Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Sports Run Down

The Goose

May 13,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I was on an airplane the other night coming home from Ontario and I caught this amazing documentary on TV. The story of Reece “Goose” Tatum, the one time leader of the Harlem Globetrotters, and definitely someone who broke many boundaries in the world of racism. The documentary includes commentary from other historic father figures of the black community such as Oscar Robertson, Ernie Banks, and even Bill Cosby. These guys were all around during the times of struggle where the white man thought they were the superiors to all other races and made sure everyone knew it. A disgusting period of time which I am glad I wasn’t born to see.

The story starts out displaying some awesome, and almost unbelievable baseball tricks with the Goose just messing around with the baseball. His skills of deceptive magic were amazing. You just have to see it to understand it. I thought it was astonishing to learn that he was a baseball player by heart, not a basketball player, and it made me think of Michael Jordan and how he was totally the same. It made me very glad that both of them ended up on the NBA floors because they were both the leaders of change in how the game of basketball is played today. The Goose was credited with introducing the no-look pass and the no-look hook shot, while Michael Jordan taught us how to fly through the air for hours at a time. And they could both juggle a basketball like nobody’s business.

Reece Tatum was a baseball player in the Negro League on a team called The Indianapolis Clowns, and his magical talents were discovered by marketing genius, Abe Saperstein, who brought him into the basketball spotlight as the new leader of the Harlem Globetrotters (who weren’t actually even from Harlem) and the times began to change. Tatum would actually play Center even though he only stood approximately 6’ 3”, but due to his creative means, along with an 84” arm span, nobody could stop him from finding the basket. With the mixture of comedic genius and athletic skills, the Goose would help to attract major audiences, and it was planned for the Harlem Globetrotters to play against their first NBA Team – the “all white” Minnesota Lakers, the best team in the NBA. This was a major historic event as the Globetrotters took the win, and were immediately challenged to a rematch. They won again.

This was in an era, where African-Americans were not respected by all parts of the United States and sadly, no matter how big of a superstar you were, you were still black. You had to drink out of specified water fountains, and stay in certain hotels only. Unbelievable… But Reece Tatum was one of those men who opened the doors for the African Community to be respected as human beings across North America.

The story goes on and gets better. The Goose left the Harlem Globetrotters due to disagreements with Saperstein and began a new team called The Harlem Magicians. He had kids and took them with him on tour wherever he went. The Goose was a hero. He was respected by so many well known individuals, like Ray Charles and Sonny Liston, and of course anyone in the history of basketball or baseball. He was there to help change the world.

A tragic accident where he lost one of his sons drove Tatum into a bad state and he ended up passing away at a young age. The days of The Goose were over, but the impact he had made on society was there to stay, and the memories of The Goose would live forever.

Reece Tatum was eventually welcomed into the Basketball Hall of Fame recently, and his son, Reece Tatum III, was there to accept the honors. He had been there with his Dad through the good times and the bad, and no one respected him more. He quoted his Dad on stage with a statement that almost made me cry:

“Things change very slowly so pay attention, because if you don’t pay attention we will repeat where we’ve been before, and we don’t want to go back ever.”

What a statement. It explains a lot in my own life. And now I have another person to relate my being to. I break this statement down to what it means to me:

Believe in yourself and others will believe in you;

Trust people fully, only when you’re looking at them;

Change the world to make it better for everyone, and make sure that the changes have been accepted;

And never give up on your dreams.

He brought joy and laughter to everyone around him. Check out some of the links below and enjoy.

Classic comedic basketball footage of The Goose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cjtEP2NHQg

Classic comedic baseball footage of The Goose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PunxRJZzn6A&feature=related

View the induction speech by Reece Tatum III

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moljx66W_yw

Learn more about the Harlem Globetrotters

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/harlem-globetrotters-play-their-first-game

Click here to see the original promotional commercial for the documentary

http://www.thesportsfanjournal.com/columns/ed-the-sports-fan/espn-to-air-documentary-on-legendary-harlem-globetrotter-reece-%E2%80%9Cgoose%E2%80%9D-tatum/

Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Bob Marley Quote of the Month

The Rocky Roads of Life

May 13,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

[youtube id=”UPeIGxPrD3A” width=”620″ height=”360″]

Life’s so easy when you’re a kid, even if you have it rough. You wake up in the morning and get ready for the day. Hopefully you get lots of time to play, and do the things you enjoy. You don’t really have to worry about money or the painful battle for survival. You don’t have to pay bills or worry about losing your job. Your biggest concern is usually trying to have fun without getting in trouble. The beautiful life.

As you get a little older, it changes a bit. You start being more concerned about your appearance, and what other people think of you. You want to fit in with the cool crowd and sometimes might do things you normally wouldn’t in order to do so. You start to get more responsibilities put on your plate, and less food. Your main concern becomes a little more complicated with some obstacles in the way, but it’s still all about having fun without getting in too much trouble. It’s a great life.

As you age some more and go out on your own into the cruel world, your life will change. You are now strapped down, and live for survival. Work to get paid, to pay for the things you need – shelter, food, clothing. Times get more serious and you might not enjoy life as much. You will start to refer to childhood as “The Good Old Days” and your body will begin to hurt. But through it all, it’s very important to always try to have fun and keep a smile on your face. Getting into trouble seems to cost a lot more now, so it’s smart to avoid it the best you can.

You never know what life is going to throw your way, or how fast it will throw it at you. Sometimes it may feel like the entire world is completely against you, like you are the sole person at the bottom of the pile and everyone dumps their garbage on top. Maybe you even want to give up, like you just can’t take any more of the abuse, of the pain, of the hurt…

I quote Bob Marley form the song Rainbow Country:

“Though the Road is Rocky – sure Feels Good to me.”

Bob is so amazing with his thoughts, and so strong. No matter what the situation, no matter what the cause of pain, you must step back and look at the rest of your life. Even if it’s been tough for a long time, remember the good old days. Think of the things that made you smile in your life and go do them. Bring back the past and put the present aside for a while, it may bring you a better future. We all have rocky roads we walk, and the paths are all a mystery, but you gotta put your head up and stand tall, walk with strength and confidence, and believe in yourself.

It will get better.

Contests Extreme Sports Jaden Easton-Ellett Skateboarding Team Riders

Chuck Bailey Youth Week Contest Results

May 6,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

It was looking promising as I pulled up to the Chuck Bailey skatepark on May 4th, 2012 to start setting up for the skateboard contests planned to take place later that day. You could see the sun starting to peak through the clouds and the bright blue sky was making its way over the park. There were already a decent amount of people warming up and there was a good vibe in the park, with lots of familiar faces from those who competed in Hippie Mike’s Tour De Surrey last year. The only difference with this contest was that it was only going to be open to people 18 or under because of Youth Week and Jaden Easton-Ellett and Andy Anderson were going to be MCing it.

When the contest was about to start we had a total of 3 Minis, 7 Beginners, 7 Intermediates and 5 Advanced riders — which was not bad. The Mini category went by quickly with J.R. Barron destroying numerous obstacles in the park, definitely showing improvements from last year. When we got to the beginner category I think a lot of people were blown away by a lot of these guys skills. With a roster full of names such as Adam Lewis, Mathew Major, and Riku Mochizuki (to only name a few) it is no wonder why.

Just as we finished the Beginner category it started POURING rain, and I am not just talking about a little bit of rain. It literally soaked the entire park with massive puddles in minutes and then turned into hail later on. As everyone ducked for shelter in the bowl, we had to rush and make sure the DJ equipment would stay dry so we could continue the contest.

This meant the Intermediates and Advanced categories would have to be confined to the bowl, but this didn’t stop some crazy tricks from going down. In the Intermediate category Malek Salem threw down a rad nollie bigspin on barricade wall, and we saw some other tiiiight tricks from people rippin’ the bowl. When the advanced category came around things heated up even more.Dominic Devries pulled out a 3-flip on the barricade wall, a bunch of other tricks were landed over the quarter pipe gap. Sure enough, when it came to Andy Anderson’s run he hit up the entire bowl missing only a couple tricks in his first run.

The Youth Week Chuck Bailey 2012 contest was a great success, and we look forward to seeing you Sunday at the South Surrey Skatepark for a skate Jam starting at around noon.

Contest Results

Mini: 1st – J.R. Barron, 2nd – Bachuoch Michael, 3rd – Blaine

Beginner 1^st – Morgan Skinner, 2^nd – Adam Lewis, 3^rd – Matthew Major

Intermediate: 1st – Jacob Drescher, 2nd – Jackson Hawthorne, 3rd – Malek Salem

Advanced: 1st – Andy Anderson, 2nd – Dominic Devries, 3rd – Gabe DiNorscio

Extreme Sports Jordan Strong Protest Skateboards Skateboarding

Jordan Strong is welcomed to the Team

May 6,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

It’s the final Member added to our revised Protest Skateboards Team – Jordan Strong. Protest has been around for a long time, almost a decade if you can believe it, and there are still most of the original Team Riders. In the past 2 months we’ve been revising the company, and the team, adding Stu Benoit, Andy Anderson, Jaden Easton-Ellett and now Jordan Strong. I’ve known Jordan for about 7 years and he brings even more creativity to the team. Another skateboarder who doesn’t follow what everyone else is doing, but just goes out and visualizes his own tricks and then brings them to life. He doesn’t follow the norm, and that’s one of my favorite things about him. It’s hard to find people like that anymore and that’s what Protest is all about.

He’s definitely got a wicked sense of balance and shows that off with some intricate manual tricks and funky powerslides. But at the same time, the dude can kickflip grind a ledge any time he wants. I’ve always enjoyed skating with Jordan, and I love his “Big Ollie Skills”. He’s also taking on the role of Team Filmer. Now it’s time to see what he has to offer to the world of PROTEST.

Contests Extreme Sports Protest Skateboards Skateboarding

SHOW UP MIKE!! Online Skateboard Contest With $500 Grand Prize

May 4,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 2 Comments

SHOW UP MIKE!!

An Original Online Skateboard Competition presented by Hippie Mike

“$500 Grand Prize”

Well, you better be ready… Ready to skate. Hippie Mike has skateboarded for over 26 years and has learned a lot of different tricks over his time. He may not be a good as he once was, but time has been taking its toll on him. Nevertheless, he is still one of the most creative skaters the world has ever seen, and loves to remind you of that.

In the past few months, Mike has been making his rounds to all the skate parks in the Lower Mainland and filming 5 tricks at each park.

From Abbotsford to Horseshoe Bay; Maple Ridge to Tsawwassen – over 45 different parks!!

Come mid-June, Mike will release the footage on the Protest Skateboards Website

and the contest will begin. This is your chance to

SHOW UP MIKE!!

The rules are simple:

Choose any of the parks that Mike has already filmed his 5 tricks at.
Film 5 tricks of yourself in One Session at that park
Edit your 5 tricks into a video and upload it to Youtube (name it : Your Name – and whatever park it is)
Submit your Youtube link to www.protestskateboards.com along with your contact information (kept confidential)
See how many votes you get
Repeat steps 1-5 at another park

The contest winner will be the video who receives the most overall votes. Viewers will be able to vote on as many videos as they want, but only once per day per video. Each park listed will have its own winner as well, and this person will win a Protest Skateboards T-Shirt.

Keep checking in to the site for more information of when the contest will begin.

Approximate date – June 16, 2012

Better start filming!

Skate Parks included in Show Up Mike contest

Abbotsford

McMillan Youth Park

Mouat Skate Park

Burnaby

Confederation Skate Park

Bonsor/Metro Skate Park

Coquitlam

LaFarge Skate Park

Delta

North Delta Skate Park

Ladner Skate Park

Tsawwassen Skate Park

Tsawwassen First Nations Youth Park

Langley

Brookswood Skate Park

Walnut Grove Skate Park

Aldergrove Skate Park

Murrayville Outdoor Activity Park

Langley City Skate Park

Maple Ridge

Schoolyard Action Youth Park/Thomas Haney Plaza

New Westminster

New West Skate Park

Queensboro All Wheel Park

North Vancouver

Seylynn Bowl

Kirkstone Skate Park

Parkgate Skate Park

Pitt Meadows

Pitt Meadows Skate Park

Port Coquitlam

Settler’s Skate Spot

Railside Youth Park

Port Moody

Port Moody Skate Park

Richmond

River Road Skate Park

Surrey

Bear Creek Youth Park

South Surrey Youth Park

Cloverdale Youth Park

Kwantlen Youth Park

Fleetwood Youth Park

Fraser Heights Youth Park

Guildford Bowl

Chuck Bailey Youth Park

Vancouver

China Creek Skate Park

Cooper’s Park

Hastings Skate Park

Leeside Memorial Park

Strathcona Park

Quilchena Skate Park

Skate Plaza

Kensington Skate Park

The Dry Spot

Mt. Pleasant Park

West Vancouver

Ambleside Skate Park

Lonsdale/City Skate Park

Griffin Bowl

Gleneagles Skate Park/Horseshoe Bay

Extreme Sports Hippie Mike Political Movements Protest Skateboards Skateboarding

Hippie Mike – Back in Action

May 3,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I’ve been skateboarding now for 26 years, and I would say I have learned quite a lot of tricks, but the best thing about skateboarding is just running as fast as you can on to your board and surfing the concrete. Today’s generation doesn’t always understand that concept. They get dropped off at the skate park, practise their tricks all day, get mad when they can’t land them, and call their Mommies to come pick them up. That’s not what skateboarding is supposed to be about.

Skateboarding is about Freedom – Freedom to express yourself in any way you feel. I can skate for hours without doing any tricks and without ever leaving the ground. Just cruisin’ and carvin’. Some days my favorite thing to do is just grab a couple buddies and hit up the Surrey Downhill 3 or 4 times. You should try it some day. Quit worrying about who you’re impressing and just go skate.

Since the “What the F” video came out in 2010, I haven’t really been filming too much. I’ve kind of just been keeping to myself, riding my ramp at home, slashing around at Chuck Bailey, and just going back to the roots of why I love this sport. But it’s time to giv’er once again. Through all the injuries that have plagued me over the past 26 years, and the changes in my body structure due to some of these injuries, it is still my greatest passion to be out there on my board.

Here’s a little taste of the footage you’re about to get from the old Hippie Mike. Enjoy it, and get ready for a whole lot more….

Contests Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Surrey Youth Week 2012 Skateboarding Events

May 3,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

To celebrate Youth Week there will be two skateboarding contests and one BMX best trick contest taking place on May 4th and May 6th. Turn your attention to the flyer below for more details…

Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between

To be Loved is to Live Forever

May 3,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

Raymond James Faux

September 18, 1947 – April 29, 2012

“To be loved is to live forever in someone’s heart…”

This quote is written on a frame at the top of our stairs. I don’t know who wrote it, and can’t remember where I bought it, but it is one of the most true statements there is, and I always stop and think about other people whenever my eye catches it.

We are all loved by someone. But none of us were meant to live forever. But those who love us will cherish our time together in their memories. Those who were loved will always be remembered.

My Dad was definitely loved by so many people. He was so caring and protective of any of his family and friends, never wanting to see anyone get hurt in any way. I quote my Mom with this statement –

“I can’t think of one person who did not like him…”

It’s amazing because it’s true. How many people in today’s world could you say that statement about?

He was a kind and gentle man, who would always try his best to be happy, and hardly ever complain, even though he probably had more stuff to complain about in one day than most people would be able to deal with in a month.

My Dad was a survivor. He was a warrior. He was a soldier.

There were many battles in his life that never ended, but he would never give up. I learned about life from my Dad, and how it’s not usually fair. I learned not to expect everything to go my way, but also not to ever just take what I was given. I learned how to go out and get what I wanted, and not to take no for an answer. And I learned how to treat people with respect when they deserve it, and how to share my love with all of those who surround me in my life, and to accept their love in return.

To be loved is to live forever in someone’s heart,

And my Dad lives on in all of ours.

– Love Mike

Contests Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Youth Week 2012 Skateboard Demo By RDS And RedStar

May 3,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

On Saturday, May 5th 2012 there will be a Pro Skate demo by RDS and RedStar skateboards at the Plaza skatepark in Vancouver. This skateboarding demo is family friendly and is free for all ages.

Hippie Mike Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Bob Marley Quote of the Month

Born Innocent

May 3,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

If there is one thing that all people in the world have in common it is that we were all born innocent. Never has there ever been a baby that the justice system was awaiting to put on trial or send directly to jail the second they are born. Unfortunately, there are babies born into slavery and other torturous means but that is not the topic today.

We all come from an egg and live in our mother’s womb before we are born. That’s what makes us mammals.

And when we are born, we all take that first breath of air and begin our lives. We are all at the same stage of life at that point.

So when does it change?

Why do we all end up so different from one another?

And where do we learn these differences from?

The quote this month is from the song Comin’ In From The Cold from the album Uprising, and it reads this:

“The biggest man you ever did see was at once just a baby in his life”.

That is one powerful message. Bob Marley is a hero just for thinking of this sentence, let alone writing it into a song. No matter who you become in life, whether you’re the most amazing sports figure in the world – Mohammed Ali, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods; or maybe the legendary ruler of a country – George Bush, John A. MacDonald, Mikhail Gorbachev, Sadam Hussein; or you were an amazing movie star – Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Nicholson; even a pop star extravaganza – Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton…

The lists of people who are bigger than the rest of us go on and on forever. These are the people that we are trained to worship, brainwashed to love, and taught to fear. But why?

What makes them different?

We were all born equal – helpless babies.

No matter if you’re 80 pounds or 750, at one time you were carried around in someone’s arms everywhere you went. You couldn’t talk, you couldn’t eat by yourself, and you needed someone to change your diaper and wipe your bum.

We were all the same.

I was at an event today called “Challenge Day” and it’s an event mainly for high school students to share their true inner feelings and step out of their comfort zone to find out more about themselves and the people around them. It was an amazing experience for everyone in the room. Lots of smiles, plenty of tears, and tons of hugs. The emotions in this room were unstoppable, and the whole time I was there I kept thinking about that line, The biggest man you ever did see was at once just a baby in his life. It kept ringing in my ear. I would see people who were super upset and it would remind me of childhood. Every kid depends on someone for survival when they are a baby, but then we all grow up and try to out-do each other, and be better than the next guy. People bully each other, and put others down for no reason. They follow the trends in the media and do things to make themselves appear like they are more special than everyone around them. But in our hearts and souls, we’re all the same – helpless, innocent babies.

Bob Marley was all about Unity.

He wanted everyone to be treated equally, and I think that’s where this sentence originated from in his mind.

Because the only time that we are all considered equal, is right when we are born.

What can we do to change that…

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Author Archives: Hippie Mike