March Madness

cyrus UN

Photo by Zach Malfa-Kowalski.

Cyrus is on Polar, Ben K is on 3D, and Steve Nash retired.

Found this podcast piece about “defensive architecture” with Ocean Howell really interesting (he’s an architecture professor now.) His points about developers positioning skateparks in rundown areas so they give way to gentrification seem to make sense. (Check where on the map the new Jersey City skatepark will be.)

An interview with Chad Bowers, former Alien Workshop team manager and principal figurehead behind Mother Collective about working for and starting a skateboarding company in…Ohio. “They forgot about the fourth coast.”

Nieratko interviewed Bill Strobeck on the occasion of cherry’s one-year anniversary.

#MPC: 1) HD video blog #9 from Johnny Wilson. 2) Max Palmer, Andrew Wilson, John Choi from Dime, et al. with one of the better clips from the now defunct Coda warehouse. 3) Some Paych second angles via Paul Young.

New Hi-8 clip (oxymoron?) with all the Bronze dudes.

Slam has a quick photo feature with the bro Rob Mathieson from his time in New York.

Hey, these guys like Virtual Reality Bump as much as we do!

There are some hot moves in this Evan Dittig part for Underground Skate Shop.

SMLTalk looks back the the first-ever skate re-edit contest. What up Jeremy.

Dunno what the deal with this blurry and dark Leo Gutman re-edit is (art?), but it was a good reminder to revisit The Brodies part that earned him Q.S.S.O.T.Y honors in 2013.

Even though he is quite obviously the entire QS office’s favorite skateboarder, it should be noted that Lucas’ slappy back smith IG vid was not the first known documentation of said maneuver on social media. This guy did it for the Vine back in January.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Nice to see J.R. Smith excelling in a city with minimal nightlife. Imagine him on the Thunder? He might become MVP.

Quote of the Week: “Tribeca is like the Equinox of skateparks.” — Connor Champion

#TRENDWATCH2013: Triangles

triangles copy

Navigating the volatile skateboard industry is no easy task for prospective small business owners. A few blunders with art direction and hires of skaters preoccupied by beer or art, and sixteen months later, they’re back telling the old story about how “nobody starts a skateboard company to make money.” But recent start-ups have found a believed-to-be shortcut to success: triangles.

Over the past several years, Palace seems to have written a blueprint on how to succeed in the hardgoods market with three vertices. Using a Penrose triangle, the brand has been able to win over older nerds jaded by a kid-targeted skate industry, the world’s best Instagramer, London socialites, dyslexic counterfeiters, and pretty much anyone else who doesn’t spend an unhealthy amount of time on the internet arguing about how Shawn Powers “isn’t good enough to be sponsored.” Such success was unprecedented for newly established companies in the post-2008 meltdown world, and the triangle was front and center, even falling victim to easily amused parodists.

Those who can’t leave da game alone because da game may or may not need them took notice, and likely structured their business plans with triangles in mind.

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