WALLANCE PRODUCTIONSSkates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays. They are carnivorous, feeding mostly on smaller fish and crustaceans. They have flat pectoral fins continuous with their head, two dorsal fins and a short, spineless tail. There are more than 200 described species in 25 genera.Skates are benthic (bottom-dwelling) and are found throughout the world from continental shelves down to the abyssal zone. They are oviparous fishes, laying eggs in a horny case known as a mermaid\'s purse. It is thought that egg-laying in skates is an evolutionary reversal, that is, skates are descended from ovoviviparous ancestors.[1]The common skate, Dipturus batis, is the largest found in British waters. It has a long, pointed snout. However, the most common skate in British seas is the thornback ray, Raja clavata. They are frequently caught by trawling. Common skate and white skate are assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN (World Conservation Union) and the fish is listed by the Marine Conservation Society as a \"fish to avoid\".[2]Street skateboarding is the act of riding a skateboard on paved surface, whether that surface is found at a public school, a shopping mall, or somewhere else. This is in contrast with a related, but much different subsection, vert skateboarding, which refers to riding a skateboard up and down a vert ramp or half-pipe. The third type of skateboarding is known as freestyle skateboarding. Street skating, as it is most commonly known among skaters, may include skate tricks such as ollies, or ollie variations, but often it is simply the act of skateboarding on the pavement itself. Whatever the case may be, the act of street skating requires the rider to utilize objects which are found in urbanized settings, such as curbs, ledges, handrails, stairs, and other obstacles.The skateboarding industry experienced major growth starting in the mid 1990s, and many factors are to thank for this. The global recession that had affected so many during the decade\'s early years was coming to an end, which generally meant more disposable income for young people[citation needed]. As a result, more time and money could be invested into adolescent pastimes. A new skateboarding-related culture started to form. Pop punk bands such as The Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, and Green Day began to sell millions of records in 1994, and this introduced many people to the \"alternative\" lifestyle, which included skateboarding[citation needed]. Although the mainstream has brought in money, many skateboarders feel that the mainstream has tainted skateboarding as a whole[citation needed]. Wanting to \'cash in\' on a wealthy demographic, ESPN introduced the Extreme Games (later renamed the X-Games) in the summer of 1995. The games showcased activities such as rollerblading, BMX biking, motocross and other events, including skateboarding. While skateboarding was a major part of the X-Games showcase, most skaters featured during the first few years of the competition were oriented to ramps that are commonly found in skateparks. Accordingly, the major role that the X-Games played was turning the mainstream population onto the sport itself, at which point potential riders would be much more likely to be influenced by industry sources (such as Transworld Skateboarding Magazine, or Thrasher), that were still focusing on the street scene.[edit]Influential videosLike no other time before it, the period between the mid 1990s and the early 21st century saw an incredible amount of influence originating in promotional videos released directly by skate companies themselves. Whereas skate demos and competitions continued to maintain their important role that had been established in previous skate eras, hardcore skaters now focused the majority of their attention on videos, and the tricks being performed in those videos. Skate videos in the mid 1990s were almost exclusively street based, with absolutely no freestyle, and very little vert to mention. Some videos, such as Girl Skateboards\' Mouse (1996), and World Industries\' Rodney Mullen vs. Daewon Song (1997) followed the tradition of technical flatground skateboarding that had been spawned from the ashes of freestyle in the early 1990s. Others, such as Toy Machine\'s Welcome to Hell (1996), and Zero Skateboards\'s Thrill of it All (1996), represented the direction that street skating took in the late 1990s— handrail skating and other types of skating such as ledges and flat bars. EXPERIMENT, PRODUCTIONS, SKATE, tedbunker&tedbuddy, WALLANCE