The Pocket Park Challenge went off yesterday as skaters young and old tore apart the oldest park in Duluth. It was a cloudy day in the 60's, a perfect recipe for everyone involved. A new 40+ "Fedora" division was added this year to join the "Jacket" and "Tie" age groups. Big ups to Girl, Chocolate, Royal, Lakai and Happy Hour for sponsoring the event. Check out the Photos and results below!
Photos: Lloyd Fisher
Winners from left to right: Carter put together some impressive runs to take home his 4th "Jacket" title, Ollie cruised to his first "Tie" victory and his dad Eric skated solid all day and claimed the "Fedora" division. Josh Kuno took home best trick on the new DIY rail. Nice work dudes!
Jacket Division
1st - Carter Nguyen
2nd - Caleb Gibson
3rd - Stephen Pestalozzi
Tie Division
1st - Ollie Christopherson
2nd - Ian Gunnelson
3rd - Otto Winnings
Fedora Division
1st - Eric Christopherson
2nd - Bill Howes
3rd - Mark Villasenor
Eric greases a mean front board on the new DIY rail over the grass.
Josh Kuno stomped a front board pretzel out on the grass gap rail to take home best trick. Whether it's snow or concrete, Kuno riiiiips.
The trophies: jacket, tie and fedora.
Boss man Ben hyping up the judges and crowd.
Smooth operator Stephen Pestalozzi with a nosegrind on the bench.
It might be a contest but everyone is friends here.
Damage legend Kyle Walczak with that POP over the bank.
Last Thursday, June 21st was international Go Skate Day, one of our favorite days of the year. We had about 50 skaters participate in a cruise from the shop to the lighthouse in Canal Park with a few stops along the way. Thanks to all who came out to celebrate with us and a special shout out to Kyle Patterson for shooting these photos.
En route to our first pit stop where Evan Hughes won himself a set of wheels for slaying the barriers at the overpass.
Team rider Kyle Walczak with a healthy dose of POP. The high ollie contest ended in a tie but Carter not only ollied, he kickflipped 16 decks to win the long jump... That stunt earned him a set of bearings. The kid knows how to ride his skateboard.
We saw a lot of familiar faces and a few new ones. Skateboarding's ability to bring people together is awesome.
Evan Hughes was firing all night.
Father-son duo Eric and Ollie were out stacking clips!
We took our annual photo at the lighthouse before heading to Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar for some much needed food and beverages. Thank you skateboarding!
This year marked the 10th anniversary of the POCKET PARK SHOWDOWN. We had a great turn out and a very diverse group of skaters. Watching the young guys gun it out for the tie was especially fun. After each run was done there was cheering and high fives all around. Everyone was genuinely stoked on each other's riding which is what skating is all about! Two solid run's from each skater in the "tie" division made it especially difficult for the judges to pick the top three. In the end Ian Gunelson took 3rd, Elton Skog got 2nd and our winner was Simon Walters!! Great work dudes!
This year's fight for the jacket featured a heavy list of local shredders. Joaquin Figureroa, Kyle Walczak and Carter Nguyen stood out to the judges though and took home the top spot.
3rd: Joaquin
2nd: Kyle
1st: Carter
Thanks to everyone who came out and added to the pages of the Pocket Park Showdown history book.
I was always aware of and interested in the cinematography of skateboarding videos whenever I would watch them. After trying filming a few times with some friends using my family camera, I knew this was something I wanted to keep doing and progress at. It was so much fun! I wasn't really progressing with my skating as quickly as my friends were and being a filmer sounded more appealing to me. So in 2008, I bought a cheap Sony Handycam and a crappy fisheye off Ebay to get myself started. Filming has stuck with me ever since and it brings me more and more joy every time I do it. There's nothing like bringing home a batch of footage that you've filmed that you can put music to and experiment with. Filming can be more fun for me than skating itself sometimes.
What's your thought process when thinking about how to film a shot?
When filming a shot I always try to film each one different than the last. Looking at the environment is the most important part when figuring out a shot, in my opinion. After that, you can consider applying zoom, framing, panning, and movement to the environment.
I've had too many to have a favorite, but the St. Luke's lady was a pretty good one. Stephen got his trick right as she was screaming at the top of her lungs for us to get out ha ha. I've been ID'ed by officers downtown for skating countless times. They've all been pretty cool about it. Parking enforcers and Clean and Safe people have freaked out on us a few times. I've also had a few times where the person kicking us out is stoked on skating. That's always nice to encounter!
Have you ever taken a trip to film skateboarding outside of MN?
I've flown to Los Angeles twice to film and both times were amazing. Filming at Venice beach on my first trip in 2013 was one of the most memorable moments I've ever had. I can't even describe the feeling of going to all of the famous skate spots I saw in videos growing up and getting to skate/film at them. It was a dream come true. Oh yeah, and the burritos in LA are phenomenal. When it's summer in Minnesota, I'll take an occasional trip down to Minneapolis to film. There's nothing like watching a Minneapolis video by Chris Burt or Pete Spooner to get ya psyched on the Twin Cities spots!
Video you'd watch again and again?
Globe Opinion
What's your favorite edit you've made?
Probably the Spring Sprung edit from 2014
Who has the most on camera freak-outs?
Kyle Walczak
What else besides skateboarding and filming?
running, fishing, food, work, house
Some advice to the younger generation or any aspiring filmer..
Have fun and make friends! Come up with your own ideas and stick to em'.
Any projects you're working on or future planned projects??
:)
Shout-outs??
Everyone at and associated with Damage Boardshop and The Encounter. Taylor Kline at Prove Gallery and anyone that I've ever filmed/skated with. I cherish every relationship and there's just too many people to mention. You guys know who you are!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Give Mike a follow via Instagram @mikerapaich and also be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel where you can dig back in the archives to watch some of his first edits as well as keep up on the latest.
Here's the latest edit from Mike featuring The Carter Building,
The Encounter, and a whole lot your favorite Duluth rippers.
Team rider Kyle Walczak has been busy testing out the new Converse "Weapon" Shoe and decided to give it a session at the newly re-paved Midtown Skatepark.
The CONSWeapon Skate combines the classic elements of the iconic Weapon with elevated functional design for skateboarding including enhanced durability, comfort and fit. The sneaker comes equipped with a drop-in Lunarlon sockliner that provides cushioning, perforated memory foam and a gusseted tongue construction.
A mesh underlay on the hallmark Star Chevron increases breathability and CONS Traction Rubber enhances a skater’s grip while providing the resilience needed to match the rigor of the streets.
If you think you're ready to step to this reborn classic shoe then run your keister down to Damage Boardshop and try a pair on!
Every Friday we will be uploading an edit featuring one of our team riders. To start off the TGIF series, here is Kyle Walczak shredding the mini ramp in Gary New Duluth. This week's video also features MoFunna owner Bill Howes and our local homie, Tummer! Stay Tuned!
Filmed and Edited by MIKE RAPAICH.
View mobile by clicking HERE.
Big congratulations to Mike Rapaich for taking second place in Sk8mafia's Do It Yourself contest featuring shop riders John Feick, Kyle Walczak, Steve Seitz, and many other shop homies!
The Almost 5-Incher in-store premiere was a success!
Kyle Walczak: "It only takes 20 minutes to 1: Make you question your skateboarding abilities. 2: Re-evaluate what is possible on your skateboard. And 3: Make you want to go out and get tricks!"
Good homies showed up to check out the video all day long!
Grab yourself a copy at Damage now!
And for only $6.00, you don't have any excuse to miss this one!
