Converse | KA-One Black & Gum Pack

Converse has released a black and gum version of Kenny Anderson’s signature pro model shoe, the KA-One. Built to skate and designed with a classic Converse look these shoes can do no wrong. Peep the second shoe in the pack after the jump.

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Converse | Kenny Anderson – LA To Vegas

Converse released this short film created to celebrate the launch of Kenny Anderson’s new pro shoe, the KA-One. In this edit Kenny takes on an epic manual from his home in LA to his hometown in Vegas with some of his friends joining in on the journey.

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Converse KA-One Launch

Converse formally unveiled Kenny Anderson’s new pro model, the KA-One in LA last night. The event also debuted his short film, L.A. TO VEGAS a “surreal day in the life of Kenny Anderson” that picks up where 2001’s One Step Beyond leaves off. Check out a few photos from the party after the jump.

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Off the Wall TV x iPad

In some not surprising yet nonetheless rad news, Vans has announced that they have jumped into the iPad game with the debut of their free Off the Wall TV iPad app. Now regardless of where you are you can get Vans’ exclusive mix of action sports and entertainment content for free. Get it here.

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Rodney Smith - Part 1 VIDEO！

OUTPUT third! !

This time, RODNEY SMITH at VANS OFF THE WALL TV! !

Some things that have been recently released, how to launch this kind of makes me learn a lot! ! 

So fun like there is more! !

Collaboratory - Rodney Smith - Part one from Off The Wall TV on Vimeo .

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Tony Hawk

"Skateboarding to me means freedom, an outlet for any sort of stress and responsibilities.  It's my way of expressing myself."   - Tony Hawk      5 for Tony Hawk 1.  What is your earliest skate memory? My earliest memory is the first time I ever stepped on a skateboard.  It was in our alley in San Diego when I was nine.  My brother Steve was already an avid skater, so I wanted to try it also.  I succeeded in making it to the end of the alley while yelling back to Steve: "How do I turn?".  I eventually had to step off and pick up the board in order to turn it around.           2.  What is your best memory of the Bones Brigade? The best memories I have of the Bones Brigade were during the shooting of Animal Chin.  We basically lived with each other for nearly three months, all the while feeding off of each others creativity.  All we cared about was skating, so it gave us many opportunities to try out new terrains while learning from each other.  I think most of us grew up during that era. 3.  Most important contest? The most important contest for me was the 1988 finals in Dayton Ohio.  I had done well in the two series before, but never skated to my full potential in the finals (both Vision contests).  It was the first time that I had ever practiced a line before ever getting to a particular contest which paid off in the end.  I even made a 720, which was rare for me in a competition.        4.  What is your favorite trick? My favorite trick is a backside ollie because it feels like I have so much control of my board by only using my feet.        5.  Describe your ultimate Skatepark? Woodward Skate Camp with more realistic street structures.

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Steve Caballero

    

Steve Caballero "Cab" is one of skateboarding's Legends.  He was first sponsored by Campbell Skatepark in 1979 (this was a year after he picked up the sport), and later that year got picked up by Powell Peralta.  He has been with Powell since that time.  Steve invented the "Caballaerial" and was known for huge (11 foot) backside airs.  When asked, "What advice do you have about longevity?", Cab told Thrasher magazine: "Just having a nice, positive attitude towards everything that has to do with skateboarding... Skateboarding is my whole life -- ever since I was thirteen years old.  Basically, I've made a career out of it and I enjoy it as much as I did when I first started."   - Steve Caballero

        

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Rodney Mullen

Rodney Mullen "The Mutt" - THE KING OF FREESTYLE

 

   

Rodney Mullen found signing autographs during a Globe tour stop at Emage's skateshop, in Denver, Colorado! - photos by Lynn Cooper

For most recent UPDATES:  Please scroll to the bottom of this page.
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DVD Released on 9/4/03 - "Tricks You Can't Do" - features Flatland Trick tips, never released Pro contests, Pros = Rodney Mullen, Pierre Andre', Primo Desiderio, Lynn Cooper and many more!  60 minutes!  Costs = $22.50 (includes USA shipping), outside USA costs are slightly higher.  Another one of Rodney's famous contest runs is also featured in our other movie "FLATLANDS".

See "Tricks You Can't Do" DVD Trailer here ===>     

Rodney Mullen "The Mutt" - THE KING OF FREESTYLE

For someone who has left (and is still in the process of leaving) an incredible legacy to the world of skateboarding, Rodney Mullen's start with the sport was fairly inauspicious.  When the second skateboard boom hit in the 1970's, Rodney was eager to ride a board of his own.  He had been watching the neighborhood kids, envious of their boards.  Rodney had asked his father for a skateboard on numerous occasions, but everytime, had been told "NO".  On New Years Eve, 1976, Rodney decided to ask his father for a board just one more time.  In an article written for Thrasher (January 1996 issue), Rodney recalls his fathers response that evening: "He reluctantly made a deal: The first injury I got, or the first time he had caught me without my pads, I had to quit".  

With his fathers reserved blessing, Rodney wasted no time and marched down to the local shopping mall on January 1st, 1977.  He picked up a black Bonsai aluminum board with precision wheels and ACS trucks.  Prior to this purchase, his father had been concerned that skateboarding was not a very safe sport.  In hindsight, he needn't have worried.  Quickly, Rodney began practicing and learning freestyle tricks - in full pads.  About nine months from the time he received his skateboard, Rodney picked up his first sponsor:  The Inland Surf Shop.  

He started winning contests in his home state of Florida.  In 1978, Rodney blew a lot of the California pros away when he reached 4th place at the Kona contest.  In 1979, Rodney took top spot at the Oceanside contest in California and was immediately sponsored by Walker.  With all this success, Rodney's father realized that his son had mastered skateboarding.  The only problem was, now his father wanted him to try to master something else.  What was the sport Rodney's father had suggested he pick up?: "Golf," say Rodney, with a tinge of disbelief.  But Rodney didn't pick up the clubs and he kept training.  

In August of 1980, he received a call from Stacy Peralta inviting him out to a contest in San Diego.  Rodney remembers the time vividly.  "This was to be my last fling."  He was 13 years old and would be competing with top Sims Freestyler Steve Rocco.  The contest was extremely close and the judges kept on awarding the same number of points to both Steve and Rodney.  Eventually, on the last runoff, Rodney won the contest.  It was then that he officially started riding for Powell Peralta.  "After this success", recalls Rodney, "my father was motivated to keep me involved in skateboarding."

In the early 80's, skateboarding was very much underground.  The sport had peaked, just like in the 60's and now there was only a group of hardcore skaters who kept up with the sport.  Rodney wrote articles for Thrasher magazine that explained, step-by-step, complex freestyle moves.  He wound up in 1st place in almost every contest.  In the mid 80's, the sport picked up again, primarily due to the proliferation of skateboard videos.  The Powell Peralta and Vision Psycho skate videos showcased Rodney's amazing abilities better than any sequential photo spread found in a magazine.  Viewers were in awe of his command of the board.  As Peter Weldrake, owner of Toronto's famous Hogtown Skateboard Shop, recalled, "In the mid 1980's, I had a little black and white television hooked up to a VCR and crowds of people would jam the store in awe of what Rodney was doing.  They had never seen skateboarding like this before!"

    

Rodney Mullen at Carson Velodrome, CA - 1987
Photos by Lynn Cooper

As the 80's progressed, Rodney became increasingly famous.  He has some positive memories of the time: "There was so much opportunity.  My friends were doing well."  Rodney wrote in Thrasher "Skating blew up from around 86 to 91.  I felt like a rock star.  I flew on the Concorde."  Despite all his success, however, Rodney recalled some painful truths about fame: "Each time I thought I got somewhere else, I realized I hadn't gone anywhere."

Slowly, Rodney entered into the world of new school skating.  He put away the traditional freestyle board and with encouragement from Plan B's Mike Ternasky and World Industries had Steve Rocco, Rodney started moving into street skating.  His practice paid off and he can be seen in the 1992 Questionable Video.  His blending of new street style skating with his amazingly technical freestyle tricks set a new standard and blew many people away.

There is no question that Rodney Mullen dominated freestyle skateboarding for over a decade.  In today's world of street skating, Rodney is still a major force.  Many of the tricks he invented in the 1980's are now the foundation of new school skateboarding.  He is, however, extremely humble when asked about the tremendous influence he has had on skateboarding.  "I was just doing my thing.  I didn't think of myself as a pioneer."  

Rodney continues to work full time in the skateboard industry, and nowadays, heads up Tensor, Dwindle Distribution, travels with the Globe team and manages to keep innovating new skateboarding and shoe products to push skateboarding technology to new levels.  He also still manages to invent new tricks that most skaters never imagined.  Many of Rodney's latest skating accomplishments can be found in various videos and skateboarding magazines...  

Lance Mountain, Lynn Cooper, Rodney Mullen at ASR Show - 2002

Rodney can also be seen performing some of his legendary Freestyle maneuvers in the PlayStation Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 game released in November, 2001.  Video footage for the game was donated by Lynn Cooper.  Congratulations Rodney!

 

Vancouver, Canada - 1986 World's Fair Expo
Yet, another 1st place and a Perfect Score!

"I'll never forget this event.  It was the World's largest PRO Freestyle contest ever.  There were a few thousand spectators in attendance.  Rodney pulled off the most incredible flatland routine I had ever witnessed!  When Rodney finished this run, the entire audience gave him a standing ovation, not just for a few moments, but literally for minutes!  Rodney tried walking away, but the crowd was relentless, they just kept cheering and applauding.  It was unreal!  Rodney came back out and offered another acknowledgement to the crowd.  They just kept cheering!  It was clear that Rodney was overwhelmed.  I thought he was going to collapse!  To this day, I've never seen anything like it!"  

"You had to have been there!  I was very fortunate."  -  Lynn Cooper

UPDATE:  Many worldwide Rodney Mullen fans continue to visit this web page daily.  The amount of visits has grown considerably, so we will be providing more frequent updates.  Some of you have requested us to offer additional products, such as:  additional Rodney Mullen videos, Rodney's new book "The Mutt", Rodney's newly designed "Globe shoes", Tensor trucks, various decks, Rodney Mullen or other Pro Skatelegend photographs (enlargements)...

If you would be interested in purchasing any of these new products via this website, please write an email, expressing your interest, to:  cooperproductions@msn.com and let us know which products you would be most interested in.  The more feedback we get, the better we can serve YOU!

Thank you in advance, for your feedback and continued support of www.skatelegends.com - Lynn Cooper / Cooper Productions LLC

http://www.skatelegends.com/rodney_mullen.htm

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Alan "Ollie" Gelfand

Profile:  Alan Gelfand     I remember the first time I saw Alan Gelfand skate.  It was around 1979 during the Gold Cup Series contest, at the Big O skatepark, in Orange, California.  I was taking photos of my favorite Pro skaters and filming the event, with my little Super 8 film camera. What I saw that day changed my life forever, as I witnessed Alan Gelfand perform a "no hands" aerial across the capsule pool channel.  It was incredible!  The crowd of spectators went crazy as he continued to jump the channel over and over again, getting higher as the evening moved on!  We had never seen anything like it!   A few weeks later, when I received my film back from processing, I popped it into my movie projector and there it was!  I had successfully captured one of the most significant moments in skateboarding history.  Alan Gelfand had perfected his new trick "The Ollie" and changed the face of skateboarding forever!  I'll never forget that day!  Now, MANY years later, I'm honored to be presenting this Skate Legend to you!... - Lynn Cooper  The following information has been donated by Alan himself: 1974: Alan’s father bought him his first skateboard. 1975: Won every local skateboard contest 1976: Won  many South Florida Skateboard Championships 1978: Invented the “OLLIE,” the maneuver from which most skateboard tricks are based on.   1978: Professional skaters traveling across the country started to show up and say, “I never saw anybody skate    like him.” Word started to get around and photographers from California traveled to Florida to take pictures of “the little 80 pound kid flying threw the air with no hands.” 1979: Went to California and skated, participated in many photo shoots. On the cover and centerfold of most of the prominent skateboard magazines. 1979: Toured throughout Europe and South America. Profiled and appeared in television interviews and magazines that promoted skating as a healthy lifestyle that included no drugs and no drinking.    1979: Competed and won the 1979 World Skateboard Championships televised on CBS Sports.  1980: Competed and won most of the major skateboard contests. When the skateboard industry got weak in 1981, Alan “OLLIE” Gelfand pursued and became a national champion in motor sports racing.  2000: Started WWW.OLLIEAIR.COM as a way to communicate with the skating public.  2001: Invited as a VIP guest at the 2001 Old School Skate Jam, in Simi Valley California.                                 2002: Inducted into the Skateboard Hall of Fame! Stay tuned for more Alan Gelfand photos coming soon! http://www.skatelegends.com/alan_ollie_gelfand.htm

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Lords of Dogtown

Lords of Dogtown is a 2005 biographical film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. The film is based on the story of "The Z-Boys", an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport. The movie is dedicated to the memory of comedian Mitch Hedberg, who appears in the movie but died before the film was released.

The film has a close relationship with Thrashin', the 1986 original skateboarding cult classic, directed by David Winters, where Catherine Hardwicke began her career in motion pictures as a production designer and had a chance to work with many famous skaters including Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi and Steve Caballero.^[1]

This is also the first and so far the only film distributed by Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures (both owned by Sony)

Plot

Set in the Dogtown area of Santa Monica in the early 1970s, surfers Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, and Jay Adams enjoy the life of skating and surfing the pier with board designerSkip Engblom and the other locals. One day, Skip is given polyurethane wheels for the skateboards in his shop, Zephyr Skate Shop. Teenager Sid, a friend of the boys who works in the same shop, invites Tony, Jay, Stacy and the other locals to test the new wheels. They are all amazed as the polyurethane wheels allow the skateboards to make the same carves on flat ground as surf boards on the waves. After witnessing what Todd Levy from the Eastern Shore of Maryland could now do with the wheels, Skip decides to add to his already famous surf team, a skate team, the Z-Boys. The team proves to be a success; winning many contests, Stacy, Jay, and Tony gain popularity from locals across Venice

A period of hot weather reduces the surf at the pier and the official declaration of a drought means swimming pools cannot be filled with water. Taking advantage of this the Z-Boys start sneaking into local backyard pools to skate in, ignoring Skip's practice sessions, which angers him. After winning many major contests, the Z-Boys become more and more famous, appearing in various magazines. Stacy, Jay, and Tony start getting noticed by major skating companies looking to take the boys from Skip. One night, Skip throws a party at his shop to celebrate the success of the team. A company owner, Topper Burks, enters the party and convinces Tony that Skip is holding him back, and that it's time to make him famous world wide. Tony accepts his offer and leaves the team. Jay leaves the team as well, looking to make more money to help his mom pay the rent on their apartment. Despite Skip's desperate offers to keep him on the team, Stacy is the last to leave, as he begins getting offers to skate as well as to appear in T.V. Sad and angry, Skip decides to shut down the Zephyr Skate Team.

The three boys become major celebrities. Tony and Stacy now skate for money rather than the passion that Jay continues to skate for. They become enemies of some sort and compete against each other in various contests. Stacy appears on the original Charlie's Angels show while Tony starts creating his own commercials to manufacture his popular boards and merchandise. Jay is offered $10,000 to appear in a commercial sponsoring the toy, Slinky. However, he refuses, as he has become a much harder person than before. Before long, things start going out of control; at a major skating championship that they all take part in, Tony gets into a fight with another skater in the middle of the stadium, and gets violently knocked out, hospitalizing him and temporarily ending his career. Jay leaves the company he had endorsed when they sacrifice quality for cheap materials. Stacy ends up winning the competition.

Back in Venice, the pier that the Z-Boys use to surf around burns down, which affects them all. Jay shaves his hair and becomes a gang member. Skip, still selling surfboards in his shop, finally decides to settle down and continues his passion of sanding and creating surfboards, as well as solving his financial troubles by selling his shop and is seen singing "Maggie May". Sid's long-time equilibrium problem turns out to be caused by a brain tumor, and he undergoes surgery. Though Stacy, Tony, and Jay have all gone their separate ways, they all show up at the same time to visit Sid. Stacy reveals that he is leaving his company to start his own. Sid's father empties their pool for them to skate in. Stacy, Tony, and Jay skate the pool and bring Sid into the fun on his wheel chair, referencing all the good times they had before they became a skate team.

Closing cards reveal that Tony Alva went on to be a very successful skater and skating's first world champion (stating that he still sneaks into backyard pools); Stacy Peralta started Powell Peralta, a modern popular skating company that included a 14-year-old Tony Hawk as part of its team; and Jay, too, achieved the only kind of success at skating and surfing he really cared about, becoming known as the 'spark that started the flame'. Sid later died of brain cancer. His father's pool was kept empty and is known as the DogBowl

Cast

Heath Ledger as Skip Engblom Emile Hirsch as Jay Adams John Robinson as Stacy Peralta Victor Rasuk as Tony Alva Michael Angarano as Sid Nikki Reed as Kathy Alva Rebecca De Mornay as Philaine William Mapother as Donnie Vincent Laresca as Chino Elden Henson as Billy Z Mitch Hedberg as Urethane wheels guy Stephanie Limb as Peggy Oki Mike Ogas as Bob Biniak Don Nguyen as Shogo Kubo Melonie Diaz as Blanca Eddie Cahill as Larry Gordon Laura Ramsey as Gabrielle America Ferrera as Thunder Monkey Sofia Vergara as Amelia Johnny Knoxville as Topper Burks Jay Adams as House party guest Ned Bellamy as Peter Darling Tony Alva as Oregon man at party Charles Napier as Nudie Skip Engblom as Seattle race starter Stacy Peralta as TV director Tony Hawk as Astronaut Joel McHale as TV reporter Bai Ling as Punky photographer Shea Whigham as Drake Landon Alexis Arquette as Tranny Jeremy Renner as Jay Adams' manager (uncredited) Lance Mountain as UK policeman Andrew Miller as Stacy Peralta's skate double Release Lords of Dogtown was the first film to be released by both TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures which are both trademarked by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and are sometimes referred to as Columbia TriStar Pictures. The film was originally to be released by 20th Century Fox; however, it was eventually sent to Sony instead Reception Ledger's portrayal of Skip Engblom was applauded for its realism and is considered one of the film's principal highlights. Joe Donnoly, who knew Engblom, was impressed by Ledger's attention to detail, saying, "He's almost eerie in how precisely he nailed not only the mannerisms, cadence and physical presence of Skip... but also how he raises Skip's spirit, which is the heart and soul and most what's really great in a not-altogether-great film."[2] Luke Davies of The Monthly concedes how flamboyant the character is, but says the film is saved by Ledger's emotional depth: "The performance constantly sails close to hammy – Engblom was, by all accounts, a flamboyant character – but is pulled back, the wildness offset by a surprising depth of sadness. As in a number of Ledger roles, a kind of animal wisdom and melancholy exists side-by-side with gangly comedy."[2] A.O. Scott of The New York Times also highlighted Ledger's performances, stating, "Skip is always volatile, frequently drunk and consistently the most entertaining figure in the movie". He also praised the movie as a whole, stating, "Lords of Dogtown from start to finish is pretty much a blast".[3] Lords of Dogtown currently holds a 55% "Rotten" rating on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes and the consensus stating that "Lords of Dogtown, while slickly made and edited, lacks the depth and entertaining value of the far superior documentary on the same subject,Dogtown and Z-Boys." Lords of Dogtown Theatrical release poster Directed by Catherine Hardwicke Produced by John Linson Written by Stacy Peralta Starring Heath Ledger Emile Hirsch John Robinson Victor Rasuk Michael Angarano Nikki Reed Rebecca De Mornay William Mapother Music by Mark Mothersbaugh Cinematography Elliot Davis Editing by Nancy Richardson Studio Art Linson Productions Indelible Pictures Linson Films Senator International Distributed by TriStar Pictures Columbia Pictures Release date(s) June 3, 2005(United States) September 8, 2005(Germany) Running time 107 minutes Country United States Language English Spanish Budget $25 million Box office $13,411,957

http://z-boys.com/

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