Enjoy…

When its good don’t tell anyone. The most common thing we heard was, “How come you didn’t effn call me?” The EOS crew (hired hands – derek and matt) and I were filming for the upcoming DVD Paulo Prietto’s Sessions down at the wedge. If you have never been, it is an amazing site to see. The power and the amount of water that is involved is hard to explain. Even harder to explain in words is the madness that involves riding these huge waves. Riding the sider into some huge ‘mother nature’ , Paulo says you have to commit. 

Paulo got some rare coverage from surfline while we were filming. Since this is such a rare feat for a skimboarder we were super stoked that one of our riders got the coverage. Enjoy the pic and check out the rest of the pics here

Yea... he's crazy TEAM EOS Paulo Prietto taking it to the next level

We have been down here in Laguna since Monday filming with the best talent available in the skimboard world. Matt Adams (wunderkind) and Derek (FSM) have been getting some great footage for the DVD. The swell should be good tomorrow to get some tasty footy of our best riders. Also to be filmed tomorrow is some sweet banshee bungee action. Hopefully the sun will peek through for us and we get some giant massive waves to film. We’ll keep you posted – If you haven’t caught the trailer yet make sure you check it out at http://www.sessionsdvd.com

We have been working hard with the best skimboarders around to bring you this DVD. This teaser should get you stoked on things to come. DVD is set to be released late June, early July.

ENJOY

Solag Skim School is partnering with some of the best skimboarders and skimboarding schools today to create an instructional skimboarding DVD. This pioneer DVD will be the first to integrate both types of skimboarding – inland and wave riding – into one comprehensive DVD for beginning to advanced riders. Beginners can use the DVD to learn the fundamentals of skimboarding and then continue to use it to improve their skills. The DVD editing will be done with the beginner in mind as it will pause and highlight critical points as needed during each skill being taught to ensure that the viewer understands the how-to behind it. Intermediate riders will learn about wave selection, competition performance, and different tricks and combinations that can be done on a skimboard. Advanced riders can use the DVD to crossover from wave riding to inland or vice versa.

Filmed in 5 different locations with tons of footage of the best skimboarders including: Paulo Prietto, Hunter Poller, Matthieu Thibaud, Steve Taylor, Woody Harris, Shonna Cobb, Morgan Just, Brendan Stevens, Harley Nelson, Lexi  Hutchings, Isaac Thomas, Brent Lippencott, Skim Louie, Matt Ratoni, and John Minns among others. Because the skimboarding movement is growing very quickly worldwide, the DVD will be translated into Spanish and French (the second edition of the DVD will also feature Portuguese and Japanese).

This DVD is set to be released late June, early July.

There is still time to sponsor this DVD. To receive a sponsor packet contact us at info@sessionsdvd.com

EOS was an official sponsor of the Vilano ThrowDown Skimboard Competition. So we were stoked to see our name on the big screen. Check it for yourself:

We were stoked to get Benji Lucas on the EOS skim team. We are even more excited he will be in Matt Adam’s upcoming film Wunderkind that we are very happy we sponsored. Look for that release this summer. Benji will be starring in that film along with EOS team rider Paulo Prietto.

We sat down awhile back and picked his brain, enjoy!

Benji getting barreled

P:born and raised in Fl?
where are you from?
I don’t know anything about you
B:haha Yes, ever so fortunately
P: grew up skating? skimming? surfing or all of the above?
B: Actually started skateboarding before all of it. Surfing followed, then skimboarding completely took over.
as it does
P: first skim you ever rode? was a?
B: It was a Zap I believe, ironically. A wedge.
P: nice.. 5/8
B: Loved that thing. Yes sir. 5/8’s and all.
P: How often do you make it out to CA?
B: I went out there sequentially for the Vic from ‘03 to ‘07.
B: I missed out last year due to ends not meeting in the funds department of my life.

P: going to school right now?
B:Yes sir, Central Florida.
P: golden knights??
B: go knights! Ha ha
P: What are you studying?
B: I’m majoring in Graphic Design. Not too sure where I’ll take it, but that’s what I’m doing.
P: Nice…lots of options with that. I’m sure you could show me some Photoshop shiz
B: I suck at that – hah I actually still need to enter that part of it. Everything is been hand created so far. Grady actually told me, “Make sure you get well acquainted with the computer side of it.” It’s a large part of art and design today. I can’t wait to become computer savvy.
P: Do it and tell me how it goes. We are always looking for some design stuff
I’m not very inspiring; I think you have seen our tees
B: haha I love mine!
P: it was the first run… we got something funky in the mix
B: Funky is good. Real good.
P: I’m not sure if it will fit the emo kids though…

Possiblities

P: 09 is coming up its here actually – the 09 tour is coming up… what’s in store for sr. Ben? Doing the tour? all of it?
B: It is here indeed. Scary.
B: I actually am in the midst of talking with Jason and Bob @ Zap to see what exactly they can help me with, but I certainly want to be everywhere.
P: any goals?
B: I missed out on most of it last year, and I plan on making up for it big time.
-Simply to make it to all of these places.
But I certainly have a goal of trying to make it to finals each and every time.
seems like the competition is getting stiffer
P: Very. Lot more riders doing crazy shiz. Do you have a game plan when you compete?
B: It’s difficult these days. Competing is actually easy, if you simply don’t let your nerves get to you and skim as if it were any other day.
But that is easier said then done. hah
P: for sure – Well for the kids that never competed before… what strategy would you give them? – easy on the red bull?
B: ha-ha Yes. Don’t want to be cramping up mid-heat.
Try and get some rest the night before, eat something good in the mornin’, and stretch reeeaal good. GET LOOSE.
Just have fun with it. Smile. You’d be amazed at how much better you skim happy and carefree.

Chicks dig me

P: Tech question… what board are you riding? Any special request you ask the shaper with your board?
Right now I’m riding one of Steve’s models. With 3/4’s foam and boxed rails.
I just ask him to make ‘em light, stiff and durable. hah
P: fair enough
P: how many boards do you go through in a year?
B: heel dents always annoy me.
B: Two. Pretty easily.

P: What comp do you just love skimming in?
B: The Vic and North Carolina. Definitely.
P: vic because everyone is there? or the waves?
B: Combination. I go to every contest excited about getting together with everyone. That’s the most fun part for me. Waves are a bonus.
Dewey is a really great time with everyone as well.

P: Lots of kids ask to get sponsored etc… did you approach zap or did zap approach you?
B: Two of my friends actually showed the team a video they had shot at one of our home breaks, and told them about me while in Cabo.
They said they really thought I should be on the team, so a little after that Zack approached me about it at one of their local contests in Venice.
P: Were you pro at the time?
B: No sir, a little old amateur.

P: Who do you skim with in FL?
B: Zach Hoag, Bryan Kienlen, and the occasional Bradley Domke.
P: What side of FL are you on or skim?
B: Fortunately for myself, I’m in the middle of the state a good hour and a half drive to the east side and a two hour drive to the gulf.
So life is sweet. Ha-ha – that’s how life is as a golden knight

All day - everyday

P: ok my questions suck… anything you want to get off your chest?
Are you mad barack didn’t assign you to his cabinet?
B: ha ha ha  Furious! I could’ve done a lot of good.
P: especially after the millions you gave to his campaign
B: I’m broke now because of it. Eating spaghetti-o’s
P: oh man.. I can’t hang with that.. but my kid loves em
he eats the bernie -o’s -  They’re good for ya. – slightly modified in shape
B: Those are absolutely the best.
P: organic for your pleasure
B: Gotta think healthy.
P: his diet is mac and cheese, pb and j, bernie-os and fruit and cold cereal – so he is all ready for college with that diet
B: Man, I could hang with him for sure. That sounds about proportionate to my own.
P: He’s 3 so if you like to color I’m sure he would be stoked to hang
B: That’s how it started for me. haha

P: Do you flatland at all?
B: We had some serious rain during hurricane season and this retention area overflowed into a pond right outside of our neighborhood.
It created a flowing river into the pond and we skimmed downhill in the river into and across the pond. That’s the closest I’ve gotten. haha It was some serious fun though.

P: We are thinking about doing an urban skim here in utah – setting up rails and what not in downtown provo – you need to come out and check out the scene!
B: I would be down for something like that!
P: have you been to utah?
B: Rails, ramps and the whole flatland scene looks so fun.
P: Steve Taylor is scared of em
B: I have, but only to drive through it on the way to Montana. We were going snowboarding @ Big Sky.
B: haha Well they do look scary too.
P: and you skipped Utah?? Best snow on earth son!
B: I would have loved to have stay! But my uncle lived on a mountain in Montana and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stay mountainside. ha
P: Well you got a place in utah now – so don’t pass it up Nothing beats this place for snow
B: I gotta say it was fantastic looking. Flew into Salt Lake City.
P: Its a pretty cool place if you got like 2 weeks to check everything out – hit every resort and have time to check out moab
B: What’s moab??
P: dude that place is NUTS
P: I have to come up with a different word other than nuts

Delicate Arch Moab, UTAH

that’s moab
B: haha Nuts is a pretty descriptive word
B: Damn, that’s pretty.
P: sand stone – jeep safari and lots of mountain biking
B: I would love that.
P: when you get some time And some money!
B: yea that too
B: man speaking of that.. I need some more of it

P: so this was your first time voting for a pres? or your first time voting?
B: Nope, first time ever!
P: good times – it will be interesting how it all shakes out this year – lots of shiz going down
B: I do agree, there’s alot of hype and alot of skepticism.
P: Oh yeah. – I don’t think the new new deal is going to work – makes sense on paper – government jobs to get people jobs but the old new deal didn’t get us out of the great depression WWII did (which kind of was government spending…)
B: This is true.
P: I hoping barack suceeds though – One of the many things I’m wondering how it will work out. I can go on forever about that but i’ll save you from that

P: So how does a Florida kid learn to snowboard? When did you pick that up?
B: Only because of my uncle living in Montana. We’d go out there and stay with him. If I didn’t skim. I would definitely be a snowboarder. ha
P: Was that your first time then?
B: Yes it was!
P: Did your mad skills transfer over?
B: ha ha Well, it was a rather easy sport to pick up, I gotta say. I loved it.
First day, already chargin’ down that thing.
P: my first experience wasn’t quite like that – I’m a skier so I got punished my first runs
B: hahah and the next day
P: they stopped the lift for me one time so embarrasing
B: I think I may have done the same thing
P: with your foot out… makes it all weird it was icy too… that’s the story I’m sticking too
B: haha
P: Ice hurts, bad. Tail bone was not good
B: Oh yeah, experienced that one too many times.

Benji is good

P: so riding conditions… you are throwing down the same board wherever you go
B: Most of the time. I try keep a couple options just in case.
P: example?
B: I have a larger Jason model for smaller/farther out days, and the boom for larger more adequate days.
P: 3/4 both?
B: Actually the Jason is 5/8. – I didn’t discover the magic of 3/4’s until Mr. Prietto allowed me to use his in NC.
P: Paulo can turn anything so the whole maneuverability thing with the ¾ -  I don’t think affects him too much
B: Not at all.
P: and I’m sure you are the same
B: Jason actually rides only 3/4’s as well. It gives you such a great deal of float it’s intense. I love it.
P: Jason is the man – lots of respect for that cat
B: haha Jason IS the man. he’s done so much for me.
Him and Paulo.
P: Those guys are pushing the sport in a positive direction
B: Absolutely.
P: There are few key guys doing great things and they are two of the biggest.
Great attitudes, really welcoming, and amazing talent.
B: for sure
P: need those kind of people around you for sure
B: They showed us what was up in Mexico. – Zach and I. It definetly helps.
One of the quickest ways to learn something is the simple watch-and-learn.
well if you have skills and watching them is fantastic.

P: ok this time I’m out
I’ll hit you up tomorrow
B: ha ha Sounds great – Have a good night Paul!
P: you too! later!