The average skill level of skateboarders nowadays is the equivalent of a seasoned professional just a decade and a half ago. There are too many ABD’s or “Already Been Dones” in videos and skateboarding as a whole is in another realm. The 17 year old pros are killing it harder than the seasoned veterans in most cases and a lot of skateboarding has turned into a carcass tossing contest. So much that things have gotten a little to repetitive and it has become a lot harder to be impressed by anything.

A lot of times I feel some skateboarders are forced to skate certain things and if not that then they feel they “have” to skate certain obstacles. That’s when it gets to a point where people are either skateboarding for the wrong reasons or they are going to be so over it that they will just quit all together. Which I have seen happen all too often. It’s called getting BURNT OUT! People need to get back in touch with themselves and bring the fun back into it.

If you love skateboarding and want to make a career out of it, GREAT! But by all means don’t skateboard strictly because you want to end up with a TV show on MTV. Or because you’re entire goal is to one up every other local skateboarder in your hometown. Nobody likes the dude that tries to outdo everyone else or beat you to a trick. You know what I mean? You know you’ve seen him around. The guy who always tries to do “your” trick before you on purpose to show off or attempt to show you up to make himself look better and be the hero. Man don’t you just despise that?

Skateboarding in it’s entirety needs a tune up. A giant bucket of water to be poured over its entire entity to give itself a wake up call of why it all started to begin with. For the love, freedom, and feeling of riding your skateboard. A lot of people need to open their eyes and realize that.

We’re pretty stoked about this: We’re going to be interviewing Rob Dyrdek live over Twitter. We’ll be asking all the questions on Twitter and Rob will be answering the same way. For those of you familiar with Twitter, you know that messages are limited to 140 characters. This provides a unique challenge being that each question asked by us will be limited to 140 characters and all answers by Rob will also be limited to 140 characters.

To our knowledge, we’ll be the first ones to conduct an interview live over Twitter like this. At least we’ve never seen it done. If you have, let us know and we’ll retract that statement. We’re trying to be innovative and cutting edge and all that schnaz.

Here’s the thing though; we don’t want to be the only ones asking the questions. We want you to have some fun too and help ask some of the questions. And to make it even more interesting, DC has graciously offered to throw in a free pair of shoes to the person who comes up with the best question, which will chosen by Rob.

So submit your questions below in the comments and we’ll narrow it down and use them the best in the interview. Remember though, each question is limited to 140 characters, so if you submit one longer, we won’t be able to use it.

Update: The interview will be going down on Thursday, May 28th in the evening. We’ll give you the exact time at a later date. Monday is the last day to submit your questions for a chance to win the DC shoes. There is no limit on the amount of questions you can submit.

Make sure you follow both 5ones and Rob Dyrdek on Twitter so you can see this go down.

I’m always impressed at how many people they can fit into the Vans Skatepark in Orange, Ca for the Pro-tec pool contest every year.

Bucky Lasek finally took first place after a five year battle for the gold. He ALWAYS ripped at the pro-tec pool party so it’s almost a shock that this is his first time winning the title of Pro-tec pool champ. Of course who else would place 2nd and 3rd but none other than the past years champs Rune Glifberg and Omar Hassan.

Bucky Lasek left with a cool $25,000 in prize money this year and adds to his already growing stack of cash from skateboarding. The masters division was graced with another win by Chris Miller who I almost feel should just compete in the regular pro division with the other hot competition.

The women’s division was won by a new comer Julie Kindstrand, who by the way is only 16 years old. If you weren’t there , don’t worry because you can view the entire contest during a one hour special on Fuel TV’s Meet & Brotatoes show August 10th at 8:00 pm.

Another cool fact I would like to throw in is that unlike many of the obstacles professional compete on, you can actually skate the famous bowl at Vans Orange for yourself. It’s a cool way to really admire what these dudes are doing in the bowl once you see how hard it is to skate for yourself. Respect, for sure!

Blind has two parts up from their NEW skateboarding film properly titled “The Blind Video”.

A full length Morgan Smith and James Craig part? SWEET! For reals, both parts pumped me up for watching the rest of the video. If you want to check out the mini video preview all you have to do is sign up for a couple of newsletters. Well, it doesn’t tell you you’re doing that exactly but it’s pretty much what’s going down when you put your information in. A little slimy maybe? It’s worth it though, both Smith and Craig’s enders are amazing. And I could only imagine what the rest of the Blind team’s parts are like. I’m going with Ronnie Creager for most rewinded part, all the way. I swear every time I watch a part from him I find myself in awe gracing my eyes upon yet another trick I thought was impossible.

I enjoyed their last video “What If” and I am more than positive I will enjoy this one as well. Where is Carlos Ruiz though? Or more like what happened to him? I already knew he was absent from the team for a while but I don’t even see him on anyone else’s roster. Hit me up dude, I can get some companies to back you real quick. If anyone out there went to the premier in Costa Mesa please feel free to drop us info on who got last part!

Rob is at it again with yet another cool idea. He’s running screenings of his latest flick “Street Dreams” which is said to depict the most accurate portrayal of a skateboarder’s life.

Well, I would imagine he is meaning compared to everything else that’s been out there thus far. He will be touring with his celebrity cast of skateboarders and doing signings and demos along the way. There will be 23 stops throughout the United States starting in Huntington Beach, California.

The DC website is going to be HQ for the full details but they have yet to put any of the tour detail information up. I hope they choose to do a stop close by; I am fully interested in checking out this movie for myself. The final stop has been said to be in New York City on June 7th at the official DC store that they’ve got over there. The films theatrical release is on June 12th.

Now, I want to say it’s going to be in all theaters but I don’t think that would be quite accurate. It would be cool though, I mean if it’s as raw and true as they make it sound, it would be cool to see something not so cheesy for once. The only downside I could see to any of this would be that perhaps the acting in the movie will be quite horrible. Or who knows, maybe we are in for a surprise. Let’s see which one of the all star cast members is destined for some Jason Lee greatness.

The stops have been announced for the 2009 es game of Skate. All the stops from California to Florida are posted up on the site. Even the European stops are up and there are still more stops in the United States to be added through time.

When it comes to games of skate, none are more official than the es game of Skate. It’s the proving ground when it comes to the famous flat ground trick battle. The current world AM champion is Carlos Lastra who threw it down last year at the Maloof Money Cup.

There are tons of entrants that get in on this contest every year so be sure to bring your “A” game to the stop you compete at. Last year I entered the competition in Phoenix, Arizona. There were 274 contestants signed up all together, it was ridiculous. Just entering the contest was intimidating knowing there were that many competitors. Overall it was super fun to do and after each person that got through their first round received a sheet of free griptape and a t-shirt. Pretty awesome right? I had a blast last year and it helped that the competition was held at a pretty sweet skatepark to. I ended up getting 3rd place and left content and stoked at the many friends I had made that day and the overall experience I had competing.

It’s free to enter and only comes around once a year. See you there homies!

That’s right, even though there are 36 pre-destined riders signed up to compete in the Maloof Money Cup there is still a wild card contest going down for 12 extra riders. You have the option to choose who will be added to the all star list of skaters set to compete at the contest. The list of skaters to choose from includes…

Adam Dyet
AVE
Billy Marks
Bobby Worrest
Brandon Westgate
Cairo Foster
Caswell Berry
Danny Cerezini
Danny Falla
David Gonzales
Eli Reed
Gino Iannucci
James Craig
Jack Curtin
Jani Laitala
Julien Stranger
Kurtis Colamonico
Lizard King
Mark Gonzales
Mike Vallely
Mikey Taylor
Nick Trapasso
Pete Eldridge
Peter Smolik
Rodrigo TX
Shuriken Shannon
Slash- Brian Hansen
Spanky
Stevie Williams
Tony Trujillo
Torey Pudwill
Sean Sheffey

We got some legends thrown in there that would definitely be interesting to see up there competing in the comp. They might not be 1st place material for this type of contest anymore, but they would still be a lot of fun to watch. Adam Dyet was in the competition last year, I wonder why they didn’t give him an instant pass to the competition? I don’t think that dude needs to be put in the wild card race.

This list is sure to be somewhat inaccurate due to there being so many skateboarders out there who are shredding–but here are 10 of the past decade’s most mind blowing enders.

10. Brandon Turner, Switch Hardflip, Carlsbad Gap

This switch hardflip was so epic that even though it was slow motioned during the video and shown like three times in the edit, I still rewound the clip and had it play in double slow motion. Epic!

9. Gareth Stehr, 21 Stair Ollie

Sure, dudes have ollied stairs nearly as big. Even doing tricks down stairs nearly as big but when this final banger of an ollie went down it was talked about by everybody! That and it went so perfect with his song. The way he lands just gives you a feel for the height of the 20 stair drop as well.

8. Rodney Mullen, Kickflip Primo Slide, Heelflip Primo Slide to…

What would a top 10 ender list be without Mr. Rodney Mullen himself? This primo combo sparked up an entirely new crazy of something we couldn’t do. Seriously, kickflip primo slide to heelflip primo slide to whatever it was he did out. WOW! Rodney Mullen is on another level entirely. He has his own realm.

7. PJ Ladd’s Last Line in PLWHL

The video is named after him and for a damn good reason. I would forever engrave the name of PJ Ladd in my head after witnessing the skateboarding that went down in his part. His lines are ridiculously technical. And he looks at ease 24/7. His final line leaves you breathless and in awe.

6. Bastian Salabanzi, Fakie Flip

Bastian never quit skateboarding. He has been killing it always just not for the usual sponsors you know him for. This ender of his in the video “They Don’t Give a F**k About Us” is mind blowing. You need a major set of “cahones” to pull off a fakie flip like that.

5. Andrew Reynolds, Fakie Full Cab, Wilshire 15

The Boss came through like always. Fakie full cab down the Wilshire 15 all in a days work. It went so good with his part and only verified why he is “the boss”.

4. Daewon Song, 2nd to None Switch Frontside Heelflip Blunt

By all means watch this whole part, it’s shot all in the warehouse. Your jaw will drop as you watch him annihilate everything. His last trick could have cost him his life. Actually a lot of the tricks he did were done on probably some of the sketchiest obstacles imaginable. Don’t try any of that at home kids. Daewon locks onto blunts easier than anyone I have seen. He makes it look TOO easy. Watch the bench fall down after he pulls off the ender. SCARY!

3. Cody Mcentire, Nollie Big Heel, Carlsbad

Need we say more? Look at the catch and flick of his Nollie Big Heel. I have watched him skateboard in person and he is by far one of the most talented up and comers right now. Super underrated, this guy should be the one with his own MTV show making millions.

2. Chris Cole, 360 Flip, Wallenberg

The Wallenberg stairs have seen their fair share of tricks thrown off upon them. To this day Chris Cole’s 360 flip stands as only a handful of tricks accomplished down the huge four. It’s almost scary to think what will be thrust upon the stair set next. And showing Chris Cole try and try the 360 flip again and again at the end of his part only made it better. There is nothing like working for your trick. It just makes it feel that much better when you finally pull it off.

1. Dave Bachinsky, El Toro Kickflip

The reason I feel this trick gets number 1 is the fact that El Toro’s Popularity has grown to blown out proportions. People that don’t even skate know about the 20 stair. A kickflip down it is absolutely mind blowing. And not to label Dave Bachinsky as a one trick wonder, but whether he likes it or not he is going to be remembered for this single trick alone. He is a highly skilled skateboarder who is a well diverse all around rider. But his kickflip down the massive set really sealed the deal for him. And is forever stapled onto his identity.

Time to throw in your votes for YOUR skateboarder of the year. Last year Guy Mariano easily took the award plus a few other trophies. This year will definitely go to someone else; who it will be is still a mystery.

Could it be Heath Kirchart with his ever amazing ending part in Alien Workshops Mind Field video? Or possibly Greg Lutzka who threw down a 3 peat at Tampa Pro. Lizard King got tons of coverage this year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a reader’s choice. Chaz Ortiz pulled off one of the biggest sponsorship deals in the history of skateboarding by acquiring Gatorade to his list of backers. That and he managed to win a contest against the usual Dew Tour suspects. Could it even go to an unsung hero?

The out come is in your hands. Actually, why not just pick someone random who hasn’t gotten much coverage and give him some glory. That would be awesome. Ronnie Creager wasn’t really too much in the limelight this past year but I guarantee his new Blind video part will be a reminder to all that he’s a technical wizard. That and I feel like already giving him an award just for being himself. I don’t even need to see his video part yet to know it’s going to be good.

Man its going to be a tough reader’s choice selection this year.

You heard correct! Battle at the Berrics is going down already! It’s crazy because you would think it would’ve become an annual thing for sure. Instead, we got a second competition within what seems like only a month.

What I love most about this is the fact that there’s basically almost an entirely new line up in this one and YOU get to choose who will be competing in the new competition. Only 32 of the long list of names will be graced with a position in the almighty bracket. There are some incredibly surprising names listed in the new batch. Mark Gonzalez, Guy Mariano, Jamie Thomas, Geoff Rowley, and Daewon Song. I haven’t even begun to even touch the surface of the pool of superstars up for election.

Seriously, can we all vote in Daewon Song? I would love to see him play in a game of skate. I’ve never see him do ANY contests. Plus, he is by far a favorite for me personally. Jimmy Carlin will probably make the list and KILL it at that. The dude is a veteran when it comes to the game of skate. Expect to see him in the finals for damn sure.

To be quite honest, I am more excited to see this second Battle of the Berrics go down. Who will win it? If I am not mistaken they will do a prediction poll again on the Berrics. I’m backing Daewon or Jimmy on this one. Who do you think will win it?