ASR and a local legend
The Action Sports Retailer (ASR) trade show is in town this weekend. The biggest trade show of its kind, ASR comes to the San Diego Convention Center twice a year, allowing vendors to showcase their latest gear, clothing, and accessories. It’s also a place for people who are into surfing, skating, snowboarding, motocross, wakeboarding and all the rest to get together and be stoked about the sports that keep the industry going.
This weekend’s lineup of events is pretty impressive. Of particular interest is the 30-foot Megaramp, upon which pro skaters will be doing insane things at terrifying heights, and the fashion show, which will display the latest trends coming out of London’s underground scene. There will even be some time for arts and crafts, as attendees learn to make their own skateboard deck, courtesy of createaskate.org.
But if you prefer to enjoy your action sports from the couch, there’s good news. This month, EA released Skate 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with Mission Beach’s Darren Navarette as one of the new characters. In this sequel to Skate, you can live vicariously through Navarette as he navigates the streets of New San Vanelona, a hybrid of San Francisco, Vancouver and Barcelona. The latest version of the game is full of new tricks and ways to customize your graphics for an even more authentic artificial experience.
Nicknamed the “Vertical Vampire,” Navarette moved to Mission Beach in 1994. He’s been featured in magazines like Thrasher, as well as countless skate videos and TV segments. If you don’t recognize his name, it’s probably because Navarette is more of an underground, or “hesh,” skater, who tends to stay out of the spotlight and doesn’t seem too interested in big contests like the X-Games.
Coincidentally, ASR is the place where Navarette got his big break back in the ’90s. In a recent interview with Juice Magazine, he spoke of his early days in California, saying, “I snuck into the tradeshow three days in a row. I met Russ Pope and he finally said, ‘Do you want to ride for us?’ I was like, ‘Done. Let’s go.’” Since then, Navarette has skated for several big-name sponsors like 151, Independent and Spitfire, and is currently running the recently resurrected Creature Skateboards.
So go check out ASR this weekend and maybe you’ll leave with a career as a pro athlete as well.
