So on my way to work at the indoor about a month ago. I had to come downtown to pick up a new helmet. On the way I was walking through city hall and a police car rolls up right into city hall and stops me. The cop gets out and tells me stand in front of the car I couldn’t believe how agressive he was.Then he asks for my I.D. and where I live then he told me I was going to get a ticket for skateboarding. Funny thing I was only walking with my board and had been walking for a couple of blocks. Obviously there was no point in arguing with him he had made up his mind.

My ticket turned out to be for fifty dollars I thought it was a little steep so I looked into it. The city website posts what fines are for and how much they cost this is where it starts to get funny. The fine for skateboarding downtown is twenty dollars this made me wonder why my ticket is for fifty. I emailed the police with my question and the first response I got the person didn’t know why my ticket was so much and agreed with me that my fine should only be for twenty dollars. The second email I got from them was a little different. The person said the extra charge is called a victim surcharge and is added on to most tickets and sent a chart of how its based on a percentage of the fine and they said for a fine under a hundred dollars the victim surcharge is thirty dollars. I wanted to check if what he was saying was legit so I looked up victim surcharge on the government of Canada site and turns out what they had posted was that the victim surcharge was fifteen percent of my fine which adds up to about three dollars not thirty.

I plan on taking my ticket to court and at the very least I will waste more taxpayers money going to court then they will gain from my ticket. So if you get a ticket for skating take it to court maybe if we waste enough time and money they will start to realize how stupid it is to give tickets for skateboarding. I would also like to add again that I wasn’t even skating and got a ticket for just having A skateboard this kind of profiling is garbage and cant be tolerated.

See you in court!!!

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For your chance to win one of Popdeck's limited boards sign up for a profile on SkateboardVillage and send friend request to Popdeck on SkateboardVillage. On April 23rd one of Popdecks friends will be randomly chosen to win a Popdeck board.

Fast Food board design by Flüke

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Skateboarders set to jam in Lunenburg

 One thing that is sure to help them brush off the rust is an event entitled Spring Into Skate Jam, slated for the Lunenburg Skateboard Park April 6 beginning at noon.

 The event is being organized by veteran South Shore skating aficionado Vaughn Whynot, who says the idea is to stage a no-cost skating event that will allow adults and youth alike to come together, show off their boarding prowess "and just have a good time.

 "What a skate jam is, compared to a skate competition, is that kids would [have] to pay to enter a contest," Mr. Whynot explains. "[But] a skate jam is groups of friends getting together … [to] just skate and have fun. What people started doing was saying hey, why can't we do that and give prizes out for the best skater in the group."

 With that idea in mind, Mr. Whynot solicited several local businesses as well as the Lunenburg recreation department, which graciously donated prizes for the winning skaters.

 Those will be awarded in a variety of competitions which will be staged for three different skill levels - peewee, intermediate and pro.

 He is also looking for volunteers who might be willing to video and photograph the event as well as individuals "who can help out and just make sure everything is fine and going smoothly.

 "We're kind of hoping some bands would donate their time to come and play a little bit. That would serve as advertising to them and bring a little bit of music for the kids. If we did have bands, it would put a lot more of a feel to the event," he says.

 Mr. Whynot says that while skate jams have been held in Lunenburg before, this event will be different as it will be used as a kickoff for the summer skating season.

 A similar event held in Lunenburg in 2007 attracted over 100 skaters, and he is anticipating that number to double as expressions of interest have come from as far away as Newfoundland for this year's jam.

 "And I'm working on trying to get at least one or two pro skateboarders to come down just for the weekend to sign a couple of things and that sort of thing," he adds.

 For more information on Spring Into Skate Jam, contact Vaughn Whynot at vaughnwhynot@eastlink.ca or call 530-5870.

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Skateboarders set to jam in Lunenburg

 One thing that is sure to help them brush off the rust is an event entitled Spring Into Skate Jam, slated for the Lunenburg Skateboard Park April 6 beginning at noon.

 The event is being organized by veteran South Shore skating aficionado Vaughn Whynot, who says the idea is to stage a no-cost skating event that will allow adults and youth alike to come together, show off their boarding prowess "and just have a good time.

 "What a skate jam is, compared to a skate competition, is that kids would [have] to pay to enter a contest," Mr. Whynot explains. "[But] a skate jam is groups of friends getting together … [to] just skate and have fun. What people started doing was saying hey, why can't we do that and give prizes out for the best skater in the group."

 With that idea in mind, Mr. Whynot solicited several local businesses as well as the Lunenburg recreation department, which graciously donated prizes for the winning skaters.

 Those will be awarded in a variety of competitions which will be staged for three different skill levels - peewee, intermediate and pro.

 He is also looking for volunteers who might be willing to video and photograph the event as well as individuals "who can help out and just make sure everything is fine and going smoothly.

 "We're kind of hoping some bands would donate their time to come and play a little bit. That would serve as advertising to them and bring a little bit of music for the kids. If we did have bands, it would put a lot more of a feel to the event," he says.

 Mr. Whynot says that while skate jams have been held in Lunenburg before, this event will be different as it will be used as a kickoff for the summer skating season.

 A similar event held in Lunenburg in 2007 attracted over 100 skaters, and he is anticipating that number to double as expressions of interest have come from as far away as Newfoundland for this year's jam.

 "And I'm working on trying to get at least one or two pro skateboarders to come down just for the weekend to sign a couple of things and that sort of thing," he adds.

 For more information on Spring Into Skate Jam, contact Vaughn Whynot at vaughnwhynot@eastlink.ca or call 530-5870.

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Police, youth try new approach to getting helmets on boarders

By STACEY COLWELL

 BRIDGEWATER - The Bridgewater Police Service is taking a new approach to dealing with the thorny issue of some skateboarders not wearing helmets, all because of a simple e-mail by a local youth.

 Vaughn Whynot recently contacted Cst. Christine Bonnell to voice his concern about a perceived police crackdown on theskate-boarders, suggested many of them can't afford helmets, and that perhaps the department should work with them to find a solution.

 "When I got the e-mail, I went out that morning and picked up one of the kids who was 18, and took him to Zellers. I bought three of them out of my own money. I just told him to show me what I needed to buy," said Cst. Bonnell.

 Since that day in June, the department has given out almost a dozen helmets, most donated by Wal-Mart.

 "I've had kids come up to me in the Superstore when I'm off duty and say, 'Are you the policewoman who has those helmets I've heard about?' I'll say 'yes' and tell them to come see me."

 Each person who receives a helmet then signs for it, so Cst. Bonnell said those people should now have no excuse for not using one.

 She said the department receives numerous public complaints about skateboarders not wearing helmets, which became a provincial law in 2003. The law carries a potential $25 fine and/or confiscation of a skateboard for up to 30 days. As well, parents may not knowingly allow their children to skateboard without helmets.

 "[The police are] the ones enforcing it, so I thought maybe they could meet us halfway," said Mr. Whynot, "because all the kids in Bridgewater who skateboard think the cops are against them, but they're just doing their jobs - so you can't get mad at them - but you can discuss it with them and come up with ideas."

Cst. Christine Bonnell of the Bridgewater Police Service and Vaughn Whynot are attempting to address community concerns about skateboarders not wearing helmets.

 The 20 year old is a member of a group which oversees the skateboard park via a subcommittee of the Bridgewater Development Association's youth action team.

 "I did a little research, and I think Bridgewater is the only town in Atlantic Canada where cops are willing to provide helmets to kids who can't afford them, or to actually give them out to kids who can't afford them before just taking the legal actions they do. The kids seem a little bit happier about it, because they feel they have a little more leeway to talk to the cop about why they don't want to wear the helmet, but then agree to wear the helmet."

 Still, he said there will probably remain an antagonistic relationship between the police and skateboarders over the issue.

 "I think it's great that they're willing to help out rather than just slapping cuffs or fines on people, but then you will have a group of a few people who won't like it ... helmets will always be a negative thing for skateboarders, because it's kind of like the man sticking it to us, and we're individuals."

 In fact, Mr. Whynot doesn't usually wear a helmet.

 "And a lot of my friends don't wear them, but they know what they're doing."

 He said it's different for younger kids, who he believes should wear helmets, especially when they first start skateboarding.

 Still, Cst. Bonnell has encouraged him to be a good role model for the younger skaters, and to always wear his helmet.

 "In every picture in a skateboard magazine, not anybody in any picture or ad has a helmet on," said Mr. Whynot.

 "The only people in a skateboard magazine you'll see with a helmet on are the half-pipe guys, because they're going like 25 feet in the air. The kids' role models are these people in the magazines ... that makes it hard when the cops say you should be a good role model."

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i pick girls on the basis of these things:

positive attitude

being able to skate everything steps,half pipe,banks,ledges,rails and everything u see in vids! handrails are not mandatory and must be able to do demos and appearances when needed!

constant promotion is needed cause it brings u more product in the mail! it is a scratch my back i scratch ur's deal because being a sponsored skater is like having a job i am the employer and u are the employee and u do what is needed to make the company a success and then u reap the benefits such as more clothes a month and wheels and boards and bearings and get ppl to add us on myspace and visit our website and buy our products!

i also look for those who are constantly progressing which means learning new tricks on a constant basis! i dont "hire" just anybody cause then things would be a failure and id go out of business cause no one would be stoked on a company who has half ass skaters that cant do a ollie or something. at a demo ppl will talk and it will come back on me and i will lose money and u will lose product! this is a team effort! u make me look good and ill make u look good in magazines,ads, and stuff like that.


i dont care about what kind of music ppl listen to !


sponsor me vids help! pics are never allowed cause u cant tell style or if u landed a trick or not! video footage is the best way to go and it has to feature all the best stuff u can do like fliptricks down stairs,tech tricks on ledges, big airs on transition etc etc also include information about urself such as name and where u live and why u deserve the opportunity and any current sponsors u have (skate crews dont count)

DO NOT BE A SLACKER!!!!!!!

to sum it all up if u are doing what is being done in videos then u deserve a sponsorship!

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