The Art of SK8 Contest
June 9, 2009 by jane
Filed under Action, Contest, General, Pretty Sporty, Skateboard
The folks at Ollie Pop have created a way for shops to get involved with their “Art of Sk8″ contest, a charity art exhibit in conjunction with the Skate Shop Showcase in LA.
The Showcase is dedicated to uniting the skate community through music, art and culture. Each participating Skate Shop is given a designated amount of wall space within the show to which they are free to design however they see fit. Add on top of that bands, dj’s and good times…
The event is focused on putting the spotlight on the Skate Retailer since skate shops are at the forefront everyday serving as the bridge between the consumer and the gear
Organizers are looking for Skate Shops to submit skateboarding inspired pieces from innovative artists to create an exciting and unique experience. Art work can be on any type of skate related material (skate shoe, wax, deck, etc). Top prize earns $500 worth of Ollie Pop Bubble Gum and the grand prize winner, chosen by the editors of Skateboarder Magazine, will be featured at the Showcase and in an upcoming issue of the mag.
Shops enlisted to be part of this years event include Liberty Board Shop, Urban Era (Daly City), Val Surf, Maintain, Transport, Non-Factory, 2nd Nature (New York), Good Times (San Antonio, TX), ZJ’s Boarding House, 9 Star, Shelter, One Way Board Shop, Sunken City, IG board shop and many more.
The first Skate Shop Showcase event was produced in 2006 and saw everything from a full-blown build-out to hanging branded merchandise and painting on the walls (acrylic and aerosol).
Submissions will be used to raise money and awareness for charities that support the arts, skateboarding and/or children’s causes.
This year’s Skate Shop Showcase will take place on June 20th in Downtown L.A. at the Gallery 1018, 1018 Santa Fe. 8:30 pm – 1:30 am.
Deadline for submissions is June 18, 2008. Download the Entry Form/Flyer: Art_of_Sk8.pdf
For rules and submission information, please visit www.SkateShopShowcase.com
Let’s make sure some girls are represented!!
U.S. sends women’s badminton team to Iran
February 2, 2009 by jane
Filed under Badminton, History, News Bytes
In what may be referred to as badminton diplomacy, the Obama administration is sending a women’s badminton team to Iran this week as part of a broad bid to engage the Iranian people through educational and cultural exchanges.
The 12-member team — four coaches and eight female players including 2008 U.S. Olympians Eva Lee (Orange, Calif.) and Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.) will travel to Tehran, Iran to compete in the Fajr International Badminton Tournament, February 5-8, 2009, at the invitation of the Iranian Badminton Federation, the State Department said in a statement.
It said the U.S. squad was invited by the Iranian Badminton Federation and that they hoped to extend an invitation to Iran’s national team to come to the United States in July. This week’s trip is being sponsored by the State Department, which since 2006 has promoted people-to-people exchanges with Iran.
The United States cut diplomatic ties with Tehran during the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in which a group of militant Iranian students held 52 U.S. diplomats hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days.
The nations have remained at odds over many issues, including U.S. accusations that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but in an effort to pursue greater engagement, the two countries have held sports exchanges in recent years.
More than 250 Iranians, including artists, athletes, and medical professionals, have participated in exchange programs in the United States, the department said.
Previous sports exchanges, which started in Jan. 2007, have included wrestlers and weightlifters as well as basketball, table tennis and water polo players. Since then, the department has sent 32 American athletes to Iran and brought 75 Iranian athletes and coaches to the United States, it said.
The badminton trip is the first to take place under the Obama administration, which is considering new approaches to Iran. Those include direct official dialogue and the appointment of a special envoy to deal with Iran, which has not had diplomatic relations with the U.S. since 1979.
The event is sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and results will count toward each player’s international ranking.
Anyone remember Ping Pong diplomacy?
UPDATE: U.S. Women’s Badminton Team refused visas to enter Iran.
