Do you have what it takes to be sponsored?
We want to give you the opportunity.
Let’s find out if you have what it takes to ride for Motion Boardshop. The MoBots Team asks that you create and send us a longboarding video. We want a new, original video, designed to be your personal application to our team. It may be some hard work, but this will promote you to us as a future prospect. It will be your personal highlight reel.
Instructions:
Compile a video showcasing you as a rider. Please no team videos, we are looking for individual entries.
* -Wear a helmet
* -Tell us your name, age, and location
* -Explain your style, abilities, and showcase your skills
* -You can include pictures in the video
* -Tell us about your racing experience and how you did
* -Tell us about your involvement in the local skate community
* -Have fun and be creative
What you can do for us?
What can we do for you?
How could we work together?
When your video is complete:
Upload the video to YouTube.
Title the video: I WANT TO BE A MOBOT – [Your Name]
Email us a link to your video [sponsorme@motionboardshop.com]
Wait for us to get back to you
Example:
Email: us at sponsorme@motionboardshop.com
Subject line: I WANT TO BE A MOBOT – [Your Name]
Yesterday I posted a user review on the Sector 9 Super Shaka longboard and I mentioned that BoomBot Ross Druckrey rocks one on a regular basis. For his setup he rides the Omen Longboards precision trucks and Sector 9 70mm 80a Center Set Race Forms longboard wheels. In this video you see Ross shred around his college campus while also nailing a HUGE early grab over Nate Blackburn’s car. Unbelievable. Filmed by Ethan Cochard, Nate Blackburn and Luke Morrow.
Our boys down in Oregon put together this video over the summer and it’s one of our all time favorite longboarding videos. You may know them as Boomtown Productions but since they’ve hooked up with Motion Boardshop and the Mobots, they’ve morphed into the BoomBots! Ross Druckrey, Ethan Cochard and Luke Morrow take center stage in this one as they shred on early prototypes of the Omen Pike longboard and Omen precision trucks. We dare you to try and replicate Ethan’s fancy footwork at 1:17.
Not many people like speed wobbles. In fact, I doubt anybody likes them.
So here are a few things to take note of in order to not get the dreaded “wobs”:
1) Having too soft of longboard bushings is bad. Think about a downhill appropriate setup for your weight. While soft bushings are nice for a lot of things, the higher durometers help restrict the truck’s movement, keeping you more stable.
2) Bushings vary in shape for a functional reason. Something like a barrel or eliminator is shaped to be restrictive, especially at high speeds. Whereas a cone shaped bushing is meant to allow a lot of freedom and ease of movement in the truck, which is- for the most part, not what you want too much of while bombing a hill.
3) Stance position on your longboard deck is also very important. Standing too far back will transfer your weight to the back truck. This will cause you to turn from the back. This is super gnarly and will quickly buck you off.
4) Know your setup. Make sure you at least have a feel for what you’re about to ride before you plunge down a gnarly hill. Not knowing your setup causes you to not know what sort of ride to expect. Make sure you have checked out how tight the bushings are by at least standing on the board and tucking. If you’re riding someone else’s setup, check your axle nuts to make sure they are tightened just right. The last thing you want is your one of your longboard wheels flying off at 30mph.
5) Being off-balance is one of the easiest ways to wobble, especially while foot-braking. This is the same principal as mentioned in #3. When you foot-brake, you want your weight as far up on the deck as you can. Even if you ride mongo, try to learn to footbrake regular.
6) Be confident in your own skills. You know your own limits better than anyone. You have to build up trust in yourself in order to avoid wobbles and progress in the sport. Stay relaxed cause if you stiffen up and freak out, you’ll get wobs before you know it.
BoomBot and Omen Longboards Team Rider Luke Morrow throws down tips to get you dialed on ToeSide No-Complies!
1. Use the corner of the w-concave and the drop (demonstrated on an Omen Pikelongboard deck) to lock in your back foot.
2. Engage your slide, wait for the board to hit 90 degrees and then take your foot off the board
3. As you take your front foot off the board, use your back leg and really extend it to help you get the board around
4. Don’t plant your front foot on the ground for too long, think of it more as a “tap”
The most common mistakes in doing a no-comply are not getting enough speed and not extending your back leg. Watch this video a few times and then get out there and do it!
Luke’s setup: Omen Longboards Pike prototype, Omen Precision trucks, 80a Orangatang Stimulus, 85a/87a Venom Barrels, Gator 36 grit
Motion Boardshop and Best Kiteboarding have put together an afternoon at the Jetty featuring a free unhooked riding and slider clinic taught by International Best Pro rider Joe Ruscito. He’ll be offering tips to riders of every level, whether you are just learning to unhook or want to dial in your s-bend. Or if sliders are more your style, there will be a 2nd clinic dedicated to pressing it out. Joe was in Hood River last weekend for the RoShamBo event and we were lucky enough to convince him to hang around for a few extra days in the Pacific NW. If that wasn’t enough, local legend “Sick” Nick Ward will be teaching a strapless riding clinic so you can learn anything from duck jibes to shov-its.
All the hottest 2011 Best Kiteboarding Gear will be available for demo including the Taboos, Kahoonas and Nemesis. We’ll have some Best Profanity Kiteboards setup for unhooked load and pop, and some Best Short Stick surfboards waxes up for light wind fun. Hopefully there will be a little something for everyone! Remember, it’s all free and open to everyone no matter your skill level!
We know it’s a little last minute but it looks like this Friday will bring some warmer temps and hopefully some of that buttery smooth Jetty Island wind as well. We’ll plan to start as early as 2pm if the wind cooperates. But even if the wind doesn’t pan out, we’ll still do a Q&A style session where you can pick Joe and Nick’s brains about tips and tricks for finally nailing the latest move you’ve been working on. This is just an impromptu demo day & riding clinic to take advantage of having a world-renowned pro rider in town.
Afterwards, join us at the new Scuttlebutt Brewery next to the Jetty for some after-sesh pitchers and happy hour appetizers.
Best Kiteboarding is offering an amazing deal right now. You have the opportunity to win a Best Taboo kite, and all you have to do is demo one and write up a review about it. They really have to twist your arm, huh? Out of all the entries, Best will be picking one winner based on how well they expressed their love for the Taboo, and a second winner will be picked by random out of all the participants.
The sky is the limit when it comes to how you choose to present your review. You can use photos, video, or just make a nice write-up. As you may or may not already know, each Taboo size is dialed in to optimize performance specific wind-range and riding style that accompany it. At Motion, we’re really lucky to have a solid team of Best sponsored riders who have the Taboos available for demo, practically any windy day of the week. Joaquin, Eric V. and Nick Ward are all at your disposal so you can take advantage of their Taboo quivers. And if you ask extra nicely, you may be able to pry away one of the new Nemesis HP V3 kites away from them for a quick spin. : )
Click on this link for more info on submitting your review!
Spring is here, the pavement is drying up and the days are getting longer. Time to celebrate MOBO style! On Saturday April 30th Motion Boardshop will be hosting a special event at our Seattle longboarding shop in order to show the Drop: My Life Downhill DVD from Orangefiist. But even more exciting, we’ll be launching a sweet new local clothing line called Shadies, started by well-known longboarder Ken Barrett (organizer of the Dragonfly Jam). Shadies Street Gear is a Seattle-based company that specializes in hip, gritty, apparel for skateboarders, bikers, and other heavy duty urban missions.
DROP is a one hour documentary on downhill skateboarding directed by Marc McCrudden. It is by far the hottest skate film of the year with epic cinematography and top level longboarding. If you longboard, it’s a must see movie. Did we mention it’s FREE too!?!?
In typical MOBO style you can expect plenty of sneak-attack Freebie Throws, a video contest, grub, refreshments and LOTS MORE!! Dress for Shadiness and Steeze and Let’s Party Up!!
Come longboarding with Motion, the SHADIES and Marc McCrudden’s jaw-droppingly beautiful film, ‘DROP: My Life Downhill’, Saturday, April 30th, 2011!! See you there! If you RSVP then we can make sure and have enough grub and freebies for everyone!!
We’re suckers for good trick tip videos and our friends over at Fylongboarding put together this video on how to do a Kickflip. Impressively, they’re using a Loaded Bhangra longboard to demonstrate this sick move. But like the Fylongboarding and Loaded Ambassador boys warn, be prepared for your longboard to endure a lot of abuse while you’re mastering this one…It’s all worth it in the end though.
Step #1. If you’re regular, your front foot is going to step off heelside. Pop your board up and grab it with your left hand.
Step #2. Lean over the front of your board, putting 90-100% of your weight over your front leg.
Step #3. Position your feet so your front put is centered between your trucks on your deck. Your back toes will be on the very back tip of your longboard deck.
Step #4. When you kick, make sure you’re kicking on your heelside edge of your board so the board does a corkscrew. Your foot will kick by flipping it down and back on the longboard.
(For good troubleshooting tips make sure to watch the video, the break down the most common issues people have).
Last fall we got a chance to sit in on one of the “Drop: My Life Downhill” premieres right here in the NW. It was a truly stunning film with gorgeous cinematography and skating footage that was made even better by using some of the most high tech cameras and booms in the industry. When Orangefiist makes a film, they don’t mess around. Marc McCrudden got his hands on the same equipment used to film Hollywood blockbuster movies, such as a Porsche outfitted with cameras and booms, to capture unique angles and get the ultimate smoothness in the footage. Add to that the real stories of the best known downhill longboarders in the industry and you have a film that’s not only captivating but has a storyline that holds your attention too. Best of all, this longboarding video is finally available on DVD after a long waiting period and you can buy the Drop: My Life Downhill DVD in our online shop.
Featuring James Kelly, Noah Sakamoto, Scoot Smith, Brianne Davies, Kevin Reimer, Martin Siegrist, Louis Pilloni, Mischo Erban, Zak Maytum, and Erik Lundberg to name a few superstars. Here’s a sneak peak….
Motion Boardshop junior team rider Ryan Vanderveen is the king of loooooong standup slides like you’ve seen in our earlier video “Sessions: Monster Standies with Ryan V.” This guy is an all around athlete and has the balance, coordination, and steeze to nail these super long standies better than almost all the pros out there. In this video, Ryan throws down on a 9two5 Landyachtz longboard deck and Metro Motion longboard wheels with Randal 180s.
His tips are to:
-Make sure your wheels are nice and tight
-Start with shorter slides and work your way up
-Tuck into your slide with speed
-Keep a wide stance with your feet as close to your trucks as possible
-Have your front foot positioned so that your toes and heel are both hanging over the sides of the board
-Have your back heel hanging off the back rail to really help kick the board out
-Put your entire body into it and really swing your arms around and lift your body up taking the weight off of your board
-Ride toe side briefly as you come into your slide, and then carve into your slide while really throwing your weight into it
-Lean back so that if you lose your balance you can fall back onto your slide glove and pendy out of it.
Always make sure to wear a helmet, knee pads, slide gloves and even elbow pads if you have them.
It’s nice to be able to mix up all our product review videos with a little tutorial now and then. And it doesn’t hurt to have one of the top junior downhill racers around to talk you through the fundamentals of downhill longboarding. This time, Max Wipp breaks down how to do a heelside pre-drift to scrub off a little speed before a tight turn.
Main Tips:
Keep your hips and board pointed towards the corner
Don’t turn your board completely sideways cause you’ll lose too much speed
Friends don’t let friends grab stinkbug!
Tuck your back knee into your front leg
Put most of your weight over your front truck
Front hand in line with your front wheels
Keep your weight over your board as much as possible (not off to the side) to keep weight on the wheels for traction
MOBO employee and teamrider Max Wippermann shows us how to take the perfect racing line. Considering he’s had numerous podium finishes as a junior downhill longboard racer, you can be sure he knows what he’s talking about. Watch as he breaks it down into a few simple steps that you can practice, and someday master with ease.
1. Approach the corner from the outside.
2. Attack the apex of the curve.
3. Swing Wide.
TIPS: When drifting, cut in early to compensate for the understeer. Pointing the board at the apex throughout your drift is a good way to keep on track. After you’ve hit the apex, grip up. Once you’ve gripped up, stay gripped and preserve your exit speed. Stick the the inside as much as possible and don’t lose traction.
(In case you’re wondering about Max’s preferred setup, you’ll usually see him on a Landyachtz Evolongboard deck)
Sounds like Landy has a few new names to add to their already impressive roster. Kyle Martin and Billy “Bones” Meiners to be exact. Here’s what Landyachtz had to say about their new addition…
“We are super excited to announce that Kyle Martin and Billy Meiners will be joining the EhTeam!
Kyle Martin has become one of the planet’s most progressive and influential longboarders. He has undeniable style and a serious level of gnar that we can all be inspired by. Thanks to Kyle’s new deal with Landyachtz, he’ll be able to spend more time progressing and blowing our minds. Check out the New Eh-Team episode featuring Kyle’s insane skills.”
Want to learn how to do a one-footed backside 180? Well now you can learn step by step from our buddy James Kelly. You know him, you love him, and now you can learn how to ride like him. The Loaded Newsletter put out this trick tip just a few days ago and we’ve been playing around ever since, trying to master this steezy move. James breaks it down in these easy steps…
-Keep your weight mostly on your front foot.
-Lean into the turn and start carving backside.
-Before your wheels break loose and slide, dig your back foot in, and toss your body weight.
-Then dig your front foot into the board and pivot on your front foot.
Max Wipp put together a new video featuring Danny Smith, one of our local Mobots from Lake Forest Park. He’s one of the best freeriders we’ve seen, especially for his age. His longboard deck of choice in this video is the Black Dog Shallow Drop with buttery Sector 9 Race Formulas. Danny is known for coring wheels faster than anyone else and has a collection to prove it. Though he’s one of the younger Mobots, he schools 99% of the other riders out there, as you can probably tell from his one-footed moves and fancy footwork. This was shot with a Canon 7D.
Here’s the latest longboarding video showcasing our teamriders, the Motion Boardshop “Mobots” riding all around the state. From Maryhill to Alpental to wind tunnel testing at the University of Washington. Trevor, Nate, EK, Spencer, Ryan, H., Rain, Jerica, Max, Connor, Ryan, Newman, Liam, Danny and lots of others make an appearance. Make sure you watch it all the way through to the end for some crazy gnarly falls and blood. You can even see Max’s broken wrist all mangled and out of place. This is just a teaser of many more team videos to come. We’re hoping to get our teamrider page up online soon too but we’ve just been too busy with the move and eating Krispy Kreme donuts.
In future videos we can hopefully get some of our talented freeriders like Connor to show you some tricks you can do on your longboarding deck, like tips on doing a nose manual.
Wanna win an Avenger from Rayne Longboards? I know I would. All you have to do is play a game of S.K.A.T.E. put on by Kyle Martin. He’ll be picking a winner based on the video submitted with the most GNAR, which he will determine by your style and the number of tricks you complete in your video. Just get your buddy to shoot some video of you sticking a pendy, stalefish, early grab, or whatever you do best. Then upload that video to the Facebook “Game of S.K.A.T.E. Video Page” and get all your friends to “like” it. The top ten video entries with the most likes will then be evaluated by Kyle to see who has the most gnar.
He’ll be monitoring the page so if you have any questions on how to do a certain trick, he’ll try and give you some pointers. Just like our video contest, you have to wear a helmet, and Rayne wants you to wear gloves too. You have until October 7th to make your video and pimp it out to all your friends so get going! That Avenger longboarding deck could be yours!
We helped sponsor the Spokane Showdown Outlaw Race put on by Nate Braks by sending out some longboard wheels and other goodies. Here’s what he had to say about the event:
“Everybody was REALLY stoked on th race and all of the prizes. People loved the motion boardshop package. RipCity Skate’s team and Cody from Five Mile came out and ripped the local Spokane hills like they were nothing in the race. Cody from five mile took 1st in the DH, local Spokane Rider David Uhlenkott from Dopamine Longboards took 2nd, and Jay from RipCity took 3rd.
After the Downhill race we all went out for lunch, picked a hill to ride, and went free riding on a local hill. Using the Dan Dengler Longboards van, we shuttled 13 skaters up and down a great hill and got a ton of runs and footage. On Sunday, everyone met up out at the location for the push race, which was seven miles of hard pushing and fast hills. The push race ended up being an all Spokane podium with Nick Boyd taking first, Nate Braks from Dan Dengler Longboards (me) taking second, and Stan Dumbrouski taking 3rd. After that we all played a large game of ninja, which Garai one, and went to Dan’s to chill and watch footage. “
Since the event was such a huge success, we hope to make it out for the next one! Hopefully we’ll have some longboard decks to donate to the next outlaw too.
So far, I think about half of the entries for our longboarding video contest have been from the great Northwest which is awesome. This one is from Liam and Alex who live out on Vashon Island, a little blip in the Puget Sound with some great hills. Unfortunately Liam is nursing a broken hand right now but the friends figured out a fair way to split the prize if they win. One will keep the Rayne Killswitch longboard and the other one gets the precision Munkae trucks. These guys both ride Loaded longboard decks with Orangatang wheels. It’s a fun, light-hearted video that we really enjoyed watching.
Tonight, one of the MOBO teamriders, Jerica Green, will be featured on the one and only Tru TV as part of their 20 Most Shocking Series. Last year, Jerica took a nasty fall while navigating a corner in one of our local neighborhoods and the longboard wheels on her Five Mile longboard deck didn’t grip enough. Though she didn’t break any bones, she tore up the ligaments and tendons in her arm pretty extensively. When you watch this video, you’ll understand why. Luckily she was smart enough to wear pads and a full face helmet when she was out riding. Though the injury took her out of the running for the Maryhil Festival of Speed last year, she’s now fully recovered and was able to compete this July. It’s a lot easier to watch now that I know she’s okay but this video still makes me cringe every time I see it.
This entry for our video contest comes from another local, Jayson M., but unfortunately he’ll be leaving the NW to go to college in Tennessee. Jayson is not only a wicked longboarder but he’s also into skimboarding and skiing, as you can tell from the video. Out of all the longboard decks on the market, he goes with one of the most sought after: The Loaded Dervish. He rocks his with classic Randal 180s, a split duro Durian combo, and Bones Reds bearings. He’s only been riding for 3 years but he loves to nail one footed stalefish predrifts. Hopefully he’ll come by our new seattle longboard shop when he comes home from college to visit!
We received another international entry for our video contest, but this time instead of coming from Norway, it comes from the opposite climate: San Juan, Puerto Rico. Alejandro calls his video “Our Session Today (Pa Panamericano)” which gives us a behind the scenes look at the streets of PR. He’s a fan of Loaded’s longboard decks and rides a Vanguard with Bear Grizzly trucks, Orangatang wheels and Sector 9 ceramic bearings. It’s a pretty sweet setup if you ask me. He’s been riding for 5 years now and has mastered dancing and boardwalking. This vid is a nice combo of sliding, fancy footwork, and humor.
Our buddy just keeps ‘em coming with his instructional strapless kitesurfing series. I don’t know where he’s finding the time to edit these gems together. This particular one focuses on how to catch some air on a surfboard or skimboard. You’ll want to start by finding a nice piece of chop to launch off. Keep your kite at a 45 degree angle. As you hit the chop, keep a wide stance and press down on your back foot and. Try your best to point the board upwind so that the wind will push the board back towards you, essentially keeping it stuck to your feet. Then point the board downwind again as you land so you can ride away.
The first time I tried a strapless jump it was on a skimboard like the Slingshot Scud skimboard which is nice and wide making it easy to stay balanced on when you land. I’m pretty sure Nick was flying one of the Best Kiteboarding kites when he filmed this.
Yet another video contest entry rolled in, this time it was from one of our local crew, Allan Wilkerson. His friend Danny Wood, makes a guest appearance in this one too. Allan is a well respected skater around these parts and consistently gets top rankings at all the freerides that are held pretty regularly. Not to mention, he’s been a huge helping hand at many of our events. As far as I know, Allan (known here as DH Allan) is sponsored by Bentley longboards and so he rides a Bentley Silhouette longboard deck with surf-rodz trucks, and 80 Orangatang In Heat longboard wheels. He used a POV camera duck taped to the back of his full-face helmet to get this footage rolling down Holmes Point Road which is right in our back yard. FYI, Allan can toeside standy all day long.
The best of the best from the Orangatang joined forces to make a video of epic proportions. Finally, a longboarding video that’s original, but still fun and full of sick riding. This is exactly the kind of originality I would hope to see in the video that wins our contest. This video brings together the skills of Kevin “K-Rimes” Reimer, Patrick Switzer, James Kelly, Kyle Chin, and Douglas Dalua da Silva in the hills of Los Angeles. Mastermind film-maker (and super talented rider) Adam Colton filmed and edited it all together with the help of Jonathan Jelkin. Even though these guys all rock Orangatang wheels, their decks range from different Rayne longboards to the Fullbag Elise P-Swiss longboard.
Even if a beginner can body drag upwind, it can take them a long time to get back to their board. It takes a lot of time and practice to master this technique. Picking up a loose board and delivering it back to the owner is much appreciated. Just make sure you pass along that good karma when you get a chance and you’re a more intermediate rider.
1. Approach the board from upwind. As you reach the board, slow down and sit in the water so you can fly your kite in neutral.
2. Pick up the board and put in your lap, so that you can use your knees to hold it while controlling your kite.
3. As you get up out of the water, use your backhand to hold a foot strap while still controlling your kite. Your knees will help steady the board as you start off.
4. As you ride away, you can then tuck the board under your arm
5. When delivering the board back to the rider, go past them downwind to prevent a kite tangle. Set the board down nicely where they can easily get to it.
On another note, always write your name on your board so that if you do lose it, the person who finds it knows how to get ahold of you. If you’re in the market for a new board, we urge you to stop by a demo a Best Spark kiteboard or the Cabrinha Custom kiteboard, both are favorites of ours.
A couple of weeks ago our friend Sam came in with his own money to buy his first longboard. He ended up walking away with a killer setup including an Earthwing Superglider longboard with Monster Hawg wheels and Paris trucks. He’s been back to a make a few adjustments to his board, and recently bought some new pads including a Triple 8 helmet. We love hearing from customers, especially when they tell us how much fun they’re having.
From Sam’s Mom:
“We picked up Sam’s new pads from Motion yesterday and went for a cruise around the neighborhood. He is *loving* the board. Just wanted to share a couple of pics with you.
Thanks again to all of you for making him feel so welcome. He is always addressed by name when we visit the store. ”
Here is yet another video contest entry coming from Andrew out of San Diego. We’re so jealous of all the sun he gets down in SoCal. We could use a good dose of that right now in the Pacific Northwest! Although he doesn’t showcase it in this video, Andrew can do a killer one handed toe side pendy. His setup includes a Kracked Skulls Scimitar longboard deck, randal 180s and Sector9 Nineball longboard wheels. Its hard to believe Andrew has only been riding for 7 months. I love the quote he chose for the opening scene, “Longboarding is my waking dream…”
Here’s yet another entry for our longboarding video contest. This one comes from a local rider out of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This entry from Kirk of Portland, Oregon shows of the best the NW has to offer. He uses a makeshift “boom cam” for his gopro camera on the end of a long pole. We use something really similar to get a perspective looking back at the riders. He’s been skating for about 2 years now and enjoys doing big standies. His longboard deck of choice is a Longboard Larry Manatee, Bear grizzly trucks, and 83a Orangatang wheels.
This is the 6th entry for our longboarding video contest. This one comes from Michael V. out of Columbus, Ohio. It’s hard to believe he’s only been skating for about four months! This is a really well edited, high quality HD video with some sweet freeriding footage. Not sure exactly how old Michael and his friend are but they do a good job representing the groms of the longboarding world. He rides one of the most popular longboard decks at our Seattle longboard shop, the Landyachtz Switch. Plus, he’s got a sweet setup with classic Randal 180s, Abec11 Gumballs and some abec9 bearings. His favorite trick is the heel side shovit slide.
Here’s the latest installment to our video contest. This one comes from Philemon Crete, another longboarder from Canada. He rides in Montreal but this video was shot in North Conway. This is one of the most original videos I’ve seen so far. I love how he gripped his board to look like turn tables and the opening scene is just classic. I think you’ll love it too. Philemon’s longboard deck of choice is a custom DKLB with sabre trucks and the longboard wheels he goes for are the 76mm Sector9 Race Formulas. This guy really knows how to rip. I think you can tell how much he loves longboarding when he licks his board! He’s only been skating for 2 years but can freeride with the best of them.
The Orangatang team has been bumming around Europe for all the IGSA races across the pond this summer. They’ve been at Almatrieb in Germany, The Graveyard Call in France, and the Padova Grand Prix in Italy. While they were in Barcelona, Spain, it looks like they paid a visit to the skate shop there full of longboard decks from Loaded and longboard wheels from Retro and everyone else. This video is super smooth and shows some fancy footwork from James Kelly, Patrick Switzer and K-Rimes. Hopefully we can get them to pay a visit to our Seattle longboard shop one of these days!
This video is a Motion Boardshop exclusive interview with the one and only James Kelly (“The American Dream!”) You might recognize him as a sponsored rider for Orangatang and as one of the faces behind SkateHouse Media. But we know James as an all around great guy, not to mention a skater that makes the rest of us look like a bunch of little girls.
Even though James could have his pick of any of the longboard decks out there, he chooses to ride the Longboard Larry Sea Calf. At 36″ long, the Sea Calf has a nice short wheel base allowing him to get down nice and low to grip around the turns and loops of Maryhill and still be nice and agile. His preferred setup? Classic Randal RII 180′s on 42* Baseplates. The longboard wheels he rocks for Maryhill are the Orangatang In heats in the 80a durometer. He also uses 85a venom eliminators on his setup.
There is still time to enter the Best Kiteboarding Driven By Wind Photo Contest! Get your photos in by August 31st for a chance to travel with four friends in the Cape Verde Islands on the Best Odyssey. It’s the kiteboarder’s trip of a lifetime!
To enter, simply purchase a Best kiteboarding kite, board or bar online at www.bestkiteboarding.com, or from your favorite local retailer ; ) and you’ll be eligible to submit your photos!
All submissions are available for viewing and voting, so tell you friends! Photos will also be judged by a professional panel on their originality/creativity, humor, and prominence of the Best Kiteboarding product. A winner will be picked on September 15,2010.
We’ve got tons of Best gear to get you started! Check out the Best Kahoona kite, Nemesis HP, and Bularoo V2 kites! Not to mention the Spark Twin Tip kiteboard, available in 124, 130, 135 and 140 sizes, or the Best Performance Redline Bar.
The trip will take place sometime between January 15 and March 15, 2011. Secure your spot! Participants can enter up to five photographs for each qualified purchase. It’s a winning combination—buy new kite, take picture with new kite, go on cruise with new kite. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Here’s a great video that one of our good friends Nick (aka Sick Nick) put together. He’s the Pacific Northwest guru when it comes to strapless riding and he was cool enough to share his expertise with the rest of us. If the internet where you are is too slow to load this up, here’s some of his tips…
Basic Waterstart: With the kite pulling you slightly, position the board in front of you with your back hand. Then position your feet flat on the board with the kite still pulling downwind slightly. Lean back and dive the kite.
Advanced Waterstart: Toss your board in the water and dive your kite as you step on the board. Be careful not to drag your fins across the rocks in the shallow water.
How to Switch Your Feet: Transition feet from your weak side to strong side. Bring your back foot up towards your front foot, keeping your kite at normal flying position. Then move your original front foot back in a shimmy movement.
How to Gybe: Now that you’re riding toeside, begin to send your kite in the opposite direction. Carve on your heel while sending your kite at the same time.
On another note we just got some new Best Kiteboarding Kites in stock including a demo of the soon-to-be-released Taboo in 8m and 12m sizes to try out. We also have tons of used kiteboarding kites in stock to choose from if you hope to save a little money.
Are you headed on kitesurfing vacation soon to somewhere isolated with not a strip mall (and unfortunately a local kite shop) for miles? If so, well lucky you! But there are a couple key essentials to take along with you if you have the extra space in your NSI deceiver golf bag. The last thing you want is to wind up with a broken line that ruins the rest of your kiteboarding trip.
1. 2 Extra Kite Lines- The chances of snapping one of your lines are actually pretty good. If you’ve owned your kite for awhile, your lines might have stretched over time in which case you’ll need to tie them to a post and stretch the shorter line until they are all the same length.
2. An Extra Chicken Bone- I know lots of people that have lost what’s also known as a “donkey d*ck” when the little screw comes loose. It can be a big pain to kite without it since you’ll come unhooked much more often.
3. A Repair Kit-The Airtime DIY Kite Repair Kit is one of our favorites because it comes complete with scissors, seam grip glue, 20ft of fiberglass tape, dacron repair tape, and lots of other helpful goodies.
4. An Extra Pump Hose-If you break or lose your pump hose, that could put the kabosh on the rest of your kite trip. If you think you can blow up your kite with your mouth, don’t bother, we’ve tried!
5. Extra screws and Fins for your Best or Slingshot kiteboard- In case you break off a fin while riding over the tropical reefs of Tahiti, these will be clutch.
Big thanks to MOBO rider and filmmaker Trevor Preston for slaving away on this footage. His inspiration? The excess of gnar in the world that needs shredding. How beautiful. So far, we’ve had a hugely positive response to the video which we leaked on youtube just a few days ago. Glad everyone is enjoying it. If you like it too, leave us a comment either right here on the blog or on our youtube page.
The video will be featured in the upcoming 2010 Concrete Wave Evolutions video, which should be out in in mid-August.
Preston shuffled through hours of labor intensive filming. The back breaking work feat took six days and one broken limb.
MOBO rider Max Wipperman broke his arm during a film session. It was a pretty bad break and unfortunately, he was unable to race at Maryhill. Thank you Max, for sacrificing yourself for the sake of gnar!
Some of the longboard decks ridden in this video include 2 Rayne Nemesis decks, and a Black Dog Longboard and the longboard wheels they were sliding on included some Orangatang 4 Pres in 83a and Retro Freerides.
Youth Empire: The Future Generation of Kiteboarding
Cabrinha Northwest Race Series features pro riders, youth enrichment
Lake Forest Park, Wash. – July 14, 2010 - Cabrinha kitesurfing brand will host “Youth Empire,” an event in conjunction with the 2010 Cabrinha Northwest Race Series kiteboarding competition on July 24 and 25 at Jetty Island.
Youth Empire aims to ignite the interest of younger kiteboarders. Youth under 18 years old are invited to learn about kiting, ride together, and gain tips from professional riders including Damien Leroy, Jesse Richman, Matt Collins, Andre Phillip, Brandon Bowe, Matt Elsasser and Kirsten Ulmer. The children and teens will learn how to fly kitesurfing kites during the day.
“We are excited to show kids the kite scene and see what the future generation of kiteboarding will be,” Ulmer, a team rider for Cabrinha, said.
Motion Boardshop will also host a “Meet the Riders” event at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 24 at Lombardi’s Italian Restaurant, 1620 West Marine View Drive, in Everett. Locals will get a chance to shake hands with Cabrinha’s professional kiteboarders. The event is free and open to the public.
Spectators are encouraged to view the kiteboarding races. Parking is available at the 10th Street Boat Launch and Marine Park for $3. The Everett Yacht Club will provide free transportation from the boat launch to the island.
“Youth Empire is truly a once in a lifetime chance for kids and teens to come out to Jetty Island and try the sport of kiteboarding. The fact that they’ll be learning from the best riders in the world is an unbelievable opportunity for them,” Motion Boardshop co-owner, Katie Clack, said. “I wish something like this was around when I was learning how to kiteboard. We are so excited to be part of this organization.”
Youth Empire participants do not need to register in advance. For more information, go to www.motionboardshop.com or visit the Youth Empire Kiteboarding Facebook page. If you want to meet the pros behind some of the hottest products on the market like Andre Phillip’s Cabrinha Custom kiteboard, you can also come to the Meet and Greet later on Saturday night.
So you’ve already mastered kitesurfing in flatwater and choppy conditions so the next step, naturally, is venturing out into the waves. Whenever I talk to someone who has just ridden in waves for the first time, they’re practically glowing they’re so stoked to the brim. Wave riding with a kite is almost like a whole new sport, just like snowkiting is so different from water kiting. One of the biggest concerns for kiters in the waves is wondering what will happen if you drop your kite, but luckily I found this article from the Kiteboarder Magazine that gives some tips. The last thing you want to happen is to get a rip from your leading to trailing edge when the next set of waves pummels your kite.
If possible, you want to do whatever you can to relaunch the kite immediately. If it’s too late and a wave is already upon you, you may need to let the kite go, but only do so if no one is downwind of you. Once you pull your chicken loop and safety leash, swim as quick as you can into shore. You may even be able to catch the kite before it’s too late.
If you can’t release the kite, pull your chicken loop release to engage your safety system. If you don’t have one that will completely flag your kite, then grab one of the oh-$hit handles to depower one steering line and flag out the kite. Make sure you’re clear of the loose lines while you swim in the direction of the waves. You never want to pull in on your bar when a wave hits the kite otherwise there will be too much tension and either your lines will snap or the canopy on the kite will rip.
Good luck next time you hit the waves and in the meantime practice relaunching your kitesurfing kite until you can do it in no time. If you struggle with relaunching, consider taking an advanced Seattle kiteboarding lesson with us to hone your skills. The Best Kahoona kite is one of the best relaunching kites we’ve encountered so far.
Just wanted to make a quick shout-out to congratulate Motion’s junior teamriders, Ryan Heffernan and Jack Neffner for finishing 1st and 2nd place, respectively, at the Maryhill Festival of Speed this weekend! Our guys were leading the pack all five days and finished strong in the end. Since Ryan held the fastest qualifying time out of all the junior 1′s, he also took home a sweet Never Summer longboard skateboard deck too. Both riders scored TONS of swag during the week long event and we’re stoked for them. They deserve it all!
The weekend was full of big upsets with lots of riders noting that they had bad starts which made it so they didn’t qualify for the next round. Mischo Erban claimed his shoe got stepped on at the starting line and after taking a tumble he wasn’t able to catch up to the pack. Kevin Reimer snagged a new record time on the course but after running off the road during the finals, he ended up in 2nd place, even though he consistently finished first in all his heats. Scoot Smith finished 3rd with venom bushings creator, Zak Maytum, scoring a 1st place finish.
Since the event took place on the 4th of July, I was stoked for America to win! Brianne Davies took first pace for the women and local Portland rider Alex Tongue finished first for the junior 2 division. Thanks for a great weekend everyone! More to come later.
After drilling Nate for some tips on improving my downhill longboarding tuck, here’s what he came up with. Keep in mind these are just the basics designed for someone who has never seriously longboarded faster than 25mph before and wants to know what it’s all about.
1. Move your front foot as far forward as is comfortable for you on your board, but will still allow you to turn. Twist your foot slightly so it’s at an angle.
2. Flatten your back as much as possible, trying to make it parallel with the ground. The less curve in your back the better because this will make you more aerodynamic so you can go faster. If you’re not sure if your back is flat enough, try practicing your tuck in front of a mirror.
3. Hinge at the hips.
4. If you’re regular foot, situate your front foot on the left 1/2 of your longboard deck. Position your back foot on the right rail of your board to leverage turns.
5. Take your back knee and wedge it into the calf of your front leg. The lower your knee is on your front leg, the wider your stance will be making for a nice, stable tuck. If your knee is higher up on your front calf, then you’ll have a short stance which is will allow for nimble, tight turns.
We get tons of questions from newbies wondering about how they can stop on their longboard, and I wanted to address those questions here. Hopefully we can have a full page on our site dedicated to answering beginner longboarding questions just like this one. There’s actually a number of ways that you can slow down or come to a full stop on your longboard and this article from Silverfish lays them out with more details.
1. Carving-This should be one of the first things you learn to do on a longboard not only because it’s fun but because it helps you scrub off some of your speed, especially if the turns are sharp.
2. Sliding-Even though this is the most advanced technique to learn, it will completely stop you in the shortest possible distance. Your longboard wheels will wear down over time from sliding.
3. Speedbraking-If you’re going really fast, you can just stand up from your tuck and open your arms to make yourself less aerodynamic which will slow you down.
4.Footbraking-The most basic and universal method of stopping your longboard deck. Done by dragging one foot along the ground to slow yourself to a gradual stop.
5. Rolling Into the Grass-Not highly recommended (prepare for a potential faceplant!) but will slow you down pretty quickly
6. Jumping Off Your Board-Also not an ideal way to stop because you’ll probably tumble if you’re going too fast, but it works.
Of course there are other ways to stop your deck but these are the most well known methods. Check out our youtube channel in the near future to see tutorials on how to do all these things.
Leading kitesurfing brand Cabrinha will host the first annual Cabrinha Northwest Race Series kiteboarding competition at Jetty Island in Everett on June 26 and 27, and July 24 and 25, 2010.
Kiteboarding, the new age golf for many, is a sport similar to windsurfing. Instead of a sail, a large inflated kite towers 80 feet above a rider to power their board through water.
With a strong community of kiteboarders frequenting its local restaurants and hotels on weekends, the sport has brought new life to Everett’s waterfront. Sponsoring partners Motion Boardshop, in Lake Forest Park, and the Everett Yacht Club organized the competition to give the local scene at Jetty Island national exposure.
Jetty Island is a backyard playground for many kiteboarders in the Northwest. Dubbed the “Steady Jetty,” the area is known as one of the best locations for the sport because of its warm, shallow waters and smooth, predictable winds.
“This race is a big deal for the local kiteboarding community,” Walter Young, race director said. “It will be the first of its kind for the area.”
Spectators are encouraged to attend the event. The start time of each race will be wind dependent, beginning as early as 2 p.m., and lasting until 8 p.m. Parking is available at the 10th Street Boat Launch and Marine Park for $3. The Everett Yacht Club will provide free transportation from the boat launch to Jetty Island.
The race area will be set on the Northwest side of the island. Two classes will be held for racing; an open race board class, and a twin-tip, surfboard and skim board class. An awards ceremony will be held on July 25, the final evening of the race series.
Competitors interested in racing can enter by registering on race day, or online at http://pskite.org, in General Kiteboarding Discussion under the topic 2010 Cabrinha Northwest Race Series.
Kiters must be entered in the Season Series to be eligible for season scoring and cash prizes. Participants must pay a $60 entry fee for the Season Series or $25 per Night Drop In, in addition to a $25 jersey fee. A mandatory skippers meeting will be held at 4 p.m. each day of competition to review the race start time, race course, safety, rules and regulations. Rules of the competition will be defined as in The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) in ISAF Appendix BB-Experimental Kiteboarding Competition Rules (available from http://www.sailing.org/28163.php).
The event is sponsored by Cabrinha, the Everett Yacht Club, Motion Boardshop, The Kiteboarder Magazine, PSKite.org, Dakine, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Transcend Apparel, the Port of Everett and the Everett Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information about the event, contact Motion Boardshop at (206) 372-5268 or Walter Young, race director, at walteryoung1@comcast.net.
Motion is a local authority on kitesurfing with a huge variety of kitesurfing kites and a renowned kiteboarding lesson program. We carry manufacturers such as Best Kiteboarding, Slingshot, Cabrinha, and Wainman Hawaii.
MOBO team riders Spencer Smith and Max Wipperman placed first and second in the 16 and under group at the 2nd Annual Gold Rush Challenge 2010, a downhill longboard skateboard race in Britannia Beach, B.C., on May 29 and 30, 2010.
“It’s one of the best organized races I’ve been too,” Smith said.
The 2.2 mile downhill course featured 10,000 vertical feet with three hairpins and five hay bale corners. According to UNKLE.ca, the Gold Rush course is “building a reputation as one of the most intense and extreme longboard skateboard races in the world,” and in North America, known as one of the most aggressive.
About 120 riders competed. Reigning champ Kevin Reimer from Vancouver, B.C., took first overall. Unfortunately, a lot of riders hurt themselves during qualifying and had to drop out for the final heats. Despite the wet pavement, Gold Rush was surprisingly fun in the rain, race participant and MOBO rider Chip Wood said.
“Max was rippin’,” Smith said. “He killed it in the juniors and was keeping up with the guys in the rain.”
Smith said the pavement was a little more worn than Washington’s Mary Hill, which made sliding and drifting easier.
His setup for race day? A Rayne Longboards Killswitch, handcrafted trucks made by his father, and Abec11 ZigZags, helping him pre drift and grip corners.
“Lee put on a pretty great event,” Smith said. Smith took home a deck, an Arson sweatshirt, and his first fatty check, for $250.
Look out for upcoming races, including Mary Hill, Seattle Slope Style, and the World Cup IGSA.
MOBO Teamrider Spencer Smith took first in 16 & Under in the Gold Rush 2010 Challenge.
MOBO Teamrider Max Wipperman took second in 16 & Under.
MOBO Teamrider Liam Kearney also participated in the race.
Thirty riders packed the house at Motion Boardshop for the Shoreline Outlaw at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 22. Luckily the sun was out all day for some Downhill and Old School races.
The race was held locally in Shoreline on Andrews, Sherrill and Ya Gotta Listen Hills. After warming up with two practice runs, riders took to the streets for seven heats of downhill pavement. Each heat featured four riders, with six riders in the final two heats.
The final heat standings:
Max Wipperman
Trevor Preston
Gabe Trainer
Nate Blackburn/Ryan Heffrenan, Kaleb Haddish
First place rider Max Wipperman walked away with a brand new Comet VooDoo Doll longboard deck. Other prizes included a set of Lime 70 mm wheels, and set of bushings. Prizes were hooked up by Motion Boardshop
Just spreading the word about the Push Race in Tacoma this Sunday September 27th. It starts at 9am at Point Defiance in Tacoma and will consists of 2 laps through the 5 mile loop. This is a chill event for riders of all skill levels to participate in. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers and those prizes are donated by Bentley, Roe Racing, and Five Mile Longboards.
Here’s the latest and greatest from our latest session at Alpental in Washington State, edited by teamrider Trevor Preston. You’ll love the beginning! Other teamriders that were there included Spencer Smith, Chip Wooden, Kyle Stopsen and Jerica Green. Music is by Cut Chemist called “The Garden”, be sure to support their music on I-Tunes.
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