Ryan Sheckler vs Slap message boards vs the world o' haters...

[Crappysurfer]

i can beat him down a hill
beat him in a slide off
beat him in a sailing race
get girls with personality
and i'll be walking longer

[Wells]

As opposed to, say, retro-tribute articles to Love or EMB, right?

At least EMB and Love are still relevant. Vert, to the extent that it still exists, is all fantasy land mega ramp Evel Kinevel BS that has nothing to do with the average skater's life.

[skategeezer]

I told you it's weak...and yes, heavily cringeworthy...but you know what? Ryan Sheckler is not destroying the essence of skateboarding. What he's doing is givng it another filter or lens. A lot of people, in particular, core skaters hate this lens...but there are way more who seem to be interested. That's why it's called MASS media consumption. I am not saying it's a good thing, it is what it is.

Ryan joins a long list of skaters who are just hated: Andy MacDonald and Benji Galloway seem to have been trailblazers in this arena. I have met both of these guys and have found them to be pretty solid folks. While I may not agree with Andy's sponsorship of pogo sticks and sad little skate ramps, it what it is.

Imagine if all the venom and hatred that folks have for Sheckler et al was put to something else? Hatred of other skaters and intolerance of other types of skateboarding has been a part of our culture for a while...a long while - does that mean it's a good thing? I am sure Buddy Rawls will chime in soon...but I don't buy into "the douchebags of the world move skateboarding forward." A lot of folks moved and continue to move skating forward...douchebags, assholes AND folks who just love to skate who, horror of horrors, aren't douchebags or assholes.

[BergaLiden]

[drew]

Ryan's just doing what a lot of folks have done. He's gotten involved in something he likes, is good at, now it's become his job. Look what happened to Vanilla Ice, Kelly Slater etc. Even lots of old school punk rockers go pop-punk because they want or need to play music for a living. Once you sign those contracts they own you. For Ryan, doing his TV show (Kelly Slater was on Baywatch remember?), ads, commercials has just become another part of his job. He may secretly not even like his popular non-hardcore skater image, you never know. I'm sure a lot of you guys would be doing exactly what he's doing given the oppurtunity??

[elementalzoo]

Michael, did you post your reply to this 'hater' post over at Slap too or is this just a case of preaching to the choir on your part?

[isk]

hes amazing. just watch from 2:58 and feel your jaw drop!

[skategeezer]

have not posted at slap....

figured they would dismiss it...

the thing that bugs me is that Sheckler is a great skater, but has poor judgement when it comes to certain things...i don't think he's destroying the essence of skateboarding.

perhaps a poll?

[Wells]

Has it occurred to you that maybe these skaters are hated for good reason?

Andy Mac's Skatewave pre-fab skatepark sponsorship SCREWED OVER a lot of skateboarders, especially in the northeast. I would know. I was one of 'em. Instead of good, skater-built parks we got bullshit like this horrible pre-fab park, which was the only free skatepark within 30 miles of my house growing up. The builder of the only good skatepark nearby will tell you that his reputable company lost a lot of jobs to this playground bullshit. Selling out skaters everywhere to make a buck isn't ok; and it doesn't make you "solid folks" as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, and as for the essence of skateboarding, Sheckler might not be destroying it; but he sure hasn't ever had the slightest thing to do with it.

I always thought the essence of skateboarding was bombing a hill by yourself at 3am in the cold because it's the greatest feeling in the world or hanging out at a spot with your friends, talking shit and having fun.

My ideal skate day doesn't include calling my agent on the way to the spot in my Range Rover, busting out a tré flip for my MTV reality show or energy drink sponsor's video, then heading to the J-14 offices for a photo shoot and finishing off with some human growth horomone and a session with the personal trainer.

But clearly, I was wrong: the essence of skateboarding is a blown-out ridiculous media spectacle designed to generate hideous amounts of money for MTV, ESPN, and my clothing/shoe/energy drink/sunglasses/grip tape/mail-order/watch/car-stereo/headphones sponsors*. Or maybe that's just another "lens" through which to see clearly exactly what's wrong with the skateboard industry.

Ryan Sheckler :: Pro Skateboarder
NSYNC :: Rock and Roll Band

(I'd really like to hear which paradigm-shifting skate scene was full of gregarious boy scouts. Maybe the leading lights of the nascent hardcore skogging scene will blow us all away with their politeness and pushing prowess; but until then we've seen 2 major shifts in skateboarding: towards vertical and towards street and neither were instigated by nice guys.)

*I wouldn't begrudge him these sponsors if they had, you know, done something for skateboarding.

[WyleKeaton]

All the Ryan hating aside.... I've read SLAP magazine and THEY suck! Lame mag - lame lame mag! They're ruining the essense of publishing and reading all in one shot! Oi!

[Sh1v3i2]

Ryan Sheckler is...

A.) Better at skateboarding than you
B.) Better at making money than you
C.) Better at getting girls than you

D. Better at crying than you

He is a great skater but he needs to quit being so emo.

[Xgecko]

damn I didn't realize he actualy grew up...seriously last I saw him was Xgames, he was smooth but too techy for me,

Wells I feel your pain Newport has a park that is actually worse than Bristol. Thankfully I now live in Westerly

[supergildo]

If I was sheckler I would laugh SO fawking hard at the people who feel so injusticed that they need to get on the internet and write a bithing reply for thirty minutes.

dont worry about it so much fellas, just go out and have fun...

[Michael Billings]

If I was sheckler I would laugh SO fawking hard at the people who feel so injusticed that they need to get on the internet and write a bithing reply for thirty minutes.

dont worry about it so much fellas, just go out and have fun...

If you were Ryan Sheckler, you would slit your wrists over this.

I would hate Sheckler if he was a surfer, writer, or my accontant. Seriously, life is rough, but manner the #### up and take it like a real person.

Yeah, thats the statement that put deadkennedys over the edge...

[supergildo]

If you were Ryan Sheckler, you would slit your wrists over this.

I would hate Sheckler if he was a surfer, writer, or my accontant. Seriously, life is rough, but manner the #### up and take it like a real person.

Yeah, thats the statement that put deadkennedys over the edge...

no, if I was sheckler I would get rid of those hideous vehicles, but who cares???

sheckler gets more money, girls and skate time than you. and you get to bitch at him on an internet forum that he would never even give a #### to read. whos cool now?

[J Griff]

you think sheckler is bad, i just saw this episode with his little brother and his little brother is effing ridiculous.

[gorillabiscuits]

All the Ryan hating aside.... I've read SLAP magazine and THEY suck! Lame mag - lame lame mag! They're ruining the essense of publishing and reading all in one shot! Oi!

How? I find Slap to be one of the better street skating mags. So much that its the only subscription I have right now.

Seriously, there are so many other LEGIT skaters that are so much better. F-Word Sheckler. He's 100% Jockified.

[Meltzy]

ahem....why don't we all just shut the #### up and skate!. sitting around bitching about everything and anything is certainly doing it's part in this so called "destruction". Skating....not buying gear....not being a tv ###.....SKATING. is the only thing that will "save" skateboarding.


Thank you and back your your regularly scheduled ridiculousness.

"truer words never spoken"

[Meltzy]

[Mile_High_Mark]

JT FTW: