"Humans produce more energy for their mass than the Sun! We just need to tap into that bio-energy and beating gasoline will be a breeze. Biking is great. I would argue that in an urban setting biking is just a fast as driving (and you don't have to pay for parking). I'm really stoked to have won, and I hope more people start beating gasoline by biking."
Thanks, Khiza Mazwi
Khiza Mazwi is the grand prize winner of Nike's Beat Gasoline contest. Besides receiving his Nike 6.0 package which included a BMX bike, shoes, apparel, and a $1000 Global Gift Giving Card, he continued to share his enthusiasm for beating gasoline(read below). With a response like that to an email congratulating him as the winner of Nike's Beat Gasoline contest, you know he deserved to win it all.
(Khiza posing with the star of the video)
Alright Khiza, the people want to know about your video and how you beat gasoline, but lets start with the basics. Where are you from? What are you doing?
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, went to school in Botswana and am currently in my 3rd year at USC studying Chemical Engineering and Material Science.
You got a lot on your plate, yet you still had the time to put together a stellar video entry, tell us about the concept of the video.
Living in LA can get pretty hectic, with the traffic, sometimes it can take an hour to get somewhere 10 miles away. I had originally bought a motorcycle which helped beat traffic but I was still heavily dependent on gasoline so I decided to use a bicycle as my primary mode of transport. I wanted the video to be focused on the bicycle itself so all the shots are of the bike itself getting around Los Angeles.
It was a really modern type of video. Almost like a music video, really fast, quick edits, it makes the viewers really feel what its like to pedal through the streets of Los Angeles. What are some of the benefits of riding a bicycle in a big city?
I actually saw this chart online that compares different vehicles and their overall fuel usage. The bike is the most efficient besides walking. For one, a bike is a simple machine that doesn't require any fuel and very little maintenance. You can get around just as fast as a car, you don't have to sit in traffic. You don't have to pay for parking and you'll always be able to ride it directly where you're headed, you won't be in a parking lot two blocks away. Of course, riding a bicycle is good for your health, you feel immediate effects when you start riding a bike everywhere, I feel more fit and I have more money in my pocket. It's win/win.
And I imagine that you would get to see the nooks and crannies of the City that most people who were driving wouldn't notice.
Oh yeah most definitely, you really get to experience the city, see all the little things that you normally wouldn't pay attention to.
I also liked your track selection, what made you decide to go with The Strokes, it really set up a good vibe in the video.
Thats just the kind of music I'm into. I thought it would go well, and I'm happy with the result. I like rock n' roll music and I love bicycles, why not have them all at once.
Well Khiza, thank you again for participating in our Beat Gasoline Campaign and congratulations on winning the grand prize, did you get your new bike yet?
Yes, I received it earlier his week and I'm putting it together. Thanks YouthNoise Play City and Nike for pimping my ride! It couldn't have come at a better time, the bike that I used in the video just broke recently. I just wanted to show something that I feel very strongly about and enjoy. Thank you for the opportunity.
(Unpacking his brand new prize.)
(Already running into some security with his new ride.)
Thanks to Khiza and to everyone who participated in the Beat Gasoline Contest. Just because the contest is over doesn't mean that we still can't keep beating gasoline. Keep riding, walking, skating, hovering anywhere and everywhere to keep the movement alive.
Imagine going to the skate park and getting shown up by a 50 pound kid whose day job is learning cursive and multiplication tables. Meet third-grader Rene Serrano. He may look small, but this 8-year old shredder from Venice, CA skates with the big boys. He absolutely kills it at the skate park and recently used his skills to take home the runner-up prize in the YouthNoise/Nike-sponsored Beat Gasoline competition!
How'd he get so good at such a young age? Well, you have to understand that Rene, or Lil' Rene, as he's known at the skate park has already been skating for five years. When he was three years old, his parents took him to Toys R Us. Rene spotted a Spiderman skateboard, fell in love with it, and the rest...well the rest is history. Now, eight-years-old, Rene skates for Mainline Skate Shop, Push Grip Tape and Flow (Bones). He has already won a handful of contests in SoCal including the Red Bull 7 City Hustle where he beat out skaters from seven different hoods in LA and was the youngest winner in the contest. One thing is clear: this super-grom is bound for big things in his future.
I had a chance to interview Rene about his skating and what it means to beat gasoline. Check it out...
(1) Congrats on winning second place in the Beat Gasoline competition. How did you feel when you heard the news?
I was very happy that I beat gasoline!!! (2) Do you think kids and adults should try to cut down on their use of gasoline?
Yes, because it's too expensive, and it's better if you skate, or ride a bike, or walk. It'sbetter for the world, healthier and safer.
(3) So you came in second in the Beat Gasoline competition because you rip at skating. What is your favorite part about the sport?
Meeting new people and competing in contests. But most important, you have to have fun, be humble and always help others. (4) Being so good at such a young age, do you surprise older skaters when they see you bust out crazy tricks even though you're half their size?
Yes, all the time. They just give me props and tell me to keep on skating. (5) What are the tricks that people are most surprised about when you bust them out?
Pressure hard-flip,and front side 360.
(6) What about your favorite skaters? Are there any pros you look up to?
Austin Seaholme and P-rod
(7) Any shoutouts to your family friends or people who have helped you along the way?
First, I have to thank God, my parents and all my sponsors for supporting me and believing in me...and a special shoutout to all my friends that I skate with from different skate parks.
Ring the bell and call in the band, we finally have the winners of this year's YouthNoise/Nike-sponsored Beat Gasoline competition! It's been a long journey but the tallies have been counted. Now it's time to give credit where credit's due. Among the winners are:
No words were needed to make this video, "Bicycle" unfolds magically using moving imagery set against a hardcore musical soundtrack. This 2-minute story takes the viewer through a day-long journey from the point-of-view of one lone biker blazing through the streets of Los Angeles with two pedal-powered wheels. Well-crafted and uniquely produced, khizamazwi gets high fives all around for this masterpiece!
1st place winner receives a BMX bike, $1000 Global Giving Card and a Nike prize pack!
Rene, an 8-year-old skater phenom would certainly give P-Rod a run for his money! This 30-second video features Rene doing what he does best and making yours truly seriously consider riding a skateboard to work -- uh, well, maybe through Central Park. It only takes seconds for viewers to appreciate Rene's story and quickly recognize that he'll most certainly become an inspiring adult athlete one day. Mad props to Rene for using his passion as a way to beat gas!
2nd place winner receives a $750 card and a Nike prize pack!
Jkeevil's video requires the viewer to do more than just watch, but also engage with its moving imagery. This artistic piece is from the point-of-view of a San Fransisco rider observing the city while riding through its pristine, yet environmentally challenged streets. One memorable shot in particular is of a ship likened to an oil rig boat. The camera shot mimics the perspective of peeping through a submarine ship's periscope, as if looking at itself through itself. The camera shots function as a self-reflective metaphor, asking us not to simply exist within our environments but to contemplate our purpose within these environments, particulalry in making them better and more sustainable. Big ups to Jkeevil for making us think beyond the surface!
The People's Choice award winner will recieve a $500 card and Nike shoes.
Super-duper congrats to all the winners! Another BIG shout out to all of the contestants that participated in the Beat Gasoline contest. Your efforts mean so much for the cause. Even though the Beat Gasoline contest is over, the movement of finding new and alternative means of transportion has just begun! Continue to make change by spreading your videos and photography around to family and friends!
Remember several weeks back when the folks here at Play City covered Nike's Skatepark dedication ceremony featuring P-Rod in Pacioma, California?
Well, looks like community activist, and cutie-pie, P-Rod is at again. This time around, he's featured in a Nike ad with Hip-Hop legend Ice Cube and NBA star Kobe Bryant called "Nike SB - Today Was A Good Day." When I tell you this video is hot, I mean smoking hot! Gotta give props to Nike for another fabulous ad featuring some really cool shots, music, and a foine athlete-activist!
Incidentally, you can read more about P-Rod Skate Park along with updates on his new shoe, the 'P-Rod III' on ESPN.com.
And since we're all about finding alternative means of transportation this week (including skateboarding), don't forget to show us how you beat gasoline!
What better way to utilize eight wheels and four furry K-9 legs than to
Rollerblade with your pup! Apparently, there's a phenomenon going on
across the United States that I'm just now privy to (as if squirrels dancing a tribute to Michael Jackson isn't enough!).
Here's kinda where the journey to discovery began..
Last
weekend, I went to Central Park with a friend and witnessed what I
believed to be a Rollerblade prodigy. This kid literally had rubber
legs. Swear. He swerved in and out of these small cones that had to
have been no more than several inches apart. While watching him, I
thought about the art of Rollerblading (yes, the art) and how it's one of the best ways to Beat Gasoline nowadays.
I even snagged a pic of this Rollerblading prodigy while I sat on a bench across from him..
Everyone
in CP does it (except me - still gotta get me a pair of 'Blades). But
one thing I hadn't noticed too much in CP was folks Rollerblading
with their dogs. And I don't mean simply 'Blading with your pooch
running next to you . .
. . . or behind you (depending on the pup).
Nope.
I mean, your dog actually pulling you as you
Rollerblade. There are tons of websites and YouTube videos dedicated to this type of "sport." There's even a Yahoo Answers forum that discusses
Rollerblading with your dog (although, the author makes it a point to
disclose that she is "not looking to have [her] dog pull [her].
Understandable.)
Oh, but wait! This video (below) takes the
cake. Yes, ladies and gents, prepare to witness a dog pulling his
Rollerblading professor . . . in a school parking lot. According to the
YouTube description, "Professor Shadow tests an alternative green
transportation method at a local school parking lot." Shadow asks that you "[p]lease excuse [his]
inept human assistant, he's family, and works cheap." Ha . . the 'ole professor's got jokes! Check it out.
While
some might think that a dog pulling a human being on eight wheels might
be a tad bit nutty, I'm convinced that, for the most part, these folks
are treating their family members and furry friends humanely. From my
knowledge, PETA hasn't issued a statement decrying this sort of
activity, nor has Geraldo Rivera launched an investigative report on Fox
News.
So with that being said, I leave you with Sophie, the
Rottweiler-Lab Pulling Rollerblader.
