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 Andy Macdonald, the man behind Positiv Skateboards. |
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 Sandro Dias is part of the Positiv vert team. |
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 Carlos de Andrade (above) is skates street for Positiv, along with Rodney Jones. |
Team Positiv: Making Boards for the Fans
Andy MacDonald's New Company Fills A Void in Skateboarding
By Brooke Geery
The spectators who come to watch the LG Action Sports Championships are part of a new wave of skateboarding. Even as recent as a few years ago, the only people who cared about skateboarding were people who participated in it, and the sport would never be able to pack an arena. But now, thanks to large events and television coverage, the profile of a skateboard fan has changed. In Dallas, the stands were packed with families, young kids, and teenage girls, many of whom, have never even stepped on a skateboard.
Though not hardcore skaters themselves, they come to see their favorite skaters who they know from video games or television. The field at the LG Action Sports Championships was stocked with skaters who've appeared in the X Games and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for year, such as Jeff Kargola, Bucky Lasek and of course, Andy Macdonald.
Macdonald has spent years as an ambassador for skateboarding, and with his latest project, Positiv skateboards, he hopes to make the activity of skateboarding even more accessible to the young fans. For the past few years, Andy has been representing Andy Mac Boards, which was the same concept as Positiv: a price point skateboard that is of high quality, but affordable, for those just getting into the sport. After years of going it alone though, he reconvened with Powell Skateboards to compile a great team and product in Positiv Skateboards.
"We're just offering a quality skateboard and trying to get the price down to a point where a kid that's just starting skateboarding is going to be able to afford it," Macdonald says. "Little Joey doesn't need the top quality gear to get started, he just needs a board that turns when it needs to turn and rolls when it needs to roll."
The entire Positiv team came to Dallas to compete in the Action Sports Championships. In the skate street competition, Rodney Jones and Carlos de Andrade both rode their Positiv skateboards while qualifying for the finals. From their skating, you could never tell the skateboards they were riding can be bought in the store for half as much as the other competitors' equipment.
On the vert ramp, Andy himself and also Sandro Dias came out to represent Positiv. Dias is known for his 900's, which he nearly pulled during his runs in the skate vert prelims, but had trouble putting together a strong enough run to make finals. Andy, on the other hand, tied for the high score of the day with Pierre-Luc Gagnon.
The Positiv team is as strong as any, especially in the contest circuit. Jones was already skating for Powell, when he was asked by Andy to make the switch, and said he's glad to be repping the brand. "We've got a good team, good people to work with, great people behind us."
Sandro Dias was also personally invited to skate for the brand by Macdonald and enjoys the chance to be part of a company that allows him to skate contests and do what he wants to do. de Andrade is the latest addition to the team. "I like to skate contests, and that's what kind of skaters he wanted in the company," Carlos said."It's a good thing, I can't complain. They treat me good, and I like the boards."
Positiv literally just hit the shelves at the end of this summer, but so far, Macdonald said the response has been great, especially from the kids who are just getting into skating and their parents who are buying the boards.
"We're filling the void there's always been, between buying your board in pieces and spending $120, or if you don't want to do that or don't have the money, having to go to a toy store and buy a Spider Man board, but that's not really a skateboard."
The boards will be available through Amazon.com and at Sporting Goods stores such as the Sports Authority.
