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News 2009

November 19

We just did an Action Science demo at Coronado High School, for the entire ninth grade, which with some estimates was a crowd around 800 students. The team ripped it up and included local rippers from Crooks skateshop, Mike, Rudy and Henry. Big props go out to them. Chris Benker and Jacob Whitt shredded as usual, and I did my best to keep the action moving and add my own styule. A good time had by all, including the teachers!

October 29

Had a nice demo with Jacob and Chris out at Alarcon Elementary in san Elizario, Texas, jsut on the outskirts of El Paso. We had aobut 100 4th and 5th graders for the indoor flatland jam. Highlights included Chris' Ollies over board stack, Jacob's flipity trickery and a three try handstand fingergflip from me to finish it off.

October 23

It's official, I am now riding for Retro and subLIME products out of the SK8TRIP family of products that includes ABEC-11. I am pleased also to be working with a great friend and visionary in skateboarding, Chris Chaput, who is a long time skateboarder and competitor, as well as incredible product designer. Look for more to come from this as we work together to link skateboarding and education in new ways.

October 21

I just got some great photos from the demo in the Don Haskin's Center last month as part of the Action Science - GEARUP effort. There are dome excellent shots of the entire team, as well as some of the crowd during the demo. Many thanks to Juliette and Lori at GEARUP and Beto at UTEP. Mil gracias.

October 18

I got back up to Santa FE, NM and rode at my old skatepark off of Camino Carlos Rey as well as my skatespot for flatland as well. I even ran into a few bros up there, and we had a good session at the park.

October 6

Had another birthday and now I have been skateboarding for 34 years. I like to count my age in skateboard years, as it keeps me younger than my actual age.

September 20

Just did a couple of demos this weekend at the "Chalk the Block" event in downtown El Paso, where they close the downtown plaza area and have artist do their work on the streets and sidewalks in chalk. The Dr. Skateboard team of Jacob, Chris and myself joined the Z-Man and the crew from EPSA for a number of demos and sessions.

September 18

Yesterday, we did a big demo at UTEP in the Don Haskin's Center for over 3500 Eight grade students as part of an Action Science initiative that was being done with the GEARUP program. In the demo, we had BMXers Dave Voelker, Gary Laurent, BIlly Gawrych and Nick Happel. There was high flying inline action with Fabiola Da Silva, and skating from the Love Thy Neighbor Team, which included Rudy, Louis, Oscar, BJ, Rocky, Chris Benker and myself. We had a great time and the kids loved the show. Here's a story in the El DIario online and in Spanish.

September 5

We have new skate construction project going on, a drainage ditch that is designed to be skateable. Check out the photo essay.

August 15

Back to school at UTEP and preparing for the big demo with the GEARUP program, which will bring 350 eight graders to UTEP for a day of fun and action science. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a five-year program funded by the Department of Education. It was developed to expand educational opportunities and to assist students in becoming college eligible and then academically successful in higher education.

July 9

The new Westside El Paso Skatepark opened up yesterday (officially) and it went really well. It is a fun park with a great bowl to ride as well. There are some great photos and information on the El Paso Skatepark Association's Web site.

June 15

I thought you might like to see a 2 page spread I got in the Spring 2009 UTEP magazine on Dr. Skateboard's Action Science. It is at this URL:

http://utepmagazine.utep.edu/archive/

Then look in the contents link on the top left hand side and choose Dr. Skateboard's Action Science on pages 50-51.

May 20

Here are some photos taken by JR Hernandez at UTEP for the upcoming UTEP magazine article, the photos are from a session at the local concrete Carolina Skatepark.

May 8

Thanks to everyone who helped make our 2009 Skate Deck Art Show a huge success! Our silent auction held May 6th at Marco Polo Dive Bar raised more than $2,500 to promote the development and stewardship of safe, freely accessible public skateparks in the El Paso area. See event photos.

April 22

I just got a great email from my freind Claudio Perez Matzen in Santiago, Chile and he has posted a video entitled "Estudiando el Movimiento con el Dr. Skateboard"on YouTube about our work at UMCE last year. It is a great video that chronicles our academic venture as well as how we integrated skateboarding into the realm of physics and mathematical modeling. Claudio and another colleague, Jaime tello, did the video and it is awesome. Check it out!

April 4

Did a demo with my local crew (Chris, Eric and Damian) plus a new rider, Matt, this time with ramps at UTEP. This was part of the 2009 Enginnering and Science Extravaganza that had over 500 students from Middle Schools in the YISD participating. We did 2 shows and used the flatland, wedge ramps, sub box and rail for integrating physics concepts into the world of action science. It was a lot of fun and many thanks to Eddie Vargas at Nebula for the loan of the ramps.

March 11

Did a demo with my local crew (Chris, Eric and Damian) at Parkland Elementary School in the YISD. It was for about 300 students in grades 3-6 and we had a great time talking about physics and skateboarding, as well as seeing some amazing technical tricks. It was a great time.

February 21

I just got back from visiting Woodward West in Tehachapi, California, where I worked with Pro BMX rider, Mike Spinner, on an upcoming project that integrates tricks and physics. It should come out in the next month or so, and it was great to have a chance to work with such a talented professional. If you haven't see Mike in action, check out the "Evolution of a Trick - the 1080" series by BNQT on Youtube.

January 23

I am back at UTEP and this week in the Prospector student newspaper, there is a great article about Action Science. Check it out.

January 10

Back home in El Paso, and back at home at Carolina Skatepark. Shout out to all the Boyz - ZMan, Gabe, Jaime, Benker.

News - 2008

December 5

I finished up my last day at UMCE today and am getting ready to focus on heading home. It has been quite a fun ride down here in South America, and I am looking forward to returning for more in the future.

November 25

I just posted some new photos and videos from my demos down here in South America. To date, I have done almost 15 in both Chile and Argentina. People dig the Action Science.

November 4

New president on the way and everyone seems optimistic. Let's hope that it all works out.

October 20

I have been doing some traveling around South America and have visited Argentina as well. Lots to do down here, and it is getting to feel like spring, which is weird for me.

October 6

1 year older and none the bit wiser, just trying to keep on skating.

September 25

The news on the upcoming Freestyle World Championship 2008 that will happen in Brazil on October 25 and 26 in Sao Paulo. I am seeing if I can head out and particiapte and you can find more info at the following URL: http://www.imageexpress.com.br/wcfs/

September 15

On Sunday, September 14, I was in the Education section of El Mercurio, the oldest newspaper in Santiago and was featured for my work in the local schools, along with Prof. Claudio Perez. The article can be accessed online here.

September 2

I have now completed 50 days in Santiago, and have had a few fun skateboarding adventures, including demos at the university and 2 local schools. I have also been to Parque Bustamante, which rules, and have to get to Parque de los Reyes soon, now that the weather is becoming more sping like.

I have also post a couple of new photo albums in Picasa: Action Science, UMCE Demos Shots and Local School Demo Shots. The links open up new windows. Check them out and enjoy.

August 22

I did a demonstration yesterday on the patio of the College of Education building at my host institution, la UMCE, here in Santiago as part of Prof. Claudio Perez's class in Physics education. My demo was part of the beginnings for the student teams who will use data from my skateboarding to construct mathematical models and computer simulations. Cool and innovative stuff from Prof. Claudio Perez, a truly dedicated educator, and the students are really cool and smart.

August 21

I got a note from an old friend, Walter Cavedo, who was a vert ramp ripper back in the days in Richmond, VA. He even sent me a photo of him on my old backyard ramp, which is the last photo in my Roots album. He also sent me a link to a news story I was in from last year in Wilmington, NC. The Web is awesome!

August 8

I have been keeping a blog of my thoughts (mis pensamientos) while I am here in Santiago, it is a whimsical look at life as a foreigner in Chile.

July 30

I have gotten some press locally on the UMCE Web site, and both stories are in Spanish. The first is from the Departamento de Física en la UMCE and the other is from the main Web site at la UMCE. So far, I am getting ready on my projects, but also looking forward to integrating skateboarding in the study of physics here in Santiago.

July 20

I am in Santiago, Chile where I will be working with the faculty of the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencia de la Educación (UMCE). I am here as part of a Fulbright Scholarship administered by the Fulbright Chile organization. It should be a fruitful learning experience.

July 12

I was interviewed in the UTEP Horizons online magazine in an article entitled "Dr. Skateboard Travels to Chile". Check it out here to read more.

July 4

Happy Birthday USA! Man, it is great to be an American!

June 27

I just posted some new videos from Billy Gawrych from the Kaos Vault coming out for ID Clothing. Check the out on my videos page or see freestyle 1 or freestyle 2 here.

May 9

Check out the footage of Kaos Agent Zero, Billy Gawrych on his "DEMO/Hughlights" link on YouTube. You can also check out this Flatland Scientist on a FOX Sports interview all about 2 VCRs and a Broken 4 Track.

April 30

Today is Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros and I was part of a group from UTEP that went to Juaréz, Mexíco to participate with more than 80 students from the local area. I did my second complete presentation in Spanish, and it was well recieved as well as covered by a number of local newspapers including La Red Noticias, Mas Noticias, El Diario, La Opcion, and El Fronterizo.

April 15

April 5

March 30

I made it back from Boston, MA where I presented on Dr. Skateboard's Action Science to 80+ educators at the NSTA National Convention. The feedback I have gotten is that teachers find this very useful and appropriate for both Middle school, upper elementary and ealry high school. My goal is as always to give students an opportunity to learn science in ways in which they can relate.

I also had a chance to skate the streets with a couple of skaters in Boston who very cool to the old doctor. That is the best way to see a city, to get on your board and roll thorugh it all. What a blast.

March 22

The Spring Break contest at the Carolina Skatepark was yesterday and the action was fierce. Paul Zimmerman and the EPSA helped with the contest, and Eddie Vargas and the boys from Love Thy Neighbor put it all on. There will be an entire contest series this year in El Paso, moving throughout parks all around the city.

March 20

Made my way back to Richmond, VA to visit family and friends and do some riding in my old stomping grounds. It was great to see everyone and see my friend Rick and his band, the Jangling Reinharts, perform in Richmond as well.

February 29

We did 2 demos today up int eh Albuquerque, NM area, the first for 800+ students at Belen Middle School and the second for a small group demo/clinic at Sandia Pueblo. I did the demos with my friends Chris Benker and Brian "Salami" Saresmaslani and we had a great time along the open road. We also got to ride the Calvary Skatepark, the Belen Skatepark and the new and very large Alamosa Skatepark. Tons of fun.

February 15

Getting ready for some demos as well as spring skate time, get out the boards and go ride.

February 5

Here is a cool short movie from The Futures Channel in the area of Hands-On Math, which focuses on the issue of Designing Stronger Skateboards. It features Tim Piumarta of NHS, the folks who make Santa Cruz skateboards as well as other well known skateboard products.

February 3

I have posted a lot of new pictures linked to my Web site on my photo page. I am using Picasa, which is a great way to share photos on the Internet as well as store photos to use.

January 31

I have updated my spring demo schedule and am looking forward to having a number of local shows here in El Paso with the Industrial Team. I am hopeful that some Action Science demos with the Pro Impact Stunt Team will go too.

January 16

Well, I am back in the USA, back at work at UTEP, and ready for a great year of skateboarding once again.

While on the break, I had the opportunity to skateboard in some interesting places, including on the deck of the Orlova in Antarctica. Check out the photos. I also got to skate with some ripping locals in Ushuaia, Argentina ("el fin del mundo" - the end of the world), who proved that there are great riders (skateboarders and BMX) everywhere.

News - 2007

December 12

I posted a couple of videos shorts of Dr. Skateboard's Action Science on both YouTube and MySpace. I will lay in a link to the one on Simple Machines to check out, but you can get to them all on the video page.

Simple Machines Short Clip

December 6

Yesterday was a big media day for the group from UTEP that is going to Antarctica and we leave next week. You can check out our trip on our Web site: www.ipyroam.org

I was also on the morning show (KDBC-4 with Skylar Zwick) during the 5 and 6 AM shows, it was a lot of fun. There was also a nice story in the UTEP paper as well as in El Paso, Inc.

November 30

I sessioned the Tidy Bowl with my friend Chris, and we had a blast. Earlier in the week, had a session with the EPSA boyz at the Huevo. Good week of riding.

November 18

I just got back from an incredible week in Santiago, Chile, where I visited with some great friends from UMCE and also attended a conference there, delivering a presentation in Spanish. I also have a brief page about my visit to UMCE. Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks? Many thanks to Juan, Taty and Claudio, mis amigo por toda mi vida.

I also got to session the Parque de Los Reyes in Santiago with a bunch of ripping locals, skateboarding is so cool, you can go around the world and have bros to session with everywhere.

November 4

I went to Washington, DC with the IPY/ROAM group, with whom I will be traveling to Antarctica in December. We visited the NSF and had a great time all around DC. I also got to go and visit with my good friend, Ken Rice, and session the skatepark at Arlington, VA. Highlights included tile rides to pool coping grinds and frontside airs all around. We even took a ride in Ken's airplane.

October 27

I did a demo yesterday at Bassett Middle School for about 350 seventh grade students and it was the second of the Dr. Skateboard and the Industrial Team shows. Ripping it up were Albert Flores, Cristian Soto, and Chris Benker. It was a great skateboarding show, although we did learn a bit about the importance of music and crowd control at our demos...

October 26

The El Paso Skatepark Association (EPSA) Web site is up and running. This will be a valuable resource for all skateboarders in El Paso, Texas and will carry information on area parks as well as new efforts throughout the El Paso metropolitan area.

October 24

I was the guest speaker (and demonstrator) for the Cielo Vista Elementary School's Math Night, at which the students and parents participated in a series of activitiesrelated to mathematics at the school. There were about 150-200 parents, staff and students at the event, and if was a lot of fun.

October 16

I did a demo yesterday at Glen Cove Elementary for about 500 students and it was the first of the Dr. Skateboard and the Industrial Team shows. Ripping it up were Albert Flores, Cristian Soto, Ethan Milner and Chris Benker. It was a good show and we are planning to do more together locally.

October 14

I just got back from a day of shows with the Pro Impact Stunt Team in Nashville, TN. Ripping it up were Jeff Ferris, Billy Gawrych (he has to be the greatest BMX flatlander on the planet!), and Ron Thomas and Vinnie Vasquez out of Woodward East. These guys allr ipped it up, especially Ron (flip-whip, 720 on jump box, flair on quarter pipe) and Vinnie (huge backflips, 540s and 360 whips). It was an awesome time and a lot of fun had by all.

September 20

I did a demo today at Presa Elementary in the Ysleta School district. It was indoors and after a warm up slam fest (slippery), I proceeded to have fun with the students as we learned about the physics of skateboarding. I even helped fight off the force of gravity...

August 23

Chris, Brian and me made a plan and stuck to it this time, visiting 9 different parks/skate spots in the El Paso area in 1 day. We hit the road at 8:30 AM and finished about 6 PM. We had about 30 minutes a each spot, with about 30 minutes travel time in between each location. It was a lot of fun, and also quite a challenge. The spots we went to were the Tidy Bowl, Veteran's park, Chapparal (NM) park, Gallegos park, Marwood park, downtown mini-ramp, Armijo park, Ysleta park and Caorlina skatepark. I will post a story with picutres soon.

August 18

August 11

I had the opportunity to ride the SK8 Cary park, which had a nice almost X-games set up that was a lot of fun. I rode with some locals and met some really nice people. It has nice open transitions and a ton of good areas for beginners and experts alike.

August 8

I just finished riding at the Wilmington, NC Greenfield Grind Skatepark, and it was a lot of fun. Concrete bowls and fun flowing walls, and even some pool coping on the big grinding wall to boot. It was 110 degrees the day I rode it (that is no joke, the heat index was out of control), and I did ride with a local named Woody and we had a fun time.

August 2

The new issue of What's Up magazine in El Paso is out (Volume 8, No. 44 - August 1-8, 2007) and there is a nice article about the El Paso Skatepark Association, specifically with the Z-man, Paul Zimmerman. It is a great read and even has a picture of me throwing an invert at Carolina skatepark.

August 1

The new issue of NOVA Online (and in print) is out at the University of Texas at LE Paso, and I am the featured faculty member "In the Spotlight".

July 10

I just got back from a trip to Montana and had the good fortune to ride the parks in Missoula and in Whitefish. All I can say is, "I'm moving to Montana!" Not really, but man, these parks are incredible, with plenty of lines and challenging and fun terrain. The Missoula park has great flow and a really fun pool, left hand kidney design. The Whitefish park has great obstacles and some of the biggest concrete walls I have ridden since I was a kid visiting the Upland Skatepark in the 1970s. Check them out!

July 9

Check out the new issue of Concrete Wave magazine, you can find a nice story on Dr. sakteboard's Action Science with a great picture (handstand fingerflip) from Diane Sierra. It tells a bit about the theme and the goals behind the video curriculum. You can buy it from Barnes and Nobles bookstores.

July 3

I just made it back from a long Airstream trip to South Dakota and back, to look at some of the coolest sites in the US, including Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial and Devil's Tower (in Wyoming). Had a great time staying in the Airstream, especially in Spearfish, SD at Griz's house. Great times on the road.

I did get a chance to ride the Trinidad, CO skatepark, and it is worth the stop to anyone passing through that area. Great park and great people too.

June 7

I went to the Industrial Rideshop yesterday here in El Paso, and got to see Mike V. there along with probably 500 or more skaters from El Paso. After that, Chris, Brian and I hit up the Carolina skatepark for a fun session, and then made our way to the Revolution Mother show (Mike V's band). We got to see them tear it up and also talk with Mike for a good while too. He is a great ambassador of the sport and he and his band really rocks out . Be sure to get the new CD from Revolution Mother coming out on June 26.

May 12

We did a great day of demos for over 1000 Middle School students from EPISD at UTEP, in the parking lot of the Don Haskin's center. Jeff Ferris, Billy Gawrych, Mat Sager, Ommar Estrada, Brian Saremaslani, Chris Benker and myself formed the team for Dr. Skateboard's Action Science demos. We also got great help and support from the Industrial rideshop crew, including Oscar and Christian who ripped it up too.

There is a good spot on the UTEP web site with photos of the demo by JR Hernandez.

Also, here is some video from the El Paso Times.

May 6

I went to the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, NM and checked out the Jack Kerouac exhibit which included the scrool of On the Road. It was great to see, especially for someone like me, who has read almost all his books and poetry.

May 4

This month, I appear in a really great story by Cheri Pearson in the El Paso magazine with great photos from Diane Sierra. It is worth checking out and is entitled "Dr. Skateboard - You Can Never Be Too Cool For School". The magazines are available at Barnes and Noble stores in the El Paso area.

Here is a copy of the article with the pictures as a PDF (@2 Mb).

April 12

Here is a cool story and photos on the Pro Impact Stunt Team's Fourth Assault on Jamaica. This trip featured Jeff Ferris, Billy Gawrych, Ommar Estrada, Benji "Joe Dirt" Galloway, and Mat Sager. The team will be here in El Paso on May 11th for a big demo with EPISD and Dr. Skateboard.

March 3

Yesterday, I did a demo at Burnet Elementary on the East side of El Paso, and got a bit of coverage from Channel 9 news on the six o'clock edition. We had a lot of fun and the students and the staff were terrific.

February 10

I did a demo a Olga Kohlberg Elementary in El Paso, for a great group of fifth graders. They were very knowledgeable in both science and mathematics.

January 25

Check out my interview on Tim Holt's Pod Cast featuring a nice conversation we had recently about technology uses in the classroom and a bit about my upcoming video curriculum Dr. Skateboard's Action Sports. Tim does a great job working in technology and is a great partner here in El Paso. Check out his site and let me know what you think.

January 12

Skateboarding legend Russ Howell has a great interview at Old Man Army, where he goes into a bit of the history of his time in skateboarding, which is 49 years and counting. He is a true mentor and light in the world, and I am grateful to be counted among his friends.

January 1

Happy New Year to Everyone, and I hope 2007 is a blessed year for you all. Keep skating hard!

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