Drive

Drive airs on FUEL TV. CLICK HERE to see when it airs next.
Based on the award-winning documentary, DRIVE (NOTES FROM THE WILDERNESS) goes on the road with Mike Vallely as he explores the people, places, and issues defining skateboarding and youth culture today. DRIVE blends action with information, empowering and inspiring its viewers to be active and compassionate, and to pursue their talents and life dreams.
SEASON THREE
EPISODE ONE “BRAZIL PART 1”
Mike travels to Brazil to explore the countries skateboard culture. In Sao Paulo he meets Sandro Santos, a local skater who has started a skateboard program in the cities juvenile prison system to help rehabilitate its inhabitants by teaching them life lessons through skateboarding.
EPISODE TWO “BRAZIL PART 2”
Mike’s travels in Brazil continue as he visits the infamous City of God in Rio De Janiero. There he meets hip-hop star and community activist MV Bill, who through his foundation is promoting skateboarding, music and the visual arts as an alternative to the life of crime and drugs that is so prevalent in the cities Favela system.
EPISODE THREE “PARENTAL GUIDANCE”
Mike explores the topic of parental involvement in skateboarding by visiting parents who have taken an active role in their children’s interest and in the process become leaders that are changing the face of skateboarding in their respective communities.
For more info or to make donations to the Tinnell Memorial Skatepark in Lake Havasu City go to www.tinnellmemorialsportspark.com
EPISODE FOUR “BARBADOS”
Mike travels to the island nation of Barbados to explore the countries fledgling skate scene and meets local shop owner Paul Wilson, who along with his wife Jami have taken it upon themselves to ensure that it continues to grow.
EPISODE FIVE “TWO ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM”
Mike visits two skate scenes that have received attention for entirely different reasons. First, visiting the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas where a group of teenage skaters got into a confrontation with police on Go Skateboarding Day 2007. Then visiting the Green Skate Lab in Washington DC, a bowl constructed almost entirely out of recycled material.
EPISODE SIX “ROOTS”
Mike travels to his hometown of Edison, New Jersey and meets up with his childhood mentor Rodney Smith.
SEASON TWO
EPISODE ONE “BREAKDOWN”
The premiere episode of the second season of DRIVE finds Mike entering his 20th year as a professional skater, only to suffer a serious ankle injury while skating a demo in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Mike visits with his orthopedic surgeon, and undergoes surgery receiving eight screws and a plate to repair his broken ankle. After two months in a cast Mike begins a rigorous physical therapy routine to rehabilitate his ankle and make his way back to skating at the level he did prior to the accident. The episode culminates with Mike skating his first demo since the accident in Freehold, New Jersey before thousands of fans.
EPISODE TWO “FIELD OF DREAMS”
Mike travels to the Cayman Islands to visit the Black Pearl skate park on the island of Grand Cayman. Mike holds a clinic at the park and explores the skate scene on the island skating a backyard mini ramp. The episode culminates with Mike sharing some thoughts with the local kids on how to nurture their skate scene.
EPISODE THREE “SOUTH PART 1 - NEW ORLEANS”
Mike travels throughout the southern United States and visits the city of New Orleans; one year after the city was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Mike meets up with local skateboarder Todd Taylor who takes him on a tour of the city. They skate through the downtown area checking out a few of the skate spots that have been affected and/or created in the aftermath of the hurricane. Todd also takes Mike on a tour of the more heavily damaged areas of the city, including the extensive destruction of the Ninth Ward.
EPISODE FOUR “SOUTH PART II – SMALL TOWNS”
Mike continues his travels through the southern United States visiting a series of small towns along the way. In White Hall, Arkansas Mike meets up with 18-year-old Todd Givens who created his own skate scene by building ramps in his driveway, so local skaters would have a place to ride. In Hammond, Louisiana Mike meets up with skaters Kerry Simpson and Neal Boyd to discuss the impact Louisiana’s first public cement park has had on their skate scene. Finally, Mike stops in Oxford, Mississippi to skate the cities public park with a group of local kids.
EPISODE FIVE “ISRAEL – PART I”
Mike travels to Israel to check out the countries fledgling skate scene and is surprised to find a blossoming skate scene that has been around for over a decade. Mike skates a demo in the northern town of Hafia, explores the “Old City” in Jerusalem, and meets up with skater Gilli Levy to talk about the issues Jerusalem’s skaters are faced with. The show closes with a couple of local skaters taking Mike and fellow Element skateboarder Dallas Rockvam to session a quarter-pipe wave like structure on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
EPISODE SIX “ISRAEL – PART II”
Mike continues his travels through Israel. In the town of Eilat, Mike and Dallas Rockvam skate a demo and go to skate a cement bank at a local elementary school. In Tel Aviv, Mike talks with local Boaz Aquino about the skate scene there and what its like growing up in Israel. The show closes with an inspired demo at the Tel Aviv skatepark.
EPISODE SEVEN “THE MAKING OF”
Mike and Mark Jeremias reflect on the making of DRIVE, offering insight into the concept, favorite stories and other behind the scenes moments.
EPISODE EIGHT “TYLER’S STORY”
Mike visits Tyler Fingerle, a 16-year-old boy from Indiana who survived electrocution in a fatal traffic accident in part because the thick rubber soles of his skateboarding shoes.
SEASON ONE
EPISODE ONE "THE PROFESSIONAL"
The premiere episode of DRIVE features Mike exploring the topic of professionalism in skateboarding. Mike visits with his childhood hero and skateboarding legend Lance Mountain, Ryan Sheckler, and Tony Hawk to get their views on the challenges of being a professional in this ever-evolving sport. The result is a moving collection of individual approaches and perspectives, combined with skate action in a diversity of settings that capture the essence of skateboarding and what it means to be a true professional.
EPISODE TWO "BEYOND BORDERS" PART I
Mike has always believed in traveling to places off the beaten path to share his philosophies on skateboarding. In this episode Mike travels to South Africa to visit the Zulu village of Isithumba and participate in the Indigo Skate Camp, which was established to promote cultural exchange between Western and Zulu youth. Mike tours the Zulu village and skates a mini ramp built by the camp and native kids in the Valley of 1000 Hills.
EPISODE THREE "BEYOND BORDERS" PART II
Mike's visit to Zululand continues as he takes the Zulu skaters with him to explore South Africa's skate terrain, skating an Olympic swimming pool and a cement drainage ditch. Mike meets a group of orphaned and abandoned children and teaches them to skate at a local Durban skatepark. This episode reminds us all of the importance of sharing and learning from other cultures.
EPISODE FOUR "UNSUNG HEROES"
Mike reflects on the people he has met through skateboarding and visits three individuals who inspire him to keep going, Jon Comer, a professional skateboarder who lost his leg in a childhood accident, Mike Rogers, who overcame cancer and has dedicated his life to being a role model in Southern Florida's skate scene, and Ryon Rommel, who was first featured in the film DRIVE and continues his battle with Leukemia.
EPISODE FIVE "THE SHOW"
Mike goes on tour with the Element and Accel Wheels skateboard teams to explore the role skate demonstrations play in skateboarding. Offering insight into what being a touring professional is all about, Mike takes his skating from the a local skate shop parking lot to the Mall of America and 15,000 screaming fans.
EPISODE SIX "A PLACE TO RIDE"
Not every town has a skate park. Mike addresses the issue of public skate parks by visiting a group of skaters who have successfully gotten parks built in their community, and Miki Vuchovich, executive director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, to discuss the bureaucratic process, and the logistics of planning, financing, and constructing a skatepark.