Four Pieces of Polyurethane

Ehrin Flintroy displays all of his skateboard and protective gear. Flintroy is a leading member of the Gator Longboarding Club at the University of Florida. Skateboarding down steep hills is a passion of his.

The grip tape is what keeps the skateboard from slipping off of your feet. Flintroy has designed his grip tape to reflect his own personal style. Since Flintroy skates as often as he can, he may need a new sheet in only a few weeks.

Flintroy starts accelerating down, with only slides and rapid movements to the left and right to control his speed. Around the corner is a slope that is much steeper referred to as "Dead Man's Hill." Competitions have been hosted there in which a small ramp was included as an obstacle.

After gaining some speed, Flintroy performs a backside powerslide. A good indicator of skill is if the skateboarder lets his hands touch the ground or not. Although if they do, Flintroy has his hands covered by special gloves.

"Don't try it, just do it," is a quote that Flintroy lives by and utilizes during his skateboard sessions. The numerous power slides he does cause his wheels to become "cored", meaning they are worn down to the center. Autobahn is Flintroy's preferred brand of wheel.

Creating skateboarding videos is a fulfilling process that I know first hand. Although it may seem like a simple process, there are factors that can be easily overlooked. Holding a camera steady while staying as close as possible to the subject can be difficult, if not impossible, at times.

To begin, you will need a camera set up. This does not have to break the bank. I started out with a Sony camcorder that used big cassette tapes. Find a camera with good video quality that you would be satisfied using. Watch footage filmed with the camera on YouTube to determine if the quality is right for its purpose.

Next, you are going to need some sort of handle to attach to the tripod mount on the bottom of your camera. This is extremely important because the handle's stability is going to determine how shaky your footage turns out. Online you will be able to find handles specifically for this purpose, but they can be pricy. If you feel like making one yourself, you can go to Lowe's (bring your camera with you) and look for a bendable metal rod to make a U shape out of. Eventually, you will need drill a small hole into the bottom of it in order to attach it to your tripod mount via screw. Get crafty with this.

Now, I will talk about filming single tricks with long lens (no fisheye or lens attachment on the camera). You need to pay attention to the rule of thirds. Have your subject approach the obstacle from one side of the frame. Be sure to have the trick performed in the middle of the frame, and then let the subject roll away on the opposite side of the frame. Search YouTube if this is still unclear. After the trick is done, you have the option to zoom in on the skater's face, shoes, board, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Once you have a fisheye lens that fits your camera, you can use it in conjunction with your handle to film lines, otherwise known as a succession of skateboard tricks, and single tricks. The goal is to be as close as possible to the subject without cutting off their board or any part of their body. It is a daunting task. When following behind them in a line, get the camera low to the ground, but have it tilted up at a slight angle to fit their entire body in the frame. When filming single tricks, make sure to still follow the rule of thirds as it applies to skateboarding.

In 2009, Ryan O'Connor started screen printing t-shirts in the garage of his mom's house. Little did he know that one day Skrillex would be wearing his shirt on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The increase in popularity of O'Connor's clothing brand, Rip N Dip, has allowed him to move from Florida to Los Angeles, California.

When I was younger, the Rip N Dip team would come to my local skate park do things like host a cookout, sponsor contests, and give away products. I remember receiving one of their earlier shirt designs on my way home from the park. Although O'Connor is the founder of the company, he surrounds himself with a fun group of characters that help promote the brand.

The inspiration behind the brand's creation was the desire to wear something more stylish than the gear provided at the skate camp O'Connor and his friends were attending. At first, O'Connor simply wrote "RipNDip" on his skateboard and watched how contagious the name became. The next year, he returned with shirts and sold them. This did not fly too well with the camp. O'Connor was scolded about selling his clothing because half of the camp was sporting RipNDip shirts instead of the camps!

RipNDip is a brand that is all about fun and hanging out with friends. Despite having moved to L.A. and gaining a luxurious office for themselves, they still find the time to skateboard regularly just like they used to back in Florida. RipNDip continues to sponsor uniquely talented individuals. The touring of skate parks has not stopped since the brand's success. There are tons of entertaining videos created by RipNDip to be found on YouTube.

One of the many reasons for the brand's success is, in my opinion, the graphics that take on a home made, DIY look. Each product tends to have some element of humor embedded in it. Whether it be a design involving a cartoon-looking alien or a plethora of cats, Rip N Dip has found their niche in subtle clothing humor. If you follow their Instagram, you will be updated frequently with hilarious sketches like this one:

If you find yourself a character in multiple Tony Hawk video games, you must be of high stature in the skateboarding community. Andrew Reynolds has been in 38 skate videos, as well as thousands of random, unmarked ones on YouTube. He is an entrepreneur responsible for starting Altamont Clothing and starting Baker Skateboards in 2001.

I personally became a fan of him after his "Baker 3" video part. Never had I before seen such a tall man pop his tricks so high and methodically. His opening clip was a frontside flip over the renowned Hollywood High 16 stair handrail. His triumphant landing was synced to Roxy Music - The Bob (Medley). It did not get much better than that.

Reynolds grew up in Lakeland, Florida. and regularly skated the Tampa skate park. The fact that such a legend lived only a few hours away was surreal to me when I was younger. Today he lives in Hollywood, California with his wife and daughter. He even has his own skate park in his back yard.

In 1995, Reynolds joined Birdhouse skateboards and turned pro. His part in the Birdhouse video, "The End", is now agreed by many to be a classic. However, even to this day, Reynolds is still obsessive about the creation of his video parts. As described by Jerry Hsu in the Stay Gold DVD bonus footage, Reynolds treats their house like a gym. He eats healthy things like bananas and keeps in shape strictly to "get tricks."

Fellow skateboarders have noticed Reynolds' Obsessive Compulsive Disorder when it comes to skateboarding. Before performing a trick, he will do something like knock on a wall a few times before each try. If he does not land a trick perfectly, he will do it again no matter how incredibly difficult it was. He has an unusually strong dedication to skateboarding.