With the weather warming and the skies clearing it is the perfect time to refresh your spring/summer wardrobe. One option that will quickly freshen up your wardrobe is the Roxy So Hip Dress. This casual slip on dress will work great as a weekend lounging outfit or as an element of a casual work outfit.

Roxy So Hip Dress
The Roxy So Hip Dress, which retails for $46.00, comes in three very refreshing colors, banana cream yellow, regatta blue and shamrock green. The dress also comes in five sizes, extra small, small, medium, large and extra large. The measurements for the length of the dress start at 30 inches for the small size and increase slightly with each size up that you order.

This dress is made of 60 percent cotton and 40 percent polyester. It has a jersey mineral wash finish and a very cute V-neck design with a tie at the waist belt. This little dress also has a single chest pocket for an added detail and point of interest.

To keep this dress in good condition you will want to make sure you follow the washing instructions that come with it. First of all you will want to use a mild detergent like Woolite. This will prevent fading, fiber stretching and fiber damage. Next you will want to wash this item on a warm and delicate setting on your washing machine. Finally, you will need to tumble dry the dress on a low setting or hang it out to dry.

Wardrobe Tips
The Roxy So Hip Dress is a versatile piece. First of all it works great all by itself for a very casual look. Pair it with a pair of flip flops or sandals for an easy day on the boardwalk, at the park or at the beach. If you want to wear this dress to a business function or to work then simply pair it with a linen blazer in white, tan or a complimentary color. Finish the look with a beaded necklace and a matching pair of pumps. For a night on the town you can dress up this dress with a pair of heels, a great necklace and a matching clutch.

If you are a disciple of concrete then the Grand Haven Skatepark is for you. This park, which can be found at One Y Drive in Grand Haven, Michigan is a fantastic skatepark that is located near the entrance of the recreation attraction known as Mulligan's Hollow. Here you will have plenty of room, about 15,000 square feet, to perfect your skating skills, learn new tricks and just have fun.

Grand Haven Skatepark - The Basics
What makes the Grand Haven Skatepark great is that it has something for every type of skater. If you are a vert skater then there is a great full sized bowl and a quarter pipe to work with. On the other hand, if you are a street skater then you will appreciate the street course obstacles that are found in this park. For example, there is a hubba box, rails, c-rails, two sets of five stair sets, one seven stair set with a rail and various boxes and configurations.

Dressing for a Grand, Grand Haven Skatepark Experience
The Grand Haven Skatepark is an outdoor skatepark. This means that you are at the mercy of Mother Nature when you skate here. In order to stay comfortable while skating you will want to dress for the local weather conditions. In Grand Haven, Michigan you can expect the weather to be hot in the summer, cold in the winter and mild during the fall and spring. When picking out clothing to wear to this skatepark you will want to think about dressing in layers. Layers allow you to make adjustments to your clothing as your body temperature changes because of physical exertion or weather changes.

In addition to selecting clothing to protect your body from the weather, you will also want to select clothing options to protect your body from your skating. When the weather is cooler you can wear jeans and long sleeved shirts to help protect your legs and arms from road rash. When the weather is warmer you will want to focus on keeping your skin dry. This means selecting clothing made from cotton and other breathable materials is a good option, as is selecting materials designed to wick moisture away from your skin.

If you're pro skateboarder Jake Brown, you might want a snazzy nickname to go with your oh-so-tame birth name. But you probably don't want to fall 45 feet to achieve this.

Australian Jake Brown, 34, became Jake "Unbreakable" Brown after he walked away from a horrific crash during the 2007 X Games at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Brown was on the mega ramp. In his usual fearless style - fearless even among pro skateboarders - he completed a daring 720 turn over the ramp's 70-foot gap, but he missed the quarter pipe lips. Medics say Brown saved his life by landing on his side.

"It might have been funny if it had not been potentially deadly," wrote Andrew Dalton for the Associated Press. "Jake Brown's legs churned in midair like he was trying to run. His shoes shot off in different directions when he slammed to the ground. His body looked like a rag doll as he slid to the base of the ramp." Dalton concluded, "It looked like a fall Wile E. Coyote would take," referring to the Road Runner's cartoon predator.

Jake Brown was motionless for about 8 minutes. Then he got up, walked off, waved to the crowd and asked buddy Jason Ellis, "Do I get another run?" Well, even Jake "Unbreakable" Brown is not unbreakable. He cracked several vertebrae, and he still has a metal pin in a wrist that was broken. He even bruised his liver; have you ever heard of a football player with a bruised liver? Jake Brown needed several months of rehab before he could return to smaller ramps and six months before he again challenged a mega ramp.

Even before the Staples Center fall, Jake Brown had a reputation for adverse risk. ESPN once reported: "Jake Brown has some of the hardest vert skateboarding tricks dialed in, like 720s and his double kick flip mute. However, in competitions, Jake Brown tends to go for the biggest tricks, which often backfires if he doesn't land them. But skating conservatively is not Jake Brown's style."

Reporters now want to know if Unbreakable Brown feels fear on the mega ramp. Jake affirms that this is true, but he adds a qualifier. He says he always has felt fear, even before the 45-foot freefall, because this is a natural emotion for a cutting-edge skateboard stuntman. Online viewers will note that Jake Brown was carted off in a wheelchair, not a stretcher. "I knew what happened," Jake explains in his trademark unflappable style. "I just wanted to test my body and see how wrecked I was, you know?"

Sources:
www.dailyillini.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=6d7c665b-3f6e-412a-9c8d-1440173744ec
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/aug/05/sports/sp-xside5
http://skateboard.about.com/od/proskaterbios/p/ProJakeBrown.htm
www.lgactionsports.com/athlete.html?athlete_id=72&sport=skateboarding
www.grindtv.com/athlete/jake_brown/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Brown

Las Vegas, also referred to as Sin City, is a great city to live in or visit if you are a skateboarder. This city is filled with great skate parks. One skate park that you can use for free while in town is the West Flamingo Skate Park. This park, which is located on the corner of West Flamingo and Jones, is a concrete skate park with a lot to offer the street course aficionado.

West Flamingo Skate Park - The Basics
While the West Flamingo Skate Park doesn't have a bowl park, it does have a great street course. A street course skate park offers skating features that reflect urban obstacles and surfaces. You will find curbs, stairs, rails, planters, benches, boxes and other obstacles. The skills that you can practice in this type of park including balance tricks, weaving, jumping and skidding.

Skating a Street Course
Each type of skate park has its own hazards and advantages. If you are new to street courses then there are a few precautions that you can take to make sure your day at the West Flamingo Skate Park is a good one. First, you will want to stretch out your lower body including your ankles, calf muscles, quads, knees and hips. Street courses require you to do a lot of squatting and twisting, so you will also want to warm up your mid-section with side stretches, lunge stretches and a little walking. When you warm up your muscles prior to entering the park they will be more flexible and less likely to get pulled or torn. This strategy will also help you skate better.

Skateboarding in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is known for many things, including its heat. Generally, you will want to avoid skateboarding during mid-day. This is when the sun is at its most brutal. When skating in Las Vegas, you will want to wear clothing that is breathable, wicks moisture away from your body and provides your skin with adequate coverage to prevent sun burn. You will also want to wear a heat and sun block with an SPF of at least 30.

If you are in New England and looking for a great place to go skateboarding, the Rye Airfield is the place to go. This skate park is a New Hampshire Mecca for skaters, which offers about 50,000 square feet of skating terrain. It is generally open Tuesday through Sundays, however, if you want, you can rent out the entire complex on Mondays.

Rye Airfield - The Basics
The Rye Airfield can be found at 170 Lafayette Road in Rye, New Hampshire. During the school year this skate park is open Tuesday through Friday from 3 p.m. until 8:45 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. until 8:45 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. During winter and spring break, Rye Airfield expands its hours so that it is open Monday through Friday from noon until 8:45 p.m., in addition to its normal weekend hours. During the summer months the park is open Monday through Saturday from noon until 8:45 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 5:45 p.m.

This is not a free park, so you will have to find a few bucks to get in. Session passes cost between $10 and $14, day passes cost between $25 and $33, and 30-day passes cost between $49 and $75. The price that you are charged will depend on whether you are a member or a non-member of the Rye Airfield.

Rye Airfield - The Features
The Rye Airfield is one of the largest skate parks in New England, so pull on a pair of jeans and grab your board for one of the best skate experiences of your life. There are four different sections to this park. The first section is the Proving Ground. This area includes ledges, gaps, a pyramid, deck-to-deck jumps, a hubbarail and a variety of trannies.

The second section of the park is called the Flow Unit. Here you will find a great ten-foot quarter pipe, an eight-foot bowl and more modest seven-foot bowl. Make sure you have the skills to navigate these features before you set your board in motion.

The third section of the park is the Micro. Here you will find micro ramps, mini box jumps, rails, pyramids and a double many.

The final area in this park is the Gap Ledges. Here you will find three great ledges with deck-to-deck jumps. This is a great area to learn new tricks.

Castle Rock is a city between Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado. This quaint little urban center has an amazing backdrop to skate against, as well as one of the better skate parks in the state. This skate park is called the Castle Rock Skate Park, and if you enjoy bowls or street courses, you are going to love it.

Castle Rock Skate Park - the Basics
The Castle Rock Skate Park can be found at 4420 Front Street in Castle Rock, Colorado. This park is less than an hour from both Denver and Colorado Springs, so it is the perfect place to go if you are visiting either of these cities. This is a skate-at-your-own-risk park, which means that you are responsible for your own safety. You will want to wear a helmet, padding and the appropriate clothing for the weather. Also, this park has easy transitions and roll-ins into the bowls, which means a lot of people who don't really have the skills to handle bowls will be trying their luck. Keep this is mind as you roll in and be aware of who is skating around you.

Castle Rock Skate Park - The Bowls
The Castle Rock Skate Park has a great collection of bowls. The largest bowl has an estimated depth of 9.5 feet. There is also a tri-bowl with depths of three, four and five feet, a fish bowls, a mogul bowl and a handicap bowl. Most of the bowls in this skate park have roll-ins, and some bowls are connected to one another with spines.

Castle Rock Skate Park - Street Terrain
While the bowls at this park are great they are not the main attraction. The street course at this park is super cool and super big. In fact, the square footage dedicated to the street course is larger than most skate parks in Colorado. The street course is made up of banks, rails, stairs, trannies, curbs, planters, ledges and a great new snake run. Again keep in mind that there are skaters of all skill level using the park and some may not have the skills to maintain control of their boards and bodies. To protect yourself and them from injuries keep your eyes open for other skaters as you navigate your way around the street course.