The VOCAL Times – TheGoodLife!

Brooklyn-based boutique lifestyle agency TheGoodLife! specializes in seamlessly blending top-tier marketing opportunities into experiences that look and feel like play more than they do work; after all their mot-to is #WeMakeItNice!

The agency’s most recent activation, The Goodlife! Hideout, brought them to Aspen, Colorado, where they applied their unique expertise along the cross section of action sports and urban culture to the Winter X Games. One of the industry’s tent-pole events, Winter X is an important activation opportunity but also one where it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Avoiding the shuffle altogether has been the key to The- GoodLife! Hideout’s success. Debuting the concept two years ago, The Hideout provides A-list athletes, musicians, image makers, and industry personnel a place of respite away from the crowds and marketing mania of X Games, which then in turn creates a market- ing opportunity all its own. Within the Hideout’s cap- tive environment, TheGoodLife! carefully curates brand partners that will only enhance not distract guests. Past Hideouts featured onsite tattooing by Oliver Peck and haircuts from Frank’s Chop Shop, hospitality sponsors like Sailor Jerry and PBR and guests ranging from Olympic medalists to Santigold, Diplo, and Bun B. 

For TheGoodLife! Hideout 2015, the agency partnered with global fabrication giant Avery Dennison to create a custom apparel pop-up shop on premises. Collaborating with Avery Dennison to create a vast array of The- GoodLife! branded photo transfers from photographers Ricky Powell, Dean Blotto Gray, Cole Barash, Laura Austin, Craig Wetherby, Eddie Grams, Meg Haywood Sullivan, and Gabe L’Heureux, as well as custom patches, fonts, emojis and more, TheGoodLife! was able to promote their own brand while introducing Avery’s capabilities to the snow sports world and stoking out the who’s who of Aspen in the process. Just a handful of people who customized The GoodLife! apparel at the Hideout include X Game gold medalist snowboarders Danny Davis and Mark Mc Morris, Olympians Louie Vito and Hannah Teter, ESPN personalities Jack and Luke Mitrani, pro surfer Coco Ho, musicians Jahphet Landis aka Roofeeo (TV on the Radio), TJ Mizell (A$AP Ferg) and many more.

In addition to the Custom Shop, TheGoodLife! hosted a gifting suite onsite at the Hideout in partnership with headphone and audio component brand the House of Marley and personal vaporizer brand G-Pen. Notable guests were gifted bluetooth speakers, headphones, and vaporizers upon completion of their custom appar- el, creating a takeaway experience like no other dur- ing X Games. Finally, a partnership Pacifico ensured all guests were properly refreshed throughout their visit to the Hideout.

TheGoodLife! was founded by Craig Wetherby and Tim Brodhagen in 2009 with the goal of bring- ing brands in action sports, entertainment, fashion, and music together to create experiences with 360 reso- nance for those immersed in those lifestyles and be- yond. 

While you weren't watching, skateboarding went and grew up

THE MAN BEHIND THE MAN BEHIND STREET LEAGUE SKATEBOARDING

It can stop you in your tracks, whether through a random board zipping alongthe sidewalk or stunned by the supreme athletic genius these kids have mastered.Skateboarding: from little wooden toys to a professional sport founded on a big-moneyleague. The mastermind behind this transformation is professional skateboarder RobDyrdek, founder of the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) professional competitionseries built from exclusive roster of skateboarding’s elite. With his finger on the pulseand his eye on the future, one man is ensuring that the vision of SLS is executed andadvanced; Brian Atlas, President of SLS and architect of tomorrow’s professionalskateboarding.

Street League Skateboarding Foundation

STREET LEAGUE SKATEBOARDING CREATES A NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION TO EMPOWER THE SKATERS OF THE WORLD

 Street League Skateboarding Foundation To Unveil Their First Skate Plaza In South Los Angeles

In the spirit of giving back, the Street League Skateboarding Foundation (SLSF) has been established to increase skateboarding participation through the development of community skate plazas. On Thursday July 24 at 5pm, Street League will host a ribbon cutting ceremony, alongside the mayor of Los Angeles to celebrate the first SLSF skate plaza opening in South Los Angeles, California.

This year, in partnership with The California Endowment (TCE), the Foundation is enriching the skateboarding community with four unique skate plazas throughout skateboarding’s birthplace of California. Grants from TCE will fund the entire design of each plaza by the illustrious California Skateparks, as well as contributing to half of the construction costs. This week the SLSF will host the grand opening of their first skate plaza in South Los Angeles, bringing a professional-level skatepark to a neighborhood otherwise void of legal skateboarding opportunity; thus relieving local skaters of the all-too-familiar dilemma of not having a city-sanctioned facility that meets their needs.

Founded by the premier skateboarding competition platform Street League Skateboarding (SLS), the SLSF was established as a means to further contribute to the global skateboarding community through the development of quality skateboarding facilities. SLS emerged in 2010 as the first professional league for skateboarding and offering the largest prize purse in the history of the sport. The Foundation utilizes a portion of the funds generated by the competition’s success to bring SLS-quality skate plazas to communities in need. Since it’s inception in 2013, the foundation has raised over $6.1 million to fund a planned fifteen skate plazas around the United States.

Each plaza will be inspired by previous SLS course designs, scaled down to accommodate the range of skill levels within the skate community. Much like training facilities in any other sport, SLS skate plazas will provide aspiring skaters with an avenue to train and compete on courses similar to those that their favorite pros compete in, making the transition from novice to amateur, and onto professional as seamless as possible. Each plaza will become the hub of regional competitions that follow the same rules and use the same unique Street League Skateboarding ISX scoring format to ensure continuity through the progress into the professional arena.

“Skateboarding is not a crime”, the sport’s unofficial slogan since the 1980’s, began as a sticker and t-shirt campaign to highlight the public backlash against the initial growth of street skateboarding. Still today, young skaters worldwide are forced out of their favorite local skate spots, facing fines and even incarceration while the system does little to address the fact that the number of sanctioned skateparks in America is incommensurate with today’s massive skateboarding population. With more Americans skating than playing hockey, tennis, or even baseball, why doesn’t every town have a quality skatepark? Street League Skateboarding Foundation is working to solve this critical issue for today’s youth.

For more visit information visit www.streetleague.com/foundation.

Nyjah Huston Wins 2014 Street League Skateboarding: Chicago

• Nyjah Huston edges out a charging Luan Oliveira for his second consecutive Street League win—Nyjah is unbeaten in 2014

• Custom concrete skatepark inside UIC Pavilion hosts largest skateboard contest in Chicago history

• Huston takes home $100,000 prize and a Golden Ticket to the $200,000 SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship in August

History was made on Sunday as the 2014 SLS Nike SB World Tour visited Chicago for the very first time. Street League Skateboarding delivered on the fans requests as 25 of the world’s best pro skaters descended on the Midwest’s street skateboarding capitol to put on a jaw-dropping show. It all went down inside the UIC Pavilion, which was transformed, into a one-of-a-kind, custom skate plaza complete with huge sculpture-like concrete transitions and high-risk big gaps to ledges that forced even the most seasoned SLS pros out of their comfort zone.

The 2014 Street League Skateboarding series kicked off in May with the SLS Monster Energy Pro Open, a new qualification event at Nike SB’s private, state-of-the-art Sixth & Mill Skatepark in Downtown Los Angeles. Through that event, Matt Berger, Davis Torgerson, and Trevor Colden moved up to the elite ranks of the 2014 SLS Nike SB World Tour, with Felipe Gustavo and Alec Majerus being added to the SLS pro alternate list.  With SLS pros Sean Malto and Dylan Rieder not competing in Chicago, Gustavo and Majerus both made their debuts along side the veteran SLS Pros at the first arena stop of the 2014 season.

The contest began with the qualification Prelims, cutting the field to just eight skaters for the Final. Among 25 of the world’s best, highlights included:

·      The rookies making their presence felt. Matt Berger made his first official Final with creative moves like a Frontside Hurricane on the gap to hubba, as well as an Ollie to Wallride 180 out. For his part, Felipe Gustavo set-off the high-scoring 9 Club tricks early, with a flawless 360 Flip to Crooked Grind on the ledge.

·      Pressure was at an all-time high for Chicago native Chaz Ortiz, an internationally known skater who still maintains his roots in the Midwestern metropolis where he has a private skatepark and training facility. Despite his smooth lines and a monster Fakie Flip down the big two steps, his scores weren’t enough to carry him to the Final. Defending 2013 Street League Super Crown World Champion Chris Cole also suffered an off day, and was eliminated in the Prelims.

·      Brazilian Luan Oliveira shocked the crowd when he decided that instead of skating the flat ledge, he would up the ante by going right over the entire obstacle. He Kickflipped and Backside Kickflipped the ledge at high speed; the latter earned him a score of 9.5.

As the Final went live on FOX Sports 1, the eight skaters remaining included Luan Oliveira, Paul Rodriguez, Tommy Sandoval, Nyjah Huston, Torey Pudwill, Shane O'Neill, Matt Berger, and French fan favorite Bastien Salabanzi. Highlights of the Final included:

·      In the first of the three sections, the Flow Section, Nyjah Huston showed why he’s Street League’s top dog, putting on a consistency clinic and delivering fluid lines punctuated by tech moves like a Backside 180 Nosegrind to Revert on the ledge along the stairs. Luan Oliveira also showed he was ready for his first SLS win, speeding around the course with powerful pop. Paul Rodriguez went to his strong suit, showing off an array of technical tricks, including a huge Switch 360 Flip to finish his run.

·      As the skaters began going big in the Impact Section, Shane O’Neill set the crowd on fire with an unbelievable Switch 360 Double Flip down the big two steps, scoring a near-perfect 9.8 and surging to the top of the leaderboard. Nyjah coolly responded with a Caballerial Kickflip in the same place to keep himself in the race. Meanwhile, Bastien Salabanzi launched a wicked Half-Cab Double-Flip off the big two that earned him a 9.3, and eliminated SLS rookie Matt Berger from the contest.

·      In the final and decisive Control Section, the win was on the line and the skaters began turning up the heat. First to attack, Shane O’Neill dropped a dizzying Nollie Bigger Spin down the big two for a 9.1 and control of the leaderboard. Then, the crowd exploded as Luan Oliveira upped the ante on the skateboarding world with a high-speed Switch Backside Flip over the ledge he’d kickflipped earlier, for a well-deserved 9.5 once again. But in the end neither Luan nor Shane could put it all together as consistently as Nyjah. The skateboarding prodigy put up big scores all day, sealing his win with tricks like his massive Nollie Backside Heelflip across the wedge gap in the Control Section.

Congratulations to SLS Nike SB World Tour: Chicago champion Nyjah Huston. In addition to the trophy and $100,000 first place check, Nyjah holds a ‘golden ticket’ to the $200,000 Super Crown World Championships in August. With one more event before the SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship, is 2014 the year that Nyjah sweeps the season?

Highlights and complete coverage of the SLS Nike SB World Tour: Chicago can be viewed on www.streetleague.com, www.foxsports.com, and the FOX Sports GO.

2014 SLS UPCOMING EVENT DATES AND VENUES:

·      July 27: SLS Nike SB World Tour: Stop 2 | Galen Center at USC | Los Angeles

·      August 24: SLS Nike SB Super Crown World Championship | Prudential Center | Newark

The SLS Nike SB World Tour airs on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports GO, in addition to the official live webcast on www.streetleague.com. 

2014 FOX SPORTS 1 TELECASTS:        

·      SLS Los Angeles: LIVE: Sunday, July 27 (8:00 PM ET – 9:30 PM ET)

·      SLS Super Crown World Championship: LIVE: Sunday, Aug. 24 (9:00 PM ET – 10:30 PM ET)

For more visit information visit www.streetleague.com. For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

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About Street League Skateboarding

Street League Skateboarding (SLS) is the first-ever professional league for street skateboarding. The SLS season features 25 of the world’s most exciting skateboarders competing in an easy-to-follow, ISX™ instant scoring format on one-of-a-kind concrete skate plazas, all for the largest prize purse in skateboarding history. Each arena stop of the 2014 SLS season will air live on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sport Go with a live international webcast on Streetleague.com.

For more information, visit www.streetleague.com and follow @streetleague

About Nike SB

Nike SB is dedicated to serving skateboarders, delivering product innovation and creating new consumer experiences. Since 2001, Nike SB has supported a diverse team of inspirational pros and upcoming amateurs who continue to meet the demands of a constantly evolving sport. With influence in all corners of the world, Nike SB is uniquely suited to bring skateboarding to new audiences and grows the sport globally. Based at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, Nike SB is obsessed with finding new ways to support the skateboarder by championing innovation and individuality.

For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com and follow @NikeSB. 

About FOX Sports

FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century FOX’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; FOX Sports 2; FOX’s 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network.

Street League Skateboarding

Street League Skateboarding (SLS) is the first-ever professional league for street skateboarding. The SLS season features 25 of the world’s most elite professional skateboarders competing in an easy-to-follow ISX™ instant scoring format on purpose-built concrete skate plazas, all for the largest prize purse in skateboarding history.

SLS has commissioned VOCAL to lead all communications for the brand. Through over 1 billion media impressions and profile placements in broadcast outlets such as ESPN and NBC, endemic outlets such as Transworld Skateboarding and Jenkem, to lifestyle publications such as Complex, Los Angeles Magazine, and HBO, VOCAL has amplified the SLS platform for major mass appeal throughout the world.  SLS is now televised live on FOX Sports and through its network affiliates.

StreetLeague.com

For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.