Table of contents for 207 in Slam Skateboarding

INTRODUCTION

There are no age boundaries in skateboarding. We share our local skateparks and street spots with skateboarders of all ages. The older generation can school up younger shredders on style, technique and the do’s and don’ts in skateboarding. On the other hand, younger skaters bring a spark to each session – spurring older cats to push themselves to keep tré flipping well into their 30s, 40s and possibly 50s. In my formative years on a board, I naturally gravitated to a crew of older skateboarders who were more than a few years my senior. I was the apprentice. I learnt the ropes from a group of guys who were light years ahead of me and my skate mates from school. In hindsight, I must’ve been an irritating little shit. When…

2 min

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SBA DEBACLE

How long did you work at SbA and what did your job involve? Just over 10 years. I started in 2004. At the beginning it was only myself and one other person, so we did everything in-house to get SbA off the ground. As things grew it was more focused on creating and managing a team that could deliver on the various government and partner objectives. The aim was to create as many opportunities for skateboarders as possible. How difficult was it working under the umbrella of Skate Australia with a board whose background was roller skating? According to the ASC [Australian Sports Commission], an effective board has a proper understanding of, and a competence to deal with, the current and emerging issues of the business and can effectively review…

6 min

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MICK YUEN

Mick Yuen was one of my first teammates. We pretty much met on a blind date – a 1994 Kewday Skateboards tour. We both broke a couple of tour rules. Mick brought one of his best mates, one who rode for an opposing board company (Omni rider, Steve Tierney) and I took my girlfriend at the time. Hey, how were we supposed to know? We had just passed grom status and luckily Jamie and the rest of the Barties were very understanding and more than accommodating. The first few demos were nerve-wracking to say the least. In that era skateboarding had just graduated from the stage of worm burning pressure flips and was starting to focus on style above hideous technicality. We skated the old Pizzey, whose surface was a…

16 min

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RYDER LAWSON

Congrats on finishing high school last year. How’d you go with your HSC? Cheers. I ended up doing pretty well, which surprised me because at the start of my final year I really couldn’t have cared less about school. It was wasting my skating time. Although, I pulled it together later in the year. I got stuck into studying and did way too much. I was addicted to that shit. It was super weird. I definitely got lucky, though, I found the whole thing pretty stress-free. Was it tough to juggle your schoolwork with skating? It was pretty difficult. My school, De La Salle College in Cronulla, was always chill about me taking time off for trips and skate related stuff. As schoolwork piled up my skating took a hit…

14 min

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OLYMPIC SKATEBOARDING

OLIVER WEST: If you can get Dollin and Duncombe in green and gold spandex, I’m in. HUNTER BATH: Skateboarding is not a sport, but it will be treated like one, with high cash prizes and skaters making millions. Nyjah [Huston] will be the first gold medalist and everyone will either love or hate it. Older skaters will remember what it was, and younger skaters will never know the difference. JEREMY ROWLING: Yes! Skateboarding is vast. I think vert, mega and Street League would be perfectly suited to the Olympics. The best skaters in the world deserve to stand on a podium and raise an Olympic medal high. JACK TREMELLING: Less is more. Stay pure. Stay poor. MARCUS BAUCZA: As long as they have longest slappy. ANDREW CURRIE: Tug of war…

6 min

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ANDREW ALLEN

AUSTRALIAN BAND: The Church. AUSSIE SLANG OR SAYING: I’ve been saying “chat” kinda regularly lately. AUSTRALIAN SKATEBOARDER: Matt Mumford. He hooked me up on Legacy when I was 18. He’s a legend, an epic human and ripping skateboarder. Thanks again, Mumford! AUSTRALIAN VIDEO PART: Chima’s [Ferguson] in Propeller. PLACE THAT YOU’VE SKATED HERE: Waterloo. THING TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT SKATING HERE: Definitely going to the beach. I saw a grouper snorkelling last time I went to Gordons Bay. AUSTRALIAN CITY: I guess Sydney because I’ve spent the most time there. Plus it’s got the beaches. AUSTRALIAN BEACH: Bells Beach. Though I’ve never been (laughs). FAVOURITE AUSSIE BEER: Coopers green. AUSTRALIAN FOOD: A meat pie, I suppose. CREW TO TRAVEL OZ WITH: Rhino [Ryan Wilson] and Moey [Jason Morey]. MEMORY…

1 min

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10 THINGS

If you haven’t noticed, the ’90s are back in a big way. Your pants are two sizes too big, you’ve dusted off your parents’ VHS camera and your favourite skater is Sean Sheffey. Great, right? So great. But, the 2015 version of 1993 is a bit different to the real thing. I was there the first time ’round and there are a few major differences we would do well to remember. 1. THE INTERNET EXISTS NOW The Internet wasn’t around in the ’90s, or it was only for scientists or something, so we found out everything from videos and magazines. Oh, and you’d hear about stuff at the skate shop. That is, if you lived somewhere with a skate shop. It was cool because you’d get these crazy quantum leaps…

5 min

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COREY LESO

It’s 1pm on a brisk Wednesday afternoon in Melbourne when my call connects to Corey. He’s kickin’ it in a cupboard on the rooftop of the Novotel in St Kilda. The 29-year-old resident handyman of the hotel conceals himself in the air-conditioning room and we have a yarn about his lewd wedding proposal, his knack for fixing things, handplants, life abroad, politics and his fascination with knives. He assures me that he’s not going to kill anyone. Read on, you won’t bore. Congratulations on your recent engagement. Thank you. How did you pop the question? Danielle and I used to live in a sharehouse together in Fitzroy, just behind Brunswick Street. It was just Danielle and her friend living there, and then Marty [Girotto] and I moved in. Anyways, we…

19 min

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SPECIFICS

10 YEARS OF PICTURE WHEELS Picture Wheels have hit an epic milestone – 10 years in the game. As an Australian company proud of its roots in Aussie skating, it’s fitting that Picture have a new guest wheel from none other than Matt Mumford, adorned with a skull, no less. With Alex Lawton, Jack Crook, Kieran Reilly, Joel Mcilroy, Scott Standley and Beau Reid holding it down as the Am team, and Cale Nuske, Dennis Durrant, Tony Tave, Nick Trapasso, Windsor James, Alex Carolino, Grant Patterson and Raul Navarro on the Pro wheel line-up, Picture has never looked stronger. GIVE AWAY In celebration of Picture’s decade of urethane, they’ve generously hooked up 10 sets of wheels to give away a set to 10 lucky winners. For your chance to win,…

4 min

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FEEL IT KNOW IT, SHOW IT

Greg Stewart is an enigma. I have never met anyone like him in the entire world. To a stranger Greg is an anomaly. To a security guard Greg is a headlocking, chest pumping, handshaking friend or foe. To a bartender Greg is a very familiar face that will never be erased from their memory. To an attractive woman Greg has his own language that cannot be taught at any school or defined in the Urban Dictionary. To a skateboarder Greg is astonishing entertainment. Given all of these characteristics, he has certainly made his mark in Melbourne skateboarding, spanning over 25 years. He’s turning 40 this year and Greg shows no sign of slowing down in his creativity, energy, ability, sense of fashion, pep in his step or sharing good times…

1 min

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MAKE YOUR OWN SKATEBOARD GRAPHIC

An awe-inspiring Cons Project held recently on the Gold Coast saw a group of promising artists create their very own graphic and press the print to wood. The owner and seminal director of design at Pass~Port Skateboards, Trent Evans, offered a wealth of creative knowledge alongside legendary Aussie artists, Sonny Day and Gimiks Born. Over one weekend the creative crew of 15 participants managed to design their own graphic using many different mediums, and then transfer the unique designs to planks – one board to shred and one for their wall. I’m baffled on how they managed to bring this to fruition within 48 hours and produce such high-quality designs. The future of Australian skateboard art is in good hands. Big ups to Converse for putting on such an impressive…

1 min

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TO SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW: GO ONLINE: slamskateboarding.com/subscribe PHONE SLAM: 1 800 069 918 within Australia + 61 7 5576 1388 overseas EMAIL ENQUIRY: subs@slamskateboarding.com 1 YEAR (SIX ISSUES): $55 2 YEARS (12 ISSUES): $100 PAYMENT PLAN: $27.50 DIGITAL EDITION: slamskateboarding.com/digitaledition BACK ISSUES & INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: slamskateboarding.com/shop TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Subscription will commence with issue 208, sent out on/around 30/09/15. Prize/offer is limited to the first 60 subscribers and is available to Australian residents only, while stocks last. Offer expires 07/10/15. Please allow for postage of bearings and key. Bearings and key will be sent separately to your subscription. Easy payment plans are available to Australian residents only. Please call 1800 069 918 to set up an automatic deduction from your credit card of $27.50 every six months, which you may…

1 min

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BUGS FARDELL

Let’s do the easy bits. How old are you? Where do you live? And where were you born? I’m 22. Born in Queanbeyan Hospital. I lived in Queanbeyan ’til I was 14 and then moved to the Goldy. I moved here with my family when my mum and stepdad relocated. I’ve been here since. Had you ever been to the Gold Coast before you settled in? Yeah, we’d been here before to go to Dreamworld and Wet ’n’ Wild and all that stuff. We first moved to Tweed, which was hard because it made it difficult to get up the coast to go to the better parks. After six months or so, I moved back down to Canberra because I was being a little naughty up on the Gold Coast.…

11 min

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DECKS

CLICHÉ Sammy Winter Mr Men 8.375” From $99.99 clicheskate.com @clicheskate CLICHÉ Andrew Brophy Mr Men Impact 8.125” From $109.99 clicheskate.com @clicheskate SANTA CRUZ Marvel Screaming Hand Spiderman Hand, 8” From $129.95 lushproductions.com @lushproductions SANTA CRUZ Marvel Screaming Hand Wolverine Hand, 8.26” From $129.95 lushproductions.com @lushproductions SANTA CRUZ Marvel Screaming Hand Thor Hand, 8.26” From $129.95 lushproductions.com @lushproductions SANTA CRUZ Marvel Screaming Hand Vemon Hand, 8.375” From $129.95 lushproductions.com @lushproductions ELEMENT Brandon Westgate Patch 8.2” From $89.95 au.elementbrand.com @elementaustralia ZERO Nick Boserio Severed Ties R7 8.25” From $99.99 zeroskateboards.com @zeroskateboards ZERO Nick Boserio Life’s A Beach R7 8.25” From $99.99 zeroskateboards.com @zeroskateboards DGK Josh Kalis Iconic 8.06” From $109.95 projectdistribution.com.au @projectdist DGK Stevie Williams Iconic 8.25” From $109.95 projectdistribution.com.au @projectdist HOON Dorfus Havanutha 8.4” & 8.5” From $99 hoonskateboards.com @hoonskateboards XEN…

1 min

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JAMES MOORE

What have you been up to today, James? Resting up. I’ve been a bit sick and sore since getting back from Bali the other day. I just found out I have a couple of fractured ribs. How did you fracture them? I was going a bit too fast on a motorbike in Bali with my friend Rhys on the back. We came over a hill and there was a truck that had backed out halfway onto the road. It looked like he was about to pull out in front of us, so I slammed on the brakes and turned too sharp. I lost control and hit a street pole and skidded along the road. I only just found out that I cracked my ribs … two weeks later. I also…

6 min