Ryan Decenzo: April 2009 Archives

Red Bull: What's going on man?
Ryan Decenzo: Nada, just chilling.

RB: Just hanging out?
RD: Yeah with some homies from Montreal.

RB: Where you staying at?
RD: Uhhh, my girlfriends.

RB: Oh, so your out in Montreal
RD: Yeah, its a nice day, but it sucks, cause I'm cooped up because of my foot hurting.

RB: Your broke off a little bit?
RD: Uhh, yeah, I just got back from the Philippines, and there was a lot of skating involved, and a lot of skateboarding before.

RB: You went there for what?
RD: For a dwindle thing.

RB: No way!
RD: Yeah it was super sick.

RB: You guys did a Philippines dwindle thing, thats amazing.
RD: Yeah, I just got called upon it last minute, and I was like "Yup, alright, lets go"

RB: Hahah, "I'm on it, lets go" (in a deep authoritative voice)
RD: ANd yeah, I dunno it was sick. It was me and Haslam, and Seu and Cooper, it was a sick crew. and Cairo too! It was rad.

RB: Ohhh yeah!!!
RD: It was cool. I got called cause Machnau. got in a car accident, in van.

RB: WHAATT? Is he OK!?
RD: Yeah he is alright, at least I am pretty sure.

RB: We should call him to see to see if he is OK.
RD: I already talked to him, he's OK.

The final day of our travels, we attempted to try and get something going for the last and final day. Started off tho at this wonder place named Dukes, who was one of the first surfers in Hawaii, and now owns a chain of restaurants not only in Hawaii but across the US. We ate and were merry, things were looking up. Sun was out and we jumped in the car to get things going. First spot BOOM! Rain pouring down, no luck, no love nothing.

At this point, I am feeling a bit sad. Hawaii's weather is very fickle, and I don't know my thoughts on it fully. When I first arrived, I thought it was gonna be like in the movies, where Hawaii girls came up to you in the airport and offered you a lei, maybe more. My imagination was filled with hours and hours of beach times, beer time, all while wearing boardshorts and having a flock of woman behind me. (ok that last part was a little overboard..) It was obviously not this way.

But the day had just dusked, and tho the night had just begun. The Wing Girls had some hookups with a Bad Brains concert at what looked like the only venue in all of Hawaii (I say that because I believe everyone from Oahu was in inside). As we kept the week consistent with more drinking, we enjoyed entertainment from Bad Brains. Not a bad way to finish off the night and tour.

Waking up late from a snoring overly drunk guy in the next bed (ahem Nuts), we all left to the airport. As we dropped everyone off at the airport, "Good bye everyone, hope you have a great flight, travel safe" I would say. "Lets do this again!" I would chant.

Cleverly as I watched everyone on the tour take off to their respective cities, my eyes shifted to another plane land and watched my lady friend whom I imported from Los Angeles walk directly off the plane and into my arms.

As you can already guess, I extended my flight, to have a little vacation of my own. My official vacation. You wanna know what's funny? It was sunny the entire time she was here and we sat on the beach with beers for hours and hours. Ahhh the irony.

Also if you haven't already ready DAY 1 / The Tour Explodes or DAY 2 / Paradise in Paradise or DAY 3 / Seriously we didnt do anything or DAY 4 / The North Shore Game

Sequentially, we continued our vacation errr.. I mean skate trip, with a visit to the radio station where Mr. Ron Deily was at the peak of his verbal game.

Your only really able to get the full effect when you watch the full on Hawaii Red Bull Video posted at the bottom and wait for the end. Quite hilarious, and maybe you just had to be there. We quickly exited, because it was partially sunny, and we needed to break out, and get this skate thing going going. These sunny days don't come around very often. Ron had a bumb wing as he rolled his ankle it about two days before, but Ryan Decenzo and Mr. Webb, still handled all the skating for the group and produced enough to make everyone including themselves happy. Nothing like a good day of skating, oh not to mention it was cooking, sunny and hot! The boys from the freezing East Coast were loving life, and texting everyone they knew back there with quotes like "Damn, its great in shorts and no shirt" or "Were drinking Margaritas on the beach" It makes me smile.

Nothing makes a trip more fun'er then rubbing it in the friends face who aren't there.

After a great day of skating, we found out that the North Shore Red Bull House was available for keen visiting and we decided to pay them a visit. Now, I have never been to North Shore and especially during the Pipeline Classic which to be honest is solely a reference from that movie North Shore, so I dunno how true that contest name is.. but this party was wilding! With Wing Girls in toe, we discovered a place with unlimited booze, and woman scantly clad coming in and out of the house. What I noticed was at the blink of an eye, it would be packed with millions of guys, girls, snap your fingers, turn your back, and they had all moved on to the next house (Oakley North Shore house) and your party was empty and non eventful. What was also a bit weird, was the surfer dudes would hang out all the time with their shirts off and barefeet, so it kinda made me feel like I was over-dressed or something. That was rather strange.

If you really think about it, we been in hawaii for about 4 going on 5 days. We never really even hit the beach, or touched the water. At least I haven't, since I arrived 1 day late. So off to the beach at midnight, drink in hand and sand in toes. Ahh this really is vacation!

Watch the entire video here:

Also if you haven't already ready DAY 1 / The Tour Explodes or DAY 2 / Paradise in Paradise or DAY 3 / Seriously we didnt do anything or the FINAL POST Held Hostage in Hawaii / Day 5 - Irony mixed with Bad Brains

So the following day, it was looking rather bleek for a day of skateboarding. Awesomely tho, we kept the movement going by ripping away at bowling. I wish I had my own ball, like Louie Barletta (his bowling balls is called "The Wolf") but, I made due with the stock rentals of both ball and shoes. I forgot who scored the best, but I wont tell you who scored the worst. A couple hours of that, and some time spent at the Wing Girl Paradise, we all headed out to the bar and met some surfers whom I didn't know were big time, until flipped through some magazines and saw their faces plastered on every ad. Time in Hawaii seems to be very lazy time, people kinda go about their business as they feel. Its very laid back, I rather enjoy it. Sorry about this post being soo short, but seriously, we didnt do anything.

But, actually I will throw in this photo from the first day.. cause its soo goshdarn awesome.

Check out the day 3 picks here.

Also if you haven't already ready DAY 1 / The Tour Explodes or DAY 2 / Paradise in Paradise

And stay tuned for DAY 4 / The North Shore Game

The next day was a bit of a pickle of a day. Now those who have never been to Hawaii, its quite rainy, and can rain at the drop of a dime, yet also dry just as fast as it rains. This throws a cog in any skateboarders plan. Imagine you are out and about, then pouring rain, so you go inside, it dries up, then you go back outside, then boom, rain again.. Very frustrating, really. Its like watching that movie Groundhogs Day, it just keeps repeating. But as my friend from Hawaii once told me, "Its in the middle of the ocean, the rain clouds will dump rain, and just pass right by." Pretty spot on.

We headed over to the collage for this impromptu demo, which consisted of just skating around the campus, getting kicked out, then skating through class rooms. Kinda different, but I believe it worked, I guess within 15 mins of us leaving their was already a post about our visit on the campus website. Then we skated the rest of the day at just local spots around the island, and of course finished off the night with some drinks and more drinks. Knowing that Steven Webb is only 19, not sure how he was able to get into every single bar, but he was there.. Right with us! I asked Steven about what he thought, "Man, I am just hyped to be on this trip." True that Steven, true that.

Are you familiar with girls who drive around in those Red Bull Coopers with the Red Bull Can on the back, and pass out drinks at events and parties? Those are called Wing Girls and we have a crew in every city in every country.

The best part, is we stayed at the Hawaiian Red Bull Wing Girls house, which was fully stocked with beers, Red Bull's and a huge freezer of frozen pizza and the wing girls right up stairs. Plus the Red Bull Wing Girls went out for nights on the town (considering they knew everyone and every party) brought their girlfriends and we just joined along. Quite nice really, all the work was done for us. No calling out to girls, no going out to get beers, I would say that it made our rainy days, not so gloomy and rather pleasant. Props to those girls, THANK YOU! Simply, it was paradise in paradise!

Click here to view Day 1 of Held Hostage in Hawaii
Click here to view Day 3 of Held Hostage in Hawaii

View photos from Day 2:

Watch the entire video here:

Ok I have done this tour write up before, but obviously it still does apply. I mean seriously, who gets to go to Hawaii for work? Everyone would reply the same when I told them I was going to Hawaii for a week for a Red Bull Trip and it was work, "Oh crap dude, must be rough" in the most sarcastic voice ever. OK, yes, my job is to document the skateboarders at the locations they decide to skate at, but its not my fault or choice that it was Hawaii! I mean, I just got lucky, I guess.

Even though it was Hawaii, I was just home from another trip a couple days before, so I stayed home and flew in a day later after the trip had already started. Its actually be kinda cool to fly in a day later, cause the trip is really well on its way. The only setback is you miss the general excitement of the crew when we arrive in a new city, but it's OK, I'll survive.

Picked up and thrown into a van. All my gear in hand, we first head over to this ditch which is a crazy hassle to get to, but once there, it was this little paradise in its own. Then you throw three of the Red Bull Amateurs in the mix and tricks are going down!

The crew consisted of the following skaters. First off, Ryan Decenzo not be be mistaken for younger brother Scott Decenzo, yet they are both Canadian and equally destructive to spots. I've known Ryan since a wee-buck in Vancouver and have watched him grow on the wood with 4 wheels, things have not changed since back then. Only difference is he has a girlfriend now, drinks beers and actually cares about things outside of skateboarding, but to be honest, not much else. He is what we call in the skateboarding world "A Machine."

Secondly was new jack Steven Webb a newbie from the Inland Empire in California, and new to the Red Bull Team. I didn't know much about him, but what I have discovered is he is quite the awesome dude, mellow and just down to skate, hang, chill, party, everything. We could call him the "Quiet dude in the van."

Lastly was Ron Deily, who rides from the great state of New Jersey. A product of his environment, he was a classic dude, down for good times, and rolling with the flow. This was the second or third trip with Ron and he is just plain good energy. He even rolled his ankle on the 3 or 4th day of the trip and didn't really feel very sad about it, I think he just commented "Yeah, my ankles are like rubber, they bends now but it will come back in a bit" So he was a unofficial host for tour video, and our comedy act. Achcceeaaaa.. (in my best Ron voice)

So back to our Paradise cove. We arrive to this skatespot with jungle disguise and found out on the other side of this tunnel was a ripping man made concrete park, just ready for the ripping. We built a track on the jungle floor, great roll-up for this weird bank to quarter, I mean you can watch the video. That will describe it all, obviously.
Along the lines of photo media, we had Sean Peterson, whom I have known for a while, but haven't traveled with. His nickname is Nuts.. Now I know why.. He is quite all over the place, but in a good way, then when the booze kicks in, he is all over the place but in a extremely absurd way. Good times and he is a great guy to be shooting your photos. Also had our trusty Rb Umali, who is always documenting and one of the best videographers in the biz, who actually produced the video you see before you.

We are shown around ended up at some out rail, which of course Decenzo ripped to shreds. Progressively moved onward to the typical spot right on the beach, that many have been to for a bit of sunset watching and just plain cruising. The real perk of the night was the sushi at the end, which sat in my stomach quite nicely and quickly washed down by a cold suds. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy a sunset thats really not seen in Vancouver, California or especially New Jersey. I think I heard Ron say "Yeeeeaaashhhchh"