Here chronicles a some kind of recap of a private CTRL society gather-get-together (28.12.2013) at the renewed SOKEVA indoor skatepark, and for those who don't know the park is located near Helsinki in the oddball suburb called KORSO. Previously in time, the old version of SOKEVA played an important role in the history of CTRL and the suomi-skateboarding scene in general before the building got burned down somewhere in the 90's.

The meeting was zero official so if you feel like you should've been there but for some humane reason weren't reached you should not get upset since the whole thing was orchestrated super quickly because Aki (& the family) was visiting from New York and they were in the city only for a couple of days.

All in all the sessions were rad and everybody looked surprisingly unseasoned with their epicly Rieder'd faces and there was a positive sensation of an extended youth looming around.

Anyhow it was really good to see everybody who came and it's always thrilling to see that people still skate and
amazingly some actually skate better than they ever did - which is delightfully comforting to realize especially when you're at your 30's or 40's and have occasional doubts on everything being "wrapped up". It ain't. That's what Kivi and Hakki were telling by mastering the skateboard all over the place looking like they just took a shit at the fountain of youth.

Considering that most people hadn't seen each others for a decade or so, there were no "socially awkward" moments, instead everybody seemed like they just hangout yesterday and that must all be for the love of skateboarding, friendship and CTRL.

And that's what skateboarding is about I guess, it's a pleasant curse, a gift from the devil.

Kivi taking mental notes on which way he should flip it next.

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CTRL ancestors and FOGHORN heavy-weights Aki and Tumppi.

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Kivi & colossal high-jump 360 flip, not sure if he landed but who cares, he could and he would.

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Statue pose by good guy Piironen who used to school me on all the latest skate videos during the VHS era in Järvenpää, next to him standing the master of most trades, Lieminen.

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More best buddies from Järvenpää, Upa and Aki browsing through Hessu's historical, erotic CTRL scrap book archives.

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The oddly talented illustrator Jesse and one of the best and fastest pool skaters ever, Stinde, from the FOGHORN fame.

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Master at work, photographer Ryhänen, who has been behind the lens on almost all CTRL photoshoots. He shoots like an angel.

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Legendary skate/life photographer Deeli and legendary CTRL team rider Jassu - smiling even if he had just damaged his knee a minute before the photo was taken.

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One of the nicest wonderful person on earth, Susan from Brooklyn and Helsinki skate scene tastemaker and opinion leader Tumppi, who gave CTRL it's name in the first place. It says "Sydämelliset kiitokset!" in the thank you note. Respect.

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Deeli checking emails from his ocular device and one of the most talented skaters ever, Tatu from the Control Skateboards fame.

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This charming man sitting down, Hessu, is one of the main figures in the history of CTRL, having been working behind the curtains as a brand manager aswell as one the skaters in the team. Nowadays he's ruling Makia clothing, a finnish streetwear label.
On the upper deck about to drop in is mr. Kivikoski, and next to him is Pekka (who enjoys a well-earned inimatable legendary skater status) and Jesse the artist, who's bag of skatetricks is very special.

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One of the infamous island brothers Tome and Pekka, next up is Valtteri, the new CTRL brand manager extraordinaire, who also used to be one of the skaters in the legendary CTRL skate team.

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50% a skate photo. The end.

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Photos by Freeman

I just found out that the FOGHORN movie is now online. It may be a small step for our good friend Pönkänen (who downloaded it and who does all kinds of good things for the local skateboarding scene all the time), but a giant leap for the rest of us. As we must recall that this cornerstone of finnish skateboarding movies was originally released only in VHS format far before Arto Saari or Eniz Faziliov came to rip it all up internationally.

The movie is called ”One Love” and dates back to year 1996. Of course it is not ”the first” nor ”the only” or ”the best” film from the wide range of finnish skateboarding history but it has a special place in the evolution being a culmination point of one period of time.
Thinking about FOGHORN and CTRL is like thinking about the Big bang theory and Darwinism. What really happened? How did we get to the point where we are now?

FOGHORN was the Big bang. At least that’s how I see it. I was not inside but close enough to see what was going on. So many great individuals were tight together at the same time with stunning ideas and with growing will of expression it couldn’t stay still. It had to blow. And the explosion was a starting point for several new things. Not only can you see the original CTRL-crew-to-be in the movie, but also a whole lot of makers of totally new street- and underground culture in Finland. The music, art, photography, televison, movies… you name it and it was already there. That’s the lesson kids.

Watch the movie and you will probably learn something about the present. For example that Mr. Kivikoski (7inchskateboards, Adidas) has always been amazing and above all normality. Or that the man who put the Foghorn movie together is the same one who was the general motor for CTRL skateboards for a long time and who is now pushing the great finnish brand Makia to be bigger than the world itself. Samuli Heino it is, of course.
But as we know, all theories lack some points. All of them fail to explain everything de facto. That’s why these lines you read are only one opinion and that’s why the growing archives of Pönkänen and others alike are like gold mines for the youth of today. They help you to make up your own theories. And for me… well, as I have lived through the times when things like ”nollie” and ”switchstance” didn’t even exist and knowing what skateboarding is today, it makes me think of a hairy Homo Sapiens with a stick of fire in hand meeting a guy who has an electric siggie in his mouth. WTF.
It was all there all the time, same same but different.

Watch the full movie here!