Photography by: BROOKS FRITZ

Another year. Another beer. 2009 is over. I figured I’d start off the new year with a little history in origin of the sideways activities. This skateboarding and snowboarding stuff  has been around a long time but not as long as surfing. With the waves being really good earlier this week I decided to hook up with a couple of my surfer browski’s at point break and shoot some flicks of them getting rad in their rubber suits. So with that being said here’s a little tribute to the godfather of the other fun things we do sideways. And no I’m not talking about snake boarding or wake boarding.

Lighting was crazy all day. No I did not mean lightning. I meant lighting. You know that stuff that makes a photo?

Rubber suit alley oop by D Man

DEREK BOCKELMAN

So you uh like stand there and have the water fall over you. What is fun about that?

Johnny Utah was nowhere to be found in these empties at point break on Monday.

Pelican

Frontside reverse warm up flipty flounder flop

Zach Rhinehart

Zach, being the professional he is was surfing with no leash and riding a board that’s been sitting in the backyard for a few years.

To the north of me.

To the south of me.

Zach

Switch barrel?

Double trucker? oh wait I mean truck driver.

Zach with a OK one…hint the sarcasm.

The Keystone waterfall was going off in the evening session.

Derek

Taj Tucker doing a turn Coach Flex cant stand.

MIKE COTTRELL

Cool or too much with the slow shutter speed? Ahh I don’t care what you think. I like it!

Ding Dong Derek had no problem getting a double digit number of tubes this day. On land and in the water.

Derek with another one and that’s that.

uh huh

Now dont get washed up this new year! Or maybe it’s too late.

Hope you enjoyed the surfing photos. I know you cant wear that much flare in the water so surfing will never be as cool as skating or snowboarding but hey at least the wetsuit is tight like the girl pants you wear!

Have a good weekend and happy new year!

Photos: Brooks Fritz

What is it? It’s a concrete skate park in the desert.

Address: 630 Cahuilla Rd, Borrego Springs, California 92054

Phone number: 760-767-998

Designed by: Mike Mcintyre and/or Site Design skate parks

Opened: January 11, 2003

How big is it? 26,000 sq ft.  plus a 2,200 sq ft clubhouse & “pro shop”

Open: Monday through Friday (another thing that makes no sense)

Does it cost? Yes it’s 10.00 for a day pass or 60.00 for a membership

Age requirements? 6 years old and up

So whats good about this place? It’s uncrowded. Maybe that’s because it’s in the desert in the middle of nowhere. You don’t have to put your foot down ever. Which means fun to me. I guess you could call it a “flow” park. Not a “street” park. Screw that though. I hate saying “flow” park. Isn’t that the function of all skate parks? To just be able to put your board down and start going? That would make the most sense to me. But that’s not how it is, is it? I mean these parks are straight up made for riding skateboards at right? So why is it so hard to find a park that functions properly?  So yeah, this place has “flow”…

What’s bad about it? If there is one thing I hate it’s paying to play and this place cost money. You dont see people paying to play baseball do you?  Also, the thing that makes it a good park also makes it a bad park; It’s in the in the middle of nowhere and better then the majority of the skate parks here in Southern California. Site Design built this park 6 years ago. They also just built the new park in Carmel Valley and that place is garbage compared to here. How the hell do you go degress in park building/design? Besides that I don’t really have any thing bad to say about it. Sure the trannies could be tighter. Yes it could use more bumps everywhere. Sure it would be better if it had pool coping everywhere or even noping (that’s concrete edge if you didn’t know) and sure it could use a racetrack around the deck. But then again this isn’t Orcas Island. But for what it’s worth this park is really fun. If you like to “flow” that is…

Go get some! Or maybe just build your own…

Derek Bockelman, 5.0 grind

Random with a big spin over pyrmaid

see how they made use of the deck over there in the back. That makes sense.

Garet Varner catching some atmosphere on his way to the free lunch zone.

You know whats rad? In surfing you dont have to pull everything for it to count. Seriously, Surf magazines run double page spreads and even covers of bailed or posed manuvers. As long as the photo looks good and your trying then I guess it counts. Derek was thinking maybe the same rules apply to skateboarding. Sorry D man, they dont.

Kaboom! Steve Sexton comes through with a tre bomb right before the rain starts.

Have a good week. Being that it’s Friday Fritz Files on Sunday.  -Brooks

Derek Bockelman, backside lipslide, Oceanside, Ca: You better bring your A game and pads when you skate Derek’s mega ramp. Shit is no joke! Pretty hard to make a decent photo out of a ramp that is 11 inches tall so I had to try to get creative with some long exposures….. Seriously Derek, When are you gonna stop wearing white shoes?

pivit to fakie on his shit pile mini…

I just got off the phone with my good friend Derek Bockelman. If you dont know, Derek’s a freakishly good surfer and skates pretty well too.  So he was telling me that Volcom is putting up 10 grand to the first person to do a kickflip on a surfboard.

Click on the link to see the rules and some decent attempts. http://www.youtube.com/kickflipoff