Innehållsförteckning för 234 Winter 2022 från Slam Skateboarding

It’s been 12 years since I’ve contributed to Slam Skateboarding Magazine. Between 2006 and 2011, I captured the Sydney skate scene through the annual videos I produced that became a part of the Ookvision Saga. These videos featured the likes of Dane Burman, Dean Palmer, Jake Hayes, Nik and Steve Stipanovic, Billy Lukins, George Kousoulis, Vanessa Miles and many more. The big takeaway from videography was to cherish every moment of skating and being with my mates. This led me on a journey to learn about taking care of my own health and wellbeing. After the heads of my VX1000 became irreparable, I moved between Japan and Sydney, where I worked as an English and special education teacher, and in my private practice as a clairvoyant healer, medium and transformational…

“My focal range now is about a five-cent-piece worth,” says Richard Moore through a FaceTime call from Adelaide. “Even looking at you on the screen, I’m probably only getting about a third of the screen in focus, then the brain tries to fill in the rest.” Richard is a skater from Adelaide who has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). This rare hereditary disease has degenerated his eyesight to the point where he has lost about 95 per cent of his vision. He’s legally blind, but he skates with a cane, and despite his condition, he’s determined to keep living a full life. We spent an hour chatting about the challenges of RP, his forthcoming trip to The States to skate with Dan Mancina and co., and what it feels like to skate…

SIMON ZUZIC IS ON ONE AT THE MOMENT. After filming for the forthcoming Sunday Hardware video, and getting surprised with a pro board for Hoddle, Simon jetted off to London, arriving just in time for summer. After a couple of weeks crashing at Jarrad Carlin’s joint, the pair sat down for a chat about Simon’s big move across the pond and how it’s all going so far. You’ve just made a move to London recently. What brought that on, and how are you finding it here? Yeah, I grew up in Melbourne and have lived there for the past 26 years, so I felt like it was time to venture out and try parking up somewhere else for a while. I just wanted to mix it up and experience living…

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AGE: 18 LIVES: Northern Beaches, Sydney SKATES FOR: New Balance Numeric, Eternal, Ace, Boarders, and Modest Eyewear “I have known Shimatits for a long time now, and I have been fortunate enough to see him grow up from being the annoying little shit at the skatepark, to becoming the most amazing human with a heart of gold.” – Liv Lovelace “Kai seems to know every single skateboarder in Australia. Seriously, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. If there was a social-butterfly-skateboarder of the year award, Kai would win it hands down, and then proceed to share his celebratory cartons of VB with the masses. For the one or two skateboarders who don’t know Kai, I can tell you this: Kai’s progression as a skateboarder over the past few years…

The infamous Corio is an ancient paint tray bowl with no coping and haggard concrete. It’s in the ’burbs of Geelong and has been there since I can remember. I first saw this thing in videos when I started skating 20 years ago, back when the likes of Dorfus [Tim McDougall], Noah Phillips and a plethora of international heavy hitters were claiming their pieces on this vintage ’crete. I swear the spot feels like it’s older than time itself and has been rough and gnarly since it was built. Fast forward 20 years, and we’re beginning to see a new wave of young, Aussie transition skaters ripping this sort of terrain again. Whether it be the cycle of trends, available spots, or some other unknown reason, we can safely say…

Now that skateboarding is officially a “sport”, thanks to its first appearance in the Olympics, we’re about to see some premium quality skateparks sprouting up around the country. When it comes to getting local officials to pay attention to the need for sporting infrastructure, petitions can sometimes work (and kudos to every skater who has dedicated their time to this route in the past). But nothing gets the Australian Government’s money flowing faster than the chance at winning Olympic medals. Actually, one thing does. That’s when one of our cities is about to host its own Olympic games. In 2032, Brisbane will play host to the Olympics. Events will be held across Southeast Queensland, and Gold Coast skaters are reaping the rewards with the new extension to Pizzey. If you…

Karl Bayldon grew up on the Sunshine Coast, skating with a local crew, including Sammy Winter, Dave Harris, and Jackson Pilz. He spent his weekends on skate missions to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, eventually getting hooked up by a couple of sponsors. Karl is 35 now and still pushing. He and his fiancée have just bought a house in Birkdale. It’s a Wednesday arvo when I catch him for a chat. “I’m great, man. I cannot complain,” he says brightly. “I’ve just been working, a little bit of skating and training – just normal adult life.” But it wasn’t so long ago that the future looked pretty uncertain for Karl. Four years back, an ultrasound revealed that he had calcifications of cancer on one of his testicles. Karl’s journey…

Dave Chami has been in the skate photography game since the days when shooting with film wasn’t merely an aesthetic choice, but the only format available. Hailing from a little town called Pukekohe in NZ, Dave taught himself how to shoot skate photos during his mid-20s in Tokyo, before moving to Sydney, then onto San Francisco to work for the iconic Transworld magazine for almost a decade. These days, Dave is back in Sydney with his wife and two kids, and he works as the TM for adidas. He’s a long-term senior photographer at Slam, and he’s always experimenting with the craft. The most recent case in point was Dave’s ‘Interocular’ exhibition, which was part of Vivid Sydney, an immersive arts festival best known for its large-scale light installations across…

It’s almost midnight when I receive a message from Connor Reeve. He wants to know if I’d like to go and look for spots in the stormwater drains. “I bought gumboots,” he says. I wonder where he gets all his energy, and then I remember that he’s only 19. Despite his energy, Connor seems older, or wiser than his years. He’s quiet, considered, and has great taste in tricks and spots. If you look at him closely, you’ll even see a couple of grey hairs. I decline the drain mission but suggest we catch up in the morning at Laate Store – the skate shop Connor rides for in Newcastle and describes as “a second home”. The next day, Connor and I set up in Laate’s stockroom, which doubles as…

AGE: 16 LIVES: Dulong, Sunshine Coast RIDES FOR: Holiday Skateboards, Picture Wheels, Commodore Bearings, Parliament Skate Shop, and adidas (flow) Hey, Taj. What’s going on? I just got home from school. I’m having a rest day from skating because we were skating heaps in Brisbane on the weekend. Normally I will skate the local after school with a few mates. I also have a halfpipe and a flat bar that I skate at home. You’re from the Sunshine Coast, right? What’s it like living and growing up there? The Sunshine Coast is great. My local park is Nambour, which is only 10 minutes away. It has everything you need at a skatepark. There are Hubbas and a perfect little down rail to learn tricks on. The Coast has heaps of…

AGE: 15 LIVES: Minnamurra, NSW SKATES FOR: Santa Cruz, Emerica, Independent, Ricta and Modus “Danno is the man. He always has some shitty bowl cut or mullet going, charges anything in front of him, and thinks he’s the best at getting chicks. But damn, he makes me look bad at skating street.” – Kieran Woolley “While Danno’s appearance and self-assurance make him seem like he’s nearing 20, he will constantly remind you of his age when he says stuff like, “Dad, if I eat my vegetables, can I get Disney Plus?” This is when you remember how much time he still has to grow. He shares the same talent as his older brother, Kieran, but skates completely different. I’m excited to see what the street Woolley does in the future.”…