Green is a hot topic these days. Green stands for the environment and money. While we are proud to publish what will be the first of many stories relating to the environment, we fully realize this is a difficult, multi-layered topic that hits a number of hot buttons. Like most of you, we don’t find it that easy to navigate this “sea of green.” For some reason, however, we are compelled to keep hitting the buttons other magazines refuse to touch.

Finding the “green” to build a local skatepark can also be a difficult task. I am experiencing this first-hand as I try to secure sponsorship for our local park. I have decided to document the entire process and incorporate it into an article. It is my sincere hope that one day I can print a photo of the opening day at our world-class park. In the meantime: Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, if you’re reading this, please feel free to e-mail me. Do I have a sponsorship deal for you!

Many readers of Concrete Wave would love to have more green to spend on skate stuff. There are a number of anonymous postings on message boards on how to keep credit card statements away from suspicious spouses. Growing up, my parents always classified skateboarding gear as something that was purchased for a birthday gift or a very special occasion. Once I started earning my own money, things changed, and I got what I wanted, when I wanted (ah, the joys of young adulthood!). I vowed if I ever had children, skate gear would be classified as an essential item – like groceries. I am pleased to report that this has come to pass.

Green is also the color of envy, and I confess to being extremely envious of all those who live in warmer climates. This is especially true this year, as 2008 is shaping up to be a pretty snowy winter. While it may take a few more solid months of winter, I know that underneath all that snow, things will eventually warm up; along with the black asphalt in the roads and gray cement in the skateparks and sidewalks, we’ll see…green. Enjoy this issue,

They say three is a magic number, but I think it might be four. Think about it for a moment. Four wheels on a skateboard. There are four seasons and four components to your life (kid, teenager, adult, skategeezer). What about a four-day work week! The expression “four to the floor” fits this issue perfectly. This is the first slalom photo (four wheels on the floor) on a skateboard magazine cover in over thirty years and we couldn’t be prouder to publish it. Jason Mitchell has proven not only to be an insanely great slalom skater, but a formidable talent when it comes to skating pools, parks and ditches.
    It’s not just skaters that have ramped things up. A number of companies are literally pulling their hair out trying to manage the demand for longer and wider decks, tighter-turning trucks and softer wheels. If 1978, 1988, and 1998 are any indication, 2008 might very well be the most explosive yet in skateboarding.
    While it can be fun to speculate what might happen, the best thing about skateboarding right now is how much it is starting to embrace variety. I see this in my local neighborhood, and when I walked the show floor at the Action Sports Retailer Show in September, I realized that the wheels of change were starting to spin. There was more variety of skate product than in the previous four years combined! Four to the floor, indeed! Enjoy the issue,

WELCOME TO THE FINE PRINT: On my forum over at silverfishlongboarding.com, I posted that I was looking for contributors to the Fine Print. I thought it might be interesting to see what would happen if we integrated the Web with a traditional magazine. We’ll let you judge the result. The first two submissions I chose were both poems. In truth, we don’t do poetry here at CW. I am not against poetry, but I can’t say I am for it, either. I guess I have mixed feelings. Like opera and Turkish coffee, it’s an acquired taste. Anyway, here goes:

We’re facing some challenging times here on planet earth. Every day it seems like we are bombarded with depressing news: the economy, the environment, wars, crooked politicians and human rights abuses. As things lurch from bad to worse, it can get mighty depressing. Many of us just throw our hands up and tune out, hoping that it will all blow over. It will, but the antidote is not to ignore what’s happening — don’t drop out of what’s going on. Engage in something that is positive and makes a difference and if that revolves around skateboarding, well, that’s even better.

So things are little crazy out there — what about the state of skate? I believe the act of skateboarding is probably pretty healthy right now. There are literally hundreds of incredible skateparks. There are dozens of contests and more media coverage than at any other time in history. There are also lots opportunities to try different types of skateboarding and the internet provides a great way to communicate with fellow skaters. At the same time, the business of skateboarding is going through some convulsions. We’ve discussed the rampant myopia that has clouded many in the skate industry. The focus on one type of skateboarding and one type of skater has meant that a lot of companies have put all their eggs (wheels?) in one basket. Now that street skateboards have become pretty much a commodity, it’s doubtful they’ll turn the opposite way.

Like many of you I have found that skateboarding has pulled me through some difficult times. It’s been a long winter and going several months without the ability to skate outside warmed by the sun can take its toll — even on folks like me who are surrounded by skateboarding. When you take all the depressing news and couple it with “cabin fever” it can be a recipe for disaster. March is a cruel month, no doubt! Thankfully, there’s always humor to bring you back from a semicatatonic state. With that in mind, I proud to present to you Don Wimmer – the skater you see pictured in the above photo. Don has a new movie coming out called “Dropping In.” The teasers on the website (droppingmovie.com) are sure to put a smile on your face. You’ll be learning more about Don’s quest to become a pro skater (at the age of 42) in our upcoming issue but for now, don’t drop out, drop in! Enjoy this issue,