Category : AJ Zabell

First Blood Battle Recap

Jun 6,2022 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

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Thank You to the Fraser Valley Regional District Area B for their donation towards the First Blood Battle skateboard contest held on May 28th at HMI Skate Park in Hope BC. When Dennis Adamson walked in the door of the skate park at the beginning of April he had one thing in mind, finding a way to help create something awesome for the entire community to enjoy together. When he offered a $5000 donation towards an event, we knew we needed to make something special.

Dennis Adamson donation photo

Now that the Covid restrictions have finally been lifted as to how we can run events indoors it was time to set up the first Real contest at HMI, with Full length qualifier Runs, Finals for each category, and Plaques for the winners. The date was set for May 28th, and the title was made “The First Blood Battle”…

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People came from all over the Lower Mainland to enjoy the day together, there were over 60 competitors spread out through 6 different categories, and approximately 120 people in the park. With Hippie Mike organizing and running the event it was guaranteed to be successful, and busy. A very special Judges Panel was created right away consisting of Skateboard Event MC and Music Superstar Renee Renee, Richmond Skate Ranch local and Owner of 5.0 Skateboards Britain Higginbotham, DC Nationals 2004 Female Champion Carrie Williams, and the very first Canadian Professional Skateboarder and owner of Ultimate Skateboard Distribution Kevin Harris.

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The contest lasted almost 9 hours in total, filled with good times and tons of smiles. Starting off with the Mini category (kids 10 years & under) the vibe was set for the day. The crowd cheered on these little guys and girls as they showcased anything and everything they knew how to do. The Beginners were just as awesome really showing true love for this new activity that most of them have only been doing since HMI Skate Park has existed, they put some great lines together and had the crowd going wild.

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All the girls skated together encouraging each other to do their best and mainly sticking to the halfpipes, while the Intermediates utilized the entire park and gave everyone a taste of what was coming in Advanced. Everyone in these 2 categories did amazing and really showed why HMI is such an important place for community development.

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When Advanced finally started we knew the real Battle was about to go down. Some of the most talented skaters from all over the lower mainland and fraser valley came out to prove who’s on top. Aging from 8 years old up to 39, there was some serious skill in the room. After the Runs the judges narrowed it down to the Top 6 and those 6 skated for 18 minutes straight in a 6 man Finals Jam all at once until we finally had to call time. Dakota Flamand ruled the entire park climbing all the walls to the ceiling and took 1st place, Street master Dave Jonnson used his tech skills to place 2nd, and 12 year old park local Kaelen Faux showed every line he knew to squeeze his way into 3rd place. All scores in the Advanced finals were within a half a point from each other according to the judges.

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As people started disbursing we finished the night with a “Best Tricks for Cash” event and let these guys get the last of their energy out. It was an amazing show and we can’t wait for Round 2 next year.
Ryan Clark from Ripper Sk8 Mag has it all on video and we will release the recap as soon as it’s finished. Until then enjoy these photos

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Thanks to all the sponsors:
HMI Skate Park
FVRD Area B
Ripper Sk8 Mag
Powell Peralta
Maple Road Skateboards
Protest Skateboards
Pylon Skateboards
5.0 Skateboards
Totally Rad Skateboards
Tuxedo Skateboards
Abnormal Skateboards
Chance Skateboards
Bentwood Skateboards
Sean Sue Tattoo
Stance Socks
Blue Triton
Flames Pizzas
Cutts and Bows
Mind Control
Well Kept Sustainables
Super Scary Corp.
Santa Cruz
Fury Trucks
Bones Wheels
Mike’s Rizers and Railz
Fast Track Tire
PTT Hope BC
Wild Rabbit Flowers
ASD Excavation
Shay Fusionz Salon

HMI Skate Park tries to run at least 1 fun event every month, follow them on Instagram @hmiskatepark to stay in the loop.
And be ready for the Backyard Bash coming late September

First Blood Battle Poster with sponsors

AJ Zabell Andy Anderson Carrie Williams Charlie Spear-Beauchamp Create It and Skate It with Hippie Mike Hippie Mike HM Industries HMI Skate Park Jonny Schroeder Kaelen Faux Kevin Harris Linda Kaji Mak Paauwe Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays Protest Skateboards Ryan Clark Skateboard Lessons Skateboarding SkatePark Styles Tim Barker

Future of Hope – The HMI Story

May 16,2022 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Future of Hope – A Must See Documentary by Tim Barker covering the creation of HMI Skate Park in the small town of Hope BC.
Produced in Partnership by Art of Living Media and Hippie Mike Industries

Learn the amazing story of HMI Skate Park, why and how it was built in the small town of Hope, and what it means to the surrounding community. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride as the movie touches on Hippie Mike’s multiple surgery recoveries, the death of a close friend, and the amazing passion of skateboarding that is shared between so many people of all ages.
This is The Future of Hope

Starring Hippie Mike, Andy Anderson, Kaelen Faux, Carrie Williams, Ryan Clark, AJ Zabell, Jonny Schroeder, Brian Baines, Sean Sue, Charlie Spear-Beauchamp, Mak Pauuwe, Christian Paauwe, Jodi McBride, Linda Kaji, Kevin Harris, and more…

The Future of Hope premiered at the Hope Cinema on April 22nd and was a huge success, people came from all over to watch the film and learn the real story of how HMI Skate Park came to be. Huge thanks to Tim Barker for all the long hours putting this movie together, we are forever grateful

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AJ Zabell Carrie Williams Hippie Mike Jay Mykyte Kaelen Faux Protest Skateboards Skateboarding SkatePark Styles Video Reviews

SkatePark Styles Episode 6 – Merritt Skate Park with Jay Mykyte

Aug 7,2020 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

We met up at Merritt Skate Park for a quick session with Protest rider Jay Mykyte (the King of Style) to kick off his week long annual skate tour through the okanagan.
Featuring: Jay Mykyte, Carrie Williams, Big Rip Kaelen Faux, AJ Zabell and Hippie Mike

AJ Zabell Andy Anderson Hippie Mike Kaelen Faux Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between Motivational and Inspirational Blogs Motivational Mondays Skateboarding

True Friends are Forever Friends

Jun 29,2020 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

KAM crew and Andy

You ever run into someone or get a phone call from someone that you haven’t talked to for years but automatically it feels like you were just hanging out the day before. These are your True Friends.
Sometimes in life you get separated from family and friends as you travel down different paths, but you always keep certain people in your heart and thoughts each day. You think, Hey I should call so and so and get caught up, but the days get busy quickly and you just never get to it. But when it does happen it’s always awesome.
I took a few years to be by myself recently, with my family of course, but just to mentally regenerate after going through some tough times. And certain friends would come visit or call, and others wouldn’t. Or maybe they did reach out and I just didn’t answer. But either way I always knew they were there for me, and I hope they knew the same about me.
Lately I’ve been getting back into skateboarding and filming again now that I’m not as injured anymore and it’s interesting to see how people react when they see me. I love the surprised look on someone’s face who didn’t expect me to be there that day, and it’s always an exciting moment as the good times flash through your brain. My goal was to get back to my own roots of what I’ve loved to do my whole life and remind myself of why I loved it, drop all my sponsors and just skate again. It was never about fame to me, it was always about having fun with my friends and sharing that joy with others, That’s why I was always so specific about the people that rode for Protest.
I have Friends all over, some of them I haven’t talked to for 20 years or more but know that we are Forever Friends just by the way we grew up together. And I think about all the True Friends who have passed away over the years and regret the ones I didn’t get one last visit with. Time only happens once and it’s important to spend as much time as possible sharing happiness with your Friends.
I think social media plays a bit of a part in confusing people as to who their True Friends are, and who are just people that want to say they’re your Friends, but do you recognize each other out in public? Or have each other’s phone numbers? Everyone gets wrapped up in this Web of Non-Reality where anyone can be a celebrity if they have the right audience, but have you ever shut all your social media off and see who actually calls you?
It’s a weird world we live in, I sure am glad we didn’t have cell phones, facebook, Instagram, etc. when I was growing up. Back then if you had Friends, you knew them personally, and those Friends last Forever.
I think it’s a great day for everyone to think back to who their True Friends are and recognize them for that. Give them a call, or a visit, and catch up on real life…