I'm always stoked when someone takes the time to contact us direct.  And we (Ginge also mans the eMail) are normally pretty swift to respond.  Discipline has been going for nearly nine years and our boards have been sent all over the UK, also as far as France and Australia.  We are pretty honest and don't hide the fact that we are small, and UK based.

Since we started back in 2007 Discipline has sponsored a small number of riders and have always listed them on our website.  We've put out edits and promoted each riders individual projects; Ginge runs Gone Skating Studio, Simon is the drummer for Saving Sebastian and if you've ever spent time with Damian Todd I'm sure he'll tell you the story about that time he did Adele's video...

I suppose this is a round about way to point out that if you're thinking of asking for sponsorship, it's probably best to do your research.  I now work for VANS but previously I worked at DC, Ive seen plenty of sponsor me emails, letters and even a DV tape sent in the post.  I've seen people get flowed, get on the team and simply get sent a box full of product because the edit they sent showed potential. I've also seen people send one line emails saying 'Sponsor me', yep just that, no video links, or pictures or even reasons why you want to ride for 'insert company name here'.

Years ago when I went for my interview at VANS, what do you think I wore?  Yep VANS!  When I did my presentation to the management, do you think I slipped in a picture of me skating in VANS, damn straight!!!  Had I researched the company history despite having worn VANS for years, hell yes, the more info the better!!!

What I'm trying to say is, if you want to get sponsored, don't start your pitch with 'Do you sponsor?' what that says is; you know nothing about the company you want to represent.  In regards to Discipline it says, you haven't even checked out the website.

For me a good 'Sponsor Me' email includes videos/photos of the skater repping the brand they want to ride for, this shows that whether sponsored or not, you're really are into it.  Otherwise it just looks like a cut and paste from yet another person looking for free shit, rather than supporting the scene.

Check out Transworld Skateboarding 8 Steps to an airtight sponsor me video
For more tongue-in-cheek look at Sponsor Me tapes check out Jenkem

Mat Lloyd

Scott 'Ginge' Partington has been part of the Discipline family for years. When he's not on his skateboard he's a widely published freelance writer and avid woodworker. This is his semi/regular column, enjoy.

This is some sad news, I hope that you all agree; 'Fallen Footwear will no longer be a company'.

I hope everyone on the team finds a new home and continues to kill it. The fall of Fallen has made the skate community have an interesting conversation over the last week. The conversation has been about all the big companies coming in and taking money from the little ones, an interesting topic to read opinions on. Here is my opinion, for what it is worth:

It is not the big companies fault that Fallen and others have fallen, it is, ours. When they pushed their way in, we could have ignored them, of course they have the money to advertise bigger than anyone but that doesn't mean we have to pay attention? The reason these companies have been able to get a foothold in the community that we love so much is because we have let them. This isn't normal society where all you need is money to make your mark, to be big in our community you have to make good shit and hold it down for the skaters that ride for yout!  And thats the very reason we love companies like Fallen in the first place!  The reason Fallen fell is because we let it.

The real truth is that we stopped buying Fallen Footwear. This may be that they weren't putting out the footwear that we wanted them to or (more likely) that they got overshadowed by the larger companies marketing budgets!  Whichever way it happened, it was our fault and that is why it is such a sad day for skateboarding.  We were brainwashed, we were told to 'Just Do It', and we let ourselves do it...

We’ve been busy editing, designing, testing, and now we’re ready to print. 

After toying around with the idea of a locals only/baker tribute for ages, and with the recent demise of FALLEN we figured it was time.  When we release this graphic in a couple of months (in time for summer) there will be a run of t-shirts to go with it. Now as always we need to keep supporting our local skate scene and we can do that by supporting our local skate shops!!!

Go out, find your local skate shop, find your local skate brands, and show them some love. This isn’t about DISCIPLINE, this is about skateboarding!

Scott 'Ginge' Partington has been part of the Discipline family for years. When he's not on his skateboard he's a widely published freelance writer and avid woodworker. This is his semi/regular column, enjoy.

The first skate video I ever watched from a skateboard company was Flip Sorry.  I had seen the Thrasher video Jaded and the UK skate video Focal Point before that, but then I saw Flip Sorry...and everything changed!

Don't get me wrong, Caswell Berry killed it in Jaded, but then my dad came round on Christmas day and gave me a present that still impacts my life to this day, Flip - Sorry. I put it into the VHS player, (kids,  Google that) and then the clock started, tick, tock, tick, tock. 

I still remember the look on my mums face when Johnny Rotten came on the screen and I also remember the feeling of seeing every section. I am sure I destroyed that tape watching it over and over again. 

Flip Sorry had it all, the best street skaters, the best park skaters and the best vert skaters of the time. Each and every section was the best that it could be. Every single section hit its mark perfectly, you had technical ability mixed with a couple of crazy bastards and everyone changed the game in their own way. 

I am so glad I saw that video when I did, it was so important to me and I guess it was to a lot of people who started skating when I did. 

Thame just got a new 925 square metre skate park, so a couple of the team had to go check it out. The dedicated crew at Wheelscape worked with the Thame Usergroup for over two years to design the park and it's fucking RAD!  We'll be posting videos/pics from the session on our Instagram.

 What's it got:

• Large Bowl with hips, rolled sections, jump ramp, spine, Wallride, varying height ramps from 1.3-2.3m 
• Split Street Course 
• Level Change with large 3 set of stairs, hubba ledge, step-up gap and handrail 
• Kicker to kicker/Flat Bank Hip Blend with Handrail 
• Various Flat Ledges/Rails/Ledge Combos 
• Quarter Pipe Channel Gap over Bank to Block 
• Large 4 Set with Slider Hubba 
• Slappy Kerb (yes you read that right)
• Large Handrail 
• 3 Way Pyramid Hip 

Address: Thame Skatepark, Meadow View Park, Tythrop Way (A4129) , OX9 3RN, Thame, Oxfordshire