True
to the Roots with Slow Motion
At
its heart skate and surf culture is an expression of individuality
and freedom. It is a lifestyle rooted in a unique perception
of one's relationship with the environment based on a philosophy
of self-determination, creativity and self expression. What
begun with one as an expression of a unity with the natural
became with the other an expression of a mastery of the man-made.
However, for both, the essence has always been individual style
and personality...
For Sharma
Yawrenko, founder of Slow Motion Longboards, this philosophy
is her passion, a fact evident in the quality and originality
of her custom-made longboards. Not only is each deck 7-ply Canadian
maple steam pressed according to Sharma's own unique designs,
but also each is adorned with an original piece of artwork and
custom grip-taping. The result being that, true to the roots,
each board reflects the individuality and self-expression of
the rider.
History
The Slow Motion concept was born in 2004 when Sharma, as part
of her studies at the College of the Canadian Rockies, created
her first longboard. Following her desire to create quality
boards "built for true individuals" the first creations
were entirely hand crafted in Sharma's home in Golden, BC. Her
kitchen transformed into a workbench for cutting shapes and
her bath tub into a seven clamp soaking station that, through
much experimentation, developed a manufacturing process that
achieved her desired concave and kick. This process and the
materials used were designed to reflect the same 'true to the
roots' philosophy that Slow Motion, to this day, maintains in
order to "create a classic character in each hand-painted
deck". The result being a "unique beauty in each deck"
that Sharma justifiably notes is "a timely process, but
well worth the wait".
Over the
last 2 years Slow Motion has quickly evolved with four distinct
styles of decks being available. The decks themselves are now
steam pressed by a top-end skateboard manufacturer, thereby
allowing Sharma to focus her creative talents on painting, deck
design and further development of the Slow Motion concept and
its artistic style. Inspiration for this style is drawn from
classic surf and skate culture as well as graffiti, the sights
of her many travels and, of course, the desires of Slow Motion
customers. 2005 saw Sharma in Central America for four months
surfing and exploring its cultures and peoples. Her experiences
there are reflected in some of her more recent pieces.
Decks
and Hardware
The original, 'granddaddy' deck, the Tuco, named after Sharma's
boyfriend's dog, is a stiff surf-style board with a huge front
kick and mellow tail. Its 45"x11" dimensions and 25"
wheel base make it an extremely stable old school luxury cruiser.
The Mary Jane, a similarly shaped board styled for all around
riding, tapers dramatically at the tail to give it an appearance
similar to a perfectly rolled example of its namesake. Measuring
40"x 9.5" with a pronounced tail kick and up-turned
nose, the Mary Jane gives greater speed, manoeuvrability and
response to the more adventurous rider. The Mexicana, Slow Motion's
most popular deck, is that most closely modelled on a conventional
short skate. At 39" it is small and stiff enough for a
variety of tricks while still being sufficiently stable for
hill bombing and town cruising. Like all decks the Mexicana
can be further stiffened with the addition of an optional carbon
fibre core. My personal favourite, the Mullet, as one might
expect, is short at the front and long at the rear with sweet
cut- ins that make it perfect for an aggressive ride and street
performance.
All complete
boards come with 184mm Tracker Dark trucks, Biltin Abec 3 or
Tracker Abec 5's, any size Sector 9 wheels, Halo bearings and
Sector 9 riser pads. Once again though, all hardware is customisable.
Custom grip-taping
further adds to each board's unique style. Beyond the traditional
gun-metal grey, colours such as hot pink, forest green and camo
all are available to be laid according to any design.
The Future
Currently, Slow Motion is developing a new version of the Mexicana
aimed at creating an even more skate-style board. Indeed, Slow
Motion is more than just a longboard company. Its future aspirations
are to also produce custom short-skates and surf boards and
relationships are developing with Tractor Wakeskates and Class
5 Snowboards. This year a line of apparel has been released
that currently includes men's and women's t-shirts and hoodies
and will include shorts, hats, belts, swimwear and flip-flops.
True to the roots though, Sharma's greatest aspiration is to
also create surfboards of the same quality and uniqueness as
her long boards.
Ultimately,
Slow Motion is a vehicle for a philosophy and a means for Sharma
to express herself beyond canvas. It is an exploration of a
culture and a passion, an exploration kick-started by longboards.
Subsequently, Slow Motion actively supports events and causes
important to Sharma. Recently, Slow Motion was part sponsor
of 'Radgalz' at Big White, a freestyle snowboard competition
and fashion show. A Slow Motion board was put up for raffle
in support of breast cancer, a cause that a number of boards
have been auctioned in support of. Perhaps the most important
cause though, is that of the culture itself. In this regard,
Sharma is Secretary Treasurer of the Golden Skate Park, a facility
that her fundraising efforts helped to build. Every year Slow
Motion part-sponsors Wakefest in Kelowna, B.C. and keenly supports
talented and passionate riders.
This year
Sharma has been joined by Mitch Lupichuk, a fellow board sports
enthusiast with a belief in the Slow Motion concept. With this,
Slow Motion is ready to enter the next stage of its development
by introducing new artists and artistic styles, expanding the
apparel line and extending the love and the stoke geographically.
Written
by Richard Forward
Forward
Thought Project
forwardthoughtproject@yahoo.co.uk
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