Skateboarding is not a sport. According to some of the biggest names in skateboarding, like Mark Appleyard and Frank Gerwer, skateboarding is not even an “extreme sport.” Skateboarding is an art, a subculture and a world of its own. It possesses many of the same traits as any sport or pastime but the tie that holds skateboarders together is a tight one. Well, at least it used to be.

In August 2007, MTV single-handedly broke down the skate world’s barriers by airing the reality TV show, “Life of Ryan,” a show that displayed Ryan Sheckler’s oh-so-awful life and times growing up in Orange County – with more money than my family, grandparents and uncle put together – while he skateboards and travels the world for a living.

Boohoo.

As if the label of reality TV isn’t misleading enough, the life of Ryan as depicted on the show is clearly far from reality.

I’m not going to say I like Ryan Sheckler because that would be a lie. I will admit that he is a talented skateboarder, and deserves what he has (at least when it comes to sponsors). But do I respect the guy? No way.

Ryan’s oh-so-exciting life somehow gained the attention of hundreds of thousands of viewers throughout each season of his show’s short career, leaving fans with one thought in their mind: “Skateboarding? Yeah, I could do that.” Well, the joke’s on you.

Meanwhile, the skateboarding world is blowing up online, in magazines, on blogs and elsewhere.

Sheckler and MTV were the talk of the town.
The real world adores skateboarders like Sheckler. He’s been in everything from deodorant commercials to milk commercials. (Yep, he’s one of the few to wear the milk mustache, skateboard in hand.)

But who cares?

Skateboarding isn’t about being in milk commercials, or winning the X Games.

Skateboarding isn’t about having your own TV show or about being famous.

Rather it is about the self-satisfaction of riding the board. It’s about skating your surroundings – anything and everything.
I think it’s sad that corporations such as MTV weasel their way into these kids’ wallets.

What is even more depressing, though, is when your favorite pros change companies they have been on for years just to boost up that paycheck.

They gain money but lose respect.
From a fan’s perspective, it’s just how you look at it.

Skateboarding is branching into two major directions right now: you’re either in it for the fame, money and sponsors who aren’t even associated with skateboarding; or you’re doing it for the thrill, passion and the feeling of bombing a hill at 6 a.m. to grab a cup of coffee.

I hate to admit it, but Sheckler does love skateboarding. He is a professional, and deserves his title. I just don’t agree with advertisements in skateboarding magazines showing a kid posing for the camera like a model, without a skateboard in sight.
Skateboarders used to make money by skateboarding – strictly and solely. They would take photos (yes, of them skateboarding), which would be published in skate magazines, and they would get paid for ads.

Most professional skateboarders in the 1990s and even into the 2000s lived in crammed apartments, with six or seven friends, skating to survive. They didn’t drive around in Mercedes or BMWs, let alone shoot skateboarding ads flaunting them. A skateboarder’s life was as raw and as exciting as you could imagine.

Unfortunately, this was before industry-heads realized they could make a few bucks to be corny and ride for sellout companies. Many of them jumped on that wagon without thinking twice, although a fair share of professionals and skateboarders of all ages remained humble, and underground.
MTV called Tim O’ Connor, a pro for Habitat skateboards, more than three times to set up meetings and get a show started. He denied them every time.

That is exactly how it should be.

Text and images courtesy The Telescope

Krooked skateboards is racing with the mind blowing product of genius, Avatar, directed by our very own James Cameron with the release of its first trailer with perfect 3D effects for the fans all over. The video has been designed to attract all those who happen to be fond of skateboarding.
The locations picked out for filming include Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Some of the stars of this picture will be Mark Gonzales, Dan Drehobl, Bobby Worrest, Mike Anderson, Brad Cromer and Luke Croker.

To a great extent it will remind you of the famous blockbuster movie Avatar, albeit on a very small scale. Please do not forget to carry your 3 D glasses or blue and red pieces of cellophane. Even if you forget your 3D glasses the film will still blow your mind.

The girls of Hubba skateboarding wheels are smoking hot. Some of the images below have even been deleted from myspace. Tom or whoever the hell runs MySpace is scared of a titty. Are we going to make a new profile?? F#%K NO!! Would any of you really want to see a G-rated Hubba page? Didn’t think so…. F#%K myspace, they are on Skateboarding Magazine now bitches!

Danny Way, Tony Hawk, Tony Alva and Bruce Logan were inducted in the International Association of Skateboard Companies’ (IASC) first Skateboarding Hall of Fame ceremony. The four skateboarders are, were and will be influential on skateboarding’s progression and, fittingly so, were the first to receive this great honor.

Skatelab in Simi Valley, CA houses the Skateboarding Hall of Fame and a Skateboarding Museum. Skatelab is an indoor and outdoor skate park, a skate school and also has its own skateteam. Skatelab Skateboarding Museum and the Skateboarding Hall of Fame are educating people about the history of skateboarding worldwide. The Museum and new Skateboarding Hall of Fame welcome thousands of visitors each year. The Skateboard Museum has a huge collection of skateboarding memorabilia including over 5,000 vintage skateboards.

So far, 4 skateboarders have been inducted into the Hall of fame. These skateboarders are  Bruce Logan, Tony Alva, Tony Hawk and Danny Way.

Bruce Logan – Inducted into the Hall of Fame, representing the 1960s. He was known as the “Skateboard Wizard” and he blazed a trail for all other skateboarders who were brave-or crazy- enough to follow him. He created his own skateboard in the 1950s using a 2 x 4 and metal roller skates. He used the board to bomb hills doing sidewalk surfing or “surf skate” and he became one of the first professional skateboarders.

Tony Alva – Inducted into the Hall of Fame, representing the 1970s. Early in his career, he skated with Bruce Logan on the Makaha/Logan Earth Ski team. He, along with his crew the Z-Boys invented many tricks above all pool riding which helped to revolutionize the sport, carving both the pools and a niche for what became extreme sports, and helped to create the skate culture. He is considered the originator of vertical skateboarding.

Tony Hawk – Inducted into the Hall of Fame to represent skateboarding from the 1980s. Hawk, The Birdman, invented many tricks, among them the 900 which he was the first to land at the X Games on April 27, 1999 on his 12th attempt. He brought skateboarding to the mainstream in the 80s and 1990s, almost single-handedly transforming skateboarding from a counter-culture parking-lot pastime into a respected sport.

Danny Way – Inducted into the Hall of fame to represent the 1990s. He broke the boundaries of skateboarding with the creation and domination of the mega ramp; in 2005 he became the first person to jump the Great Wall of China on a skateboard, a world record. Way persuaded ESPN to bring the mega ramp to the X Games in 2004, forever changing the sport. He won two gold medals in the Big Air contest at the 2004 and 2006 X Games.

The sport of skateboarding has gone through cyclical rising and falling in popularity and the pioneers that worked to invent the sport and give it a foundation on which to grow deserve the recognition and respect of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, their peers and the public. All four of this year’s inductees continue to skate and promote the sport they developed. The Skateboarding Hall of Fame is a place to acknowledge and honor these athletes that have shaped the skateboarding industry and sport and to remember where it all started. Each year, additional skateboarders will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Collin Provost has been on the scene for quite some time but you might not have really noticed him until just recently. In the past year and a half, Provost has gone from the little super grom that we first took notice of in the Element Twigs video, “Tricks.” For those that missed that little seen gem, it featured tiny groms with video parts that made full grown pros nervous. Nyjah Huston, Tyler Bledsoe and Provost had standout parts. After the Twigs team was dissolved, Huston, Bledsoe and Provost slid into am spots on the regular Element team where Provost stayed for several years.

In that time, Provost grew about two feet and his skills on board went from grom good with kid style to just plain really good with straight up awesome style. Provost garnered recent attention with his switch from Element to Toy Machine. And, as of this week, Provost was officially put on the Emerica shoe team as well (he’d been on the flow team for many years already). Welcoming Provost to the team, Emerica put out this two minutes of Collin’s “throwaway” footage that won’t be in his highly anticipated full part in the upcoming “Stay Gold” video.

Text courtesy espn