Chaz Ortiz rides for Gatorade.

CHICAGO, January 5, 2009 – The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, announced today the addition of 14-year-old skateboarder Chaz Ortiz to its elite team roster. This is Ortiz’s first beverage sponsorship deal.

“The support from Gatorade means a lot to me and I think it’s important for skateboarding too,” said Ortiz. “It’s a sweaty sport, and if you want to stay out there and keep skating, you have to be hydrated so it just makes sense for Gatorade to support skaters.”
Ortiz is one of the top young up-and-comers and took home several big wins in 2008, including the overall 2008 Dew Tour title in Skate Park, edging out three-time reigning champ Ryan Sheckler.

In addition to working with action sports athletes like Ortiz, snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth, and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester, Gatorade also has plans to support professional and amateur action sports events in 2009 and will do more with parks and in films as well.

“We’re excited to take our presence in action sports to the next level,” said Kenny Mitchell, action sports team manager with Gatorade. “Many skaters are using our products already because they know Gatorade is what you reach for when you want to stay hydrated and fueled so you can session longer. We think tapping into this interest is a very authentic move for us as a brand.”

San Diego skaters skate for free.

San Diego park skaters, rejoice—beginning tomorrow, all the pay-to-play city skateparks in San Diego will be unmonitored, and therefore, free. This all came about, naturally, due to budget cuts. Patty at the San Diego department of Parks and Rec was very helpful in confirming this, because news like this reeks of rumor mill and pipe dream.

Now granted, the vast majority of San Diego skateparks are already free, but there are a few that you might want to check out. They are listed below, with photos courtesy of socalskateparks.com and sandiego.gov.

Two important final facts: The Mission Valley Y.M.C.A. is not a city park, and therefore won’t be free. And all helmet/pad laws are still in effect (but there won’t be any Pad Nannies to enforce? Hmm, interesting…). Happy New Year!

Robb Field

(A.K.A. “OB”)

2525 Bacon Street

(619) 525-8486

Charles L. Lewis III Memorial Skate Park

(I don’t know a nickname, I’ve never been there)

6610 Potomac Street


(619) 527-7665

Bill and Maxine Wilson Skate Park

(A.K.A. “Memorial”)

702 South 30th street

(619) 527-3596

Rancho Penasquitos Skate Park

(A.K.A. “PQ Park”)

10111 Carmel Mountain Road

(858) 525-5337

Copied from Transworld Business.

Zoo York South Africa Tour.

Just in from Zoo York. This past April the Zoo Crew took a skate safari to South Africa. Check out the footage of Zered Bassett, Forrest Kirby, and Brandon Westgate ripping Durban and Johannesburg. Go to www.zooyork.com.

New Sector 9 Skateboard Completes.

New Sector 9 Skateboard Completes are in stock. Don't wait to late to scoop yours up.

NHS Aquires Flip Skateboards

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - Santa Cruz, Calif. (Dec 1, 2008)—NHS, one of skateboarding’s largest and most successful manufacturer/distributors, is proud to welcome Flip Skateboards to its brand roster. NHS will utilize its global sales and distribution reach to realize Flip’s full potential as a dominant skateboard brand.

Bob Denike, President and CEO of NHS had this to say, “The addition of Flip strengthens our position to be the #1 skateboard supplier in the industry. The NHS strategy is simple; strong brands across all categories, innovative product development and working with the best pro skaters; past, present, and future. The Flip brand together with the global Flip team are a powerful and welcome addition to NHS. And frankly, it’s about f*#king time!”

Jeremy Fox, CEO of Flip states, “This move makes perfect sense for the Flip brand as well as for NHS as our new distribution partner, and we feel that there is great synergy in terms of direction and commitment between the two companies.” Per Welinder, one of the original owners of Flip Skateboards Inc., and the CEO of Blitz Distribution states that “This deal will allow Blitz to focus on Baker Skateboards, Fury Trucks, Birdhouse Skateboards, Sk8Mafia, Hook-Up’s and JSLV Clothing. Furthermore, this will allow Blitz more time and effort to flow into developing new brands.”

Geoff Rowley, Pro Skater, co-owner— Flip Skateboards Jeremy Fox, Flip founder, says “This move makes perfect sense for the Flip brand as well as for NHS as our new distribution partner, and we feel that there is great synergy between the two companies both in terms of business direction and commitment to skateboarding.”

New Element Decks, New Zoo York, and New Boards From Guapo and Hype.

Getting geared up for the holidays. New Element Decks in stock. New Zoo York is in. Also, Boards from Guapo and Hype.

Element Skateboards And The Imaginary Collaboration.

Element Skateboards And The Imaginary Collaboration. The Imaginary Foundation is a think tank from Switzerland that does experimental research on new ways of thinking and the power of imagination. They hold dear a belief in human potential and seek progress in all directions. The small clandestine team is headed up by the mysterious "Director," a 70 something uber intellectual who's father founded the Dadist movement. Avoiding direct publicity the team has sought streetwear as an unlikely vehicle for bringing their ideas beyond the academic realm and into popular culture. For more go to www.elementskateboards.com/skateboards/.