Jun 22, 2008 | 8:43 AM
Category:
Weather
Hello my fellow SCers. Um.........It's hot. Has anyone noticed this ?
Sep 15, 2007 | 9:08 PM
Category:
News
I DON'T CARE ABOUT BRITNEY OR LINDSEY ! GIVE IT A REST !
Sep 15, 2007 | 9:06 PM
Category:
Sports
Jul 31, 2007 | 11:46 AM
Category:
Sports
FROM THE VENTURA COUNTY STAR,
Area skateboarders get shot at showcasing their skills at X Games
By Loren Ledin (Contact)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Pacific Palisades' Austin Squire works on his tricks at Skatelab in Simi Valley. Squire is one of 10 skateboarders who are part of the National High School Association and California High School Skateboard Club who will compete in the best trick skateboarding high school competition at the X Games.
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Roy Canright was 7 years old the first time he attended the X Games. But it's the next time he will always remember.
Instead of taking in the event as a spectator, the Simi Valley resident will get an up-close-and-personal vantage point when he vies in a best trick skateboarding competition for high school division entrants. He'll take his place in the spotlight on Friday at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
"It's pretty amazing," said Canright, a sophomore at Simi Valley High. "I've been going to the X Games since I was a kid and I love it. I've always told my mom, Can you imagine if I'm in this one year?' So when the call came, I could say, I made it!' "
Canright will be one of 10 Southern California skateboarders — including six who live locally — who will competes in what amounts to an invitation-only division.
Eighteen-year-old Cory Phillips, a Thousand Oaks resident and a recent graduate of Westlake High, is also among the competitors.
"It means a lot," said Phillips, who works at Skatelab in Simi Valley. "We all watch the X Games and wonder what it would be like to be in them. It's a great opportunity for all of us."
The 10 area competiors are members of the National High School Association and the California High School Skateboard Club that are headed by Thousand Oaks resident Jeffrey Stern.
For Stern, the chance for local skaters to demonstrate their skills is a virtual pinch-me opportunity.
He said the invitation came after a representative of the X Games attended a competition for the high school club.
"He told me we needed to talk," said Stern, 38. "I was invited to a meeting with the X Games people. When I got there I was thinking, Wow, is this really happening?' "
Stern said the X Games are the zenith of opportunity for skateboarders.
"For our guys, it's the Olympics," he said. "That's how important this is to them. This is their chance to shine on a national spotlight."
Stern allowed the members of the high school club to have a large role in choosing the 10 skaters who will compete.
Stern originally came up with a list of 11. The skateboarders finetuned the roster to complete the final choices.
"We were not only looking for good skaters, we wanted guys who really got along," said Canright, 16. "We didn't want anybody to get uptight about any of this."
Joining Phillips and Canright are local skaters Zack Krull of Calabasas, Lee Derber of Thousand Oaks, Matt Pierce of Oak Park and Justin Klegka of Agoura Hills. Also competing will be Kristos Andrews of Santa Monica, Josh Krakover of Stevenson Ranch, Austin Squire of Pacific Palisades and Sean Bloom of Brentwood.
Phillips lived in New Jersey before moving to Southern California. He found his place atop a skateboard.
"I wanted to come here because this is where all the best skateboarders are," he said. "I've learned a lot. I can't wait for the X Games. I've been working on four different moves I want to do.
"I'm not really nervous, just excited."
Canright said he's primed for the competition.
"I'm going to do as much as I can do," he said. "I'll just go in relaxed and have fun."
Pierce, a recent graduate of Oak Park, said the skaters will take a team concept into the event.
"I should be pretty relaxed," he said. "We all know each other and get along well. We're all going to enjoy the chance to be there."
The X Games will also feature club skaters and professional skateboarders in separate best trick events.
Jun 8, 2007 | 5:12 PM
Category:
Sports
June 8, 2007
Sports
Skateboarder Advocates Teams for Youth
by Alex Cohen
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Steve Badillo
Roy Canright, a participant in the California High School Skateboard Club, struts his stuff.
Day to Day, June 8, 2007 · Skateboarding often has been frowned upon as an activity for the rebellious. But one man in Southern California is trying to get skateboarding recognized as a real team sport.
Jeff Stern founded the California High School Skateboard Club two years ago, and is pushing for a national league.
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Jun 8, 2007 | 2:48 PM
Category:
Sports
Riders of the World, Unite! Skateboarding Sprouts as Team Sport
Ann Johansson for The New York Times
Jeff Stern, center, the skateboarding club founder, with, from left, Grayson Brugh, Chance Seely, Roy Canright, Tim Effa and Corey Philips at the Skatelab.
By MATT HIGGINS
Published: June 6, 2007
After months of wooing sponsors, and drafting bylaws and articles of incorporation, all Jeff Stern needed to create the first high school skateboard league was teenage skaters to get onboard and compete.
He called their cellphones, but they never returned messages. Then someone suggested he try sending text messages, and the skaters replied immediately.
By modifying his approach to teenagers, skateboarding and interscholastic athletics, Stern has started the California High School Skateboard Club, a league of teams from seven schools in the Los Angeles area that began competing in April. The season concludes Saturday.
Still, it was not easy persuading skaters to compete in a team format, especially for their high schools. Stern, a 38-year-old law student and father of three, had to overcome several obstacles, including skaters’ longstanding anti-establishment attitudes. The fact that he pulled it off has been a wonder to many of those involved.
“At first I thought Jeff was going to be fighting an uphill battle with the principals, the school districts, and the skaters themselves,” said Steve Badillo, a professional skateboarder and the league’s head judge. “I thought skateboarders might not embrace the idea as much as they did.”
But they have, which suggests that as skateboarding has grown more mainstream, participants are willing to adopt elements of organized sports that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
Miki Vuckovich is executive director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, an organization that helps finance public skate parks in low-income communities. He was an adviser to Stern in setting up the league.
“There is a contingent of skaters that aren’t averse to representing their school, that aren’t averse to competition,” Vuckovich said.
Skaters cited several reasons for participating.
“I’m in it for the exposure,” said Kristos Augustus, 16, the team captain for Santa Monica High School, which is in first place after three events. “I know a lot of guys who want to win the prizes, and some don’t even know the prizes.”
The top prize — the most valuable skater will receive two pairs of Nike sneakers a month for a year — has been a major incentive.
“That spoke directly to the kids,” Stern said. “They were like, ‘Nike?’ Their eyes opened up. That got them motivated.”
During 18 months spent organizing the league, Stern learned a lot about communicating with skaters.
Like any good aspiring lawyer, he compiled a 50-page book with the organization’s bylaws and articles of incorporation. Sponsors were impressed, but upon showing it to prospective skaters, Stern said, “They’re looking at that like, ‘Who are you and what are you doing to us?’ ”
As a result, he has de-emphasized the league’s organizational aspects and rules, effectively handing over much of the responsibility for running the competitions to the skaters.
None of the teams have a coach. Instead they are run by team captains. And although there are designated practices, they are optional. This approach has seemed to make all the difference.
Kevin Imamura, marketing manager for Nike Skateboarding, said Nike chose to back the league, in part, because its structure hews to skateboarding tradition.
“It becomes less about being a team and more about being a crew or a group of friends,” Imamura said.
And the skaters have described a strong sense of camaraderie at competitions.
“The cool thing about skaters, even with all the other teams, it’s not really competitive,” said Corey Philips, a senior and team captain for Westlake High School. “It’s all about socializing.”
Still, there was skepticism when he approached his fellow skaters to join.
“It’s for sure been hard because skateboarding has never been a team sport,” Philips said. “People were like, ‘Skateboarding teams! What the heck?’ ”
Stern hatched the idea two years ago after he began taking his son to a skate park. He wanted to combat the stigma that skateboarding is somehow an unseemly activity. He saw an opportunity for team competition, and began researching how to create a league at the high school level.
School districts refused to provide sanction or financial support because of concerns about liability, but otherwise gave their blessing, so the California High School Skateboard Club has been organized as a nonprofit and run like other club-level sports. Each team is composed of five skaters, and competitions are held at Skatelab in Simi Valley.
Despite its somewhat marginalized status, Stern and some of the skaters hope the league can lead to bigger things.
For Stern, running it counts as a law school internship and could dovetail nicely with a career as a sports agent after he graduates from Ventura College of Law in December.
Meanwhile, the skaters have a forum to showcase their skills to potential sponsors. Badillo has attracted other professionals and team managers from prominent skateboard companies to help judge competitions.
“These kids are just ripping high school kids with no platform or voice to be heard by the industry,” Badillo said. “This provides the industry a place to see these local high school kids and what they can do.”
Augustus, of Santa Monica, said that perhaps the league would prevent some skaters from dropping out of school to pursue a professional skateboarding career. He even envisioned a day when skaters could earn college scholarships, like athletes in other team sports.
“I’d like skating to be like that,” Augustus said. “It seems pretty far-fetched right now.”
Sort of like skateboarding as a team sport not all that long ago.
Jun 8, 2007 | 2:27 PM
Category:
Sports
Home ›
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County News
High school association absorbs liability, paving way for national skateboarding league
Skateboarding's a competitive sport
By Anna Bakalis (Contact)
Friday, June 8, 2007
Photos by Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff "We find every way we can to skate," said Roy Canright, 15, the captain of the Simi Valley High School team.
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Risk and skateboarding: You can't have one without the other.
But one man has found a way to get rid of the risk, opening the way for the nation's first high school skateboarding league.
Jeffrey Stern of Thousand Oaks basically absorbs the risk through the National High School Skateboard Association, his own nonprofit that takes the liability off the shoulders of the school district.
Along with the parents' permission, it's a winning combination that makes up the California High School Skateboard Club.
After several weeks of various events, the seven-team league's fourth and final competition is Saturday in Simi Valley. There, the winner of the 2007 league competition will be announced.
Although skateboarding is not sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation, school administrators are supportive because it gives students an opportunity to skateboard in a safe environment, away from campus, Stern said.
Teams from Westlake, Agoura Hills, Oak Park, Santa Monica, Newbury Park, Royal High School and Simi Valley High School will compete at an indoor skate park, Skatelab, this Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.
Two years from idea to implementation, the teams are also sponsored by Nike, which will give the winner two pairs of shoes each month for a year.
When Stern first approached school districts in the area, he was turned down by everyone he approached.
"They all said no," Stern said, "so I went back to the drawing board."
Stern, 38, is in his final semester at Ventura College Of Law.
The establishment of the nonprofit National High School Skateboard Association, the nation's first high school skate league, is his concept from beginning to end. He's using his law education to incorporate the nonprofit and eventually franchise the concept to other schools.
Stern is the father of three, and his son, Jackson, 7, was the motivating factor for the project. Jackson has already been skating for three years, and Stern himself grew up skating and surfing. The father and son go to Skatelab three times a week.
Stern created a sports team without the structure of a normal high school sports team, which was a winning combination, both for the school and the skaters. Here, there are no principals or teachers watching over them, which was appealing.
Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff Roy Canright practices after school at Skatelab in Simi Valley.
"The end result is it is a high school sport, but at the same time, they are just five friends who love to skate," Stern said.
Finishing up the first year of competition, Stern is looking at possibly franchising the sport to hundreds of cities. He's received e-mails from schools across the country, asking how they can start they're own leagues.
Each team has five skaters, led by a captain, and three skaters are chosen to compete in each event. In last week's competition, the team from Simi Valley High placed first.
Heading into the weekend competition, it is placed fourth out of seven. Santa Monica is in first place, with Agoura Hills in second and Royal High School in third.
The Simi Valley teams, as well as others in the league, practice at Skatelab just about every day.
The team from Simi Valley High was skating on a recent afternoon.
Members' love of the sport can be seen in their well-worn boards, the sweat-drenched helmets and a drive to perfect a "disco flip."
The captain of the team, Roy Canright, 15, skates so much he's building shelves out of his old decks; Tyler Gillette, 16, broke his foot after attempting to skate down 10 stairs, but can't fathom not skating every day.
Tim Mitchell, 15, skates up to 25 hours a week.
Like his friends, Mitchell's dream is to compete at the professional level and to get that golden-ticket sponsorship at the X Games.
"Besides sleeping, I skate like 15 hours a day," Canright said. "We find every way we can to skate."
If you go
The final event of the 2007 CHSSC Skateboard Competition will take place Saturday at Skatelab, 4226 Valley Fair St., Simi Valley, from 1 to 4 p.m. All are welcome to attend. For information visit www.lat34.com or e-mail Jeffrey Stern at jeffreystern@roadrunner.com.
May 29, 2007 | 3:03 PM
Category:
Sports
Entry for May 27, 2007
OH YA !!!
Simi Valley Takes Third CHSSC Skate Competition
May 27 2007 / Simi Valley, CA
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A team of skateboarders from Simi Valley High School topped Royal High to win the third event in the California High School Skateboard Club (CHSSC) season, held Saturday at Skate Lab in Simi Valley, CA. Santa Monica High came in third while Agoura was in fourth. Westlake, Oak Park and Newbury Park rounded out the rankings.
Simi Valler's win means a different team has won each event thusfar in the four-event CHSSC season. Agoura won the first skate street event held on April 15, followed by Santa Monica winning the street event on May 12.
This is the inaugural season for the seven-team CHSSC, which is believed to be the first high school-level skateboarding league in the country. Each team features five skaters, led by a captain, and three skaters are chosen to compete in each event for the participating Los Angeles-area high schools: Agoura, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Royal, Santa Monica, Simi Valley and Westlake.
PHOTO GALLERY
Check out a gallery of the riders, including Simi Valley's Roy Canright, from the third CHSSC event.
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More than 80 people watched the team competition inside and the individual Game of Skate (a one-on-one individual competition similar to a game of Horse in basketball) outside. “This was the best yet," said CHSSC founder Jeff Stern. "Today’s event topped the first event.”
Strong overall team performances were turned in by two schools.
“All three Royal skaters (Adam Swanson 7.66 points, Tanner Fazil 7.33, Shorjiro Kokubo 6.33) did well overall. They had the most consistent team effort.” CHSSC Head Judge Steve Badillo said.
Agoura skaters Josh Krakover (7.33), Ryan Klass (6.67) and James Jensen (6.33) also had a very good team effort.
Santa Monica's Kristos Augustus was the individual point leader with a 9.33 -- his second impressive performance in a row. Augustus landed a tremendous 12-foot drop that kept Santa Monica in the competition.
Simi Valley's Roy Canright was close behind Augustus with a 9 point individual effort.
“Roy Canright has this park wired,” said Badillo. “He skates here every day and used the whole course. He had style, speed and was a consistent standout.”
“We are all excited by this win,” Canright said.
Teammate Adam Shecter (5 points) agreed, “This is my first competition ever, it’s with my best friends and we came in first.”
The Game of Skate
After the team competition was completed inside at Skatelab everyone moved outside to the parking lot for individual competition in the Game of Skate.
"The Game of Skate is what these guys love," said Badillo, "it is always a favorite of skaters."
In all, 21 skaters took part in the competition and were divided into four groups. Bryce Mandel (Oak Park) was the Group 1 winner; Tanner Fazil (Royal) topped Group 2; James Jensen (Agoura) took Group 3 and Shorjiro Kokubo (Royal) won the Group 4 competition.
In the semi-finals, Fazil topped Mandel and Kokubo stopped Jensen. That left Royal teammates Fazil and Kokubo in the finals. Both skaters went back and forth with each having a “t” before Fazil finally won.
"I did not think I was going to land well but everything worked out okay today," Kokubo, whose Royal team finished second overall, said.
National High School Skateboard Association in 2008
CHSSC founder Stern also announced that thanks to the national attention the CHSSC has received this season it will be renamed next year to the National High School Skateboard Association (NHSSA). The goal is to reach 15-20 schools from the current lineup of seven schools. For more information about the CHSSC contact Stern at:
J4Stern@Adelphia.net.
CHSSC 3rd EVENT RANKING (5.26.07) - POINTS
1. Simi Valley - 22
2. Royal - 21.33
3. Santa Monica - 20.33 (won tie-breaker with higher individual score on team)
4. Agoura - 20.33
5. Westlake - 19.33
6. Oak Park - 15
7. Newbury Park - 14
2007 CHSSC STANDINGS SEASON TO DATE AFTER THREE COMPETITIONS
1. Santa Monica
2. Agoura
3. Royal
4. Simi Valley
5. Westlake
6. Oak Park
7. Newbury Park
2007 CHSSC SCHEDULE
CHSSC Event 1 - STREET - 1ST Room @ Skatelab First Place: Agoura
CHSSC Event 2 - STREET – Outside @ Skatelab First Place: Santa Monica
CHSSC Event 3 - STREET - 2ND Room @ Skatelab First Place: Simi Valley
CHSSC Event 4 - 8 STAIR - 2ND Room @ Skatelab DATE: June 9 1:00 PM
-
Check out the full stats and schedules after the third event
May 19, 2007 | 9:23 AM
Category:
Sports
SO FAR THE SKATEBOARD COMPS HAVE BEEN VERY ENJOYABLE AND FUN.
Apr 11, 2007 | 5:46 PM
Category:
News
APRIL 15TH AT SKATELAB IN SIMI VALLEY. Will be the first ever inter high school skateboard team comp. Prizes will be awarded and bragging rights assigned. Jeff Stern, a 38-year-old father of three who grew up in Westlake Village and now resides in Thousand Oaks, has started the California High School Skateboard Club. we have sponsors such as Nike, Extacy energy drinks, skatelab. This is a first ever so come on by or if you can support youth based sports co sponsorships are available.
BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers FLY BY- Simi Valley High's Roy Canright grabs a rail and soars toward the ceiling at Skatelab
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2007/0330/Sport
s/034.html
Mar 15, 2007 | 8:41 AM
Category:
News
Ya i'm one of those weaklings that suffer from chronic pain. my nervers are slowly dieng off. These storys about pharmacie thefts and people abusing pain killers is exactly why i can't get the meds i need.
Mar 14, 2007 | 2:54 PM
Category:
Entertainment
This my first post. We just sent the in-laws on a pleasant Hawaii vacation. They had a great time. When they got back they looked ten years younger. No I'm not jealous. It was there 31st. wedding anniversary.
