ETHIOPIA
Sean Stromose is a documentary filmmaker who has spent a great deal of time in Ethiopia. When he contacted us to explain that he was headed over there to work with Ethiopia Skate, we were able to set him up with 10 Landyachtz completes.
We went to a large orphanage in Addis with 10 longboards. When we arrived at the cement basketball court, 20-40 kids were already waiting, talking amongst themselves so eager to skate. We had three Ethiopian instructors, skateboarders from Ethiopia Skate, and 10 helmets. It was hard at first to create any sense of order with all the excitement that day.
Most of these kids had already seen a skateboard, either on TV or on the street nearby where kids from Ethiopia Skate often ride. None of them had ever tried pushing before. We broke the huge group in to two sessions, groups of 20 kids; two per board/helmet. Addisu and Yared, two of our mentors, taught the class in Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia. On the first day, barely an hour and a half in, all the kids had already figured out how to cruise straight, as well as the difference between pushing forward and turning in circles; one of the life-lessons practiced with Longboarding For Peace. The crowd surrounding the court grew each day, as the faculty and other children gathered to watch. It was a heart warming experience for everyone involved.
DUSTERS X GIRL IS NOT A 4 LETTER WORD BLACK CRUISER COLLAB
Everywhere you look, girls are out there skating; from streets, to parks and pools, they are tearing it up and making people stop and look at how far the progression has come.
It’s time to keep encouraging girls to be even more bad ass out there. Just in time for Valentines Day, Dusters California is releasing a new matte black version of the Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word board, this new cruiser has a super stealth look and feel.
To go along with the new look, Dusters creative director, Nano Nobrega, decided to take skaters Beverly Flood and Cassie Oseguera to a private backyard location and let them loose to ride both boards for an upcoming girls only skate video. These two girls were throwing down trick after trick and having a blast, showing that this cruiser board is not just for ‘cruising’, and that girls can show up and ‘bring it’ anywhere they go.
The new Dusters California GN4LW cruiser will support Longboarding for Peace. This time around Dusters and Cindy have teamed up to match one another dollar for dollar to donate a portion of the board’s proceeds to the Poseidon Foundation, which helps kids all over the world get involved in skateboarding.
So, get out there, and live life balls to the wall, do epic sh*t, and take every dare that comes your way, because you can sleep when you’re dead. girlisnota4letterword.com
LONGBOARDER LABS
Based in Vancouver, BC, Longboarder Labs created this custom prize wheel to bring awareness to LFP while at the same time stoking the hell out of their customers. Prizes range from free stickers to a year supply of trucks or wheels. Longboarderlabs.com
BLOOD FROM BOARDERS
While October is our official month to get boarders to donate blood, any month works. In November, we gathered members together from Toronto’s longboarding community. Pictured here is Rob Sydia, co-owner of Longboard Haven. Rob has been donating blood for over 2 decades. The shop also just won best skate shop in Now Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
