It’s a rare thing these days, in the age of the internet and all, when you can honestly say an amateur skater paid his dues to earn what he’s got, but for Nick Garcia, there’s nothing truer than that. Skating his ass off, and getting noticed the old fashioned way… “The harder you work the luckier you get” and with that said, we are proud to introduce Element’s newest pro, Nick Garcia.

Here’s a look back at Nick’s skating through the years, including video highlights, articles exposure, magazine covers, and his most recent footage and first pro ad… Congratulations Nick, you deserve it.

The Nick Garcia collection consists of the Welcome and Blue Collar boards, a cruiser shaped by Nick, and limited edition shirt. Everything is available in the Element store and at your local shop, so stock up now.

Over the past year, we had 45 MAKE IT COUNT events in 30 different countries, with one goal; to get the most dedicated skateboarders from around the world for a life changing experience.

On August 11th, 23 finalists flew in for an all expenses paid trip to California for one week, and to compete in the global finals at Element YMCA Camp.

During that week, we went to San Diego and skated the Transworld park, hung out at Element headquarters, and had a day all to ourselves at The Berrics. In addition to skating, we hiked to the natural waterslides at Stony Creek, launched in Lake Sequoia, and saw a slew of wild animals in the Sequoia National Forest.

In the end, it was Jon Cos who took first place and a year’s sponsorship from Element, while Dustin Blauvelt came in second, and Nate Greenwood finished in third.  Some left with trophies and prizes, but everyone went home with something much greater; friendships were forged, and our Element family grew bigger.

Thank you to everyone who contributed in making this series an experience of a lifetime.

For more info, to see the finals video, and to see the #elementmakeitcount instagram feed, go HERE:

The short film allows a glimpse of Saario’s thoughts and dreams, which float between design, art and skateboarding. Though it also reveals the important concurrence of post-industrial areas, sustainable concepts and natural environments, and unfolds the demanding obligation, towards today’s generation and those to come, to create positive and inspiring, local communities.

Over the past two years, filmer Yves Marchon’s keen eye reels in the various aspects and angles of Janne’s life and creates the perfect portrayal of what Element is most proud of and strives to constantly stand for through their products, artists and team riders: to bring progress to skateboarding in the most honest and ethical way.

The film was premiered in Janne’s home town of Helsinki, Finland which was named ‘World Design Capital 2012′. The film has received great feedback so far so check out the film and let us know what you think!

After sorting through hundreds of video submissions for the MAKE IT COUNT Wildcard entry, we’ve finally selected a winner. Congratulations goes out to Mikey Whitehouse of Edinburg, TX for his amazing park edit. He will be joining finalists from all over the globe in California at Element YMCA Camp for the finals and get to skate the Berrics with the Element team in just a few weeks. Thanks to everyone who submitted their videos. Check out Mikey’s winning video above.

Nyjah Huston dominated X Games this past weekend, first with an incredible run in the “Skateboard Street” contest, where he walked away with the bronze medal, while Ryan Sheckler won silver, and Paul Rodriguez took gold. Nyjah’s winning run can be see HERE.

Nyjah then won the gold medal for his “Real Street” video part; a video contest filmed entirely in the streets over the course of the past six months. The one-minute video can be watched HERE.

In other X Games news, 12-Year-Old Element rider Tom Schaar landed a flawless 900º during the “Big Air” competition, and ended up on ESPN’s “Top 10 Plays of the Week”. You can see the clip HERE.

At 12 years old, Tom Schaar has become the youngest ever to win an X-Games gold medal, and did so by landing the first ever 1080º in a contest. With a score of 94.00, Tom topped the podium with his gold medal, while Bob Burnquist, who won silver, had this to say.

“He’s very advanced for his age. In his head he’s very cool and that usually comes with time, but he’s had that right away. He’s going to go a long way and we’re going to have to deal with Tom for a long while.”

And in his humble fashion, Tom followed up with nothing but praise toward his heroes…

“I’m just excited to be here and be skating with all of these pros that I’ve looked up to. It’s the best feeling!”

You can see more of Tom Schaar in the newly released FUTURE NATURE, The Element Am Video.

Footage courtesy of Colin Clark.

Etnies has released a full Nick Garcia part in support of the Freeport shoe. Enter to win the shoes along with an Element board and Stance socks here.

Also, check out this exclusive interview with Nick via Skateboarder Magazine which coincides with his Etnies part. Click here to see full interview.

When DC’s Chris Ray was asked to be one of the 13 filmers to submit a part for TransWorld SKATEboarding‘s latest film, The Cinematographer Project, he naturally gravitated towards Element am Evan Smith. With Evan’s effortless style and unique approach and Ray Ray’s mastery of the angles, editing and HD, Evan’s part excerpted from the full length DVD is your most recent glimpse to how talented of a skateboarder Evan Smith really is.

The Cinematographer Project full length DVD, with 13 parts submitted by skateboarding’s greatest filmers, is available now at http://www.skateboarding.com, your local skateshop, or for download on iTunes.

Element Advocate Mike Kershnar went to Brazil recently with The Keep Abreast Foundation. While there, he got to engage in his two favorite activities, skateboarding and painting in the streets. Check out this lil video by Alexandre of 100% Skateboarding featuring Mike and Element Brazil’s Mancha.

Element Advocate, Loren Humphrey and his band Guards are going to SXSW, and playing a jam packed schedule (listed below). And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out the Thrasher Death Match with live bands and a mini-ramp. The event’s sponsored by Converse, so our very own Julian Davidson will be there. If you’re in town, enjoy the music and mayhem, and we’ll see you there.

Loren Humphrey (Guards drummer) originally wrote and recorded the song “I See It Coming” for MAKE IT COUNT, The Element Story (chapter 4). Guards then reshaped and rerecorded the song, including lyrics written by Richie Follin. The song became one of the top singles on the band’s first EP, and was their first official music video. The video was shot in a mortuary, with an orchestra playing the live instruments which were originally multi-tracked. The end result is nothing short of amazing.

Guards are Richie Follin and Loren Humphrey of Willowz, along with MGMT‘s James Richardson and Madeline Follin of Cults. Loren has worked closely with Element for years, creating all sorts of exclusive music, including the MAKE IT COUNT soundtrack, the music for the FUTURE NATURE and RISE & SHINE trailers, a slew of commercials and look-book videos, and all of the music used for the MAKE IT COUNT Contest Series for the past three years.

For more information on Guards, visit them HERE, you can even download their EP for free.

And when you have time, check out their live performance on MTV HERE, with Loren and Richie rocking some Element Emerald gear! The two later came by the Element Emerald launch party at Saturdays in New York, as seen below with Johnny Schillereff (Element Founder).

Guards on the SXSW schedule, and details below.

Tuesday 3/13 WHITE IRIS PARTY 8:45pm @ Parkside 301 E.6th St.

Thursday 3/15 SMALL PLATES / ULTRA 8201 PARTY 2:15pm @ Lovejoys 604 Neches St.

Thursday 3/15 DEATH & TAXES PARTY 6:00pm @ Cheer Up Charlies 1104 E.6th St.

Thursday 3/15 WINDISH AGENCY SHOWCASE / PURE VOLUME HOUSE 9:00pm @ ND Studios 501 North IH-35

Friday 3/16 FLOATING FEST / HYPE MACHINE PARTY 10:00pm @ Hype Hotel 504 Trinity St.

Saturday 3/17 BROOKLYN VEGAN / PARTISAN PARTY 5:00pm @ Hotel Vegas 1500 E.6th St.

Saturday 3/17 CHEVROLET SOUNDSTAGE 11:45pm @ 612 E.6th St.

Photo credit: Amber B Dianda

The Beantown Sundown was a wonderful art and skate filled night at Orchard Skateshop in Boston.

Upstairs, three rooms were filled with alters, fine art and found items by Element Advocate and artist Mike Kershnar. Included were copies of Kershnar’s latest ‘zine, which contains a short story inspired by Boston’s history and skate scene. Click below to download the ‘zine.

Downstairs, Donny Barley, PJ Ladd and Levi Brown signed autographs for visitors and guests.

Vibes were high in the Orchard gallery and everyone was stoked to have Donny Barley, PJ Ladd, Levi Brown, and Panama Dan on hand. Peep the ‘zine, and get out there and get creative in the streets.

CLICK HERE to see a gallery of photos from the night.

Julian Davidson and Nick Garcia came up with this special set of Travel Well cruiser boards, called “Day Trippin’”. Designing them was one thing, but what came next was the fun part; hitting the streets. Nick and Julian headed off to Skate Camp, and took the long road to get there. From bombing hills and crushing rocks to flatground and mini ramps, these boards are truly all terrain vehicles.

Music by:
Boom Chick
“Ghost of Bo Didley”
boomchickboomchick.com

GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DAY TRIPPIN’ SERIES:

The brief on the show reads:
Slam Dance culminates the last two years of his art practice in the city. The show aims to beautifully reflect the various active components of the universe that combine to create mystery in our lives. Influenced by ritualized shamanic art practices, graffiti, and the spiritual path, Slam Dance seeks to stimulate the creative spirit within people in the gallery space to ripple outward into the larger world. The Slam Dance is the distilled force that comes from synthesizing the ancient and the modern psyches and the urban and natural landscapes.

Check it out if you are in the area, otherwise take the tour with grand opening video, zine download and photos.

The recent Travel Well video, featuring Chad Tim Tim, was set to a soundtrack by the band BOOM CHICK. Now, the band is preparing to release their new single “Shake Can Well” and the first 100 pre-orders will receive it on clear purple vinyl! We’ve already got our order in, and are checking the mail every day.

You can listen to the new music on their Bandcamp page, and pre-order the album there too. For more information on the band, including music and tour dates, check out their site; BOOM CHICK. And look for the next Travel Well commercial, starring Julian Davidson and Nick Garcia, coming soon.

Nyjah Huston goes behind-the-scenes with an exclusive interview, discussing some of the worst slams and best tricks of his video part, “RISE & SHINE”.

Filmed by: Kirk Dianda, Marc Falkenstien, and Nathan Groff
Edited by: Kirk Dianda

“RISE & SHINE” is now available worldwide on iTunes.

http://bit.ly/Nyjah-iTunes

Skateboardermag caught up with Thomas in New York and snapped a few photos from his mural at Max Fish and show at the Half Gallery. Click HERE to see the full article.

In part three (of four), Nyjah gets down and out in San Diego with a backside smith gone wrong.

Nyjah Huston goes behind-the-scenes with an exclusive interview, discussing some of the worst slams and best tricks of his video part, “RISE & SHINE”.

Filmed by: Cole Mathews, Kirk Dianda, and Nathan Groff
Edited by: Kirk Dianda

“RISE & SHINE” is now available worldwide on iTunes.
http://bit.ly/Nyjah-iTunes

Now you can start learning how to skate from Element’s pros for free! Know Skateboarding Street Fundamentals Free gives you an exclusive first pass to becoming a great skater. You can use this app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, and you don’t even need any data connection.

Get the full version of “Know Skateboarding” featuring Element pros Chad Tim Tim, Darrell Stanton, Levi Brown, and Mark Appleyard. Between these four pros and the twenty-two tricks they teach you, this is the most powerful tool you could ever keep in your pocket.

Click HERE to download the FREE version

Click HERE to download the FULL version

Nyjah’s RISE & SHINE part was a long time coming and plenty of blood, sweat and tears were poured into the final product. This, the first in a four-part series of behind the scenes extras, details Nyjah’s struggle in Costa Rica with a long, crusty seven-flat-seven handrail. As if the lengthy rail and janky landing area weren’t enough to contend with, Nyjah’s presence drew a massive crowd of onlookers. Whether or not they had anything to do with the cringe-inducing sack is anybody’s guess. Regardless, the nollie crooks went down. Download the full part HERE.

While we’re on the subject of the TWS Buyer’s Guide and gift ideas, here’s a few for your rad Dad, best bud or yourself…
As rare as skateable pole jams are, you’d be a fool not to grab one of our DROP SPOT Pole Jams.  They’re strong, portable and fun as hell.
If you’re hitting the town in your ratty old skate shoes, it’s time to step up your game with Element’s Emerald Footwear collection. They’re guaranteed to stink less than your skate kicks and attract 2000% more ladies.

A Travel Well cruiser board is just the tool for a quick run to the liquor store or taco shack. If you catch an urge to shred along the way, they’re more than capable of enduring whatever you can throw at it, as proven by Tim Tim’s Berrics Bangin! clip.

Elemental Awareness hit the road to visit their friends on the Apache, Flathead, and Navajo reservations, where they were able to skate with the kids, and connect on a larger level…

Through the CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SKATEBOARDING program, they were able to give away more than 100 pairs of shoes, 50 skateboards and tons of other product. Needless to say, the kids were hyped and received some much needed gear.

Click here to see some photos from the tour. And for more information on Elemental Awareness and their programs, visit their site and Facebook page.

In “Crossing Canada” the Element team linked up with West49 for a series of demo’s and signings from sea to shining sea. Mark Appleyard, Nyjah Huston, Levi Brown, Nick Garcia, Julian Davidson, Evan Smith, and Boo Johnson put on a show at every stop.

Music by:
Dirty Fences
“Kilsythe Rabbit Road”
facebook.com/dirtyfences

The day after the screening at our Irvine headquarters, a viewing was held at The Berrics in Los Angeles, California.

A day later, another private RISE & SHINE showing was held at Transworld‘s skatepark in Carlsbad, CA. After a heated and sweaty session, fires were re-lit after watching the vid.

The next evening, we celebrated the opening of our new Universal Citywalk store with a premiere. The crowd was massive and kids were hyped.

To correspond with the release of RISE & SHINE, Thrasher posted a Hall of Meat clip featuring one of the nastiest slams Nyjah endured during the filming for RISE & SHINE. It’s never good when you bounce on concrete. FYI: Nyjah got up and got the back smith.

Strange Notes posted a vid of Nyjah warming up at his hometown park in Costa Mesa, CA before heading out to film for RISE & SHINE. I wish I warmed up like that.

Phew. Helluva week and helluva video part. Get yours HERE. Get stoked and go get some.