Road Rage East 2017

Road Rage East 2017

Friday

This year I led a van of 3 guys from Toronto and 4 from Peterborough. We left early and picked up the dudes in Peterborough and started heading towards Montreal. No point going straight through so we stopped off in Warkworth for a quick skate

.

Decent layout for a modular park but the highlight is the marble bench.

We got going and made it to Montreal in rush hour. Sweet!

First stop was Park Arthur Therrien. Park 319. Big park with everything but a bowl.

Full Review HERE 

Saturday.
We were hosted by a church nearby. At 5:45 in the morning I woke to the sound of someone singing (beautifully) in the sanctuary above us.

In the morning we hit Therrien before heading to Rollin Skate Boutique (https://www.boutiquerollin.com/en/) One of the guys had won 100 dollars in gift cards from some games the night before. The Ladies and Gentlemen at Rollin were great to us. A bunch of us picked up shop cruiser decks. I popped out of the shop just as soon as we got there because I saw a skatepark across the street. It had just started raining but I got a run in.

Parc Raymond Prefontaine. Park 320.

Little DIY to the bank beside the park.

Because of the rain we decided to go to Le Taz and killed a few hours between showers. It was packed but we still had some fun. I chatted with a father who let me know about a brand new park across the river in Longueuil. Sounded interesting.

New bowl since the last time in 2014.

Updated park.

Gnorman approves.

P45

After Taz & P45 we hit up The Big O and Olympic grounds. The Big O was fun and just as challenging as I remembered. Several areas of the Olympic grounds were closed for setup for the next weeks Jackalope Festival, a skateboard competition boasting PLG and Tony Hawk this year.

We skated a low ledge until the rain returned and we ducked under a road way for cover. From there we had front row seats to watch part of the vert ramp (under construction) blow over.

Don't tell Birdman (*in french)

Ohhh, double rainbow!!

We decided to check out the new park in Longueuil where we could skate and grab pizza. 

We got to drive under a river and over a river and found the park still damp with puddles. 

The local skaters yell "we need a squeegee!"

"We have one" we yelled back.

"Non, we need squeegee" they yelled again as one of their buddies showed up with a 8" squeegee.

"We have one!" I pulled out my 20" squeegee/broom and put it to work. 

The guys started skating and I left with Evan to grab pizza. We came back and the spots were mostly dry with part of the bowl still slowly draining. Evan started chatting with one of the locals while was playing on the mini ramp. Darkness and thunderstorms were threatening when the lights began to come on. One of the dudes went to the desk at the arena (where the light switch is located) and asked for the lights to be turned on for the out of towners!!!

Awesome Park. #321. 1775 Jacques Cartier Blvd E. Full Review HERE

Sunday

Destination Ottawa.

We hit this crazy elevated bank I found on Google Street View.

We got a clip and left the city. Goodbye Montreal for now. So many more things I'd like to skate.

In Ottawa we hit Charlie Bowins Skatepark. #322. Great park by New Line.

A few of the other Road Rage crews were there too and my buddy, Kurt, from The Dirty Jags tour joined us. Long time friend of Skatelife and Ottawa local, Brett, was there too.
We headed down town to the Archives Ledges and skated there for about 2 hours.

Kurt and I decided to hit the local skate shop, Birling, just up the street.
Formerly Antique, Birling is a cool shop not far from downtown (562 Somerset St W) and Charlie Bowins Skatepark. I picked up a shop deck and the woman running the shop (I want to say Meaghan but I could totally be wrong. hopefully she reads this and corrects me.) gave us a tour and some history on the building.

The building is about 100 years old and the floors are the original hard wood made from trees floated down the river. She said the name of the shop, Birling, is taken from the act of riding the logs down the river by the log drivers. They ride wood, skaters ride wood, hence: Birling.

It dawned on me while walking back to the van I had heard the word before but had misinterpreted it. When I was young I loved 'The Log Drivers Waltz' but thought the line was "hurling down and down white water."

Next shop graphic, maybe?

We made it to our host church in time for games and pizza. Then I started the process of editing our video. This was my first edit and the first time using a Mac in a long time. I got so frustrated with importing video I gave up and went to bed.

Monday

Sleep sucked. The room was too hot and too cold. Either way, I was up at 5:45 and started to give editing another try. I got into the groove and it started to be fun. 

We headed out to Barrhaven Skatepark. 

The parks a blast. We did some filming and Gnorman took a few runs.

Enroute to Picton we stopped in Kingston and hit the pretty new Shannon Skatepark.

 

Really different design but lots of fun.

From there we headed to Picton and after a bridge jump, we hit the skatepark. I took a few runs with a developing headache and decided to take some meds, rest a bit, then start editing again.

Tuesday
After a brief roll around the Picton mini-bowl (See Ontario's Bowls) we headed to a school some of the guys knew about.

We had a good, bust free skate.
I have discovered the key to getting the guys into the van quickly.
NO BREAKFAST. Hungry dudes pack up quick for food.


We stopped at The Big Apple to pick up a pie for my wife and stopped at my place to skate the basement and a rail at a nearby school.

We met with all the other crews for dinner. After club we went to Duff Grove and tried to avoid the puddles.

I guess it rained in Toronto.
We slept in a sewage stinky basement that night.

Wednesday
With the video being pretty much complete, we were pretty unmotivated. We headed to Ashbridges Bay and sat on the beach before having a skate.

The park was packed with summer camp kids. They sucked. #1 reason was the garbage they left all over the park.
We delivered the video and killed time near Christie Pits until the premiere.
Alex had been looking for socks with shin protection in them so when we came across a pair of old hockey pads, we knew what to do.

"These are awful!"


The viewing was held at The Reveue Theatre and we were able to invite friends and family.

My friends came out to support!

Being in the GTA, I was able to go sleep in my own bed that night. Til next year, maybe.

Here's our video. We didn't win but I'm proud of it.

Rockmosa Skatepark.

Rockmosa Skatepark

Rockwood, ON

Brand new park by NewLine with an 8 set, long rail and ledge, kicker gap, hip and half bowl.

I've been Slacking...and skating.

I've been Slacking...and skating.

So first the update.

Parks 315 & 316

July 1st.

Brampton, ON

Buick Park. Fun Mini.

Worthington Park. Whack. 

Park 317

Oshawa, ON

Legends Arena. Random find on the way to Uxbridge.

Park 318

Rockwood, ON

Rockmosa Skatepark. 74 Christie st
More pictures HERE

Pickering Skateboard Board Proposal Open House

Pickering Skateboard Board Proposal Open House

The open house on June 27, 2017 was overwhelmingly positive with a good turnout of skaters, other park users and the public. I spoke again with The News Advertiser's Kristen Calis and introduced her to Mike Temos, who had started the petition and video in January of this year. Several members of the Pickering West Shore Community Association also attended in support of the strategy and also the West Shore Skate Spot Project. Bill Gurney of New Line Skateparks hosted the design workshop, starting by showing some of the companies projects and then letting skaters submit their ideas and rate obstacles they want on a 3 boards covered with different park items.

This panel shows some potential locations for new skate spots in Pickering and uses my photo for the skate dot reference. 

Everything can be found here -> Pickering Parks & Rec Master Plan

Open House Information Boards

New Line's Boards of Skatepark Terrain

Feedback Forms - Feedback can also be emailed to communityservices@pickering.ca

Today the News Advertiser came out with an article on the Skateboard Park Strategy Open House and my man, Mike Temos & Phil Rumble got the cover!!

Article can be found HERE

Pickering Skateboard Park Strategy Meeting

Update:

The City has actually been promoting the event with their own posters that are at the skatepark and the mall shops, in the newspaper and on their website. I've received 5 separate emails inviting me to the event.

The best type of skateboard news! The City of Pickering is having 

a Skatepark Strategy meeting June 27 at 5pm at The Pickering

Recreation Complex. Come show support and give your input &

ideas. This is a chance to grow skateboarding (&bmx etc.) in 

Pickering; not to complain about the current park. 

Yes, we only have one bad park. 

Yes, it's the oldest in Durham. 

This is the chance to say we need skatable obstacles in more areas 

in Pickering as well as a large,modern skatepark like the ARC. 

Newline Skateparks will be there! 

Oh, and The Pickering West Shore Community Association has

hired someone to work with to design a skate spot, hopefully for 

West Shore, but it could end up anywhere in the city.

June 7, 2017

June 7, 2017
I planned a day out to the Windsor area and to work my way back. I few years ago, I was out hitting Tecumseh and Forest Glade and my old GPS didn't have Vollmer Rec Complex in it yet.
I hate letting parks get away.
Got up and decided to take Gnorman just for fun.

Gnorman is my co-pilot.

 West Lorne was first.
171 Graham St, behind the arena.

Rodney was second.

Roughly @ 261 Ridout St in the middle of the track.

Two pretty bad parks. One decent ledge.

I made it to La Salle.

I was disappointed with a lot of features of this park. I don't know who the designer/builder is yet but here's my speculation.

Some company built a park or two in the area based off professional designs and thought "hey, we could do this ourselves." The park came out ok but missed the mark on some key features. (*update* It was Hardcore. Hardcore messed it up.)

Over all it looks pretty good.

 The overhead view shows the 2 entrances to the park have a pier 7 ledge and a small stair and hubba section. These sections slope down, away from the park, and they are asphalt.

 The Pier 7 section also has some gnarly sunken concrete. 

 Coping on the tombstone is a little wack

 The step-up is a little cockeyed. 

The 5 foot quarter is uneven and goes to vert.

The park is missing a flat rail and the pitch of the hubbas and down rail is steep.

While it's not the worst park I've ever been to, it fell short of expectations.

2121 Laurier Parkway.

ESSEX, ONTARIO

 Essex was next. It's a typical modular park but shows a great example of why visibility is important to a skatepark. The only graffiti is on the section hidden from the street.

60 Fairview Ave W

ERIEAU, ONTARIO

Erieau, ON. That's the run up to the stairs, rail and hubbas.

Gnorman is sick of waiting for me.

Near the end of Mariners Rd, Erieau.

BLEMHIEM, ONTARIO

Blenheim, ON Another bad park but these kids could rip it. Bulging QP, crazy pyramid, no run up stairs. Fantastic.

 Gnorman saw stuff go down.

stuff.
199 King St @ the Arena

RIDGETOWN, ONTARIO
20 Ebenezer St W by the watertower

So glad I didn't go to college here.

Ridgetown, ON. Even worse. Messing up the cameras. 

Home time.