Fight for Your Right to Shred

Recently, The Boston Herald featured an article about the supposed ‘crack down’ on skateboarding on city property. The issue became notable because the city had recently spent $4,300 to skate-stop the Copley Fountain, and within three days most-all of them were removed by four-wheeled vigilantes.

 I think this ‘crack-down’ is nothing more than an easy story for the Herald to write, but also is message from the Boston Police Department and the city meant to scare skaters away while not having to actually use recourses to build a spot for us to skate or to up enforcement to kick out skaters.

I was delighted to see that skateboarders are willing to band together and get their hands dirty, in making spots their own, or in this case, keeping them that way. 67 removed skate-stoppers is an impressive number and probably took more than one loyal enthusiast.

Don’t fear shredders of Boston, I have a feeling no actual crack-down is in place. 

Buy Local.

Skate-shops

Cult-like, filthy

Chilling, lurking, conversing

Truth, family, degradation, profit

Stylizing, commercializing, hard-selling

Greedy, shallow

Boutiques

I Used to Skate.

There once was a boy who pushed mongo,

He didn’t skate for that long. No.

With his front foot he pushed.

Oh how his pride was smushed,

So he traded his board for a bongo. 

On Skateboarding

Embody the musings of Gnaroclese

Like the deformed adolescent Tesudines.

Moving paintings on Saturday morning

Stealthily shape the youth. No warning.

We take what we want and break what we need.

No drugs, just ecstasy, trees, and speed.

Mt. Olympus must serve Mtn Dew,

Holy water gallons, and Slim Jims too.

Only through faith may we taste the nectar.

Satan makes a concubine of Sheckler. 

Bummer.

Skateboarding was cool.

Welcome To Hell and Sorry

Now we have X-Games.

Rad Kostumes

With Halloween right around the corner, everybody’s been searching high and low for the perfect costume. Skaters can find this time of year particularly difficult, trying to find a costume that either incorporates a skateboard or can be easily skated in. The planks going to make sure you don’t trip all over your toilet-paper mummy costume. The only ‘it’ you’ll be eating this Halloween should be chocolate or fruit flavored.

Bart Simpson

Bart Simpson has become a literally ageless skate-icon. All you need for this costume is blue shorts, a red shirt, hair gel, and a skateboard. Put up your hair in some spikes and hike your shorts up. Wallah! You’re Bart Simpson. Also, Orchard now carries The Simpsons brand skateboards. A replica of Bart’s animated ride may still be available.

Hey Arnold

The lovable, urban, football-headed cartoon character of our youth is an excellent costume for skateboarders. If you are well versed in the show, you’ll remember that both Arnold and his best friend Jerold, skate. Therefore, your buddy could dress up as Jerold and you can make this a group costume. For this one, you’ll need a tight blue pants, a little hat, blue sweater, and a flannel that’s significantly longer than the sweater.

Marty McFly

The Back to the Future trilogy features Marty McFly, the protagonist, with a skateboard throughout different time periods. In the present (1980’s) Marty is seen with a conventional skateboard riding to school. In the first movie, Marty goes back in time to the fifties and pays homage to the creation of the original skateboard. He builds a skateboard out of roller-skates and a two-by-four. The coolest skateboard that Marty has is in the second movie where Marty goes to the future. In this scenario, Marty takes a flying scooter from a little girl and snaps off the handlebars, making it a skateboard. To make your board look like the hover-board in Back to the Future II, you could paint your grip-tape pink. Also, you could add streamers to the perimeter of your deck to create the illusion that the board is in-fact not on wheels and is hovering. For the rest of the costume all you need is white Nikes, blue jeans, and a red ‘life vest’ style down vest.

Ninja Turtles

Who embodies skateboarding culture better than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not only do all of the turtles skate, but they also eat a lot of pizza and hang out all hours in the street and underbelly of the city. This makes the Ninja Turtles perhaps the best skateboarding involved costume yet. Another plus is that a group of friends can be all of the different turtles. If you have more friends than there are turtles the rat, Splinter, and the villain Shredder, also make great costumes. 

Plymouth Shreds Halloween

The first annual Halloween Plymouth Skate-Jam was held this Saturday, without any help from Mother Nature. Volunteers began arriving at Plymouth Skatepark around 10:30am to set-up, in 35-degree weather. Although the turn-out started off slow, by three o’clock a large crew of about 25 heads amassed. Led by the legendary Tin “Puppet Master” Tran, top skateboarders from both the North Shore and the South Shore caravanned to beautiful southern Plymouth. Around 12:30 the skies completely opened up, but that didn’t stop us. The Jam, including props and people, was relocated to the famous Plymouth South High School ‘bench spot’, which features a large awning to shelter us from the weather.

Decor crafted by Abe Dubin and Chris Zacher created the essential holiday experience to this make-shift event. Both skaters have recently graduated different Boston Art Schools, Abraham--Mass Art and Christopher--MFA. These two had spend the past month scouring Halloween-store dumpsters, local dumps, and basements attaining miscellaneous material to then be shaped into the scenery for the jam. A baby-doll in a ghost costume who was referred to as “Little Shredder” was a fan favorite. First, his feet were taped to the top of the new quarter-pipe extension at the skatepark, so footage from the day would feature his classic look. Later, at Plymouth South High School “Little Shredder” helped others ‘bust a move’, as he served as the obstacle to trick over. Another notable aspect of the scenery was the electric jack-o-lantern which was powered by a small generator, provided by photography savant, Buddy Beckly. Rubber severed heads, nylon cob-webs, corn-starch blood, and print-out money littered this temporarily unrecognizable skate-spot.  

Life and death was breathed into the Plymouth South High with the introduction of foreign obstacles. One such was an impressive, cylindrical, orange, apparatus which could be ridden on, through, or against. Allston resident and skate-legend, Rob Hall, was the first to push his board through the cylinder while her jogged beside it, and then smoothly hopping back on. Small metal pipes were also a hit as they were used both to grind and to trick over horizontally.

Eventually, our friends from the Plymouth Police Department showed up, only to watch the festivities! It seems everyone in Plymouth was truly captivated by the holiday spirit.  

Blog or Die

Since I’ve started keeping this blog, I’ve been following other blogs of skateboard companies and magazine. With all the content I sift through on a daily basis, I can’t help but to find some gems. So, here for your viewing pleasure, is a highlight reel of the skateboarding blogosphere, as of late.

Occupy Philly

This is an incredible montage that surfaced in the Slap Magazine forums. This edit is so relevant right now as the Occupy Wall street movement keeps spreading. These skaters take advantage of the occupation by skating Love Park, which is usually a ticketable offence.

Ambiguous Boston Montage

 http://vimeo.com/30405945

 This edit features Boston’s own Dillan Buss!

Acid Drops

Jason Dill's new art project. 

Boston Skateparks?

If you live in Boston and skate, you know there are no skateparks within the city limits. The project to make a skatepark within the city, under the Charleston Bridge, has become a Big Dig-like joke amongst locals. If you’re tired of being kicked out of the usual spots, check out these skateparks within the reaches of the Boston T system.

Watertown Skatepark

Located off the 70 or 70A bus, Watertown Skatepark is a nice place to get your shred in without having to worry about traffic and police. The skatepark features a wooden bank big enough for getting speed for the central fun-box. The fun box has a rail going across and down it as well as little ledges going up across and down the fun-box. The only transition in the park is a wooden quarter-pipe. One interesting aspects of this skatepark is that it’s located behind a mall. Unfortunately, because of the convenience of location, the park can fill up with inexperienced skaters.  In my opinion, the most fun obstacle in the park is a small grind box. The box is about a foot and a half tall and about 6 feet long. Also, the box is wide enough to do manual tricks.

Weymouth Skatepark

This skatepark is pretty far outside of the city. It can be reached off the 222 or 222P bus. Weymouth skatepark is composed of prefabricated concrete obstacles, much like other skateparks in Massachusetts. Obstacles featured include: a spine, two waves, a planter, two fun boxes (one with a hip), a kicker gap, micro, and mini-ramp. This skatepark is not usually that crowded, so it can be a good place to get a lot of runs in.  

Malden Skatepark

This is probably the easiest skatepark to get to via public transit. Simply take the Orange line to Malden Center Station and skate from there. While, appearing to be ‘just another’ prefabricated skatepark, Malden’s skatepark thrives with skate culture. This skatepark features a nice grind box with copping on the sides and is extra-wide for manual tricks. Also, three quarter-pipes are featured at this skatepark as well as four grind rails. 

'Kickin’ It' with The Plank

Shoes get worn through extremely quickly for skateboarders who rub and slide their shoes against griptape and pavement on a daily basis. Instead of skating in a way that to minimizes the erosion of your shoes, like skating switch once you’ve blown out your front show or minimizing toe drag, you can reconstruct beaten down-footwear. With quality skate shoes ranging from $40-$100+, the ability to mend shoes and stretch out their skateable life is crucial to any skater who doesn’t get free merch. As usual, the Plank is going to help you keep your shoes alive and kicking as long as they can.

Shoe Goo

It’s a mess, but Shoo Goo has held together skaters shoes the longest and most reliably.  Use a wooden applicator like a Popsicle-stick to apply the gel to a worn surface or surface you’re looking to protect. Slightly wet the applicator before applying the Shoe Goo to allow it to easily come off. Inversely, make sure your shoes are dry and clean. Shoe Goo will not bond properly to overly dirty fabrics. You may want to rub the area you’re going to applying the gel to with griptape right before applying the Shoe Goo. This will get rid of some dirt as well as creating a porous surface for the gel to bond to. Combine Shoe Goo with small pieces of fabric to make patches for any holes in the shoe.

Duct Tape

The modern proverb stating “Duct tape can fix anything” certainly holds true for skateboard shoes. Patching up holes in your shoes with Duct tape is easy. Just apply a sheet on the inside of the shoes where the hole is as well as the outside. Also, you can also fix broken shoelaces by connecting them with this versatile tape.

Duct is a brand name that produces this fabric-based silver tape, but you don’t necessarily need the brand name to get high-quality results. While Duct tape is cheaper than buying new shoes, you can still save about the price of admission to an indoor skatepark by taking the time to look around dollar-stores for knockoffs instead of buying name brand Duct tape.

Fire

WARNING: Fire is dangerous. If your under the age of 18, ask your parents to do this one for you. If not, spark it up and burn with The Plank.

Singeing broken laces together with an open flame has proved to be the cheapest, easiest, and longest lasting way to extend the life of shoelaces. Borrowing a lighter at the skatepark is easier than riding a longboard. Just ignite where the lace has broken, blow it out, and then hold the laces together (without touching the super-hot and melted part). Laces that are melted together last extra long because the burn part becomes hardened. Griptape will rip a different part of your laces before the original break reappears. Once this occurs, simply reapply the technique and you’ll have laces for life. 

Shreddin' in the Rain

When weather doesn’t cooperate, skateboarding may seem like an impossibility. A local saying goes “If you don’t like New England weather, wait five minutes.” Unfortunately this proverb doesn’t seem to have any clinical backing, as skateboarders in New England often find themselves waiting hours to days for the streets to become dry and skateable. The next time you are awoken by the sound of rain, don’t just roll back over. Here at The Plank, we have a few tips stowed away to keep your sanity on rainy days.

Shred the Web

If you are reading this article, you already have the materials needed for this activity! Now, if it happens to be dry outside, get out and skate! If it’s currently raining out, your already doing this correctly. Hours, if not days or sleepless nights of time can be thrown conviently into a metaphorical recycle bin by clicking around on the net. Provided here are a list of rainy-day online destinations.

ThePlank 

-Always start with this URL for up to date skate babble!

Shreddit 

-This is the skateboarding subsection of the popular link sharing website, Reddit. You do not need an account to enjoy the links and conversation posted in this forum-like setting. However, you may want to sign up if you would like to post your own links or comments.

FocusSkateboarding Magazine 

-East Coast skateboarding news and clips can be found here.  

Youtube.com

-I don’t have to tell you this one. Type in your hometown skatepark and live vicariously through clips of people you somewhat recognize from the park.

BosonSkateboarder 

This is a useful recourse to browse upcoming skate-events­­­­­­­­­­ and news in the Boston area.

Idle Hands are the Devil’s Play Things

Finger-skating is a fun way to kill time while waiting for Mother Earth shake the last drops of perspiration from her hair. This activity has about a two dollar material cost. Tech Decks almost never need to be replaced, as there is next-to-no impact on the toy. If you can keep track of this small item and don’t stand on it, you won’t need to replace it.  Forget about buying any unnecessary accessories, like mini-skateparks or street obstacles.. Half the fun of finger-boarding is creating obstacles from miscellaneous household items to emulate an actual skate spot. If tow people want to play and only one Tech Deck is available, playing S.K.A.T.E. with a friend can be a sick way to pass the time. Sure, it sounds nerdy and immature, but that’s because it is!

Rot Your Brain

You can use this time away from your favorite hobby to do something productive…or you could melt into the couch watching skatevideos, tv, and movies and playing video games. That’s what I thought. For me, classic skate video games, specifically Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 for the Nintendo64 platform, are the most fun. It can be more fun to ignore the goals in the game and just skate. Many skateboarding video games have digital replicas of famous skate spots. It can be fun to see what crazy trick your character can bust down the same gap legends have skated.

Of course media not related to skateboarding can be enjoyable to watch also. Breaking Bad has been my show of choice as of late and seasons one through three are now available streaming on Netflix. Also, martial arts movies are often well received by skate heads. Perhaps the similarities in the practices of martial arts and skateboarding, such as discipline and concentration, cause this correlation. One of my personal favorites is the classic Enter the Dragon staring Bruce Lee.

Just Do It

If you ignore all these tips and decide to go and skate in the rain anyway consider the following. Water wrecks a skateboard in almost every way. The deck becomes soggy and flimsy or waterlogged, bearings loose lubrication and being to rust, nuts and bolts become rusty, and grip tape looses traction when exposed to water. If you get hooked up with skate supplies through a skateshop, skate-company, or just your mom, skating your normal set-up in the rain is a fine way to get your skate in. However, if you’re trying to make your equipment last, you may want to make a skateboard just for the rain.

A ‘rain-board’ should be made up of parts you don’t mind getting ruined. Try to collect all the parts through your own broken collection and friends. Also, skateshops will often help you out if you’re missing a bolt or two. When the bearings start to accumulate rust from skating in the rain, simply apply WD-40 lubricant. Normally, I advise against using WD-40, as it attracts dirt. However for a rain-board, sand is the least of your problems. The wheels should be as big as you can find because you want to be high above the wet ground. 

Riser pads are also helpful to raise the height of your rain-friendly set-up.

Be extremely careful. This should go without saying, but pavement is vastly more slippery than when dry. Have fun with super-long power-slides, but remember; they might not slow you down. 

Keep Spots Close to Home, and Close to Heart

Sometimes a bust-free, car-free, and smooth parking lot is all you need to have a great time skateboarding. Especially so if said parking lot is less than a five minuet skate from where you live. This just so happens to be the case for my roommate, Collin Boiverst and I, in relation to the Garfield School in Brighton. This spot has become our dojo. I emptied out the ol’ SDdrive from my phone, and thought I’d share some clips of Collin ripping the spot. Enjoy!

The Plank’s Guide to Street Eats on the Cheap

Skateboarding can be a physically and mentally draining activity, as it is often performed by enthusiasts for hours at a time. These same devotees are often have a lighter wallet than a wad of skate-stickers.  Many skaters already know that food and drink are a must for keeping a session going, but for those who don’t; here’s "the Plank’s Guide to Street Eats on the Cheap".  

Convenience Stores

Convenience stores are a staple in the diet of most urban skateboarders. These stores can be found anywhere and there usually open all hours. As skateboarders combat law enforcement, in our quest for art in trespassing, we often use the night’s darkness as a cloak. This makes late night eats essential to the skater.

-Gallons of Water

This is perhaps the most important and frugal item for any skater looking to extend the session length through his own stamina. Hydration is key. Instead of spending that dollar on a can of soda, why not get something that will last you and your friends all day, and will actually hydrate you, which soda does the opposite. Gallons of water are also a great symbol of community in skate culture, as there is usually one at a skate spot or park, that is considered the ‘community jug’. All skaters are allowed to drink from such jug’s, but beware; all jugs are not ‘community jugs’. Just ask and you shouldn’t have a problem. Or bring your own and make some new friends.

-Gallons of Colored ‘Drank’  

Colored ‘drank’ as we call it, is a juice imitation drink, sold in gallons in all different colors and flavors for around a dollar. Although the different colors signify flavors, we refer to the blue one as ‘blue drank’ and so forth. This item follows many of the same principals as the gallon of water. It can still be considered a ‘community jug’ and still costs around a dollar. Buyer beware: ‘drank’ is not hydrating like water. If you must have flavor in your beverage consider buying a gallon of ‘drank’ and one of water, to stay hydrated. Drinking only ‘drank’ throughout the course of a day, with no water, has been known to cause colored sweat and excrement.

-Slim Jims and Beef Jerky

These items may not be as cheap as some of the others on the list however, protein is essential to the athletic pursuit. If fast food cannot be found, consider dried meat products such as Slim Jims and beef jerky. You’re better off with value and taste from a fast-food dollar-menu, but sometimes you can’t find one.

-Tasty Cakes

Prepackaged sugary cake snacks are usually the cheapest breakfast a skater can find. Whether it be a Little Debbie “Swiss Roll” or a Coffee cake, you shouldn’t have to spend more than fifty cents on this breakfast of champions.

Fast Food

This is the cheapest and closest thing to real food you’re going to find while you’re out skating. Here’s a list of tips for getting the most food for your buck so you can refuel and shred.

- Don’t be tempted by the value meals which saturate the value with oversized fries and soft-drink. Stick to the dollar menu, and bring your gallon of water or ‘drank’ with you to avoid spending an extra dollar on a cup.

-To avoid the whole debacle described in the first tip, you can just ask for a free water cup with your order. Many fast-food employees are open minded people just like us and will turn the blind eye to any other drink that may enter the cup.

-Chicken nuggets are usually a good value because you get all meat, and not bread and condiments like with one dollar burgers. The more protein, the better.

-If you need energy or your beverage must embody the blackness felt in your heart and soul, coffee at fast places usually costs a dollar for any size.  

-Be respectful and clean. I know this sounds like bullshit, but if you treat the people well at the fast-food places you frequent, you might find yourself with some extra fries in your bag.

Now go burn those calories skating and remember, the ultimate deal on food is located in your mom’s cupboard. 

Is Soap the New Wax?

            When unable to find any cheap candles at local convenience stores, my roommate Collin and I got creative. After harrowing through the aisles of CVS, we concluded there was no wax to be found. As any skater knows, we needed wax to revive a ledge that seemed like although it held potential, had been tossed to the side by the local skate scene and had not received maintenance in months, maybe years.

            In all of the confusion and disappointment, the packaginf to a three pack of bars of soap caught my eye. I wondered to aloud, “Would soap work as skate wax?” Collin thought it had potential so we picked up the three bars of soap for two dollars and head off to the ledge.

            I applied the soap to the corner, top, and side edges, just as one would do with normal skate wax or a candle. The residue the soap left was thick with just one coat, looking similar to a deodorant stick on a hot day.  The smell was not unpleasant, but a little chemically.

            With the first 5-0 grind and nose-slides we realized we were on to something. The soap worked great as skate wax! It only take one or two coats to make even the roughest spots slide. Also, at two dollar for three bars it is a much better value than skate wax in shops, and perhaps candles.

            There are a few cons of using soap as skate wax. One problem is when applying the soap it tends to get all over your hands. I’m all for cleanliness, but the soap usually ends up on your face from wiping sweat, and if the sweat gets in your eyes it stings, like shampoo in the shower. The other downfall of soap as skate wax is that it washes off with just one rain. This means you might end up having to use more soap than you would have to skate wax.

            My recommendation is that if you want to wax a random spot you don’t think you will ever come back to, use soap. It works with only a little amount and can make any spot slide. However, if you want a more permanent slide, you will want to stick with conventional wax, as it is longer lasting in New England weather. 

In a town where young, socially confused, college students roam in search of love and acceptance, mostly in the wrong places, The Plank attempted to shred some light on Allston “Rat City” this Friday night.

Abe Dubin (of Lumb4, see bottom for link) and myself co captained the voyage through the deepest realms of hellgate street, with the help of out honorary first mate of the night, Chris Zacher. After carefully evading potholes and cracks, as well as pot-heads and slurred cracks, we completed our journey to an oasis of wholesome four wheeled fun. This parking lot happened to be that of Super88 (a Chinese grocery store) which has a mellow embankment as well as a sturdy piece of plywood that could be wedged against the wall as a semi-steep wall ride or plopped on the fire escape to make a bank which can be dropped in on or perhaps stalled by a more surly pirate.

One highlight of the session include Chris Zacher’s lofty “magic carpet” wallride which was a wallride on the piece of plywood with a carpet over it, adding a swank and sexy seventies vibe to the session. Abe also pulled his weight by hippy jumping a crushed orange street barrel.  

Eventually the heavens opened up on us and our surf-like excursion got a little to surf-like for us. We were soaked. We ended up spending the rest of the evening with fellow sea maties at “No-Beard”  Tin Tran’s Skate Treehouse of Eternal Adolescence and Ecstasy. After regaling each other with stories of asphalt conquest, we needed rest, and retired to The Plank’s Bay. 

Abe Dubin Lumb 4 part

Just Cruisin’

            On the east coast, we skateboarders are all too familiar with rough asphalt strewn with potholes to cobble stone or hard packed street surfaces, and the potential hazard they pose. However, in recent years a highly technical style of street skating, consisting of flip-in flip-out manual and ledge combinations, has come to define many east coast skateboarders, and our set-ups reflect that. East Coast skaters often ride narrow set-ups with small wheels to be able to spin and catch the board more precisely, but lets face it:  little wheels aren’t cutting it on most terrain.  Some skateboards are looking back to the old style of skateboarding of the 1980’s, in setting up a wide deck with 70mm soft urethane wheels and riser pads to boot.

One of these skateboarders is my brother, Abe Dubin. This summer, Abe started experimenting with bigger wheels in an attempt to unlock a new realm of tricks and potential obstacles. Large and soft wheels are such a dyeing trend, even most skate shops did not carry them. Abe ended up finding the wheels he was looking for at a surf shop, which happened to have some extra long-board wheels in stock. With the additions of an eight inch board and about half an inch worth of assorted riser pads, Abe’s ultimate cruiser-board was born (although Abe rejects the term “cruiser-board”).

While many long-boarders or similarly-minded people who buy pre made “cruiser boards” are mostly concerned with a smooth and stylish form of transportation. My brother is simply trying to apply the modern aspect of skateboarding such as finding spots and performing quick definable maneuvers, while beefing up the skateboard to make a plethora of new tricks and obstacles available.

So, if your sick of falling on your face in front of a group of attractive coeds, in the campus parking lot, consider some “cruiser-wheels” whether you call them that or not. 

The Plank Sets Sail

            Last Sunday, the Plank sailed the highways to relatively new Hingham Skatepark. My roommate and captain Collin Boisvert  and myself (navigator) woke up at sunrise and awaited the new members of the crew, first mate Nick Petkauskos, and the cabin boy, cinematographer, and team waxer, Justin Foley.  We bellowed punk-rock shanties for the forty minuet voyage, with stops to plunder fast food.

             Within the first twenty minutes of ravaging the smooth concrete ramps and rails, our cabin boy fell injured, attempting to ollie the step-up. He has twisted, and possible sprained, his ankle. Fortunately for the rest of the crew, this left Justin’s schedule open to documenting our concrete carnage.

            Captain Collin and I spent much of the day in the bowl.  It is about five feet in the shallow end and seven feet in the deep end, divided by a spine ramp.  Collin’s backside grinds around the corner were impressive visually, but not actually as difficult physically, as with all the tricks in this bowl.  This ramp is a lot more intimidating than it looks.

            The pirate of the day was really Nick who is the main subject of the montage that Justin released to YouTube the day after filming. The handrail next to the five stair may not have much life in it now that Nick did almost every conceivable grind on it, ending with a stylish front side blunt slide to fakie, into the camera. You can check out the edit here, and make sure to subscribe to Justin’s channel and keep following Nick on his journey to fame and skateboard sponsorship.  

Your guide to Shredding Autumn

Summer’s gone and Autumn is here but to a skateboarder, especially in New England, the changing of seasons comes with some anxiety as well as excitement. We’re packing away the cut-off jean shorts or classic basketball shorts for a pair a Dickies or jeans and replacing the tank-top for a flannel or hoodie and we love it. It’s time for those nice sixty-three degree, crisp, and breezy days which it seems you can skate for hours on end (and without the need for a full gallon of water or “blue drank”). But alas, it may only feel as we have the energy to skate all day and night because, most of us can’t. The changing of seasons mean the changing of lifestyles for many young skaters, such as myself, who find themselves leaving the pool and headed to school. Bummer? No way! The Plank is going to give you your guide to shredding autumn.

Tip #1: Get it in while you can.

While the autumn weather can seem, at times, too chilly to motivate to get out and push try to remember: the impending, benevolent, skate-stopping force: the winter.  Sure, staying up to date on the fall, cable television programming and raking the falling leaves are great autumn past times. But, in the depths of winter you may be kicking yourself when the only thing to skate is a salty parking garage.

Tip #2: Shameless self promotion.

Documenting skateboarding has become an art, hobby, and lifestyle in its own whether it be through cinematography, photography, or a humble blog. Why not take advantage of this beautiful season and get some “artsy” pans from leaves to the obstacle being filmed. Or better yet, crumble up some leaves and sprinkle them in from lenses while a trick is being performed in the background. Why not even skate a spot you know has great trees? The bottom line is: leaves, and a lot of them.

Tip #3: The “Ryan Galant”

Any avid skate fan from Boston has seen the video “P.J. Ladd’s Wonderful Horrible Life” featuring the now skate-star Ryan Gallant. Before his part he is seen ironing everything from his skateboard to a slice of pizza. This is a great fall time tip that translates right into winter When wearing layers isn’t enough, iron your clothes just before a session and be all toasty warm, in classic Coliseum style.

That’s all for now land lovers, now go hop off this plank and on your plank. 

Welcome to "The Plank"

Arrrrrgh! Hey matey's and welcome to "The Plank" a blog about skateboarding as well as the lifestyle and culture surrounding it.  I have found other websites with similar subject matter have much too heavy of a focus on the competitive aspect of skateboarding (i.e. comparing tricks, and figuring out who is "better" than who) and so I will try to add a breathe of fresh air to the subject with light anecdotes regarding skate culture and articles that emphasis the overall experience of being a skateboarder and not just the fraction of a second we are on a ledge, rail, or in flight.