When most people think of Vegas they think of the Strip, neon lights, gambling… the asshole of America. Is this an accurate picture? As a local, how do you relate to this picture?
The area that consists of Las Vegas is huge (the strip being a small fraction of the city), and this isn’t counting the surrounding cities of Henderson and Boulder City. It’s like a 50 square mile island surrounded by desert instead of water. There are a considerable amount of skate spots that have been found and even more uncharted territory to be conquered. So physically, I would say no…
As far as the caliber of people, I would say that “asshole of America” is a fairly accurate description. Fortunately, the niche of people that I am blessed to be involved with on a regular basis is very down to earth. Outside of that, I find it difficult to meet people here that don’t trip my douche bag alarm some way or another. My particular favorite is the mutated-westcoastern-guido breed that seems to be ever prevalent in these parts.
Being a local in the city that never sleeps has its advantages though. Since it’s a 24 hour city, we have no last call. Most bars don’t even close. It rarely rains, hence it being a desert. If out-of-towners visit, we have a wide variety of goofy attractions to offer (i.e. Bellagio water show, Helicopter rides to the Grand Canyon, Rooms with wall to wall trampolines.) It’s kind of bittersweet; I love and hate this place. […]
We skated with Tony Rivituso for a week in California and a few sessions in Las Vegas. - Dom West. Video on Youtube: PLAY.
Music: The Oscillation – Liquid Memoryman. Thanks Kato. Facebook Thread
Tony Rivituso - Interview on Remz.com (2009)
Whatup Tony, introduce yourself plz
My name is Tony Rivituso, I am 25 years old (26 in November!) and have been skating for 10+ years. I’ve been known to grom out on “insert bad-ass pro’s name here” now and then, and I’ll always respect what the legends have done for our sport. But it’s the homies that always inspire me to skate the hardest.
How is the Rolling scene in your beautiful city?
I live in Las Vegas right now with my two roommates Brett Walters and Jeremy Cloe. We’re the resident blade house so if you’re out here, hit us up! Vegas has a pretty healthy scene with a lot of younger dudes holding it down for the next generation. […]
Interview on Remz.com (saved on Archive.org).
Visiting Friends in the Bay Area in May 2009. Featuring: Brendan Tidd, Sylvain Chaussee, Kevin Yee & Sean Salazar.
Video on Vimeo: PLAY
Filmed and Edited by Greg Freeman. Additional footage from Luke Bender, Mykel Fatali, and Jeremy Spira.
Video on Vimeo: PLAY
Video made for Stabyourselfintheface.com (link down).
Photo: Jeremy Stephenson (Jero, 2008)
I have noticed that in blading there is a heavy imbalance between the amount of males and females. A female on blades is the exception; men seem to rule the sport in every aspect from shredding to company ownership to sheer numbers. I take this to be a supreme bum-rush. What are we doing wrong?
One time Frank Stoner and I had a conversation about this and I think he put it best. In sports like surfing, skiing, and snowboarding, there is a strong female following.
Granted they are still male dominated sports, but the ratio of male to females in those sports out weighs rollerblading. Anyways, those activities are more family oriented and I think that’s one reason the females are plentiful there and not in rollerblading. Families with little girls will go on a ski trip every winter, exposing that little girl to the snow, balancing her skis, witnessing demos, etc.
That type of exposure at a young age makes all the difference in the long run. But, the rollerblader girls get pretty spoiled for sure. […]
- Interview on Stabyourselfintheface.com: Link Down | Archive.org backup.
- Shock Video featured in the Interview: PLAY (Vimeo). Featuring Skatings, skits and fun clips.