CULTURE
Vans Checkerboard Day Lives Up to its ‘Together Makes It Better’ Theme
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Vans is on a mission to harness the power of community to encourage self-expression in a big way. On November 18th, more than 20 nonprofit partners and 18,000+ participants around the world raised over a million dollars to promote community sports, music, film, and art thanks to Vans Checkerboard Day.
Money earned from this positive-impact project goes toward charities, scholarships, and education programs around the world. The themes change every year – this year’s was Together Makes It Better and the last two were Creativity for Mental Wellness and Celebrate Creativity, respectively – and they’ve always been a smashing success.
The original event announcement from Vans:
“As the brand’s single largest philanthropic initiative, Vans will support 16 charities from around the world who share a mission of revitalizing public spaces through arts, sports, culture and social impact programming by donating a collective $1 million USD. Each regional organization will receive $50,000 USD from The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation or via a direct donation from Vans to use towards their organization’s mission to continue their work around the world to build vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming spaces to support their local communities.”
CONTESTS
Get Behind the Scenes of the Red Bull Bowl Rippers
In September, Red Bull Bowl Rippers brought pro skateboarding action back to Marseille’s famous beachside Bowl Du Prado after a two-year hiatus.
As thousands of enthusiastic French spectators witnessed the action-packed event, Marc Churchill and Corbin Harris interviewed the participating skaters, as well as industry veterans such as Greg Poissonnier, Chris Gregson, and Bryce Kanights. They also spoke with the event organizer, Jeremie Grynblat, and local hero Vincent Matheron to understand what makes this unique proving ground so special and why people keep coming back to it for decades.
The first Bowl Rippers was held in 2016 at the iconic park to celebrate its 25th year. Now on its sixth edition, The Red Bull Bowl Rippers continued the Bowl Du Prado’s legacy of enshrining legends into a new era.
The Bowl Du Prado, designed by Jean-Pierre Collinet, has been visited by every great skateboarder to leave their mark on the sport. Along with famous names like Cardiel, Speyer, Trujillo, and Petersen, there are also local legends like Molinier, Benoliel, Salah, and the Matheron clan who have all contributed to the skatepark’s worldwide notoriety.
CULTURE
Atita Verghese: India’s Top Female Skater in ‘Skate Tales’
In this episode of Skate Tales, Madars Apse visited Bangalore to meet Atita Verghese, India’s leading female skater.
Atita was introduced to skateboard culture by the Holystoked crew, who constructed India’s first DIY skatepark in Bangalore. Her life was transformed when she stepped onto a skateboard, and she has never looked back.
In 2014, Atita established Girl Skate India, a non-profit organization that encourages young women to pursue skateboarding. Atita is a source of inspiration for women worldwide, particularly in India, where skateboarding is still in its early stages.
She has been involved in the construction of the majority of skateparks in her home country to this day, having learned how to mix concrete and shape transitions with the Holystoked collective.
Skateboarding has led her to appear in numerous advertisements, a TED talk, movie roles, and even a cameo in the Netflix series Skater Girl.
Atita has created a one-woman movement beyond providing boards, pads, or lessons. In a society where opportunities for girls to be free of social constraints and have fun are limited, Atita’s work is definitely worth checking out.
CULTURE
Andrew Arthur: From Sponsored Skateboarder to Fashion Photographer
The Transworld Skateboarding crew catches up with Andrew Arthur in this episode of “Brain Floss.”
Andrew Arthur was raised in Oceanside, California, surrounded by some of the best skaters who eventually became pros. Although he once pursued skateboarding and even reached the amateur level, his career took a different path when he found his niche in fashion photography.
Fast forward ten years and Andrew now resides in New York City, where he continues to skate and stay connected with the local scene. His latest photo project, which will be compiled into a book, is a unique take on the sun bounce setup popularized by Peter Lindbergh.