Skateboarding Turns My Left Brain Right Article at Skatepark of Tampa

Skateboarding Turns My Left Brain Right

Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 by Rob

By Rob Meronek

They say you use your left brain for stuff like numbers and logic and your right brain for artsy type stuff. As you can see in this illustration someone did, apparently the right brain enjoys life making movies, flying kites, taking long walks in the park, and having sex in the Garden of Eden. I always pictured the right side of your brain as the side that makes you cut yourself and get all emo then write a MySpace blog about it. I'm more of the lefty type, but I try hard to be both. I think the creativity needed for skateboarding is solely responsible for pulling me from the cube farm on the left to the chill side on the right.

Below continues yesterday's left brain nerd out numbers analysis of how old people are that buy shoes and decks. Although I can't give you the actual quantities sold, I did sort the reports descending by total units sold. Mixed in with these boring ass stats are some photos I've been shooting lately in an attempt to reach that Garden of Eden on the right side.

Insane in the Left Brain
Let's start with the average age of kids buying jeans. Nothing too surprising here, but check Flip. Them thirteenie boppers buying up all the Flip decks are brand loyal and pick up the jeans, too. Those Flip jeans are from way back in 2003. Maybe it's time for Flip to make jeans again? Plan B is making shoes. Why not? I know why not. It's not healthy for the sketchy skateboard industry when brands make stuff in every category. Quality sucks, you confuse your customers, brand loyalty takes a poop, etc. That's a whole separate article, though.
2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying JEANS
Company Average Age
KR3W (Krew)15
Volcom17
Matix18
Emerica16
Altamont18
Four Star18
Sessions18
eS Footwear18
Planet Earth17
Fallen14
Elwood18
Zoo York17
Ipath Footwear16
Element15
TSA Brand15
Habitat19
Independent17
Spitfire16
Alien Workshop17
DC Shoe Co.17
Vans16
Satori19
Split15
Zero16
Flip13
Etnies Footwear15


Go Fly a Kite, Right Brain
Here's a pretty picture I took with what little I have of right brain. This is Bayshore Boulevard that runs through a strip of the nicest homes in South Tampa along the water and into downtown that you see on the right. Those bleachers are there for this weekend's Gasparilla Festival. For the last several years, I've been out of town for this grand partying event and fantastic excuse to get hammered while the sun's still out. Finally I'm in town and turns out we have a frontside grind fest on that day here at the Park. I have to shoot photos. Oh well, maybe next year. Good thing I have some right brain.
Back to the Cube Farm Where the Bills Are Paid
Next we have a look at people buying button up and knit type shirts, watches, and trucks. The thirteenie boppers are definitely not into the nice shirts. I would have thought they would be buying up all the Tensors, but looks like Grind King is the truck of choice for dealing with puberty. As far as Ruckus being the top average age, I'm guessing some old dudes who quit skating got back into it after a decade or so and those trucks looked the coolest to them, which skewed the average. Apparently, when you turn legal, you buy watches, not before.
2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying Trucks
Company Average Age
Independent17
Venture15
Thunder15
Royal15
Krux14
Destructo14
Tensor14
Silver14
Grind King13
Ace Trucks17
Ruckus22
Fury16
Force Trucks14
Unit16
Kreper13
Orion13
Destroyer14
2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying Button Ups / Knit Shirts
Company Average Age
Matix19
KR3W (Krew)18
Emerica17
Altamont19
Planet Earth18
Independent19
Volcom18
Vans19
Zoo York19
Nike SB19
Four Star20
Spitfire15
Ipath Footwear18
2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying Watches
Company Average Age
Nixon20
Vestal18


Let's Go Fly a Kite in the Garden of Eden
While I was out shooting photos on Bayshore, the Gasparilla ship in the bay was doing fireworks testing for the festival I'm not going to.


Maybe I should use my brain less and my skateboard more? Here's Brian Schaefer at the Jorge Michael Ramp.
No One Ever Heard of a Starving CPA
I'll leave you with a breakdown of the average age of people buying DVD's each year for the last few years. After this, we all should really go play with our skateboards.

Why were so much fewer DVD's sold in recent years? Maybe it's time to analyze that. More nerdness coming up soon.

2008
Company Average Age
Thrasher Magazine18
Transworld Magazine18
Lakai20
Prospects Productions17
Fallen19
Deathwish18
Joe Perrin20
2007
Company Average Age
Lakai19
411 Video Productions17
Element18
Prospects Productions25
Nike SB18
Volcom18
Thrasher Magazine23
Transworld Magazine17
Foundation19
Toy Machine17
Habitat26
Girl22
Almost17
Mystery19
Listen Skateboards22
2006
Company Average Age
411 Video Productions22
Skatepark of Tampa27
Baker18
enjoi24
Black Label25
Thrasher Magazine27
Transworld Magazine19
Toy Machine20
Habitat18
Four Star22
Krooked22
Kayo18
2005
Company Average Age
DC Shoe Co.18
411 Video Productions19
Element18
Skatepark of Tampa19
Baker17
Blind21
Flip21
Mike Svenson18
DVS Footwear19
Volcom18
Real20
Thrasher Magazine23
Zero17
Transworld Magazine20
Foundation18
Toy Machine17
Habitat16
Almost15
Filmbot25
Forecast20

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