ZOO TEAM WRAPS UP CANADA TOUR

Amid threatening weather and downpours of rain, the Zoo Crew was able to hit all final stops of the Zoo-B-Q tour. After the great turnout and crowd of Granby, we had to get a little inventive in Ottowa. The rain storms caught us about 30 minutes into the demo, but that never stopped the crew or our damn fine bbq's! With contests such as: longest power slide, longest belly slide, and catch Shetler if you can, tons of gear was given and everyone left happier than thought possible for a soggy summer day. After a 4 hour drive, the crew hit up Toronto to give some demo love to Wakestock and hit up some misty spots for the Canada podcast and SBC Canada tour article. Big shout outs to Canada for hooking everything up for the team! And big thanks for Caccia, Spin Limit Skateshop, and West 49 for all their support!

CANADA'S ZOO-B-Q TOUR IS ON!

Over the next three days, the Zoo Crew consisting of Anthony Shetler, Brandon Westgate, Aaron Suski, Eli Reed, and Chaz Ortiz will be making their way across Eastern Canada for the ZOO-B-Q Tour. The first stop of the tour was held in Terrebone, Quebec. The turnout was HUGE, and the kids were stoked to skate with the zoo crew. We fed the army of kids since they needed energy to compete in a best trick contest, and then let them do their thing. After the winners were picked and schwag was tossed to the crowd, everyone took off Zooed out and stoked. Big thanks to the S3 shop for helping to organize the event and bringing your team to skate with our crew.

Next stops on the ZOO-B-Q Tour are: Granby Skatepark, Granby, Quebec on 7/23 @ 3:00 PM, with an afterparty at Bar Republic @ 10:00. Legacy Skatepark in Ottowa, Ontario on 7/24 @ 3:00, and a skate session at Wakestock @ noon on the Toronto Islands in Ontario.

ZOO YORK'S AM GETTING PAID

Over the weekend, 120 skaters battled it out over the course of three days to get their hands on the $10,000 cash purse offered at the fourth installment of Zoo York's Am getting paid. When all was said and done, Atoine Asselin came out on top for the grand prize of $5,000, Ryan Decenzo came through at 2nd place ($2,000) and Zoo York's own Chaz Ortiz finished out with third place ($1,000). Protec's sponsored best trick contest was won by: Chaz Ortiz, Ryan Decenzo, Mikael O' meara, and Tj Rogers. The energy throughout the event was solid, and these kids are the future of skateboarding - keep your eye on them!

ZOO YORK'S AM GETTING LAID PARTY

After two days of intensive skating, the Ams that trekked to Montreal for Zoo York's AM Getting Paid event were treated to the official Zoo York sponsored party, that has been so dubbed, the AM Getting Laid party. Though it's the night before the finals event - it's the jam that no one wants to miss out on. Dj Numark held it down for the HUGE crowd as everyone danced until the wee morning hours. Also featured at the party were body painted girls for the boys delights. Outside after the party, the streets were filled with rowdy Quebeqoise as far as the eye could see. Shirts were off or soaked, and lines for Poutine (fries with gravy and curds) were out the door. Here's to another year of good fun times with the Zoo Crew in Canada! See you next year, since you know if you missed it this time around you don't want to miss it next time!

SLAM TRICK PICS AND WORDS FROM OUR MAN ON THE STREET ALESSANDRO ZUEK

Organized by Slamjam, Slamtrick is the premiere skate contest in "la terra dello stivale" (the heart of the boot of Italy).

Marina di Ravenna, the place where Slamtrick was born, is famous not only for the "piadina with squacquerone" (kind of a little pizza but very different from pizza!!) but also for this event that every year draws pro riders from across the globe for two days of non stop hardcore skating.

The theme of the event always changes, and this time the theme was "Freak Out" and an artist based in London, named Fergus Purcell (aka Fergadelic) outfitted all the art of the event with a freak theme (and a sticker that everyone in Italy knows as 'the VAGABOND' is the icon of the contest!)

I was speaking with a good friend of mine and we were talking about the power of this event.. of course the massive presence of proriders is key, of course the good organization and the communication is essential... but in the end, we thought the most important thing are the hundreds and hundreds of people that come out every year to fill the seats and keep the energy alive under the hot and beating sun. They make this event as successful as it is!

EURO TOUR QUICK PICS

Big thanks to all the kids across Europe who rolled out to meet, greet, and skate with the crew! From every signing to demo to afterparty you kept the team charging for three weeks straight! Check out the zooyorkvideo page for when the Zoo York Euro Tour 2008 podcast is ready to drop and blow your minds (eurostyle of course!)

ZOO YORK HEADS NORTH OF THE BORDER

New York, NY – July 10, 2008 – Having just returned from a lengthy three-week European Tour, the Zoo Crew is wasting no time as they prepare to embark on the 2008 “ZOO-B-Q” Canada Tour from July 22nd–25th.

A few days before the tour officially kicks off, several ZY Officials will head to Quebec to compete in the 4th Annual Zoo York Am Getting Paid (AGP) contest which runs from July 18th–20th at Montreal’s South Parc Skatepark. AGP is widely recognized as one of today’s most prestigious international skateboarding contests for amateurs only. With a hefty prize purse of $10,000 USD up for grabs at this year’s event, all the rippers will be there including Zoo’s very own Brandon Westgate, Anthony Shetler, Matt Miller, Ron Deily, and Eli Reed.

Once Am Getting Paid is a wrap, the “ZOO-B-Q” Canada Tour will get underway. Along for the ride will be Zered Bassett, Aaron Suski, Brandon Westgate, Anthony Shetler, Chaz Ortiz, and Eli Reed, as well as ZY staff videographer RB Umali who will document all the action for Zoo’s upcoming video, “State of Mind.” Over a four-day stretch the Zoo Crew will hit a handful of Canadian cities to host demos, autograph signings and, as the name suggests, backyard-style BBQ’s with free burgers, dogs and much more.

2008 “ZOO-B-Q” Canada Tour Schedule:

Terrebone, Quebec
7/22 – S3 Snow/Skate/Surf – 3:00pm
Granby, Quebec
7/23 – Granby Skatepark – 3:00pm
7/23 – Bar Republic (After Party) – 10:00pm
Ottawa, Ontario
7/24 – Legacy Skatepark – 3:00pm
Toronto Islands, Ontario
7/25 – Wakestock – Noon

An exclusive ZY podcast of the “ZOO-B-Q” Canada Tour will release this Fall. Find out more at: www.zooyork.com / www.amgettingpaid.com.