Entries Tagged 'skateboard' ↓

Woodward China camp opening May 15th

Shawn Johnson will be there as a celebrity. And skateboard legend Tony Hawk.

China is making a big move towards improving their Action Sports.

Woodward Beijing is a Woodward partner facility located in Beijing, China. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2010, Woodward Beijing is Woodward’s first international facility. This camp will offer Skateboarding, BMX, Inline, dry land Snowboarding and Free Ski, Urban Dance, Digital Arts (Digital Photography / Video Production and Graphic Design), Music, Chinese and English language programs. …

official press release

I’ve seen reports online that Artistic gymnastics would be part of the program. Not true. But there will be Cheer.

official website

Camp costs aren’t posted yet. But they likely will be far lower than rates in the USA. A bargain, perhaps, for athletes who may be traveling to Beijing for other reasons.

This camp is intended to operate full-time, year round, different than the North American Woodward camps which are mostly seasonal.

The Chinese government paid the $4 million or so construction costs.

Watch a VIDEO of facility construction.

William Spencer skateboard vid

In my mind the least interesting and entertaining acrobatic “sport” is skateboard.

But if anyone can make it interesting and entertaining, it’s William Spencer.

Click PLAY or watch a highlight reel on YouTube. (half million views)

More gnarly shredding on thedenvershop YouTube channel.

(via FlipCatch)

related post – new Olympic sports – BMX 2008, skateboarding in 2012

Woodward Copper Mountain

The top American Olympic gymnast in 1988, Phoebe Mills, is one of the coaches at the fantastic new 20,000-square-foot “Barn at Copper” in Colorado.

Woodward-Copper.jpg
larger version

… “Woodward is the most progressive training environment on the planet for skateboard, BMX and in-line,” Woodward at Copper director Ben Brown said. “And we’re just going to continue that with the first-ever ski and snowboard version.” …

Woodward at Copper will offer a vast array of programs for all ability levels. It currently plans to open before the end of January with about a half-dozen trampolines, three pool- sized foam pits, a 35-foot big air ramp and a “jib park” with interchangeable features covered in a lubricated synthetic snow material. In addition to the resi mats, there is a large springboard gymnastics floor alongside the foam pits. A massive wooden bowl designed for skaters and freestyle bikers fills a corner of the building. …

Denver Post – Opening The Barn door

Woodward truly leads the Action Sport industry. Congratulations.

official website – Woodward at Copper

video – Woodward East camp highlights

If you’ve never been to the original, famed Woodward East, this (slightly dated) video will give you a good overview. Gymnastics, Cheer, BMX Inline, Skateboard, Snowboard, and more.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Woodward East – official website

Related post: Woodward East offers summer snowboarding

Shaun White does it again – X Games GOLD

Snowboard Superpipe:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The thing I admire most about skateboard / snowboarder Shaun White is how he goes for it, no matter what, when the medal is on the table.

Related post: new Olympic sports – BMX 2008, skateboarding in 2012

best skateboard dogs – videos

There’s no shortage of “dog on skateboard” videos. But the top 2 I find on the internet are Pete the Jack Russell and this beast:

Here’s Extreme Pete:

Both dogs have many highlight reels.

Leave a comment if you have seen any other animals that can compete with these two.

Jake Brown CRASH – X Games Big Air Skateboard

Follow-up …

Did you see the horrific fall at X Games 13 this past summer?

I deliberately did not link to that video. (Or any crash videos, for that matter. There’s far too much of that on YouTube already.)

Jake Brown actually walked away from a 50ft fall on to a material called “Skatelite”.

I only mention it on this site because I wondered how Jake was doing today.

Final diagnosis: minor concussion, broken wrist, bruised lungs.

Very, very lucky.

invisible skateboard video

Have you seen this yet?

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Woodward West winter camps

First time ever, Woodward West in California is offering a WINTER CAMP for skateboarding, BMX, in-line and mountain biking. Between Christmas and New Years.

Camp Woodward

Gymnasts can go off-season too, at a great price. Contact the camp for details.

Woodward-winter.jpg

world record longest handstand on a skateboard?

A former gymnastics coach, escape artist Houdenny (not Houdini) from Maryland, apparently once did a handstand on a skateboard towed by a car at 47 miles-per-hour.

I don’t want to see the video of that idiotic feat.

But these are cool:

Watch HOUDENNYS HANDSTAND ON A SKATEBOARD AT age-47 on YouTube.

Watch YouTube – HOUDENNYS ELBOW STAND ON A SKATEBOARD age-47 on YouTube.

1455447952_6796b1335b_o1.jpg
Houdenny – MySpace home page

Not to be outdone, “Dave” (age-44) claims “The World Record” for the longest handstand on a skateboard. On HWY 35 (backside of Mt. Hood) in Oregon, going approx. 2 plus miles (in 2006).

Click PLAY or watch video of Dave shot in March 2007 on YouTube.

Leave a comment if you know of other handstand / skateboard feats. (We’ll need video evidence to post them.)

new video – Skateboard Explained

Featuring Pro Dan MacFarlane, filmed at Woodward Lake Owen, this would be the ideal primer for any acrobat wanting to start training for 2012 Olympics Vert.

The instructional DVD … is currently available in stores like Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Target, Blockbuster and more.

~ Lake Owen Camp Action Sports Staff

Skateboarding Explained”

Skateboarding Explained – Amazon

Skateboarding Explained – official website

Owen.jpg
Lake Owen Camp

new Olympic sports – BMX 2008, skateboarding in 2012

The trend towards so-called extreme sports continues.

At Woodward West Camp, Mike Jacki told me he was very optimistic that skateboard will be added for the 2012 Olympics. The announcement should come October 2007. If anybody knows, it’s Mike Jacki.

BMX is already in for Beijing 2008. (For 2012 BMX Vert may be added in the same venue as Skateboard. And possibly other BMX events.)

BMX.jpg

Skateboarding is almost certain to make its Olympic debut at the London Games.

Leaders of the Olympic movement are determined to help the sport qualify for the 2012 event in an attempt to broaden the Games’ appeal to younger people.

The chances of skateboarding being included in the Games roster were boosted by the successful introduction of another “youth” sport. Snowboarding made its debut at last year’s Winter Olympics in Turin and provided some of the Games’ most memorable moments and, crucially for the IOC, attracted encouraging TV ratings among 20- to 35-year-olds.

The drive towards a younger audience will continue at the Beijing Games next year with the debut of BMX biking.

This was introduced to the Games by the International Cycling Union, which is on the verge of adopting skateboarding as it is a “wheelbased”-sport. …

Its popularity has grown rapidly and there are now around 13 million devotees worldwide, including 600,000 in Britain. The US continues to dominate the sport and the UK lags behind France and Scandinavian countries, where skateboarding forms part of the school curriculum. …

Skateboarding would be the envy of numerous other sports vying for Olympics status, which can provide a huge boost to grassroots participation and revenues.

Two years ago, rugby and golf both failed in their attempts to become part of the 2012 event. At the same time, the IOC cut baseball and softball from the roster.

The event most likely to be included in London is vert skating, which originated when skateboarders used disused swimming pools. Participants are awarded points for tricks and style.

Skateboarding to make Olympic debut in 2012 | News | This is London

Though Olympic skateboarding looks like a sure thing, the biggest roadblock left are those in skateboarding who feel Olympic inclusion will ruin the sport.

Buzzy Sullivan, Woodward Skate Director, had mixed feelings. He took up skateboard when it was an activity for “outsiders” who did not want to do tradtional competitive sports. Yet finds in 2007 that skateboard is already an accepted mainstream activity. In fact, where he lives, the greatest growth in the sport has come from girls taking up skateboard.

shaun-W.jpg
Mark J. Terrill / AP file

Shaun White catches air during skateboard vert practice for X Games Twelve. White is an Olympic medalist in snowboarding and could double up in Olympics if skateboarding is added to the Games.

Rad! Skateboarding could be an Olympic sport

Woodward West Camp

I was mentioned in the Camp newsletter. How about that.

Woodward-Rick.jpg

Download the entire VAULT Newsletter in PDF format on the Woodward West website.