Etnies, Foundation, Silver Trucks, Pig Wheels, Quiksilver, Nixon, Skatepark of Tampa, The Skateboard Mag and Shred or Die have all teamed up to hold the Gear 4 A Year contest, where you can win a year's worth of stuff from six of the brands, an automatic entry AND flight to Tampa Am, and a photo in the Skateboard Mag! Second and third place both get piles of gear from all nine brands.

To enter, you submit your own two minute "sponsor me" video at shredordie.com. This seems like a sweet deal, and I know piles of you guys already HAVE sponsor me videos ready!

The Ollie is one of the first tricks most skaters try and learn. And, ironically, it can be one of the toughest.

A skater once posted in our skate forum (which has been attacked with spam, and I'll be cleaning out soon! Sorry for the mess guys!) that he was frustrated with how long it was taking him to learn to ollie. He had been trying for a week or two. And another skater, who's been helping out new skaters here for a while, confessed that it took him over a year to learn to ollie. Then another skater posted that he never did learn, and he's given up on it...

Don't give up! I know it can be frustrating when you see your buddy learn to ollie the first day he hops on a board ... but take your time! You'll get it. Ask for help, change things up, watch this video, and commit to it and the ollie should come to you. You can also share your story and read other peoples on the new User Answers page, "How did you learn to ollie?"

I'm curious though - how long did it take you to learn to ollie? Answer this poll:

Helmets are a strangely touchy, loaded topic in skateboarding! For some people, it's just a simple personal choice. But for other people, it's a crusade to get every skater to wear one, or a crusade to fight the authorities who are trying to force helmets on us all. See how it can get crazy so fast?

But the question still comes up, and I get a lot of e-mails about it - should skaters wear helmets? Now, I shy away from questions like that ... I don't like to tell people they should do one thing or another. But with helmets, I don't mind pushing a little. In my opinion, they are a good idea! Read the new skate FAQ "Do I Need to Wear a Skateboard Helmet?" for more info. It's got a couple of horror stories.

I've also got a new place for you to share your own stories for how helmets have saved your brain - read Readers Respond: How Has a Helmet Saved Your Life, or Close To It? Be the first to share your story, or check out what other people say!

And while we're on the topic, check out the Best Skateboard Helmets list!

Yatz Spray Wax is a handy little aerosol can that you can use to spray wax on. It's a brilliant idea, easy to use, and a huge improvement over blocks of wax.

It's a GREAT idea - you should check it out. This stuff works very well. Take a look at the Yatz Spray Wax Review for more info!