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SKULL BATTLE by FLATLANDIN
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SKULL BATTLE by FLATLANDIN
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BIG STREET

I am a pretty big dude. I am not that tall but I am a pretty thick brother. For Flatland, you get pretty tired when you have thick muscles and a little extra weight. However, don't let that stop you, riding will get you at the weight that you are supposed to be. Here is a clip from Vital BMX of a rider by the name of Chris Bates. I don't know too many of the new street riders out there but this dude definitely has skills. Keep riding!
FLATLANDIN


Chris "Crazy Black" Bates

Chris "Crazy Black" Bates - More BMX Videos

TRAVIS COLLIER IN CALIFORNIA

Photo From: Macneil BMX-http://www.macneilbmx.com/blog/2008/09/travis-collier-frame-bike-check/

This video was pretty ill. I bumped into it on a random search. It definitely gives out that true school feel. Travis Collier is a pro rider and Macneil make nice BMX bikes that work for both flat, street, and just plain riding... After all, that is what we all should be doing... RIDING OUR OWN WAY to the music you like, whatever that may be. Do your thing and like KRS ONE said, "Tell the negative people, "Don't bother me!" Peace.
FLATLANDIN

Video From Macneil BMX: http://vimeo.com/macneil

Travis Collier in California from MACNEIL BMX on Vimeo.

WHEELIES OR OLLIES? JUST KEEP BLENDING

Photo From: http://www.parrotshow.biz/Parrot_show.html

Lately, I have been seeing online how some people are confused about riding the streets or riding some flat ground whether they are on a skateboard or a BMX bike. All I have to say is that the confusion may be coming from a potential riders inability to understand the concept of having a "free style", or doing your own thing, and allowing your creative side shine through. Basically, just because you have that brand new alien workshop board, doesn't mean that you are only limited to 50/50 grinds all day. Likewise, just because you have a Mongoose BMX bike from a department store, doesn't mean that you can't do a wall ride on Monday and a Cherry-Picker on Thursday while practicing hang-fives if you get bored of both.

You are not limited to the tricks you do and by the fact that your bike might not be the greatest piece of machined metal and rubber/plastic parts. Yes, having enough money to buy some well made and expensive bike and skateboard products will make your riding easier and you will look "cool", but there are ways around it. You can get "hand me down" or used parts. You can buy them at a discount. The point is, that you can find a way to have fun and gain some skill even if you can't get to amateur or pro status. BMX and Skateboarding might not change your life for the better, but they can pass the time until you figure out other aspects of your life and who you are in relation to the rest on the world.

Below are two good examples of what I mean by having creativity and not limiting yourself. I come from a generation where we rode/skated EVERYTHING...EVERYTHING you ask????... Yes EVERYTHING!!! It didn't matter if my bike was a steel tank with wack-a$$ geometry or my skateboard was warped by rain. I would at least try to ride EVERYTHING.

Rodney Mullen is a perfect example. He was a "freestyle" skateboarder who rides street as well. The other video is of Akira Okamura who is keeping the tradition alive by riding EVERYTHING including street on a flatland bike. Both have unique styles as well.
FLATLANDIN

Rodney Mullen From 411 Video Magazine
From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcbCCFb0zXI


Akira Okamura From The Soul 53# DVD

Akira Okamura - Soul 53# DVD from MagicFruits on Vimeo.

SICK FLATLAND FROM KEELAN PHILLIPS AND LEE MUSSELWHITE

For anyone thinking about getting into flatland BMX, remember that you don't need too big of a spot to practice although it helps. Soon I will post my small practice spot that I made in the basement. For now, you can peep some pro riders do their thing. This spot is actually not that bad and for all you winter riders, you know how hard finding a spot can be.

Nice spot + good riders + some music = Riding all night
FLATLANDIN
FROM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VWxvQNXW0A

The Skate-Park As A Neoliberal Playground

I knew there was a catch to all the skate-parks being built in cities across the U.S.
FLATLANDIN

Skatepark as Neoliberal Playground
Urban Governance, Recreation Space, and the Cultivation of Personal Responsibility
Ocean Howell

University of California, Berkeley

More than 2,000 skateboard parks have been built in the United States over the past decade. Although these parks are a response to community demand, many cities have provided these facilities on certain neoliberal conditions. As a review of parks management literature reveals, cities assume no liability for injuries and expect skateboarders to secure private funding; urban managers also expect skateboarders to display character traits of personal responsibility and entrepreneurial-ism. This is in contrast to Progressive Era playgrounds, where cities completely financed playgrounds and took responsibility for personal safety; urban managers also sought to inculcate values of loyalty, which they viewed as necessary in an increasingly bureaucratized society. The comparison highlights how the skatepark can be viewed as an instance in which neoliberal governance practices have reconfigured the citizen—state relationship from one of entitlement to one of contractualism.

Key Words: skateboard parks • skateboarding • playgrounds • neoliberalism • urban governance • Progressivism • personal responsibility

This version was published on November 1, 2008

Space and Culture, Vol. 11, No. 4, 475-496 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1206331208320488

From Sage Journals Online: http://sac.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/4/475

2009 LOLLAPALOOZA SKATEBOARDING DEMO

100_3304, originally uploaded by FLATLANDIN.

Here are some pictures of an event I worked with Relate Skateboards, Character Skateboards, and the Chicago Youth Skateboard Project. It was at the 2009 Lallapalooza.