WFSA Professional Skateboard Trophy by Taboo Tiki

I should have posted this already but I just keep putting it off so now I am making some time. I don't think Reido posted about this so I will throw it on here.

I figured I would also get this posted because as I was doing posts for the Zombie Hideaway, some people were quite interested in the skateboard collection that was on the wall in some of the photos. Since a few of you were interested, I figured I would tell you about this project we did. Maybe a few of you who aren't into skateboarding might like to see something a little different.

The summer before last, I got a email from a friend who used to photograph for a skateboard magazine called "Concrete Powder" back in the day. He did lot's of stuff with the local scene and knew all the pro skaters and just about everyone else.

He wanted to know if we would do a Trophy or Award for this event that was happening which he was apart of. He told me the Trophy would be for a Skateboarding competition that was happening here in Vancouver that he was helping to organize. ARE YOU FRICKIN KIDDING ME??????

Two of my favorite things in the world did a full on collision right in front of me!! My mind started racing with ideas. I knew we had to do this!! All my other plans quickly changed as we only had about two weeks to do it and I still wasn't sure what to do. Turns out it was actually for the 2007 World Freestyle Skateboarding Championships which was being held here in Vancouver, Canada. This Trophy would be the main prize for the Champion of the competition. Cool!!

I knew it had to be something original but still had to look like a Trophy and still be Tikified! I figured I would keep it looking pretty close to an actual Trophy as I thought this would be a good look. We could have just done a carving, threw it on a wood base, put a plaque on it and call it a Trophy but I wanted it to be different.

I decided to build it like you would see a regular trophy. I wanted a lower base with the two columns coming up supporting another section and then a mount of some sort on the top. Maybe a tiki or skateboarder.
After I started to play around with the construction, I quickly decided I would get my partner, Reido, to carve a Tiki which I would mount to the first, lower section of the trophy. His direction from me was to have a Tiki holding a skateboard with carved details from one side only. That way I could mount the Tiki right on the lower section. That was all I needed to tell him and he took it from there! Reido did an awesome carving based roughly on a Coco Joe piece but his own style. I think it came out pretty nice!

Check it out:

For the top piece, I went with a handmade skateboard wheel. I used an old Kryptonic skateboard wheel as a guide and then cut and sanded a piece of cedar to look like a real wheel. I even drilled a hole like the real wheel and inserted a Swiss Bearing and nut and bolt as well!

Here's a closer shot of Reido's cool carving:

Sorry about the flash! The plaque I had done in a 70's style font and it reads: WFSA FREESTYLE CHAMPION 2007

Here's the Trophy on one of the judge's table with some of the other awards:

There were quite a few professional and amateur skateboarders from all over the world like the United States, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Japan, England, Canada and a few others. It truly was an exciting thing to be apart of and to do something for skateboarding and for these guys that are still committed to it after all these years and for the new skaters coming in was something really special. One of my more personally rewarding things I have done with our business. After all, skateboarding really got me into this Tiki thing anyway!

Speaking of old decks you skateboard lovers, my jaw dropped when I saw this reissue Kevin Harris freestyle board in the beautiful red finish:

One of my favorite freestyle boards that ever came out!!

Here's a couple shots of the skating for you lovers out there!!
Here is the one and only Kevin Harris doing a ONE wheel 180, 360, 540, 720 spin! He kept going and going!!

Here's a cool shot of the States own Lynn Cooper going to town on two, not one, skateboard!:

I am kicking myself for not remembering his name, but this guy from Brazil was pretty damn good too! Here he is doing a one legged nose manual:

Believe me, the photos don't do these guys justice at all, but these skaters were awesome and what a bunch of really nice and down to earth people!
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SKATEBOARDER!!

Here's two shot's of the award presentation with the Trophy:

Kevin Harris takes it home!! I thought that was pretty cool as he was always one of my favorite freestyle skaters!! And hey, having a local boy win it was pretty cool! I was also a little worried about shipping this guy out to Japan or Europe somewhere!!

Here's a group photo of the WFSA's 2007 participants:

I thought I would throw in this last shot cause I thought it was funny. This is Mrs.Harris carrying around the Trophy like it was an old suitcase!!:

After the contest, Kevin told me that he was totally stoked on winning the Trophy and that it was going to go front and center with all his other awards! He also said that it was one of his favorite that he has one over his twenty five years of skating!! I thought that was pretty cool.

Thanks for looking and I hope maybe this brought back a few memories for some of you old rippers out there!!!

Later skater!!
TabooDan

[ Edited by: TabooDan 2009-03-12 15:11 ]

Nice trophy TD, much better than the run-of-the-mill cheap plastic trophies they always hand out! I'm workin' on a trophy mug for a spearfishing tournament, I'll post a pic in my thread sometime in the next several days.

Awesome trophy. Glad to see two of my longtime interests (skating and tiki) coming together.

Where was Per Welinder and Rodney Mullen...?

Then the whole gang would be there

Amazing trophy, Dan! I was never a huge fan of freestyle (probably cause I was too lame to figure out how to do it), but I've always loved the Powell-Peralta boards. They are actually selling reissues on their website under the name Powell Classic...I'm really tempted, but the last time I got on my kid's skateboard I fell on my 260 lb. ass! I keep telling myself that it would be much better on a wider board with only one kicktail, and bigger wheels and some riser pads :lol:

Awesome trophy and great post, this is right up my alley as an old East Van Skater, growing up 2 blocks from China Park. Looks like that contest was just off Robson?

Skating and Tiki do mix, as you can see from a couple boards the amazing tiki "arteest" Chongolio did for me a few years back. Great canvas for a great art form!

Glad people are checking this out!

Thanks MadDog!! Always good to hear from yah! Sounds like that could be an interesting trophy you're doing!!

Hey Monkeyman, thanks! Yeh, Rodney and Per were not there!! Damn it!!
Per had great skateboard graphics (Did you see him in that classic movie Thrashin?? On the beach in the beginning just before you meet the Daggers!!) but Rodney Mullen has got to be one of the all time best and most technical freestylers in the world! I remember watching old sk8 movies and pretty much fast forwarding the freestyle parts but would always let Rodney's runs play!
He was so advanced back then! It was sure proved to the world when the first Plan B movie came out in 1992 (I think). His tricks in that movie were unreal for the time and it really changed the way freestyle was looked at and pretty much changed street skating forever!

Hey Jason, thanks man!! Yeh, freestyle was not too appetizing back then. Especially when you wanted to see faster or more big air tricks. I sure appreciated it as I got older though. And yeh, get that larger board! Long boards are great and alot of fun just cruising around. Or, like you said, get a new classic board. I have a few and they are just like the old ones!

Later skaters!!
TabooDan

Aloha Numastar!! What the hell is an old East Van dude doing in Santa Cruz??? No one gets out of here!! Lucky bugger you!!

China Creek egh?? One of the best places to skate back in the day!! You must know a few of the old boys then? Cool man. Glad you liked the post and yeh, that's the little slippery rink under Robson Square. We used to get kicked out of there for skating all the time! Barely had the time to throw the board down and do a power slide before security came a runnin!

I am pretty sure I have seen another deck that Chongolio did. Those boards rock and Tiki and skating are like peanut butter and jelly!!

Good to hear from yah man!
Take care and Mahalo, TabooDan

That's so rad, Dan!

Love the trophy... big congrats... and to have it to go to Kevin Harris... perfect!

I love that he's still rocking the old school white on black hi-top Vans... the same ones I strap on on my way to the skatepark!
Those things have absolutely no ankle support whatsoever but I still love 'em!

Love the re-issue Harris board too, always one of my favs... the Powell Peralta designs with the skulls and skeletons were great... always loved the Mullen one too with the skeleton freestylin on the chessboard.

Would have been interesting having Mullen there, but he would have swept that contest hands down. The guy is insane still.

Darkslides... don't get me started. Look up any youtube video of him... mindblowing.

Freestyle never got the respect it should have, even I am guilty of shunning it back in the day... but look at skating now... its all the same tricks, just while rolling.

Funny, I know the rink you are at... I've played it on Tony Hawk Underground on my PS!

Thanks again Dan for bringing me back to my younger days... while I still skate I'll never be as good as I once was. :wink:

On 2009-03-11 22:57, Lake Surfer wrote:
while I still skate I'll never be as good as I once was.

I know the feeling. Ive been going to the skatepark a few times lately with my kids and riding the 13ft X Games ramp that is now at the local YMCA. HUGE HUGE ramp... super fast... 2 feet of vert I think. The in ground concrete peanut bowl is killer with real pool coping and super smooth trannys.

Then a 14yr old girl drops in and busts a 3-4 foot air in the deep end and I slunk back and watch... Im more about lip tricks now and fast carves.... Its still a rush.

Monkeyman, is this the Encinitas park you skate at or is there one in Vista?

I've yet to get over to the Encinitas "Y" everytime I'm in North County... too busy with surfing when the swell is up and board gazing at the local shops.

That would be extremely humbling as it is ground zero for just about every major skate pro.

You've had quite a few great skateboarders come from your city... Matt Hensley grew up in Vista and is on my top 10 skaters of all time list.
He moved to Chicago to become a EMT for a few years and then moved back to SoCal to open Hensley's Pub in Carlsbad.

Even over here in the Midwest I've known Vancouver to be a hotbed of skate activity with the Red Dragons and the Slam City Jam.

On 2009-03-11 22:57, Lake Surfer wrote:
That's so rad, Dan!

Love the trophy... big congrats... and to have it to go to Kevin Harris... perfect!

Funny, I know the rink you are at... I've played it on Tony Hawk Underground on my PS!

Thanks again Dan for bringing me back to my younger days... while I still skate I'll never be as good as I once was. :wink:

Thanks alot Lake Surfer!! It was really cool having Kevin win the trophy.

I am glad I took you back to a time where probably the only the only thing on your mind was skateboarding!! That's what it's all about! Same for me!
Even though I don't seriously skate anymore, I still see cement banks or nice curbs I think would be rad to skate on. Once it's in your blood I think it never leaves!!

We sure never had the places like you did down in California to skate but it's funny how I know the ones you are talking about as they were just so popularized up here in magazines and movies. We used to dream about doing a across the States tour for skateboarding but it never happened. I did get to skate around California about 10 years or so ago. It was cool to actually hit some of the spots we had seen in magazines.

Thanks!!
TabooDan