Last Sunday, the King of Spring Skateboard Showdown took place drawing huge crowds for a little fun and competitive action and free swag. Hosted by Billy Rohan, the event included sponsorship from some of New York’s finest including Acapulco Gold, Supreme, Starks Laces and DQM alongside the likes of Red Bull and Vans. Check the video for all the highlights.
The King of Spring Skateboard Showdown is set to take place this April 20th. 3 Gs worth of prize money is on hand for Best Trick. The event hosted by Billy Rohan and Lurker Lou will also feature music by Razor Tail. With the likes of Starks Laces, Dave’s Quality Meats, Supreme, Vans and Acapulco Gold on hand to sponsor, should prove to be a dope event.
King of Spring Skateboard Showdown420 East, 12th St.New York City, NYSunday, April 20th
Acapulco Gold announces the release of their 2nd round of AG Swirl New Era caps. For those who missed out on the first round, these are the last colors in the series and will be available in store at select retailers such as Union, Livestock, and Commonwealth next week. In other Acapulco Gold news, over the winter AG and team skater Billy Rohan got together with Open Road of New York, The Gonz (Krooked), Vans, and Supreme to open a skatepark at 12th and A in Downtown NYC. A skateboarding contest series is in the works with the first event dubbed “The King of Spring” which will be held on Sunday April 20th. Check out Billy Rohan and friends at the spot on EXPN.
Since the 1980’s, a lot of popular graphics in Japan’s street scene have been produced by the design collective 7STARS Design. Recently they have collaborated with skate brand Uniful for a project that took a year in planning. Together, they have created the “Unistars” series which include skate decks featuring “Wolfgang Honecker” photo prints and a mesh cap. In addition, Uniful has released their new 2008 Spring/Summer line where you can purchase at Zozo.
Freelance designer Benny Gold is behind some of the industry’s most recognizable and hyped concepts. His latest work takes him on board with San Fran skate hardware brand Roughneck to design a series of bolts. Look for them to hit Benny Gold’s online shop alongside his Holiday Collection.
The French chapter of mini-lifestyle magazine Frank151 teamed up with luxury leather goods maker Jacques Ferrand to create a collection of limited edition ostrich and crocodile skin skate decks, each bearing a Frank151 stamp. No information on availability but questions can be directed here.
With each season, artist Jeremy Fish will produce and release three limited edition skate deck graphics as part of his superFishal brand. The concept is meant to have two artists with differing styles converge into one graphic. This first Collab Series includes artists Pushead – "The Music" (8-1/4), Todd Bratrud – "The Mermaid" (8) and Michael Sieben – "The Mushrooms" (7-5/8). Each deck is made by local San Diego deck manufacturer Watson Laminates with decks limited to 500 per graphic. The decks are currently available in all Upper Playground retail outlets.
Image: HYPEBEAST
Jahmal Williams grew up skating all his life on the east coast and has been a professional skateboarder since the “The Golden Years” of the early 90’s. Currently residing in New York City, Jahmal started HOPPS Skateboards in April of 2007. Skating by himself in South Beach on a typical blazing hot Miami day, Jahmal reminisces about the time he got his first complete:
"The year was 1988. My big sister and I were on the way to Beacon Hill Skate Shop. We were a few blocks away from the shop, walking through the Boston Common, when I began to hear the roaring sounds of skateboard wheels and the occasional clicks and clacks of the decks smacking the ground. We walked along the path, and suddenly the kids came into view. Some of the kids were hopping up and down in one place on their boards, while others rolled toward the benches and then hopped onto edge of the bench and then hopped off while trying to keep the boards under their feet. I was in complete awe! They seemed to be in another world, separate from everyone else. And I wanted in that world. … So many years later, I found myself still in that world and still just as much in love with skateboarding as when I was fourteen years old. Naming the brand HOPPS seemed appropriate, and it reminded me of the innocence of what I experienced and felt on that day in Boston."
Inspired by his peers who represent a D.I.Y. mentality (including Alyasha Owerka-Moore, Rodney Smith, Andy Howell, Mike Vallely, Ed Templeton, Natas and Mark Gonzales) and a desire to create a quality skate brand that is a true voice of the streets, Jahmal runs HOPPS all by himself, from graphic design to pro-rider. The current collection consists of t-shirts, 5-panel caps, skate decks and wheels. Available now at select shops including Supreme (NY), DQM (NY), and Concepts (Boston).
