Porkie Pies 2017

It was another Fruit Boot Shootout event, this time The FBSO Pork pie pud slides Melton Mowbray massacre out in the sun, making the most of our Great British Summer ™. As is customary with these events it was first and foremost a session. An excuse to get together and skate. Once the midair collisions were over and the ambulance left with the first (and thankfully only) casualty of the day that’s how it turned out. As Glenn departed with a second head growing from where the first impacted the concrete everyone else, glad to see him walking unaided got back to the matter at hand – finding the lines to be had at this little outdoor park.

It seems that lines were found as you can see above. After a few hours of rolling the smooth curves and banks of this particular location prizes were given for best trick and best overall skater. Both going to Jake Ricketts for his exemplary performance all day.

MCR Street Jam 2015

I didn’t get many shots at the Jam this year so you’ll have to take my word that it was the biggest and best yet. Great weather, amazing people and serious skating. The best atmosphere you can get when sessioning. just a crowd of friends meeting up for good times and to share times with the best company.

Results:
1st – Yuri Botelho – LocoSkates £100 prize plus more!
2nd – Dave Mutschall – nuff stuff!
3rd – Dan Collins – more stuff!
Special prize goes to Niko Salaman for smashing it! Pair of Razors Scott Quinn signature pro skate.
James Keyte special prize, a palm sized tattoo from Tatt Studioix Manchester!

Thanks again to Alex, Scott, Lemon, Jam, the Peters family for bringing the box and everyone who helped support, organise, and clear up after such an amazing event.

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

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

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

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

MCR Street Jam 2014

MCR_Street_Jam_LogoIn planning the second of what could become the UK’s primary street skate event, local boy and international rollerblading legend Alex Burston could never have guessed it would be right in the middle of the hottest weather of the year. Which would have been perfect, were it not for the biggest summer thunderstorms the area has seen for a generation landing right at the same time.

Was it a washout though? Did the street skaters pack up and go home? Of course not. Everyone still came and converged on Castlefields Arena as you would expect and when there was a break in the rain long enough to clear some of the puddles, mayhem commenced. The MCR Street Jam was on for another year.

Filmed by Scott Hallows and Tim Darker for The Booted

I however set off late and having nearly been washed off the M6 on my journey North decided to play it safe and went straight to the “after session” organised at Bones Skatepark. Here I got my camera out and took a few shots of the very hot warm-down session that occurred.

Livi Skate Party 2014

It’s back. Having taken a break from the scene since 2007 the Infamous Livi Skate Party has returned. Though I can never imaging it returning to the parties of old, with drinking, camping, skating, barbecues, more drinking a bit of skating and a bit more drinking, it’s definitely back. A much more family friendly form has returned this year, including a full under 16 competition to not only win prizes on the day, but also to qualify for entry to the Slamm Jamm New Blood comp held at Rampworx later in the year.

From my first visit to Livi in 2005 I have always loved the atmosphere at this park. Since the event stopped a couple of years later through lack of support (though no lack of effort from organisers) the park has undergone a rather extensive and controversial expansion. This has however added more variety to the park and helped the event to be a little more rounded in the competition capacity. It has still however managed to retain the relaxed and fun attitude that makes it one of my favourite events in the UK calendar.

Anyway, what you came here for – the photos I got on the day. There’s not a massive number due to the 13 hours of driving needed to get there and back in a day, but you get the idea…