April 9th, 2010 New pro model now
available!
All is well. My new pro model is now available and should
crop up in skate shops soon. All my efforts have been
into doing Skate Straight events and promotions for my
book. The book has opened up many doors and it's really
been an amazing ride. The book will be available at all
book stores including Borders and Barnes an Noble on
April 27th. You may get the book now online at www.beyondtheboard.net On April 28th I
will be on Sportstalk TV which will be fun. In June I
will be on the Robin Swoboda show promoting my book. I'm
skating everyday, doing some filming. I'll be flying to
NJ April 16th for a big Skate Straight event. My focus
still remains in the efforts to make a difference in
people's lives, its more important than any trick I could
do on my skateboard. Visiting all these schools and
reaching people is where its at. Till next time! Doug
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Febrary 27th, 2010 Book
for Sale and Skate Straight Events
Welcome everyone to 2010. The past couple of months have
been busy with projects related to my book release. The
book will be in national book stores like Borders and
Barnes and Nobel on April 27th but you can order and own
the book now by visiting here on this site in the online
shop or direct at www.beyondtheboard.net Writing this book
has been quite the experience. Working with the
publisher, editor, layout, and more. I'll be flying to
New Jersey next month for a Skate Straight event and if
you are in Ohio be sure to check us out in the city of
Willard on Monday, March 5th. Click here for more info. I have a new board
sponsor and a new pro model that will be available this
March. Plenty of things ahead and I thank you all for
being part of this fun journey! Doug
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December 19, 2009 Merry
Christmas, Beyond the Board Book Release March 2010
It's been a great year with lots of good things
happening. My book Beyond the Board is set for
release early spring in national book outlets and March
for online sales. To view more about the release visit www.beyondtheboard.net It's been an
amazing experience and has taken a bit longer to put
together with the publisher but the wait is well worth
it. I continue my efforts with my Skate Straight program
and I've just released the Skate Straight tags available
in the online shop. I just finished a Christmas video to
cap off the year and have gone through some older footage
of video journals that can be seen in the video section.
Lots planned for 2010, stay tuned! Doug
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October 25th, 2009 AGA Contest,
Books 'N'More in Wilmington
It's just about midnight and I'm returning from a long
productive weekend on the road. Yesterday I did my Skate
Straight program at a bookstore in the city of
Wilmington. This was a unique placed that housed a large
deli, a bookstore, and a hangout for musicians to jam.
The warm audience was very welcoming and aged in range
from 5 to 55. This town had some major issues with their
local police arresting kids for skateboarding so it was
an issue I was sure to arise during my performance. One
15 year old skater was actually arrested weeks before for
just walking with their board in front of the bookstore.
The shop's owner Jen is heading the coalition and I was
happy to assist in their efforts. Following doing
autographs and meeting the locals we all marched down the
street to the local skate shop called Reality Skates. The
shop had a sweet mini ramp inside that we all shredded up
the rest of the late afternoon. This tight knit skate
community is what skateboarding is all about. They all
had good vibes, eclectic styles, and had no shortage of
soul skaters. Direct from skating it was on to the
Holiday Inn a few miles out of town. The past couple
months have been an array of skate events and notably my
Skate Straight presentations at schools and libraries. No
doubt my focus is on my program more than anything else
I'm doing with my skating. I hosted an AGA event at
Chenga skatepark with my Struggle team mate Johnny
Whitehead which went well. Headed to Avon this friday for
a demo and contest. I'm now a team rider for Goodlife
wheels. Lots more to announce so stay tuned and check
back! Thanks to Jen and everyone at Books'N'More and
everyone for coming out to all the events. See you soon! Doug
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August 26th, 2009 End of Summer,
Skate Straight and Updates!
Its the end of August. This summer was just amazing. No
shortages of events... contests, demos, hotel rooms,
flights, appearances, camps, I survived. Just yesterday
was the first stop of in-store signings at a Hot Topic in
Summit Mall with the band High School Tragedy. It was a
good way to celebrate the end of the summer with good
friends like my Struggle team mate Johnny Whitehead, and
the GS3 crew. I did more Skate Straight events than ever
the past few months. That's been a huge bonus to my skate
life, reaching so many people through my program. Check
out the new site at www.skatestraight.org The Nucleus
Special edition DVD is now available in the shop on this
site, lots of new footy and bonus material. You can see
me in the September issue of Thrasher Magazine in the
Sneaux Shoe ad. I have some footage in the upcoming
Concrete Wave's Evolutions DVD. Skate Straight ads will
be on the back of Ollie Pop pouches on their next run. Be
sure to check out the new Struggle Skateboards team
poster Click here to view. My book deal is sealed
and will be released soon, Click here for the promo page. The publisher
is doing a lot of marketing and it should be well worth
the wait. Again, this summer was a blast! Thanks to
everyone who came to all the events, it was a summer to
remember. Stay tuned, lots on the radar for this fall and
2010!! Doug
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June 14th, 2009 ESPN, Southington
Connecticut Demo/Signing, Skate Straight
It's
been a whirlwind of non-stop events, especially with
Skate Straight. I've been traveling to schools all over
presenting my program. Filmed two more Skate Straight
promo spots. Flew out Friday morning on a Continental
express jet directly into Hartford Connecticut. Was
shuttled off in the PIAS van and went directly to the
ESPN headquarters, was an amazing time and felt surreal
to be there. The next day was an early wake up to the
demo at YMCA Camp Sloper. Tucked in the hills of the
outskirts of Southington CT this was a nice skatepark.
Kids were amped, music filled the air, and the skating
was great. From there it was onto the amphitheater to
perform my skate straight program. I've done this program
all over the planet literally but this was one of the
most scenic locations, had a lake behind me, the crowd
was on bleachers in the woods. After the presentation it
was then on to host a skate comp. After a product toss,
then an interview with the local paper, and an awards
ceremony I was again shuttled off to the after
party/in-store signing at 5pm. The lobby filled up and it
was a great time. Lots of kids were sporting my new
Struggle Bunny skateboard so it was a nice bonus in
connecting with the kids. After a impromptu guitar jam
session with the shop owner John we closed the evening
with a nice dinner including the whole crew of PIAS
Skateshop. It was then back to my hotel and onto a plane
the following morning. The road has been good to me thus
far this summer, check tour dates for more info. My book Doug
Brown Skateboarder is being published and should crop
up this summer in major book chains and libraries across
the states, I'm pretty stoked on that project its been
quite an experience. Also I've been filming video
journals that are now available in the video section of
this site. Click to
view Special thanks to Janet, John, Tyler,
everyone at camp Sloper and all the skaters that came out
to the events. Until next time... Doug
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May 6th, 2009
Demos, Skate Straight, Videos, and more!
Where to begin? Things are in full
swing with being in springtime and summer is
ahead. The Skate Straight events have been
filling up my time visiting library and schools
across the nation. I just finished filming two
promo videos for Skate Straight which can be
viewed in the new video section of the site. No
shortage of videos here. This Saturday May 9th I
will be hosting a comp in the town of Mt.Vernon. Click here to see the
flier, hear the radio promo spot by clicking the
icon above. June will be a huge month filled with
events. I'll be flying to Connecticut then off to
Texas, Click here for info on
the contest on June 13th in CT. If you haven't
had a chance to grab my new pro model with
Struggle Skateboards click www.shop.struggleskateboards.com/ to order.
Lots of new pics in the photo section. I'm
filming my travels for a new skate vid. Skate
Straight now has a new myspace
www.myspace.com/sk8straight Thanks for everyone
who came out to all the events! Till next time! Doug
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March
25th, 2009 New Pro Model - Rabbit by Struggle Skateboards
Stoked to announce that my new pro model with Struggle
Skateboards is now available. The artwork was done from
renown artist Laura Pflueger. The deck can be ordered
direct from www.shop.struggleskateboards.com/ Spring is crawling
near and there will be lots of skate events up ahead.
Join me Tuesday April 21st, at the Brunswick library if
you are in Ohio. Click here for more info. Skate Straight is
in its fourth year and its really been an amazing
addition to my skate life. The opportunity to go into
communities and reach students, the people and the
stories have been an education for me as well. I will
have a couple special guests at the next few stops. I
have a new clothing sponsor to announce soon. I'm pretty
excited on this venture as they will be putting out an
exclusive line of my own threads. My time off the board
has been filled with skate related projects. My life
really is consumed by skateboarding one way shape or
form. The new book will be available through major book
chains this summer. I'm finishing up my part in the
upcoming Struggle video with Ruben and Tyrone. I think
thats about it for updates, lots ahead I assure you. Till
we meet again, Doug
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February 27th, 2009 New Book, Army
Tour, Struggle Skateboards Mag Ad
It's now the end of February, It's been
sometime since I did an update. A few weeks back I got to
join pro bmx legend Rick Thorne on the Join the Army
Skatepark tour. I've seen Rick many times and it was good
to rock out to his band Good Guys in Black. Getting to
the event was another matter having more snow than
Cleveland has seen in years and driving an hour and a
half in awful roads, freezing temps with no heat, but
that's another matter. I've been skating every week and
enjoying some downtime with the winter months. During the
summer of 2005 I was writing a journal while on the road.
Long layovers at airports and hotel rooms at night gave
me time to transport my life's ventures onto paper. With
that I put it on my site as an ebook. The feedback was
strong and everywhere I went I had people tell me how my
story reached them, old and young. So the opportunity
arrived for some publishing deals and I decided to take
the leap and put a book out. I've been touring libraries
throughout with my Skate Straight program so I figured
this would coincide with my efforts. The book will be
released this spring so keep your eye out at a book store
near you. I've been riding for Struggle Skateboards and a
second new pro model will be released this spring. The
graphic was done by an artist friend of mine so I'm
stoked. I've finished filming for the next Struggle vid
with team mates Ruben Najera and Tyrone Olson, a trailer
of the vid is in the works. Other than that its been
skating and gearing up for spring/summer events. Lots of
demos planned so check the tour dates and see you on the
road! Doug
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November 11th, 2008 New Pro Model,
Focus Magazine, New DVD
Here I am in mid November. It's been a bit since I've
done an update on things. The past couple months have
been filled with demos but mainly my efforts have been
geared towards my Skate Straight Program. A couple weeks
back I had the unique opportunity to do the program at
the junior high I went to back in 1987-88. It was a trip
to be back in the halls once again after all those years.
My third DVD Nucleus wrapped up and is out and about in
shops and is available through my website. Nucleus has a
space theme and a mix of me on the road, skating, with a
"day in the life" vibe. I'm in the November
issue of Focus Magazine with my Skater's Night Before
Christmas poem that some of you are familiar with. Grab a
copy if you get the chance. Most notable update is the
announcement of my new board sponsor. I've joined Tyrone
Olson, Ruben Najera, and Anthony Johnson as a pro rider
for Struggle Skateboards out of Imperial Valley
California. My first pro model with Struggle is part of
the Roar series and is available through
www.struggleskateboards.com It's an exciting
time and I look forward to what is to come. Lots of
projects on the radar, stay tuned. Thanks Everyone. See
you round' Doug
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August 25th, 2008 End of Summer
Its been airplanes, rent-a-cars, my van, and
hotels all summer non-stop. Even the weekend I thought I
had free a couple weeks back ended up getting a booking
for a demo. So without a doubt this summer has been
incredible. Last weekend started with a drive to the city
of Alliance. Most of the summer involved planes so it was
fun to be back in the van and reminded me of the demos I
did years back when it was long drives from park to park.
The van now has 280,000 miles all from skate trips and
such. I arrived into the city and found the hotel thanks
to mapquest. This was a pretty fancy hotel so I knew the
weekend was gonna be smooth as far as lodging. After a
nap, jog, then shower it was off to meet the Phillips
family for a dinner at Grinders. Jeana was someone I went
to school with years ago and she coordinated this event.
It was about a year in the making. Her and her family
went to one of my Skate Straight events so she was
committed to getting me to their local skatepark. They
worked with their parks and rec depot and my agent and
now here I am. After some quality sleep it was off to the
demo. I got there pretty early and hid out in my van. To
my surprise there was a huge crowd. I don't think I've
ever done a demo where people brought lawn chairs lol
Their local paper had me on the front page promoting the
event so I think that kicked things up a gear on
attendance. The dj they had coming didn't have his act
together and forgot cables so thankfully I brought my
back up sound gear (a guitar amp, mic, and cd player)
After being introduced it was out into the sea of people.
Normally at an event I skate first then end up at a table
signing posters but this time it was reversed. This
community was hungry so I found myself in the eye of a
hurricane signing posters. Even the local paper was
trying to interview me while kids in front were shouting
"me next" and someone behind me wanting to take
a photo with me. This was the rhythm of activity that
took place for the next hour. It was a little
overwhelming. Jumping on my board was a relief but it
does suck to have to warm up in front of hundreds of
people. Not only that it was a park I had never skated
before. It was a great park with awesome elements. Had a
decent slam mashing my wrist but the show must go on. Did
a big phat 360 over the spine, an indy kickflip over the
spine and a handful of my other tricks throughout the
park. Later I saw the pipe was empty so I figured I could
slip over there but the large crowd followed me and there
it was, a vert demo. This was a nice big ramp with some
height and a killer transition so I was stoked. A product
toss followed. Lots of smiling faces that day and it was
a great demo. People were so nice and always willing to
help with this or that. After the demo the Phillips
family took me out to dinner with their crew. Was a great
closing to a great weekend. I spent a lot of time talking
with the local skaters and their families. I had a
grandmother tell me she had cancer and bringing her
grandson to the skatepark and watching him gave her
energy and made her forget the cancer. Stories like these
stick with me in my travels. The positive things
skateboarding does for people and communities. I feel
honored and lucky to play a part in the whole thing,
being able to inspire people. Doing events and demos is
such an amazing experience and never gets old. Summer
2008 kicked ass. Highlights were definitely the Dew Tour,
Muskoka Woods skatecamp in Canada, and all the countless
demos throughout. My plate is full of things to do, the
new DVD Nucleus is being edited together and will be
available this fall. So for this weekend many thanks to
the Jeana and crew for everything. Jeremy for filming,
and the whole Alliance staff for everything. Throughout
the summer thanks goes to all my sponsors, all the
skateshops, skateparks, and skatecamps for having me. It
was one of the best summers indeed. Lots more ahead so
stay tuned. Best Regards, Doug
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August 1st, 2008, NCAA Skate Jam
It's been non-stop life on the road for the
past couple months. Last weekend was the NCAA Skate Jam
which was a blast especially after coming from the Dew
Tour. It's fun to do the grass root demos and visit the
small towns. After checking in the hotel it was straight
off to a neighboring skatepark in Cambridge. This was
cool park, looked metal but everything was cement. Skated
a nice pipe with some of the locals. Was kind of a
struggle since my leg was recovering from the Dew Tour
slam but I wanted to session and the kids were stoked I
was there. After skating the Reed family was nice enough
to take me out to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant
then it was back to the hotel for some rest. I ended up
signing posters in the lobby to a whole little league
team thanks to the efforts of the crew and their
promotional posters around the town. Reports of rain were
shadowing all week but getting to the demo it was nothing
but blue skies. It was a great day of just full on
skating and music. The small town demos are sometimes the
best because the kids aren't jaded and are appreciative
that you are there. Big cities have the funding to put
together big parks. But these communities have to start
at the bottom starting their own coalition. Its amazing
to see the parents involved and the support they give
their local skaters. These kids really didn't have a lot
to work with but with events like this they are raising
money and should see a bigger park in the future. After
signing odds and ins including an interview with NBC Whiz
TV it was back on the road. What a great day, lots of
happy skaters and a great community that stands behind
its efforts to get a park and improve their skate scene.
Next stop is the Max Velocity Challenge. During the week
I've been visiting camps with my Skate Straight program
which has really been an amazing experience. Special
thanks to everyone at NCAA, Joe, Robert, April, and
Robbie for everything. Till next time, Doug
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July 20th, 2008. Doing the Dew 08'
Its the last day of the Dew tour and its
been a crazy week. The first day was the qualify days.
All was well till Thursday which was the official start
of the event. Had a load of fun doing signings and
spending time with my sponsor Softrucks at their booth.
After the course closed my SMF team mate Johnny Whitehead
and I skated around and kinda started a demo of sorts.
Couple other skaters joined us and it was an all out jam.
The sun was falling down and I knew time was limited so I
had to step up and went into stuntman mode. I dropped in
on a quarter piped and rolled to the other side of the
course to a wedge, went to ollie up on the fence and I
planted my foot. My intention was to plant my foot while
the board shot into my hand and I would leap over the
fence and drop outside of the park. Only I slipped and
got tangled into a medal bench. It was a hard hard slam
and I could here the gasp of the spectators. I jumped up
and declared I was ok. In shock that I didn't kill myself
I just collected my thoughts on what just transpired. I
could feel my thigh stiffening up and I limped away with
dizzy spells to the parking garage to call it a night.
Was happy I didn't end up in a hospital but depressed
that I wouldn't be skating the next few days. The
following days were spent doing signings and obligations
with my sponsors. Everyone was so nice and the vibe was
great. Had a front row view to the finals and the skating
was just insane! It was so cool to see a lot of people
from my hometown and skaters I use to skate with years
ago. So many highlights from the weekend. After the last
day I got to go up on stage and play guitar with the
group Texas Toast. They told me I could choose any song,
in the middle of their set they introduced me and next
thing I knew I was on stage. I limped up grabbed the
guitar and started the opening riff to Purple Haze, the
place went crazy and I made it through the tune. Was a
great way to end an amazing week at the Dew Tour. I'll be
back on the board this week. I have a demo next weekend
so its back in the circus with lots of demos ahead
including my Skate Straight program. I did turn 35 on the
10th which was a trip. Fortunately the week before I had
an opportunity to skate with a guy that was 50 and he was
shredding full on, gave me lots of inspiration. Special
thanks to Joe and crew, Johnny Whitehead, Texas Toast,
and all the people who came out to the Dew. See you at
the next stop, Doug
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July 2nd 2008, Canada Bound,
Muskoka Skate Camp
Here I am gearing up to board a plane bound
to Toronto Canada. This week will be jammed for sure. I'm
heading to Muskoka Woods Skate camp. This place has an
amazing set up, amazing. After a couple of days and some
demos I'm flying back to the states then get a rental
car, then a four hour drive to yet another demo. I just
arrived in Toronto, went through customs which always
sucks but I found my way to where I was suppose to be. To
my surprise I was greeted by a chauffeur in this mini
limo with tinted windows and all. From the look of things
this is going to be a good weekend. After a scenic two
hour drive to nowhere I was taken through the gates that
let to the camp. There was so much to take in. I was
given my own little cabin, no cell phone, no tv, no
internet.. its a good getaway from the world for a couple
days. After getting a tour of the facility in a golf cart
I met the skate counselors then it was straight to an on
air interview with their local radio station 104.9
Adrenaline. From there I got my long awaited meal at
their killer buffet. The first big demo was set for 7pm
so I snuck up early to feel the ramps out. This was an
Xgames style course with lots of big elements. The crowd
gathered quickly and there was a sea of kids ready for
the mayhem. It was a great mix of bmx riders and skaters
from all over the world. Music was pumping and the
announcer was getting everyone pumped. I made the mistake
midway into the demo of going huge doing a finger flip
foot plant from the big quarter pipe on the wall behind
it then back in the transition. After a couple failed
attempts the crowd was behind me and there was no turning
back I had to pull this off. Thankfully on my 4th attempt
I rolled away successfully and the crowd was stoked.
After a crazy product toss and signing posters I was sped
away into a car and off for some down time. Today was
just amazing and the Canadian skaters have the right vibe
and attitude. I've skated big ol' Canada many times and
the vibe is drastically different than that of the
states. They love the word gnar and gnarly. There is a
nice sprinkle outside and i'm heading to bed. Till
then...(July 3rd 2008) Wow its the end of day two and its
been filled to the brim. The day started with an early
8am wake up then into the cafeteria for some breakfast.
Cheese omelet, the works, this place feeds their people
first class. Today was a chilled day with only one demo
at 1:20. B2 is a separate section of the skate camp for
beginners and up top is B3 which has 3 huge separate
parks including an indoor facility. The demo was with
fellow Triple8 team member Mitch Brusco and bmx rider
Mike Deon. The kids were amped as they aligned the park
sardine style. Mitch did some sick kickflip transfers
from a huge wedge to a roll in. Mike was killing the
course till he had a pretty bad slam on the 10 foot
landing sideways on his shoulder. My grand finale trick
was one of my signature acid drop from the top of the
fence into the quarter pipe down below. By 2nd try I was
good to go and rolled away to a cheering crowd. After the
demo was a taco lunch then back to a full day of skating
with everyone. During a break I got to get out on the
lake with a group of water skiers to help spot. The
water, the breeze, was priceless, I made sure to get some
footage. What can I say after today? I met so many cool
people here and the skating in Canada is point on. The
kids here are all about shredding and having fun. So much
diversity in peoples skating compared to anywhere else in
the world. Everywhere I went I was greeted with a
"great skating today" or some hand shakes or
some high fives. Tomorrow morning I have to leave at
9:30am to get to Toronto then the airport. It will be
non-stop for the next couple of days with a demo tomorrow
morning but I'm good to go. Summer has been great with
events and a couple new sponsors. I'm filming for my
upcoming dvd. AST Dew Tour is in a couple weeks along
with a handful of demos, check tour page for updates. Big
big thanks to everyone at Muskoka Woods, Ian, Matt, Mike
Deon, Carter and all the skate counselors and skaters. I
hope to get back soon. Doug
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May 19th, 2008 In Wilmington with
3rd Lair Team
Its a Sunday night and I'm torn and fried
from the road. Early Friday I headed out to Wilmington on
a 3 hour journey for a demo joined with the 3rd Lair team
from Minnesota. They hooked us up and put us in a nice
nice hotel, flat screens and all. With a late arrival I
hit up the tred mill and crashed to bed. The weekend was
calling for rain but woke up to sunny skies and some
hefty winds. the 3rd Lair crew didn't get in till 1am the
night before and had to be up at 9am to set the course up
for the demo. Things started late with the bands and the
crowds but the demo started with a hungry crowd. These
kids were stoked and the vibe was a good one for sure.
The rough gravel was an obstacle but the set up had wedge
ramps, quarter pipes, rails, and the resurrected picnic
table from the 3rd Lair park in MN. Had lots of good
skatin, over 8 hours non-stop to be exact, no joke. Not
to mention lots of good entertainment from kickin bands,
helicopter rides, and freak show wrestling to top it all
off. The crew raised a lot of money for their skatepark
fund and the day saw a lot of smiles. Somehow I survived
the hours with a few good slams and I was all in one
piece. After talking with a group of locals it was on to
Pizza Hut to end the day. Was great to have an additional
night in the hotel, normally when a demo is set up the
sponsors only give you one night before the event so we
took this additional night for sure. I was so damn sore
from skatin the day before and all last week but we made
our way out on the road with gas peaking 3.98 with three
hours to go north. On the way out of this town which was
in the middle of nowhere I might add there was a bridge
out which caused some problems but we got set on the
right path and it was onward. Ended up eating at Al's
which was in a small town that I did a demo at a couple
years ago, figured I would check out the park to see if
it was still alive, there was a little dude skating the
pipe as I showed up. He asked me if my name was Doug and
his face lite up when I told him yeah, he said he skated
the park everyday and his board was holding him back,
without hesitation I brought out a brand new deck and
gave it to him free. Christmas came early for this dude,
as we skated the park a bit within 10 minutes kids were
on their cell phones and it basically turned into a demo.
The park filled up with kids and we had a good lil' sesh.
I was fried and tired from the weekend but stepped up to
the plate to give the locals something to remember. After
signing some posters and some hand shakes I headed toward
my grandparents hometown since it was on the way. They've
been in Florida for the winter and my grandma has been in
the hospital and not doing well at all, So I randomly
showed up on their doorstep to see if they were home and
they were. They were in great spirits and my grandma was
doing much better. They are so sharp for being in their
late 80s. They were reminiscing on when they took me to
see my first pro event and this was way back in 1988. Was
so good to see them and my aunt and uncle from Kansas
were there also. Something about seeing my grandparents
and visiting the hometown of my parents that just gives
me and overwhelming feeling of life and purpose. I use to
spend my summers with my grandparents and would skate
this small town when I was like 12-13. Its always cool to
go back there and remember where I came from and who I
came from. My parents were high school sweethearts and
grew up in this town. So the events continue and I'm back
on the road, its been demos every week for 3 weeks in a
row with lots more to come. I'm stoked to get some down
time this week and skate a handful of local parks. I've
been filming a lot for the next vid and continue to put
my energies into the Skate Straight benefits and helping
out my sponsors. Thanks for everyone involved in this
weekends demo, 3rd Lair guys, Jen, Christina, and all the
skaters, skate on, Doug
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May
2-3rd, 2008 In Connecticut
Here I am miles above the ground in a Continental express
jet headed for Hartford Connecticut. Events are picking
up and summer is right in front of us. Things are moving
forward and I'm proud to announce I'm a member of
Athletes for Hope which assists in my Skate Straight
Program. This weekend I have a demo in Southington
Connecticut for Play it Again Sports. I'm now booked into
my hotel. Janet and the crew from the shop picked me up
from the airport in their PIAS van and sped me here. The
room is amazing and was greeted with a gift bag from the
crew upon check-in. (Sat. May 3rd.) Woke up today, slept
so so. Was disappointed to see rain outside and received
a call letting me know the 2pm demo was canceled but we
were still on for the in-store event at 4pm. With plenty
of time to kill I moved the table in the room, got the
ipod, and had a flatland session till it was time to go,
hoping the people down below don't mind. After some lunch
Rob shuttled me off to the store to an awaiting crowd. My
buddy John from DBS clothing had his plasma screen tv
behind me playing promo vids of me. The crowd had a great
energy. I'm always flattered that people took the time to
come out and hang with me. Was good talking to the locals
and the parents. The skate community here is very tight
knit and has a positive energy. After some time the guys
were hungry to skate so we all rushed out the back
entrance to a parking lot. First order of business was
jumping on top of Robs jeep for an acid drop. After some
bails the crowd got behind me and I landed on my third
attempt. After some hungry product tosses the rest of the
afternoon was filled with flatland skating and chatting
with the skaters and the locals. After the event John,
one of the shop managers had seen one of my videos and
knew I played guitar. With this, he set up a PA system
and to my surprise a jam session was in order. After some
conversation and strumming the owners took the crew out
to a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. Since I was in
Southington it was imperative that I visit the ESPN
headquarters, so after food we went there. Special thanks
to everyone at PIAS, Janet, John, Jenn, Rob, and for John
and Tony from DBS for helping us out. So many events
coming up and I'm filming more than ever for the next
dvd. Till next time, Doug
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Sportstalk Network 3/22/08 5-8pm
EST - New shoe sponsor Sneaux Shoes
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