Are you ready for some football?
Posted 05/06/2007 10:22:00 by i am vans
Are you ready for some football?
Hopefully, the answer to that question is a resounding "NO." Nothing against Hank Jr., but seriously football is an utter waste of time, I mean if a bunch of grown men in tight pants, shoulder pads, and helmets, dogpiling each other gets you going, stop reading here. The Pool Party is less than a week away, and while you might see a few helmets, and a smattering of tight pants, there won't be any of the stupidity associated with football going on under the roof at the Block next Saturday. No spiking of an egg-shaped leather ball in celebratory fashion, no 3rd grade educated miscreants wagging the "number 1" finger and mouthing the words "Hi Mom!", and certainly no zebra-striped officiating types tossing yellow rags onto the field of play. You won't see live TV shots of the team's owners in their luxury skybox wondering if they hired the right general manager. You won't see a professional sports coach suffering the indignity of having his underling felons douse him with a barrel full of ice and gatorade. Skateboarders are more evolved than that. And I don't mean we are all a bunch of intellectual, holier than thou types. We just do what we do, we don't apologize for it, and we don't get paid millions of dollars. We aren't recruited by scouts to attend colleges of higher learning where we can then major in things like "television appreciation" in order to maintain a player eligibility grade point average.
Do you see where I'm going with this yet?
Here's what you CAN expect next weekend, and of course add to this, the unexpected, which is altogether expected in skateboarding.
-The best skateboarders in the world in a battle of epic proportions:
The Vans Pro Tec Pool Party is, hands down, the ultimate professional skateboarding event to date. You might think that the X-Games is a bigger deal, and maybe in terms of money changing hands, you'd be right. But the clash between these professionals at the Pool Party is THE skateboarding event of the year. The intensity is off the the meter entirely, the building feels like it is going to explode from the collective skateboarding energy, and this event brings forth the most critical and aggressive skateboarding ever witnessed. In 2 years running, Those who have witnessed it will say only "If you think last year was completely insane, this year will blow you away!" This year even more riders are throwing their hats into the ring of fire, and if you trust nothing else, trust this one thing: People are out for blood, bragging rights, and the kind of high that only a skateboarder pushing his or her self well beyond their own physical and mental limitations, can begin to understand. Oh yeah there is a sizable amount of cash on the line as well, $90,000 to be exact, but it in this instance, it isn't about money, and that's precisely why it breeds the intensity it does. The riders feed of each other's energy, and push each other well beyond any rational safety zone. You will see the impossible. Trust in that.
-The environment:
For anyone who has skated the Combi, you already know. If that pool doesn't put the fear in you, then you are completely certifiably insane, or danger turns you on. Even with the "improvements" made to the pool in recent weeks, the acid bathing of the plaster, the installation of "friendlier" coping, and the removal of a few key trouble spots in the riding surface, the Combi is still a terrifying monster bent on eating the souls of the foolhardy. By the day of the contest, the coping will be roughing up, the plaster will be ultra slick again, and basically the hazards of the Combi will again be present and ready to take out all but the top gladiators. Right around the time the qualifying jams get underway, the massive amplifier stacks will be dialed up to 11, and the music will be deafening. Think about the appropriate soundtrack for the end of the world, Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and on and on and on. Now think of listening to that music non-stop until your ears and eyes bleed. Yeah it sounds kinda like that, Junior...
-The crowd:
When you hear about professional sports teams playing in their own arena, commentators are apt to tell you that certain teams enjoy an edge based on the support and energy of their home fans. You know, home-field advantage...
Teams? What? Sports? No, no, no. This is skateboarding. Every rider is the damned home team here. In other words, the crowd pushes the riders to go balls-out, make it or break it, do or die. This means everybody. Sure we all have our favorites, but in an instance such as this, every single rider out there is enjoying the full support and energy of some 1800+ die-hard spectators, screaming their lungs out while witnessing a supernova of skateboarding intensity. No one goes home with a voice, hands are raw from clapping, and all in attendance feel as if they have been wrung out by the time they file out of the building. The crowd here is a complete hurricane of energy and the riders return the favor handily. If you're lucky enough to be holding a golden ticket, be prepared to go completely ballistic, if I catch you yawning or sleeping, I'll personally escort you out of the building.
-The Vans legend:
Alright look, 40+ years of making shoes for skateboarders and supporting and promoting skateboarding as priority number 1 should tell you something. The Van Doren family lives this, loves this, and does it all for you, the skateboarder. They will work tirelessly to provide everything to meet everyone's needs. They will be providing a free, live webcast here on the day of the event, for those not fortunate enough to attend. Vans is an inclusive family, there's no doubt of that. If you're a skateboarder, then you know.
You can forget all about football, ladies and gents, that stuff is for beer-bellied, armchair athlete wannabees. You know those people that were never skilled enough, strong enough, or fast enough to go anywhere, and will be forever bitter about it. This is skateboarding, you're a part of it, and this is for you.
We'll be coming in hot with a preview and some picks from the roster to do serious damage for you shortly. Stay Tuned!
Hopefully, the answer to that question is a resounding "NO." Nothing against Hank Jr., but seriously football is an utter waste of time, I mean if a bunch of grown men in tight pants, shoulder pads, and helmets, dogpiling each other gets you going, stop reading here. The Pool Party is less than a week away, and while you might see a few helmets, and a smattering of tight pants, there won't be any of the stupidity associated with football going on under the roof at the Block next Saturday. No spiking of an egg-shaped leather ball in celebratory fashion, no 3rd grade educated miscreants wagging the "number 1" finger and mouthing the words "Hi Mom!", and certainly no zebra-striped officiating types tossing yellow rags onto the field of play. You won't see live TV shots of the team's owners in their luxury skybox wondering if they hired the right general manager. You won't see a professional sports coach suffering the indignity of having his underling felons douse him with a barrel full of ice and gatorade. Skateboarders are more evolved than that. And I don't mean we are all a bunch of intellectual, holier than thou types. We just do what we do, we don't apologize for it, and we don't get paid millions of dollars. We aren't recruited by scouts to attend colleges of higher learning where we can then major in things like "television appreciation" in order to maintain a player eligibility grade point average.
Do you see where I'm going with this yet?
Here's what you CAN expect next weekend, and of course add to this, the unexpected, which is altogether expected in skateboarding.
-The best skateboarders in the world in a battle of epic proportions:
The Vans Pro Tec Pool Party is, hands down, the ultimate professional skateboarding event to date. You might think that the X-Games is a bigger deal, and maybe in terms of money changing hands, you'd be right. But the clash between these professionals at the Pool Party is THE skateboarding event of the year. The intensity is off the the meter entirely, the building feels like it is going to explode from the collective skateboarding energy, and this event brings forth the most critical and aggressive skateboarding ever witnessed. In 2 years running, Those who have witnessed it will say only "If you think last year was completely insane, this year will blow you away!" This year even more riders are throwing their hats into the ring of fire, and if you trust nothing else, trust this one thing: People are out for blood, bragging rights, and the kind of high that only a skateboarder pushing his or her self well beyond their own physical and mental limitations, can begin to understand. Oh yeah there is a sizable amount of cash on the line as well, $90,000 to be exact, but it in this instance, it isn't about money, and that's precisely why it breeds the intensity it does. The riders feed of each other's energy, and push each other well beyond any rational safety zone. You will see the impossible. Trust in that.
-The environment:
For anyone who has skated the Combi, you already know. If that pool doesn't put the fear in you, then you are completely certifiably insane, or danger turns you on. Even with the "improvements" made to the pool in recent weeks, the acid bathing of the plaster, the installation of "friendlier" coping, and the removal of a few key trouble spots in the riding surface, the Combi is still a terrifying monster bent on eating the souls of the foolhardy. By the day of the contest, the coping will be roughing up, the plaster will be ultra slick again, and basically the hazards of the Combi will again be present and ready to take out all but the top gladiators. Right around the time the qualifying jams get underway, the massive amplifier stacks will be dialed up to 11, and the music will be deafening. Think about the appropriate soundtrack for the end of the world, Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and on and on and on. Now think of listening to that music non-stop until your ears and eyes bleed. Yeah it sounds kinda like that, Junior...
-The crowd:
When you hear about professional sports teams playing in their own arena, commentators are apt to tell you that certain teams enjoy an edge based on the support and energy of their home fans. You know, home-field advantage...
Teams? What? Sports? No, no, no. This is skateboarding. Every rider is the damned home team here. In other words, the crowd pushes the riders to go balls-out, make it or break it, do or die. This means everybody. Sure we all have our favorites, but in an instance such as this, every single rider out there is enjoying the full support and energy of some 1800+ die-hard spectators, screaming their lungs out while witnessing a supernova of skateboarding intensity. No one goes home with a voice, hands are raw from clapping, and all in attendance feel as if they have been wrung out by the time they file out of the building. The crowd here is a complete hurricane of energy and the riders return the favor handily. If you're lucky enough to be holding a golden ticket, be prepared to go completely ballistic, if I catch you yawning or sleeping, I'll personally escort you out of the building.
-The Vans legend:
Alright look, 40+ years of making shoes for skateboarders and supporting and promoting skateboarding as priority number 1 should tell you something. The Van Doren family lives this, loves this, and does it all for you, the skateboarder. They will work tirelessly to provide everything to meet everyone's needs. They will be providing a free, live webcast here on the day of the event, for those not fortunate enough to attend. Vans is an inclusive family, there's no doubt of that. If you're a skateboarder, then you know.
You can forget all about football, ladies and gents, that stuff is for beer-bellied, armchair athlete wannabees. You know those people that were never skilled enough, strong enough, or fast enough to go anywhere, and will be forever bitter about it. This is skateboarding, you're a part of it, and this is for you.
We'll be coming in hot with a preview and some picks from the roster to do serious damage for you shortly. Stay Tuned!