Skateboarding Turns My Left Brain Right

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By Rob Meronek

They say you use your left brain for stuff like numbers and logic and your right brain for artsy type stuff. As you can see in this illustration someone did, apparently the right brain enjoys life making movies, flying kites, taking long walks in the park, and having sex in the Garden of Eden. I always pictured the right side of your brain as the side that makes you cut yourself and get all emo then write a MySpace blog about it. I'm more of the lefty type, but I try hard to be both. I think the creativity needed for skateboarding is solely responsible for pulling me from the cube farm on the left to the chill side on the right.

Below continues yesterday's left brain nerd out numbers analysis of how old people are that buy shoes and decks. Although I can't give you the actual quantities sold, I did sort the reports descending by total units sold. Mixed in with these boring ass stats are some photos I've been shooting lately in an attempt to reach that Garden of Eden on the right side.

Let's start with the average age of kids buying jeans. Nothing too surprising here, but check Flip. Them thirteenie boppers buying up all the Flip decks are brand loyal and pick up the jeans, too. Those Flip jeans are from way back in 2003. Maybe it's time for Flip to make jeans again? Plan B is making shoes. Why not? I know why not. It's not healthy for the sketchy skateboard industry when brands make stuff in every category. Quality sucks, you confuse your customers, brand loyalty takes a poop, etc. That's a whole separate article, though.

2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying JEANS
Company	Average Age
KR3W (Krew)	15
Volcom	17
Matix	18
Emerica	16
Altamont	18
Four Star	18
Sessions	18
eS Footwear	18
Planet Earth	17
Fallen	14
Elwood	18
Zoo York	17
Ipath Footwear	16
Element	15
TSA Brand	15
Habitat	19
Independent	17
Spitfire	16
Alien Workshop	17
DC Shoe Co.	17
Vans	16
Satori	19
Split	15
Zero	16
Flip	13
Etnies Footwear	15

Here's a pretty picture I took with what little I have of right brain. This is Bayshore Boulevard that runs through a strip of the nicest homes in South Tampa along the water and into downtown that you see on the right. Those bleachers are there for this weekend's Gasparilla Festival. For the last several years, I've been out of town for this grand partying event and fantastic excuse to get hammered while the sun's still out. Finally I'm in town and turns out we have a frontside grind fest on that day here at the Park. I have to shoot photos. Oh well, maybe next year. Good thing I have some right brain. Next we have a look at people buying button up and knit type shirts, watches, and trucks. The thirteenie boppers are definitely not into the nice shirts. I would have thought they would be buying up all the Tensors, but looks like Grind King is the truck of choice for dealing with puberty. As far as Ruckus being the top average age, I'm guessing some old dudes who quit skating got back into it after a decade or so and those trucks looked the coolest to them, which skewed the average. Apparently, when you turn legal, you buy watches, not before.

2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying Trucks Company Average Age Independent 17 Venture 15 Thunder 15 Royal 15 Krux 14 Destructo 14 Tensor 14 Silver 14 Grind King 13 Ace Trucks 17 Ruckus 22 Fury 16 Force Trucks 14 Unit 16 Kreper 13 Orion 13 Destroyer 14

2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying Button Ups / Knit Shirts Company Average Age Matix 19 KR3W (Krew) 18 Emerica 17 Altamont 19 Planet Earth 18 Independent 19 Volcom 18 Vans 19 Zoo York 19 Nike SB 19 Four Star 20 Spitfire 15 Ipath Footwear 18 2001 to 2008 Average Age of Customers Buying Watches Company Average Age Nixon 20 Vestal 18

While I was out shooting photos on Bayshore, the Gasparilla ship in the bay was doing fireworks testing for the festival I'm not going to.

Maybe I should use my brain less and my skateboard more? Here's Brian Schaefer at the Jorge Michael Ramp. I'll leave you with a breakdown of the average age of people buying DVD's each year for the last few years. After this, we all should really go play with our skateboards.

Why were so much fewer DVD's sold in recent years? Maybe it's time to analyze that. More nerdness coming up soon.

2008 Company Average Age Thrasher Magazine 18 Transworld Magazine 18 Lakai 20 Prospects Productions 17 Fallen 19 Deathwish 18 Joe Perrin 20	2007 Company Average Age Lakai 19 411 Video Productions 17 Element 18 Prospects Productions 25 Nike SB 18 Volcom 18 Thrasher Magazine 23 Transworld Magazine 17 Foundation 19 Toy Machine 17 Habitat 26 Girl 22 Almost 17 Mystery 19 Listen Skateboards 22
2006 Company Average Age 411 Video Productions 22 Skatepark of Tampa 27 Baker 18 enjoi 24 Black Label 25 Thrasher Magazine 27 Transworld Magazine 19 Toy Machine 20 Habitat 18 Four Star 22 Krooked 22 Kayo 18	2005 Company Average Age DC Shoe Co. 18 411 Video Productions 19 Element 18 Skatepark of Tampa 19 Baker 17 Blind 21 Flip 21 Mike Svenson 18 DVS Footwear 19 Volcom 18 Real 20 Thrasher Magazine 23 Zero 17 Transworld Magazine 20 Foundation 18 Toy Machine 17 Habitat 16 Almost 15 Filmbot 25 Forecast 20