Category: Skateboarding

Words Jacob Sawyer
Group photo: Andy May
All other photos/sequence by Smay
Footage feat Matt Hill, Elliot Rowe and Jerry Wilson thanks to AD @ Drawing Boards.

My first memory of skateboarding took place in Bromley. Two kids were weaving in and out of pedestrians on old plastic boards outside of Allders.

It looked like the funnest thing ever, the only time I’d seen a skateboard before that it was ridden by Snoopy in a Peanuts book. When I got my first board in the post from my uncle I spent every waking hour in the carpark/Market by my house.

A few years later, first board in hand my dad took me to a mini ramp built on wasteland which is now a police station. This was behind Skate City which was an institution integral to skateboarding in the Borough we grew up in. Around the time of this ramp Bromley had a checkout in R.A.D magazine.

The mini ramp existed in different incarnations at different times. When this one was destroyed a new one was built in Churchill gardens. This was frequented by many people I still know today. Dave Minns, Andy May, John Foster, Steve Neale, Simon Jones, Jon Laidlow, Andy Skinner, Andy Dale, Danny Mody. I apologise now for any names that aren’t mentioned. I considered running nothing more than a list of names but settled on some kind of narrative.

Aged 10, Skate City club membership card and 29p Sainsbury’s coke in hand I met a young Ben Dominguez down there. We skated some street spots together after a kid tried to steal my Airwalk hat. Twenty years later and we’re still skating Churchill gardens together, who’d have thunk it? This ramp was burnt down and years later Ian Felton who ran Skate City raised funds for another mini again behind the shop.

During the period where no ramp existed we would all skate the banks, rails, stairs and benches dotted around. Most frequently sessions occurred in the Glades underground carpark. Some nights as many as ten of us would be down there to be joined by maybe that many again from a Croydon convoy. We would skate down there for hours. Mostly skate missions were further afield in the daytime, London or Croydon bound. There was certainly a time in my life where not an evening went past that I wasn’t in that carpark.

The ramps that existed behind Skate City drew a lot of people. When Ewan Bowman was living at Shier’s house the two of them would often visit as would Mark Skinner, Peter Lee, Rayman and Lee Stewart. Lee would do two foot high melons. I remember Shier and Skinner following each other as fast as they could. Backside grind, backside grind, backside grind.

At some point Skinner decided it was a good idea to turn frontside into Shier’s oncoming backside grind. Headbutt! Ben dropping in on a 6ft high vert extension (plank of wood) is another good memory. He dropped in on rollerblades to face plant once too, constant comedy. When these ramps were no longer a constant scene of good folk splintered as is often the case. I’m happy to report that many of my friends who spent some years away from skating are again doing it all the time.

It was amazing the Boxing Day just gone when Nathan organised a skate at Churchill Gardens. Serious crew showed up. As you’ll see from the photo it was peppered with faces old and new. Finally there is a park of sorts just behind these banks, this crew shot was a premonition of something to come. Since it’s been built serious visitors have passed through. Jerome Campbell, Neil Smith, Colin Kennedy, Lucien Clarke, Chris Ault, Casper Brooker and Jerry Wilson. I’ve been spending some time down there skating the ledges and it’s amazing seeing a new crew and solid scene emerging. If the rumour I heard last night is true, this will only get stronger.

It wouldn’t be right to have this printed and not thank the following not mentioned within without whom the days past would be nothing: Neil Hamed, Paul Kerekgyarto, Simon Ricci, Matt Janes, Fungus, Matt Wilson, Robert Grace, Robert Belcher, Alex “Brindle” Johnson, Rob Stevens, Adam Willis, Dan Callow, Matt Hilder, Richard Tavner ,Ralf Hilder, Andy Bedford, Dominic Marley, Billy Waite, Riaz Donaldson, John Nolan, John Davis aka Gwobtest, Darren Hopper, German Tom. Also thanks to the crew keeping it friendly in the tennis courts – Max, Nathan, Benji, Will, Nick, Law, Harry, Dr Creature who is off to Portland whose name always escapes me and anyone I forgot. Enjoy the footage!

Words and photos by Jenna Selby

The Pioneer Skate Park comps of old used to see skaters travelling hundreds of miles from all around the UK and Europe to take part and be part of the 2 day infamous events.

The green park adjacent would play host to the wandering masses with random tents adorning the public space over the course of the weekend. Nothing of that nature has really been seen since the park shut down 9 years ago due to a litigation incident and everything has had to be played pretty much by the book since its reopening 2 years later.

That was until a lone Spaniard by the name of Silvia Serret March appeared on the doorstep of the skate park for the 8th annual Girl Skate Jam offering a tale of a two day public park camping extravaganza – impressing the early morning joggers and dog walkers alike, abduction by a taxi driver after arrival at Luton Airport and loss of the other 5 girls she’d travelled over with – all in the name of making it to the UK Girls Jam – winner already!

The other Barca girls from what we could gather – through broken Spanish and a pocket translator spouting out phrases such as “because us seek life sleeping that day,” – were apparently currently at large somewhere on the streets of the UK. Although we never did fully discover exactly what had happened to them, the other girls thankfully did turn up to the park a few hours later.

The planned kick off time for the jam was 1pm although cars had started rolling up from 10am for those eager to get a skate in. Over the course of the next few hours more than 40 girls from a variety of countries: Czech, Poland, New Zealand (ok she was moving here anyway but it sounds good!!), France, Ireland, Spain and the UK turned up to take part. It was good to see new faces coming through on the UK scene especially with the likes of Romford ramp ripper Charlotte Laxton, Charlotte Thatcher and Chesham Massive representative Chelsea Diaper.

Due to the suspicious look of the weather, the proceedings began with the mini ramp comp. Thankfully the weather held dry and probably the strongest field of riders seen at the comp for some time went head to head…commentary provided Franglais style by Sam Bruce and Claire Alleaume. All the girls performed impressive one minute runs but it was Helen Lovelee with her fronstside disasters, Julia Wilshusen who didn’t come of her board once in her crazily tech run and Northern laydee Danielle Mellor who placed 3rd, 2nd and 1st respectively. Danielle – whose tricks included a backside smith to frontside revert and f/s 360 rock n roll – does though have the slightly unfair training advantage of owning a bowl in her barn back home – as you do!

Huge backside early grab airs saw Charlotte Laxton take 1st in the Under 18’s section, whilst in the Over 18’s, it was Andrea Wilshursen‘s; Julia’s twin – turn to dominate. A solid run of nollie flips, 5-0’s and b/s 50-50’s rightfully awarded her first place. The legend that is Silvia placed second and Fran Stroud who pulled off a clean boardslide down the rail, third.

Finally it was the turn of the sponsored lot. MC Joff had a little difficulty over pronouncing several of the names throughout the day but it was one in particular which stumped him, that of Czech’s Nikita team rider Caroline Dynybil! This though didn’t affect her run in which saw her pull off a clean big spin over the driveway and 50-50, Rogue rider Helena Long legs nailed a pretty sweet kickflip to 50-50, Van’s Sam Bruce in her customary relaxed solid style produced a b/s board down the rail, but hats have to go off to Lucy Adams who again took the title after a solid run of tricks including a b/s 50-50 on the Koston and a fakie flip on the bank.

Comps finished, prizes were dished out and group pics taken – and then it was all over – for a year anyway! Thanks to all the sponsors: Nikita, Les Ettes, Vans, Eastpak, Death, LoveNskate, Pro Tech and Rogue for all their help.

Also big thanks to all the people who gave up there time and really made the day: The Selby Family, Pioneer Skate Park, Joff Talbot, Alex Barton, Carmela Fleury, Rubicon Geoff, Ian Harris, John Glanville, Leigh Burton, James Strutt, Ian McInally, Heidi Blum, Chloe Bennet, Lloyd T Smash, Jake, Leah Smithson, Matt Talbot and Di Headly.

Jenna

The Girls Skate Jam 2009 results are as follows:

Sponsored
1st – Lucy Adams UK (Etnies, Eastpak)
2nd – Helena Long UK (Vans, Rogue, Royal Trucks)
3rd – Caroline Dynybil CZECH (Nikita)

Over 18
1st – Andrea Wilshusen SPAIN
2nd – Silvia Serret March SPAIN
3rd – Fran Stroud UK

Under 18
1st – Charlotte Laxton UK
2nd – Charlotte Thatcher UK
3rd – Ellie Reed UK

Mini
1st – Danielle Mellor UK
2nd – Julia Wilshusen SPAIN
3rd – Helen Lovelee AUSTRALIA