Protest Best Trick – Top Ten

Dec 18,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Okay here’s the list of who made the Top Ten in The Best Trick Contest

In no particular order

Time for the Team to make a decision on the winner. It will be announced this Thursday.

Memories of Summer

Dec 18,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

As the snow starts falling today and the rain has been nonstop for over a month we are all in need of some good summer love. Since it’s a long while away it’s great to have a video like this come out and get us exited for what we got too experience this year. One of my favourite days of the year every year is Canada Day – July 1^st. Hundreds of amazing people gather every year on this day and skate Seylynn Bowl for the kickoff of the annual Bowl Series and just hang out.

Steve Denham, Jonny B., Steve Lange, Cuz, Mike Strato, Andy Anderson, Adam Hopkins, Hippo, Bushman, Eve, Dave Boyce, myself (Hippie Mike), and so many more who you are pretty much guaranteed to see every single year. It’s a great time and a great party and tons of awesome skating is sure to go down.

Here’s a Rolling Podcast Video recap of 2012 Seylynn Bowl Series. Late as always, but this year, I’d have to say Perfect Timing!!

Enjoy

If the world’s gonna end – we’re goin’ out in style

Dec 17,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

They say that December 21^st, 2012 is going to be the end of the Earth, that all hell is going to break loose and meteors are going to fall from the sky and kill us all, demolishing the planet we live on. I say bullshit…

In all the years I’ve been alive there have been many times where we are told the whole world is going down. And no one even cares about this prediction, they’re all non-believers. Sorry Mayans.

My favourite threat like this was the Millennium when all technology was supposed to fail us and we were all going to be helpless for weeks and months if we weren’t prepared. Oh we prepared alright, by going to Barbados where we could warm and relaxed and make sure we would enjoy ourselves if we couldn’t utilize technology to survive. Oh no, please don’t trap me on this beautiful island where we have plenty of natural substances and just enough people to share them with. But unfortunately the reality I believed was true and we still had a plane to catch on January 2^nd. Now the earth is going to explode? Sure.

Either way I’m going to prepare to go out in style like always.

Join me for the end of the earth on December 21^st – 4-8pm at Chuck Bailey Skate Park where I will be dressed as Santa Claus handing out gifts to everyone who shows up for a session in the park.

Rain, Shine, Snow, Meteors…. Don’t matter.

Fandangle Blunt to Seran Wrap??

Dec 11,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Jaden Easton-Ellett, my partner in crime…

This kid’s still only 18 years old and proven himself quite the man lately, but one of the things I will always recognize about Jaden is how he loves to invent new combo tricks. Back when Jaden was younger and skated a lot more he would dominate in lots of contests just because of his creativity and crazy mentality. He loves to go for it and do things that make you do a double take and ask – “What the hell was that?”

Here’s a new one from Jaden Easton-Ellett that I had never seen done before

Fandangle Blunt to Seran Wrap

One Fuckin’ Love!!

Dec 6,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I apologize for the language but God Damn, did you check out this latest teaser from One Love Skateboard Shop? Ty Williamson out with some of the most talented dudes around right now all representin’ for One Love – Lanny DeBoer, Micky Papa, Jesse Holland, Jason Wilson and the man behind it all Dan Pageau. It’s a one day session at Mackin Park and the homies were definitely Mackin’!! Phat gaps and tech tricks, you know that’s what you’re seein’, and then Micky takes over on the handrail Street League style…

Just watch it

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Feel it – Fight it – Overcome it

Dec 5,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Death is all around me, it’s painful. Constant flashbacks and memories of friends and family who I’ll never see again. Reminders of how precious we are to the people who surround us. Tears….

Every day we go through so much struggle, everybody does, Mental, Physical, Emotional, Financial… I’m always being pushed down to the ground and kicked multiple times while lying there hurt. And what do I do about it? Get back up and beg for more.

When life throws shit at you from every angle it shows how strong or weak you really are as a person. Can you continue to just wipe it off, and throw some back every now and then. And how much can one man take before he just crumbles. I consider myself a very strong individual and I have a stubborn mentality when it comes to giving up – I don’t do it. For me it’s about how much I can take before asking for help to overcome it. Giving up isn’t even a question. The question is how do I beat it?

When life knocks you down you gotta get back up.

When you’re crying tears of sadness you gotta think of all the good things you have, and good times you had.

When you are so hurt you can’t move you gotta set goals for getting better.

And when you lose one that you love you gotta look towards the others who love you for comfort.

I have to quote 3 Bob Marley songs this time and they all mean the same thing –

“They made their world so hard, every day we got to keep on fightin’” – One Drop

“So arm in arms, with arms, we’ll fight this little struggle, ’cause that’s the only way we can overcome our little trouble” – Zimbabwe

“Get up, Stand up: Stand up for your rights! Get up, Stand up: Don’t give up the fight!” – Get up, Stand up

All three of these songs are talking about completely different subjects, political; cultural; religious beliefs;, but they all have the same message. Take what you believe and let the world know you believe it. Don’t take shit from anyone, and never back down. Stand up for yourself and everyone who walks beside you. And be yourself every day for the rest of your life.

Thanks Bob

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A Memory I wish I could Forget – Lee Matasi Murdered

Dec 4,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

7 painful years ago today – December 3, 2005 – our friend Lee Matasi was shot down in the streets and killed dead for no reason, all because he voiced his opinion to an ignorant idiot who thought it was cool to carry around a deadly weapon and flash it openly.

I still remember the day it happened and how I was arguing with a young teenager at the Cloverdale Youth Centre while I was working about Gangsters and Guns and fighting and shit like that. It’s so hard to get across to these kids that what happens in movies and on records in the music is not something to think is cool. Violence is not cool, it’s ignorant. Weapons are not cool, there destructive. And murder is definitely not cool, it’s the worst thing you could do. Not only do you end someone’s life without justice but you cause everyone who loved that person to hate – hate the world, hate the system, hate you. During the time I was having this ridiculous conversation with this ignorant kid, Lee Matasi lost his life…

I didn’t know it had happened until Monday when my wife Carrie called me from work crying. Someone had brought in the newspaper and put it in front of her, and there was a picture of Lee with the story of him being shot. I had never cried so uncontrollably in my life up to that point. All I could think of was Why? And How? Why would someone shoot Lee? And how could anybody just shoot someone dead? It changed my whole life. I was already fully against weapons, but this incident made me think twice before stating my opinion about things I didn’t agree with to people I didn’t know. It took away every last bit of trust I had for anyone any more. And it broke my heart to think about how his family had to suffer.

Lee was a great guy, and I’ve written lots of articles about him and what he meant to me, and how he helped to change the face of skateboarding in Vancouver. He is a legend. And proof of that was when we all gathered into the Tunnel called Leeside and paid our respects to him only days after he was killed. Hundreds of people, skateboarders, graffiti artists, and anyone else that knew him joined together in a heartbreaking ceremony to remember the man he was. And not one person in that crowd had a dry eye.

It’s times like that where I believe in the Death Penalty. When you outright take someone’s life away without rhyme or reason and the proof is there, you deserve to die. 16 years of imprisonment without chance of parole was the sentence for one Dennis Robert White, the man that killed our friend. But to me, that’s not enough.

I thank Michelle Pezel at Antisocial Skate Shop for all the I Love Lee Matasi gear they have created over the years to help us show our appreciation, and also Momentum Wheels for the I Love Lee Wheels they made. We all miss Lee Matasi every day. The smiles he brought to the skate park, the crazy tricks he would land first try, and that mellow stoned look in his eyes. And every time I skate at Leeside Memorial Park I give him praise. That place has come so far from when Lee originally found it and we began putting skateable objects down there and it’s a damn shame that he isn’t here to enjoy it. But in spirit he is, and we are with him today and every day.

Rest in Peace Lee Matasi – a hero to so many

you will never be forgotten…

Protest Best Trick Reminder

Dec 2,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Don’t forget about the Protest Online Best Trick Contest.

Win a huge Prize Pack from Protest Skateboards!!

So far we have lots of sick entries from all over. There’s the Smithgrind to Hardflip by Brendan Nielsen, The Frontside 360 Kickflip by Lanny Deboer, the Godzilla Flip by Mohd Firdaus Tora, the Miller Flip by Allen Handley or the Varialflip Mute by Jonathan Reichert… there are so many crazy ones already. Go to the Leaderboard and vote for your favourites.

Remember that you have until December 17^th 11:59pm to have your videos submitted and voted upon. The Top Ten Voted Tricks will move on to the Finals where Team Protest will pick the winner.

Winner will be announced December 20^th.

A Proud, but Sad Moment

Nov 29,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

I was just informed by my Mom that my Dad, Raymond James Faux, will be recognized by the Heritage Exhibit at the Banting Farmhouse at Banting Homestead Heritage Park in Alliston, Ontario. The Banting Farmhouse is a public exhibit space which was just restored at the original Farmhouse where Sir Frederick Banting was born in 1891. As a “50 year user of Insulin” my Dad will join a list of others who have reached this historic milestone. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 15 it seems amazing that this chemical balance assisted in his survival for so many years, and I can recall him talking about it just before he passed away, how amazed he was that he had been on insulin for 50 years. Insulin was discovered in 1921/1922 by the team of Frederick Banting and Charles Best at the University of Toronto in a lab space provided by physiologist Dr J. McLeod. Along with biochemist J.B. Collip, they discovered a way to produce commercial qualities of insulin, and so began the battle against Diabetes. McLeod and Banting were awarded the Nobel Prize for their accomplishments and were actually the first Canadians to ever have that honour. Ironically my Father’s Grandfather, Allan Brock, worked as a Lab Technician at the Toronto General Hospital during this time period and actually helped to create the equipment necessary for Banting and Best’s research in the discovery of insulin. A huge connection to my Father’s pride.

It’s a shame that my Dad did not get to experience this moment, but I am very happy that he will be recognized and his story of survival will be told. He was a huge influence on my frame of mind to always push through any battle, set lots of impossible goals, and to never give up on anything I believe in and I hope to go and see the exhibit someday soon.

Raymond James Faux – Hero, Warrior, True Man – Forever Loved

1947-2012

For more information of Frederick Banting and the Banting Farmhouse click the link

www.bantinglegacy.ca.

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

“Corporate Skateboards” – Is that a new Company?

Nov 28,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Lurper – a contributing writer to Jenkem Magazine has released this controversial article about the corporate changes in the skateboard world lately and how lots of skateboarders and their companies are being forgotten about. It’s a great article which makes some strong points and is definitely worth a read. Unfortunately though I can’t agree 100% to everything he talks about. I agree that we have to hate on Corporations and how they see our talents as their profits, and I definitely do not agree with any type of Corporate Takeovers of small companies. But being a long time skateboarder, almost 27 years of skateboarding now, I have to argue some points in this matter. When speaking about Steve Rocco, Mark Gonzales and Mike Vallely rebelling against corporate control in the late 80’s, early 90’s he might have forgotten to mention that Steve Rocco was the one who taught the entire skateboard world how to focus your board, and that it was cool to do so. That was a huge money ploy, but since it was a skateboarder, did that make it right? No. It’s a business and it’s always going to be about money. Just like how wheels changed hardness so that people had to buy them more often. Skateboarding also almost completely disappeared in this 80’s to 90’s era and only the true hard cores continued on with the lifestyle. So as much as it may hurt to know how much corporate support is funding these huge skate events like Maloof Money Cup, X Games, and Street League, isn’t there some positivity to seeing our sport and lifestyle promoted positively across the world. This will help it to survive and will give the true skaters more chances to start their own small companies and continue to be supported by the locals. It’s an unfortunate balance to our society as skateboarders. Yes it sucks that long time rippers are getting cut from the sponsors after how much they have given them over the years, but it’s the “1 guy” that sold out the company they should be mad at, not the corporation that bought it. And yes it sucks that they are trying to change the world away from street skating altogether by creating skate parks all over the world, but street skating was never accepted in the first place, so the people who do it are always going to do it. And with amazing skate videos like Pretty Sweet still coming out I believe that even the younger generation will always be encouraged to rebel against the system and skate street. But I also believe that this display of skateboarding on these huge TV Networks is actually helping street skateboarding be accepted in some cases. By having more people seeing it on television, the more people start to understand it and support you for your efforts.

I don’t agree with the fact that these select few kids are making humungous amounts of cash and others don’t get the chance to even try, but I look at it as just another huge sport. I’ve always compared skateboarding with Golf, in the sense that you have to perform well to make it. You have to show up to events, qualify to make it to the finals where the money is, and then compete for it. Then once you’ve proven yourself enough times you might get some recognition and big sponsors offering you some deals. It’s not like Baseball or Hockey where you sign a deal for this amount per year for this many years and then you just go play. In that world a lot of the top contract signers start lacking skills after the first 2 years of signing. They feel as though they are taken care of and don’t need to prove themselves as much so they can sit back and take it easy. Skateboarding is definitely not like that, and never will be. Look at Ryan Sheckler, this kid has been amazing since before he was 13 and is still out there competing hard. And I think he gives it his all every time he goes out there. It’s a whole different mentality to be published on television every move you make. I just look at it as 2 completely different societies. There’s the faces of skateboarding that the whole world knows, and sees on TV and thinks they are amazing. Then there’s the real skateboarders that no matter what happens in the world, they go out and skate. They film and work hard for themselves, not for others, and they keep skateboarding what it always was – a lifestyle.

But unfortunately in today’s crazy economy, it’s hard to know whether or not skateboarding would survive without all the world-wide publicity it has been receiving over the past decade and a half.

Always support your local brands and skater owned companies, let the posers buy the rest of the products, support the real skateboarders that are just out there to skate, but also thank the ones on the TV for helping to build skateboarding into how big it has become.

I’m not the type of person that would ever sell out, but I do understand the mentality these others have and why they take the offers that get put on the table. It is a corporate world and if they don’t join it, someone else will. There is no stopping what has become, so I guess the real question is how to handle it….

Read the story below by Lurper and let’s hear your feedback

http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2012/11/26/how-corporations-are-changing-skateboarding-and-why-it-matters/

Author Archives: Hippie Mike