Cooter Con 7, In Review

On April 11^th, some of the worlds best freestyle scooter riders met at Skatebarn West in Washington to compete against one another. This was the seventh CooterCon Scooter Competition to take place at Skatebarn West, and it was easily one of the best competitions not just in Washington, but in the US. Not only were there more riders riding on a level that was unseen at previous CooterCon Comps, but the sponsors and prizes of this years competition made it one of the most sought out competitions to attend in 2009.

Sponsoring the competition this year, was a really solid list of companies. Paid sponsors included Inward-Scooters and Dominator Scooter Accessories. With prizes from companies like Micro, YAK, Fuzion, Exode wear, PROTO, Lucky Scooters, and Scooter Tees. With 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners taking home stuff from all of them. With sponsors like this, and the amount of riders that paid the entry fee to ride in the competition. 1^st place riders were taking home as much as 1,000$ in cash, and about another 1,000 in parts and merchandise from these companies. All of the companies couldn't be happier with what they saw at CooterCon, their parts were being ridden by numerous riders, and they could showcase even more parts in person at the competition. Inside-Scooters recently caught up with a few of these companies to see what they had to say about the CooterCon competition.

“This was by far my best contest to date! The turnout was more than expected and the competition was fierce to the very end when we saw tricks like the 1080 and the sex-whip! (i don't know if thats the correct way to say 6 whip or spell it!). I was very pleased with the amount of spectators, sponsors, competitors... and the prize bags awarded were ridiculous! Not to mention a cash purse of $2,300.00, that's unheard of! After many unsuccessful attempts at a great judging system, I am very pleased at how the peer judging system worked and will continue to use that format in the future. The contest could not have gone any better and I feel like I have concreted a very legitimate contest bigger than I could have ever imagined (it only took seven tries!). I'm already working on upping the ante for CC8 in October and can't wait to see everyone again!” - Jimmy Hoffa of Skatebarn West

"Cooter Con 7 was a great event for parts manufacturers for this growing sport. It gave us a chance to show our latest products, meet our customers, and see our products put to the test." - JP of Inward-Scooters

However these sponsors wouldn't have been there at all if it weren't for the riders that rode in this competition, supporting their favorite companies. Some of the riders that showed up to this event were; KC Corning, Tyler Bonner, Cary Mosbrucker, Raymond Warner, Capron Funk, and all the way from New York City, Greg Cohen, better known as HepGreg. The sponsors and prizes weren't the only thing that made this competition one of the best, It was also the level of riding that went down during the competition. Each year every rider that rides in the competition gets better and better. This was made clearly evident in April. It was obvious that some of the amateur riders, will be riding in Pro at CooterCon 8, and that the Pro riders will have an even more intense challenge when riding against eachother next time.

Tyler Bonner was at the top of his game taking yet another 1^st place in the Pro division with his insane trick lines. One of them, being where he started at the top of the roll in, 180d to fakie, full cabbed down a small bank back to fakie, and half cabbed INTO the roll in. Only to hit the big box with a textbook 360 tailwhip to late barspin. Raymond Warner and Capron Funk of ScooterTees from Southern California made their way to Washington this year to give the CooterCon competition a shot, and they did not disappoint. Both of them having near flawless runs, and Raymond taking 2^nd place, and Capron taking 3^rd. CooterCon 8 is going to be exciting for sure, with riders KC Corning, Serjey Noga, and James Gee gunning for a podium spot. Considering all three of them had amazing runs in April. Expect some new names competing in the Pro Division come October. Because the riding in the amateur division was just as intense. Taking 1^st place was Kingsley Okocha, 2^nd place was Corey Funk, and 3^rd place Alex Dorantes. If these guys ride hard until CooterCon 8, we might be seeing some new names on the podium for the Pro division. Heres what some of the riders from CooterCon had to say about the competition.

“The comp was great! i think that comps should be ran just like this. CooterCon set the bar with the prizes for pro with 1st place being a grand. Nice to see the comps growing as much as the sport!!!” - Cory Vanlew

"I was suuuper stoked about the outcome this year, I have never road with that many people, all with really great talent. With an event like cooter con (told to be the biggest scooter competition in the Northwest) tons of kids in Washington, Oregon, California, all come out and it really encourages kids to ride and get more involved into the sport. I’m super stoked to see where this sport will be going, and how many kids skatebarn brings in next year." - Jake O'Donnell

"Every year i feel like atleast one division is rigged. Some kids throw big tricks and dont win while other kids just do simple easy tricks and win. Some kids that arent very consistent in their lines win also. It can get frustrating, but its getting better over the years" - James Gee

"Cooter con was pretty fun, my runs could've been better, but I was just cruisin around having fun. everyone tried some pretty crazy stuff, and i think it went well. I hope there's another one." - Hep Greg

So that wraps up another CooterCon competition. With hopefully many more to come. As long as companies continue to take interest like they did this year, and as long as we continue to get the support from Jimmy Hoffa and Skatebarn West. We can be sure that the riding, the sponsors and prizes, and the companies that support CooterCon will only get better in the future. We will see you in October for CooterCon 8!!

Written by Steven Tongson

Contributed to by Jordan Jasa

Photos by Jake O'Donnell

New Eaglesport Wheel- "Skeletons"

Eaglesport has released another wheel, called the Skeleton. It comes 100 or 110mm. The really neat thing about this wheel is, besides the awesome laser engraved anodized core, is that they actually glow purple at night. C4 will be selling them in the US, SkaterHQ for Aus. There is also going to be a new distributor for the Czech Republic, as well as one called DOGG Scooters for distribution in the UK.

NEW Tyler Boner and Dan Barrett clips!

A day of hammers from shane ryan on Vimeo.



Two of the best riders out there dropping footage on the same day. I've been waiting forever to see this footy from dan, his tpc stuff kinda let me down on the tech manny pad stuff. This video def delivers.

TST Available Online (The whole thing!)

Click HERE for the magical journey that is Transit Scooter Tour. Vimeo is pulling a fast one on it right now though, so you'll have to download it (and have it saved forever). To download it, you gotta be a member, so go make an account if you haven't already. Slackers.

NATE GRANT PRO MODEL V2: SPEED CONTROL SCOOTER!!!

Brought to you by Nate Grant and Steven Tongson. Watch out Razor!

BenJ Friant and Gerome Hani

BenJamin Friant from BenJ Scoot on Vimeo.


Gerome Häni from BenJ Scoot on Vimeo.

BenJ is beastly. Banger in Gerome's video is nutss, I have no idea how that works.

Micro XT's in the US???

Yes, Micro XT's are finally available to buy in the US at www.microxtusa.com, without huge shipping costs from Europe. Having received and ridden an XT for some time, I'm sure with a little tweaking and price adjustment they could become a viable alternative to the Razor Pro Model.
The company selling them, National Sporting Goods, carries not only the XT but the entire line of Micro scooters. You may not know much about the company, but according to Gregg Adelsheimer, NSG has "...been in the sporting goods marketing and distribution business for over 45 years." With a business as long lasting as that, you can be sure to know that NSG is a legitimate, quality company.
NSG became the official US Micro distributor about two years ago, but has known the Switzerland-based head office team for several years. Adelsheimer said that this opportunity is very exciting for them at NSG. "The opportunity to sell quality products is what we focus on. The XT is the culmination of many years of development for Micro. Every aspect of this scooter has been well thought out to provide a freestyle rider with a quality product that will stand up to the most extreme conditions."



The website lists reasons why the XT is one of the strongest scooters out there. Additionally, Adelsheimer said, "This scooter has been designed to stand up to punishment. It does not fold. It has three super strong aluminum bolts to hold the fork in place. It does not collapse easy again to make sure in use nothing can become loose. The metalcore wheels and premium ABEC 5 bearings again are stronger and faster than any components." While the scooter has some flaws, Adelsheimer says that the head office is always working on developing and improving their products, so be sure to know that each new Micro will be an improvement on the next.

Adelsheimer also happens to believe that the sport of freestyle scooter riding is about to get big. He seems to have good reason for this- "There are so many tricks that can be done on a scooter that can't be done on a skateboard. What is most interesting to me is despite the appeal of the scooter many in the action sports industry still think of the scooter as a toy. However, once they see videos of what can be done on a scooter or watch the action in a skatepark they are amazed. "

Adelsheimer is also looking for a USA Micro team. He says he wants riders who "have passion for the XT" and "set positive examples." And, of course, he would like people who "other riders want to emulate."

- Jordan Jasa

Tyler Bonner

Tyler Boner II from shane ryan on Vimeo.

so unreal. Congrats on getting 1st place at Cooter Con 7!

Twenty Slacking Troopers

Yes, TST (also known as Transit Scooter Tour) is making its way online! For those who don't know, TST was basically like Road Fools in bmx. A bunch of the pros of the sport, such as Matt McKeen, Dan Barrett, and Stan Smirnoff all got together in southern Wisconsin (where Matt and John Andrus live) to make a sweet video. They visited quite a few parks and had a couple street sessions. This video is the only one of its kind, and its something every rider should see. Right now only the bonus section and TIC comp video are up, but I'll update once the whole video is up.


Transit Scooter Tour Bonus Footage! from John Andrus on Vimeo.


T.I.C. 07 Scooter Comp from John Andrus on Vimeo.

Ollies All Nighter

Ollies All Nighter 2 from Josh Young on Vimeo.

sick edit from my midwest BROs down in ohio. last trick clip is terrifying.

Hep Greg Signature EagleSport Wheels!

Eagle has announced the release of the second signature model wheel, that of Hep Greg's. As you can see, the wheels come anodized gold and laser etched with Greg's name and the Eaglesport E. The blue urethane is 86a, and the cores are extra thick. The wheel also comes in 110 and 125mm, which will go perfect with the new Inward 125mm fork (details are yet to be released about that).

More sig. wheels are set to be released in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled.

Easter Interview and Sky High Update

Hi guys Nate Grant here! I'll be doing the interview today, and my vicitim is none other than Jordan Jasa! We'll be talking about Easter!

First off, do you celebrate Easter?

Yes I do. Usually go to church and then off to grandparent's to have lunch and an easter egg hunt.

Seems like a pretty typical Easter, do you also get an Easter basket?

I have before at my mom's house, I didn't this year though.

Oh I see, so does that mean no chocolate?

Nooo. The easter egg hunt at my grandmothers are eggs that open up, she puts candy and money in them.

Money eh? I wish the Easter Bunny was that nice to me!

Hehehe. 5 dollars of quarters and 2 one dollar coins was the haul today.

Oh, not as exciting as I thought. By the way, what do bunnys and eggs have to with each other, much less Jesus rising from the dead?

Bunnys don't even lay eggs do they? I really dunno where they came into easter.

Yea bunnys definately do not lay eggs. So did you ride your scooter at all on Easter?

Yep. After we got home I had nice driveway sesh, hit up my kicker a bit.

Ahh, nothing like a nice kicker sesh after a big meal. Well that about wraps up this pointless interview. Anything else you'd like to say as an interviewee?

Praise God, Jesus is risen

Amen dawg

- Nate Grant

_________________________________________________

Sky High Scooters has another small update they wanna tell you guys about.

-The Sky High stickers are in stock and will be going to everyone who's ordered anything from SH in the past. They'll also be included in every future order.

-Eaglesport 110mm white spoked cores are in stock.

-French ID forks are in stock.

You can check out the link to the store under links to the right>>>

Nate Grant's Weekly Ramen Noodle Recipe: Peanut Noodle Ramen

Ingredients:
2 packs of oriental ramen
peanut butter
hot sauce

Boil ramen until cooked. drain all but a little bit of water, then add the flavoring packets. in the serving bowl, spread some peanut butter and top it with some hot sauce. add the noodles and mix it up.

Quick, easy, and filling, this has become one of my favorites lately. Experiment with different kinds of hot sauces and find out what you like best.

Cooter Con 7

Cooter Con 7! from shane ryan on Vimeo.

This video is full of hammers. The pro runs are uploading right now.

EagleSport Stuff

Inside Scooters has received a nice batch of wheels, and other products from Eaglesport to test out and review. We also received titanium and regular bearings, and 110mm SOA plastic core wheels (which are by my dirty feet). So look out for that in the future.

Also, Eaglesport is having a free giveaway for members 226-275 over on the C4 forums. A member between the numbers 226 and 275 will be randomly selected to win a goodie bag, containing an Eaglesport t-shirt, hat, bearings, wheel, and ???. So go sign up if you haven't already, fill out your profile completely, post your name here and make sure to say IS sent you.

One last update, Sam Aronie designed a new banner for us. It looks good, thank you Sam!

RAD CARY INTERVIEW

If there was ever someone that looked like they just "belong" on a scooter, It would be Cary Mosbrucker. Whether you have seen him ride in videos, or had the pleasure to ride with him in person, It quickly becomes evident that Cary has one of the most unforced and natural styles in the sport today. Cary was born in Washington state, and at the age of 19 currently lives in Snohomish, Washington. Living in Washington has given Cary the priveledge of riding some amazing skateparks. In fact, it was at Woodinville skatepark that Cary first started messing around on scooters. Which in the beginning is all it was to him, just something to mess around on. However after riding around for a while, he met KC Corning, who opened his eyes a bit more as to what scootering really is. Soon Cary started to ride more and more, his style started to develop and come so easily and naturally that people simply had to take notice. Cary didnt follow in anyones footsteps when it came to scootering. He didnt go out to ride and try to learn every single trick out there. He liked to flow, and do a lot of bmx inspired style tricks. Some of Cary's favorite tricks to do when he goes out and rides today, are tricks he can throw while mobbing around a park. Tricks like inverts, turndowns, and different grabs. Although those tricks dont sound as fancy as a "quad whip" or "butterfinger cup bri flip whatever" When Cary does such simple tricks as a turndown or tailwhip, with his natural style, they look nothing less than amazing. Cary doesnt get to involved in the drama of the sport, to be honest he can care less. He just loves to ride. If you were to ask him today why he rode scooters. He wouldnt give you some huge thought out answer, I recently asked Cary why he still rode, and his answer? Well it was quite simple "Because Skoot'n is dope" Its an answer that I expected. As a lot of people already know, Cary isnt the most outspoken person when it comes to riding, and he doesnt have to be. Because although his riding is smooth and silent, it speaks as loud if not louder than any other rider out there today. Cary has some pretty big plans for the upcoming year. He wants to ride in as many competitions as he can get to, continue to film for the upcoming RAD video, and of course ride every single park he can find. Im gonna close this with a memory I have from when I stayed at Carys place for about week for the last Thrill Zone competition.

"I was on the deck overlooking the whole skatepark as the competition went on. Cory was by my side, and I was on the microphone announcing the tricks being done. Cary was having an amazing run. At one point he aired one of the quarters soo high, that he came down with so much speed that he didnt have time to turn fast enough. Instead he slammed into a ledge so hard, that if he didnt have a helmet on, we would have most likely been driving him to a hospital that night. Stunned I stared into the stands to see his mom on her feet, Cory and I both stood worried as people went to his aid. Slowly Cary got to his feet. Now any other rider would have sat out the rest of that competition. But what did Cary do? Well it's simple. He got back on his scooter to continue to ride against Josh Toy in the finals, and even after that horrific slam.... Yea, he won."

- Steven T.

Interview done by Jordan Jasa

Name: Cary Mosbrucker

Location: Seattle,WA

Years riding: since 04?

Sponsors: RAD and somtimes I get stuff from micro.

Alright Cary. You obviously ride for a very simple reason, as told in
the intro. That reason being because "skootin is dope!". What about it
makes it "dope", for you?

Because skootin is dank!



When you started riding, the very first time you touched a scooter,
were you naturally good? Could you do any tricks then?
 
Haha not realy but i picked it up fast

What's your favorite place to ride, and why?

D-ways mega compound/fun track

How wide were your first pair of one piece bars? How wide do you ride
now? Do you think RAD bars helped start the "wide bar" revolution?

The first bars were 15's i think, right now im runing 21's, And I
think Stan started the wide bar thing because i remember stan being
all "20 wide bitches yaaaa ENDUB!" all the time haha.

You were/still are on Micro. Can you clear that up for us, whats your
status with them?

Donno. its hard to stay in touch with them without email and all that.

When did you get on Micro? How was/is it being on the team?

Going to Australia was awesome!

A lot of your videos, and the RAD team's in general, are classics.
What about them makes them so well liked?

Idk, probably the riding. You should ask the people who like them haha


Who are some of your favorite riders?

Anyone who shreds.

 


Theres a lot of talk of "Cali kids" and people disliking their riding
these days. Do you have an opinion on that?

its realy only kids that just go do skoot nun chuck all day

Do you think theres a lot of drama in the sport right now?

Fuck drama that shits for pussys

Music is definitely a big part in defining you and the RAD crew,
specifically metal.  Does music play a big part in your life?

Music allways keeps me motivated

You went to Australia for the Planet X-Games event, along with several
other "pro" riders in the sport.  How did that go for you?

it was awesome we all got to ride some sick spots and parks

You seemed to kinda take a hiatus from the sport for awhile, and I
heard you started skateboarding a lot.  Do you still skate often?  You
bmx too right?

i usely skate if i dont have a running skoot. or I just do whatever I
feel like that day haha

You came back "harder than ever" last year.  What gives you motivation
to keep going "harder than ever"?

Yeah i been riding hard lately trying to make a dope team vid.

Whats the secret to airing so high?

gotta wanna be highhh

When everythings all said and done, what do you want to be remembered for?

Shreddin tuff.

Old School Video of the Month

Inside-Scooters is going to be starting something new. It is called the "Old School Video of The Month". Basically, we are going to choose and show one old school video every month. Some of them will have riders you recognize, some of them might not. However all of the videos you see each month are classics in one way or another. These are the videos that paved the way for the videos and riders you see before you today.

To start things off this month we chose "Xcelerator" from the late N.B.S. crew. This is a video Im quite certain out of the thousands of users on SR and other forums, less than 10 or maybe 20 of you have seen. Why is that? Because it came out in 2001 and by late 2002 was pretty much gone off the net. The videos showcases some of the earliest riding from Team Razor riders Josh Toy and Ricky Wernicke, and has some of the first footage of Chris Daigle. It was the first scootering video I ever saw, and it is because of this single video, that I started showing an interest in riding scooters myself.
Since there are no name labels to seperate the sections I will let you know who is riding in which parts.


The video starts off with Ricky Wernicke his section continues until 1:45 seconds into the video.

From then on you have Chris Daigle until 2:33 seconds into it.

Where you will have Josh Toy until the video ends.

I hope everyone enjoys this look back into the history of where the sport started. These three pioneers of the sport have done a lot more than people realize when it comes to Scootering. See you guys next month, with another Old School Video.

-Steven Tongson

SOA Razor Pro Scooter Peg Review

So, first off, the peg set includes what you see in the above picture, plus 2 washers which aren't in the picture. The pegs themselves are basically a solid tube welded to a threaded bolt that serves as an axle for your wheel. Putting them on your scooter was pretty easy. All you have to do is take out your original axles/bolts, and put the peg through like its the normal axle. Then you put on the washer and tighten up the nut. It was a little difficult to get it properly tight.

Front peg on the Inward Zero Offset fork. I had to find some spacers for the nut to clear the walls of the fork legs.

Back peg.

Riding the pegs were pretty fun. Toothpicks on my razor punk rail were a breeze. But, being used to doing 50-50s and icepicks on the dropouts, I didn't really find that they helped with those tricks. But if you haven't learned them without pegs, then I'm sure you could with them.

Even though I never use the back peg for grinds, I still kept it on. Its a nice sort of deck extension, to help keep your foot on if you're riding ski, which I do when just pushing. Speaking of pushing, I did have to get used to putting my foot out farther when kicking. Catching your shoe on a peg is not fun at all. But after awhile it became natural, and not a problem at all.

Grinding ledges was...Well, you have to make sure the ledge is waxed up, otherwise they won't slide at all. But when you do have a waxed ledge, smiths are pretty fun. The pegs seemed to kinda wear down fast though. I only used them a few days before the front peg started wearing down. Its like it has a flat spot. Grinding ledges also made the front peg loose. A bit of threadlock could easily solve that problem though.

One thing I didn't like about them was how skinny they are. It made my peg hang fives feel a bit awkward, but I got used to it.

Pros:
-Light
-Easy to put on
-Do their job

Cons:
-Get loose pretty easily
-Thin
-Wear down easily
-Back peg sticks out

Overall, I would give these pegs a 4 out of 5 stars. They're fun for flat stuff, smiths, and rail tricks. They have a few negatives that you can get used to, or easily fix. They are pretty decent pegs, and I would recommend them. You can buy them on the SOA website. An additional review can be viewed here.

- Jordan Jasa

CooterCon

On April 11th in Renton,WA at Skatebarn West, the 7th CooterCon competition will be taking place. Every year this competition gets bigger and bigger. What once started as a competition for Washington locals, now brings in different riders from all over the US. This year will be no different. On April 11th, some of the best riders in the US will be coming together at Skatebarn West to compete against each other once again on the parks massive course. To give you an idea on the caliber of riders that will be riding in the competition I'll name a few; RAD Crew's Tyler Bonner and Stan Smirnoff, FrenchID's Alex Peasley, and Eaglesport's James Gee and Greg Cohen. The amateur division of riders will not disapoint either, with riders such as; Inward-Scooter's Cory Vanlew, and Washington up and comers Nate Wagoner and Cooper Klaar to name a few. The competition will be as intense as its ever been this year, thats for sure. Prizes will also be better, with companies like PROTO, Eaglesport, and Inward-Scooters sponsoring the event. If you are anywhere in the Washington area, and are interested in riding in this competition or simply coming to support the sport and watch what these riders can do. I advise you to come to Skatebarn West on April 11th. Below is some information about the Park and competition.


As a bonus for everyone that is attending the competition will be a FIRST HAND look at some new products that have been in development for a while now. Inward Scooters and Eaglesport have been working together on new products that will be first shown at the event.


SKATEBARN WEST
2900 Lind Avenue SW
Renton, WA 98055

It is 40 dollars to enter the competition.

And 20 dollars to stay for the All nighter that follows the competition.

You have to wear a helmet at all times while riding in the park.

If you are under 18 years old, You need to fill out the waiver.


Good luck to everyone in the competition from Inside-Scooters!

- Steven Tongson

Hyphy Jam

The flyer for the Hyphy Jam was finished today. Credit goes to Hep Greg for putting it together. As you can see from the poster (viewed bigger here) there's a ton of great companies sponsoring this event. Last year's Jam seemed to be quite an event, and this year should be even bigger, with possibly more than 40 riders attending. The 20 dollar entry fee will be combined into prize money for the winner(s). The footage from past Hyphy Jams definitely makes it look like a fun event to go to, so if you're from around the NorCal area, you should def try to get to this. Word has it that Matt McKeen, Eric Ostrom, Tyler Bonner, Josh Toy, and more great riders will be there, so you're bound to see some amazing riding being thrown down. The fun starts early, 9:00 sharp, so make sure you're not late.