Battle For The Nation

This article comes from a trip conjured up by Zach Lyons and Matt Daughters to get the Expedition-One and Organika teams together for two weeks on the East Coast to skate and "battle" to see who was the cooler brand (Organika won). Written by Walker Ryan and photographed by Daughters, this article was published in the May 2010 issue of The Skateboard Mag.

Oakland - February 2007

This February 2007 SLAP article features the city of Oakland and its spots, with testimonials from its skateboarding residents of the time. Photos by Ken Nagahara, Dan Z, Joe Brook, and Mark Whitely. Testimonials by Max Schaaf, Dave Rosenberg, Jason Phares, Hustle Jamie, and Nagahara.

(I scanned and posted this almost exclusively because of the photo of Olu's front nose into the bank).

Sweet Science: Kayo delivers a technical knockout with the release of It's Official

This article was published around the same time that the Kayo video It's Official was released, a video which featured parts from the Expedition-One, Organika, Gold Wheels and DGK teams. Words and photos by Matt Daughters. Scanned from the July 2006 issue of Skateboarder.

Karl Watson - May 2002 Organika ad

I believe this is one of the first Organika Skateboards ads, if not the first. It looks really damn cool, so I wanted to post it on its own. I was rereading Karl's 48 Blocks interview recently and learned that he initially wanted to name the company Altered, but was talked out of it by Troy Morgan.

Organika was such a cool board company, and I wish it would have lasted longer. On the bright side, it wasn't around long enough to succumb to the inevitable fate of becoming a parody of itself, like nearly all other longtime skateboarding companies do.

Pier 7: End of an Era

A brief four-page write-up by Alex Klein about the beginning and end (or so was thought) of the Pier 7 ledges, with some photos of tricks by some of the most notable skaters to frequent the spot. Photos by Brian Gaberman, Mike Blabac, Pete Thompson, and Ken Goto. I also included some photos of what the spot looked like in May 2023, when I visited it during a trip to San Francisco.

The 5 Best Cities For Skateboarding (2003)

The 5 best cities for skateboarding in the world, according to Aaron Meza 20 years ago. Would any of these be on a Top 5 list made today?

Watering Holes - Summer 1998 Skateboarder

This is a cool piece which captures a moment in time of several skate scenes. It's interesting to read about what spots like Burnside and Pier 7 were like 24 years ago, and how much they have evolved over that period of time. 

The introduction to this article:

"Every town has one, or at least it should: an oasis of skateable terrain that becomes a nerve center and watering hole for local skaters. Some are private; some are public. Some are endorsed by the government; some exist underground. Some scenes haven't moved for years; some are entirely mobile. We called regulars at six such spots around the country, and asked each to describe their tribal ground."

photos by Thomas Campbell, Patrick O'Dell
& Joe Brook

photos by Noah Martineau & Aaron Sedway

photos by Jamie Mosberg & Scott Serfas