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This morning the skaters behind Bordertown Skatepark (in Oakland, California) signed a lease with land owners, Caltrans to keep their park in place. They negotiated a 2 1/2-year lease deal with Caltrans for 11,000 square feet of land under the freeway for $1 a year. Not a bad rate. Still, the park will have to raise roughly $250,000 to complete construction and will have to acquire liability insurance as well as building permits. It’s a step in the right direction…and proof that DIY pays off.

Throughout the international community of skateboarders there is one single contest that levels the playing field. One contest that doesn’t rely on obstacles, a ramp or set course to decide a victor. This is Eric Koston’s éS Game of SKATE presented by Boost Mobile.
For the past two months there have been regional amateur contests held all over the world; From Japan to Canada, Australia to Norway and all across the United States. More than 30 total contests were staged and the 16 final events each produced a winner who will be flown to San Diego courtesy of Boost Mobile and éS Footwear on September 9th for the World Amateur Championship the following day.
The Game of SKATE is modeled after the favorite basketball pastime of HORSE and encourages any and all with flatground skills to come to the floor with what they’ve got. In a heated series of elimination, skaters are paired off against each other until the final four remain. At this point, guns are drawn and it’s a shootout, old west style.
For the sixteen amateur skateboarders being flown to California from all over the world, the incentive is huge. Not only is this a chance to travel across the world on someone else’s dime, but there is also a years supply of éS shoes and a Boost Mobile phone with one year service to be awarded to the champ!
And it doesn’t stop there. The winner will also be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to skate and compete against the worlds top professional skaters for a chance to win $15,000 in cash! First place will be awarded $12,000 and the remaining $3,000 will be distributed throughout the contest on the day of the competition at the discretion of the judges.
The event will get under way on September 10th at noon which also happens to mark the 10th Anniversary of the éS brand. The venue is the Action Sports Retailer tradeshow at the San Diego Convention Center. This is your chance to see all of the world’s greatest street skaters under one roof at one time. Admission to the public is free. There is no excuse not to be a part of history in the making!
Source: press release

Time sure flies. The skate shoe brand éS has just hit the ten year mark. They are throwing down a little history on their blog, going through brand highlights year by year. They just hit 1998. If you’re feeling heavy with knowledge, give their History Quiz a shot. It’s not for the timid, or those unschooled in the ways of Koston. Good luck.

Time sure flies. The skate shoe brand éS has just hit the ten year mark. They are throwing down a little history on their blog, going through brand highlights year by year. They just hit 1998. If you’re feeling heavy with knowledge, give their History Quiz a shot. It’s not for the timid, or those unschooled in the ways of Koston. Good luck.

Vans’ Downtown Showdown is going to roll through Universal Studios’ backlot in Universal City, CA on Labor Day Monday, September 5th with a one-of-a-kind street skating contest.
Utilizing the false-fronted buildings as a true street backdrop, Vans has invited select skateboard companies and their riders to each submit designs for one of four chosen obstacles as part of the Showdown course. They then asked each company enter their three top pros and celebrated amateur to fight it out for an $85,000 prize purse. The cash and awards will be divided for top team ($50K), best pro ($10K), rookie of the year($5K) and best execution by obstacle ($20K).
The invited teams include Baker, Real, Anti-Hero, Girl, Plan B, Zero, Almost, Element, Foundation, Birdhouse and Toy Machine. Amongst the expected talent pool of riders, Andrew Reynolds, Daewon Song, Eric Koston, Tony Trujillo, Paul Rodriguez, Brian Sumner, Billy Marks, Jamie Thomas and Chris Cole are getting ready to get their shred on.
Doors open at 9am and admission is free. 1,500 tickets are available to the public through Southern California Vans dealers and Vans retail stores.
Catch results, photos, video clips and associated reports at www.vans.com throughout the day of the event.

Since we couldn’t locate any immediate online posted results from this weekend’s Slam City Jam in Vancouver, we opted for the old school means and rang up certain individuals to get the scoop first hand. * note – complete results are not known at this time.
A word of advice to promoters with websites for these high profile skate events: Have the forethought to post your results immediately following your event. Your sponsors, the skate industry and skaters out there deserve it and would appreciate your efforts.
Final Results
Street
1. Paul Rodriguez
2. Jereme Rogers
3. Ryan Sheckler
4. Ronnie Creager
5. Rick McCrank
Vert
1. Pierre Luc Gagnon
2. Bob Burnquist
3. Bucky Lasek
Legends Street Jam
1. Chris Pastras
2. Eric Dressen
3. Steve Caballero
4. Ron Allen
Women Street
1. Amy Caron
2. Lacy Baker
3. Lauren Perkins
Women Vert
1. Carabeth Burnside
2. Mimi Knoop
3. Lyn Z Adams-Hawkins
Skateboarder Magazine’s Biggest Slam Award
Sandro Dias – 900 to hang up/Dislocated shoulder – popped out and back in while laying on flat bottom
Farthest Gap
Johnny Layton and Alex Chalmers (Tied for 1st at 17 feet)
Best Trick Rail
Gailea Momolu – Nollie Bigspin BS Lipslide
Best Trick Uphill Ledge
Chris Haslam – Crooks to nollie out to late flip

The afternoon couldn’t have been any better for a good old fashioned skate jam this afternoon in SF at Crocker Amazon’s skatepark (often referred to as the Chilly Bowl), the weather was unusually warm and sunny, helmets and pads were strictly optional, the Jaks team was on site with a barbeque, bowls of chili kept everyone comfortable and there were plenty of beautiful ladies lending a hand and spectating too. All in all, the skating was raw and exciting and provided everyone with just what they came together to see.
San Francisco hasn’t seen many skate contests in recent years and to have one culminate on the tight environs of the Chilly bowl was especially rare. Nonetheless, when the final jam came to a grinding halt it was the local kid, Sean Gutierrez, a direct by-product of the skatepark’s surroundings who burned through the haze and took home the victory. Thanks to the judges, Dennis Busenitz, Tony Farmer and Jay Shapiro and a great job, well done by Toad and Salmon.
Final Jam Results
1. Sean Gutierrez
2. Wes Cooper
3. Chris Cook
4. Chris Dunn
5. Jordan Joseffer
6. Toad
Chili Cook Off – Top 3 Recipes
1. Mark Reider
2. Jay “Dog Buzzard” Shapiro
3. Rob ” Magnethead” Collinson