Press release:
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., (June 2015) – The International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) is proud to announce the 12th annual Go Skateboarding Day (GSD), slated to take place on the first day of summer – June 21. This day brings together the skateboarding community and encourages everyone to drop what they are doing, have fun, and go skateboarding.
Go Skateboarding Day works to honor and unite participants in the spirit of skateboarding and, since its inception in 2003, has prompted cities to build skate parks, promoted local skate shops and raised money for local charities. What started out as just a small group of colleagues skating to Huntington Beach Pier in honor of the newly minted Go Skateboarding Day, has grown into a worldwide event with millions of participants. Being the longest day of the year, June 21 was the perfect day to ring in the summer season with a day of skateboarding.
“We’re so stoked on the energy that Go Skateboarding Day has created for the global skate community,” said Don Brown, IASC Chairman. “Seeing all the skate brands, retailers, media and millions of skaters around the world grab their board truly unites the global skate family. With this year’s events being on Father’s Day, it’s a great opportunity to connect all of the skate generationstogether. This year is going to be the biggest and best Go Skateboarding Day ever.”
In 2008, a collectable poster was introduced to commemorate GSD, as a way to bring more awareness to the annual event. Each year, professional skateboarders and well-known artists have designed the posters, and have included the likes of Ed Templeton, Steve Caballero, Shepard Fairey, Jim Phillips, Natas Kaupas and Grant Brittain. This year, pro skater Alphonzo Rawls lent his artistic skills to the poster, inspired by a 1989 Dan Sturt photo of Matt Hensley doing a backside nosebluntslide.
“The poster represents one of the most progressive eras in skateboarding and serves as inspiration to explore possibilities skateboarding had to offer,” Rawls said. “Thank you Matt Hensley, Dan Sturt and Skateboarding.”
Last year, millions of skateboarders around the globe participated in more than 500 events held worldwide. GSD unites the global skateboard family to have fun, raise money and awareness for local charities, community needs, skateboard parks in need of repair, as well as to promote local skate shops. This year skate product giveaways, contests and demos will be held at some of America’s biggest skate parks as well as in parks in Panama, England and Austria, to name a few.
What follows are some events across the Globe that you can attend to support GSD:
· Every June 21 since 2009, Skateistan has celebrated GSD along with millions of other skateboarders around the world. In both Afghanistan and Cambodia, kids and staff have taken to the streets on their skateboards to share their love of skateboarding and common identity with people of all backgrounds.
· DC Shoes celebrates GSD with worldwide events called the GLOBAL SKATE JAM. With unified events on every continent, the DC GLOBAL SKATE JAM could be the largest single day global skateboarding event ever seen. These grassroots events will include barbecues, skatepark jam sessions, best trick contests and more. Check dcshoes.com/gsd to link up with fellow skateboarders in your area and enjoy the fun!
· Vans will have five events going on, including all-day free skating and a contest at its original Vans Skatepark in Orange, Calif. The Outdoor Vans Skatepark in Huntington Beach, Calif. will host the same contest and prizes, including father-son events, to mark that this year’s event falls on Father’s Day. In addition, they will be barbecuing at the Active Ride Shop home office from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm for 800 skaters. In honor of the tragic recent passing of Vans’ loyal and loved employee, Ryan DeWitt, the company will have a skate gathering at the San Clemente headquarters of Stance Socks from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The East Coast kids get in on the action in Brooklyn, New York from 3 p.m. to 3 p.m. for a skate day with Zumiez.
· Foundation and Pig will host a GSD scavenger hunt, supporting San Diego skate shops. This little side mission is all about keeping the kids in the streets and having fun, with the added bonus of winning free gear in return for hard efforts.
· éS footwear and Diamond Supply Co. are teaming up in Los Angeles for a huge Game of SKATE at the Diamond park.
· Emerica and Lakai are celebrating GSD a day early with the final demo of the StayFlared tour at Denver skatepark on June 20. Emerica will also hold its Wild in the Streets in Chicago, bringing Windy City skaters together for some fun skating around town.
This is just a sampling of the events happening around the country. Internationally, events are happening in places like Romania, Costa Rica, Columbia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, South Africa, Czech Republic, Poland, China, and Guatemala.
For events in your area and further details, visit https://www.goskateboardingday.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/goskateboardingdayofficialpage. Fliers, information packs, and other materials to help skateboarders create their own events and spread the word are available through the GSD Facebook link.
About IASC
The International Association of Skateboard Companies is the member-owned not-for-profit trade association of skateboarding. The mission of the IASC is to represent the global skateboarding community with a united voice by listening, understanding and acting on the needs of skateboarders and the skateboard industry. IASC’s goals are to promote skateboarding, increase participation, educate and save our members money. IASC serves its members and the skateboarding community by focusing on areas that affect not only the business but the overall sustainability and health of skateboarding as a whole.
About Go Skateboarding Day
Go Skateboarding Day, held June 21st of every year, is the official holiday of skateboarding. Event locations are disclosed at local skate shops and on https://facebook.com/goskateboardingday, where you will also find info on how to create your own event, fundraiser or rally and more. While the holiday grows, the mission remains the same: Go skateboarding and have fun!
