Another company adds Hippie Mike to their list of people they sponsor to represent and promote their brand, and this one is another one of those companies that is local and chose to make Mike the 1st person on their team. Mike as we all know is a positive image in the skateboard community and in the City of Surrey, working with Parks and Rec for over a decade, creating tons of awesome events and bonding the skate community to the Surrey Food Bank and other organizations. He has helped to bring many people together in many different ways and is always willing to go the extra mile to assist others in positive growth. Surrey Shirts is a local growing company and with Mike’s love and pride for living in Surrey, he was a perfect fit to represent their product. Some designs are fun and others are out to prove a point but they all relate back to one thing – Surrey…
As of December 1st, Mike’s skate shop Authentic Board Supply will be the exclusive dealer in Surrey carrying the Surrey Shirts brand.
I remember when North Delta Skate Park was first built in the early 2000’s, it was the new revolution of style that New Line was putting out at the time with that back and forth style where you just straight up practice your tricks instead of flowing so much throughout the whole park in lines. They had just built Port Moody before that and it had that sick bump to ledge/bump to rail that everyone was stoked on, but it was a big bump to a long small ledge and rail. So when they built ND they changed it up to have a higher ledge and rail that were shorter in length which made it easier to try more technical tricks. I swear this park revolutionized the street skating that we now live to believe is regular everyday life. When the Decenzo brothers, John Hanlon, Magnus and Lil’ Devin started hitting this park every day things changed fast and these young bucks started progressing to a crazy level of talent that hadn’t been seen from kids their age in a while.
Scotty Tyson was on that boat and a guy that most of you might not know was Craig Stewart. These two were all about trick in trick out shit and stepped the game up hard. When the park was fresh it was back when Substance Skate Shop was around in Newton, Surrey and I was the Team Manager. Coastal Riders had also just opened and both shop teams were stacked with raw young talent. We all hung out together and pumped each other up to skate harder and better. These were the sickest times for the Surrey and Delta collab, and we all localized ND Park every day.
There was a dude that was there what seemed like 24/7 named Orion Vincent and he just loved to film. Orion had a sick camera with a death lens and was not afraid to get in there with it. He filmed day and night and looked up to all us rippers big time, but it was Orion that was pushing all of us to push our own limits. One thing that makes a skater better at skating is having someone around that dedicates their life to filming them. It helps to learn how to work under pressure and you get to see yourself on video all the time which creates a better sense of style in skateboarders. Orion filmed hard every day and created a sick video that showcased the true raw talents of all the guys that were considered the true ND Loc’s at the time and he simply named it Loc’t.
This video was awesome, and there were so many people in it – myself Hippie Mike, Drew Boyle, Jay Mykyte, Surrey Stu, Scotty Tyson, John Hanlon, Magnus Hanson, Lil’ Devin, Craig Stewart, Adam Field, Dustin Montie, Scott Decenzo, Ryan Decenzo and tons more. The best part of the vid might be the day in the life with Ryan Decenzo when he just got his driver’s license and could barely see over the steering wheel, but he still goes out and annihilates everything in site. Orion pushed us all to be great skaters, but he also brought us all together as even closer friends.
This video showcases the serious old school talent of ND, Surrey & Langley localsand proves that it doesn’t matter where you live, what park you skate at or what shop you ride for, we can all get along together, support each other and unite as one – Skateboard for life!
If I could take you on a journey through time and show you how many times my life has changed I would, and I kind of already do through the website, but it would take a long long time to express it all. There are many things about me that will always stay the same but in order to grow you must always be ever changing. If you won’t make changes you cannot accept certain opportunities and then you end up stuck in one place. But also, never be to quick to change without being sure it’s worth it. Take this photo for instance, for the past 4-5 years my garage/shop at home has been set up as a Cabinet Shop for a business that I used to run, but now I have decided not to do that business anymore and I’m about to clear it out and build another mini ramp. It took me a year and a half to commit to this decision, but now it’s time for a change…
I grew up in Ontario, and moved across the country at 19 with my girlfriend at the time, now wife, Carrie. It was probably the best change I ever made, for myself and for all the people here in BC that needed someone to help change their lives. I never would have guessed that it would have been me that would make such a positive difference in the world around us but sometimes strange things happen for a reason. I changed some things about myself when I decided to work for the City of Surrey back in 2003 and as I continued to work with children and youth more and more things about me changed. I became more caring towards individual people but still kept my hatred for the world as a whole. Because without that, I wouldn’t have the same initiative to help it change and benefit those individuals. After 10 years of working for the government, I changed a lot but I always kept my mind focused on the outcomes that I was looking for, and one thing that never changed was my determination to make those outcomes real – I will still fight any battle for as long as it takes to win it if I truly believe in it.
Working around kids really made me change as a person and I became so much more positive, I stopped caring about always winning and being the best at things, and I just finally got to utilize my teaching skills and have lots of opportunities to share all the knowledge I had gained through so many crazy life experiences. But nothing changed me more than having a kid of my own. When Carrie got pregnant in 2009 we were planning for it because we were ready for that change, and it was the best change ever. A child who loves you owns your heart, they are your soul and you will do anything for them. It changes the way you look at life, it makes you rethink risky and dangerous things a lot before doing them, and it gives you something to live for. Every minute I get to spend with Kaelen is worth the equivalent of a million dollars to me and even after everything I have been through in my life I couldn’t imagine not having him in it now. Every night I look at him sleep and know how lucky I am.
The world changes around us every day, but we get to choose which path to follow, which people to listen to, and what we want to do each day of our lives. Take advantage of that. Today I turn 35 years old, and I have changed a lot over those years but there are some things about me that will never change
I will always be a mentor, a teacher, a positive role model
I will always fight for what I believe is right and not give up
I will always be a shoulder to cry on for whoever needs one
Well, I guess some things don’t really change even when you go half way around the world. It’s only been a little bit over a month in Japan and so far I have been pulled over by the cops twice for simply riding my skateboard to school. The crazy thing about it though, is in Japan you are legally allowed to ride a skateboard on the sidewalk and on the road, however with bicycles it’s illegal to ride them on the sidewalk and you have to ride your bike on the side of the road. The funny thing is, I see more than half of the bicyclists break that law and the police don’t say a thing. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been hit by bikes on the sidewalk. At least if you have an accident with a skateboard where you accidentally hit someone it’s just flesh hitting flesh with maybe the little wooden board bumping a leg, and the odds are you are going significantly slower than someone on a bike. Have the same situation where someone runs into you on a bike, they are likely going much faster and are going to charge at you with giant chunk of metal. I’m not here to point fingers at people on bikes, but it’s crazy how much some of the cops don’t take the time to stop and think “Oh wait, which one is REALLY more dangerous?”
With the police here it’s kind of weird, however on the other-hand I’m happy to report that a lot of the regular people here are fairly welcoming to skateboarders as long as you practice tricks at your local skatepark which kind of makes sense if your living in a city whose population dwarfs that of Canada. Other than the police though, cruising seems fine for the most part. Skateboarding isn’t as popular in Japan as it is in North America, but there is a good scene here, it’s just a little bit hidden away from the general public eye and only done in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, etc. Thanks to the popularization of Penny Boards in Japan though, skateboarding’s popularity has gone on quite the uprise in the past 2 years with parks and skateboard classes increasing more and more.
Skateboarding in a different country is very interesting. Sometimes there are a few negative things, however I just try to keep in mind that it’s something fairly new here and there are still people not quite used to it here, but it’s getting better and I look forward to seeing how the scene in Japan will develop into the future.
Every day I feel blessed to be alive for so many reasons, there were many times as I grew up that I hated the world so much I didn’t want to be part of it anymore but I always pushed through. Since I moved to BC in 1998 I have been so lucky to live the life I live with so many amazing people of all ages surrounding me at all times. I have friends that are in their 50’s & 60’s, I have friends in their 30’s & 40’s and I have friends who are 20, 16, 12 and even younger. It’s awesome how when you just accept people for who they are you don’t judge them on things like age or appearance or anything else. I think growing up as a skateboarder/snowboarder taught me this way of thinking and I am so happy to have been a part of this culture for the past 28 years. Last year I went through some pretty tough depression with the loss of my Dad. I had just started this website (www.protestskateboards.com) about 2 months before he died and I remember the last conversation we ever had and I was telling him over the phone how I felt like I had slipped away from what I loved to do most and needed to stop working so hard at my Cabinet Business I was running at the time and focus more on Protest Skateboards again. Skateboarding was in my soul and I had spent the past 3 years at that time really working hard to make my woodworking business a success, but something was missing in my everyday life and I wasn’t the happy Hippie Mike that I used to be. I also felt like I needed to free up more time to spend with my own son Kaelen as he was 2 1/2 years old at the time and I did not want to miss out on his childhood memories. So I decided to close down my Cabinet Business and resurrect myself back into the skateboard world. But I didn’t want to just focus on Protest alone and what I was doing, but more on the entire local community and how much was actually happening in the Lower Mainland, BC, and all of Canada. My Dad knew how much passion I had towards skateboarding and making a positive impact in the world through skateboarding and he was very supportive during that conversation. I remember him saying that he was so proud of me for how far I had come with my Cabinet business, but to always follow my dreams, even if it meant starting from nothing again. So I started writing, writing about all kinds of things and the website started churning out material, and when my dad passed away it just created a huge fire inside me to keep on going at full speed for as long as possible. He meant everything to me and he was gone, and I wasn’t going to lose anything else at that moment. I would just lock myself in my office and write. Things started happening fast and before I knew it people all over were talking about my site and the articles, interviews, contests and recaps that were on it. I started feeling a little better but my emotions stayed raw for a long time.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing others enjoying themselves because of something that I created for them, and I think that’s why I push myself over the limit so much where I just keep on thinking of awesome new ideas and then do whatever it takes to bring them to life. When I was growing up I always remembered the people that brought me opportunities to grow and gave me what I needed to survive and stay happy, and the ones that shared important knowledge with me that mattered in life, and that is probably why I feel the need to give so much back to so many people. I was blessed with love from every direction even when I didn’t want it, and now it is reflecting back to the next generation through me.
When I look at my life today I am truly happy – I have a beautiful caring wife, a son that I couldn’t be more proud of, thousands of friends who love me, a sweet house with an amazing yard, multiple successful businesses, and my skateboard. There was an article that recently came out in Concrete Wave Magazine that was all about how skateboarding saves your life and points you down the right roads at the right times and it is so true. I was a big part of why that article was written and all the legends speak the same language in it – if it wasn’t for skateboarding, they would have nothing. So I want you to think about this for a minute, “What do you do every day?” and “What makes you happy in life?” Now put those 2 questions together and ask yourself this one – “How can you take what makes you happy in life and do it every day?” That question is the key to success, the key to happiness, and the key to a wonderful life.
In April 2012 I asked myself that question and the answer changed my life forever…
Zero comes out with yet another unreal skate video with dudes that just annihilate obstacles on the streets as well as beat themselves up continuously. I don’t think I can think of any other video where multiple dudes sack so hard on handrails that they hit their face on the rail…
So Jamie Thomas and Tommy Sandoval came out to Vancouver to premiere this new Zero video called Cold War at The Rio Theatre on Broadway. Thomas got up on stage to introduce the show and said it best with one sentence, “We decided to really go back to the roots of Zero and make a video that was just like Thrill of it All and Misled Youth”. The editing was quick, the tricks were all stomped and the spots these guys were skating were completely retarded. Rails that you would be scared to slide down on your ass, rooftop drops, floating ledges sticking out of walls and of course humungous gaps of death. It was a classic right from the start, Jamie Thomas proved once again that he is still a maniac and the rest of the team followed suit.
Do you know Fabric? Well unless your in Yokohama Japan probably not, which is why I’m going to tell you guys across the pond about them. I first met the owner Kojima and his wife Saori at Yokohama skatepark, the park I go to all the time. I was practicing my 360 spin variations when Kojima came up to me and said “You spin like Kevin Harris“. I was shocked he didn’t say Rodney Mullen, but Kevin Harris. I replied to him and said “He was the one who taught me” and from there we hit it off right away. It turns out that Kevin was in Japan and did a demo for Kojima and his class-mates in the 80’s when he was in middle school. He told me how stoked he was to meet him back then and later showed a board he had Kevin sign from way back then.
We started talking more and I found out he owns a skate-shop called Fabric, which just happened to be a 5 minute walk from my house. This shop is sick! I go in and it’s like a basement where the ceiling barely misses my head, but it’s definitely not too cramped. At this shop there isn’t a skate wall, but more like a skate ceiling with boards covering the place. What really caught my eye though, is that Kojima does his own boards, and they are absolutely sick! He makes all kinds of shapes, experiments with them and then rides them. He loves to experiment with different shapes and graphics and each one looks just as sick as the next. Couldn’t have found a more core shop with such incredibly awesome people running it. These people really deserve every bit of success and more that comes their way.
Right now, I regularly stop by the shop and talk with Kojima and his wife about various skate related things and have incredibly fun conversations with them as well as skate with them on occasion and that’s when I take a step back and realize something. If I never studied Japanese, these incredibly awesome people would have been impossible to make a connection with. I am truly grateful now that my high-school offered so many Japanese programs to travel abroad as well as study the language. This is just another example of what travelling abroad at a young age will give you. A whole different view of the world with a new fascination and appreciation for other cultures and languages. We like to think that English is THE language, however I strongly have to disagree. There are so many other cultures and languages to experience with so many different communities that are not as small and tight-knit as we might think with new friends and new adventures just waiting around the corner.
Thank you Kojima and Saori for your kind hospitality and really making me feel welcome here.
So, you wanna know who rides for the only true Surrey Skate Team do ya?
Today is November 4th, and first off I need to thank everyone who has been supportive of the new Surrey skate shop Authentic Board Supply so far. We had a ton of awesome customers come in the first 2 days we were open and they were all stoked on the shop, not just on how much sweet product there was but on the actual design itself. This means a lot to me since I am big on being unique and different, and I love custom stuff. We worked hard to make the shop look as cool as it does, and it happened fast.
Today we begin to release the “secret riders” names, bio’s and welcome videos to the world starting with myself – Hippie Mike. 28 years of skateboarding so far and I am far from being done. Check out my bio and this sweet video of me skating the type of obstacle I love most – rocks…
5 more riders will be released throughout the week the same way. Check out the Authentic websitewww.authenticboardsupply.com everyday around 12 noon to find out who they are and see their skills
As the newspaper article stated, we were trying very hard to get the new Surrey Skate Shop “Authentic Board Supply” up and running. The staff was hired earlier in the month, the Sk8 Team is already built with welcome videos waiting to be launched, the website (www.authenticboardsupply.com) is full of awesome info about the shop, and I, Hippie Mike, have been slaving 24/7 for the past 3 weeks renovating the shop with one other person from an empty rectangle into the unique masterpiece you will see when you walk through the doors. And for the past week there has been a mega-team of people contributing their time and skills to beautify the shop. As usual, no matter how hard you try, you’re never fully prepared on time, but be patient and the new era will begin soon.
Saturday, November 2nd, we will open the doors to the public and let you see “what’s in store”. From then on we will be open 10am-6pm every day. Come on by for a visit and check out all the top brands we have in stock – tons of clothing, shoes, watches and skateboard hard goods to select from. Deals will be happening all month long and we will be having a soft opening 3-day sale on the weekend of November 22-24.
I look forward to continue serving you, the community of Surrey and it’s surrounding area in a positive way.
Thank you all for your support, and see you Saturday
When the people at The Surrey Now caught wind that Hippie Mike was going to be opening up a skateboard shop in Surrey they had to do an article about it right away. The Surrey Now is always promoting things I do in the community, there’s usually at least one article about myself every year, and then there tends to be a few photos of people at my events that will get mixed into the media shuffle here and there. This time it was about the fact that I am opening up a skateboard shop right in the heart of Whalley simply named Authentic Board Supply. The shop is all about keepin’ it real in the skateboard world by giving kids a place to hang and have positive mentors, bringing more events and partnerships to the communities that surround us, and providing the best product out there at reasonable prices. I’ve been working very hard to get this shop ready to open and have had an amazing crew helping me with the renovations. We should be open this weekend in the Dell Shopping Centre located10604 King George Blvd – come check us out…
