Ventura's Medina ditches skateboard for track
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Kyle Medina was known around Ventura High as the skateboard kid.
Medina would spend nearly six hours a day on his board, riding around the city and trying new tricks.
But schools don’t give credits for grinds, ollies and kick flips, so Medina had to take P.E. if he wanted to graduate.
During the first semester of his sophomore year, Medina’s class was instructed to run the mile.
His teacher just happened to be Ventura track and field coach Kory Anderson.
As Medina completed the run, Anderson had to double-check his watch to make sure it was working right.
Medina finished in 5 minutes, 15 seconds and wasn’t even breathing hard.
“I thought, ‘Holy cow, Kyle. You just ran 5:15 in the mile,’ and he said, ‘Is that good?’ ” Anderson said. “I said, ‘Yeah that is really good,’ and he just asked me if he could go play soccer now. He had no idea.”
The P.E. performance marked the launching point of an unlikely path to track success.
Medina has gone from a skater to one of the top runners in the county in only a year.
He captured the 800-meter title at the Ventura County Track and Field Championships last week in a time of 1:55.55 — the school’s junior class record.
Medina also anchored Ventura’s sprint medley relay team to a championship at the Arcadia Invitational and led off the distance medley relay team to a school record-breaking time at the Mount SAC Invitational.
“I have always liked being able to push myself physically and break past the boundaries you think you can’t do,” said Medina, who will compete in the Channel League Track and Field Championships on Friday at Buena High. “Track does that for me. I don’t really like it when people say you can’t do something. That’s a pet peeve of mine. It only makes me want to do it that much more.”
Once Anderson saw Medina run the mile in P.E., he spent the rest of the semester trying to recruit Medina to join the track team.
Medina kept turning him down. But Anderson was persistent, and Medina finally agreed to show up for practice.
“I kept thinking I was just the skateboard kid and track would take time away from skateboarding,” Medina said. “But in the back of my head I really wanted to try it. Having him tell me I should do it over and over really helped convince me.”
Anderson told Medina to give track three weeks and if he didn’t like it, he could quit.
After two weeks of watching Medina go through the motions, Anderson was ready to let him skateboard off into the sunset for good.
“It was evident to me it was not going to work out for him,” Anderson said. “I pulled him aside and told him he might as well quit if he wasn’t going to give it his full effort. I think it kind of caught him by surprise a little bit. The next day I noticed he was paying attention to stuff and trying to do things I asked him.”
The true moment of realization for Medina came during the Easter Relays when Anderson picked him to run the final leg of the 4×800 JV relay team.
Medina nearly chased down the leader, but was beaten by a lean at the finish line.
Medina expected his teammates to be disappointed that he didn’t win. But they started gushing about his time instead. He had run a 2:05 in his first 800.
“He finally got a little bit of love and attention and he was hooked,” Anderson said. “He said he thought he could run faster, and we figured let’s give it a shot. He has been improving ever since.”
Before joining the track and field team at Ventura, Medina had never played competitive sports.
“I was always really nervous to try something new with other people. I wasn’t really comfortable with the whole team idea,” Medina said. “But I am glad I tried it. I like having a group of people that is more or less like a second family. It’s really nice.”
Medina has benefited greatly this season from having run cross country in the fall.
“That was a huge difference for me,” he said. “I came into track and field with no base and no endurance last year, but this year I came with a huge base and way more endurance. I am in a way better mental state and know what I want. Last year I was clueless.”
Medina’s quick improvement has already caught the eye of some colleges, and he’s starting to receive recruiting letters.
He is hoping to reach the CIF State meet this year as an individual and as a member of a relay team. Anderson has no doubt it’s possible.
“He’s always sets big goals for himself that some people would think are outlandish,” Anderson said. “But a lot of the times he has been right. I don’t think we have anybody physically or mentally tougher on our team.”
Perhaps the surest sign that running has taken hold of Medina is what he’s no longer doing.
Medina hasn’t skateboarded for nearly three months. The Plan B skateboard that was practically attached to his body has been discarded.He doesn’t even know where to find it.
“I have different life goals now, so it was something that I had to give up,” Medina said. “I am really focused on track and I am excited about the future in that.”
Article source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/may/02/venturas-medina-ditches-skateboard-for-track/?partner=yahoo_feeds
Tony Hawk on Selling Out Without Being a Sellout (Video)
At times, success can be bittersweet when you finally reach the top only to find someone trying to knock you down. What to do? Keep going, says skateboard icon Tony Hawk.
In this ‘Trep Talk Extra, Hawk shares how he handled the backlash of criticism following his rise to success as an entrepreneur in the skateboard industry.
Tony Hawk’s adventure sports empire includes skateboard company Birdhouse Projects, the Hawk Clothing line, a wildly popular video game series, and his production company 900 Films that teamed with YouTube this year to launch the Ride Channel. He has also donated more than $4 million to nearly 500 skatepark projects throughout the country through the Tony Hawk Foundation.
Related: Tony Hawk on Building a Brand Around Doing Your Own Thing
Article source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/video/223459
Skateboard fundraiser huge success
The fundraiser was held on April 28 to raise funds to send kids from financially burdened families to the world renowned extreme sports centre Camp Woodward.
According to one of the event organizers, Kristie Smedley, three children from Sooke have been registered to attend the U.S. camp.
Article source: http://www.sookenewsmirror.com/sports/149570405.html
Historical skateboarding tricks
9/5/2009 107000 views!! a year has gone since the release of this video and got 200000 views! i just wanna thank all of you for all the support! Also subscribe for the third and sickest skate video ever! For Historical skateboarding tricks 2 press the link which is right below www.youtube.com trick list(in order of appearance) 1.Don Nguyen(the nuge) kickflip big 5 or 15 stairs 2.Colin provost biggest fs lipslide ever done huge 25 stairs 3.Jeremy Wray huge bs 180 4.Dallas Rockvam biggest bs feeble ever done huge 25 stairs 5.Brian Wenning switch bs 180 down love 6.Ryan Gallant huge gap fs flip 7.Paul Rodriguez switch hardflip 8.Dylan Rieder switch bigflip down 9 9.Albert Madrid fs lipslide 24 stairs 10.Chris Cole switch fs flip down love 11.Nyjah Huston switch heelflip 13( he also switch heelflip the 16 on maloof) 12.Chris Dobstaff bs bluntslide 18 stair(best ever) 13.Chris Cole bs flip down love(he also landed a bs 360 on fallen’s video and almost 360 flip it long time ago) 14.Evan Hernandez fs boardslide 18 stair 15.Paul Rodriguez 13 stair switch kickflip and switch heelflip the same day and first who did this tricks 16.Lindsey Robertson with it’s signature trick but now adding an indy…huge heelflip indy down an enormous gap 17.Nyjah Huston 14 stairs nollie heelflip(i know someone did whilshire but come on nyjah did this when he was 13) 18.Paul Rodriguez switch heelflip 14 stair 19.Ryan Smith crooked 18 stair 20.Chris Cole biggest fs boardslide in history of …
May Day protest: LAPD officer hit in head with skateboard
A largely peaceful May Day protest in downtown Los Angeles turned tense on Tuesday evening as police clashed with protesters.
The incident occurred near 4th and Hill streets when some protesters appeared to swarm a smaller number of LAPD officers, who in turn called for backup.
A police official said a female officer was struck in the head with a skateboard and taken to a hospital. The impact of the blow dented her helmet, the official said, but her injury appears not to be life-threatening.
Overall, however, officials said most of the thousands of protesters were nonviolent.
Angry protesters chanted with their fists in the air after officers refused to let them through a street that leads to the Civic Center. Almost 1,000 protesters marched uphill through the Financial District, looped through Bank of America and were trying to push their way back downhill when officers turned them away.
Officers issued a call for help at 4th and Hill streets at about 4:20 p.m. when protesters, many from the Occupy movement, began circling officers and chanting, “We are the 99%.” The crowd swelled as officers arrived by bicycle, motorcycle and on foot to quell the brewing confrontation.
The crowd quickly calmed down.
“I think this is the end,” said Timothy Murphy, 29, of Pasadena, who met up with the East caravan of the Occupy movement earlier.
“It was a beautiful march until on our way back down,” he said.
Another skirmish was reported at the corner of Olympic Boulevard 9th Street.
LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith said he was not aware of any arrests in downtown L.A.
Traffic is expected to remain jammed in parts of downtown through the evening, with many streets subject to closure.
RELATED:
May Day protests marred by vandalism in San Francisco
May Day observer at Olvera Street: ‘I’m a little underwhelmed’
North, East and West legs of Occupy-led protest converge downtown
– Rosanna Xia and Andrew Blankstein
Photo: Brian Mac waves a flag during an immigration reform and nonviolence protest in downtown Los Angeles on May 1, 2012. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times
Article source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/may-day-protest-lead-to-confrontation.html
Brandon skateboard park open for business
BRANDON –
Threatening weather April 21 postponed the formal dedication of the Brandon Skate Park. But the park is open and is free throughout the summer.
The grand opening ceremony has been rescheduled for May 12 at 1 p.m.
The park is located inside Providence East Park at 5720 Providence Road. Park hours are Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. The park is closed on Mondays.
During the summer, the park will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
All skaters must wear helmets and sign waivers.
This is the first skateboard park operated by Hillsborough County and the only one in the Brandon area.
Yvette Hammett
Article source: http://www2.tbo.com/news/plant-city/2012/may/01/2/pcnewso10-brandon-skateboard-park-is-now-open-ar-398317/
O'boro City Commission meeting on downtown skateboard ban
Five men have been arrested after buying explosives from an undercover FBI agent.
The arrests stop plans to blow up the Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga River in Brecksville.
Article source: http://www.14news.com/story/17998317/oboro-city-commison-meets-on-downtown-skateboard-ban
Skateboard Ring The Latest Addition To Youth Park
Bandar Seri Begawan – In two to three weeks time, local skateboarders will have a proper venue to improve, perfect and show off their skills, as the skate park within the Youth Park looks set to be completed.
Concerned about the construction of the skate park, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Hazair bin Hj Abdullah, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports made a working visit to the site, which is located just opposite of the entrance to the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
Also present during the visit were Hj Abdul Malik Hj Mohammad, Acting Director of Youth and Sports, and other officials.
The minister in an interview said, “This skateboard ring will be completed first, then it will be ready in two to three weeks time. The structures are already up and need to be finished. It’s an open concept.
“We are placing emphasis on the safety features of the venue. We want to make sure that the materials are heavy duty materials and not easily corroded, which could be dangerous to the skateboarders,” Pehin Dato Hj Hazair added.
“It will be open to the public, and we will barricade other areas for the construction of other parts of the youth park.”
The minister was not pleased, however, with the project delay and has urged the contractor to speed up the work to complete the skate park, which was supposed to have been completed by last month.
The minister further stated that the Youth Park would be completed by September this year. But there is a change of scope for the remote control circuit in that it is required to meet international standards in order to be able to host international remote control car competition. A mini-theatre and an office, as well as public toilets will be built in the park.
“This would be a place for young people to come and take part in activities. This place will also be lit up during the night.”
The minister then moved on to the parade field for the “Program Khidmat Bakti Belia Negara”, which was completed in less than two months.
The tarmac field has already been utilised since last week for participants of the programme.
–Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
Article source: http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/Local-News/skateboard-ring-the-latest-addition-to-youth-park.html