Laguna Beach's City Council passed several skateboarding regulations yesterday, closing 8 sections of steep downhill road to skaters, and limiting skaters to going no more than 25 mph anywhere in the city. According the the OC Register, these laws were created to keep kids safe. "A resident on hilly Morningside Drive first brought the issue to the city's attention, raising concerns about growing numbers of downhill skateboarders and the potential for accidents and liability."

I think that last word is the key. LIABILITY. That means money. Many Californians are scared that if a skater gets hurt on thier property, they'll get sued. I can't find words to express how much this frustrates me.

Michael Brooke of Concrete Wave said to the New York Times, "There are so many people joining the sport every day, I think if they ban it and turn it into an outlaw thing, it will probably add to the sport's appeal." Ha! I like that. Brooke put together a survey to help people understand this issue more - if you longboard, check out the survey. It's a one-question survey, and if you answer by April 9th, you can win a complete Honey longboard (with trucks and wheels and everything!).

What do you think about this law? Leave your comment below!

A concerned mom writes, "My son just recently sustained a knee injury while snowboarding. It is still in the healing stage (he's on crutches). He's spending a week this summer at Woodward Skate Camp and I'm sure he'll be trying some advanced stuff and he'll certainly be putting more hours in than usual! I want to make sure he's wearing the best/most protective knee pads as possible. Are ProTec the best, and which ones should I get?"

Personally, I love ProTec and TSG (check out my Top Skate Pads list). There are other good brands out there, but those are my favorites. The confusion with ProTec comes when you aren't sure WHICH pad to get - they sell four! It all depends on what kind of skateboarding you do most. For mostly street skating, you want "Street" pads, though you only really need them if you want the exra confidence boost, or if you have an injury you are protecting. For vert, you'll NEED "Drop-In" pads (you need pads for skating vert). For skatepark riding, the "Park" pads are a balance between street and vert pads. Finally, they make "Double Down" pads, which are thinner and designed to be worn under your clothing. Think of them as stealth pads.

Aside from skating vert, the choice of whether or not to wear knee pads is up to you. Personally, I think they're great if you want the confidence boost or if you have a bum knee, but otherwise, you don't need knee pads. I'd like to see what other skaters think, though, so here's a poll!

If you've got any thoughts to add, feel free to leave a comment below!

I just overhauled the Free Skateboards - Online Giveaways page, and added a bunch of new sites who are giving away some kind of skateboarding gear. For most of them, you have to sign up for their newsletters. One looks pretty sketchy, but the rest are from legitimate skateboarding companies, and they shouldn't do anything creepy with your e-mail address!

If you know of another place skaters can go to try and win some free skateboarding gear, post about it below!

Christian Skaters International Ministry is pulling together skaters from all over for a missions trip this summer to build an indoor skatepark in Guatemala city! The city mayor and city board have all voted in favor of donating a 6,000 square foot building for the park. Here's what they have to say about this opportunity:

"Are you interested in traveling around the world for a trip of a lifetime to bring board sports and the Truth to children living in poverty? Help us distribute boards, bring hope, participate in community building projects, and meet the general needs of individuals living in extreme poverty. We would like to invite you to join us... as we "Skate & Serve" internationally."

The trip costs a total of $850, which includes the flight, food, lodging, etc. The trip is set for June 6th to 13th.

Of course, this is going to be a trip to not just build the indoor park, but these people also plan to share Christianity with the kids. But, it looks to me like he main way they are planning to do that is through serving the community, and building a skatepark for children living in poverty! If that's something you want to be a part of, check out the CSIM Guatemala website for more info.

If you know of anything else like this, let me know or post it below! Whether it's conservative or liberal, or has a religious or environmental spin - if people are out helping kids and building skateparks for poor communities, I think that's something we should all get behind.