By Gunther Estrada.
The weekend of the 22nd thru the 24th we attended yet another ASR tradeshow, like kids in a candy store we rush in, to only see that the economy has affected all sectors and industries in the whole country. As a result several brands didn’t attend the Trade Show this year. It didn’t look crazy empty but it wasn’t like other years.
Sevag, Brett and Gunther.
Setup and not so many people as you can see...
This year brought for the first time a “mini” Mega Ramp. This is a miniature replica of the real mega ramp. But please do not let the word “mini” confuse you, this construction was huge and just to give you a hint Bob Burnquist and Andy Mac were there trying tricks onto a rail that was set up on top of the kicker ramp.
Good stuff usually comes in bottles.
I Had the opportunity to meet one of the legends of Skateboarding, Dennis Martinez whom along with Christian Hosoi, Jay Adams and Bruce Logan were presenting the release of their life documentary called D.O.P.E “Death Or Prison Eventually” that talks about how their lives change from having fame and fortune to becoming addicted to drugs and loosing it all and finally being in jail to pay for their dues to society. A very powerful documentary and definitely a must have DVD for a real skateboarder.
Gunther Estrada and Dennis Martinez.
The brands from Europe didn’t attend this year due to Europe having another trade show happening at the same dates as the ASR. Brands and retailers focused on the sales and tried to have a normal trade weekend leaving the negative economy and rumors aside. I think the ASR this past weekend was a success for everyone that attended but we’ll wait to see what September has to bring us and hope for the best to everyone in the future.
Oh yes... Devon is EVERYWHERE !!
