Damn Am of The Year: Luan de Oliveira
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag April 2010

“I can only imagine being one of the other skaters who made the finals at Tampa Am ‘08” says SPoT’s Ryan Clements, “I would be thinking, ‘Fuck, well, at least I can shoot for second place.’”

And that might just be the simplest and most effective way to sum up why Luan de Oliveira was singled out by the SPoT crew as 2009’s Damn Am of the Year. It’s the type of sentiment you often hear out of many pro’s mouths prior to entering contests against Chris Cole or P-Rod.

And like Cole and Paul, Luan is blessed with the gift of seemingly being able to win a contest at any given time, assuming he chooses to. What adds insult to injury (or possibly just adds envy) is that huge-ass grin on his face the whole time he’s doing it.

Festivus: Johnny Romano Skate Jam for Make-A-Wish
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, April 2010

If Johnny Romano were here and writing this article, he probably wouldn’t waste time coming up with a clever title or theme for it. He probably wouldn’t sit in front of a blank computer screen for days, toiling over how to write it from a unique perspective or give it a good “hook.” He probably wouldn’t worry about who the audience is and how to attempt to give them something they’ve never read before. He wouldn’t worry about if readers would make it through the entire article or not before flipping the page. In fact … he probably wouldn’t worry at all, because in skateboarding, at 11 years old—or any age for that matter—what’s really to worry about?

3 Minutes With Tyler Bledsoe
etnies.com, Jan 2010

Top three places to eat in Portland:
1. Taste Tickler
2. Burgerville
3. Cadillac Cafe

Top three best cheeseburgers:
1. In-N-Out
2. The Habit
3. Burgerville

Top three reasons to not leave Portland:
1. Friends
2. Scenery
3. Family

Found on the ground outside the post office. Someone's pissed.

... And there was a party for him tonight. Congrats homie!

Stay Gold.

'Rado meets Jerz... in LA.

Theo is always stoked!

Year's Best Am 2009: Tyler Bledsoe
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, March 2010

Ask anyone who knows Tyler Bledsoe and they’ll tell you that on the rare occasions he actually does speak, it’s usually the funniest, most epic utterance of the day. They’ll also tell you how gifted of a skateboarder he is… which is no bullshit. In fact, despite it’s complimentary nature, is still probably an understatement.

Tyler is a simple young lad who is wise beyond his years… both in life and in skateboarding, which is something that could serve us all a little better, should we be able to achieve such an enlightened state of being. Since we have him being a little chatty for once, lets just get to it, shall we? Ladies and gentleman, we present to you, The Skateboard Mag’s 2009 Year’s Best Am… Mr. Tyler Bledsoe.

Tyler! Whatcha doing?
I’m just chilling at home… a little sick.

Swine Flu!
No, not yet.

Festivus: Tampa Am ‘09
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, March 2010

This year’s Tampa Am contest may have been the most incredible Tampa Am ever … seriously. “Why?” you ask. Well duh! Obviously because all sorts of history was made!

As you all know, Luan Oliveira won. And that makes him the first person to ever win Tampa Am twice! History in the making! You should be excited. One might assume that after two Tampa Am wins, he won’t be am too much longer, eh? Or maybe he’ll win next year as well! Three-peat history! Luan beautifully flipped his board really fast and high and spun around a lot. That kid sure has one hell of a pre-trick windup. Hit pause next time you are watching his footage and check it out.

Rick McCrank: Behind the Ad
Words: Rob Brink
esfootwear.com, December 2009

Didn’t anyone ever tell you that regular belts are out and you’re supposed to be wearing a shoelace around your waist?
I wore a shoelace belt for a while. It kept digging in to my side and it looked like a G-string so I went traditional again. Chocolate makes a nice belt. I've been wearing it forever.

Do you feel weird about the amount of underwear showing in your ad?
Yeah that's a bummer. That ledge has a nice sized drop off of it. I guess I caught the wind.

Where do you buy your boxers?
I don't need to buy boxers because Matix makes really good ones.

How about those chicks in the upper left corner? Were they checking you out?
I don't know? They were there for a really long time. I think one of our dudes was chatting them up and got a number.

Festivus: Damn Am Costa Mesa ‘09
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, February 2009

On October 24, 2009, a landmark event occurred: the Skateboarding Hall of Fame was created.

Breathtaking.

Democracy reigned supreme and four dudes were inducted—one from each decade of skateboarding’s existence thus far. You might have heard of some of them… but we’re only gonna discuss one. His name is Tony Alva and he is the Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee for the 1970s. Congrats, Tony.

But this isn’t about the Skateboarding Hall of Fame or Tony Alva. It’s about something waaaaaay bigger. I simply told you that story so I could tell you this one: On October 25th, the 8th annual Damn Am contest was held at Volcom headquarters in Costa Mesa. As the finals commenced… some leathery-skinned dude in a red shirt and fedora, carrying a brand new Alva cruiser board, complete with colorful and authentic-looking Alva logo griptape, arose from the crowd.

He chugged from his liquor-filled sippy cup while weeble wobbling back and forth before belligerently “not giving a fuck” and stumbling onto the street course… all the while proudly waving his Alva board in the air… as if to say, “I’m here to let you know what elements of skateboarding’s history resonate with me! All hail Tony Alva! Inductee into the all-new Skateboarding Hall of Fame! King of 1970s skateboarding!”

Flick: Strange World
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, February 2009

Despite the fairly common “I’m so cool and I don’t give a fuck” exterior and attitude of skateboarders these days—many of them, believe it or not, frequently get just as warm and fuzzy and sensitive and sappy as your mom, grandma, great aunt or girlfriend do.
For skateboarders, though, it takes something a little different than say, a dozen roses, pictures of you as a baby with a bowl cut and birthday cake frosting on your face, a box of chocolates, a teddy bear, a moonlit walk on the beach or a platinum-set 5.98-carat oval-cut diamond ring for the butterflies to start twitterpating in their tummies.