On April 11, 2009, longboarders from across Florida descended on the hills of Clermont for the first downhill outlaw race in the state, dubbed the King of Clermont. Talk was heard well before the event on who thought they were going to win the race and take the crown for themselves, a heated battle was sure to come.
The morning of the race started out well for a first event, with 19 people wanting to race and at least twice as many as an audience. As practice was just beginning, the cops broke up the session; not something an outlaw wants to see. The crew managed to load up in the shuttle van and avoid too much damage by the cop, but our spot was blown. We moved onto our alternate location and got things started.
The heats were well matched, with heavy packs coming into the final corner at once. Early favorites were Brent Dubendorff, Taylor Smith, Nick Moran, and the Miami crew members of Santiago Cadavid and Diego Rodriguez. All won their early heats minus Diego, who was passed on the inside by Santiago forcing him into the sand, standing out as one of the most heated battles of the day.
April Fools Jam April 5, 2009 -- San Luis Obispo, CA
Wow what a weekend. Jonny is for sure the host with the most. He goes all out -- with the help of his local CCMF crew -- to make sure everyone who visits the Toyland Ranch has the most fun possible -- on the skateboard and off. I call it "skateboard disneyland" (with more edge) -- complete with Thriller's homegrown skatepark, live bands on the roof, raging bonfire, camping on site, bbq & breakfast cookouts and max stoke.
Classic Toyland Fun (this time last year) Jonny supervises while the kids play -- John O is the jumper and the jumpees include Richy C, Jay LaPalm & the Pappas bros.
Our host -- Jonny Miller -- in his element
All this and racing on some killer terrain too! Richy said -- it was one of the most fun GS races ever.
Bird's eye view of the hill -- Richy Carrasco warming up the GS course -- Finished 2nd place in the Pro division
Jonny scoped out the local hills which are pretty much like La Costa Nor Cal -- future fame house development sites -- with all the access roads in place but no building yet. We set out to the secret hills in the designated vehicles stealth style according to Jonny's covert plan -- which went off perfectly.
Jonny's "rich uncle" arrives with trusty sidekick in tow
There were 3-4 possible hills we could have raced on -- including a back up hill in another location laying in wait in case we needed it. We got to race on the first choice hill though -- nice surface, pitch & speed -- and an uphill runout. So we just rolled up and rolled out Jonny's killer new ramp that basically flows right out of the bed of his truck. The truck bed is the launch platform -- ingenious and quick set up too!
Being up in the big grassy hills, high above San Luis Obispo makes for scenery that is hard to beat -- especially at this time of the year. You could even see the ocean from up there! Skating this hill may have been a once in a lifetime opportunity -- and we're stoked we didn't miss it.
Thriller Miller is a true innovator in the sport -- last year unveiling his Thunder Dome giant launch ramp -- this year the mobile truck ramp!
Great to see everyone -- especially the newlyweds Jay and Ronda. Much love to you both.
Funniest comment of the weekend -- " I didn't know "Criddle" was an actual person!" . . .
Well, just left racer x on the road, hes on his way back 2 Colorado, The sick nes is on his way to surf the canyon,what a weekend.
Just want to say thanks to Khiro and SK8 KING for stepping it up for us this year. 3 days of non stop skating.
Friday afternoon, Hell fadell and racer x showed up at Toyland with team F agee, Mike K was on fire, Mitch and the boys tore up the TOYLAND park, That night the jam room went off,Hell,mitch,Mike,Brian, Jay, and Miller rocked the music into the night.
The next morning ranch style breakfast, and off to the hill, we had 2 vans, one for the heave's, and the other 4 the mellow heads, the hill was fast, with many heavy turns and corners, the weather was perfect.the hill was almost mile long with a run out,we had just 6 guys who wanted to run from the top, we had some great runs through the switch back corners. Racer X 1st, Hell Fadell 2nd, fly n jay 3rd, Brandon headland 4th.
GreenSkate is a grassroots event that started from a simple idea:
Celebrate and encourage the low impact of longboard skateboards on our environment as a form of effective transportation.
On Earth Day 2007 Calgary Alberta Canada was the host to the first GreenSkate Event. It may come as a surprise that a community of longboarders surrounded by the Calgarian oil and gas industry would feel sympathetic to any green cause; however the Speedboard and Longboard Association of Calgary couldn't be any more ambitious.
A new bar has been set for varsity sports at school district level. The announcements came out the school’s speakers sluggishly on a sunny Friday morning. The monotonous voice of the principal’s assistant read the routine highlights for the week, but today it was different. Out it came, for the first time ever anywhere, something that excited the senses and the imagination of the most athletic students in L.M. Rivera Junior High. Today the School’s Downhill Fest was announced, inviting all students at the schools to participate and to entice other schools in the district to participate. The announcement of this first ever downhill race was repeated throughout the Arecibo School’s District schools along the North Shore of the Island of Puerto Rico. The event echoed across the land like the announcement of an invading horde… Here comes the downhillers again… But this time it was different; this time the sport of downhill skateboarding took center stage in varsity sports, right along side traditional team sports and activities such as basketball, baseball and football.
Events & Coverage 
