Get Ready for the OBSS 7th Annual Skate Jam and Wall Ride Contest at the OB Street Fair!

If any town knows how to celebrate summer, it’s Ocean Beach! Each year, thousands of people head to Newport Avenue on the Saturday following Summer Solstice for live music, entertainment, unique vendors, talented artists, thrilling rides, refreshing beer gardens, and a skateboard competition for the one and only: Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-off! This one-of-a-kind festival kicks off on Saturday, June 25, 2011 from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, located on the 4800-5000 blocks of Newport Avenue and surrounding streets in Ocean Beach.

As one of the festival's largest attractions, Ocean Beach Surf & Skate  is proud to present the 7th Annual Skate Jam & Wall Ride Contest at the OB Street Fair. Since OBSS relocated to their new building at 4976 Newport Avenue in 2010, they have expanded this annual skateboard competition by utilizing their private parking lot located directly in the heart of the street fair. 

New to this year’s competition is the Wall Ride Contest, designed and built by skate legend, Neil Heddings. Sponsored by LURKVILLE, the Wall Ride Contest will add a whole new dynamic to the contest by featuring two ramps propped up against the OBSS building, creating a 25-foot wall ride. The Wall Ride Contest will kick-off just after the Skate Jam from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m and the 1^st place winner will receive cash prize.

Photo by Stephanie Rose

The street course Skate Jam will begin at 1 p.m. and division winners will take home prizes from sponsors: Sector 9 Skateboards, LURKVILLE Skateboards, FlexDex Skateboards, Creature Skateboards, OJ Wheels, Independent Trucks, Enjoi Skateboards, Almost Skateboards, Globe Footwear, Aerial7 Headphones, IPATH Footwear, DIZM Eyewear and more! The skate event will also feature live demonstrations by LURKVILLE team riders and the all-girl skate team, Girls Skate OB from 12noon – 1 p.m. Pro skateboarder, Neil Heddings, will also make a guest appearance and sign autographs along with the original betty and skateboard’s first woman “Hall of Famer,” Patti Mcgee.

In addition to skateboarding activities, the OBSS parking lot will feature music by the local, Direct Drive DJ’s with Destructo Bunny and booths with games and free swag from OBSS vendors including: Sector 9 Skateboards, LURKVILLE Skateboards, Body Glove, Ocean Minded, Keep-A-Breast, FlexDex Skateboards, Original Betty, Silly Girl and AWOL.

The OBSS 7th Annual Skate Jam and Wall Ride Contest is open to all ages and abilities and helmets are required for all participants under 18 years old. All contestants will receive an official contest t-shirt FREE with entry. Entry fees for day-of sign-ups are $5 for the Skate Jam and $10 for the Wall Ride Contest, which will go towards the cash prize for the 1st place winner. Contestants can save money by pre-registering however. Pre-registration discounts are as follows: $10 entry fee for both contests if registered on or before June 24, 2011; or free entry to both contests with any purchase of $30 or more in skateboard gear at Ocean Beach Surf & Skate. Entry forms are available at Ocean Beach Surf & Skate shop or online at www.obsurfandskate.com.



Photo by Amy Bjornson

Contest Schedule

10:00 a.m. – Noon:             Practice

Noon – 1:00 p.m.:               LURKVILLE demo and Girls Skate OB demo

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.:         Skate Jam

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.:         LURKVILLE Wall Ride Contest

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.:         Open Skateboard Session



To learn more or stay tuned with the latest details, be sure to check out the 7th Annual Skate Jam & Wall Ride Contest on Facebook!

Beats by the Beach Festival Raises over $1,750 for the San Diego's Youth



Photo: Connor Getzlaff takes 2nd in the Men's Division
By: Leslie Ann Ginsburg-Connors



Saturday, March 5, 2011 will be a day to remember for the Beats by the Beach Festival at Ocean Beach Surf & Skate. With warm and sunny weather and help from local businesses, bands and skate brands, this free, philanthropic festival helped raise over $1,750 for the YMCA Youth and Family Services (YFS), a non-profit, social service and program provider whose cause is strengthening the community.

Located at Ocean Beach Surf & Skate, the festival started and ended with crowds of people and thanks event sponsors, the celebration went off without a hitch. Live music by local bands The New Kenetics, Tommy Dubs, Habitat and Rightjahs Blend drew in people from all directions as did the aroma of freshly grilled burgers, graciously donated by Hodad’s.



Photo: Local band, Habitat rocking the crowd at the
Beats by the Beach Festival
By: Habitat



The skate jam sponsored by Habitat, Alien Workshop, Typical Culture, Dizm Eyewear, SUPERbrand Apparel also brought skateboarders from all over San Diego. From grom skaters including 6-year-old Bryce Tanner and division winner, Ryan Connors to pro/am riders such as Connor Getzlaff, Blake Spencer and men’s division winner, Tommy Werner, the talent at the skate jam was unbelievable. The art show featuring the work of local artists and students also had a huge pull for the fundraiser, earning over $500 in silent auction bids alone.

Photo: 1st place winner in Grom Division, Ryan Connors
By: Leslie Ann Ginsburg-Connors



“Since we moved to the new location, we have hosted over a dozen events in our parking lot and the Beats by the Beach festival was definitely one of the largest yet,” explains Rodger Caldwell, the owner Ocean Beach Surf & Skate. “Giving back to community is what it’s all about and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the turnout of this event.”

The money raised at the Beats by the Beach Festival will go towards programs at the YFS such as provided emergency shelter and transitional living programs for homeless young adults, a safe place for kids to go after school every day and counseling programs and support to families in times of stress. 

Photo: 6-year-old Bryce Tanner takes 2nd in Grom Division
By: Bob Tanner



"We are very thankful for our sponsors and their help in planning this event,” says Brooke Inman, YSF Site Supervisor at Correia Middle School. “The Beats by the Beach Festival was more than anything we could have imagined and we are thrilled that our fundraising goal was met and nearly doubled!”

Art, Music and Skateboarding Celebration at Ocean Beach Surf and Skate!

What better way to spend this Saturday than at Beats by the Beach Festival! Located in the parking lot adjacent to Ocean Beach Surf & Skate, this event will be held tomorrow, Saturday, March 5th, and will help raise funds for the YMCA Youth and Family Services (YFS) - a non-profit, social service and program provider whose cause is strengthening the community. The family festivities will begin at 11am and will wrap-up by 5pm.

There is something for everyone to enjoy- whether you’re a musician, an artist, a skateboarder, or a philanthropist- there’s nothing better than supporting your community as they have supported you. This fundraising event will feature live local music, such as Habitat, Tommy Dubs, The New Kenetics, and Rightjahs Blend; an art exhibit showcasing donated artwork; a raffle and silent auction, featuring gifts from local businesses including:
Wave House San Diego, Pacific Beach Ale House, Fred’s Mexican Café, Solid Rock Gym, Pizza Port, Healing Arts Massage & Wellness Center, The Day Spa & Salon, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Electric Music Studios, World Famous, Newport Pizza & Ale House, Bicycle Discovery, The Horizon Hotel, Culture Shock Dance Center, PRP Wine International, Ocean Beach Surf & Skate/Ocean Experience Surf School.

There will also be freshly grilled burgers entirely donated by Hodad’s, a face painting booth, an Indo Board interactive booth with surf simulator, and yoga and muay thai workshops. There will also be Open Skate sessions at 11am & 3pm, with a street-course Skate Contest at 1pm, as well as pro/am skateboarder’s Meet & Greet staring Tosh Townend, Cano Cardenas, and more! Last but not least, the Young At Art Children’s Creative Center in Ocean Beach has offered to donate their time to organize a mural for this event which will consist of sponsored art that will be created during the festival, and then displayed inside Ocean Beach Surf & Skate post-event.

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to give back to the community. Join Ocean Beach Surf & Skate, at 4976 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107, this Saturday to help raise funds benefiting YMCA Youth and Family Services. For more information about the Beats by the Beach Festival, or how you can contribute, please call Ocean Beach Surf & Skate: (619) 225-2317.

Kickflipping Budget Cuts, One Shuv-it at a Time

Despite the rainy-day weather, skaters of all ages and abilities joined forces on October 23, 2010 to battle the budget cuts that local school, Ocean Beach Elementary faced this year. Located at Robb Field Skate Park, the inaugural Skate for the Kids BBQ and Skate Jam was a success and event organizer Ocean Beach Surf and Skate along with sponsors, Alien Workshop, Habitat, Dizm Eyewear, SUPERbrand Apparel, AERIAL7 and Boardwalk Ice Cream Co., couldn’t be happier.

"This was a great opportunity to have fun with the kids and give back to the community, all while raising money for a great cause," says owner of Ocean Beach Surf & Skate, Rodger Caldwell.

Pro and Am skaters including Tosh Townend, Cano Cardenas, Marius Syvanen and Austyn Gillette also came out to support the cause and spend the day with the kids.

"It was awesome to see how excited the kids were to not only meet their role models, but spend the day with them," recalls Ryan Collins, General Manager of Ocean Beach Surf & Skate.

With the help of event sponsors, the raffle alone raised over $1,000 and Boardwalk Ice Cream Co, raised over $200 in ice cream sales, all which was donated to Ocean Beach Elementary School. The donation will be used towards the school’s art and music programs, which due to drastic budget cut, are completely funded by PTA fundraising, gracious donors and special events such as the Skate for the Kids BBQ and Skate Jam.

Knowing that the battle of the budget cuts will be ongoing, Ocean Beach Surf & Skate and event sponsors were excited for the victory of this inaugural event and look forward to the 2nd Annual Skate for the Kids event next fall.

"I am so happy that the Skate for the Kids event was a success- in this economy, anything helps and to be able to give back to the kids of Ocean Beach is amazing," says Lanette Jorgensen, PR Director of Ocean Beach Surf & Skate. "We have seen a huge response from numerous organizations interested in joining the cause so we anticipate very big and exciting things for next year’s event."

Check out more pictures from the First Annual Skate for the Kids BBQ and Skate Jam at the Ocean Beach Surf and Skate Fan Page.

For more information about the First Annual Skate for the Kids BBQ and Skate Jam or to join the cause, contact Lanette Jorgensen at (619) 225-2317 or email lanettej@obsurfskate.com

http://www.obsurfandskate.com/

http://www.habitatskateboards.com/

http://www.alienworkshop.com/

http://www.dizmeyewear.com/

http://www.superbrandapparel.com/

http://www.aerial7.com/