateboarding at Love Park. As a peace offering to Philly skateboarders, the city set aside approximately 16,000 square feet of real estate beneath the highway, laid down a... Read more...
Check Out
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Check OutRichie BeltonAge: 15Home: Carlsbad, CaliforniaSponsors: dNA, Adio, Utility BoardshopI've never been a firm believer in reincarnation, but I'm here to tell you it's true because heavy metal is alive and well and is currently residing in Richie Belton's body. Black leather pants? "A little tighter please." Studded belt? "Better make 'em spikes." "Excuse me, do these bandanas come in a zebra print?" You can't make an eyeliner dark enough for Richie's taste. Words of advice: don't get sticky fingers with the Axl Rose-autographed Reebok pumps¿your life will be the... Read more...
Boulder Gets Theirs
|TransWorld Skateboarding
After four and a half years of perpetual city-council meetings, the skaters of Boulder, Colorado finally got theirs. The new Boulder Skatepark celebrated its grand opening on November 18, 2000 replacing the antiquated steel-ramp park that had been in place since the summer of 1993. The new park is a concrete, free, Site Design Group masterpiece. For the last couple of years, we've watched amazing skateparks mushroom in obscure mountain communities, while we anxiously waited for the park and rec board members to get serious and allocate us some money... Read more...
Tangent
|TransWorld Skateboarding
The other day I met this lady who I've known about since I was a kid, but I'd never actually talked to her. Her name is Gale Webb, and she's been involved in skateboarding for over 25 years¿the last 24 doing skateboarding safety shows all over the country. She's been promoting our sport to kids for longer than most of you have been alive, and she shows no signs of letting up. Professional skaters like Tony Hawk, Danny Way, Cara-Beth Burnside, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain, Omar Hassan, Stacey Peralta, George... Read more...
Any One Thing¿Ed wins
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Further proof that skateboarders will soon be running the entire universe: This past winter, your favorite artfart/skateboarder Ed Templeton was unknowingly entered in an art contest of the most global sort¿competing against a handpicked group of the world's most creative thinkers and tinkerers. When it was all said and done, he was transported to Milan, Italy, embraced by the prestigious minds of the art world as their newest cool kid, and presented with a check for a cool 50 large. Not bad work if you can get it. Let's talk... Read more...
Any One Thing¿Donny versus K Mart
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Wouldn't it be weird if you were out skating one day and saw somebody wearing a T-shirt with your picture on it? Hell, yeah, it'd be weird. But after you got over that initial wave of surrealism, what would be going through your head? When did this happen? What the heck? Why am I on a T-shirt? Where'd they get my picture? Who am I?In this case, so to speak, the answer to the last question is Donny Barley. About three years ago, his likeness was squeegeed onto a cotton-blend... Read more...
Up In SmokeThe Blind team goes east.
|TransWorld Skateboarding
TransWorld SKATEboardingFile: Blind East Coast tourVolume 19, Number 5Up In SmokeThe Blind team goes east. by Ronnie CreagerA backside 180 to late mid-air reverse switch backside 180 would be a pretty darn cool trick to do at any demo, or just during an old-fashion jam down to the doughnut shop to pick up some milk and one of those tasty glazed doughnuts. I'm not talking about Krispy Kreme here, I'm talking about tricks¿skateboarding tricks performed by an individual on a skateboard to amuse and entertain themselves. Skateboarding is a fun,... Read more...
20 Questions-Brian Wenning
|TransWorld Skateboarding
TransWorld SKATEboardingFile: 20 Questions¿WenningVolume 19, Number 520 Questions¿Brian WenningInterview by "The" Tim O'ConnorIn case you're wondering, 20 Questions is a new feature we've decided to add for guys like Wenning who start out doing Good Stuffs but end up with a shit-load of good photos.1. Rumor has it you used to be on a hardcore mission, skating in dark alleyways with nothing more than a jug of water for hours on end.Oh yes, this is quite true. I'd skate this alleyway on the regular. Shit, man, that thing was the... Read more...
Volume
|TransWorld Skateboarding
J Mascis + The FogMore LightArtemis RecordsHoly crap, this album is like nothing you've ever heard! There's no distortion, it's not exactly what you'd expect it to be, and it totally doesn't sound just the same as every single Dinosaur Jr. album that's ever been released! Wait ... no, it does. All you devoted groupies will be playing a safe bet by picking this one up. And to all the new fans out there: welcome to the world of sameness, where change is definitely not a constant. Despite all this... Read more...
Triple Crown Finals
|TransWorld Skateboarding
For the fifth straight year, the Vans Triple Crown of skateboarding finished with an October event in Southern California (the reason it's held here is because you can count on decent weather, Vans is headquartered nearby, and this is the birthplace of skateboarding). Anyway, the event went off on the first weekend of October at the pier in Oceanside, California, the very same place in which seventeen-year-old Mike Vallely turned the world on to the streetplant craze way back in 1986.During the week, the Ramp Tech crew headed by Cedar... Read more...
Tangent
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Mandatory InfoIn cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Variflex is recalling about 240,000 "X-Games Aggressive" bicycle helmets. The helmets failed to pass impact tests, and they look really stupid. Consumers should stop using these helmets immediately (because they say "X-Games") and return them to the store where purchased for a refund or a replacement helmet. For more information, call Variflex at 1-800-248-5327 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.Brandon Biebel quit Expedition and has been spotted skating with a bunch of Girls¿the whole... Read more...
Starting Point
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Starting PointMelon Grabs With Mike Vallely1. Compress to get some pop.2. Start your ollie and remember the higher you get, the easier this trick is.3. The key is to suck up your legs and bring the board to you¿don't make your body go after the board.4. Suck those legs up and bring your front hand down for the grab.5. Once your hand is in there, kick your feet forward to tweak it out.6. Start extending those legs.7. Release the grab.8. Get your weight centered.9. Roll away and body-slam someone. Read more...
Far From Red, White, And Blue
|TransWorld Skateboarding
The two weeks we spent in Japan weren't like a typical skateboard visit to Tokyo. In fact, we only spent two hours in Tokyo. Hiroshi, our friend and tour guide, took us on a different excursion away from the urban chaos. He drove us through green, lush landscapes, and mountain villages where we stayed in traditional Japanese hotels. These hotels were very different from Western ones¿we slept on the floor in shared rooms separated by sliding paper doors. There were no showers¿we bathed in shower-rooms beneath the hotel where we... Read more...
Good Stuff: Stacy Lowery
|TransWorld Skateboarding
Good Stuff?Stacy Lowery's been doing "good stuff" for a long time, but for the most part it's gone unrecognized by the cliquish and trendy skate industry. Me, I've known what this guy can do and what he's all about for over five years now, but it seems no one really wants to hear what I have to say¿they're just afraid to tell me to shut up. So Stacy has had to make a name for himself on his own. You say that's the way it should be, right? Well, that's... Read more...