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Comet Skateboards is trying for a $50,000 grant from Pepsi in the new Pepsi Refresh Project. Pepsi is looking for "people and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact." You submit your idea, and people can vote on it. At the end of the month the top ideas get grants for thousands of dollars.

Comet Skateboards is in the running for the $50,000 grant to improve the Oakland and Ithaca Skateparks, and to run a mentorship and cultural exchange program. You can see a breakdown of how they plan to use the money, and what their program entails on the Pepsi Refresh Everything website. Watch the video about what Comet Skateboards would like to do, and push the white "Vote for This Idea" button on the right side of the screen. Comet moved from 200th place, up to 70th, but as I write this they've slipped back to 82nd. The top 10 ideas win the grant, so vote now, and vote every day! You can vote once a day until the end of February, it costs you nothing to vote, and every vote counts!

Vote Comet Skateboards for $50K Grant from Pepsi originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 18:12:40.

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Posted on 8 February 2010 | 1:12 pm

Disney XD's show Zeke and Luther has been a major hit, and is coming back for a second season.  In case you've never heard of it, the Zeke and Luther show follows two teenage boys who dream of becoming pro skaters. In a lot of ways the show is everything you would expect from a show for kids, except for one major improvement - they're trying hard to make the skateboarding look legitimate.

The main factor in creating realistic skateboarding is the man behind the scenes, James "Jimmy" Gorecki. Gorecki is an ex-pro skater who, through a crazy series of events, ended up being a "Skateboarding Consultant". Not sure what that means? Gorecki wasn't either - he's one of the first people to do this! With skateboarding becoming more and more popular in TV shows and movies, production companies that care are looking for people like Gorecki who can find real pro skaters to do the tricks, and who can teach actors to skate!

I was able to talk with Gorecki earlier this week about what he does for the Zeke and Luther show, how he ended up there, and what he thinks about the mainstreaming of skateboarding. Read the James Gorecki Interview - the guy has some great stuff to say!

And if you are a fan of the Zeke and Luther show, or if you want to be, check out the Zeke and Luther Photo Gallery! Season Two of the show kicks off with a clever episode when Zeke attempts his biggest skateboarding trick ever - jumping a shark (get it?! If not, ask your parents). New episodes start March 15th (7:30-8:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD and DisneyXD.com.

Jimmy Gorecki: Professional Skateboarding Consultant...? originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 21:30:02.

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Posted on 5 February 2010 | 4:30 pm

Thank you Huntington Beach teenager Douglas Young, for ruining things for the rest of us.

This was reported earlier this week in the Orange County Register - "A Huntington Beach teen got $30,000 from the city because he fell off his waveboard in a public alley, breaking two bones in his right forearm, officials said." A Waveboard, in case you don't know, is one of those skateboard-like toys where you twist it while standing on it to make it go.

Young's paperwork read, "That day, (Young) played on his waveboard in favor of his skateboard because the waveboard is more challenging, more fun, requires more skill and is therefore, less boring than is merely using a skateboard."

"(Young) readily admits that falling is an expected result of people who skateboard or waveboard; he further admits that he has 'fallen off a lot of times'," court documents said.

Does this kid have any idea how much he is making things worse for skaters?! Skateboarding in California is already a touchy subject, and we don't need people like this suing over getting hurt, when it's his OWN FAULT! He KNEW the risks of riding his silly Waveboard, and he KNEW he was skating in a place with a lot of construction going on. Does Young know how city officials react after they are forced to pay money for things like this? They make more laws, and restrict skateboarding even more. It's not free money! It's money paid for by tax payers, tax payers who don't need much of a push to put in bans against skateboarding when things like this happen.

I'm also disappointed in City Attorney Jennifer McGrath, who apparently didn't want to fight this. This SHOULD be an open-shut case. Skateboarding SHOULD be an at-your-own-risk activity in California, like it is in many other states. We skaters all know getting hurt is part of the bargain when we skate. There's a difference between the city doing something stupid that sets someone up for injury, and me breaking my arm because I can't skate well, but insisted on doing it anyway. Young even said that he thought the Waveboard was "more challenging", meaning that he wasn't as good at it, and also meaning that he wasn't a very good skater, either.

There's my rant. What do you think? Do you think skaters should sue cities more? What do you think about America's sue-happy culture? Post your comments below!

Waveboard Rider Sues Hunting Beach, Wins $30,000 originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 16:10:58.

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Posted on 3 February 2010 | 11:10 am

Skateboarding has a strange culture, doesn't it? I mean, skaters aren't like anyone else out there. We do our own thing, but we're also a group. And we're fiercely protective of what it means to be a "skater".

It can be rough when you are a new skater, or when you just aren't learning tricks as fast as your friends. Sometimes skaters are really encouraging to each other, but sometimes we rip our brothers and sisters down. That's not good. Everyone learns at their own rate, and if someone is trying to skate and willing to put in the blood and sweat, I say build 'em up instead of calling them a "poser". Besides, we ALL started at zero - and became a skater the moment we fell in love with skateboarding, and got on a board.

Not to say that there aren't posers out there! Kids who buy a skateboard and carry it around, just to look the part ... they're a different story. And I find them just as annoying as you probably do.

But for people who are trying but who just learn more slowly, I say encourage them and help them get even better! What do you think? Have you ever been harassed because you didn't instantly learn several hard tricks? Or do you think that until you have reached a certain level, you aren't really a skater? Leave a comment below.

Posers vs Slow Learners - What's the Difference? originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 16:57:12.

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Posted on 1 February 2010 | 11:57 am

The Dew Action Sports Tour has some great skateboarding - it's the main reason I went. But there was so much more. Like the X Games, the Dew Tour has BMX, Motocross, music, plus a festival villiage and other attractions. Unlike the X Games, the Dew Action Sports Tour has everything in one place. You can walk to every event, see it all, without having to drive half an hour, pay for more parking, and miss stuff back at the place you left. See pictures and photos of the Dew Action Sports Tour.

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:08 am

Ryan Sheckler Gallery - see pictures, photos and images of Ryan Sheckler, Professional Skateboarder from various X Games street and park competitions, and the AST Dew Tour. Ryan Sheckler is one of the most popular younger professional skateboarders out there. Theis photo gallery of Ryan Sheckler is packed with pictures and photos from the last several X Games competitions and the AST Dew Tour.

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:08 am

Step 4 - Step by step instructions on applying grip tape to your skateboard deck. Instructions on what tools to use when putting grip tape on a skateboard, how to cut the griptape, and how to make the grip tape design look great. Grip taping a skateboard at home is easy, and you can try your own patterns and designs. Learn how to griptape a skateboard with these easy instructions.

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:08 am

Shaun White Pro Skateboarder Photo Gallery - see pictures and images of Shaun White, the famous pro skateboarder and snowboarder pulling of skateboarding and snowboarding tricks at competitions like the X Games and Winter X Games. Shaun White headshots, tricks, catching air in the vert ramp and on the snow - this photo gallery of Shaun White is full of pictures and graphics.

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:08 am

Skateboard Logos - a gallery of logos of popular skateboard brands, good for reference, websites, MySpace backgrounds, collages, desktops, or whatever you'd like!

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:58 am

X Games 13 Photo Gallery - see images and pictures from X Games 13 skateboarding competitions, from vert ramps skateboarding to street course skateboarding to the big air competitions and best tricks, including mens and womens skateboarding competitions at X Games 13.

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:58 am

Nike 6.0 Oncores are skateboarding shoes with a little extra. The new Nike Oncores are great shoes for skateboarding, with extra reinforcement, action leather and suede uppers, and great grippy soles. Nike 6.0 Oncores have padding where you want it, breathe, and are fully skatable. The style is a little unique, but not ugly (something that Nike Skateboarding shoes get bashed for a lot). Nike 6.0 Oncores are worn by Nike bmx team rider Garret Reynolds.

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:58 am

Powerslide - How to powerslide skateboarding trick tip instructions. Powerslides are the coolest and fastest way to stop on skateboards. A powerslide is where you are skating along, sometimes pretty fast, and spin your board to the side and skid to a stop. Powerslides are very similar to how you stop on a snowboard. Most people have a hard time learning to powerslide, but it's ... read more and learn to powerslide, get help and directions!

Posted on 9 February 2010 | 5:58 am