Skate Blog Intern Blog

Wow…. week 4 is coming to an end already.   Guess time just flies by when you’re keeping busy. Well at least I’ve been trying to, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

So when I am hard at work, I have been spending A LOT of time with my eyes glued to the computer.  I’ve just been surfing the web looking for ways to spread the awesomeness of BambooSK8 to the world.  Public relations and marketing has definitely taken on a new style with online media and I’m learning a lot about what I do personally and expanding that into how to do it professionally.

I think Twitter is a great platform for sharing large lots of information, but it’s easy for a message to get lost in the chaos.  So in order to learn it all, I have been spending a lot of time on Twitter interacting with Followers and trying to be consistent.   The one thing I do truly love about Twitter is the wealth of information it is and it’s been a great help.  I have been looking for events BambooSK8 could participate in by network and educating about our boards.

I did struggle a lot this past week because I didn’t plan ahead and a mix of traveling to Kansas and bad weather created some problems for me.  Well, now I know I need to prepare better for the future and sometimes life just happens.  Can’t plan for everything, but planning ahead would have helped me to work around the problems in front of me.  Only thing I can say now is, this California Girl is glad to be home and my heart truly goes out to all the people in Missouri and Kansas who lost their homes in tornados this past weekend.

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” – Bernice Johnson Reagon

Week 4 of the internship is at an end, and time is going by ridiculously fast. My favorite part of the job is visiting skate parks. Not that it is much of a “job”; I would probably be seeking out spots and skating even if it wasn’t one of my intern duties. I never used to talk to as many people though. I used to do my own thing and only mix with my friends at the skate park. Now it is part of my job to strike up conversations with skaters and find out what they are looking for in a skate deck. The internship has pushed me to talk to as many other skaters as possible, and I am really enjoying the opportunity to meet tons of people. I was a little bit concerned that mixing work with skateboarding might take some of the fun out of my favorite hobby. I am happy to report that I am having more fun at the skate park than ever before.
I captured a little bit of footage of my brother at a couple of the skate parks I visited: Garvanza and Moorpark. This is my first time filming and editing a video, which is something I have wanted to try for about 10 years now. Just another area that the internship is pushing me to be the best I can be.

Hey everybody, things are going great over here at BambooSK8. We are working on releasing a video series every few weeks that should be epic, so look out for that over the coming weeks. Also we just started a new series of posts on Facebook: Monday Molasses-slow motion tricks filmed mostly in house, Tuesday Tunes- new, cool song or music videos that we find or have been promoting, Whack Wednesdays-funny videos of bails, Eco Thursday- New eco friendly products and how to’s on helping the environment while skateboarding, Frozen Fridays-Snowboard videos of BambooSK8 friends, and lastly Weird Weekends- Just random videos we think the public will enjoy. So check out our Facebook page for the latest and greatest. We are also going to be working with www.irideirecycle.com, a skateboard recycling company and http://www.artofboard.com/ an art house that uses broken decks for art.
Well have a great weekend, swell is up, go surf!

Hey guys!

Week 4 is coming to an end and so is my time here in Finland. It’s pretty rare that I wait Monday as much as I do right now. What makes this coming Monday so special is that I finally get to hop on a plane and head to Oceanside…man I’ve been waiting for this!

Already 4 weeks of this internship and things are rolling. I started to work on the European project last week and I wasn’t sure what to expect since I heard it hasn’t been an easy project for the previous classes. Well, shops in Europe have already shown serious interest in our short decks and long boards so I’m really getting stoked about this and I’ll keep working hard to spread the word about BambooSK8.  So all the European shredders out there, we are on the way!

I haven’t been able to work on my other projects so much yet but once I get there it’ll all change. It’ll be cool to finally meet all the other interns and BambooSK8 crew in person and get settled in Oceanside. But before I hop on the plane and start this adventure it’s time to get together with my best friends for the last time in a while and have a rockin’ time.

Wishing you all a great weekend…see ya!

Timo

Hi everyone,

A week has been passed since my last blog. Everything is going on pretty well! I set up my commitment for my internship with BambooSK8 under the help of my mentor and began to work on it. I think it is a good start for me. O(∩_∩)O

During the week, I focused myself on learning QuickBooks, an accounting software that is popularly used by small companies. I installed the software on my laptop and downloaded tutorial to facilitate my learning process. I think I am good at self study and I have made a great process after several days’ practice. I am working to familiar myself with both the software and the transactions of BambooSK8 so that I could be able to help Geoff with some accounting issues.

Besides my time for the internship, I began to study for the CPA exam which comes in August. My professor said a CPA license could double my salary; Geoff joked I love money $_$. Probably…But I really believe my study for the CPA exam will greatly enhance my professional knowledge and improve my skill as an accountant. Anyway, everything worth well deserves my efforts.

It seems that I could harvest both knowledge (with CPA) and practice (with BambooSK8) during the summer! How meaningful it is to me! ( ⊙ o ⊙ )

Have a good one!

Michelle

Hi guys,

I think the blog gives me a good opportunity to introduce myself and show my life! My name is Xiaohan Liu and people around me call me Michelle since it is a lot easier for them to remember and pronounce (^_^). I come from Beijing, China, and this is just my first year in the U.S. I am pursuing my Master’s degree in accounting in Michigan State University, the same university that our BambooSK8’s president Geoff got his B.S. in Chemistry. It is super lucky for me to come to the beautiful California and have my internship with BambooSK8 during the summer.

It is a fantastic experience to meet my peers and work together with them in our special office that Geoff designed for us. My first day is kind of busy but it does have a lot of fun. I enjoy the working atmosphere here and I feel satisfied every time when I get my job done. The philosophy I filled this week made me realize and think about my advantages and weakness as an intern/employee. I know there is a lot to do, and I will always try my best. I firmly believe that the special internship in BambooSK8 will provide me great opportunity to improve myself and make my new achievements! I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks and I just can’t wait to project my life for the special summer—my first summer in the U.S.!!!

Hope everyone enjoy your day!

Michelle



I enjoy the scenery here, quite different than that in Michigan O(∩_∩)O

Hey Everyone!!

Before I get to much into this let me introduce myself! I am Beth and I am part of the 10th intern class, although I do not skateboard, I have grown up in the action sports industry which includes wakeboarding and motocross. Although when I say motocross I really mean watching motocross and going out to the desert with my family and riding bikes and buggies!  You can generally find me at the lake/beach in the summer or a baseball stadium cause I am huge fan of baseball and in the winter playing in the sand out at the desert!

Our first week in the “intern cave” as they call it here at BambooSK8, it was rather detailed and full of information, the day/week flew by which makes me think this entire internship will fly by. I am quickly learning to plan out my time accordingly and not waste any time, because there is a lot to do! I look forward to the many adventures I have ahead along with my fellow interns and seeing a whole new side to the action sports industry. Life is about to take a huge turn around and I can’t wait to see what it holds for all of us at BambooSk8.

Until next time my friends! Have a Fantastic Weekend/Week!!

Beth

What’s up everyone!

This is the beginning of what seems to be a very exciting, educational and nerve racking experience! I hope to learn as much as possible about the business world; especially sports marketing!

Week one was crazy to say the least. Can you say, “Information Overload”? There was so much material to cover and recover; all very informative and important.

We met the new crew: Class 10. Everyone seems to be great so far. They will definitely help make this a fun 16 week adventure.

We even met a couple of BambooSK8 skaters! One word can describe them both: hilarious! We especially had some funny conversations with Jeff Wright like who can and cannot skate (me), what we do for money as this is an unpaid internship, why doesn’t Nate have better music, and the ultimate “to go to Vegas or not to go to Vegas”?

The day went by way to quickly; the entire week for that matter! The rest of the week was taken up reviewing the all-important intern bible and syllabus and preparing for week two. Yes, we have a syllabus! A very detailed and informative one for that matter!

Finally, a few of us ended the calendar week with our first event with BambooSK8 at the Lido Lake Skate Jam. We traveled down to Lakeside to help set up our table and ramps, sell some awesome BambooSK8 desks and gear, and watch some great skating.

There was a great turn out for the event and we were able to spread the word about quality, eco-friendly decks. There were even skate competitions, of which Nick Sauls represented by winning best trick!

Congratulations Nick!

I’m out until next time people!

Popularity Contest

The Next Generation

I got into this internship hoping to have some new experiences. I got what I bargained for by volunteering to help with the Lakeside Skatepark fundraiser.

I came to the office expecting to hitch a ride to the event. Instead I was asked to drive the company truck, and tow a “U-Haul” trailer bearing a quarter pipe and two launch ramps. I told Mark that I had never driven a trailer and asked if he had any tips. “Be careful” he told me. Thanks Mark. Following his advice, I avoided major damage, but definitely grinded a few curbs.

It was a fun event. People were very happy that we brought the ramps. We spent a nice sunny afternoon by the lake, got to show off some bamboo decks, and do a little bit of skating. I have always been a skate park enthusiast, but I have never been able to contribute to the building process. I sincerely hope that they build an awesome skatepark in Lakeside.

Team rider Nick Sauls wrapped up the day by doing a hardflip backside 5-0 to win best trick on the box. He also did a ghetto bird over the launch ramp gap. Most importantly, he knew how to load the ramps back in the trailer. I didn’t expect work ethic and responsibility from a 16 year old competitive skater, but he surprised me. We listened to the radio on the way back and a green day dookie song came on. I crunched some numbers and decided he was probably two years old when that album came out. I’m getting old…

The summer is supposed to have its fair share of events like this one, and I’m looking forward to more.

Allow myself……..to introduce myself. My name is Corey and I am proud to be a part of Bamboosk8′s internship class 10, I enjoy snowboarding, photography and video games. Although I’m pretty amateur when it comes to skateboarding I hope to use this opportunity to brush up on my skate skills.

So far a week has passed since the internship first kicked off and its been awesome! My fellow interns are all really cool and I hope to learn as much from them as I do from this internship with Bamboosk8. There is a lot of information to take in but I love action sports and I am excited to see what this internship has in store.

Stay Tuned!

Corey

Hey guys,

I guess this is a good time to introduce myself a bit. I’m Timo from Finland and I’m part of the class 10 of BambooSK8 internship. Started last week and it has been pretty intense while trying to stay caught up but once we get this rolling, it’ll be a blast. Fellow interns seems cool even though I haven’t really got to know them that well yet since I’m doing the first month from Finland.  So maybe a little bit information about myself and what am I doing here. I’ve been around action sports since I was a kid doing snowboarding, skateboarding, mountain biking and snowmobiling and at some point I felt it would be awesome to get to know the industry a little better from the inside. So when I got to know about this internship I thought this would be a great opportunity to find out what it’s like to work in action sports. Here I am finding it out. Really looking forward to getting to know all the people better and start my California adventure.

See you soon.

Timo

I’m keeping my tradition of being the last intern to blog every other week. (Probably because I like seeing my post at the top when visiting the page…Haha). This has been an amazing experience. I have nothing but great things to say about the people that I’ve had the privilege of working with over the past 4 months. I can’t thank Wyatt, Geoff, Mark, and AG enough for everything they’ve done to help me out. Time has really flown by and I’m very proud of what intern class 9 was able to accomplish. I was able to create some great relationships with the other interns and I hope that we can all stay in touch in the future.

skate hard. skate green.

Most importantly, stay gold.

And so this is the end. As many have said before, I can’t believe this things is already over. It seems like I just started. I’m sure I’m a better workers because of my experiences in the internship. I’m stoked that I got to meet and connect with so many amazing people, and I certainly hope to continue those relationships.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out, for staying positive, and for showing me the right way to do things. Piece, I’m out.