April 16, 2005 - Roundwall Roundup - YMCA/Grindline Skatepark - Nags Head, NC - Cash Prizes, Live Music and Big Trucks. Groms : 12 and under, Women: Open, Men: 1A and 2A, Open Division (money). Sign up at 8 am. Ten dollar entry fee. Tshirt included. Bands include Nag Chaumpa, Painsaver and Lost Tribe. For sponsorship info, please email info@ypark.org. For more go to www.eastcoastaholic.com.

VENICE, CA SKATEPARK COMMUNITY MEETING - The first community meeting in regards to the Venice Skatepark is being held Tuesday, April 12th at 6pm at the Boys & Girls Club on 2232 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA. The meeting is open to the community and has been scheduled to get input from the public. All local skateboarders and skatepark designers are encouraged to attend. Design ideas for the Venice Skatepark will be discussed.

R.I.P. Dennis "Polar Bear" Agnew - Photo: Ted Terrebonne - A paddle out memorial will be held at 10am - Sunday April 10, 2005 at the Venice Breakwater, Venice, CA.

REST IN PEACE POLAR BEAR - In loving memory and support of the legendary Z-Boy Dennis "Polar Bear" Agnew, George Wilson will be designing a memorial/tribute/donation board based off of his original Z-Flex model. Doug Smith, who did all the art for Polar Bear's boards, will be drawing the graphics and all of the proceeds of the board sales will be donated to his immediate family.. George is also thinking about doing a short run of about 30 George Wilson hand cut and shaped Polar Bear decks priced at around $300 of which all will go directly to Dennis Agnew's children. For details email: PolarBearFund@zflex.com. Pre-order at www.zflex.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Danny Way and Colin McKay, in association with Syndrome Distribution, proudly present the official relaunch of Plan B Skateboards and the new Plan B team. Originally founded in 1991 by Mike Ternasky, Plan B Skateboards was one of the most influential skateboard companies of the decade. After Mike's tragic death in 1997, Danny and Colin took ownership of the brand. Focused more on skateboarding than running a company, Danny and Colin decided to temporarily shelf the brand… until now. In addition to Danny Way and Colin McKay the new line up consists of PJ Ladd, Paul Rodriguez and Ryan Gallant. The brand's new direction will be in the hands of former Plan B pro Sal Barbier. Syndrome will be handling the manufacturing and distribution end of the brand. Visit www.syndromedist.com

Christian Hosoi - Vans Combi - Orange, CA - Photo: Dan Levy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Body Glove is proud to announce “Body Glove Surfbout Presented by Adio” set to take place April 26-30, 2005 at, arguably the best competition wave in the Mainland U.S., Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California. The Body Glove Surfboat has gained momentum this year with a significantly larger prize purse, more points and a bigger draw to the best surfers in the world. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) event comes back as a WQS-rated men’s (four-star) and women’s (four-star) event officially launching the west coast leg of the Surfing America Pro Tour in North America. The men's event has upgraded from a two-star rated last year to a four-star and boasts a $75,000 prize purse tripling last year's $25,000 purse. The women's event has increased from a one-star rating to a four-star rating and offers a $20,000 purse up from $5,000 last year. Other sponsors include Giant Bicycles and Hawaiian Tropic. With media support from PRIMEDIA’s Action Sports Group (ASG), publisher of SURFER, SURFING and SG, as well as FUEL TV, the event is part of a three-year plan to help strengthen surfing in America. The past "winners list" reads like a who’s who of the pro surfing world with the vast majority of champions either having been a current, former or future WCT (World Championship Tour) competitor. Household names like Andy Irons (Kaui), Kelly Slater (Florida), Rob Machado (Cardiff), Taylor Knox (Carlsbad), Shane Beschen (San Clemente), Lisa Andersen (Florida) and Rochelle Ballard (Hawaii) have all won titles. Lured by the attraction of surfing Trestles, a sold-out field is anticipated for both divisions (208 men and 32 women). Competitors will range from many of the world’s top pro men and women to first-timers, all competing for a total of $95,000 in cash and prizes.

H-STREET RETURNS - T-Mag outta Osiris and into Hell-Concave! Check it out at http://www.trademarksafeguard.com/tm_detail.html?sn=78587694

QUIKSILVER NEWS - Quiksilver has acquired Surfection, an Australian retail chain, which will join Quiksilver's more than 240 Boardriders Club stores throughout the world. The acquisition is integral to Quiksilver's current retail growth and its long term Asia Pacific strategy in opening Boardriders Club stores in Japan, China and South East Asia that complement its substantial wholesale business. Copyright 2005 SportsNewsSource, LLC

INDEPENDENT TRUCK COMPANY LAUCHES NEW WEB SITE BASED ON THE BOOK BUILT TO GRIND - Independent Truck Company just launched a new web site that covers the company’s rich history as well as current product, ads, and team riders. The site is packed full of content including videos, photo galleries and product history dating from today back to the company’s origins, over 27 years ago. For information about Independent Truck Company’s history or products, log on to www.independenttrucks.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2005 Life Rolls On Golf Tournament and Concert - The 7th Annual Life Rolls On Night By The Ocean and Golf Tournament is scheduled to be held July 24th and July 25th, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA. The Night By The Ocean evening includes dinner, door prizes, auction, celebrities, and a fantastic concert. Save your energy for the following morning, as the annual Golf Tournament rolls into the Malibu Country Club. Spaces are already filling up, and registration is extremely limited. To register: https://www.kintera.org/

IAN MACKAYE has a new musical side project called The Evens featuring Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina. For more info and tour dates: www.dischord.com.

DAMN AM CONTEST - Friday, June 10, 2005 to Sunday, June 12, 2005 - Adio and Hawk Clothing Present The Damn Am at 3rd Lair Skatepark in Minneapolis, Minnesota - Amateur street and bowl skateboarding contest for factory sponsored ams only. You can also qualify for Tampa Am. Only your team manager from a legitimate, national skateboard company can register someone. Individual registration is not allowed at this point. Email Rob@DamnAm.com to register for the contest or email Brian@DamnAm.com to sponsor the event. Check www.DamnAm.com for contest details.

ICE LOUNGE NEWS - Salman Agah and friends just started up a new online skate community called www.icelounge.com.

VIDEO PREMIERE - "Skatecolorado- Mountains of Trannys" will premier April 16th at the Dark Horse Saloon in Boulder, CO. The video features skateparks, backyard ramps, natural terrain, contests and demos found throughout Colorado. The soundtrack features Colorado's finest punk, hardcore, metal and country. The weekend will be full of great sessions at Denver's best spots, so it's well worth the trip. More info at: http://skatecolorado.com/theVideo/

OZZFEST 2005 will feature Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Mudvayne, Shadows Fall, Black Label Society, and on the second stage - Rob Zombie, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Mastodon, A Dozen Furies, The Haunted, In Flames, Arch Enemy, Bury Your Dead, The Black Dahlia Murder, It Dies Today, Soilwork, Trivium. The tour kicks off July 15, 2005 in Boston, MA and hits cities all over America through Sept 4, 2005. For more go to www.ozzfest.com.

DVS NEWS - Dennis Busenitz has joined the DVS team. - Dennis has a part in the Volcom video and the latest release from REAL, Roll Forever. Congrats to Dennis on his recent win at the Tampa Pro! Go to DVSSkate.com for details. SKATE MORE WORLD PREMIERE - May 16, 2005 - Hollywood, Ca. Invite Only. Go to Skate-More.com

Zero Skateboards new vid “New Blood” is now premiering at select cities. Invite only.

BALLARD BOWL UPDATE - The Ballard Bowl is dead and demolition is scheduled. It turns out that Airspeed Skateparks is going to build the new bowl which should be even better than the first. A wake is being held for the Ballard Bowl on May 7th - Cover will be $5. There will be all-ages-action happening at Marley’s in the early afternoon (1pm-6pm) with live music and at the Sunset Tavern for the 21+ crowd from the evening into the night (6pm – 2am). Five bands will play. The PSSA will be sponsoring the first annual Puget Sound Skateboarding Film Festival at the wake. There is no entry fee. Marley’s and The Sunset Tavern will also be hosting a skater-art show. Sign up for the PSSA yahoogroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pugetsoundsk8/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -Split is proud to welcome Johnny Layton to its skate team. At 19 years old Johnny is undoubtedly one of the top am’s in the world. Johnny Joins, Billy Marks, Jim Gagne, Anthony Shetler, Damien Smith and Mathias Ringstrom on the skate team. Johnny also rides for Toy Machine, Vans, Thunder trucks, Ricta wheels and Active. For more information check out www.splitusa.com.

BUCKY LASEK WILL HIT MTV’S CRIBS - Bucky’s episode airs on April 12, 2005 at 10:30 pm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Paul Trep is the newest edition to Darkstar's elite team. Paul's other sponsors include, DC shoes, RDS clothing, Anex trucks and Top of the World Skateshop.

VIDEO PREMIERE ONLINE - TotalVid, the leading video download store for action sports, anime, and travel enthusiasts, is rolling out the virtual red carpet on May 2 with the exclusive world premiere of the Globe 2005 World Cup Skateboarding video, filmed recently in Melbourne, Australia. An entire month before it hits retail stores across the world, this will be the first and only one-stop online location where skateboarding fans can see photos from the competition, purchase via download this much-anticipated video, win great prizes, and chat live with the video’s executive producer. During the exclusive virtual red carpet premiere on May 2, fans can chat live with Executive Producer Brett Hardy for a behind-the-scenes look at what you’ll see, and won’t see, on the video. Beginning at the premiere, the video will be available for download for $3.99 to be viewed as many times as you like for 7 days, so you can be the first to watch this with your friends before it hits the stores on June 2, 2005. DVD pre-orders can also be placed on the TotalVid website. All those that download or pre-order the video in May from TotalVid will be eligible to win daily prizes such as Globe T-shirts, posters, and more. After unlimited viewing over a seven day period, these download rentals expire through digital rights management. Before customers spend over $20 on a DVD, they can download it from TotalVid for as low as $1.99. If they like it and want to buy the DVD version from TotalVid, TotalVid refunds customers the cost of the download. In addition, customers receive the permanent download version – free of expiration. For more details visit www.totalvid.com.

Daggers! Dave Duncan at Glendale Skatepark, Glendale, CA - Photo: Dan Levy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Effective March 31, 2005, O’Neill Clothing President Kelly Gibson assumes the additional role as president of D.C.C., which holds the license for Lost Clothing USA. After a brief transition period, Gibson will then become CEO of both companies. Current O’Neill and D.C.C. (Lost Clothing USA) CEO John Warner will then move into the position of Chairman of O’Neill and Lost. Although O’Neill Clothing and Lost Clothing USA share the same facility in Irvine, Calif., the two companies will remain independent entities with separate personnel. Gibson has already created a new position, reporting directly to him, of V.P. of Sales, Marketing and Merchandising for Lost Clothing USA. Additional organizational changes will be announced shortly. Gibson’s ascendancy to the position of CEO and President for O’Neill and Lost Clothing USA comes on the heels of yet another record year for O’Neill Clothing. The brand has doubled its sales in the past three years. Internationally, O’Neill is firmly entrenched as one of the top three surf companies globally. Lost Clothing USA has also posted strong numbers, growing 40 percent from 2003 to 2004. Consumer information is available at www.oneill.com and www.lostenterprises.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Surf & Reggae Fans - The JAH SURF parties are going on the road and bringing back 'Third Thursdays.' 'Third Thursdays' are returning Thursday April 21 at the Purdy Lounge 1811 Purdy Av South Beach, FL just west of Alton Road and 21st St. A press party for the release of Buju Banton's new single 'Magic City' and music video will happen from 8-10pm. Then the party starts at 10p and til 12m ladies drink free. JAH SURF will have the world premiere of the surf video 'International Hot Shots,' with footage from the North Shore starring the Irons Brothers, the Hobgoods, the Lopez's, Slater, Parko, Wardo and more. Courtesy of One Eye Productions. Two rooms of reggae music the main room will be LANCE-O spinning reggae and dancehall and the back room w/Mello-D spinning dub and roots. All this and it's absolutely free. Special surprise guest pro surfers. JAH SURF goes on the road starting Friday April 8th. JAH SURF will be at the Dunes 641 A1A Beach Blvd in St Augustine, Florida for SE ESA Regionals. We will premiere the International Hot Shots surf video, live performance from WOOKIE J & Chillum and music by LANCE-O & DJ Raggamuffin. Doors open at 7pm adm $2 until 10:30 pm. It will be $5 and free drinks untill 11pm. JAH SURF moves to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Saturday April 9th. The venue is Twisted Sister Beach Blvd. Start time is 8pm adm $2 and $5 for VIP which includes all you can eat buffet. We wil shot 'International Hot Shots' and WOOKIE J & Chillum will also perform and music by LANCE-O and DJ Raggamuffin... JAH SURF moves to St Petersburg, Florida to Boomer's Boiler Room 6990 Seminole. Live performances from One Drop & Elevated. International Hot Shots will premiere and music by LANCE-O. JAH SURF would also like to inform the massive about our T-shirts, Lycras and surfboards. If you would like to order any of these items please call 305.669.2797 or email info@jahsurf.com. JAH SURF is also looking for old photos of South Beach and video footage as well. Please contact lanceo@jahsurf.com or call 305.534.6110. JAH SURF's wave report and entertainment hotline is 786.276.OLAS(6527). For more go to www.jahsurf.com

April 30, 2005 - 88 presents "BowlORama" at Bryggeriet in Malmo, Sweden. Sponsored by Juice Magazine, Innes, Consolidated, Defekt, Giftorn, Blackout Skateboardz, Lip Service Wheel Co, Strestlab, Semester, Washed Up Skateboards, Deathbox. Go to www.bryggeriet.org to check out the park and go to and www.pitbox.se to find out more about the Swedish rippers in the bowl contest. Email JuiceMag@aol.com for details.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 88 FOOTWEAR AUSTRALIAN TOUR - SYDNEY - 9th April - DEMO - 3pm @ Maroubra Beach Skatepark.... CANBERRA - 12th April -DEMO - 4pm @ Weston Creek Skatepark (Scout Place, Weston Creek).... MELBOURNE - 16th April - DEMO - 4pm @ Coburg Skatepark (Cnr Gaffney St & Jersey St Coburg)..... HOBART - 18th April - DEMO - 4pm @ Hobart EC Skatepark (Cnr Tasma St and Murray St, North Hobart)

2005 PATRICK KERR SKATEBOARD SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS - The application deadline for the 2005 Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship is April 20th.  This is the only college scholarship fund for skateboarders.  Awards are based on activism for skateboarders.  For application information, visit www.skateboardscholarship.org 

ThreeSixteen Skate Contest Series 2005
Contest# 1: Sat. April 23rd at Boarderline Skate, West Chester, PA.
Contest #2: Sat. July 9th at X-Games Skate Park, Philly, PA.
Contest# 3: Sat. Sept.17th at Boarderline Skate, West Chester, PA.
Contest#4: Sat. Oct. 29th at X-Games Skate Park, Philly, PA.
ThreeSixteen Skateboading 34 Longview Rd. East Fallowfield, PA. 19320. For info go to www.Three16.com

For Immediate – The Dew Action Sports Tour, the first-ever, season-long professional multi-sport tour in action sports, has released its qualification criteria and pre-qualified athletes.  The announcement was made today by Wade Martin, General Manager, Dew Action Sports Tour. The 2005 Dew Action Sports Tour will feature competitions in the six disciplines of Skateboarding Park and Vert; BMX Dirt, Park and Vert; and Freestyle Motocross.  Athletes may qualify for the Panasonic Open and Right Guard Open, the Tour’s first two events, in one of four ways: Pre-qualification based on results of top action sports competitions in the past year... Open-qualifying competitions on-site at the two events, open to professional athletes in each sport... Two to three wild card spots per discipline, to be filled at the discretion of Tour management. Results from the Panasonic Open (applicable to the Right Guard Open only) After the first two Tour stops, current Dew Action Sports Tour rankings will determine the athlete field for the Vans® Invitational, Toyota Challenge and PlayStation® Pro.  Wild card spots will be included at all Tour stops. Some of the pre-qualified athletes for the Panasonic Open include skateboarders Bucky Lasek, Andy Macdonald, Pierre Luc Gagnon, Eric Koston and Ryan Sheckler; BMX riders Dave Mirra, Jamie Bestwick, Chad Kagy, Ryan Nyquist and TJ Lavin; and FMX riders Nate Adams, Jeremy Stenberg and Kenny Bartram. A complete list of pre-qualified athletes and qualifying criteria is attached. “The Dew Action Sports Tour’s qualification system recognizes the accomplishments of the best-performing athletes over the last year, but still provides opportunities for other top athletes and new talent to gain entry through the open qualifier,” said Wade Martin, General Manager, Dew Action Sports Tour.  “The structure of the Tour has been designed to produce top athlete fields through a comprehensive qualifying process, while providing context and continuity through a cumulative points system and purse structure.”  A cumulative points system will be used to rank athletes throughout the season.  At the conclusion of each Tour stop, athletes will be awarded points that correspond to their final placing in each discipline, and will be ranked accordingly. During the inaugural season of the Dew Action Sports Tour, a total of $2.5 million will be awarded through the five events, making it the largest prize purse in action sports history.  Every athlete, regardless of final standing, will earn prize money at each Tour stop. In addition, a $1 million bonus pool will be distributed, based on season-ending point standings, to the top 10 finishers in each discipline.  Final point standings will also determine the recipients of the Dew Cup, which will be awarded to champions in the six combined disciplines within skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross. The complete 2005 Dew Action Sports Tour schedule is as follows: June 9-12 - Panasonic Open - Louisville – Kentucky Expo Center... July 7-10 - Right Guard Open - Denver – Pepsi Center... Aug. 18-21 - Vans® Invitational - Portland – Rose Quarter... Sept. 8-11 - Toyota Challenge - San Jose – HP Pavilion... Oct. 13-16 - PlayStation® Pro - Orlando – TD Waterhouse Centre...

APRIL 15-17, 2005 - Top Shop Team Skateboard Competition at 3rd Lair Skatepark - 850 Florida Ave. South Minneapolis, MN. $2,000 Cash Purse and other prizes. From the brainchild of resident pro Chad Benson - the Top Shop Team Skateboard Competition pits 5 man park and shop teams against one another for bragging rights for the best amateur shop team in the U.S. A best trick contest will immediately follow the team competition. Friday - Practice, riders meeting, heat sheets posted... Saturday - contest - first three riders of each team. Sunday - contest last 2 riders of each team, best trick, prize ceremony, product toss. Sponsored by The Skateboard Mag, S-One, Destructo, Stereo, Girl, Chocolate, Royal, Four Star, Duffs, Split, Project, Black Label, Accel, Alien Workshop, Reflex, Habitat, Pop War, Real, Rase Libre, Spitfire, Thunder, Pig, Foundation, DeKline, Toy Machine, AntiHero, The Firm, Hook-UPs, Birdhouse, Flip, Fury, Baker, Powell and Bones. For details www.3rdlair.com

FACTORY 13 NEWS - The new Factory13 website is running now at... www.factory13experimental.com

SLAM CITY JAM UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP! SLAM CITY JAM DATE CHANGE! The Slam City Jam North American Skateboarding Championships have announced that the event is now under new ownership and will take place at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC on August 26-28, 2005. Slam City Jam has historically taken place in May, however as the change in ownership has just been finalized the event will be moved to August. Visit www.slamcityjam.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 22nd Annual WaveMasters Surf Contest - Jacksonville Beach, Florida - April 30 - May 1, 2005 - North Florida's showcase surf event will once again attract thousands of spectators and over 300 of the state's hottest surfers in 16 divisions of shortboard and longboard competition. More than $10,000 worth of prizes, including a trip to Costa Rica, will be on offer at this year's venue, the newly completed Jax Beach Pier. For details e-mail radside@bellsouth.net

For Immediate Release - The Billabong Jack McCoy 2005 Film Festival’s premiere surf film, Fair Bits,
debuts at Big Newport in Newport Beach, CA to kick off the Billabong Jack McCoy Film Festival that will show in theatres across the country hitting 27 cities as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. Fair Bits is a selection of short surfing films featuring collaborative efforts from seven different filmmakers. Teaming up with Hollywood directors Emmett and Brendan Malloy ( September Sessions, Shelter), Burrow’s Fair Bits takes viewers on a journey of dreams and discoveries around the globe. ‘FAIR BITS' is a collaboration of surfing stories tied together by loose dreams and possibilities through thought transmission and following innate objects to the corner of the planet. This spring’s festival will also feature McCoy’s surf cult classic Bunyip Dreaming on the big screen. Bunyip Dreaming is touring with the 2005 festival to celebrate the best of Jack and it’s soon to be digitally re-mastered release. A Bunyip is an imaginary creature of Australian legend, which is said to haunt swamps and ‘Billabongs.’ Starring Taj Burrow who is one of the greatest free surfers in the world, Fair Bits, world premiere screened to an audience of 3,000 people in Taj’s home country of Australia in January, kicking off the international tour . Having already been inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame, published a book, been voted WCT Rookie of the Year in 1998, finished 2nd on the WCT in 1999 (just his second year on the circuit), and finished 3rd on the 2004 Surfer Poll Award the highest place finish for an Australian, Taj has carved his mark in surf history through his talent, intelligence and popularity as a surfer. He was awarded, “Video of the Year” for ‘ Montaj” at the 2002 Surfer Magazine Reader