Bouchi

Sorry about cutting the last post off, i had to save it before the power shut off...
so after dropping the team off at Jos, the final team headed to Bouchi. The driver told us that it would be a 45 minute drive, we were all very happy when we arrived 2 and a half hours later! It was super dark and late when we arrived, so we got into our new digs and settle in for the night. We are currently staying in a hotel owned by a military general. Out side of the compound there are ten armed gaurds who watch over for protection, the neighbourhood we are in is known to be sketchy, so there presence makes us feel very safe, nothing to worry about! We went to the village for the first time yesterday, and it was a life changing experience for all of us. We have never felt so welcome and taken care of. The people here are in awe when they first see you, for a lot of the villagers, they have never seen a westerner. The chief in one of villages we were at said that they had not had a westerner there since 1989. The children go absolutely crazy with us. They are so excited over the littlest things and we have been playing tonnes of games with them. We showed them their first frisbee yesterday, and Matt started a very comical game of What Time is it Mr. Wolf, which just ended in everyone chasing each other around. Our days have been filled with too much excitment to even put into words. After the villages yesterday we were invited to a nigerian wedding. After driving in the back of a truck for about 10 mins, the driver dropped us off right in the middle of the wedding, and a crowd of over 300 people surrounded us. It was one of the most awkward and exciting experiences of our lives. We jumped right into the ceremony and threw money at the bride and groom while dancing with them, a very popular nigerian tradition. We stayed there for a while, then had to leave to go to another city to meet the king. In this country, the king has the highest power, with the authority to do anything he wants, in some cases banish people or even put them to death. It was an honor and priviledge to meet the king, but it was also very intimidating. He was very welcoming to us and made us feel great, allowing us to sit in his royal chairs only reserved for the highest honor. Going to the palace was an incredible experience. After that we drove home in the back of the truck eating sugar cane, a very popular nigerian treat that can make you go a little crazy if you eat to much, which of course we all did. When we arrived home it was still light, so we pumped a soccer ball and played soccer in a field by the guards. We encouraged the neighbors to join in, and by the time it was dark we were playing a wild game of football with the nigerians while the neighborhood watched, again, it was such an amazing experience. Nights at the hotel are great, we have to stay in the compound but we are enjoying ourselves none the less. Matty and Terence played a joke on Jesse and Richard as they slept last night, waking them up at 1 in the morning, telling them to get ready for church, after almost taking his malaria pill, Richard wasnt to happy when he figured out the real time.
Church was amazing today, we were the special guests at a church of about 1000 people, it was incredible to see how the people came together on Sunday morning. After that we headed to the market, where a bunch of us picked out some fabric to make the traditional clothes. It is going to take us a couple days to get them tailored, but be on the look out for some sharp dressed men when we get back!!!

It has been so crazy here, i am going to try to get some photos up for you soon, words just dont do justice to the unbelievable things that are going on.
Things you must know about Nigeria..
1. The people are the nicest on Earth, they are so happy to meet and greet you.
2. The food is amazing! Seriously, best food we have tasted
3. Don't use the public bathrooms!
4. It is hot!!!! We're all getting pretty worn down in the evenings, the afternoon sun drains you pretty good.
We'll write again soon....
Make sure to check out the news website, at www.medicinehatnews.com to keep updated on what's going on, James Neely will be posting stories asap, and the photos will be great.
Now we're going to play soccer, so i'm out of here..

Nigeria!!

It's been a crazy last couple of days, and i'm glad to say that we made it safe and sound to our destination of Nigeria. I have to write quick, as we're sitting in an internet cafe and the power keeps going out..so here's what has went down so far...
Day 1 was a travel day, we left Medicine Hat and flew out of Calgary to London. When we arrived in London we had an 8 hour layover. A few of us went on the tube into the city and found some skate spots and parks for when we return, London is definetly going to be amazing!
After that we boarded a plane to Abuja, and we flew about 6 hours to get there. We arrived at 5 in the morning in the city, and we were greeted by the customs officers. We made it through with no problems, the baggage was a bit of a hassle, but luckily one of our team members gave the head baggage clerk some toys for her children and she hurried us through. Everyone was so happy to be in Nigeria! As soon as we left the airport we all had a chance to experience the craziest driving in the world! All i can say is that there are definetly no road rules here, and i would be very surprised if 10% of the population held a driver's lisence. The whole team went together to the base that the Abuja team would be staying at before we split up. After a couple hours nap, two teams left, while the Abuja team got comfortable in their new home. We headed to Jos where we left one team at their base, the drive from Abuja to Jos was about 3 hours, and for some of us it fealt like eternity, as we prayed that we wouldn't crash...but don't worry, we're all getting used to it..

HIBERNATION

Check this poster out. We're gonna be going down here next weekend to check out this skate sesh/comp, looks like it's gonna be rad..
We're secretly making a MHSA obstacle that we're gonna be bringing down for everyone to shred....so keep your eyes out..

I love fridays.

-So i was looking through my folders today and came across this really old video i made like... January and decided it's about time to post it up. It features Tim PANKEWICH, Joel MEYERS, Marshall BEIRBACH, Tito FERRETTY aaand Dustin CROWDER!

-

- Filmed and Edited by TITO FERRETTY tell me what you guys think, just decided to post it because it has been a while.

- Mike Mo has some intense steeze, and i also remember witnessing this!

Thursday Night Cleaning Team

A few of the MHSA boys, including Josh Swanson, Dorian Reeves, Curtis Windover, Joel Metz and Wasey Mowat started a thursday night cleaning of the indoor park. Right after shredding the cleaning of the park, the boys just straight up shred the park, peeps the footy and holla back.
TNCT from Shrafta major on Vimeo.

More Fundraisers!

We're going on the road to do some fundraisers next week. Here's all the info.

Fundraising Luncheon on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 from noon to 1pm at Jarold Switzers boardroom 21st Floor, Scotia Centre, 700-2nd St SW, Calgary, AB.

Fundraising Reception on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 from 5:00pm to 5:45pm at the Wingate Inn, 400 Midpark Way SE Calgary. h'orderves will be served

Fundraising Luncheon on Thursday , November 15 , 2007 from noon to 1pm at the downtown offices of Meyers Norris Penny Suite 400 , 10104 103 Ave, Edmonton, AB.

Africa Fundraiser.

On Sunday, November 4th, we will be doing a info night and fundraiser for our "Change Africa Trip". The night runs from 7-8 at Central, which is 851 Industrial Ave.
Come check it out, bring your family and friends, and find out what the MHSA is doing next.

Untitled from Shrafta major on Vimeo.

!!!!!!

Thats the opposite of fart off, which mean bad, so fart on means good.
Fart on the new Olive video.
Te Olive locs are super good friends of ours, so check out there Rad Factory Tour Vid on their site
OLIVE
THERES TONS OF MED HAT FOOTY IN THERE.
ALSO FOOTY OF THE GRIP IT AND RIP IT COMP.
Why did i just capitalize that? Do you think more people will look at it now? Does anyone even look at this site ever? Do i have any friends? Does anyone care?
ummm......keep checking back.
Thanks to NICK ZINGER for the dope edit.
New Nick Zinger MHSA hoodies coming ASAP.
Now go talk to all your friends on Facebook.

King of the City VIDEO

So we had a premiere tonight, and heres the video we watched. Big thanks to J-Swa and Teets for getting this thing done asap. This is no means the final copy of what we will be handing out. For the next 5 weeks we will be showing each of the team vids..so check back.


KING OF THE CITY 07 from Shrafta major on Vimeo.

Bottle Drive Boi!!!

Peep this. We're doing a bottle drive on Sat, to help raise money for our Africa Trip.
We're gonna be at Notre Dame school at 11 if you wanna give a hand..do it!

KING OF THE CITY!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out this contest! This will be held on Saturday the 29th. This is an all day event, and everyone has to meet at Central right before 10 o'clock. Teams of eight will be created by the MHSA, and each team has 8 hours to film the best stuff, and get as many challenges done in the booklet as possible. Winning team gets some cash and some free gear!!!! It's gonna be dope!!
There are only 40 spots, and you have to pre-register by Wednesday the 26th. IF you want to register you have to either email stu@enr.ca or call Stu at 504-7807.
See you there!

Calg sesh 2007

Hey hey guys, your most favorite spanish boy Teets (Tito) is in the house. I'm just posting a video of mine and Josh Swansons trip to calgary, if you didn't already know we do an annual trip for a week every year and just tear it up! but enough with my speech, check out the vid!

Click To Play

Shred the Tour Vid...

Change Our Country Tour from Shrafta major and Vimeo.

Check out this vid...another quality edit on imovie..New pics coming soon...

Six and a Half Minutes....are you crappin me?

This is the best video you have ever seen, no exceptions. Superb editing done on iMovie. Super high quality, only the best by MHSA..

Senior High Vid




Untitled from Shrafta major and Vimeo.

Junior High Camp Vid.

Check this out, it's the junior high vid.
Senior high will be here soon.
peep it...



Junior High Vid from Shrafta major and Vimeo.

A shfinkter says what??

The camp video's will be up super soon, sorry for the delay, camp has been hectic.
Timmy Oberg came down to shred camp this week, and we all had a great time. Check out this video part that he shares with Stu. It's from a video called Hot Whips from some Fort McMurray homies......shred off.


Untitled from Shrafta major and Vimeo.

New Camera

So...all of us usually film with our trusty old VX2000, VX1000, and sometimes even the VX2100. But all that is about to change. For the serious filmers out there, you need to check out the new Panasonic HVX200, which seems to be changing the way skating is filmed. Check out this montage filmed only with this cam, and then save up 6 grand and buy one. For more info check out THIS

See More Skateboarding Videos at VitalSkate.com

WORST VIDEO EVER

check out this clip that J Swa made. We'll be filming next week at senior high camp, so check back for some good stuff. As you can tell, we're still learning how to use a camera.
Ratcherous!!!!



The bestest from Shrafta major and Vimeo.

ENR PARK PHOTOS

We've been doing some work out at Eagles Nest Ranch. The guys are working hard pouring concrete everyday, and teh snake run is coming together so good. It should be done in September, so we'll keep you updated on that.
Senior high camp is next week, the dates are August 12th-17th, give me a shout at stu@enr.ca if you need more info this.
Ben Loates is at camp today, so we're gonna go have a shred sesh. Check back soon to see the vid!

More Comp Photos.

Grip it and Rip It

John K. 1st place Advanced. $1500

Beau Larson, 2nd place Advanced, $750


Devin Morrison, 3rd Place Advanced. $500.

Skate Video Premiere

Me and Adam have been working hard at the camp pouring concrete, we should have some of the snake run done soon, and we also made some legit ledges that people will be stoked on. I'll update some photos asap, and we're still waiting on the skate comp photos.
Zev from C1rca sent me a poster of a Red Bull event that is happening in Calgz nest weekend, make sure to check it out!!

NEW UPDATE!!!!

It's been a long time since we have done any new updates. The comp went off pretty dang good, and as soon as we get some photos i'll so a full update. For now, check out this vid that my buddy James Barry made of Go Skateboard Day in Calgary. Looks like they had a pretty rad day!

OLIVE RAD FACTORY TOUR!!!!!!

These guys will be coming to town for the comp on Sun. Olive is an amazing team, run by skateboarders, for skateboarders. It's gonna be a doozie!

Comp is coming up

The comp is coming up this Sunday, and we're hyped. $1500 for first place!. Come check it out

We went down to Venice Beach one day, and we met this dude. Pretty much the coolest guy ever.

Nose Shafta

SKATE CONTEST!!!!!!!!!

As many of you know, July 1st means the annual " Grip it and Rip it" Skate Comp at the Kin Koulee park. Here's the poster for you. This year is going to be HYPE!!! With $1500 bucks being given away for first, i can't wait to see what gets thrown down. Be there, it's gonna be a good one.

Kickflip in the crowd

Check out Timmy stomping the kickflip down the 12. Tim didn't skate at all that day, but when he saw the rest of us seshing the set, he decided to throw down. Count the lurkers in the photo!

SEQUENCE SHOTS!

I told you a little while ago that we were going to start throwing some sequence shots up here and here is our first one. We have KASEY throwing the crooked grind down the 12 stair at the Castledowns park in Edmonton a couple weekends ago. Check back tomorrow for a new one.

Viva La Mexico!!

Over the Christmas holidays, we shredded a 30 hour bus ride to go build some homes for homeless families. Between building homes, and shafting Disneyland, we managed to throw some skating in there. Peep it!







Mexico Shred Vid from Shrafta major on Vimeo

Incline Wall rides

When we went to Sylvan Lake the other week, Shaun from Incline Skate Park graciously opened up his doors and let us have a sesh. If your ever in the Sylvan/Red Deer area, go check this place out. Check of the guys SHREDDING OVER THE WINDOW.

SYKE!

Joel shows us the proper way to do a nollie flip.....almost! If only he would have waited half a second longer to catch it, it could have went down in the history books as one of the nicest ones ever. Keep your head up Joel, next time.







joel almost nollie flip from Shrafta major on Vimeo

Wednesday Cen Sesh!

Blaine brought his camera out on Wednesday on filmed some shnaz. We have Josh P, Stu and Marsh throwing some tricks down. Check the stomp on Marsh's heelflip, bam! Josh P also catches a kickflip like nobodies business. If you have any footy or photos you want to put on the site give me a shout at stu@enr.ca






A Day At Central from skateruptown on Vimeo

Kids at Skateparks

No matter what park you go to, your gonna run into some little groms. As much as we all hate it, sometimes we have to rememeber that we were once that age. Heres two examples of little kids at the park. Here we have Curt helping this little guy after he smashed his face on an unexpected drop, and J.P, scaring some kids out of his way.

Weekend Footy

Sylvan/YC shred from Shrafta major on Vimeo

Curt kick-hard line

Curt Windover from skateruptown on Vimeo

YC Weekend

We just got home last night at about one o'clock from an amazing weekend at YC in Edmonton. We went and checked the scene, rocked out to some amazing bands, and had a couple days of great skating. J Frey took some sick sequence shots, so once we figure out how to get those up here we'll show you some stuff that got thrown down. Look for a little montage of the weekend up soon. For now enjoy the photo of Tito smashing his head after breaking his board on a 12 stair airwalk.

Curt floating a hardflip last try

Check out Curt's hardflip!








Curt Hardflip from Shrafta major on Vimeo

Peep Timmy stomping the nollie flip while it's raining cats and dogs






Tim nollie flip on a rainy day from Shrafta major on Vimeo

harsh rain sesh

Somedays when it's raining Tim gets out his fingerboard and gets the job done.

ste bee dee

Stephane is 16 years old today. This kid is one of the funniest kids alive, almost as funny as he is annoying. SHAPAP!

more weekend photos

Tito shredding an air walk first try sucka!



Marsh floating a kicky flip over the Red Deer set

Sylvan Shred

Word Peeps. Im certain if you are reading this you are curious as to what "sylvan shred" really means. This past weekend 15 of the skate boys travelled up to sylvan lake for a gnarly time. On sunday we arrived at about noon and started off our trip by volunteering at a free BBQ, people gave donations and we were able to raise over $600 towards sending kids from sylvan lake to Eagles Nest Ranch this summer. Aside from helping with the BBQ we ripped around on the lake in Glens super mega speed boat(thanks Glen), and shredded 3 skateparks, including the incline indoor park in sylvan lake, the vertical edge indoor in red deer and red deers outdoor skatepark. while in red deer we stopped for a bit of street skating, here is stuart young taking home 28 bucks with a huge cave steezed back board no prob.