platfrm – Skate Nugg

Contest, Montage / Edit, Skate Park, Video

Video Qualifier Series Returns For 2026 PDX Rockstar Energy Open

May 26, 2026 No Comments

Film it, then submit it. On June 8, the online-entry Video Qualifier Series (VQS) officially reopens as part of the 2026 Rockstar Energy Open (RSEO). For the third consecutive year, skateboarders from around the world can submit videos between :30-1 minute in length for a chance to win cash prizes and official contest invitations to compete in Portland, Oregon at the RSEO August 14-16.

Each week one woman and one man will be awarded $1,000 for the best video shared on Instagram with #RSOPENVQS26. Entries will be judged by professional JUDGES, skateboarders, and fans on ThePlatfrm.com. After the VQS submissions end on Sunday, July 19, the Best Trick and Viewer’s Choice prizes of $2,500 will also be awarded to women and men.

Once all of the submissions have been reviewed, 10 women and 10 men will receive invitations to skate at the Rockstar Energy Open on August 14 in the VQS On-Site Qualifier. From there, the best men and women will advance to skate in the main events.

Last year’s VQS received more than 100 video submissions from around the world. And of the 20 skaters invited to compete on-site, 5 went all the way to compete in the RSEO finals. On the men’s side, Ivan Monteiro skated to a 3rd place podium result while Kristion Jordan finished 7th. For the women, Aoi Fukuda finished 4th, Niko Sugimoto 6th, and Yuri Ashizawa in 7th.

Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Tristan Rennie and Salba Lead Backyard Pool Missions | Spot to Spot – The PLATFRM

May 18, 2026 No Comments

A master of notoriously tight transitions, Tristan Rennie was raised skating in backyard pools to become one of the best to ever do it. Inviting the crew to tag along, Tristan Rennie and Steve Alba lead us on a two-pool mission around the San Bernardino area to skate Ridiculous Pool and Bottom of the Hill.

“Because it was ridiculously good for the time,” says Tristan of the naming origins of the first spot. Complete with a brief history of the pool’s access over the years, a few of his own childhood memories and a short list of pros who have clipped up there, from “Tony Hawk to Guy Mariano,” in Tristan’s view, “It is one of the most iconic pools in modern skateboarding.”

After making quick work of the Ridiculous Pool and firing up the squad — Yuro Nagahara, Eric Hutchinson, Jesse Lindloff, Hampus Winberg and Shota Mizote — a few of the crew break off from the session to finish things off at Bottom of the Hill. Don’t worry, we got the naming origins of that one, too.

Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Behind Foundation’s New Video Today Tomorrow Forever | Timeline – The PLATFRM

May 12, 2026 No Comments

After two(ish) years in the making, the team at Foundation Skateboards brings us up to speed on their latest video project titled “Today. Tomorrow. Forever.” for this installment of Timeline.

Hear from the entire squad (Aidan Campbell, Jesse Lindloff, Austin Heilman, Ruby Lilley, Jessie Darnall and Tanner Lawler) and their trusty Team Manager and Filmer, Don Luong, sound off about the sacrifices and memories made to finish this film. From their blue collar realities, to newly minting team riders into professionals—get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at a few clips in the making plus a whole lot more of what makes the Foundation team special, and their dedication to skateboarding.

Montage / Edit, Video

Bubba Jackson and Sonder Crew Skate LA | Spot to Spot – The PLATFRM

May 4, 2026 No Comments

Jack Springer kicks off a day at “cool guy park” with a ton of the homies “Michael” Becker Dunn, Evon Martinez, Alec Spinosi, Luke Lutz and Eamon Samojla; before taking us around Eagle Rock in North East Los Angeles for another day in the streets going Spot to Spot.

After a quality warm-up at the park, the crew hits the first of two locations to clip up at. See a special appearance from SOTY Chris Joslin on a BMX before the local police force shows up to share some words. Then hear Bubba talk a bit about his love for filming skating and for skating alike, and how long he’s been posting his videos on YouTube. Find out what’s in the works for with the Sonder squad and when you can expect to cop their next merch and video drops.

Montage / Edit, Tour, Video

Swim Skateboards Co. Part 2: Sac to Portland | Life in the Van Vol. 6 – The PLATFRM

April 27, 2026 No Comments

The Swim Skateboard Co. squad hops back in the van to complete their trek north, leaving California behind en route to Oregon for greener pastures and more terrain. Led by Kevin Terpening, with Dan Plunkett managing the vibes, Ethan Loy, Justin Drysen, Ryan Connors, Keenan Lewis and Marley Humphrey pack in for the journey.

Their first major stop is in Eugene, Oregon, where they slam a meal at pro skateboarder Josh Mathews’ restaurant before being blessed with a session by the man himself. Then they skate a few crusty spots in true Pacific Northwest style, and Ethan explains how he scored a quick come-up on some cash in the gambling-friendly state while en route to drop a different deuce.

They continue on to Portland, where they have a plethora of pins provided by local legend Silas Baxter-Neal. After hitting a ton more spots, linking with plenty of homies, and stacking more Life in the Van moments, the Swim team wraps things up in high spirits after stomping their first road trip together.

Montage / Edit, Video

Swim Skateboards Co. Part 1: LA to Sac | Life in the Van Vol. 6 – The PLATFRM

April 23, 2026 No Comments

Meet Swim Skateboard Co. and jump in for a two-part series of Life in the Van. The crew comes together for their first official team road trip, covering ground from Los Angeles to Sacramento, California, before ultimately reaching Eugene and Portland, Oregon, for a true West Coast classic.

After 15 years of living in L.A., professional skateboarder Kevin Terpening moved back to his home state of Ohio and started Swim Skateboards in 2023. Soon thereafter, Dan Plunkett joined the effort, and everything else has since come naturally for the brand. Today, they have a full team (all of whom—besides Kevin—live in L.A.), featuring pros Justin Drysen, Ryan Connors, Ethan Loy, and Keenan Lewis (no longer on Swim Skateboards) and Marley Humphrey.

They start things off with a dream backyard skatepark session before taking their first pit stop under a bridge to stack manuals. After that, they squad up at a junk jam for the parking lot party vibes, then continue north, ripping their way up the coast and bringing us along for the ride.

Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Paul Rodriguez’s Evolution: Fatherhood & Skateboarding Longevity | Captain of Industry Ep. 3

April 16, 2026 No Comments

In this third and final episode of Captain of Industry, Paul Rodriguez shares a few of the secrets to his success—and how he’s watched his goals shift before his eyes. P-Rod talks about what it’s been like skating since he was 12, pushing through bouts of burnout, and continually finding the hunger to reach new peaks.

He also reflects on growing up watching his dad live out his dream at the highest level, and how that inspired P-Rod to chase his own. Then, at 23—right in the prime of his career—he had a daughter of his own, pushing him to shift gears once again.

Paul has been putting in the hard work for years and, over time, has learned the keys to staying inspired.

“All the cliché, corny stuff that you hear—‘Passion. Love for the game. Focus. Dedication.’—they’ve become clichés for a reason. Because they’re true.” — Paul Rodriguez

Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

The Rise of Paul Rodriguez: Pro Career, NikeSB Deal & Building Primitive | Captain of Industry Ep. 1

April 9, 2026 No Comments

Paul Rodriguez, aka P-Rod, has become one of the most well-recognized figures in skateboarding today. His ability on a board speaks for itself—loudly. But more than just his skating, Paul’s path to the upper echelon has been carefully carved by the mindset it took to get there.

Captain of Industry is a three-part series with P-Rod that explores how he went from learning kickflips in the grass in front of his mom’s house to getting his name on 10 signature Nike shoes, and eventually starting his own brand to stay closely connected to the skateboarding industry for years to come.

In this first episode, Paul recaps a few of his career highlights, like signing with Nike and how Primitive first launched as a sneaker store before transforming into the full-fledged skateboard brand it’s known as today. P-Rod sheds light on how these moves came to be while describing what his headspace was like along the way.

“The greatest in their field, I think they all are—more or less—on the same wavelength mentally.” — Paul Rodriguez

Montage / Edit, Video

Koston Eaton Inside PHXAM 2026: Qualifying 1st, 100° Heat, and Finals Pressure | First Person – The PLATFRM

April 7, 2026 No Comments

Experience the PHXAM from Koston Eaton’s perspective—a local-grown legend in the making. One of Arizona’s own, Koston dropped in for his fifth time at Cowtown’s annual event, all while keeping us in tow the entire, blisteringly hot weekend. Skating in 100-degree heat is anything but easy.

On Saturday, Koston qualified first, earning a “golden ticket” directly into Sunday’s final. However, his work was far from finished. Watch how he handled the contest mayhem and hear exactly how he felt while battling through experience in this episode of First Person.

Contest, Montage / Edit, Skate Park, Video

PHXAM 2026 Highlights: The Ultimate Skateboarding Event – The PLATFRM

April 1, 2026 No Comments

PHXAM 2026 brought together the future of skateboarding in one place. The vibes stayed high despite the Arizona heat, the music stayed loud, and every session pushed the limits. Huge shoutout to all the skaters, fans, and crew who made it happen. This is more than a contest—it’s a community. Relive the weekend, and see why PHXAM continues to set the tone for the next generation.

Interview, Montage / Edit, Video

Bradley Church: Weekend at PHXAM 2026 | Spot to Spot – The PLATFRM

March 31, 2026 No Comments

Hit the heated streets of Phoenix, Arizona with one of the nicest, and freshest skaters in town—Bradley Church takes the crew around for a day (and a couple nights) of skating, going Spot to Spot.

Despite Cowtown’s PHXAM coming to town for the 24th annual event, Bradley found the time to give us the royal treatment and unveil a few of his favorite places to stack when he wasn’t in contest mode. And if you’ve seen any of his parts, you know he has the goods. One city, four spots, nearly a dozen clips and the nicest tour guide you can ask for.

Contest, Montage / Edit, Skate Park, Video

PHXAM 2026 Rockstar Energy Best Trick Highlights: Junseung Lee, Steven Vasquez, Carlos Garcia & More

March 27, 2026 No Comments

The Best Trick event took place on the Rockstar 6-stair handrail setup, featuring curved handrails on the sides and a third going straight down the middle. Open to ALL of the contestants from the weekend, the mayhem could hardly be controlled as the masses swarmed the set.

Junseung Lee took home the win for his heelflip blunt slide bigspin out, Deyvid Tuesta Mota’s nollie 270 heelflip back lipslide and Steven Vasquez’s bigflip bluntslide took home some cash as well.

Featuring Deyvid Tuesta Mota, Kenny Reed, Logan Perez, Reemy Aniceta, Carlos Garcia, Drew Nguyen, Greg Rodriguez, Mark Dipasquale, Cassius Booker, John Osborne, Isaac Relis, Steven Vasquez, Anthony Guerrero, Erick Borges, Victor Ramon, Nick Todero, Bryshan English, Shinga Ma Uemura, Victor Castillo and Junseng Lee.