The Candle-light Session - Secret Spot

I've been meaning to get these up for a while now, got loads going on at the moment so it's only now that they make it onto the world wide web.

These shots were taken before the clocks went forward so we were arriving at te spotin the dark and having to get light any way we could. Head-torches, wind-up lamps, bicycle lights and candles were all being employed in a desperate attempt to light the place enough to skate it safely.  We failed.

It was lit, a bit, just not enough.  The bottom of the quarter-pipe had just been skimmed to meet the floor and the thin section at the floor started to crack up and finally big enough chunks were coming up to throw me into the face of the hip opposite.  There really isn't a lot of time to take evasive action.

Johners and James kept on shredding until we'd finished the beers and the candles were fading.

Since these pictures were taken there have been big steps forward and hopefully I can get down to help out again soon.  But for now you can all take a look at how things looked a week or so ago.

Go build something to skate.

[LIALC]

Nocturnal Bristol DIY Fun.

It's been a while since I made it down to Bristol for a skate.  This time round it was a flying visit, driving down on Saturday morning and back on Sunday afternoon.  After hanging out with the family Plews, it was time for Dave and I to head to Daveside, his new DIY spot.

Joxa with a RnR Slide going that way >

Habgood had a face full of snot so it was just Me, Joxa and Dave that made it down to the amazing little spot.  I'd seen a few photos but none of them really did justice to just how good this spot is.  The location is amazing, right by a vast expanse of smooth tarmac with superb lights all the way along the side. 

Dave had spotted the location ages ago and had tried to get people to get something started down there without success.  Then he decided to take the bull by the hors and started building the first quarter with rubble, as soon it started to look like something was possible people started being available to help out.  There have been hic-ups along the way, some loose lipped moments had the place open for business way before Dave would have liked, as is often the case with these things, and several bags of out of date concrete at a pound each later... you have what yu see in these photos.

Dave retaliates with an RnR slide coming this way.

The transitions are by no means perfect and the surface is showing signs of being a little to thin but Dave and the crew are going to resurface what's here before starting on the expansion programme.  The concrete structure that they've build up against is like a gnarly gift from the skateboard gods.  it's topped off with angle iron that has some heavy duty bolts, nails and rivets protruding out here and there, making for some interesting grinds.  A few backside grinds had me tipped to the floor, who knows what stopped the grind but each time the effect was the same, me on the floor.

Tail blockage.

Dave and Joxa were having it.  They both paid no attention to the holes and rough patches and just shredded for the couple of hours that we were there, luckily an ankle roll for me made me pick up the camera a bit earlier than usual.

Joxa

Dave

 Hopefully the next time I make it down I can lend a hand with the next stage of the build and skate it without hurting myself.  Thanks to Dave for the invite and to both Dave and Joxa for a really fun skate.

So if you are reading this and thinking "I could build something like that", YES, you can, just buy the concrete and have a go, that's exactly what Dave and the crew did.

Build it, skate it!

[LIALC]

Chapped Lips and Bad Backs - The Price of Living Your Dreams.

This time last year the Fox Spot was already starting to take shape. Now we know it's time is limited thanks to the redevelopment of Burgess Park and the inclusion of an Olympic size BMX track.  The site of the Fox Spot is where the final corner before the home straight will be.

Continuing to add to the Fox Spot seemed stupid if it's only a matter of weeks away from destruction, so a new site was needed.  Thanks to Johners' and James' keen senses, we have one.

There's no telling how long this will last so for now it's staying a SECRET location.  But you can see how we got on with the fist afternoon of building below. Fingers crossed there are going to be many more to come.

[LIALC]

The beginning

Fuck the Olympics, build a skate-spot

Salvaged

Johners' gadgets

Mixing by hand

Ingenuity

Fag break

The Hip

Keep it tidy.

Kingpin's Set In Stone - Berlin

Now that there is a lull in the S.E.D.J. activity, until the final post, I thought I'd better post this little beauty.

You may have already seen it as it was released by Kingpin Magazine yesterday but I'm determined to do my bit to get it seen by as many skateboarders and non-skaters as humanly possible. Why?  Because it's a forward thinking project that showcases what can be done with a little time, effort and , I won't lie to you, money. 


More Skateboarding Videos

I was lucky enough to be involved in some of the building at last years Fox Spot that featured on this blog quite a bit (and again below).  I got to work with Daryl and pick-up as much from him as I could, which was easy as Daryl has no problem at all in sharing his knowledge.  As a result I could now go away and build something of my own, Johners did immediately, adding elements to the Fox Spot as a one man building team.



DIY is not a dark art.  It's the same as most things in life; some basic rules and some key techniques that once you know them a whole world of possibilities is opened up to you.  That's why I'm so pleased to see Set In Stone come to fruition.  Imagine if everyone in your crew knew how to build like these guys, you would never run out of new things to skate.

Keep your eyes out for the next 3 of the series of four, don't worry, I'll point them out if you miss them.

[LIALC]

S.E.D.J. Day 13 - Clapham Common and The Jaws of Defeat.

I knew it.  I deliberately didn't mention anything about today's date in any of the emails or yesterday's post.  Did it do any good in avoiding the curse of Friday the 13th? Did it Fuck!!

Martyn had cycled from Burmondsey to come and skate this brand new park, so new the fucking thing isn't even finished,and was just as pissed off as I was when we were met by contractors still working on the park and refusing us entry to skate.

The as yet unfinished Clapham Common Skatepark.

It had to happen at some point and I think 12 days straight without any real hiccups is good going. Thank Christ there was another option open to us.  I was all set to go a bit fiery-headed about the whole situation but Martyn kindly reminded me that the paddling pool used to be the only spot in this area.  So a two minute walk over the common and we had waxed painted curbs and a tiny little D.I.Y. quarter to mess about on.  The clock was ticking.

A bit of minimalist D.I.Y.

The concrete that had been thrown up against the surrounding wall was barely skateable but I gave it a go anyway.  Mostly it was a curb session in amazing almost spring-like conditions. A good covering of leaf litter and tiny twigs made for plenty of wheel-jams which started to get  almost comical after a while, always coming just half a second before you are about to pop up onto the curb.

Martyn styles out a 50-50 at the paddling pool.

Both Martyn and i kept positive, dug deep for bit of the old Dunkirk spirit and managed to snatch victory from the Jaws of and unfinished concrete skatepark.  The word from the guys working there is that it opens this weekend, so maybe one day next week I'll actually make it happen.  For Day 13 it's still ticked, just not in the way I'd planned.  Huge thanks to Martyn for making a big effort to come and skate today.

Tomorrow is Day 14 and a return visit to Tollworth.  If you believe what people say there should be a few of us here tomorrow, from 12.00 for bout an hour and half.  If you're in the area get down there.

[LIALC]

Feverish, Damp and Unhinged - Welcome To Stockwell

I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again and again and again, I fucking Love Stockwell Skatepark!

Don't worry, I'm not going to start with the reminiscences of the skateboarding day trips in to London as a spotty teenager, no-one needs to hear that again. What I will say is that one more time the locals of this rough jewel in London skateboarding's crown have proved how to have a full-on session come Competition/Jam on a wet December Sunday.


The Stockwell Winter Games 2011 - I'm sure there were those who thought the whole thing was a waste of time and effort and maybe they were right and we are all just a little unhinged. Yet by the time we left the park and headed for the pub, all the obstacle building and organizing and skating in the wet felt very much like effort well spent.

Having 80% of the park too wet to skate just focused everyone into what was left.  When you have a good 20 or so people all skating the same thing at a feverish pace what you get is bodies and boards flying everywhere and a really good time.

Full-on back slaps to Toby, Johners and Hariett for putting in the effort to make this all happen, also to Martyn, and Harrison for helping with the obstacle build a while back.

Here are a few grabbed snaps of the day and evening, they're not remotely representative of the skateboarding that went down but they make me feel like it's more of a valid blog post. 

Keep'em peeled for more Stockwell Games events soon.... (I have no-idea if that's true, it just feels like a nice way to end).

[LIALC]