Turn my Boombox on Boom!

What a fun weekend this was!! I'm starting to get back into the NYC flow..starting to. So many friends to enjoy and tasks to catch up on. Good thing I have the rest of 2012 before the world ends.. I'll catch you up on the shenanigans next blog but I'm sure I have something that most of you would rather see now. I keep saying there is big things coming out of the Bustin camp this year and you've already begun to hear the buzz with boards dropping soon. I'm hearing news about releases that even we don't know.. The most up-to-date information I can give you is...soon. Ha. You guys know I'm a tease. Allow me to take it to another level. Here is an swagtastic film/edit by Cami Beast with some of our team riders with the BOOMBOX on blast! It's Bustin Bitches!
#StaySkatin!

With the help of my friends

What hides inside                                           A spotless exterior

Death before living                                         A phoenix reborn

                                                  Love heals

Sometimes I like it slow.

I've finally worked myself out of my funk and feel like I can get back to writing.

This year started off with me at a point where I really had to make some life path decisions. Manhattan is for me the best place to skate hands down and I love my Brooklyn community. And still I couldn't get out of this city fast enough when 2012 rolled over. I needed a break from the fast lane..a Greyhound bus down the east coast to Florida is definitely a drastic change of speed. See you in February!

Fast forward to six weeks later and the issues of last year seem to be working themselves out quite well. I spent a good amount of
the NYC winter in tropic climates, usually bordered by an ocean or forest and surrounded by genuine hospitality. Atlanta was the only place I left unsatisfied, there was inclement weather most of the time so I didn't get to skate with many people. I'll be back there soon. I've come back feeling quite energized and with a fresh outlook.

StaySkatin'

More on my skacation this week.
Back on that NYC 'ish!

Broadway Bomb 2011!!!!!

Finally! Another epic Broadway Bomb experience has come and gone. And not a moment too soon. Don't get it twisted..I had the time of my life but it was exhausting! My last house guest, Carly Richardson of Landyachtz, just took off yesterday to head back to Canada and I can finally take a break. Well sort of.(I'm leaving for Ohio in a few hours to hit a 60mph hill(Soldiers of Downhill race should be my next blog post). But before I bore you with my talking let me get straight to the meat. Feelin' this word right now..Meat. Come get some...I distract easily. Here's an excellent capture of the Bomb from the crew at Push Culture News.

Wish you had been there?! With close to 1500 participants there was a definite stoke overload! Congrats to my NYC family. Way to put on for your city! People traveled from across the globe to be here and you guys showed up in numbers and let them know what this push culture swag is really about. It's true, you can push anywhere. But this isn't anywhere. This is The concrete jungle. 

Prince (Photo by Chad Gallagher)

And another vid from my homies at Rayne Longboards. Much love to Marisa, Cameron, Paul and the rest of the crew. I'm coming to see you guys as soon as destiny allows.

I started to talk about all the pros that were here..because I know some of you get off on that but it's easier for me just say that your favorite skater was probably at this event. What was really cool for me though was how every one of these guys left stoked on what we're doing here in NYC. Without fail they all left with a better understanding and appreciation of this pushing "drug" were on. "I get it. I get." Skating here is another type of rush, we flirt with death daily and you always need to be ready to dodge the next moving obstacle.

After the race we headed to the after-picnic sponsored by Bustin and hosted by me. I spent the weeks before stressing on how to feed as many people as possible and stay within budget. There were thoughts of tacos and spaghetti, both would feed a good amount of people but would be logistical nightmares. Wings, dumplings, hot dogs, and meatballs were the answer. Thanks to my dad for cooking at least 60lbs of wings and Marie Robles for taking care of the rest. 800 meatballs, 300+ hotdogs and around 800 dumplings. Crazy. Despite a little harassment by the park employee and a slight relocation my stress was unwarranted. Everything else went smoothly. Bustin gave away so much gear including lots of carbon Robots, both in contests and a free raffle where winners were called out throughout the party.

 And then there was the partying where 'ish got real. There are stories that I could tell but what happens in NYC.....Much love to all who came and got in in with us here in NYC. Loaded. Landyachtz. Smokin Mad Love. Rayne. Rogers Brothers. Sector 9. Arbor. Gravity. Wheelbase Magazine. Earthwing. Original. Venom. Hogwash. Clutch. Green Banana. Shralpers Union. SkateTheEast. Uncle Funkys. Beast Coast Longboarding. Silverfish. SHeRED. Bustin. Push Culture New. So many more............See you in the field or at the next Broadway Bomb. Until then....Stay Skatin'!

Photo by Chad Gallagher

Broadway Bomb 2011!!!!!

Welcome to the melting pot...I've been sitting here contemplating what to write about this week. I had come up with what I thought would be the easy way out and post some photos of different skaters from all over. Turned out to be a pretty good project but I think it warrants a bit more effort than I planned. All good. So what do I write about...The Broadway Bomb 2011!! Sitting here watching this video myself I could barely contain my excitement! The anticipation of skating with that many stoked skaters has me on edge and checking the calendar three times a day. Last years numbers were estimated at 500+ but I'm pretty positive there were at LEAST 600 of us taking over the busiest and most famous street in NYC! Let's hope our esteemed colleague who organizes this race will have some plan to track this years numbers. This year I would hardly be surprised to see a thousand of us out there...Who gon' stop us?!?!

So the date for the race is October 8 which is about two weeks away.  The race starts at noon but I'll be there by at least 1100AM. One of the best attractions of this event is the community and the shared excitement. Get there early and enjoy it. I've already received messages from riders in countries all over saying how stoked they were to be participating in this years event! Also if for some reason we have to start early(cops)or some asshole(there is always at least one) yells go prematurely, you don't want to miss out on what will surely be one of the most fulfilling experiences of your life!

Bustin will be also be sponsoring the after-picnic that takes place along the East River..and I'll be co-hosting with Ian! We'll be getting a flyer out shortly with details but look to see more events to participate in like best trick, hippie jump and even a manual contest! And more free stuff. May I still say "winning"?

Stay Skatin'!

Robots are the future!

This video was released right before we left. Nice work on the edit by our team. Look to see some awesome things coming from Puerto Rico and more adventures in the future! It's Bustin Bitches!

Bustin Boards Presents a New Flava from Bustin Boards on Vimeo.

Stay Skatin'

Pompiaera! Careful..It's Contagious!

Happy Labor Day! I'm sitting here at the command center at our Longboard Loft here in Manhattans Lower East Side...so I'm not sure of the significance of todays holiday on me. But my life has been a holiday for quite some time with weekdays and weekends melting together. I hardly know what time it is during the day and at this point I can get things done just as easily in the dark as in the light..Though personally I like getting it on with the lights on. You know..look into your eyes and all. But I digress.

So the Bustin Crew is back from Puerto Rico! I've been asked quite a few times how was the experience and the best word I can find to sum it up is bliss. Don't get me wrong..there were definite parts that I could have done without. Like sharing two hotel rooms with fifteen to twenty skaters or being so excited to skate the twenty-six mile Adrenalina Marathon only to have it start pouring as soon as the announcer shouted go. But then again these things also helped make this quite a memorable trip. I did make sure I had a bed and only had to share it with my brother for some of the nights and manage to keep the bedroom relatively clean. I can be a bit O.C.D. and a bit of a diva at times but I toned it down as much as I could.

And there was nothing I could do about the rain, everyone had to deal with the same conditions and I'm sure I everyone waiting at that first turn enjoyed seeing riders continually  bust their ass. By the last loop I was kicking my board and calling it all sorts of names. All in all the race was pretty epic and turned out to be the best of the tour to date. Congrats to the homie and my fellow team rider Kiefer Dixon for surprising a lot of people in the distance community and taking first. He also somehow managed in the eight days we were there to become the best freerider in NYC. Pause...The first part was serious but the last was a joke...if we laugh at ourselves it won't matter when others join in. I was also seriously impressed by my teammate Cami "Beast"'s performance. She was in first for the female division for most of the race until her asthma escalated out of control. She managed to finish the race with a strong second after passing out during the course and finishing the remaining laps even though paramedics insisted she stop and link up to the oxygen tank. We had managed to track down her pump but it was too late for that to help. This girl looked like a wet pasta noodle pushing her board and clearly showed signs of dementia but she refused to stop. My team is amazing!

The rest of the trip was absolutely amazing. I learned a little more Spanish, though not enough to say all the dirty things on my mind, and we met some cool locals that really made the trip for us. Luis Marrero, Noishh Boom, Paulette Polosh and many more..you guys rock, thanks for making us all feel at home. They helped get us out of tourist central and showed us some pretty cool spots on the west side of the Island. The locals of course are all insanely skilled and are totally comfortable bombing  sketch streets. The roads were smooth but narrow with cars flying up/down the middle. I actually came within a hair's width of kissing a tire while in a tuck down this one run! Good times though.

Damn! So much more that went on that I want to say but don't want you guys to get bored. Like the crew doing a demo for underprivileged youths, skinny-dipping on the beach, jam sessions in front of the hotel, Cami beating up most of the guys on our trip, Jeff being molested by underage girls(only with their eyes), coming in a room to find my brother butt-naked and face down..you ask him the details, exploring the beach late-night until being too creeped out by what was in the water and crawling over our feet, Sanchez being comatose after trying the local concoctions, Hippix got some 'ish on his lip after spending an evening with a local bartender. I'm not saying they were related but I'm implying they might be. And the stories go on.

Thanks to Adrenalina for hosting and promoting such a great event. The island was full of support and we felt very welcomed. And thanks to Bustin Boards for supporting us. Pompiaera means Stoke!