Interview, Montage / Edit, Skate Park, Video

The History of Skatepark of Tampa—Short Documentary | Core

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Ready to learn about the origins of the emblematic Skatepark of Tampa, aka SPoT!? It all started in response to Paul Zitzer’s vert ramp being deconstructed in 1991 when Brian Schaefer sought out a warehouse to give it life again. The warehouse in Tampa, though, doubled as a temporary home in order to make their dream a reality. What has happened since will be forever etched into skateboard history.

The legacy of the Tampa Pro claims the longest running contest in skateboarding (BONUS nugget: the first prize purse was $1,000 sponsored by Airwalk) dating back to 1995. Fast forward 30+ years and SPoT has become the quintessential proving ground in skateboarding.

Today, Tampa Am and Tampa Pro are considered THE events that solidify a skater’s path to being a respected professional, and skateparkoftampa.com has become a cornerstone of the skateboard e-commerce space.

Tap in with Schaefer and Zitzer in this episode of CORE to relive the series of events that created SPOT, hear iconic stories, and get a glimpse into the world that created and continues to breathe life into the legendary Skatepark of Tampa.

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Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Jimmy Wilkins First Skateboard, Influential Pros, and Fave VHS | Then/Now

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From pushing around on a Pokémon complete from Target to skating Tony Hawk’s vert ramp nearly every day, Jimmy Wilkins’ skateboard journey has come a long way. In this Then/Now episode, he opens up about his first real setup, the chaotic music that defined his early skatepark days, and the unlikely Frank Sinatra and Biggie Smalls mashups he’s into now. He reflects on the VHS tapes he wore out and skate legends—Bob Burnquist, Chris Miller, and others—who shaped his journey. Hit play and hear it all from Jimmy.

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Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Gustavo Ribeiro | The Nine Club #371

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Gustavo Ribeiro discusses growing up in a small town in Portugal, his dad opening a skate shop, Shane O’neill being a big inspiration, staying at Micky Papa’s house with Yuto, winning Tampa Am, his SLS strategy, leaving Jart & getting on Thank You Skateboards, skating for Red Bull, his dream trick, his thoughts on the format of the Olympics and much more!

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Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

A Look into Skateboarding’s Road Culture | Life in the Van – The Platfrm

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Get in the van! Life In The Van is a series documenting the most quintessential part of life as a professional skateboarder. Since the beginning, skateboarders have been packing into vans and taking to the open road in search of new towns, new spots, and places to stack clips—not to mention drop in for demos and autograph signings to stoke out the local skateboarders along the way. Skate, eat, sleep, and repeat. Whether it’s for a few weeks or a few months, the bonds formed and the footage captured are what make these trips so special. So, what’s it really like?

“It’s like a family experience,” says Chris Roberts. “You start to hate these people.” Sean Malto, Braden Hoban and Greyson Fletcher explain the importance of a van’s seating chart, or hierarchy, while Tom Schaar, Georgia Martin and Lazer Crawford describe some of their first van memories. And Felipe Gustavo poetically sums up his van experiences as, “That’s where your heart is.” Hear from each of them and get a look into the behind-the-scenes, the falls, makes, and more —slide open the side door and experience Life In The Van.

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Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Matt Bennett | The Nine Club #370

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Matt Bennett discusses how the Bennett Grind came to be, Billy Marks getting him on Toy Machine, why he has the key to the city of Madison Alabama, Toy Machine’s “Suffer The Joy”, Dekline Footwear, how hard was it managing a huge team like Vans, how he got the Monster team manager position, the best Bennett Grind he’s seen and much more!

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Interview, Montage / Edit, New Product, Video

DBX Construction Part 2: Ishod Wair, Patrick Praman, Cody Chapman, Gus and Cyprus

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Ishod, Cody, Gus, Patrick and Cyprus ride the new DBX construction Decks and talk about why DBX Decks are the decks they prefer to Skate.

The new DBX decks were designed for an ultra-responsive, light, and quick feel with lasting consistency and performance throughout the lifetime of the board.

Constructed using 3 layers of interwoven basalt with 4 standard-thickness interior veneers, and 2 thinner face veneers. Hand-laid up and precision-pressed in single molds to meet exact specs. DBX decks are available now at your favorite local Skateshop.

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