Square State Skate

SKATEBOARDING LESSONS THIS SATURDAY!!!

2012-02-23T14:16:00.001-08:00

Yes folks skateboarding lessons WILL happen this Saturday Feb. 25th. We got a little bit of snow but the park and the hockey rink are both skateable. So, we will see all of you there Saturday morning.

Wow can't wait to fly down the banks!!

The flyout corner is ready for launching!

Presidents Day and CASA BONITA!!

2012-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS!

A little dusting of snow last night did not stop the skate train from completely taking off the tracks today. We rolled up to Arvada this morning to an almost empty park, completely dry and skate able. Oh yeah and by the way there was no one there, we practically had the place to ourselves. A huge thanks goes out to StrangeBird Distrubution and Snikiddy Snacks for sponsoring the day!! Thanks Freddy you RULE!

Miles busting a kickflip.

The day was sponsored by SNIKIDDY SNACKS!!!

Yes the old dudes skate too, Neil doing a grind.

Max cruising with the utmost of ease.

Brian going over vert!! SICK!

If it's not messy it's no good.
SNIKIDDY SNACKS!!

Finn bombing the spongy bank, this was the challenge of the day and this was first try!

Diego cruising.

Oh by the way we went to CASA BONITA for lunch, needless to say we had fun. Miles and Finn went head to head in the sopapilla eating contest but of course Brian secretly ate 9!!

Monday's Full Day - President's Day and 1-Year Anniversary of The Bus!

2012-02-19T15:42:00.000-08:00

Buying skateboards on the internet...

2012-02-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

So, one of our Square State Skaters was complaining a lot about the board they bought on the internet. "The griptape feels like it's from Wallmart. The wood feels terrible..." Worst of all, the holes were drilled wrong, so the trucks would not even fit correctly. They had two bolts holding each truck (instead of 4). To make that issue even MORE the worst, the holes that were drilled were not even straight, so one truck is mounted crooked. Check out the pics below!

Remember kids, you get what you pay for. Internet and ebay (as well as Wallmart and Target) boards might sound appealing due to the low cost. Not only will you not be happy with the performance (and in many cases the safety) of these pieces of garbage, but you'll likely tear through several of them in the time you would have gone though one quality board. That, of course, more than evens out the cost difference.

Additionally, we have so many core skateshops in our area that are knowledgeable, caring and give back to the skateboard community. Most of these shops offer discounts and incentives to Square State Skate participants: Crisis Skateshop in Broomfield; Meta Skateshop and Satellite Board Shop in Boulder; Community Skate & Snow in Arvada; Sol Skateboards in Longmont and now even The Skateboard Commission which will be opening up soon in Thornton. Visit these shops, which are all SKATER OWNED and we will guarantee a quality experience and quality products. Support those that support you!

Saturday Session is ON

2012-02-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Our Saturday Session is ON for tomorrow. Feels like so long since we've said that! The weather will be a little chilly, so wear some layers and be prepared to move around a lot. Some snow challenges will definitely be in effect. We will also award prizes for some basic trivia questions.

It's a bit late for a more challenging trivia question, so we're making this easy. Here's a link to one of the best video parts ever. You may have seen this guy before, probably either on TV or in movies. His name is right at the beginning of the video. Can you name one show or movie he's been in? Correct answers will get prizes. Wrong answers will get stern looks of disapproval. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMYQHz-jVfA

Saturday Lessons!!

2012-02-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Today was another one of those days where you are just STOKED to be skateboarding in the middle of the Winter! Especially now that we just got two and a half feet of snow. Here are some goofy photos to keep you going until we shovel off the snow so we can SKATE again.

Miles loves to ride the walls.

If you are wondering what Brian is doing, I think it's called "interpretive dance."

Miles shows Brian how to use the banana wrench.

Kids love FUN, what's more fun than a penguin race. Blake and Alex caught in the act of cheating.

Mso showing us how to get speed with tons of STYLE!!

Nico doing the laziest manual ever. Another young man with tons of STYLE!!

Diego showing us his best impersonation of a stunt car driver on two wheels. Try this one it's not easy!

Just to put your minds at ease we are going to shovel snow all week this week to get the park skate able for this Saturday Feb. 11th. I will send you guys some pictures of the progress. Keep skateboarding and smiling, you make Saturdays the BEST day of the week!

Valentine's Day

2012-02-06T00:32:00.001-08:00

We will be running an evening of fun on Valentine's Day - Tuesday, Feb 14th. We will run from 5:30-9pm and will be skating, bowling and will host a pizza party. The cost of the evening is $40.
Call or email now to reserve your space.

Saturday lessons January 21st

2012-01-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well another wonderful Saturday with lots of laughs and good weather. Man if you told me it was January I would say you were crazy.

Neil doing a frontside boardslide.

Brian teaching Ian how to have "fun" with your skateboard!

Today was all about the ollies, Beckett getting some!

Ian throwing down a shove it, old school style.

Miles doing a spinny bean plant thingy!

Alec blasting a proper kickflip!

So good to see Connor, snapping a clean ollie!

So STOKED to have Cole com join us, yes you guessed it another great ollie. Man these guys learn fast.

Ian slashing frontside

Well again another AWESOME Saturday. We can't say enough about how these kids are progressing at skateboarding, and more importantly how much fun they can have with a useless wooden toy.
See you all again soon!

CELEBRATING MLK day Monday January 16th!!

2012-01-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

Wow this day was such a BLAST! No snow and a dry skatepark is the best way to celebrate a holiday from school. As usual we had an all-star cast.

I thought this was a cool cloud. Great start to a great day!

The road warrior was ready to be loaded.

Can you believe it they are talking about MATH!

Special guest Will popping an OLLIE!

Ian doing the coping dance.

Finn sense of humor is nothing but SOLID GOLD!!
Doing a street lein to tail.

Nick cracking a HUGE ollie over the man-hole cover!!

Will getting a backside 5-0 grind!

Well it was a little cold, 20 degrees to be exact, but obviously this didn't hinder our fun! Thanks to everyone that came out to skate, what a wonderful way to celebrate MLK day. We will see all of you for the 1 year anniversary of the BUS on February 20th!!!!!!

Skateboard Lessons Jan. 14th!

2012-01-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well we got off to a slow start today but as usual we had a BLAST! What a wonderful way to start a Saturday.

Ian going frontside slash in the deep bowl.
WOW!

Brandon doing the balancing act on a 50/50

Emma taking the big DROP!

Diego getting some serious speed.

Come on Neil you are supposed to keep your feet "on " the board!

Brian doing the whirly bird slide.

Alec with a smooth lipslide on the rail.

Blake gets last trick with this noseslide down the hubba!!

Can't wait to see everyone on Monday January 16th for a
FULL SKATE DAY!!

The park is GOOD!!

2012-01-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well the park will be good for Saturday skateboard lessons and for Monday's FULL DAY!!
Brian is going to do some finish shoveling this afternoon, so the park is all ready to SHRED!

Here is me trying to be a hero, don't I looked STOKED!

The flyout corner is cleared for TAKE OFF!

Grinds anyone?

Most of the snow is off the park and with warmer temperatures today we should be golden by tomorrow morning.

See you all there.

Skateboarding in January?!

2012-01-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well it was a little chilly this morning but these guys didn't mind at all. Good to get some skateboarding in before the snow.

Neil tail sliding to keep warm

Vlad doing a BOMB DROP!

Dance move or 540, you decide. Ian going for it!

Blake getting a smooth nose manny.

Diego powering through a turn. Yes he just learned this one.

Yes Josh did this first try. Sorry about the picture, I am just learning.

Alec with a scratching BS 5-0!

Miles is so original, I don't even know what to call this one.
EDGER!?

Like I said these guys came to skate and have a blast on a below 30 degree morning.
Proof that SKATEBOARDING has no season!!

Saturday January 7th is on!

2012-01-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

We will have lessons this Saturday, come shred with us!

Diego contemplating his next power move.

It was windy so we did some "sail" boarding races.

Will call this one "Silhouette of staying warm!"

Here is Alec scraping through a krooked grind!

Wow here we have Brandon styling through a krooked grind!

Anyone see a theme here, I do. Man these brothers can skate!

Saturday Lessons LAST DAY OF THE YEAR!!

2011-12-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

Stretching, warming up?

Dudes being dudes!

Diego shredding down the bank.

Beckett SURFS UP!

Neil get off the wall DUDE!

Special guest Jon, part owner of META. He brought the fun and stickers.

Nick getting airborne.

Brian no-comply wallride, SICK!!

Wow what a great way to end the year. Everyone came out this morning with one thing on their mind's, let's be goofballs and have FUN!

Last skate day of 2011!!

2011-12-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well folks here are a couple of pictures of the Louisville park, and yes it is totally ready to skate. Thanks to lots of shoveling and really warm temperatures in December.

So come on out this Saturday and SHRED on the last day of a wonderful 2011!

Full Day Skate Camp

2011-12-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Trivia

2011-11-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

We have had the same trivia question going for a couple of weeks now. The challenge is no name the pro skater who is known for keeping and archiving ALL of his used skateboards dating back to when he first started skating. The hints were that he used to ride for Black Label (and had the last part in their first video) and that he now owns his own skateboard company named 1031.

Need another hint? Ok... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d66aHRBfthA

Bring the answer (no excuse not to) to a Saturday Session and get a prize. Tell me how many boards he says he thinks he has an I'll give you an additional prize!

Thanksgiving Camps

2011-11-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

The Thanksgiving Full Days went really, really well. We hit half a dozen different parks in the three days, visited several different skate shops and had a great time both on and off our boards. Photos coming soon?

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder that we are running a Full-Day Skate Club on Friday Nov 11, Veteran's Day.

If you plan on joining us, we just wanted to remind everyone to bring your skateboard, helmet (and pads), a lunch, water bottle and maybe even some sunscreen. It's supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow!

As a brief itinerary, we will be at the Louisville Park at 8:30am. We will check-in, stretch, do introductions and skate for a bit. We will then load the bus up shortly after that and drive out to the new Northglenn Skatepark. It's amazing and I'm sure all of the kids will love it. We'll break for lunch and then head over to Satellite Board Shop in Boulder, where they will have some special games, events and ramps for us to have fun with. We'll head back to Louisville with enough time to play some group skating games and have a snack before pick-up by 3:30pm.

It's going to be a fantastic day. Satellite has been doing a lot of work to ensure that we have a lot going on and a lot of prizes to give out. We, too, have worked hard with our snack sponsors - Izze and Snickiddy Snacks this time around - to provide the kids with some healthy snacks as part of our Balanced Kids Initiative. All you have to do is enjoy the day!

I-Path Tour Video

2011-10-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

There are 3 tour videos up on the I-Path website that perfectly exemplify the team and what skateboarding means to so many of us. Friends, fun, creativity, freedom...
They have the best team around, comprised of some legends like Fred Gall and Matt Rodriguez to some newer rippers like Jaws, Ben Raybourn, Ryan Reyes and Danny Dicola. Denver's own Mike Marks rides for them, too!
This 3rd and latest video features some amazing skating in and around our beautiful state. Some of the stuff that goes down at our local parks is incredible! Watch closely and you might see some doubles by Brian and Fuzz. Neil has a lot of BGPs, as does John Brandow, the local I-Path rep and Meta Skateshop co-owner.

Enjoy...

http://vimeopro.com/ipathfilms/ipath-search-and-enjoy-tour

Thanksgiving and Veteran's Day

2011-10-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Square State Skate will be running full day programs on both Veteran's Day and the first 3 days of Thanksgiving Break (Mon, Tues and Wed). Please e-mail us if you wish to attend!

I-Path guys in town!

2011-09-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Neil and Brian helped to play host to the guys from I-Path as they rolled into Colorado with a stop in Winter Park over the weekend. It was AMAZING seeing some of the best skaters destroy the park with only about 5 other people at the impromptu "demo." The game of S.K.A.T.E. between Danny Dicola, Ben Raybourn, Ryan Reyes and Jaws was some of the most incredible transition skating we've ever seen. These guys are the real deal, for sure! Check them out as they will skate the Broomfield Park on Tuesday right after a signing at our buddy Fuzz's shop Crisis. They will then be in Boulder on Thursday with the guys from Meta. DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT!

Tomorrow Night!

2011-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

Time for another Friday Night Skate Club! We will meet at Louisville at 5:30 and skate there for a bit before loading up the bus and heading over to Lafayette for a little bit. Pick up at Louisville between 8:30-9pm. We'll eat pizza, skate and giggle the night away. Take a night off Mom and Dad... we got this!

No trivia this week... a Creativity Challenge instead!

2011-08-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

As for trivia this week, we are trying something different. I have attached a picture from last weekend. It's me. Shirtless. Soaking wet and pointing. I'm sorry about my stomach... I'm working on that. Neil is in the background, fist in the air signaling victory. Your challenge is to come up with the best story or quote to go with this picture. The winner will get a free t-shirt. All entrants will get a prize. You can either e-mail answers or write them down or print them out. Your choice. I guess this is a creativity challenge, and I know that all of you are up to it!

Thank you to our amazing friend Carleigh Samson for the photo.

Tomorrow!

2011-08-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Mustache Day...

2011-08-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

was a tremendous success!

New photos from Carleigh

2011-08-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Carleigh came by last week (with our buddy Jack) and took some great photos. Not only does she have a great eye behind the lens, but she's a great skater. The kids loved the company and we appreciate when our friends come by to share the fun.

Check out more of Carleigh's photos... http://gnarlycarleigh.com/?p=3035

Skate Camp Action Shots!

2011-08-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

We are working on a new issue of Update From Square State. We have a LOT of great photos from our Summer Skate Lessons, Skate Camp and our Saturday Sessions. Here's a quick preview of some great action shots!

SUMMERTIME FUN!!

2011-07-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well this Summer has been super fun. We are all having a BLAST!! We decided to dig up some random pictures from the last couple of weeks, kind of a teaser for the end of the Summer video. The weather has been HOT and it's obvious that the kids could care less, they just get out there and SHRED!!

Here we are hanging by the bus, getting ready for a fun-filled day!

Here is Eli slashing through a grind

Brian is a true master chef!!

Here is Ethan sliding his way into a stylish board slide

Kenny decides to "take the stairs". RAD ollie!

NEW... butt-boarding classes!

2011-07-15T21:32:00.001-07:00

Only Og DeSouza gets to sit while skating!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ9iHMOa9Mc&feature=related

Last week's trivia... Who beat Rodney?

2011-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Last week's trivia question proved to be pretty difficult. Only ONE person brought the answer, but even then they were not too sure sounding. We are going to let the question ride for another week. Look it up... it's skateboard trivia gold. Again, the question was: Who is the only person to beat Rodney Mullen in a contest? It was a freestyle contest in 1984. Here is a clip of Mullen from around that time. Amazing stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuMmT3E-KVU

Saturday Session is ON

2011-07-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Our Saturday Session is ON this week, kicking off a great 4th of July weekend. Come join us!

As for trivia for the week, and as an obvious nod to a question that stumped Neil and I this week (that MAY be a hint), I challenge everyone to come up with name of the ONLY person to ever beat Rodney Mullen in a contest. It was in 1983. Rodney Mullen (inventor of just about EVERY modern street trick) won every contest he entered except for one... against ___________________.

Here's your hint:

NEW HATS ARE ON THE WAY

2011-06-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Our good buddy Gordo in S.F. is printing hats and t-shirts through his company Plaidagain. We have some Square State Skate mesh hats on the way. We'll be giving these out on the last week of camp - our End of Summer Skate Smorgasbord. There is still room if you'd like to register!

Skate Lessons

2011-06-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Photos from Angela

2011-06-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

A lot of times at Skate Lessons, we play different games that not only engage the kids, but also hone all of the skills that we focus on... turning, stopping, going faster, confidence and controlling our skateboards. Here are some pictures from Angela of me doing NONE of those very well while playing "Skate Dodgeball."

Some pictures from Art

2011-06-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Art takes some great photos. At the same time, his son, Mason, is honing his artistic skills on a skateboard. Thanks to both of you for your continued support.

These photos are great!

SUPER FUN CAMP DAY!

2011-06-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Here is Eli demonstrating the ever popular "GRIND".

Ryder is cruising the bowl, the picture proves the wheels are above the coping.

Soren's first drop in EVER!! Go Soren, so RAD!!

Damian and Daniel contemplating their next radical tricks.

Even with the old, bum knee Neil had to at least do an ollie.

Here is Damian doing a rock to fakie, with tons of style I might add.

Happy Go Skateboarding Day!

2011-06-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

Square State Skate was featured in the Longmont Times Call newspaper and website today. It's great timing, as today, the first day of summer, is also national Go Skateboarding Day!

Here's a link to the article... http://www.timescall.com/ci_18318545

We are also appearing in the new issue of Yellow Scene Magazine with our local skatepark review. Here's a link to that... http://yellowscene.com/2011/06/14/across-the-board/

Thanks to everyone for your continued support!

NEW PHOTOS COMING SOON COMPLIMENTS OF ART LARKIN AND ANGELA SIMPSON. THANKS FOLKS!

FREE BOARD!

2011-06-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Forrest was the lucky winner of Square State Skate's first board raffle of the summer. He skated away with a new set-up provided by our sponsors. Krooked deck, Indy trucks and Spitfire Wheels.

Stoked!

Thanks to all of the companies that help us out. We hope to have more of these throughout the summer! Register for the camps to be eligible.

Skate Camps - Rain or Shine

2011-06-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to reiterate that our Full-Day Camps run RAIN or SHINE. We have a lot of alternate activities, so do not panic if you wake up to rain. We don't.

If it is raining at the 8:30 drop-off time, then please plan to drop you kid(s) off at the Rec Center, where we will have a room. We will do some activities there before loading up the bus to go skate some indoor spots. These days have proven to be just as much fun!

Rain or shine... see you there!

Full-Day Skate Camp

2011-06-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of our Full-Day Summer Skate Camp. If you are joining us, please remember to bring: skateboard, helmet and pads, a lunch, WATER BOTTLE, sunscreen and a lot of energy. On Tuesday and Thursday we will be swimming, so remember your swimsuit and towel. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or e-mail. Let's Skate!

FIRST WEEK OF LESSONS!!

2011-06-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Wow what a wonderful week this was. Brian and I could not believe the ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM these amazing kids brought to the lessons!! Above is the intermediate crew, Thomas, John, and Luke.

Here is Thomas "cruising" through the bowl with miles of STYLE!!

Wow Luke paid some serious dues on these drop ins! I was in shock that he could get up after some of these!!

Here is John demonstrating the ELUSIVE ollie.

Thomas throwing down!! No literally he is throwing his board down and jumping on it.

Ok I guess it's obvious Gavin was not having any FUN at all!!

Grant showing everyone the importance of just "CHILLIN"

Max is contemplating his next power move on his skateboard.

Tanner blazing through a frontside GRIND on the ledge!!

Gavin rolling down the pyramid after taking many good SLAMS!! Brian and I were so proud of him!!

Max cruising the park like he owns it.

Tommy going for some MAXIMUM speed on the roll in!!

Here is Nick charging straight into the big bowl, does he looked scared? I don't think so.

Here is John dropping into the bowls, he learned this one on Tuesday and I think he dropped in a THOUSAND times this week!!

Fridays and Saturday Sessios

2011-05-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great time today with our Friday Night Skate Club. We got on the bus and drove out to the Arvada Park. We skated there all day, learned a lot of new tricks, met up with some old buddies and even had a BBQ. We skated more after stuffing our faces and heading back to Louisville for a couple of group skateboard games.

I had a blast and the smiles on the kids faces were a pretty good indicator that they had fun, too. Thanks to everyone that showed up. Extra thanks to Miles and Nick who really stepped up as older, mentors. Extra special thanks to Blake who showed why we ask him to come help out with our sessions. You guys really made it a success and I'm truly grateful.

The weather looks like it will be just as nice tomorrow morning as it was today. With that, our Saturday Session is ON for tomorrow. First Saturday of summer vacation... let's kick it off right!

As for trivia for tomorrow... can anyone name all of our sponsors: skateshops, snack sponsors and skate companies? Name them all (or rattle off the most) and win a prize!

Full Day Skate Club - 5/27

2011-05-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we are holding a Full-Day Skate Club tomorrow, Friday May 27th. 8:30am-3:30pm. Meet us at the Louisville Skate Park and bring your skateboard, helmet and pads, sunscreen water bottle and a lot of energy. No need to bring a lunch... we're grilling out!

Call with any questions or concerns... 720-394-5749

5/20 - Friday Night Skate Club

2011-05-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

We will be holding a Friday Night Skate Club this Friday, 5/20. 5:30-9pm. $40/child. Dinner and a full night of entertainment included. Please call or e-mail if there are any questions.

Also, there will be a Full Day Skate Club on Friday, May 27th. Since BVSD's last day of school is the 26th, we will be celebrating the kick-off to summer with a School's Out BBQ! 8:30am-3:30pm.

Saturday...

2011-05-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

Lessons are on for Saturday. It looks like it might be a rare dry spot in a soggy week. Let's skate while we can. Louisville Park... 9am.

Also, it seems that the summer skate tours are starting up. Already, Lafayette has been visited by the Emerica Team and, according to some rumors, a couple of the guys from Nike. This week, the guys from Anti Hero Skateboards are in the area and have Lafayette on their agenda. Will it be tomorrow? Sunday? Probably Monday while we're at school. Let's keep an eye out, though. Wouldn't be bad seeing Tony Trujillo, Peter Hewitt, Chris Phanner, Frank Gerwer, Andrew Allen and, of course, Julian Stranger shredding our hometown parks.

Regardless of the weather, Neil and I will be holding another Friday Night Skate Night this coming Friday, the 20th. We will hope to do some skating and have a BBQ. If the weather turns ugly, then we will have alternate activities. Bowling is a probability, as is heading up to Longmont to skate Sol's ramp. Either way, we'll have some fun and give Mom and Dad a much needed break before the last week of school! We'll cover from 5:30pm - 9pm. The cost of the night is $40/kid. If you need more time, just let us know.

Lastly, have you ironed out your summer plans yet? We still have some space for our Square State Skate Summer Camps. The bus has limited seats, so sign up today. We will be raffling off a brand NEW Krooked Skateboard with Indy Trucks and Spitfire Wheels to one lucky summer camp registrant. The winner will be chosen before the start of camps. Get your name in there!

Friday Night Skate Club!

2011-05-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Seats on the bus are limited. Reserve your seat today!

Friday's Full Day and Saturday Session

2011-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Today's full day was GREAT. We had to battle some wind, but we all had a fantastic time and some great skating went down. Pics and videos will be up on the site soon!

As for tomorrow, it looks like the weather might hold. What was originally forecast as a terrible Saturday of snow and rain now looks like just probable rain in the evening. The morning, though, only has a 10% chance of precipitation. Sounds good to me!

Skate today because tomorrow it might rain!

APRIL 29TH FANTASTIC FULL DAY!

2011-04-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

It was Friday, a day off of school. LET'S SKATE!!
We all met at the Louisville skatepark at 8:30. Hey who invited the wind? Invited or not, it showed up and tried to crash the event. As evident in these photos the wind did NOT ruin the party though! We jumped in the bus and cruised over to the Lafayette skatepark for some serious sail-boarding!

Here Nate shows us how to ride the rock. Yes ladies and gentlemen he just learned this one. GO NATE!!

Here Brian goes again doing it all wrong, you are supposed to keep your feet ON the board! When will he ever "learn". SICK

Wow shredding on the rock was obviously contagious. It's so impressive how these guys feed off each other and push each other in a positive way. Alright I am done being cheezy, Eli RIPPING!

Of course Ben couldn't let Nate have all the fun so he SLASHED the rock along with the crew.

Oh no big deal folks that's just Max dropping in. WHAT!!!!! Max already learned this one too! Way to go Max!

Blake getting some on the parking block coping, this is truly a GREAT photo. Boy I wish you could hear the sound that grind is making, music to our ears.

Eli thought, "Cool I want to skate the parking blocks too!" Rock and Roll!!!!

Zach enjoying a well-deserved beverage, THANKS IZZE!!!!

Wait till the marketing people at IZZE see this picture. Man these guys looked STOKED!!

Saturday skate Lessons April 16th!

2011-04-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here is Daniel dancing dangerously on the edge of the coping. Shall we say teetering on the edge of destruction!

I am in SHOCK at how quickly Max was able to learn how to ollie, truly a master on a skateboard.

Mario showing how to power through a grind gracefully. Wait can you be powerful and graceful at the same time? Yes of course, it's SKATEBOARDING!!

Here is Max having some fun with a grind.

Shawn showing us how to take the PLUNGE with no fear and no concern for danger!

This was such a fun day, Brian and I love starting our Saturdays with these crazy GOOFBALLS!!

FULL-DAY SKATE CLUB TOMORROW!

2011-04-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

Remember, we are having a Full-Day Skate Club tomorrow, Friday the 29th. 8:30am-3:30pm. $60 for the full day. Please bring a skateboard, helmet and pads, lunch, water bottle, sunscreen and a lot of positive energy.
We'll load up the bus and skate a premiere Colorado skatepark.
Snack provided as part of our Balanced Kids Initiative (www.balancedkidsinitiative.blogspot.com).

Saturday skate Lessons

2011-04-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

So if anyone knows Miles you won't be surprised by this picture. Miles always has the ability to keep things light-hearted, even when he is armed and DANGEROUS!

Sean is relatively new to skateboard lessons, but it is obvious in this picture that he is not afraid to go for it.

Damian is got some killer moves like charging over the pyramid, and if you tell a joke early in the morning he is not afraid to give you that look that says, "wow that wasn't even remotely funny!"

Mario is doing his best impersonation of the famous Micheal Jackson moonwalk, except he is re-creating this maneuver with a little help from his four wheels.

This picture really needs no explanation or silly caption. Ahhh who am I kidding, kids gotta eat right. SHAKE JUNT!!

Sponsorship from DLXSF - Real, Krooked, Spitfire

2011-04-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Square State Skate is very proud to announce our latest sponsorship - DLXSF. Deluxe Distribution is the parent company for Real, Krooked and Anti-Hero Skateboards, Spitfire Wheels and Thunder Trucks. They have agreed to sponsor our lessons and camps, providing us with the highest quality products as prizes for our trivia challenges as well as incentives for our "Junior Counselors."
Thank you Jim and Damon and everyone else at DLX!

Remember kids... support those that support you!

Tampa Pro 2011 Winning Run...

2011-04-02T06:41:00.001-07:00

It's been the trivia question for two weeks now...

Who is this?

Spring Break - Day 5

2011-03-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Our last day of Spring Break looked like it was going to be cold, but the sun showed up late in the morning and we all got some good skating in.

The guys weren't all that keen on skating the Louisville Park all day.
"Well, we have a bus..."

So we voted. Going to another park won. So we voted on which park. Lafayette won almost unanimously (sorry Lucas).

At lunch time, we headed back to Louisville and fired up the grill.

Gotta have FIRE

Door to Door Organics hooked us up with some fresh fruit (they are not responsible for those buns or ketchup)!

Fresh squeezed OJ!!!!!

Daniel digging in

Hunter getting some

Hunter attacking the stairs

Dropping in, NO PROBLEM

LUNCH!!

The guys from Meta Skateboards came by and did a little demo. Thanks Sam, Max and Sean! Those guys are amazing and it really is incredible to see how good those "kids" have become on a skateboard. Hmmm... must be because they were in my camp 6-7 years ago!!

We blew it with taking pictures of Sean and Max destroying the park. Sorry guys. This picture shows how they looked when they were about to drive away. Thanks for the great end to a fantastic week.

Thanks again to all of our sponsors: IZZE, Door to Door Organics, Crisis Skateboards, Satellite Board Shop, Community Skate & Snow and Meta Skateboards. Support those that Support You!

Spring Break - Day 4

2011-03-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

More good weather and more great SKATEBOARDING!! On Thursday, we went over to the Lafayette Park for the second time of the week. Other than the 4 dogs (and presumed 4 dog owners) wandering around, we had the park to ourselves for the first hour or so. Everyone had a blast and a lot of us even tried some new stuff!

Brian and Eli RIPPING

Eli and Neil shredding the ledge/stairs

Laird learned half Cab rocks

Brian with another ol' stand-by

Neil skates so fast that you're sometimes lucky to just catch a blur!

Not sure what Eli did or said to warrant this reaction out of Neil, but Daniel's "back ground props" are award winning!

I was totally jealous of Ethan's new board - High 5 deck, new Indys and Bones SPF wheels. Smooth.

Neil passes out the IZZEs at lunch

Zach tried to break a record for eating the most clementines in a two-hour period.

After lunch, we packed the bus back up and headed back to the Lafayette Rec Center to swim. Another fun day! Tomorrow: BBQ with the Meta team.

Spring Break - Day 3

2011-03-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

Small numbers today, which worked out pretty well since we visited the smallest park on our list. We loaded up the bus and drove out to the small neighborhood park in Arvada. We stopped by the APEX Center to see if they started breaking ground on the new park (which is said to be twice the size of Lafayette's), but we didn't see so much as a shovel. Slated to be done by September or October, they say.

In any case, we had a blast a the little park, with its open design and small transitions. I think everyone learned to drop in today! That's no small feat. Congratulations Lucas, Zach, Finn and Daniel. You guys really went for it!

Daniel took the plunge!

Zach quickly followed suit.

Finn catching a grind.

Lucas handled the spine.

Brian - boardslide over the "loveseat"

Last attempt at a frontside grind over the seat before falling on his back (while goofing off, of course) and ending his skate day!

Neil. Ollie. Picture perfect.

By request, here are directions to the Arvada "neighborhood" park:

Follow McCaslin until it ends heading south. Turn left and then your next right onto Indiana. Take Indiana all the way until it ends and take a left. Then take a right onto Ward. Left onto 58th ave (turns into Ralston) Then park is on the right a few blocks up. It's is called the Skyline park/skatepark. It is located behind a bunch of soccer fields (The Harold Lutz Sports complex).

After we skated, we had time to drop by Community Skate & Snow to see what those guys had going on. We got a great grip tape stencil demo compliments of Jacob. Then, he and Mike broke out the parking block. Almost everyone was getting on boardslides and I think Lucas might have ridden away from what Neil and I refer to an "over-30 make."

Neil had this bluntslide every time. I finally captured one.

Mike put the icing on the cake with this slappy noseslide to shove-it out. So stylish and so proper. Yeah, another skate shop owner who actually skates (and rips). Go figure!

Thanks to Jacob and Mike and everyone at Community! You guys rule... see you soon! Thanks again to IZZE, who gave us so many sparkling juice drinks that we're still discovering new flavors!

Spring Break - Day 2

2011-03-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was Lafayette Park... the newest, biggest and best park in the state. It was windy, but we got there early and got a lot of good skating in before the heavy wind gusts and packs of kids on scooters showed up. Before long, Charles and J.G. from Satellite Board Shop joined us and gave a little demo. Ryan Simpson showed up about ten minutes before we had to leave, but he still beat George, who rolled up right when we had to leave. Bummer... maybe next time.

Eli eagerly awaits the video selection for the day.

It must have hyped him up, as he ollied the stairs no problem.

Miles paid his dues and then collected the rewards for this ollie up to drop off on the granite ledge

Oh, and he also ollied the stairs.

Our bus got a new sticker

J.G. brought copies of Satellite's latest video "Ride With Us." That was super cool. Thanks J.G. Thanks to the rest of the Satellite guys that showed up, especially Charles who had to drive his motorcycle back to Denver in the 60+mph wind gusts.

Day 2 done. Next up - Arvada Park and a visit to Community Skate & Snow

Spring Break - Day 1

2011-03-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

We had a blast today as we kicked off our Spring Break program.

Went to the Broomfield Park... Skated a lot. Checked out Crisis Skateshop.... Got our boards tuned and picked up a bunch of free stuff from Fuzz. Skated more. Drank free IZZE drinks (our new sponsor)! Laughed, whined, enjoyed the breeze and enjoyed time with friends.

Lots of pictures! Enjoy...

First, we had to load up all of the cases of IZZE. Thanks IZZE!

Then we skated the Broomfield Park for a bit. Brian decided it was his day to finally carve over the stairs in the bowl...

But the stairs said, "No, Brian, not today."

So we ate lunch instead.

Lucas ate so wildly he opted to keep the pad on.

Max doing his Statue of IZZEty pose

Connor was careful not to spill on the shirt!

After lunch, we headed over to Crisis to visit Fuzz

He showed everyone how to put a board together, how to tune it and then gave everyone some new hardware for their boards. Thanks Fuzz!

Connor knows all about product placement.

After another session at the Broomfield Park with Carleigh and some of the other Crisis riders, it was time to load up the bus and head back. Thank you Crisis Skateboards, Fuzz, Carleigh, Connor, Kyle and everyone else that skated with us. Thanks also to IZZE.

Day 1 in the books. Tomorrow to Lafayette with the Satellite guys...

Spring Break Itinerary

2011-03-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here's what Spring Break is going to look like:

We're Back!

2011-03-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

My goodness, San Francisco was amazing. Gordon and Sandy (the owners of Cruz Skateshop and our hosts for the weekend) were the best and put together a lot of amazing events for this 3-year anniversary party.

First, there was the Cruz Poker Run. We (along with a hundred other skaters) cruised around the city, hitting 5 spots along the way (3 skate shops, 1 skate spot and then our final destination/party) where we collected a card. Put the 5 cards together to make a poker hand. Worst hand was 1st Place. Best hand got runner-up. After being dealt 2 aces at the first 2 stops, I was sure I was on my way to best hand. No such luck, though.

Next there was rollerskating. Boy, I stink at that. Lazer, though, was pretty amazing.

Then there was the eating contest, which is the anchor to the whole weekend. I was talking a lot of trash going into this one, especially considering that I was the defending champion. I have since realized, though, that Glen (of Null Skateboards) must have let me win last year. He won it the first time and showed his dominance again this year. 7 chili dogs and 6 sodas, for a total of 13 points.

I managed 8 chili dogs and 3 sodas, but I didn't pace myself too well - putting those down in about a half an hour. I then took about 2 minutes to send it all back up. Yep... DISQUALIFIED.

Oh, Neil at about 4 chili dogs, which is a personal best. Congratulations, Neil. At least you can handle what you eat!

The weekend was also filled with some amazing skating, old friends, good stories, odd smells, lots of burritos and countless laughs. Here are a couple of pics.

Cruising...

Poker Hand

Fuzz was there

Losing hand wins!

A lot of donuts were eaten this weekend

Chili Dogs... UGH

Trying to intimidate the competition by adding my own chili didn't work.

Special thanks to Gordon and Sandy. Best Hosts Ever!

No Saturday Session this week (3/5)

2011-03-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder that there is no Saturday Session this week. Neil and I will be in S.F.

It's a good time to check out this website and take a look at all of the amazing skate parks that CO has to offer: http://www.thecoloradoskateboardguide.com/index_files/coloradoskateparks.htm

Enjoy!

S.F. Bound...

2011-02-26T06:34:00.000-08:00

Neil and I will be in San Francisco next week to celebrate the 3-Year Anniversary of our friends' Gordon and Sandy's skateboard and roller derby shop - Cruz Skateshop.

Here's a video of Gordon, who is still one of the best skaters I know. The trivia this week is: Name the last trick in Gordon's "30 Years, 30 Tricks" video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKQXrlKiK_w

Spring Break

2011-02-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know...

Monday's Full Day

2011-02-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

We had a blast on Monday for President's Day when school was out. We sent the bus out on it's "inaugural voyage." We skated the Lafayette Park, went bowling and even had time to skate Louisville a little bit when we got back. I had a great time! The smiles on the kids' faces leads me to believe that they did, too.

A strong shout out to Ben R, who took a spill pretty early in the day and then had to leave early. I understand that the injury to his thumb is as bad as he thought, resulting in a cast. Our condolences and wishes for a speedy recovery and smooth transition back to skating.

Here are some pics from the day. More pics and some videos coming soon.

Last Week's Birthday Party

2011-02-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

Square State Skate helped Andrew celebrate his birthday at the Rock Creek Skate Park last week. The weather was nice, but since it had snowed several inches in the days leading up to the party, we had to make some last minute maneuvering and switch to Rock Creek instead of Louisville. It still went off without a hitch. All of the kids had a blast, but Neil and I were the ones that really got a kick out of it. It's always fun to meet some new skaters.

Thanks to Ann, Andrew and the Liu family. Thanks also to all of the friends that showed up and had a good time. Hope to see you all soon!

Get In The Bus!

2011-02-21T06:17:00.000-08:00

9am this morning. Louisville Park. Inaugural Journey of the bus.

Saturday Session at Louisville and Monday's Full Day

2011-02-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday's Session is back at Louisville this week. The park is clear and dry and ready to skate.

Also, this Monday is a Full-Day Skate Club and the Inaugural Journey of the Bus! We will meet at Louisville and skate there there a bit. We will then jump in our bus and head over to the Lafayette Park. We'll skate there, sit down for lunch and then pack up to go bowling at Coal Creek Lanes in Lafayette.

Good times!

Please remember your helmet (other pads recommended), your lunch, water bottle and sun screen. Oh, and your skateboard. A good attitude and lots of energy will help out, too!

Please e-mail if you're wanting to join us.

Oh, and let's not forget some trivia for this week. Who is most often credited with doing the first air on a skateboard? Hint: he started his own board company in 1977 and it's still around today!

Saturday Session at Rock Creek!

2011-02-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

It's the best mini ramp in the area...
It's the most abandoned skatepark in the Front Range...
It's the best place to learn, practice and hone transition skills...
It's where Trick Factory filmed half of their video Off The Couch...
It's where old skaters go to retire...

Ladies and Gentlemen...
I give you...
Rock Creek...

Saturday's Session will be at the Rock Creek Skatepark in Superior.
10am-11:30. Sunshine, good times and frontside grinds!

Full Day Skate Club

2011-02-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

We are having another Full-Day Skate Club and Inaugural Journey of the Bus on February 21st - President's Day! Join us.

Park is CLEAR!

2011-02-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

Park has been shoveled. I would not believe it myself if I had not seen it (or better yet, spent a lot of time clearing it out). Neil got to work on it this afternoon and got most of the flow section cleared out. I went back this evening and hit the snake bowl and most of the deck. It's wet right now but will be ready to skate in the morning!

skate photos...

2011-02-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

Neil and I are pretty lucky to have a good friend that not only skates, but also takes some amazing photos. Thanks Carleigh. Here are a few photos of some of us out having fun...

Here are some photos from inside Crisis. Fuzz finally broke down and let people skate the curb he built

Dave Fuller's ramp and some other random stuff...

Fire and Ice...

2011-02-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

As it stands, lessons are ON for Saturday, Feb 5th. Neil and I worked a little on clearing the park and plan to get some more shovelling done today. We anticipate that we'll have it all clear and ready to go for Saturday morning. Of course, there IS a chance for more snow. We'll keep you posted.

If it IS a go for this Saturday, then we will be celebrating a birthday. Brian will have so many candles on the cake this year that the ensuing fire might actually clear the ice from the shaded corners of the bowl!

The date was Saturday January 22nd. Yes January in Colorado!!

2011-01-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

Classic picture!! Next weeks trivia......name the skateboarder in this amazing photo.

Well there must have been something in the air this day, or maybe it was just breakfast

Well Ben was jumping onto stuff with no concerns of any type!

Alec is just really tall that is why the ledge looks small.

Ben earning his frequent flyer miles.

Alec getting crooked.

Get on the Magic Bus...

2011-01-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

WE BOUGHT A BUS!

It's got room for 21 kids (or 6 Trick Factory members).

Everything works. It has lots of room, working seat belts for all passengers, lots of flashing lights and even this... a Spill Clean-Up Kit.

Get in the BUS!

MLK Full day

2011-01-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

This day was awesome, super good weather and lots of great skating!!

Zeke making the high jump!

Laird with a smooth, stylish ollie!

Brian with his eyes on the prize.

Neil sliding it home.

Eli cavemanning up!!

Zeke with a coping SAFETY DANCE!

Jon from META was there!

Ray Barbee

2011-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

This video has been making it's way around. Thought I'd share it here.
I first met Ray Barbee at a NSA contest in Hawaii. I think it was in 1990 or '91. He had just turned pro and was the nicest and most humble guy. I got the autograph, acted like I wasn't star-struck and then turned to get Jason Lee's autograph. No big deal.
I ran into Barbee again about ten years ago when he was doing a demo at a Vans park in VA. Again, he was the nicest guy ever as he listed to my entire fan-out. When I asked about how his musical career was going, he walked me out to his van and grabbed his personal copy of his latest CD and insisted that I take it. While we walked, he just talked skating, music and food... just like we were friends from way back.
Seriously... Ray Barbee is probably the nicest guy in the world. He's also one of the best skaters to step on a board. Watch this!
Ray Barbee - 20 years on Vans

Snow will not stop us!!

2011-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00


tools of the trade

STOKED sun do your work!

Well guys Brian shoveled on Thurs. evening and I did some on Friday morning so the park is SHREDDABLE!!

Martin Luther King Day

2011-01-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

We will be having a Full-Day Skate Club on Monday, Jan 17 for Martin Luther King Day! We will skate in the morning and then jump in the pool at the Louisville Rec Center in the afternoon. Meet us at the Louisville Park at 9am and then ask your parents to pick you up at 3pm at the Rec Center. Bring your skateboard, helmet and pads, a lunch, your swimsuit and a towel. Full day of fun with a group of like-minded goofballs!

New RIPPING photos.

2011-01-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Brandon FLIPPING

Ben catching some AIR

Ben pre-LAUNCH!!

goofballs.......GOOFING

See You Next Year!

2010-12-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

Square State Skate celebrated the holiday season with our "Year-End, All-Inclusive Holiday Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange (With Gifts Provided by Us)." It's a working title.

Zach seemed confused as he opened and found a Null video.

I think he tried to trade it away. Neil looked confused.

Blake looked happy. Miles was stoked. Ben traded up.

Zeke was excited about his "Null-gets" shirt.

Neil, again, was jealous.

We are going to be off for the rest of the year, as I'm sure that, like us, you'll all be spending time with family. Neil will be back from vacation and ready to skate on Saturday, January 8th. I'll be back by the following Saturday and will look forward to kicking off the year right by getting a good session in with some of my favorite skate pals. Enjoy your holiday season and have a save New Year!

Cold, December Saturday Morning...

2010-12-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

"Oh, quit your whining, Brian, it IS December, after all."

Yeah, it's cold outside. Yes, the park is going to have a couple of ice spots. Yes, we've skated in worse. Yes, Neil shoveled the park this morning and I swept it this afternoon. It's pretty clear, except for the usual water/ice spots. With that, YES, we are still having our Saturday session tomorrow! We will be having a late start, though. The weather channel says that it will still be below freezing at 9am, but is going to be 6 degrees warmer by 10:00. So, 10:00am it is. Bundle up. Layers of clothes. Lots of moving around.

Again, we will be having our Saturday lessons/session at 10am, not 9.

Additionally, this will be the LAST SESSION OF THE YEAR 2010. We will be going out in style by celebrating with a "White Elephant" gift giving. No worries... Neil and I are providing all of the gifts! T-shirts, videos, skate stuff... maybe even stuff you'll LIKE. We will also have some cookies (or veggie sticks, if you wish) and will tell some stories. It will be a blast. Come join us and celebrate and reminisce on a great year of our skateboard community. Did I mention that we will be starting later than usual? Yeah... 10:00.

Weather

2010-12-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday... 70 degrees.

Tonight... snow!

It is still uncertain how Saturday's weather will look, but chances are it will be cold. Neil and I will be out shoveling the Louisville Park getting it ready for the weekend, so there's a good chance that Saturday's session will still be on. We will confirm on Friday, after we see what this storm has to offer.

LAFAYETTE GRAND OPENING

2010-12-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

Lafayette is open!
The park is amazing. I saw several Suqre Staters out there having fun - Zeke, Miles, Joey, Jeremy...
Neil and I were too busy having fun, high-5ing friends we don't see often enough and falling on all of the new obstacle to take any pictures, but someone DID get a picture of me while I was there.
For anyone that hasn't gotten out to Lafayette, might I suggest going ASAP! The weather tomorrow and Tuesday is supposed to be near 60's again. I'll hope to see you there!

Some fun on a full day

2010-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

Eli ollie with STYLE

Max ripping

Zander shredding the stairs

Community of Goofballs!!

Lunch anyone?

Shirts, shirts... who needs shirts?

2010-12-08T18:03:00.001-08:00

Latest

What Does This Button Do?

2010-12-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

I said "lunch," Neil... not "LAUNCH!"