Edit from UK History

Rollerblading Is Easy.

We all know that, but in this case it is specific to a rather major UK point in history. At the height of its popularity in the UK, a number of “real” street comps were organised. This was one of these. Arranged by a group of skaters with no real interest in marketing, profits, fame, or whatever else seems to be needed to get people interested in a competition these days, this was amongst a few big gatherings we’ve had outside of skateparks in the UK. Arranged and publicised only through word of mouth and the ubiquitous UKSkate forums, skaters turned up from all over the country.

Well, as luck would have it over a decade after the event I found an old edit sat in an archive I have of old skate edits. More may be posted as I look through them. Enjoy:

And for my own perspective on the day, check out the gallery of photos I took at the time:
Continue reading Edit from UK History

Laced 2014 – Catchup

Laced LogoOK, it seems I’ve been a little negligent. I appear to have forgotten to upload some photos from previous events. First and foremost amongst these is Laced from earlier this year. Only one of the biggest events on the year, so nothing important like.

So I’ll shut up now and post the photos…

King Of The Park – Blade Jam

MagsBlade LogoDue to injuries I didn’t take my skates to this event put on by Blade Life. It was a fairly chilled affair up at Mags on Ramps in Halifax with mostly locals and a few youngsters trying out the park on skates. The park is pretty basic but it’s clean, dry and the staff are great. Worth a visit next time any events are on there I’d say.

Due to lack of skating options I only stayed for a short time to shoot some photos and get out before the storms made the motorways impassable…

Slamm Jamm 16 photos

What needs to be said? In its 16th year and still going strong. It took a while but the photos from Slamm Jamm 16 are now here for you to view…

There are a few edits too:
Continue reading Slamm Jamm 16 photos

UrbanLikes

500 FB LikesWell, it’s not a lot compared to some but for a site that simply grew out of a place to dump my skating photos of mates it’s a fair milestone. 500 likes on Facebook may not sound like much but I’m happy with it. As this site and the Facebook page have never received any funding, external contributions nor marketing I think it’s quite an achievement. Over a decade of rolling history in photographic form. It’s not about the self promotion. It’s all about putting in what you can and appreciating those who help you along the way.

So, to each and every one of you that I met through skating; Whether you roll or not, whether we’re still in touch or we’ve moved on I want to say thanks. You were an integral part of my journey. It’s you and the community that we have that have kept UrbanLines going for 11+ years. Let’s see what else we’ve got now shall we?

One City One Shot Episode #8

It was good to see John Goodman back out on skates. In celebration we decided to have a fun session around his local area. After a quick warmup at the ghetto council park we checked out this evil beast. It’s not much to look at but it’s rough and the autumn leaves weren’t helping a lot.

To be honest we only stayed a short time as Kyle and John landed a few tricks and we then moved off for more fun little spots. I grabbed a few shots here because there was no way I was going to even look at that rail with wheels on my feet. This was my favourite of the day.

 MG 5697

RJT Trophy – 10 year anniversary

Again I packed up my camera gear to head down to Barry for the weekend; remembering a legend, an inspiration and above a remarkably decent human being. It’s ten years since we lost Rich Taylor and yet again we get together to celebrate the legacy of one who touched so many lives by attending the Richard Taylor Trophy event.

RJT Trophy Logo

This year the competition was held indoor at the Spit and Sawdust park in Cardiff, South Wales. The second day was intended to be a more chilled session at the Knapp skatepark in Rich’s home town of Barry. However due to the park being temporarily closed for repairs and with the weather unpredictable, it was swapped for a Slip’n’Slide session down the hills overlooking the beach.

The Results:

Under 16
1st Jordan Ward
2nd Tom Bellamy
3rd Joe Hughes
Open
1st Tesharn Febz
2nd Andrew Speed
3rd “Barney”
Them wot can
1st Blake Bird
2nd Jake Ricketts
3rd Sam Davis

For those who couldn’t make it, Mark Worner put together an edit from the comp:

I did manage to get some photos from the comp too:

I want to say a huge thanks to Rob and Gaynor for the hospitality. To Riddick for getting us back from Cardiff after someone got far too drunk. To everyone who arranged or helped out with the comp, who turned up, who came out partying. You all helped make this one of the best events, and weekend in general I’ve ever attended.

Can I suggest to all those based in the UK to consider your own legacy and get yourself on the national organ donor register.

And while we’re at it, here’s a quick edit that Jon Peters made of the fun had throwing ourselves down a Welsh hill on the Sunday.

Unit 23 Open 2014

Unit 23 Open LogoSo, there were a few names down for this little known event in an obscure park somewhere in Scotland. Thought I’d head up to see what it’s about. I knew it was going to be a long weekend so rather than brave the dubious Unit 23 sofas I went for the safer option of camper in the carpark (which came with the added bonus of late night toast). Turned out alright in the end.

Well, with names like Montre Livingston, Josh Glowicki, Fredrik Andersson, Alex Burston and many more in the building, it’s no surprise that the level of skating was high. With these guys though it also meant the vibe was competitive but friendly. This perspective ran throughout the day, including all the competitions. I think the youngest category received the biggest cheers (partially bolstered by the mums and dads no doubt, but still). A great day as always put on by Scott Quinn and the Unit 23 staff.

So the story goes that after a good night’s Honey fueled sleep, and sweet breakfast, I took a few photos…

Oh yeah, and some random traveler called Anthony Medina knocked together an edit

Rush Blade Jam 2014

It was a hot day. A long hot day. Great park though and many skills were exhibited. When it came down to it though, top spot went to a rather ill Alex Burston. I managed to get a few shots down even though my batteries had decided it was a good day to take a holiday. Cheers to the organisers and sponsors of the event, to Rush Skatepark for having us over, and of course to everyone who turned up. Hope those that made it to the lake in the evening managed to cool down adequately.

Oh, and there’s an edit out as well…