Here are the top ten reasons why Clyde Singleton thinks that the 90s was the best decade in skateboarding. Based on the information provided below, we can’t find any reason to argue with him.

1. The Best Videos Where Made

Let’s see….Video Days. Questionable. Trilogy. Welcome To Hell. Goldfish. Spitfire video. Skypager. Soldier’s Story. The End. Uno. Lick. Eastern Exposure 1-3. Stars And Bars. Yellow. Life In The Fast Lane. Love Child. Tim Dowling’s Listen. A Visual Sound. Color video…. I could go on for days. Basically , there ain’t no comparison.

2. The Level Of Talent Will Forever Go Unmatched

I don’t care what anybody has to say. If it weren’t for cats like Eric Koston, Danny Way, Pat Duffy, Kareem Campbell, Daewon Song, Tom Penny, Guy Mariano, Chad Muska, Mike Carroll, Alphonzo Rawls, Jason Lee, Andrew Reynolds, and Jeremy Wray (just to name a few), there ain’t no telling where or what the hell skateboarding would be like now. Those guys literally changed and are partially responsible for the game as we see it now.

3. The Best Contests

I mean, is this even debatable? Just the level of excitement that joints like Back To The City, Brooklyn Banks, Munster, Houston Pro, Tampa Pro, Slam City had…and then we had the illest amateur contests imaginable. You go to any NSA district, regional, or finals, and they were better than most Super Bowls! And here’s another great thing–the street guys would actually stay and root for their vert comrades. I’mtelling y’all, 90s was the best.

4. The East Coast Explosion

Good googly moogly. I remember this like it was yesterday. It was like when Snoop Dogg (Ricky Oyola) and Tha Dogg Pound (Fred Gall, Matt Reason, Donny Barley, et cetera) thought East (West) Coast was biased about their music (skating), and came through and kicked over the buildings in the “New York, New York” (Eastern Exposure0 video. Sorry if y’all don’t get that, but that’s the easiest way I could reference the “takeover.”

5. World Industries Was Created

It took on dude to change the face of the skateboarding industry, and that one dude was Steve Rocco. He didn’t give a f*ck about what the industry thought of him. He didn’t give a f*ck who he made angry. And he didn’t give a f*ck about the way the industry perceived the way he ran his business. He was a real bawss! Don’t wanna run my ads? I’ll start my own magazine! I don’t like you. I’ll take your riders and make them superstars. Plus, he gave more minorities jobs than the damn Job Corp. As I said, BAWSS status.

6. Vert Skating Was At Its Peak

The level vert skating was at back then was so ridiculous that there was street dudes incorporating it into their video parts. I’m saying, when you’re watching a video and you see a dude do a backside 360 tailgrab fakie nosegrind revert or a fakie 540 heelflip indy grab, you’d wanna skate vert too! It was like these cats were literally doing ledge, mixed with the hardest flatground tricks, on eleven-foot ramps! And oh yea, the 900 was done in the 90s too. And it ain’t even fair to discuss when Bob Burnquist hit the States.

7. There Were No Manufactured Pros Or Ams

See, unlike nowadays, you had to actually be at least somewhat well-rounded at skateboarding to even be taken seriously. There was no such thing as a “video skater” or a “rail guy.” There seemed to be a common, unspoken level of wackness that was just not accepted as much as it is now. Teams had variety. Skaters had real personalities. All in all it was doper.

8. Graphic Design Was At Its Peak

The 90s was the premier era of design. Guys like Sean Cliver, Marc McKee, Marty Jimenez, Natas Kaupas, Andy Howell, Ron Cameron, Ed Templeton, and Thomas Campbell (just to name a few)….these guys were at the forefront of art. Galleries were paying attention. Companies were literally ripping off skateboarding logos. As Russell Bongard said, “The new bible of cool was written in the 90s, from and aesthetic standpoint.”

9. The Best Shoe Companies Were Created

And when I say “the best,” I’m speaking in terms of teams that these companies were built around. And with that said, I think we can just stop at both DC and Etnies (yes, I know Etnies is technically from the 80s, but that was really just Natas). These are our “Nike” and “Adidas” of our sport. They’ve both been built around solid teams, have always had solid products, ads, branched into other sports and genres, and furthermore, have withstood the test of time. Say what you want, but these two companies will be around until they wanna be.

10. Trends Were Actually Being Started, Not Followed

When the hell did skateboarders start following trends? Real talk. Since when was it “cool” to dress like anything other than a skateboarder? If you look at the history, half these other “action sports” stole our tricks. Half these bands/rappers stole our looks. It’s like, we Benjamin Buttoned our whole existence and now we look as if we’re emulating other people…and accept it! We let money and sheep define our current existence. ‘Scust. Now I know why my folks always say, ” The good ol’ days.”

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Danny Gonzalez Retires From Skateboarding

Danny Gonzalez has decided to retire from skateboarding due to some leg and ankle problems. We wish Danny the best of luck with whatever the future has in store for him.

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More skateboarding videos on SkateboarderMag.com
The new Tilt Mode Army’s video “BONUS ROUND” will be in stores for consumer consumption in a few weeks here. The video has a b-side that is a whole other skateboarding video, with many of the TMA dudes having little mini parts, all the raging, good times, all of it.  Right now on the TMA site there is a feature from the b-side, one of many!

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BB and Moüse are having an art show. Its going to be in Los Angeles on June 27th. Head on out there to show your support for art and skateboarding.

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This video is old news now but is a perfect example of a viral skateboarding video. I believe one of the titles was a simple and called The Skateboarding Dog. It has two of the key elements of a viral video. Those elements are spectacle and emotion. Clearly this video is a spectacle just mainly because you don’t see bulldogs cruising around on skateboards hardly ever and it touches the emotional aspect of a viral video because its cute. Everybody or shall I say almost everybody loves dogs. This dog is very talented and dog lovers love to train their dogs to do new tricks. Like skateboarding which is a pretty hard sport to grasp in the first place, getting a dog on a skateboard is even more amazing. Once again here is the video.

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On Tuesday July 15th, 2008 in Calgary, the ARA sent a clear message to all neo-nazis and the Aryan Guard of Calgary. We will not tolerate a Nazi Gang in this town! Disappear!

Today, a Neo-Nazi gang member of the Aryan Guard was knocked out after he attacked a multi-racial group of youth, punching and spitting on them.

Members of the Anti-Racist-Action went to the Calgary skate park to hand out posters against racism. They warned youth in the Calgary skatepark of a local White supremacist recruiter, Willis. Willis is an active member of the Aryan Guard and attends their protests. He would go to the Calgary Skate Park almost every day to recruit white skateboarding youth. He would also teach children as young as ten to fight, and give underage youth cigarettes to gain favor.

When ARA left the park Willis was seen giving a heil Hitler salute from the balcony of his apartment. He left the balcony and came down to attack the group of ARA members. The result of this attack, was that Willis was left unconscious on the ground.

ARA believes that the skatepark belongs to all youth, not just Nazis and their sympathizers. We went to take it back and declare it a Nazi-free zone. Young kids should be able to skateboard in peace!

Lets show the Aryan Guard they are not welcome on our streets. This article is from the 325 Collective and we support what they are doing for sure!

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Originally, the skateboard was conceived as a certain device that permitted surfing outside of the actual water. Even though, the exact history of the skateboard can’t be traced specifically back to any particular age, it is still extremely fascinating. Many people still hold to the belief that skateboarding as an art started on the California beaches, while there are still many that hold to the belief that the background behind skateboarding can be traced back to some other place.

However, in recent times, skateboards have been viewed as an emblem of vigor and youthful energy. During the early nineteen thirties, the children within the United States had attached roller skates to a type of board which normally measured anywhere from two to four inches. However, it wasn’t until nineteen fifty eight that the invention of the modern range skateboards came along.

When holding a conversation about the overall design of skateboards, claims can be made very easily that skateboards were inspired from surfboards. Within the initial phase of skateboards, they were very similar to that of the surfboards however within the following times; there was actually a change that took place within the design because of commodities.

In nineteen sixty five, the very first range of skateboard were being manufactured. These skateboards were one inch thick and consisted of rubber wheels as well cast iron trucks. With such a wide variety of skateboards being available, the skateboarders were also able to classify themselves accordingly similar to the free-style skateboarders, downhill skateboarders, high jump skateboarders, and long jump skateboarders.

Today, especially within the world’s western parts, with skateboarding popularity increasing, the surfing enthusiasts are starting to develop a very unique fascination over skateboards and this is leading to an increase in the amount of skateboards that are being manufactured based on different types.

The skateboard also has some trivia attached to it. In nineteen ninety three, on August 17^th Thomas Welsh was given a patent for a skateboard that had a steerable platform. It was after this time that the Ollie was invented by Allan Ollie Gelfand. Even though, there was a decrease in the popularity of skateboards during the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties, skateboards have made a really huge comeback both within the pastime arena and within the contemporary sport of times.

Within the United States, skateboarding is ranked sixth when it comes to the main conversation of sports that has the greatest number of participants. Also, in the years to come, skateboarding is more than likely going to remain as a major attraction along with the centerpiece of America’s youth culture.

As an individual, if you find it within yourself, that you are a skater, you should follow though with your desires. As a child, your life is uncertain because there are so many different opportunities that are open to you throughout the course of your life but as an adult, your opportunities are limited, so make sure that you take the time to jump for your lucky stars when the chance is presented before you.

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Your shoes are an important tool in skating. They need to have the proper traction, shape, and provide the adequate balance, so that the skater has control over their position and board at all times. You’ll want to avoid shoes designed for other sports, such as basketball or running, because every aspect skate shoe design is critical to the functionality you need.

The top manufacturers of skateboarding shoes are: Adio, Circa, DC Shoes, Duffs, DVS, Emerica, etnies, Fallen Footwear, Globe, Osiris, Supra, Vans, Vox, and Zoo York. Buy from a skate specialty store and not from some mall shoe shop. These are your feet we’re talking about.

The first thing to look for in skateboard shoes is that it have a completely flat bottom with at least ½ inch heel pads to absorb some of the shock when landing. Many high-end skate shoes even feature an air pocket in the heel for this very reason.

Also check that the sole be wide, so that you have maximum possible contact with the board. Look for vulcanized rubber soles, this will provide enough flexibility for you to move your foot to guide and feel your board, while giving enough cushioning to prevent heel bruises and other common foot injuries suffered by skaters.

It’s a good idea to look for a little extra padding when trying to find the right skate shoe, especially large puffy tongue and sides for maximum foot comfort and support. A high-top style ankle collar will provide a lot of added support to your feet when doing intricate flips and lands. High speed jumps put a lot of impact on your joints, and you’ll appreciate any shock absorption you can get, after an afternoon of hard landings.

High quality skateboard shoes include a reinforced outer lower lace area with bolstered shoelace eyelets, and often feature full lace guards. This is important so that you don’t hurt your foot or tear your lace when you’re sliding your foot along the side of the board- a necessary move in a lot of tricks. In fact, you should look for double or triple stitching all around when trying to find the proper skate shoe, as a skater’s shoe get a lot of rough, stressful treatment.

Remember that many skate tricks demand that you drag your toes across the board’s rough grip tape. This will put a hole through your old school sneakers in a heartbeat. The proper skate shoes will have a plastic or rubber toe cap to keep your shoe strong and protect your toes.

Before you try out your new skateboard shoes, make sure that there are deep patterns on the sole. These grooves necessary to maintain traction- and therefore contact- with your board. The more intricate the pattern on the sole of the shoe, the more flexible it will be.

Even though all eyes-except of course your own-will be focused on your feet, never sacrifice comfort for style. Remember, the right skateboard shoe will be designed to let your feet keep pace with the board…and nothing looks better than that.

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