Photo Session with Lucas Murphy

"I'd probably have to say my favorite subject to shoot is skating by far. To get a picture of them flying through the air, or an awesome stall is just something you can keep forever." ~ Lucas Murphy

Lucas Murphy, one of KTR's local skate rats, is only 13 years old and proving himself as a photographer already. Check out his photos below... you might be in there! An interview follows.

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Interview with Up and Coming Photographer- Lucas Murphy

KidsThatRip: Age and Hometown.
Lucas Murphy: 13 years old, Phoenix, AZ.

KTR: What got you into photography?
LM: Um I think it was my first Thrasher Magazine when I saw Beagle's shots of Baker, and they looked so amazing that I wanted to get into it.

KTR: What is your dream career in photography?
LM: My dream career would probably be to be a photographer/filmer for a pro team, and I'm tryin' to get there right now.

KTR: What's subject(s) do you like to shoot?
LM: I'd probably have to say my favorite subject to shoot is skating by far. To get a picture of them flying through the air, or an awesome stall is just something you can keep forever. Like Jett and Jagger when they become pro ill say, "Wow! I have pictures of Jett and Jagger Eaton when they were kids and training."

KTR: Where can people view your photos?
LM: Well, they can come to me to see them. Or, when I'm finished with my website- gnarbeanies.com - they can look there or ... by a beanie... or try and get sponsored by me if they want.

KTR: Are you looking into a college for photography?
LM: Sort of, my dream is to live in Chicago, so I really want to go to college somewhere in Chicago or near.

KTR: Give us one tip for shooting skateboarding.
LM: Ummm you always have to get the right angle and make the picture look its best.


* We always encourage creative talent here at KTR! If you want to share a video, pics, or story with the blog, e-mail: mmcdole3@aol.com

Jett and Jagger in Sports Illustrated 4 Kids

Sports Illustrated for Kids nominated Jett and Jagger Eaton as 2 of the Next Top 20 Athletes to watch! Congrats guys for making the May issue of 2009!

Johnson Elementary Skateboard Demo

School's out for Summer! May 21st was Johnson Elementary's big field day for their students before summer vacation. There was tug-o-war, slip and slide, sno-cones, watermelon, skateboarding; and the kids were soaking it all up in their bathing suits.

KTR provided the skateboard demo. Jeff Jewett brought out the ramps. Rad, Scott, Tyson, Armando, Augie, Jett, Jagger, and Alana all came with a bag o tricks... especially Scott.

I forgot how school crushes spread like wild fire. One girl says, "ooh- he's cute" and the rest at that moment awake to his good looks. This is how the demo went. Scott became a teen idol.



Top: Scott getting mobbed.
Above Right: Jagger sneaks in a kickflip off the box.
Above Left: Jewett reminisces days of school.
Left: Scott finds refuge in the air.
Right: Rad makes a proper entrance.



Left: Not made for the sidelines- Alana ollies the gap.

On that note, I was standing on the sidelines, and the little girls from Johnson Elementary thought for sure I knew Scott's address. I told them I was sure I didn't have his address or phone number, but if they wait at the end of the quarter-pipe (where the KTR kids were airing out), Scott might fall and they could nab him then....

... fortunately they realized that was more of a hazard than it was worth.

Right: Jett and Augie find refuge
Left: Jett blasts over for the Penske gap.


Below: Geoff Eaton and Devaughnn Smith help put the day to rest.

Concrete Rodeo_ KTR takes the Cake at Sedona

CONCTRETE RODEO- SEDONA STOP RECAP/ RESULTS

First of all let me say that the KTR kids know how to win a contest! May 14th was the Sedona stop for Concrete Rodeo's contest series. In the end KTR took 5 first places! The Sedona Park location is hard to beat, as it is surrounded by gorgeous red rock mountains.

Above: Augie taking a break from the heat.
Above left: With eagle wings, Jagger 180s off the ledge
Left: Aaron Goure buttering up the rail in practice

We took off around 9am from the KTR compound in Mesa, AZ. Aaron Gore's dad, Kurt, was kind enough to drive the kids up in style. When we pulled up in the fancy RV, faces went down, and 11 competitors piled out... obviuosly lowering the odds of winning just a bit for the rest. We arrived around noon. Despite the fact that the contest started at 4pm on a Thursday, school day, close to 40 kids registered for the contest.

Highlights of the day: Alana's manual across the volcano; Erma brothers- Augie and Armando- going head to head; Jett's McTwist at the buzzer, Aaron's flawless first run; Daniel tieing for 1st in the joust, but coming up short in the best trick to bump him to second for the joust (apparently this was the same song second verse as last year)- next year Daniel! Oh, and the boy who randomly ended up doing a roof gap- ollieing off the roof, over a fence, onto the street.

Results (age group is just your age, the joust is everyone together, and overall are these two scores combined)

right below: Alana Smith (1st, age 3-8; 1st overall)
left below: Tyson Joseph-Stevens rolls up for the drop off.

below: Augie Lerma boardslides (don't get comfortable, you're younger brother is taking notes:)

Jagger Eaton- (1st, age 3-8; 3rd in joust; 3rd overall!)
Trey Wood (2nd, age 3-8; 19th overall)

Tyson Joseph-Stevens (4th, age 3-8; 21st overall)
Armando Lerma (5th, age 3-8; 26th overall)

Jett Eaton (1st, age 9-10; 18th overall)
Augie Lerma (2nd, age 9-10; 11th overall)

Daniel Kasitch (2nd, age 11-12; 2nd in joust; and 1st overall!)
Scott Foster (4th age 11-12; 14th overall)

Aaron Goure- (1st, age 13-14; 10th overall)
Zach Saager- (3rd, age 11-12; 20th overall)

left: Zach Saager finds some over vert


For more details on the concrete rodeo schedule, click here