Christian Henry’s moves on a skateboard have been wall well documented over the years, we all know the mans has a lot to offer on the board. But did you know about his jewelry side hustle? Maybe you have even seen some of his pieces in the streets, but didn’t realize they came from the man most known for stacking clips.
Whether you’re here for the life updates (like the status of his knee injury, picked up on the first day of a trip to New Zealand), for a few secrets as to where he picks up samples to create Henry’s Jewelry, or simply for the clips; Christian Henry’s Snapshot shows off his L.A. lifestyle while keeping most of his trade secrets safe.
Rockstar Energy Open unveils two-night concert lineup coming to Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon featuring Basement, Hot Mulligan, PUP, and Angel Du$t. Friday, August 14 concert lineup kicks off with Toronto punk favorites PUP, before one of emo’s fastest-rising bands Hot Mulligan, takes over the stage. On Saturday, August 15 Baltimore’s hardcore standout Angel Du$t sets the tone before acclaimed UK rock and grunge band Basement closes out the weekend series. The downtown area will transform into an epicenter of skateboarding, music and culture for one unforgettable weekend, free and open to the public.
The PLATFRM linked up with Wyatt Hammond to sample a daily dose of his skating and watch spots gets destroyed in the process. He may be 12 years old, but he has the moves of a grown man—and, in a way, the demeanor of one, too. You won’t see Wyatt get too worked up while skating, but you can guarantee he puts in work on every spot he comes across.
After popping things off at the etnies skatepark that raised him, they hit the streets and made their way to a 12-stair handrail at Wyatt’s old elementary school (he graduated earlier this year). That wasn’t the only spot they hit, either. The homie has a full day planned for us. Wyatt takes us Spot to Spot to drop a few of his staple Hammond hammers on us, with cameo clips and commentary from Dominick Walker in the streets.
For as long as Donovon Piscopo can remember, he and his father, Anthony, have been skateboarding. Raised in Covina, California, Donovon grew up in a scene that wasn’t started by his father but has been 100% cultivated by him.
Their family business, Pawnshop, has been around for 16 years, but it wasn’t the first skate shop in town. In fact, Anthony worked at the shop under a different name in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, during the time Donovon was born. Anthony remembers that first shop as a sort of “housing project,” serving as a much-needed positive place for kids in the community — including himself. Today, Pawnshop serves Covina in that same way.
“My entire skate career is because of Anthony and Donovon,” says John Fitzgerald, reflecting on the efforts the Piscopos made to help him and so many others.
Donovon hopes to one day take over Pawnshop from his father and eventually pass it on to his daughter. One thing is for sure: They don’t do this for the money.
“It was built on my dad’s faith and love of skating.”
Fully relaxed at all times, Steven Vasquez has one of the smoothest heelflips out right now, and his focus on skating (and school) is at an all-time high. Just outside LA County, Steven syncs up to show us around his childhood stomping grounds, going Spot To Spot and stacking clips.
Start the day at the remodeled Chino Skatepark, where he grew up skating, for a typical warmup session. Then take it to the crusty, sweet streets of Ontario and Claremont to skate a few spots that have served him well over the years and see what juice he can squeeze out of them next.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
