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Alex Lawton hands over the SOTY torch and hucks a hefty switch hardflip to remind us he’s still tearing it up. What does it take to win Slam Skater of the Year? All 15 of our SOTYs have been ahead of the pack in the year they respectively took the title. Cale Nuske was a technical powerhouse in 2004; Shane Cross was a prodigy who effortlessly prevailed in 2005; Shane’s best mate, Jake Duncombe, backed him up proper in 2006; Chima Ferguson was way ahead of his years in 2007; Lewis Marnell was untouchable in 2008; Andrew Brophy took the trophy in 2009 (yep, we ran that as a cover line…); Dane Burman dominated in 2010; Shane O’Neill set foot on his path to stardom in 2011; Nick…

geoff campbell’s decade of vx

Nicholas Andrewes with a quick-footed ollie up to backside five-o, as seen in Duncan’s @ Three. Geoff Campbell is TM at Nike SB and one of Australian skateboarding’s most respected filmers. Geoff’s latest full-length VX production, Duncan’s @ Three, comes as part of a DVD box set that includes a whole smorgasbord of Geoff’s other videos and web archives. Altogether, the footage represents a decade of his life spent skating and hanging out with friends on the streets of Melbourne. Stacking it away Filming Duncan’s @ Three spanned a few years, 2015 to 2018, but it wasn’t like I was out there rigorously filming for it. I was always pretty busy working on Nike projects, and that became my fulltime job, so that took priority. Sometimes…

philosophical with tony alva

Not many 60-plus skaters could cut lines around this course the way TA did. Boneless nosegrabber on a boat-sized board. Tony Alva is one of skateboarding’s legends. There’s no doubt about that. But by his own admission, he was also a massive egomaniac, an alcoholic and a womaniser. At 61-years-old, Alva has been through a lot and turned some positive corners along the way. So when TA came to Sydney for the House of Vans in early 2019, we caught up for a chat about how he’s survived 50 years of skateboarding. Futuristic boards, beautiful skateparks I started at 10, riding clay wheels and a hand-shaped piece of wood with roller skate trucks on it – whatever I could get. I think I had as much…

win a mike lawry prize pack

Lawry gaps out of a back tail for the Sovereign Sect. One of Brisbane’s finest, Mike Lawry, just became the first Aussie to go pro for Alien Workshop through Project Distribution. Mike has been busy filming for his pro part to coincide with the release of the new wood, which was designed by OG Workshop artist and co-founder, Mike Hill. The two boards, ‘Know Tomorrow’ and ‘M.L. Awol’ have that classic early-2000s Workshop aesthetic and will be in a limited run of 50 in each graphic. They’re going to be available mid-April, coinciding with a pro-party at Parliament Skate Shop in Brissy city on April 12. We’re also giving away a big fat prize back, which includes both boards and gear from some of Mike’s sponsors at Project…

slam awards

SKATE DATE SUDANESE SOTY “ECTIC” WORKING CLASS MAN “CAN YOU DO THAT AGAIN?” BACKYARD BANDIT ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN ZERO OR DIE LARRY LONGNECK Hardest head Gabriel SummersFemale MVP Hayley WilsonSkate date Ilka Sievers & Matt CircuittBoys to men Noah NayefAtlantic midriff Jason RainbirdEndless archives Chris MiddlebrookWe want more Josh PallOn-trend Skate coachingWorking the room Anthony MapstoneSudanese SOTY Bol LualMid-’90s Perth skatersKinky Rob PaceMullet Lord Shanae CollinsPole jams and paint brushes Jimmy RocheCostumes and karaoke Jesse NoonanMulti-tasker Bryce GolderSprinkle some steezoning Sean RyanMichelin Man Noah SmithBarley grind Sam FairweatherBackwards Ben James“Ectic” Tommy FynnT-Square good boy Dean PalmerT-Square naughty boy Tim CobdenWorking class man Trent Evans“Can I grab a portrait?” Dean ArmourBiggest pop Jake HayesNo microphone needed Pat Gemzik“I’ll just have one or two” BeachoComeback kid Gareth Stehr“I guess I…

jack o’grady

Our fifteenth Skater of the Year to make the grade is a 19-year-old, all-terrain-vehicle out of Sydney’s Shire, Jack O’Grady, aka, Squish. He skates flat-out with a go-for-broke attitude on every hit and huck. Every Slam SOTY before him has gone on to have a career in skateboarding, and with the way Jack O’Grady is fast-tracking his way to the top, he’s sure to join the list of legends before him and solidify his name internationally as one of Australia’s finest.I caught up with the young fella to chat about the SOTY surprise, graffing with Grant Taylor, giving Macca’s the flick for a low carb diet, his cluelessness when it comes to geography, filming for the Pass ~ Port video and doing mad doughies in his 4X4. Squish is…