The Skatepile crew headed in from ATL to check out the annual Magic City Showdown.  We got there at about noon and it was raining…  So me and Josh Waggoner hung out at Sean and Charles house and watched the new Radius media DVD.  Let me just say that Chris Farmer is a wizard for sure.  The Farmer section in this video is worth buying the DVD, plus all the other clips are bad-ass.  The music was really good too. 

After hanging out at Sean and Charles house, we headed to the meet up house.  It was still raining, but everyone decided they were down to skate in the rain.  A train of about 10 cars rolled out to this amazing loading dock with a square rail on the side.  This spot was seriously rad!  Skaters rolled down the hill at this beast and laced some amazing grinds, even though the rain made it super sketch.  Stand outs included Little Josh (who is not little anymore) with a royal to big 540 over the end of the loading dock, Mark Wodja with true Soul grinds all the way off the end, David Sizemore with savannahs, and alley-oop rough grinds.  Unfortunately with the late start of the event, I had to get back to ATL and leave just after the first spot.  Be sure to look online for more information about this cool grass-roots event.  Thanks to all the skaters that made this event possible.  I’ll be back for more next year.  The vibe in Bama is rad and all the skaters are super good.  Be sure to buy the new issue of Radius,  it’s amazing!

Whats Up, Its time for the next LA All Day contest. This time were
taking it to the streets of Venice, we will have 3 divisions,
Beginner, Intermediate and Elite. The contest entry fee is $20, also
there will be a cash prize. The Elite Division will have 4 locations,
each location is just a skate away. Hope to see ya there.
Check out our blog for more info http://laallday.blogspot.com/

What is your name?
Thomas John Hyser

What are you doing this summer?
Working on Skatepile marketing and trying to land a new job in the skate industry as a skate designer/marketing agent.

Who is the future of free-style rolling?
This kid from france named Julian Cudot, kills it. Also another skater from france Matthias Silhan. Julian Bah? It’s hard to say, but there are several dudes brewing madness all over the world.

What is your favorite skate destination?
The new bowl at Mountian Park, Park in Georgia. Also good sessions downtown ATL are hard to beat, although it’s been a long time since I skated downtown. Any time good friends are involved it’s good.

What is your favorite skate event?
Any contest in Europe. Superhick, but I’m a bit biased on that one, ha ha.

What kind of skates are you using?
I have Xsjados that I use most of the time. I also skate a secrete proto-type of another brand when no one is around. Hopefully this skate will be out in late ’08. It kills me that I can’t skate it every time I skate.

Did you go to Woodward skate camp this summer?
No, not yet. I hope to go at the end of July with my friend Brian Wainwright (google Brian Wainwright and see the real roots of rolling)

What is the newest music you have discovered?
I need to discover some new music…. Let me know if you have something hot. I’ve been stuck on the Gorillas for a while. I really like English Pop music too. Blur, Artic Monkeys, Bad Brains, Damian Marley, are currently on the MP3.

What do you think will be the next fashion trend in free-style rolling?
I think that hip-hop kids will wear normal size pants again. It’s all cycles. Maybe well see some 60’s revival, not sure. I think the Latimer style kids are the raddest. Dudes that look like they are on Phish tour. Hopefully something new will come out of the rolling scene soon.

What do you do when skateboarder talks smack about free-style rolling at your local skate park?
Let them know to shut up. I’m a grown man. I would beat ass, but I am adult, so I can’t afford to go to jail. Don’t put up with it that’s for sure. It depends on the situation. Recently a kid told me that rollerblading is gay, so I asked him to try my skates while I showed him how to ride a skateboard. That was funny, it shut the kid right up. I 5-0’ed 20 feet on the quarter pipe. I used to skateboard before I found free-style rolling, so I still got skills.  I thought it was hilarious.