building dreams.

www.unit-parktech.com

There can be no branches without root.

SUMMER is just about here and soon I shall be back on the water doing what I do. With summer, comes the ever so intense competition season. Now for those who know me, competitions are just not my thing. For one, I'm not good at them and two, the parties always seem to get the better of me. Nevertheless, I just wanted to talk a little about the contest circuit that runs through Ontario: The Roots Wakeboard and Wakeskate series. 

The Roots is entering its second season thanks to some very hard work put forth by a group of dedicated riders who want nothing more to grow and foster our beloved sport. Having gone through the competition circuit a few years back, I don't think I appreciated how crucial these contests are. Love them or hate them, they are a great venue to promote the sport, network yourself within the industry, meet some cool like-minded cats like yourself, and at the end of the day just party your face off. We, a.k.a the RTdub crew, will be there and so should you...

Boardsports Open
Saturday June 11th and Sunday June 12th 2011
Presented by Malibu and Gordon Bay Marine
Summerski Lake, Newmarket

Algonquin Outfitters Open
Saturday July 22nd and Sunday July 23rd 2011
Presented by Nautique and Pride of Muskoka
Huntsville, Ontario.

Sharpley Source for Sports Open
Saturday Aug. 20th and Sunday Aug. 21st 2011
Presented by Mastercraft and Buckeye Marine
Head Lake, Haliburton

surfing Gems.

Leave A Message Trailer from Nike 6.0 on Vimeo.
(thanks again Tynna!)

Spain + Girls + Longboards = yes.

Longboard Girls Crew from Juan Rayos on Vimeo.

Stay Lucky!

yan remote trip from yan lecomte on Vimeo.
I remember a time when wakeboarders would look at wakeskaters and say "yeah, pretty cool tho." Well my friends times have changed, because it is the wakeskaters who can now say "yeah I know, jackass." All this to say that wakeskating has come a long way, and some of the tricks they are now capable of is absolutely ridiculous. 3 flips, bigspins, varial flips, blunts, tailé/nose slides, double flips, 3 shuvs...you name it, and they are doing it. Now understand this is nothing new as they have been stepping up their game for the last couple years now. I guess what is new is that wakeboarders can no longer deny how cool wakeskating actually is. So yeah, let's all just get along and enjoy my friend Yan "lucky" Lecomte demonstrate a little bit where wakeskating is at. Thanks to WakeQC and Yan for making this video readily available, and make sure to check out other sick videos on his Vimeo page...

Ottawa Gala 16.04.11

(a Saturday night with Curioustimes and DJ Acro)

Craigy wins!

(Home team winnings, Craig Bowl-u)

WakeCompound.net

Having nothing better to do, I stubbled upon this new website/video blog at thewakecompound.net. It's pretty straight forward and simple (they kill it) by showcasing some cool videos of a selected group of sick riders (i.e. Bob Soven, Oli Derome, Rathy, Errington, LaRiche) in Florida. To me it seems like an appropriate "passing of the torch" with a new generation of wake riders establishing themselves as the future, just as Pointless Productions did just over a decade ago. Obviously this has been going on for a few years now, but it just seems that it is finally safe to say that wakeboarding, and most definitely wakeskating, have witnessed significant change (for better AND worse) in the last 2 years, and enough to say that it's progressed considerably outside the strict confines of boat. And if you don't believe me, well maybe you just haven't been around as long as I have...

POINTLESS mixtape 2 (just some shots) from pointless on Vimeo.
But Pointless will always be the reason I started to ride, and still ride today...just saying.

Old snap, new trick: frontside rodeo 5

THIS may be an old photo, but it ain't old news. This photo was taken by Kent's good friend Allistair back on April 27, 2009 during a 6 week trip at the CWC. Kent is by nature a snowboarder and it was sick to see him bring that to the water for this first real stint at riding cable. I remember the first time he did this trick, and I was like "what the f*ck was that!?"...A frontside rodeo 5, kids. BOOM! And to this day I haven't seen anybody, anywhere able to reproduce this trick...word!


Thought I'd share some old video highlights of what was my third trip to the Phillies, back for the first time since breaking my ankle a year prior. Make sure to catch Kent's front rodeo sequence in this video as well...

CWC 2009 from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

it's Christmas!!

Christmas came early this year for the Bonney bros! Thanks to my boy Nate Benson and Billabong Canada for hooking this up! Chyeah!!

Keeping things classy with DJ Acro...

This past weekend we had my home team DJ Acro come spin for a private party up in Mont-Tremblant, Qué. This is not the first time we've enlisted his services for an old fashioned house party, and so true to form he did not disappoint. Acro locked in a flow that had everyone helplessly bouncing and bobbing their heads all night. Check out this little sample video for what was missed. Thank you to our gracious host miss Marie for turning her beautiful chalet into Tremblant's most realest and live spot of the night.

Tremblant spins with DJ Acro from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

Now for those who simply could not attend, Acro would like to invite you over to his house TONIGHT at the Standard Luxury Tavern on Elgin St. (Ottawa, ON) for an exclusive monthly feature he's set to kick off with special guest DJ Illo. All Things Classic is a new ALL VINYL monthly event featuring all the best classic and current wax from hip hop, soul, funk, blues, reggae, breaks, and samples. My word, come get nice for a Standard Tuesday with DJ Acro and friends.

Kamiskotia True!

(Boombox's hall of famer, Co Gougeon)

This weekend I had the chance to shred my old stompin' grounds, Kamiskotia Ski Resort. I've been heading there for as long as I can remember, first as a skier (age: 6) and now as a snowboarder (age: 25). To think it's been almost 13 years since I took that fateful first shred with my boy Co Gougeon during the March Break of '98. If anyone asks me where I got my start, whether it be wake, snow, surf, or skate I always think back to that day when I was initiated  to a whole new world (face plant, first trick, first try!). From there it simply progressed to skate, then wake, and then surfing (a.k.a. the grand slam). It was like the planting of a seed I guess one could say; a seed that has blossomed into a beautiful life that is nourished by the need to be on a board at all times, one way or another...k, what? 

I mean, could I really trace back my entire collective boarding experiences to this one place, and one time? hmmm probably not. However, it would be hard to imagine how things would have worked themselves out in the absence of a place like Kamiskotia. All this to say that my hometown of Timmins, ON is pretty lucky to have a facility that exists where kids can go, dream big, develop their talent (i.e. Craig Beaulieu), and have some fun that no app could ever replicate. So without getting too much on that sentimental tip now, I guess what I'm trying to say is, well more or less: "Get out! Get stoked!" and...most of all stay stoked. 

(home team, Brendan Quinn'r)

A day at Kamiskotia from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

*(Thanks Kamiskotia)

FOKUS Pokus IV

 (March 12, 2011 @ Edelweiss: Fokus Pokus big air and rail jam)

Work vs. Play.

It'S FUNny where LIFE can take you sometimes...So I'm in Calgary, Alb. at the moment, sitting in the lobby of my hotel, writting this, and waiting for a flight back to Ottawa, Ont. I've been here since Wednesday covering the 2011 CIS National Swimming Championships at the University of Calgary (note: I work as a sports writer for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees varsity teams. So they sent me out here, expenses paid, to cover our swim team.)

So yeah the trip started when the legend Matty Beiler picked me up at the Calgary airport Wednesday morning. Next thing you know I was driving past Calgary's Foot hills up into the mountains, it was pretty surreal considering I woke up in downtown Ottawa. Anyways, we made a quick pit stop in Banff for a few essentiels and Matty's board. We then headed over to Sunshine for an epic shred, fucking freezing I mind you, but absolutely amazing. The snow conditions couldn't been better, a fresh layer of 20 cm gave me a whole new outlook and stoke on snowboarding. Now, I get it.

Next day was the first day of  'official business', my very first varsity swim meet. I really didn't know what to expect, nor did I really have any idea what I was doing. But over the three days, things got exciting, entertaining, and fun. I must say it was a pretty cool to experience something totally out of my comfort zone. Like I'm used to wakeboad and snowboard contests, but it's funny how much the culture of competition is the same, no matter the sport. And I'd even go as far to say that the parties are just as good too.

On my last day, I took some time to head up to Canadian Olympic Park (the C.O.P.). 2 weeks ago my buddy Travis Desormo told me about this place, so that's I knew for sure I'd be bringing my snowboard with me, how could I not? So yeah on my last day,had a good shred on a sunny day with some the gentle chinook warming things to a perfect -1C. Got my first chance to check out and attempt to ride a 'superpipe'. The thing was fucking massive, 22' walls yo!! Accepting that I couldn't possibly pop out of this thing, I just rode it like a massive ice wave and had a lot of fun doing it! 

So yeah all in all a pretty sweet 4 day stint here in Calgary, always nice to blur the lines between work and play. Now it's time to jump on the plane, and enjoy some live satellite t.v. courteous of WestJet. Guess I'll watch the Oscars...

Drums 101: Go Slowly - Head Down live @ Zaphod's NEW VIDEO!!

So here is that exclusive, and very special edit that I have been sitting on for a couple weeks now. This is the second video to come from Head Down's live performance at Zaphod's Beeblebox on September 30, 2010.  My good friend and Head Down drummer, Krys Saudino, agreed to put on my HD Go Pro Camera helmet in the middle of their set. I knew the footage would be good, but I never thought it could be this good. The purpose of this was to show off just how tight these guys can play at a live show, and just how technical Krys is behind those drums which sometimes is not always so obvious from a crowd's perspective. So in having a first-person perspective, I think their music can be enjoyed and appreciated on a whole other level. Just see for yourself...


Head Down - Go Slowly live @ Zaphod's 09.30.10 from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

Call of the Wild: Head Down tours eastern Canada - NEW VIDEO!!!

AS PROMISED, here is the footage from which I gathered upon spending a few days with my good friends of HEAD DOWN.  As previously posted here on my blog, I had the privilege of catching up with these guys on the first leg of their east coast tour which brought them from Timmins, Ont., all the way out to Halifax, N.S., and everywhere in between.  They played back to back nights in Ottawa at Zaphod's and then at Piranha Bar in Montreal. Please forgive the sound and image quality as I was only recording with some basic video equipment.  Luckily these boys don't need any fancy gimmicks...I'll let the music speak for itself.  Enjoy!



Head Down's Call of the Wild Tour from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.


STAY TUNED for an exclusive, and very special video of HEAD DOWN that will be made public very soon by none other than the good people at theboomboxdream.blogspot.com...

Shout out: DJ ACRO!

                                                                  (photo: www.patbolduc.com)

Recently my hometown boy from Timmins, Ont., Trevor Wakeford a.ka. DJ ACRO, launched is own website.  Props to a clean az site son!  For those who don't know Acro, well it's about time you do; especially those living in the Ottawa area.  And trust me, you do not have to look to far to find this cat; he's everywhere.  Whether he be holdin' it down at his regular spot: The Standard on Elgin Tuesday and Friday nights, or guest DJ'n at either Babylon, Ritual, the Buddah Bar, or even your local house party; Acro's versatility never disappoints.  For more info check him out at www.djacro.ca...

FOkUS Red Carpute 2010!!

My boys from FOKUS hosted a wicked party Friday night in Aylmer, Que.  The 3rd annual Fokus Red Carpet went down in style with a rail jam, video premieres, and a shit load of Jagger!!  Cheers to Denis and the boys for some good times!

Giving THANKS! New video 10.10.10

Giving THANKS! from Johny Bonney on Vimeo.

Made a trip back home this past weekend for a little turkey, and some season ending shredding.  Thanksgiving has always been the weekend we end up closing the cottage for the season.  However, in all the years we've been at Ice Chest, we've never been riding in October; and for good reason, it's f*cking freezing! haha  Anyways, Justin braved the cold enough to drive me, and I was so stoked to be able to sneak one last set in.

The following day, it finally came time to closer her up; jetski out the water, rail dismantled, trampoline down, water pump out, and everything locked away. Although I hate doing it, closing the cottage always allows for some time think back on my time spent here, and how fortunate I was to be able to spend an entire summer here.  And what a great summer it was...

A rockstar for the weekend: on the road with Head Down

This past weekend I had the privilege of experiencing life on the road with my good friends Head Down.   I managed to catch up with my hometown bros (Krys Saudino, Brad Quinn, and Dale Yungwirth) as they were passing through Ottawa and Montreal. They are currently hitting the road on a 3 and a half week east coast Canadian tour to promote their newest album How it All Breaks Down (available at indiepool.com and music stores across Canada).  Equipped with a sweet ass van, these boys have committed themselves to life on the road, and living the dream.  Ask any of them, even their merch guy Steve Sykora, and they will tell you that it does not get any better than this.

I was originally expecting the guys on Friday afternoon; they were supposed to arrive early so we could hang out and do some filming.  How naïve of me to think they could be on time.  True to their punk rock roots, the boys arrived fashionably late. Whether it was the late night shananigans in Sudbury the night before, or the fact that their van nearly broke down; they didn’t show up at Zaphod’s until 7 pm, and were due to play at 10 pm.  Regardless, these boys were unfazed, and clearly just rolling with the punches. 

As expected the show went off without a hitch.  It’s amazing to see how much this band as progressed as a group.  They were loud, tight, harmonious, and technical.  While the show may have ended early, the party surely did not.  At this point however, I would have no recollection of a party ever taking place.  After the band packed all their gear, we packed the van and headed to a classic, old fashioned house party.  And again true to form, the party went on till the early hours of the morning with no shortage of Old Milwaukee tall cans and some good times.

The next day was a little rough for some of us, but we had little time to dwell on our inability to see walk, see, or even think straight.  The boys needed to be in Montreal that night, and so we were off for better or worse by 2:30 Saturday afternoon.   It was really cool to see the guys so laid back, and clearly just living the moment.  Yet with the reality of the tour finally settling in, the guys needed to stock up on some groceries if they were to survive three weeks of touring. The van came stocked with a microwave, and a portable coleman stove.   In addition to food, we needed to get Dale (lead singer) some serious cold relief supplies.  At that point, there was no way Dale could play tonight I thought to myself.

Upon arriving in Montreal, the excitement was yet again building.  We pulled up to the venue, the Piranha Bar on Ste Catherine, and were amazed to see that we were in the absolute heart of downtown Montreal.  The city was alive and buzzing as always.  I love Montreal.

After checking in with the promoter, the guys decided they would open the show.  This was indeed a last minute show for them, having been added to the bill only a week before.  They would be headlining the following night anyway.  So to save time and effort, the guys simply used the equipment that was made available to them. 

Another night, and another solid set for Head Down.  Despite being sick, playing with someone else’s shit, and still trying to catch up after a few late nights, they absolutely rocked out.  Everything was fast, and tight.  We were also treated thereafter to a Ramone’s cover band which helped soften the blow of my first couple beers of the night.

So with the boys done early, it was time to take advantage of the sights and sounds of Montreal…Olé Olé Olé Olé!!!

***

Unfortunately reality had set back in for me Sunday morning as it was time for me to go home.  I honestly could have stayed, and continued on with the band. The experience is one that I will never forget as I even struggle to put it into words. Indeed this lifestyle is not for everyone, but it is something that I wish for anyone to experience.

It reminded me very much of my world travels, and the sense of being forever present in the moment.  My hat goes off to these boys who have dedicated and sacrificed so much for their music, passion, and talent. Ultimately, success will not be measured by how many tickets they sell or how many albums; nor will it be determined by whether or not they get a record deal.  Judging from my experience this weekend, they have already won.  Rock on gentlemen, rock on!

***

So last night, as I was eating an absolute feast of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and carrots; I couldn’t help but think of the boys warming, and eating their pea soup out of their van.  As fortunate as I was to be eating such an amazing meal, I’d rather be in that van on the corner of University and Ste Catherine with the boys just simply living life I reckon…Thanks for sharing the experience my friends, safe travels.

STAY TUNED FOR SOME FOOTAGE>>>