Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in blake84rush's InsaneJournal:

Saturday, May 1st, 2010
10:44 am	Sliding a Longboard When you are going down a hill and you are just moving too fast for your own comfort, how do you slow down? Simple! Start sliding. Sliding is used by longboarders all over the world for reducing momentum. Lucky for you, its easy to learn. We will start by practicing the motions. One board that many downhill longboarders use is the loaded longboard. The loaded longboard was specifically designed with downhill longboarders in mind, and using a loaded longboard will definitely make your sliding experience easier and more pleasant. The reason these boards are so superior has to do with the fact that they are shaped specially, and, more importantly, the trucks are installed differently than on other longboards. This makes for a better sliding experience. The first time you try sliding, you will probably fall. This is unavoidable and is a part of the learning process. The other bad thing about learning to slide is that you can't really do a good slide unless you are really moving fast. This makes sliding terrifying. This consists of squatting down, grabbing your board, and shoving it out from underneath you using your back foot. This is easier said then done. Now you are pretty much ready to start sliding a longboard. Make sure to practice your motions really well, or when you get to the hill, you might get some unexpected results (death, serious injury, or maybe just some bruises and scrapes.) You can do it, though. It is easy. Just wear your safety gear and a helmet when you try it the first time. Need more reading material? Here you go: How to do an Ollie,Choosing the right skateboard,Being safe at the skatepark,How to do an Ollie, (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
11:35 pm	The Earths Biggest Skateparks Here's a list of some of the biggest skate parks around the world. Every skater should plan on visiting at least one of these in their lifetime. Black Pearl Skatepark, Grand Cayman Islands. This is the worlds largest outdoor concrete skatepark. It's size isn't justified by pictures that can be found online. The locals are awesome, too (having been to Black Pearl personally, I can vouch for them). This park has a lot of cool features, like an over vert half pipe, a half sphere, and a huge, deadly quarterpipe. There is a skull painted the giant quarter pipe, so you know it's dangerous. There are a few smaller ramps, too, for amateur skaters. Lake Cunningham Regional Skatepark, California. This park is famous for its 70 foot long full pipe. Can anyone actually skate it? Probably not without being towed by an ATV or similar. There are plenty of pools and even a street course at this park. Bikes are allowed, but not in the bowls. Sweet. Anyway, those are some famous parks. If you do visit any of them, please make sure that you take care of yourself by wearing proper safety gear. You can't skate with a broken head! If this article has you interested in a skateboard bearing press, then go buy one! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
9:59 pm	The Skateboard Ollie How high can you ollie? This is a question many skaters ask each other when they're trying to find out who the better skater is. What if you can't ollie though? Keep reading, I'll teach you as best as I can through text. The history of the ollie should be explained before the method itself. Alan Gelfand - called 'Ollie' by his peers, invented the ollie around 1978 or 1979. If you didn't know already, an ollie is a trick skaters do to get the deck airborne using just his legs and feet. By this I mean wear your pads. If you're not wearing all of your pads, you could be in for a serious hurting. Also, as a disclaimer, it's not my fault if you fall and hurt yourself. If you haven't been skating for long, the ollie is going to be difficult because it requires your entire body to be in sync and in balance. Since the ollie requires that you are perfectly synchronized, you may not be prepared to try it on pavement. The board could slip out and that would be bad. I recommend trying the ollie on some grass or soft carpet. Place your back foot on the tail of the deck, and your front foot near the center of it. At first, this will seem odd. You will probably fall off a bunch of times, and probably not get any air time, but after a while you'll start getting small amounts of air and you'll only get better from there. It considerably improves your chances of performing an ollie if you do the aforementioned steps as quickly as possible. The ollie is not a slow maneuver. You have to train your feet to be quick in order to pull it off properly. Try not to flick your front foot to the right or left. If you do this, you'll end up spinning the board left or right, and doing a kickflip/heelflip depending on your footing (goofy vs regular). As I mentioned earlier keep practicing. After a while, you'll be busting out huge ollies. This is when you get creative and throw in some cool tricks. Don't forget to wear your safety gear, and good luck with those ollies! If you're interested in putting bearings in your wheels without wrecking them, try a skateboard bearing press (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
9:23 pm	Where skateboards come from A skater cannot skate without a skateboard deck. This piece of wood is specially shaped so that the skater can remain in complete control over the tricks that he or she does. But how are these decks made? Well, it starts with the wood. Many rectangular strips of veneer are made out of the maple tree. These strips of veneer will be layered to create the skateboard deck. Any pieces that are too flawed to create a skateboard will be thrown away or recycled. The strips of veneer are then arranged into different types, one with the grain running horizontally along the rectangle, and the other with the grain going against it. The pieces of veneer are then sent into a device that will apply glue to the thin sheets. This glue is just a regular, water based wood glue. With glue on the veneer, the pieces are stacked to create the beginnings of a skate deck. Almost all skateboard decks are 7 ply skate decks. This simply means that seven layers of veneer have been stacked to make it. Once the veneer is layered correctly, it's ready to go into the skateboard press. Depending on what kind of deck is being created, the wood will be processed in different presses. An old school shape and a new school shape have to be pressed in different machines, because the noses and tails are very different. The skateboard press converts the flat pieces of veneer into something with a little bit more shape. After being pressed, the skateboard decks are left to cure for twenty-four hours or even longer. If the skateboards weren't left to dry before further processing, they would likely warp and be unskateable. After drying, the decks are processed even more. After the skateboard has been cut from the pressed veneer, the holes are drilled for the trucks. Once the deck has been shaped, the edges are sanded manually by a worker. Many skateboard manufacturers have a sanding drum that the workers use to sand down the sharp edge on the deck. Sanding the edges also can keep the deck from splintering if it collides with a wall or something similar. The deck is not complete without a graphic. Skateboard manufacturers screen print deck graphics onto a sheet of plastic, and then transfer the image to the skateboard with heat. Once the graphic has been transferred to the board, the skate deck is covered with a coating that will help to preserve the skate deck and also the graphic. This lacquer also gives a pretty shine to the deck, and brings out the color of the wood. The skateboard is then placed in a box and shipped to one of the many skateshops around the world, for an excited skater to buy and enjoy. If you want more reading material, look no further: How to use the skatepark,Good skateboard safety practices,Good skateboard safety practices,Good skateboard safety practices, (Comment on this)
4:35 pm	Interesting Downhill Spots The best downhill spots have a combination of steepness and length. Some are more difficult than others, obviously. Here's a list of some interesting downhill spots. You probably don't want to really skate any of them, but they would be cool to check out if you were in the area. Just do a quick google search for any of these and you will see what exactly I'm talking about when I mention these streets. Lombard street, san francisco. If you're able to skate on this, then you are a master downhill skater. Lombard street is very uneven and bumpy; sketch to the max. Baldwin street, New Zealand. This is the steepest street in the world. It's 300 meters long and has a thirty-five percent grade; baldwin street is the most dangerous place in the universe for anything with 4 wheels. I don't think sliding would slow you down here. U.S. highway 50, nevada. This highway stretches on for many miles and takes you from 3k feet above sealevel to sealevel. It is insanely steep, and also incredibly wide, thanks to a revision done in 2000. Interstate 80 - this 2899 mile highway connects california to new jersey. Its not all downhill, but a couple parts of it are. You can skitch the rest of the way. Or push yourself. 2899 miles is a very long trip with a skateboard. Unless you have something from carver skateboards. Mauna kea, hawaii. Twenty-Six miles of street built on the side if one of hawaii's biggest active volcanoes. It's a shield volcano, though, meaning the lava flows rather than erupts (similar to mount st. Helens) Chances are good you won't skate any of these (and neither will anyone else) but at least you have something to put on your bucket list... right? (Comment on this)
Monday, April 26th, 2010
11:26 pm	Go outside and skateboard Looking for something to do? Get a skateboard. Already have a skateboard? There are lots of things you can do to have fun with it. Keep reading and you'll know what I'm talking about. Or you can just install some carver trucks and be done with it. Disclaimer: skateboarding can be a dangerous sport. Whenever you ride your skateboard, there's a possibility that you could get hurt. It's important that you understand this. Before doing the fun things that I have put together below, it's important for you to acquire all the proper safety equipment required for skateboarding. As a skateboarder, you should make safety your priority. If you don't wear the right equipment, there is a chance that you may never skate again. Skateboards are great because they can be used almost anywhere. Indoors and outdoors, up hills, down hills, and on flat ground. They're simple to use, too. Just hop on and go. Skateboarding is the ultimate freedom. If you already have a skateboard, but you're getting bored of it, try building a ramp! A ramp can be as simple as a board stacked up on a couple of bricks. When I was younger, I made a ramp out of a two-by-four and a piece of plywood. Cut the two by four diagonally, and nail the plywood to it. Instant ramp! If you want something even easier, and you live in suburbia or any other residential area, use the curbs in front of your house. These are lots of fun to skate on. If you're good, you can skate them like mini concrete waves. Curbs can also be like a miniature skatepark. They're perfect for practicing small tricks, and can be used as a ramp. Alternatively, you could jump from the street to the curb, using the gutter as a little mini gap. When I was young, my friends and I made things dangerous by jumping over each other with the ramp we made. I can't recommend this, because it's just so dangerous. However, we did have lots of fun finding objects to stack, and then trying to gap those. Speaking of gaps, we used to play a game where you stack up your skateboard and then your friends ollie over it. If someone doesn't make it, then they add their board to the pile. This keeps going until there's only one person left, and this person is the winner. Skateboard games are lots of fun, but if you don't have friends then you can go check out your local skatepark. Not only is the skateboard park a lot of fun, but it's a great opportunity to meet people like yourself. There are many ways to have fun with your skateboard. You're certainly not limited to what has been listed here. The best thing you can do is to go outside and brainstorm while you skate. Don't forget your safety equipment! Want more? Check out Skateboarding at your local skatepark,How to skate a skatepark,Buying Your First Skateboard,Picking a Skateboard, (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 24th, 2010
11:37 am	Being safe at the skatepark It is lots of fun to skate at the skatepark, but if you're not careful, it can be seriously hazardous. Keep reading and you will learn how to stay out of trouble and also keep yourself from getting hurt at the skatepark. The first thing you need to do is find a skatepark. There are lots of them out there, but it's up to you to find one. If you're not sure where to look, ask your local skateboard shop if they can help you find one. Once you find a skatepark, you should go and check it out. I recommend that you go and look at it before you try to skate it. Going to survey the skatepark is great because you can kind of see what you're going to be dealing with. The first time you go to the skatepark, you should do it early in the morning. Not super early, but early enough that you're the only one there, or at least close to it. When you're early you'll be in a better position to skate. If you don't have a skateboard for this, consider checking out HERE!HERHERHEHEHE Thankfully, since you went to the skatepark early, you should be the only skater. You will not have to worry about colliding with another skater, or having other skaters collide into you. The skatepark should be free and open in the early morning. The early morning makes the skatepark perfect and ready to skate. You also don't have to worry about being watched. The worst feeling a new skater can have is the fear of being watched. It makes you feel like you're putting on a show when there are other skaters at the skatepark. Many newcomers to the skatepark are intimidated by this. It's important to understand that the other skaters probably don't even care that you're there, at the skatepark. As long as you're not running into other skateboarders or flinging your skateboard deck all over the place, then the other skaters won't even notice you. When you're ready to skate, put on all of your safety equipment. You're going to get hurt eventually, it helps to be prepared by wearing your safety equipment. It's not a great idea to head straight to the skatepark if you haven't skateboarded before. You should definitely practice skateboarding in your own neighborhood first, and then head to the skatepark after you get your balance and stance right. Most skateboarders are used to the perfectly flat ground that their neighborhood is made out of. You will notice that there are obstacles at the skatepark, such as bowls or half pipes, which make skateboarding difficult again. You will want to try and tackle these objects slowly, a little bit at a time. Don't hit a bowl going as fast as you can; you'll probably crash. Just take it easy. Go down a couple of inclines at slow speeds. Don't forget to bend your knees. Also, try to have fun. If you fall, be prepared for it. Don't let falling get the best of you. Always avoid other skaters. They don't want to run into you, and you probably don't want to run into them. This is the main reason you would want to visit the skatepark in the morning. There are less obstacles for you to avoid. Try not to get angry if you fall off. You'll be doing that a lot. Don't throw in the towel, either. Giving up early is not how you get better at skateboarding. The bottom line is to just have fun. Also, wear your safety gear! Don't forget to pickup a set of seismic trucks (Comment on this)
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
11:26 pm	Picking a Skateboard Choosing a skateboard is a hard decision to make. There are many types of skateboards out there, and if you aren't sure what type of skater you are, then you'll have a tough time picking a good deck. The first thing most skateboarders do when they choose a skateboard is to pick a size. The type of skating you do determines the width of the deck that you'll need to get. If you get the wrong width deck, you may find it hard to skate on. If you have been skating a certain deck for a while, there's a good chance that your body has gotten used to the feeling of it. You should try and purchase a board that's as similar to that board as possible. If you get a new deck, and it's a different size, you may find it hard to do tricks that you used to land with ease. If you plan on skating street, or if you're already a street skater, then you will want to get a deck that is eight inches wide or less. A board in this size range will help you perform flip tricks more easily. Skateboard decks under 8 inches are great for street skaters because they are more maneuverable than a wider deck. Since there isn't as much wood for your feet to get tripped up on, you're going to be able to get a little more technical with your board. If you are a vert or pool skater, you will want to get a skateboard that is eight inches or bigger. A wider deck will give you more control over the board, at the cost of maneuverability. A wide deck is less maneuverable because there is more wood that you have to deal with. This shouldn't matter if you're skating pipes and pools, because you won't really be doing ground tricks that involve flipping the deck. When someone talks about a skateboard deck, they are usually referencing the modern popsicle stick design. These are great, but there are other boards, too. The ten inch pigs from the eighties are an example of an awesome old school deck that not too many people ride anymore. The eighties skateboard decks are perfect for skating pipes and pools. They are quite stable, but aren't so good for flip tricks. They aren't the best board for performing flip tricks because they're so bulky and large. The eighties style ten inch pigs also don't have much of a front nose for you to work with, so tricks like the nollie are just out of the question. The other type of deck is the longboard. If you're not into doing tricks, then the longboard is probably the deck you need. The longboard gives some good control, and, thanks to it's linear shape, allows you to build up some speed. Since you now know that there are many different types of boards out there, you should go and get one! If this little guide didn't really help you, then take a trip to your local skateboard shop, the people working there should be happy to help you out. If you want a cool set of trucks, check out seismic trucks (Comment on this)