Concretins - We Skate. We Rule.

Good News Cretins! Well, for now.

2011-12-27T20:03:00.004-05:00

I'm still skeptical, because of how long it took to get the park and my distrust not of our Mayor, but of the douche bag city council that selfishly halted Phase 2 of the park... but things look promising for the skatepark remaining where it is, and intact, during the next decade(or more) of Spaghetti Junction reconstruction.

From the Courier-Journal on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011
_________________

After years of uncertainty on how the Ohio River Bridges Project would affect the Louisville Extreme Park, engineering consultants now say the latest design for rebuilding Spaghetti Junction should leave the popular skate park largely intact, with little likelihood of having to relocate it.

Govs. Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Steve Beshear of Kentucky and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer had announced a cost-cutting plan this year for the project that would include Spaghetti Junction being rebuilt in place, instead of being moved to the south as part of the bridges project.

The original highway plan would have required taking more than an acre of the 1.85-acre Extreme Park, said John Sacksteder, project manager for Community Transportation Solutions, the Bridges Project engineering consultant. But the revised plan, while still deemed preliminary, will require Kentucky to take only about two-thirds of an acre at the Extreme Park — or about one-third of the park land, Sacksteder said.

The revised project calls for a ramp to pass over the western portion of the skate park — an on ramp from Brook Street leading to northbound Interstate 65, with a secondary ramp jutting off and leading to westbound I-64. But Sacksteder said there is no intent to sink any piers or pillars into the park’s skating surface. Ultimately, contractors probably will determine the final ramp configuration, including where the ramp supports go.

Skateboarder Adam Sharp said the fact that the Extreme Park can remain largely intact “is definitely a relief.” The park, he said, “has become kind of a tourist destination for skateboarders from all over America and for people who want to skate one of the best parks in the world.”

The park, a pet project of former Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong, opened in 2002 and cost about $2 million. It has about 40,000 square feet of concrete skating surface and a wood “vert” ramp, along with restrooms.
It is managed by Metro Parks and provides skateboarding, in-line skating and sports biking opportunitiies for all ages and skill levels.

Shawn Fawbush, a longtime skateboarder and an instrumental member of the original users task force that advised the city on the park’s development, said users “were absolutely worried” that the park would have to be either relocated, closed for several years or greatly altered by the construction.

“Everyone has been wondering whether the park would be torn up, or have to close,” he said. Sacksteder speculated that construction in and around the skate park would occur around 2015 or 2016. And he said the work in that area probably could be completed in one construction season, meaning the impact on the skate park would likely take six to 12 months. Officials said that they will decide later whether the park — which is currently open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week — will have to close during construction.

Fawbush said having a concrete ramp over the western side of the park might add to the urban atmosphere. “That’s fine, as long as it’s skateable,” he said. And a pillar or two could be considered as new features of the park, he said. Noah Hulsman, another local skateboarder, said the that adding that a ramp passing over the park would provide some badly needed shade.

Chris Poynter, Fischer’s spokesman, said the administration is tickled that the park won’t have to be torn up, relocated or closed for an extended period. He said the original Spaghetti Junction plan appeared to put the park in jeopardy. “The park has proved to be very popular,” Poynter said. “We are glad to hear that we will not have to rebuild it” somewhere else. “Our goal all along has been to keep the park open,” said Metro Parks Director Mike Heitz. “This is great news.”
_______________________
The park being "open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m." is news to me. What are they doing, turning off the other half of the lights? (Half of them are blown out already.) I call bullshit. But whatever. What do I know? Just glad to know the park does have some friends in the administration.

Merry Christmas Cretins!

2011-12-16T08:03:00.001-05:00

Miss you melon farmers. Miss the warmth of the Sun too. Hope all is well with you and yours. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Woodward Report, or Gimpy Shuns the Blog

2011-11-08T13:42:00.010-05:00

I poached his Woodward trip report from OldKookSkating.com...

It had been waaay too long since I had last seen these guys. We might have laughed more than we skated this weekend, and we skated quite a bit. Good shit.

GET IN THE VAN. We all took turns gassing it up.

Woodward had been busy since last time.

Mini Mega madness.

This kid is like 12 years old. BS Disaster. He did a 900 on it too. No, WE weren't allowed to skate it. Some were disappointed, all were probably relieved. (Total bullshit. I want to skate that!)

Jamie Bestwick warming up. (FanBoy approves!)

A.C. working on his FSA.

T-RASH. GOT. AFTER. IT.

200 lbs of man right there. The Professor would want u all to know that.

Mozer. Backflip gone awry.

Skidzilla. Plotting.

Old Folks Home hoedown.

A benefit show for our fallen comrade, Dave, who did vocals for the Twisted Sister "Burn in Hell" cover.

We were all really stoked on this Chevette. Hell, who wouldn't be?

_________________
Nikoli's commentary: I'd bet TheProfessor's ass was not that smooth when the weekend began. I shudder to think what went on between (or even during) skate sessions.

Anyone want to go shave their ass, er, I mean, skate at Woodward in February? Winter wonderland getaway scheduled for February 24-26, 2012.

Skateboarding VS. Architecture

2011-10-31T13:15:00.005-05:00

This vid, from Auckland, NZ does a good job of illustrating both sides of city planning for public spaces versus skateboarders. And it's in a civil and positive documentary type presentation. It really should never be us versus them.

Skateboarding VS Architecture: A Study of Public Space and Materiality in Auckland City from SwineTrotters on Vimeo.

A worn ledge is absolutely NOT blatant vandalism like a ridiculous initial tag of some gangster-wanna-be jackass. My street skating consists of a daily commute on a cruiser board. No kickflips down stairs, no wall rides, and no noseslides on ledges. Not because I don't see the opportunities, but because I don't bounce any more. I see many things that I just can't physically attempt any longer. And it ain't no thang. I get lots o' fun rollin' with Kooks and Cretins at private ramps and public skateparks, more fun than any security guard ending session I've ever had.

But for any pedestrian reading this, you want to empower someone? I mean really make someone surprise themselves? Next time you see some skater bail a backside 180 down a set of stairs. Don't scowl or bitch or roll your eyes. Tell 'em, "Get back up and make that shit!" Next try, it's a guaranteed make.

Curmudgeons can skeet.

2011-09-30T19:25:00.004-05:00

We're old. We're curmudgeonly. We're padded. And we're bargin' your session!

Multiple Cretins at a session has been a rarity lately. I don't know exactly why for every one else, but for me, life just keeps happening while I'm busy making other plans. The Lizard Ramp is in my neighborhood, so it's easy for me to hit a weeknight session with little effort and minimal family neglect. While I was definitely stoked to skate with buggers I haven't seen in a few weeks, I was equally stoked to not be the only fully padded relic attempting to throw down. And throw down we did. Thanks for the extra stoke Cretins! We're (still) not dead yet.

Best Stinkbug Photo EVER!

Junior can surf.

Stand up Frontside. I hate Skidzilla.

The Force is strong with Jones. Damn kids.

Andrew floats a Stinkbug. I said... Damn kids!

McCall

2011-07-26T07:57:00.001-05:00

A quick tour of McCall's 14,000 sq ft skatepark. It is awesome in many ways.

July 4th Barnacle BBQ ! ! !

2011-07-06T07:56:00.025-05:00

Happy Not Dead Yet Day Cretins!

2011-07-05T14:01:00.013-05:00

(or Happy Birthday 'Merica!)

To celebrate not the birth of the greatest country on the planet, but the lack of death of the greatest skate gang in the tri-state area, the Concretins (and a couple of OldKooks) got together at TheBarnacle for a not-at-all-annual Grill-N-Skate Event including some good food and heckling . Oh, and some skateboarding too.

OMP can air on a mini-ramp. Who knew? (We did.)

And he wasted no time at all going for a full sack tap. Yikes!

Adam pushes himself at every session.

Kook Patti came in from DC just for the event. (Well, and to hang with some random Ohio freak.)

Mike, a Lexington Kook, with a contorted grind. (Yes, it's a make.)

Steve, a Lexington tag along plays well with others.

Joe was let off TheProfessor's chain gang long enough to get some runs. (Props for real to him and Jason.)

As much as I have truly missed skating and skating with the Cretins, the stoke of the day for me came in the form of a 3' fully padded smile on wheels. Also known as "TheBoy." 'Twas his first "real" experience skating on a ramp, and actually 'skating', not just playing with Dad's skateboard. Seriously, I can't possibly explain how stoked I was(am), not that he was skating, but at the look of pure joy on his face. While I know he may not skate forever, or ever again, he certainly didn't hate it! (I can build -a miniramp- on that.)

TheBoy can skeet! Woo hoo!

Just look at that face! (Either one. Stoke is stoke.)

Almost the full crew. (Joe and Jason cut out early.)

'Twas a family friendly event, except when family was few and Cretins many. Then things tend to get a bit ornery, but I blame Skidzilla, and our host F.R.O., Travio for that.

Thank you Travio, for hosting, and housing theBarnacle.

Oh, and TheProfessor is still inviting everyone out to his ramp at the park downtown for Tuesday night vert sessions (starting tonight). No hard feelings for your lack of help or enthusiasm for vert, but I'm sure his heckling will be cranked up a few notches. Particularly now that my excuse that the ramp itself is too dangerous is gone. (It's never been the ramp, it's my experience with and fear of collision of body and ramp.) But I might venture out sometime, as there is a few other things to skate around it. I should at least snap a few pics for the Zombie Cretin blog - we're not dead. Yet.

What I did on my Summer vacation...

2011-06-21T13:44:00.007-05:00

'Tis normally the title of your first assignment come September. So what the hell have you been doing? The one we call TheProfessor, Dr. J, or Hippy(though now sporting a buzz cut), our resident Vert Cretin, has been spending his Summer vacation as a community advocate… Stupervising the tear down, strengthening, and resheeting of the vert ramp at the Louisville Extreme Park. Why? Because he doesn't have a backyard in which to build his own damn ramp, that's why. And somehow, he's convinced a lot of skaters that rarely even venture on that side of fence to even sit in the shade of the vert ramp, let alone ride it, to help him do it. That's an educator with some influence. Skills for real.

The Cretin crew that officially adopted the park, The Professor, Skidzilla, and Junior, organized a very basic fund raising campaign (essentially a guilt ridden email) and raised about $3Gs. (Actually rather impressive.) And believe it or not, the city parks department kicked in an additional $2,500 and a couple of bodies to get the job done.

Some will say that I haven't done anything… and ya know what, I haven't really. I have no shame, I don't skate vert. It scares the bejeezus outta me and it hurts. "Pussy." Yea, yea, like I haven't heard that a thousand times. "Sticks an' stones Love." I spent a few hours on tear down, which is the really easy part, a little bit more time runnin' screws in the second underlayer, again easy, then seeing too many bodies standing around with a deficient drill to body ratio, I bugged out and painted over a buttload of graffiti. So I'm not a total dick. But then I did skate for almost an hour while everyone else worked. Sorry about that. (No I'm not.)

(Tangental Rant warning: Seriously, you talentless tagging douchebags need to stop putting your initials all over the place. Nobody gives a shit if you were there. -As if those douchebags are reading a blog.- Having a sharpie shoved up your ass by a 150 pound Cretin would be rather embarrassing. Well, ok, getting arrested for something that school girls do on their notebooks because said Cretin called the cops on you would be embarrassing. But given the opportunity, I absolutely WOULD shove that marker or spray can up your ass. /end rant)

Ramp work is a little over half way complete with only the Skatelite to be reapplied, replacing a few sheets, and then having new coping welded and set. So if you have a drill and a few hours to spare, hit the ramp. The Hippy is gonna give you hell if you don't, so give him a few hours would ya. Running screws in predrilled Skatelite is really easy.

Seriously, a huge THANKS to everyone who has helped so far. The Louisville Skate Scene kicks ass. Whether you skate vert or not, you have at least one friend who does, and when they do, you totally dig watchin'. You know you do.

Lexington 4 mile push race

2011-04-17T21:30:00.007-05:00

Before the race.

Toad got run over!

We had a bunch of fun! It was 30 skaters against the unrestricted traffic of downtown Lexington!

Toad & me after

Bunches of cool boards

Later Cretins & Cretin fans!

OMP

Temps in the 80s!? Time to skate!

2011-04-11T08:59:00.024-05:00

It had been waaaay too long since I had visited the 'Ville (over a year, wtf?), so I drove down Saturday night and stayed at Hotel de Skidz, woke up and went skeetin with the crew.

Seth

Nikflip

Shane! I hadn't seen this cat in like 4 years or something. He was holding it down HARD on the street course.

DAYUM

Nik with a flyout of his own.

Seth. BSA.

Ibid.

Skidz. FSA.

Me. Manual re-entry.

Travis and I both thought we were seeing a bum who had acquired a bicycle rolling thru the park. Nope, it was just our homeboy Dr. Gainous!

???

Toad BUMP.

Edit: Nikoli adds his contribution to the post... What a great session! 'Tis really what I personally needed to re-kindle my love of the stuntwood.
The Behind-the-Scenes shot from Seths pipe rippage

Travio - Workin' the Sweeper

- and FS grindage

Skidz - Obligatory Cretin Ham photo

Christian - Blunt

The Crew

And a short vid even...

Thanks for rollin' down our way Gimpy. Lookin' forward to many more sessions even better than this one all Summer long!

This guy has got some skills

2011-04-05T16:46:00.002-05:00

I'm completely impressed with this dudes creativity...he board slides a chain...complete sickness.

Travio

Are you sponsored?

2011-03-21T11:18:00.017-05:00

There comes a time at the skatepark, when you're having a good session when some random kid will ask you this question. Sometimes even when you're not having a good session. But Skidzilla has made me suspect just about everyone is a smartass so I usually figure the kid is just being a sarcastic lil' turd on those days.

But(t) anyway… "product flow" is one form of sponsorship, right? So by that definition, the Cretins have been sponsored! Melissa over at BuildASign.com has hooked us up with some kickass stickers. Why? Because we skate. No, really! (And apparently we had a good post up on the day she checked the site. Obviously BEFORE Valentine's Day and Skidzilla's ass post.) So if ya need a sign or some bumper stickers, please check 'em out. Look, there's even a link over there on the right. No, we don't get any percentage of sales. No, we didn't sell out… at least not completely. But yea, I'll pimp out the blog for some stickers. ;) Hit us up for some new vinyl for your ride next time you see us.

Woodward Re-Revisited...

2011-03-05T15:28:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T16:34:00.006-05:00

Heart Background - very Valentiney!

I'm still a Dumb Ass (UPDATED! Already!)

2011-02-13T15:45:00.010-05:00

Cretin Army! I need(ed) your help. Because I'm a fkn dumb ass!

After our session on Sunday, I changed clothes at my car, and drove off without my board (it was on the side of the car). This was just about 1:00. I returned 2 hours later and of course, it wasn't where I left it.

Most off you have seen it. It's a VERY unique board for 2011. It's a vintage Tony Hawk Powell Peralta "Medallion" deck. Yes, that ugly wide ass thing with a funky spoon nose shape and whale tail. It is signed under the front right wheel (looking at the bottom), "Thanks Nick, Tony Hawk." The grip is also distinctive with a Concretins sticker and a bright green strip of grip from nose to tail.

It isn't worth anything to anyone but me or on ebay, because it's signed to me, AND it's really beat to hell and razor tailed. The graphic and signature between the trucks is now gone as well. I hold no animosity to anyone who may have picked it up. In fact, I suspect someone picked it up to "save it." You'd pick up a deck you saw laying on the side of the road, hopefully with ambitions of returning it? Right?

Guess what? They DID! Guy called Home Skate Shop and left his number, he has my board. Thom told me to call the shop tomorrow for it. A mere 4 hours after I sent out the call for help. I thought(hoped) this might happen, just didn't think it'd happen so fast.

THE LOUISVILLE SKATE SCENE ABSOFKNPOSIFKNLUTELY ROCKS! THANK YOU JAMES!

Thanks for helpin' out a dumb ass. What a great ending to an almost bad day. (TheBoy and I hung out on thePlaydeck after I got home. That put life right back into perspective.)

Woodward: The Promised Land

2011-02-12T10:18:00.005-05:00

After many years of dreaming about it, I finally made it to skatecamp. Without the uncomfortable homophobic experiences of camp as a youth. Well, almost.

Woodward:Revisted
Filming begins February 25, 2011

Suppressed for Too Long

2011-01-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

This has been floundering about for a couple of years. Mostly cuz there is only one second worth of decent video. I made the best of that one second tho'!

Great Teacher, Poor Results from D Skidz on Vimeo.

Funny Pages

2011-01-26T20:58:00.002-05:00

From the mass-media! The widely distributed, internationally acclaimed 'Louisville Parks and Recreation Guide' featured a massive op-ed on the heroics, valor and natural good looks of some Concretin volunteers.

It is sad that everyone can't be us.

Very Slightly Skate Related

2011-01-26T15:11:00.002-05:00

A long time a go on vacation I hit the now-defunct X-Park in Pensacola, FL. with Brother Steve. We snapped some shots here and there in the park. Last year my kids came up with an awesome family game for my birthday using one of said photos. So, while the photo is not a skateboarding photo, it is very slightly skate related.

It's time to REGROUP!

2011-01-22T09:30:00.002-05:00

Regroup: (from Thesaurus.com)
Main Entry: rally
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: reorganize, unite
Synonyms: arouse, assemble, awaken, bestir, bond together, bring to order, bring together, call to arms, challenge, charge, collect, come about, come to order, come together, convene, counterattack, encourage, fire, gather, get together, inspirit, kindle, marshal, mobilize, muster, organize, reassemble, redouble, reform, refresh, regroup , rejuvenate, renew, restore, resurrect, resuscitate, revive, round up, rouse, summon, surge, urge, wake, waken, whet, (and my personal favorite) wreak havoc (No lie, it's in there.)

Yea, let's do that. Come wreak havoc with the Cretins, a couple of Kooks, and celebrate the northern return of Team Geritol and all our friends. Sunday, January 30th, at Ollie's Skatepark in Florence, KY. Doors open at 11:00am. Be there, or be jealous. Your choice.

True Story...

2010-12-31T20:57:00.003-05:00

See, what happened was...

How's that for perspective? Closing out the last session of the year proper.

It's over.

2010-12-31T09:37:00.006-05:00

2010 that is. Whatta year, huh? Junior became a real Cretin (he turned 30), AND he dropped in on a real vert ramp, first try, no sweat. Gnar!

I FINALLY went to Woodward, and also dropped in on a not as real 10' vert ramp. (And actually had fun, though it's no Foam Pit/ResiRamp.) I got a rock-n-roll on the ramp downtown. I met Tony Hawk (again).

OMP got the pedestrianism outta him(hopefully) and ran a marathon, and later gotta a micro ramp in his basement.

Skidzilla, OMP, Junior, Gimpy, and theProfessor all went to California to rip parks and backyard monstrosities at Kookapaloosa 2010.

KooKs @ KraftYs from ken poe on Vimeo.

And finally, the Cretins have officially adopted the "Louisville Extreme Park" and we hope to get the vert ramp rebuilt. Please help us out and put trash in the cans when you're down there, and if you see or know a dirtbag tagger, call 'em out for being a dirtbag tagger.

There are so many more sessions that didn't get posted, and so many more that didn't happen. Life has been gettin' in the way while we've all been busy making other plans. Well, here's to a great 2010. My personal life has improved, my health has improved, and my attitude has improved. Though my gumption level is still always 2 notches too low.

I hope to skate with everyone who reads this blog alot in 2011. Here's hoping for a warm Winter, and an early Spring, clear skies, big balls and no injuries for everyone.

Happy New Year Cretins & Friends. See you soon.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2010-12-21T07:14:00.002-05:00

I know you guys have forgotten me but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy new year!!!! Keep an eye out you never know when there might be a Bone sighting in 2011!

Help!!! There's a MONSTER in my basement!

2010-11-27T09:13:00.003-05:00

Cretins come thru and the Monster is under control!

Heard some growling downstairs and what did I find???

Woodward

2010-11-18T17:19:00.001-05:00

I'm goin'. I'm fkn goin', 'n'ats all there is to it. - Jules Winnfield

I know baby. You'll dig it the most. - Vincent Vega

It Happened Today

2010-11-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

Years in the making. Never whole-heartedly attempted. It happened today. At the very spot pictured... or a tad bit lower than that *very* spot. IT HAPPENED TODAY!

No, this isn't deja vu. And no, what I did wasn't nearly as cool as Nikoli. But I did do something I have never whole-heartedly attempted nor succeeded at this morning. Before the rain set in, wearing camo pants and a fleece jacket under my pads to beat the cold, I pulled off my first frontside kickturn.

Ooooooh. Big effing deal, right? Well, I have only a few tricks in my bag and enjoy speed carving more than anything, so it is a big deal to me. Plus ths will open up more lines at the park as well as offer more fluidity at the Barnacle (where the goofy-footed, non-frontside kickturners find themselves "cornered" quickly).

The first one I tried felt like about the weirdest thing in the world on wheels and wood - and I bailed. Then I nailed the second attempt. Nailed the third. Bailed the fourth. And then nailed and nailed after that. I've always "cheated" my frontsides by simply carving into a corner or something where the curvature of the 'crete "sticks" me during the turn. But this was flat on the wooden half-pipe and counted.

Mark it 8, dude!

Long Time Goal Attained

2010-11-06T21:12:00.005-05:00

Here's the thing about Nik. He brings the stoke. Even if he doesn't bring it with him for his own personal use, he brings it for YOU. Every time - every skate. He may be havin one of those shitty skates that everyone gets served up occasionally (or often, for some of us), but, when it is your run, he still gives you props. Hell, YOU may be havin one of those shitty skates that everyone gets served up occasionally (or often, for some of us), but, when it is your run, he is there to remind you that every run is a good run. Because you had a chance to get a run. Because: a) you are above ground, and b) you are on a skateboard. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the specialness of these two seemingly small things. Nik, however, seems to never forget the value of these things and his stoke reminds YOU that these are good things. That is why Nik Rocks.

So, when Nik checks a box on his skate card - a box that has been mocking him for years with its vacuous, blindingly white, emptiness of checklessness - he deserves BIG props. A big build up and his own damn post complete with video. THIS is why Nik Rocks!

So, Cheers to YOU, Mr. Dawson! May the Skate Gods always smile on you!!

It Happened Today

2010-11-06T16:01:00.003-05:00

Years in the making. Hundreds of attempts. It happened today. At the very spot pictured. IT HAPPENED TODAY!

TUNE in TOMORROW for complete video coverage!!!!!

Lonely mornings on the 'crete

2010-10-24T20:28:00.003-05:00

Nikoli says...

"Want better content? Then provide melon farmer! Post up ya Cretins!"

NoShow says...

Been hitting the skate park in the mornings the last few weeks. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is down there (at least not on wood and wheels that is - Cletus and Can Picker and Rex the Sex Offender are down there sometimes). I'm dusting off the rust, er, whatever... I'm skating. And it feels good. I'm riding old lines and making up new ones. And it is fun.

Miss you guys. Are Barnacle sessions happening weekly? If you find yourself feeling extreme-y in the AM, come join me at 8AM Monday through Friday!

Because no one else is gonna do it...

2010-10-23T19:59:00.012-05:00

Some Cretins went out west again. California. Land of Kooks and insane skate terrain, from backyard minis and bowls, to vert warehouses and most excellent 'crete. I was unfortunately unable to attend this year's Kookapaloosa, and apparently no Cretins took photos. So I've poached a few pics from OldKookSkating.com with thanks and apologies to Lonnie, Jer, Hughes, and OJ. Thanks for documenting. Enjoy.

-Smilin' and bleedin'. Now that's a roadtrip! Junior defied instructions to not hit the SkullBowl waterfall straight on. The bowl smited him for his insolence.

-Kook Chef's backyard mini.

-The Ark

-Santa Cruz

-Indoor Vert Rippage

-There's also been a Mofo sighting at theBarnacle recently.

I skated with him and Travio, who incidently has joined the pedestrian ranks and has been running on purpose. While he's hella slimmer than the last time you saw him, he still ain't got the sweeper locked in! HA! Mofo, Skidz, Gimpy, OMP, Travio, and DaddyClay at DadLabs... You're all freaks! I'M NOT GONNA RUN! No. Nuh Uh. Not gonna do it. So anyway, 'twas a great session. I finally got the rock-n-roll on the wall FIRST TRY! Stoke!

-The disadvantage of a barn ramp. Creepy session crashers.

I'm also making a commitment now to theBlog... at least a biweekly post, even if it's just bs text talking about a lame session. Want better content? Then provide melon farmer! Post up ya Cretins!

And note, I'm basically swearin' off 'crete for the next 3 weeks... all ramps all the time. WOODWARD AWAITS! That's right, after 20 years of dreamin' and wishin', I'm finally going to skate camp! For a weekend. You should join us. November 19-21. Are you ready? I am. Can you say, "Foam pit?" I knew you could.

OMP & Wife rip the Quad Cities

2010-09-26T19:45:00.004-05:00

My wife has never run more than 6 miles. She's only done that distance one time.

She decides to "run/walk" a Half Marathon because I'm doing the full and she...

as always... is being supportive.

She kills it!!!! Ran more than 11 miles walked about 1-1/2. Time over 13.2 miles: 2:40!

The Girls Rocks!!!!

My report: 26.2 miles w/no stops: 3:57...My first Marathon...pretty happy.

Now......Back to skating!!!!!

I am FanBoy...

2010-09-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

It's been about 3 years... http://concretins.blogspot.com/2007/10/faith-and-confessions-of-fanboy.html

History repeats itself... Tony (yea, I can call him by his first name... not because I know him that well, but because I know that you know who I'm talkin' about) will be rollin' into Florence, KY and the kickass wood warehouse that is Ollie's.

They're comin' on a Tuesday, which sucks and is awesome... Ya gotta take off work, but there won't be a ridiculous amount of people there either...

Oh yea, and I got the same gig... I'll have a video camera and all access pass. If you didn't know, THAT is the definition of STOKED!

So be there, or hear me talk about it for weeks. Yea, that's what I thought. Don't hate. But see you there.

Ollie's
Florence, KY
Sept. 21, 2010
2:ish (autograph session before the demo)
4:00 Demo

Gimpin' Camera Man

2010-08-14T20:54:00.004-05:00

Gimpy is, well, gimpin'. AGAIN. (It ain't easy.) But he's been shooting ALOT of video footy. Though for some odd reason, he won't post 'em here. Well, here's his latest. Jettin' around the country, he's currently in California. He and Skidzilla and a host of Kooks are going back to the Ark in October... you should go with... or hang with me and a few other Kooks at Lake Cunningham... either way, you'll skate your ass off. You are not ready.

Ark Campout from Jon Burgess on Vimeo.

Just In Case People Still Look At This Blog!

2010-08-11T17:04:00.001-05:00

Crazy funny and can't wait.

And by "paint," he means go frontside.

2010-07-05T10:20:00.010-05:00

If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. -Vincent Van Gogh

Skateboarding is fun.

Frontside is scary.

-Adam chargin' the pipe.

-Ryan playin' in the shallows.

-The Professor skated angry, but cleaned up with this sweeper.

- Long hair Joe is a skate god!

- Big Wood Joe has wood bigger than you.

- Christian has improved a bit over the past few years... Catchin' flies in the pipe.

- New soon-to-be local Harley laughin at the pipe. (I just really liked this photo.)

For a limited time only!

2010-06-18T15:21:00.004-05:00

You have until Tuesday, June 22 at 10:00 AM to bomb this hill, free from the worry of traffic. It's smooth, well lit, short (so the hike back up isn't brutal) and fast enough to be fun and not scare the bejeezus out of ya. I'm plannin' to hit it every evening weather and wife permitting. UofL end of Eastern Parkway.

See ya there.

I thought you were dead...

2010-06-07T12:33:00.003-05:00

Rumors of the disbanding of the Concretins are to be expected, but they are grossly exaggerated.

Life is... what happens while you're busy making other plans. I've had ambitions, some practical, some complete illusions of grandeur. But it happens. You look up, and suddenly a few hours have gone by... a few days... weeks... months... Freaks me out sometimes, but I can't seem to stop it from happening. I'm gettin' pretty good at just sayin' oh well, but that doesn't help get anything done now does it. So sometimes, when the list of things I should really do other than go skate gets a bit overwhelming, I do what any rational adult skater dude would do... I go skate! Because I can.

Great things about being an "old" skater:
You gotta job and some disposable income, so you get the gear you want when you want. You gotta car, so you can go skate where you want when you want with whomever you want.

Shitty things about being an "old" skater:
You gotta job, and a mortgage, yard work and house chores, maybe a wife, maybe some kids, so your money for gear is limited. You gotta job, and a mortgage, yard work and house chores, maybe a wife, maybe some kids, so your time to skate is limited. Same goes for those you wanna skate with.

Well, here's to a few guys sayin' fk all to that, and havin' a session. Well, at least until we all had to get home before our wives got pissed.

Junior Stylin' the Frontside Rock - You know how everyone talks about the back toe pivot... Note Junior's FRONT toe!

Look how calm this bastard looks.

F.R.O. Travis

FROGWING SIGHTING!

Funky Hangup Drop-in thingy

Seth Slide - He and Junior put on a slide clinic. (even if they were using rails)

Alley Oop - the perspective is weird on this pic... the ramp wall looks small... my board is still probably a foot away from the wall...

And my ole' standby... super leanin'-in rock-n-roll - I like this pic because I'm still looking at the coping.

We're not dead yet. But it ain't for a lack of tryin'.

OBX 2010 Report:

2010-05-02T10:03:00.002-05:00

You're missin' out.

2010-04-24T08:35:00.005-05:00

While you're sittin' there patiently waiting for Gimpy to post up an OBX 2010 report (because you've completely given up on me posting any video from the past 2 years), you're missin' it. The next time you're invited to TheBarnacle, I suggest you go. And take your gnar.

Andy steps up. Get with TheProgram. Get with it indeed.

I'm back!

2010-03-22T20:05:00.013-05:00

Alright... so it's been a long time since I've posted anything here. The winter blahs thoroughly and quite harshly kicked my ass. I'm a wuss, I know it. If I wasn't actually sick, I was depressed and freakin' COLD! Cold isn't cool if I can't be snowboarding. There were a few bright moments, usually facilitated by TheBoy, but for the most part, Winter just SUCKS.

So... Winter was all but gone... I needed a break from work and responsibilities... The weatherman said a couple of days last week were going to be sunny and warm... So I took a couple of "mental health" days.

Let me tell ya the cure for the Winter Blahs: 2 beautiful sunny days off plus the weekend, 3 skate sessions, lunch with an old friend, a movie date, and TheBoy... will all do wonders for ones state of mind. If that doesn't do it for ya, your chemical imbalance will require a prescription.

Thank you to Gimpy for posting up a couple of vids, keeping the Cretin Blog on life support. Reading updates on 'theBook' regarding the Tuesday Night Vert Sessions at Ollie's as well as the OldKookSkating.com forum have both helped me not lose all hope of stoke. Thank you to Skidz for theBarnacle session, the beginning of the cure. Thank you to Adam for a lunch session. And thank you to Radly, for living in my neighborhood and providing a killer venue for a drunken session, which most certainly killed the last of the brain cells harboring said blahs, allowing me to completely enjoy my 4 day weekend. (Photos from the third session are below, and on 'theBook'.)

Other things that have gone on that you may or may not know about:

The 2nd annual OuterBanks trip is just around the corner. It has grown into an event that now requires 2 houses (that sleep 14+). Kooks from all over the country are converging on Duck. Epicicity levels will be off the charts no doubt. I will not be attending, but the Cretins will be represented proper by Gimpy and OMP along with the NC locals and Kooks from around the country. (And yes, I still have footage from last year that has not been edited. Ain't that a bitch?)

Kookapalooza (yep, there's unseen footage from that too) Year Two has been scheduled. October 7-11. San Jose, California. Lake Cunningham Skatepark, as well as backyard ramps and great parks throughout the region. Just google Lake Cunningham Skatepark. If the pics alone will not convince you to book a flight, then perhaps you're just a pedestrian with a stunt wood. Our wanker friends from across the pond will be joining us as well. I am not thinking about going... I'm fkn goin'. There is talk of renting a mini-mansion for lodging, but nothing is set in stone yet (except the date). But the plan this time is to bunk as close to the park as possible. Camping overnight IN the park Saturday night if you so choose... and the park has permanent lights now. We're gonna have a good time.

So the stoke has always been there. It always will be. Because it's skateboarding and you're a skater. You can be distracted from it, you can attempt to ignore it. But you can't stop it.

I'm glad to be back. Did you miss me? That's what I figured. Bite me punk. Now let's go skate.

Junior - Gettin' his Frontside on... lock.

Brett - Fakie BS Pivot Fakie - because he can.

Philly John - Surfin' FS

F.R.O. Radly - Blunt Pivot

Me - Fakie Disaster

Skidzilla - Killin' it FS - This was my favorite photo of the session.

Davied goin' FS

Then the session got really geigh...
Brokeback Skaters Davied (doin' a fs rock) and his buddy...

Professor (doin' a smith stall here)...

...decided they wanted to get it on together...
Like Ballerinas pivoting side by side

Synchronized Sweepers

Butt to Butt Rocks

Ollie's Vert 3-2-10

2010-03-06T08:08:00.002-05:00

Dug out some old footage to edit today . . .

2010-02-11T23:32:00.003-05:00

This is from the Flip/Firm demo at Ollie's back in Nov '05. Bob Burnquist and Rune Glifberg killing the vert ramp:

Woodward Mission, Code Name: Lady 11 . . .

2010-01-27T07:49:00.003-05:00

Transition...

2010-01-14T08:34:00.006-05:00

...from one thing to another. Our favorite being from flat to vert and back again. But recent times have shown us many transitions.

Skidzilla's bro-in-law, Kevin, and NoShows Grandmother have both made the ultimate transition into the afterlife. Indy has now "officially" entered into toddlerhood (he's two). The Professor has gone from Grizzly Adams to soulpatch vintage surfer dude. (He shaved. If he's not wearin' those funky Adidas, I swear you won't recognize him.) I believe Mofo has transitioned into the mythical world of Animal Chin. Well, have YOU seen him? I haven't, not in months. Junior recently became a SkaterDad. And El Daveid and his wife are also beginning the transition from Happy Couple to Happy Family.

So pad up and drop in. Are you ready to charge that next transition? Get your gnar on Cretins.

- Nikoli and Gimpy gettin' some vertical 'crete in California. (Photo by BadAss Skate Photog, Steve Potwin)

A Few from Ollie's Yesterday . . .

2010-01-04T22:40:00.006-05:00

The Retun of OMP!

Skidz scratching one out.

Jason was getting DAMN close to getting inverts back on the big 13 footer.

Putting the FUN in Funeral...

2009-12-27T22:14:00.006-05:00

While in Hawaii celebrating the life of a lost loved one, Skidzilla took Gibzilla and his cousin to the beach for a bit o' surfin'.

Just waitin' for my set...

Ain't no thang for the Gibster

Old man gettin' up slow...

Surfin' like he skates... ANGRY!

Cousin Zane - Cruisin'

A horrible reason to go to Hawaii, no doubt... but Hawaii in December most definitely kicks December in Kentucky squarely in the ass.

A loss in the Cretin family...

2009-12-16T14:01:00.004-05:00

Even an extended family member of the Concretins is a loss. Sharon (Mrs.Skidzilla) lost her brother last week, and a Brother-in-Law of a Cretin, is a Brother-in-Arms to the Cretins.

Please keep the Skidz and Endresens in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season, as they mourn the loss, but celebrate the life of one of their own. Peace to you and yours Skidzilla.

Everyone, why not stop right now, and go hug those who are important to you, and tell them you love them.

Friends, Skaters, random readers and certainly all of my fellow Kooks and Concretins, I love ya. Thanks for being a part of my life.

Burn Baby Burn!

2009-12-10T22:16:00.005-05:00

Skating in December - February used to mean an all day affair. Roadtrip, gas money, lunch money, and $20 for the session. Ollie's Skatepark in Florence, KY is kickass, no doubt. But now, all I gotta do is cross the big creek into Hoosierville and the gnar is on. And once the Bar Knuckle Lounge is complete, with a couch, cooler, and ping pong table for TheProfessor, Travio might have to put up with some transient skaters.

The Cretins have been somewhat spoiled, with almost exclusive sessions all the time. Even at the park, when we're there, we're the only crew rockin'. Well, the word is out that Cretins got it goin' on. I saw several new faces at the Barnacle last night. Stick with us kids. Cretins'll make ya famous.

And it burned burned burned... The ring of fire...

FRO was a bit under the weather... nothin' a few drinks won't cure...
Stylin' Sweeper, right up until he bailed it. (Punkass heckled me all night.)

But he can skeet a lil' bit.

Theme for the night was "Attack the Wall"
I did get the Rock-n-Roll, but the Professor beat me to it, so the F.R.O. was unimpressed. Ass.
Thrasher was pushin' for coping and eventually got it.

Both BS and FS.

Professor Jason FS

Professor Jason BS

I dub the Squirrelly Joe. (He rides super loose trucks.)

Radly can smith grind, in case you were wonderin'.

One of the 'new kids' bustin' a boneless. (post a comment if ya know his name)

If ya got a big deck, eventually everyone will want to be on it.

Great session skaters! See ya next week.

BONUS COVERAGE - Gimpy's Visit Last Weekend

Gimpy with a "yay" grind.

Edward (The Wizard) with a smith revert.

F.R.O. with a lip lickin' smith.

And a lip smackin' invert.

Gimpy huckin' one.

Skidzilla on the extension. (Don't bite yer tongue.)

Travio cruisin' the pipeline.

Skidzilla would be happier with this pic if I had snapped it a second sooner. Gnar fs from the 11' to the 8'.

Gimpin' the hip hop.

Grindin' Joe.

And Gimpy gets the Trick of the Day award. 8' to 4' hip transfer via the tail slap.

The rumor of the Concretins death was slightly exaggerated.

Saturday Morn in Louisville.

2009-11-29T18:22:00.006-05:00

It was another beautiful weekend in Louisville. Skated the park for a few hours Saturday morning and then hit Radley's for a killer night session with a bunch of rippers at his newly resurfaced ramp AND another awesome session at the park Sunday morning. Only got some shots of the Saturday morning session:

Skidz hip hop into the pipe

Skidz gettin up

I started to get some lil fs grabs into the pipe

Adam just getting better and better

Joe with a high speed double trucker

This could be fun

2009-11-23T13:55:00.002-05:00

Apparently there is a new Tony Hawk game where you actually get to stand on a skateboard...well, kind of.

Here is another good one:

Travio

Buena Vista is Dead?

2009-11-21T10:24:00.002-05:00

Well, probably by now. It's likely been blown out and disrespected to the point the property owner has loaded up the stoke filled hole with dirt once again. At least it hasn't been jackhammered like so many legendary pools. It has the potential to be resurrected again. And whenever that lotto retirement plan comes through, I suspect my west coast abode will be near Santa Cruz. We even met the man behind the art, Jimbo Phillips. (If you don't know the Phillips family connection to skating, well, then I thank you for your pedestrian patronage! Now go google 'em.)

Here's a just a sample of the sessions I witnessed. First up is Kooks and some Locals.

Here's the Wankers on Holiday version (intro sequence is the same). These guys were hilarious. We met them at Lake Cunningham, and skated with them at Santa Cruz too. I hope to skate with them in England some day.

Hey, I was ready after all!

2009-11-01T21:57:00.004-05:00

Upon arrival in SanJose California, I notice the luggage carousel is a bag light. Fantastic. At least it wasn't my skate gear, but a semi-camping trip without a sleeping bag, no towel, and no fresh underwear or socks, wasn't exactly going to be comfortable. The KOA staff took pity on me and loaned me a sleeping bag and a pillow and I borrowed some fresh socks for day two. Thanks Mike. Eventually it all worked out - with me doing the airlines job for them - I REALLY hate lame customer service people. FK YOU SanJose SWA Baggage Claim crew! YOU SUCK! (I'm not bitter.)

But lets get on with the skating and the stoke.

This was by far the greatest all skate weekend I have ever experienced. (OBX is a very close second, like Phelps/Cavic close.) I didn't learn as much philosophically this trip as I did in Phoenix last year. But I feel I have earned an honorary PhD in skatetrip theory. I learned so many more practical things this trip.

I learned:

Don't put all your socks and underwear in one checked bag. And don't believe what anyone in baggage claim service tells you.

Don't give Zach your camera. (Gabba Gabba Hey)

Don't flip off some random dude on the street who gave your hippy homeless emo ass a beer, because he'll chase you down and take it back.

You can take your own beer into a pizzaria in downtown Santa Cruz.

If you have the chance to hit a classic skatespot, DO IT! It'll be more fun than you ever imagined.

It feels kinda cool to session with a legendary graphic artist in a pool he painted. He was smiling the whole time, even though he knows his work will soon be buried.

Lil' Tony is not the only "action figure" traveling the world with skaters. Though his name is a bit less abrasive than "Barry Woodcock."

People from England talk funny, and have a great sense of humor. And they can skeet like melon farmers.

Taco Trucks do exist.

There are Kooks who believe it is important to hang with friends. Even if that means driving for 15 hours only to sit around and watch because they're still limpin' on a healing broken leg.

If you're going to sleep in a skatepark, take ear plugs.

An effective method to dislocate your shoulder is to bail from 15 feet up in a 22 foot full pipe.

If you puke your Taco Truck dinner just right, the spatter will form a face.

Skidzilla will hang his bare ass over your head if you fall asleep at the skatepark, especially if a camera is present.

Skate pros are Dads too.

Going frontside over 16' up, 6' of which is pure vert, is some serious frkn gnar to witness.

Don't judge a park by pictures. Don't attempt to determine how/where you will skate the park by said pictures. Just wait 'til you get there, because I'll bet you're completely wrong.

The SkullBowl is gnarballs!

Surprise! I can grind on pool coping.

Watching your friends skate is often more fun than skating.

For Scorpios, letting go and letting others handle certain aspects of your travel is very difficult, but totally worth it.

If you're a dancin' banana, do not believe your googly eyes, big smile and sunny disposition will save you from becoming breakfast.

GPS saves!

For every hour of video footage you shoot, realize you're looking at least 3 hours of post. (Again, totally worth it.)

And on the flight home I learned that if your sinuses are messed up, when on final approach, your head won't actually explode, and you won't pass out from the internal pressure, no matter how bad you wish you would. (Worst flights EVER. OMG.)

And finally, there is nothing more precious than the sound of your child yelling Dattee when they see you for the first time in 3 days.

Bonus lesson: When you think they aren't paying attention, you're wrong. TheBoy was staring into my eyes with a content smile. I knew what was happening. I said calmly, "Stop stealing my soul." He replied without hesitation. "No."

It's good to be home.

Kook "Chef" shot this vid at Buena Vista. Rough as hell, at least a foot and half of vert, no coping, and an absolute blast. This pool has been buried and dug out at least 3 times. The stars aligned and it was dug out 2 weeks prior to our trip. Rumor has it, it's not filled in yet.

For nostalgia and reference, here's Cab skating it "back in the day." Wait, clarification: Here's Cab KILLING it.

My vid from Santa Cruz and "The Wave." Great park. Fast and SMOOOOTH.

Santa Cruz 2009 from Concretins on Vimeo.

Another "Classic" skate spot... Derby Park. Gimpy had enough fun for everyone here.

Derby Park, Santa Cruz, CA from Concretins on Vimeo.

I still have more to edit (LakeCunningham and my Buena Vista footage). But that oughta hold ya for a lil' while.

Frontside Teaser

2009-10-20T07:24:00.003-05:00

Here's a brief moment of our EPIC weekend in California. More is coming, I swear... Skidz could do a write up too, though I don't think I saw him take a single pic (with his own cam)... and Gimpy has the technology as well as documentation of things I did not witness(and some that I did)...

ANYWAY... Get bleedin' on wivit ya git!!

Group Photo from Concretins on Vimeo.

Don't Forget NoShow's Halloween Party this Saturday

2009-10-18T11:59:00.004-05:00

Concretins and friends, don't forget about NoShow's 8th Annual Halloween Party this coming Saturday, October 24th. The party starts at 7PM. There will be appetizers, snacks, dessert, and candy. We'll be serving drinks for kids and adults. We'll have movies projected, karaoke, Guitar Hero, a piñata, a costume contest, and more! Hope to see everyone there!

Click on the invitation below for more info...

I am not ready...

2009-10-07T19:39:00.010-05:00

It's about that time of year again. Time for the apparently annual fall "skate-cation" weekend. 'Twas out to Phoenix the last 2 years, and even threw in an east coast week long adventure in April. This time, with apologies to LL Cool J, I'm goin' back to Cali. Don't hate me 'cause I'm goin' to the concrete paradise that is Lake Cunningham Regional Skatepark, hate me because I can do a backside nollie disaster better than you. Because believe me, I hate you for doin' anything frontside.

Saturday night when you're watching them say goodnight on SNL and snugglin' up to your pillow, me, Skidzilla, Gimpy, and about 70 other Kooks will be just settling in for a long night of 'crete rippage...

Have a look... I am sooo not ready.

WidowMaker Jam Session

2009-09-26T19:48:00.007-05:00

So I lucked out, if you will, and didn't have to drive to "almost Wisconsin" last weekend. Sorry we missed the wedding, and sorry Alice had so much class work to do, but I certainly didn't miss the 12 hours on the road.

I strolled up to the WidowMaker about 9:00 Friday night. It was lit up like a beacon of stoke in the dark night. And the rippage was ON!

I had a decent session, and only pulled a few of my standards, but on that ramp, that's a big deal for me. It's big, smooth, fast and skeery. Travis was there representin' FROs. Martinez was there, keepin' a chair from floating away, I never saw him skate, not one run. :P Also present were Radly, Dane, Mike (from Lexington) and a few other locals whom I've met before at similar sessions, where we all skate more than we talk... and skate we did. I didn't take alot of photos. Sorry you missed it. Thanks for hosting Phil.

One of many smooth frontside 5-0s by Andy. (of TheProgramZine.com)

Dane makes it look all too easy. This is a boneless, BEFORE he pauses on the deck. Kinda like a Judo Air to Boneless. Yea, he can skeet.

Introducing RUBY!

2009-09-16T11:14:00.004-05:00

Because every team needs a Ruby!

Junior and Patricia signed for a delivery on Monday, Sept. 14th at 8:51 pm. 8 lbs 2 oz, 21 inches long. Momma, Poppa and baby are well and at home learning how to live life with no sleep.

-Babies come with hats.

Welcome to the planet Ruby June! We're glad you're here. And welcome to the Journey J&P...

Life is grand.

It's the Zach show...

2009-09-07T21:29:00.008-05:00

...and it came to the Barnacle. One session only... sorry you missed it... 'Twas most entertaining.

-He's a dancin' dancin' dancin' machine... watch him get down...

-Zach ain't afeared o' no vert.

-Yes, this is a make. A varial thingy jump back on right back into tranny.

-This is some bizarre rock-n-roll, roll onto your back, and then roll back in... it's funny lookin' but still gnar. That's a foot o' vert up there, and a deck only maybe a foot wide. (Zach considered a bonk in, and then decided that would be unhealthy.)

A few other skaters did some tricks.

-The Professor busted out the backside boneless.

-F.R.O. is pushing higher on the FS.

-And tossin' out the sweeper hop. (note Kookness in the background - nice)

-I got a couple Rocks on the wall, stoke fer me!

Not pictured were Bill, Adam, and Skidzilla. Bill was bustin' his 50-50s and a few rock-n-rolls, and Adam made some noise on the coping this session too, and we're gonna whoop him if he doesn't stay on his rocks-n-rolls next session! And damn, Skidzilla, you're killin' me Holmes. I have watched this old man progress SOOO much over the last 5 or so years, but this last year has been phenomenal. He looked more comfortable on his board this session than I've ever seen him. Can't wait to skate Cali with ya bro.

I love skateboarding. (And yes, this post was made by Nikoli, less than 24 hours after the session. Believe it.)

Check, Double Check

2009-09-04T18:07:00.003-05:00

Question: How old should a boy be before he is allowed to have a pocket knife?

Answer: (In Gibzilla's case) More than Nine.

Furthering my adventures as Uber-Dad, I found myself at the Pediatric Prompt Care with The Boy yesterday. Gibzilla managed to fillet open his right index finger while whittling away at an eraser during quiet time in his room. Needless to say quiet time ended promptly and became scream-time. That's about when I got the call to come home instead of going to the grocery that, as Uber-Husband, I so generously offered to do. Since I gave him the knife (and three others that we apparently agreed he shouldn't have yet), it was my duty to get him to the doctor to get it checked out. He was a brave, tough dude and got 4 stitches on the spot.

So, Gib got to a couple more punches in his card. Keep chuggin Gib! You'll get there, buddy.

Patti Hurst's Cretinous Skatecation . . .

2009-08-23T18:25:00.043-05:00

Patti

Cretins

Grove City is a sick sick park

Skidz is a rocknrolla

Dr J taking it to the deep end

Indys on lock

Skidz givin it to the loveseat. Bend over, he'll drive.

Bill lookin like one mean sumbitch

Squint if you like band t-shirts

Patti in one of the kooky little bowls

Skidz and I really liked this one

Tight ain't it?

Skidz tryin' like hell for that deathbox

Smile if you like janky bowls

I asked Jason if he was game to drop the over vert. No hesitation. YES!

Following suit

Fiesta time

Patti: "This one's fer the Cretins"

Lil Ollie's sesh on the way home

Bowl a Skidz

DR J tryin some big boy shit on a big boy ramp

I had Patti's camera out of focus. Woulda been a good one . . .

This was only day one. To be continued . . .

'Tis Been a While

2009-08-16T22:00:00.001-05:00

Another Rad Day in Louisville . . .

2009-08-02T22:44:00.015-05:00

How many DR's do you know that can do an Indy Air and have a Black Flag tattoo on the back of their neck? None? That's what I thought. Doc Jason with style.

Jason didn't like the looks of Seth bailing these with no pads so he GAVE him a pretty damn decent set of Smiths. Seth didn't make it (yet).

His backside airs are on lock though.

They were definitely getting higher with the pad security.

Skidz's FS Airs are getting higher as well . . .

Hip hop into the pipe. Skidz.

Seth upping the ante . . .

Seth getting a little shade on a glorious day.

JR's Take Your Skate Bros to Work Day!

2009-07-28T23:10:00.021-05:00

Another Rad Wednesday in the Barn . . .

2009-07-16T00:55:00.012-05:00

Another Rad Sunday in the Barn

2009-07-14T18:45:00.020-05:00

Bloody Concretins . . .

Travio surfin'

Me stoked to skate with my brothers again.

Hadn't skated with Dave in a couple of months. He's developed a pretty mean fs 50/50. Dave killed it all day long.

Josh and I decided to work on our inverts . . .

About time to bring it up to the coping.

Get that hand on the coping ya bloody poof!

Rampbuilder Mofo with an ollie to fakie on his creation.

JR fs rockin.

Stopped at Senor Iguanas for a lil fiesta.

We told Dave it was time to leave. Dave no lika leava the fiesta!

Hey, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world???

Old old footage... from Arizona...

2009-07-12T20:43:00.002-05:00

No really. I swear. I'm not gonna apologize, not anymore. I know I suck, you know I suck. Ya get what ya pay for...

So anyway... Here's the footy from the Peoria session at the OMA BBQ last November. No tunes (you're welcome), play your favorites from iTunes, then press play.

And remember, when obtaining services from a lady of the evening... please... "Mind your manners!"

-Cretins only edit.

-The rest of the session warriors Part 1

-Part 2

At least it's not FruitBootin'

2009-07-09T07:27:00.007-05:00

We have a friend in California... he rollerskates. Now you may think that is too ghey for the Cretins, but he has Powell Skate Park Formula skate wheels on his boots, AND I've seen him roll an 11' peanut bowl in Goodyear, Arizona. Bootboy can skeet. The real surprise is that you would think this level of kook would guarantee a life of celibacy... but apparently, not only is he knockin' boots, he's ridiculously fertile. Tired of complaining about having no one to (roller)skate with, OCRob took matters into his own hands (so to speak) and decided to repopulate the genre... Way to go Rob. Well done, Sir.

My Brute

2009-07-05T19:19:00.002-05:00

The weather has been nasty so I doubt anyone has been skating. Here is a diversion until it warms/dries back up...

http://concretin.mybrute.com/

Do you have what it takes to take down the Concretin Brute? Create your own. Fight. Repeat.

This silly little game is addicting.

L'ville in this month's Thrasher

2009-06-29T07:38:00.004-05:00

The latest Thrasher mag is a photo edition. I was thumbing through it and noticed a pic with our signature full pipe and the grassy hill leading up to I65 in the background. It was Dane Warner and he was sticking a wicked sad plant in the ~~14'~~ 12' (or 11') bowl. It was a great shot, but knowing how deep that bowl is and seeing no pads on him (or maybe he was wearing his Vonder Voman Invisi-Pads™) made my jaw drop.

Yeah, I know, of all the Concretins I should be the *last* of us to be looking through Thrasher. Shut up, Nikoli!

But thanks for the pads, man :)

Where in the world is Skidzilla?

2009-06-24T07:28:00.004-05:00

Yet another BUSINESS TRIP. Uh, huh. Yea, right. Sure.

Gettin' his gnar on, over the loveseat. (Thanks to MC at H.O.M.O.S. for the pic.)

Who Knew?

2009-06-23T13:25:00.000-05:00

The OBX story continues

2009-06-20T20:28:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay... no, not really I'm not. But Gimpy posted up almost immediately after the OBX trip, and Skidzilla posted his vacation report before he even got on the road back home... And the Kooks bug me about it... Nag nag nag! Anyway... here's entry #4 of 5 regarding the OBX trip that happened well over a month ago... YES, someday I will get to last years Arizona footage and creation of the "Concretins - Sessions & Roadtrips 2008" DVD... someday... but for now...

OBX Headquarters

Epicicity DefCon 4

After the Crawdad Hole session we all headed east... but somehow at VERY different times and paces. (We stopped for lunch and ate in, rather than drive-thru...) But anyway, we were the ones on the rental agreement, and we were bringin' up the rear, but only by about 15-20 minutes. I ended up missing a turn, so add 20 minutes, then a panic stop for gas (the gas guage dropped to empty, with a half tank, but in swampy "bear country" I wigged out). So add another 10 minutes... then we got caught on the "drawbridge" for one lone sailboat... add 15 more...

The bridge, right where we got stopped... I'm lame, I din't slap a Cretin sticker.

So eventually we end up in Kitty Hawk, and what do I see ahead of me, but the ass end of Gimpy. Well, the skate gods were watching and finagled the wrong turn, the gas guage, and the sailboat all so I would end up with Gimpy and his GPS. While I was about to point out the insane traffic ahead(it was BikeWeek), he said the GPS chick (of course) was demanding that he turn right... I was about to lead us up the wrong side of the sound! Thank you skate gods, and thank you Gimpy's co-worker for loaning him your GPS. "Geepus Saves!" And 5 minutes later, we were at the house.

And WOW, what a house.

It was huge, but I didn't bother to go in. I knew everyone would be out back... and it was indeed beautiful.

A session was already goin' down. I hurried off to the surf shop to pay the homeowner the rest of the fee, feeling awkward that people were already IN the house... but he was so cool. If you are ever in Duck, NC, for any reason (With this audience, is there any other reason than to skate?), please go to Duck Village Outfitters and buy/rent any gear you need there. Bob is the man, and Tanya is the wo-man. They were so gracious and laid back and as Gimpy said, we had access to any rental equipment we wanted, included with the house rental, for the entire week, and the house was already chock full o' bikes and kayaks. I immediately snagged two jogger strollers for the kiddos.

Duck Village Outfitters

Everyone but me, Paul, Jer, and a local had taken off to skate the "Egg Bowl."
Zach over the Lil' Tony in the Deathbox in the Egg Bowl

Turns out, it was just a mile or two away. WTF? 2 backyarders, with full access so close together? Turns out, Gimpy hadn't stepped foot in the house yet either and already had 2 local pool sessions(3 for the day) under his belt. Yea, this was gonna be a good week.

Meanwhile, back at Cretin/Kook OBX Headquarters...

OMP with the pool skills, Jer with the photo skills.

We settled in, and got to it. You'd think the first full session would have been tentative, but not from what I witnessed. We were all pushing it from the get go. The pool was filled to the brim with stoke. And no matter how short your run, your heart pounded just a lil' harder each time. The smiles on deck and on faces climbing out of the bowl were wide and cartoon like.

While exploring the nearby beaches, and discussing the conspiracy of the skate gods, Jon and I took the same sunset photo...

and then we found THIS...

A downhill sidewalk "chute" that is nearly a half-mile long (I measured it on Google Maps)... The pic above is the "outlet" at the street in town, looking back up the hill towards the beach. It was another blessing from the skate gods, one we did not take advantage of I'm very sad to say. Though I did go back before departing to self-shoot a run(that's REALLY difficult and time consuming). Our 'discovery run' was the only full on run ever attempted, and it was crazy. We didn't know if we'd come over a small hill and have a 6 stair gap to clear or what. My heart was pounding and I couldn't wait to tell everyone about it. It WILL get abused next trip, for reals!

Monday, we took full advantage of DVO's generosity and hustled off with 4 surfboards and full wetsuits. Patti declined to ride with us, and instead hopped on a bike and pedaled herself to the beach. AND later, pedaled to a local eatery to get lunch for us all!! Patti, you ROCK girl!
I can surf! Who knew!? I certainly didn't!

Which of these things is not like the other...

And after every side adventure, we'd come home. And skate. In the backyard. It was just stoopit(TM Travio). Alice and I went out to dinner on our anniversary, and I was dead from surfing and the morning session, so I passed out fairly early Monday... and I am deeply saddened that I missed the Kouch Kooks Session. You KNOW you wish you could have been there for this...

After taking our vitamins each day, we'd skate/surf/eat/drink/bullshit/skate/chill/play pool/bullshit/hangout/skate/rinse//repeat... Enjoy these highlights...

Jer - grindage...

Zach- fs airage...

- and fs grindage

Patti - fs speed carvin'

Gimpy - fs tile ride

Rusty - bs grindage

- with a lil nose grabby

Lil Tony missed you Skidzilla

Had enough? Is DefCon 5, maximum Epicicity, even attainable? I'm here to tell you, yes. Yes it is.
*whisper like the wind* Wanchese...

Patience punk... there is STILL more to come...

Hangin' Out in Milton, Fl

2009-06-17T22:27:00.008-05:00

You may remember Mr. Nikoli's post about Milton Skatepark - two gents getting hassled by The Man for dropping in on this insanely steep, insanely quick-transitioned wall.

Well, me and Steve-o hit it on Wednesday.

It is a bad-ass Team pain Park. It looks like one giant bowl with some wonky chit round the outside; the aforementioned wall, a clam behind a clam(!), an asymmetrical (5 feet one side, three feet on the other) spine. All this stuff looked random and oddly placed until two yokels showed up and showed us that the whole park outside the bowl is carve-able and chock full-o-lines in and out of the bowl.

It was 90 degrees at 8:30 am when we got there, but we toughed it out for over an hour and a half. My only real accomplishment was a carve over the love seat in the deep end. Although, I am also proud of the obligatory shot with me climbing on the wall flippin' the bird. Steve-o was carving much higher that pics will show. It was a rockin good time! Wish you coulda jammed on it with us!

TMWII, Barnacle, WHATEVER you call it, IT'S THE CHIT ! ! !

2009-06-14T21:23:00.010-05:00

TMWII - Fully Operational!

2009-06-05T09:01:00.007-05:00

The ramp is complete and ready for some full on ripping! The final screw was put in on Wednesday the third, June 2009 around 6pm. It was a Zen moment as everyone contemplated the gleam of this wooden wave. Interrupted by the chill that crawled down their forearm, the gathering quickly began shredding the newness away and pushing the limits of the eight foot wall. This ramp rocks, this ramp is fun, this ramp is good times.

I have to say thanks again to Kyle for being the motivating factor here and bringing this mini beast alive. Also, a big thanks to Skidzilla, Nik, Josh, and Bill for donating a lot of there time as well.

Looking forward to many more sessions…see you there,

Travio

Get a grip on your holidays...

2009-06-02T12:01:00.004-05:00

With all the focus on *ahem* wood lately, it is absolutely astounding to me that we, The Concretins, let this glorious holiday *ahem* come and go.

HAPPY BELATED PENIS DAY! (click me) <--Not pron, but not really SFW.

(But really, EVERY day is Penis Day. Especially if you have one.)

I hope my wife doesn't have a headache, I need some help celebrating...

(Thanks to Terry at BentObjects for *ahem* raising this to my attention via 'the book.')

2009-06-01T08:20:00.006-05:00

So Close!

We made one hell of a run this weekend. On Saturday, Kyle, Dave, Josh, Bill, and Nick showed up completely ready to role. We knocked a huge chunk out but it was looking like we were going to have a couple more heavy days ahead of us. Then came Sunday and I’m pretty sure everyone was feeling the pain from the day before. I was dog tired and wasn’t expecting much to get done on Sunday, but then Kyle, Josh, and Dave, the truly insane, showed up and between the four of us made a huge dent. The way things look right now, I’m thinking one more good day of work and we’ll be skating…barn style.

I want to say thanks to the entire Skidzilla family and Mofo family for coming out and enjoying a great day at the farm. And most importantly thanks guys for all your help and for a great weekend. Definitely looking forward to that first session.

Travio

2009-05-28T20:07:00.008-05:00

Wood and Lots of it!

This isn't just any old ramp, nope, it's a barn ramp. Full of cow shit, hay, raccoon turds and soon, very soon, old fart skaters itchin to break a hip. I mean just check out all that wood fellas. Hell, the last time you saw that much wood you were probably telling your old lady that it ain't gonna suck itself. And to keep the romance alive boys, I gonna have to say, "this wood ain't gonna lay itself". So, come on out this Saturday to the Travio farm and be ready to screw...screw down some sheets of CDX that is!

The Metamorphosis continues...

2009-05-22T19:37:00.004-05:00

It's is growing... in a barn, in Indiana... and it will be awesome.

Obviously I'm not a well read, prose writing Cretin, like Skidzilla. Nor am I as good looking, tall, and frontside scares the beejeezus outta me. But I've got a big deck, so my self esteem is intact.

Anyway, while Gimpy is out frolicking in the skateparks of Montana, local Cretins are hard at work constructing a new training facility. Thanks to Rich in the great northwest at Earth Patrol Media for the ramp render. Hope I'm not spoiling anything for anyone... the idea is to inspire your lazy ass to cross the big crick into Hoosierville and man a hammer, saw, and/or drill. If you want a free pass, put in the work. Otherwise, you'd best bring alot o' beer and maybe some donuts. (This means you Gimpy! Punkass.) Nobody rides for free Melon Farmers!

The Mastermind Mofo and his tranny.

And just so you know, the OBX coverage is not complete.

Metamorphosis

2009-05-19T20:27:00.006-05:00

What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. It is the both the fleeting chink and the extended grind of the truck upon the coping.
~ Crowfoot, Blackfoot Warrior & Orator (with assistance from Skidzilla, Concretin Knucklehead and Smart-Ass)

OLD RAMP

NEW HOME

THE TRANSFORMATION BEGINS

The Crawdad Hole!

2009-05-06T19:52:00.001-05:00

Epicicity at DefCon 3

The stoke continues... Rob is the FBO of the Crawdad Hole. Much thanks to him for his hospitality to complete strangers... well, he kinda knew some of us... but we were all certainly strange!

I never nutted up to actually drop in here, but I wasn't the only one. This place required more skills than I possess. BUT that doesn't mean I din't have a blast! The steps were an obstacle to some, but a necessity to others. I used 'em everytime to get in and out o' the pool. I got a bit o' tile over the light, so I was stoked. That's goal number one in any backyard pool. And I particularly enjoyed taking photos from a fresh perspective that not just anyone can shoot.

Enjoy!

Skidzilla couldn't be there... but now it's his face that greets everyone as they come through the gate...

Kooks!

Jer carvin' it up.

Tile over the light!

It was the Zach show for reals.

Patti gettin' her pool on.

Gimpin' looks easy to me.

Rusty goin' deep.

And over the stairs.

Zach over the deathbox.

The Zach show continues...

I believe this is the best shot I took all week.

Roadtrip Warriors!

No matter your skill level, you will have a good session here, especially with this crew. The vibe was awesome.

LT approves.

EPICICITY at DefCon 2

2009-05-06T14:35:00.012-05:00

Epicicity(tm): (eh-pic-ih-cittee) pronounced similar to velocity - the amount of EPIC or EPICNESS in an item, action, or event. i.e. "There was a high level of epicicity on my skate-cation in North Carolina."

A level that I have never experienced on a skate roadtrip. That's a bold statement considering the demos/contests where I've met Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Bucky Lasek, the park sessions with Chris Miller and AndyMac, and the gnarly skate-weekends I've spent in Phoenix and Chicago with the Cretins.

The gnar began in Raleigh, North Carolina: We drove through the night to arrive at Casa de Jer at 7:30am. We eventually rolled up to their new skatepark and I proceeded to throw myself into the wall on my second run. Not a good start. Gotta watch those bowled 'corners.' Uninjured, but bruised, my session continued. I met several NC Kooks, John, Mike, Jay, and Carol as well as hooked up with the rest of the traveling crew, Patti, Zach, Rusty, and Jeff(and RIMSHOT!). Gimpy rolled up eventually too and joined in the 'crete bashing.

Here are a few of my pics from that first day. This was as low as the Epicicity level would be for the entire week. And as you will see below, it was already HIGH.

Roadtrippin' THROUGH the mountains...

Fresh 'Crete!

Zach can skeet.

You can see the "MastPics" rig in the shadow.

My 13' pole is quite a site to see. Patti shot this of me and the rig in action.

This is the shot I was taking.

I told you he can skeet. Layback.

FS Air.

Rusty drawing a FS line.

The Kooks come out at night.

My camera captures some weird auras...

Frogwing is skeery.

The elusive PattiFly

The above butterfly aura is quite deceiving... this chick is f'n dangerous! Epic battle!

More pics are coming from the rest of the trip. I'll do a few from each 'leg' over the next few days/weeks.

Thanks Gimpy for postin' up quick with your stuff! The documentation of the trip was phenomenal. I had both a digi-cam and video cam, along with the new 'MastPics' rig. Gimpy was equally cammin'. Professional gear with remote flashes, and 'the lens' was sported by Kook Jer, while Patti and Dana were no slouches with their digi cams neither. (I shall make no apologies for not yet getting to video footage. Ever again. You melon farmers know I'm slow about it, but you're usually stoked with the results, no matter how late. You get what you pay for...) I'm focusing on photographs lately. It's still a chore to load, crop, rename, and watermark, but generally faster than editing footy.

Next up will be "The Crawdad Hole..."

With Every End...

2009-05-03T07:59:00.007-05:00

Mofo did what he had to do last week: he took his rabid huntin' dog, with whom he'd been life-long friends, out in the field and blasted him with a shot gun. No wait... that's a different story of "rights of passage."

Last weekend we put the final FINAL skate on the ramp and started tearing it down.

Last Run! - Bye Bye to an Era

Fear not, however, the story is not over. It is 'To Be Continued...' Travio is cleaning out his barn for Kyle to stuff his wood in - and I think Kyle plans to build a ramp on Travio's property, too.

10 minutes from The Ville. Ground Breaking ceremony to be announced. There will be great rejoice.

Outer Banks Stokin' ! ! !

2009-05-03T06:55:00.094-05:00

ROADTRIP ! ! !

Zach Friendly is an animal that cannot be caged. Crawdad Hole.

Crawdad owner Rob. One of the many supercool FBO's we met.

OldKook, OMP. Bob's.

Patti Hurst testing the waters in Bob's (our) backyarder.

Uncle Charlie can skeet. Do a Trick ! ! !

Local Mikey. FS doubletrucker is childsplay for this cat.

Can't remember if this is the beginnings of a bs tailslide or bs lip over the deathbox. Take your pick, I'm sure he can do 'em both.

FS Ollie. Mikey.

Evan's Casa es su Casa.

Rusty and Jesse D. mopping up Evan's egg for a seshown.

Jesse warming up with a lil fs grind over the deathbox.

Patti lika da egg.

Yeah Rusty.

Laidback Zach.

Jesse will take you to the spots . . .

... and show you how to skate 'em.

Sunset on the Currituck Sound. Right up the street.

Jer blurring a BS grind back at Bob's.

The kooks come out at night . . . The kooks come out at night . . .

Frogwing Jeff playin' on his 'puter at the counter of kitchen nbr one. That throne lookin' chair way in the back corner is where kitchen nbr two is. Yeah, the house F-in rules. Oh, that red stool u see back there goes along with the massage chair that is just out of view.

RIMSHOT ! ! ! ! ! !

Patti feeds the Kooks . . .

Nick feeds us . . .

Built to grind baby. Breakfast is served in kitchen nbr II.

Nick and "The Boy".

AAAAAWWWW, Jer and family.

Well, breakfast being over, might as well go out back and session the pool again, hehe.

RRRRRIIIIIIIMMMMMSHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Frogwing skatin' . . .

Frogwing chillin' . . .

Patti showin' her backside.

Nick preparing to take the plunge.

Zooooooom . . .

Jeff says he may hit 'Bama again after Georgia. DIY rig. So characteristic . . .

MegaMaid has gone from suck to blow!!!

Gearing up for getting down. Down in the 50 degree water when yo ass gets tossed over the side, hehe.

Duck Donuts freakin' rule!

Oh my effin' Jeezus . . .

Follow the rules. Mark said he wished he coulda skated with us longer but he had to go to Kung Fu.

JD showing us all the lines we can't take. He killed it.

Roll Call. Everybody in the bowl ! ! ! ! Frogwing . . .

OMP. A T T A C K ! ! !

Patti Hurst. Anchors Aweigh ! ! !

Nick nuttin' up. YEAH.

Rusty wheeling on the oververt cope. He was grinding it as well.

OMP approves.

Zach attack. He killed every spot, took some HARD hits and always got up with a smile on his face.

Shark attack. Watch your fingers bro ! ! !

If you don't make it out u can either run up and out or use the ladder. Jesse knows what ladders are for . . .

Look at that sky! The weather was like this every day.

Yeah, the ladder is crooked cuz dirtyass Zach gave it a little tappy tap.

Clean (the air, not the ass)

How 'bout a lien to tail right on the deathbox. X marks the spot.

Maybe it feels like the sun is always shining on you when you skate this rad . . .

Red Drum is a must. Thanx Patti! Also BIG thanx to Jesse, Evan, Mark, Rob, Bob, The Skategods, and certainly Nick and Alice. See you next year?

Bob's Bowl (our backyarder).

The Chief

Onward...

2009-04-23T10:37:00.002-05:00

The search for Animal Chin continues... on the East coast... He has been spotted in a coastal neighborhood just north of Kitty Hawk called Duck. I bet we'll find him... It can't be a coincidence that Cretins and Kooks from all over the country are converging on several backyard skate/swimmers this weekend... It just can't be.

It really is too bad you can't join us. The stoke, the camaraderie, the pools, the beach, the beer... Levels of epicicity(tm) that are unprecedented. I dare say higher than those reached in Arizona, twice.

If you're in the area, look out for the Cretins. You'll know if you see them. (Trust me.) If you do spot them, don't cross the street. Give us a wave. Say hi. Hell, buy us a drink. (No Irish Car Bombs, please.)

If(when) we find Animal Chin, I'll be sure to tell him you said hi.

Last Session . . . ?

2009-04-20T23:04:00.004-05:00

The video companion to Nick's post below. Found out it's time for a new cam battery so didn't get all the footage I would have liked. Sometimes ya gotta make due with what ya got. Here it is:

The End... and the Beginning...

2009-04-20T19:04:00.005-05:00

This weekend marked the end of an era... the TajMaWall mini-ramp shall be sessioned no more. We put a good hurtin' of grinds, slides, rock-n-rolls, and even INVERTS on it (well, not all of us) but we had a good last session. But fear not, it shall live again. We will rebuild it, bigger, better, faster, and still in control of the Cretins... I can't wait Travio. I envy your membership to the club of F.R.O.s. (ramp owners)

This weekend also was the beginning of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Thunder Over Louisville! is a gigantic Air Show with amazing demonstrations by several of our armed forces most bad ass aircraft. I knew the F-22 Stealth Fighter was awesome, but to see it stall and hang in the vertical position, then pitch forward and stall and hang in a nose down position was mind blowing. Even a self-induced falling like a rock flat spin was not a problem for this machine. Opponents will say it's built for destruction, but I don't care... it's bad ass and I hope we NEVER have to use it for it's intended purpose. If our enemies had seen the demo, I believe they'd shake our hands and say have a nice day, thank you very much. Seriously, it was impressive.

However, as much as I love the sound of a jet fighter screaming over head, it was not what got me super stoked. A 28 minute fireworks show didn't do it either.

THIS is the greatest highlight of the day... THIS is the BEGINNING I've been anticipating...

Training for an OBX road trip w/Lil' Tony

2009-04-13T20:53:00.008-05:00

You Better Take Your Vitamins!

We Could Tell You . . . But Then We'd Have To KILL You. . .

2009-03-30T21:23:00.014-05:00

Don't visit the Doctor!

2009-03-26T21:19:00.002-05:00

For those under the age of 44.
Don't go visit the Doctor!!

My wife decided that I had reached the age where a "routine" physical would be a "great idea". Like a good husband, I reluctantly went along.
DON'T DO IT!! IT'S A TRAP!!
They took blood samples, made me pee in a cup..all the usual fun.
Doc said "everything looks great! ...Except your blood sugar is way high."
Doc said "Let's get another check. ...Yep, It's way high"
Then she drops the "D" word. I almost fell off the exam table!
DIABETES!
No way...I feel fine!
Yep, it's confirmed. OMP now has to prick the finger a few times a day.
Has to be on meds. Has to count the Carbs.

On the way out I said: Doc, I wasn't sick until I came to see you!
She laughed...but so did I :-)

Spring has Sprung

2009-03-22T20:38:00.005-05:00

A few documented, righteous sessions went down this week. It must be spring! FINALLY, some warm weather!!

First stop: The Widow Maker, a 7 foot tall "mini" ramp monstrosity that resides in the back 40 of The Roth Estate. Four people: much gnar! Phil was bustin 3 foot BS Airs. I've never seen him do 'em, but, clearly they are not an issue. He was bustin' nose picks, and fakie airs, as well. Just to remind us it is HIS ramp, after all.

Radley was back skatin' the ramp that gimped him. He was clearly not intimidated as he put a hurtin back on it. To add insult to injury he put on some fake teeth, and a china-man's hat and thumped it some more. Take THAT you sniveling little 7 foot bee-otch!

Jon Z - aka The Z-Monster - decided that he would deal his punishment in the form of a front-side ollie to smith. They started out as sweet little slashers and ended up with a massive pop out and a resounding smack back in.

Yours truly? I stunk it up with some ugly socks, a couple of FS Airs, and a promise to come back and bring 'em higher!

You can see all photos with a clickety here

Sessions two and three both captured neatly in one photo set right here

The abbreviated version is in the comic below. It doesn't fully capture the gnar, the sphincter puckering, the camaraderie, stink, angst, and/or joviality that goes along with a session with The Concretins. Nor does it show the awe and inspiration bestowed upon us by watching some out-of-towners shred up the home court. For this we say, "Thank You! and "Come back anytime!"

If It Rolls, Floats or . . .

2009-03-18T19:49:00.003-05:00

And so, with raindrops threatening The Ville, it was decided, after much indecision, that Ollie's would indeed be the place to be for the much anticipated and long overdue mass Cretins session. This was originally proposed by OMP as a birthday party for Skidz and the Fly, but since the Fly couldn't make it due to injury and Skidz's bday was several days prior anyway, it just turned into what the original idea was an excuse for anyway, the chance to get together and rage with your brothers of the mighty stuntwood.

OMP arrived first with a couple dudes from his neck of the woods who's names escape me, followed by myself, Adam and Philthy, and finally Skidz and Jr. Not the full crew by any means but a decent showing nonetheless, you take what you can get. Nikoli crapped out due to rampant illness and was surely missed, but managed to deliver this eMac to Skidz to bring to yours truly. The session should have been billed as a bday party for the Fly, Skidz and myself. THANX!

We started out skating the micro mini and as I was about to set up to drop in, this barely teenage girl on the deck opposite me says: "Hey, I'm just going to cross over ok?" Sure no problem. She bonks in and flies over the opposite deck, transferring to the wedge that leads to the street course so she can go work on her kickflip hip transfers. HUH??? Later she's up on the 13' vert ramp doing bs airs and rocknrolls and the like. Sheeesh. Her name is Erin and she RIPS.

The session raged on as expected, to the bowl and the mega mini of course. Phil was on a mission and was crushing it with his usual gnarly high speed 50/50s, indy nosepicks, lipslides, and even nutted up for a bs boneless. I got practically zero footage as I forgot to charge the battrees (as my grandfather would say).

After skating practically an hour past our pink wristband cutoff OMP, Skidz, Jr., and Myself headed to the local Mexi joint for a fartastic feast, and entertained each other with talk of travel to foreign and domestic lands, the state of the Union, housewarming soirees, and the Golden Rule.

Skidzilla...

2009-03-11T07:13:00.003-05:00

Glitter Graphics

My apologies to MC at H.O.M.O.S. for bastardizing his comic art for the sake of crotch glitter.

Spring weather! Warm 'Crete!

2009-03-07T23:09:00.004-05:00

Fresh content! Woo Hoo! I finally got out to the 'crete. It's been a month since "the slam." I'm actually sort of glad the weather kept me off the board. Probably saved me from seriously injuring myself (even more).

The day started searching for a parking space, because 9,000 or so pedestrians were running around the city. 3 blocks away from the park wasn't too bad. 5 of my friends were among the runners. Why they run I will never understand. Just doesn't seem like fun to me. I cheered on Kyle, Deanna, and the elusive Nate. Had I known they were running before hand, I would have made signs for Skidzilla and Christian too. Sorry. Back to the skatepark for proper recreation.

I was alone at the park for a short while, and used that time to clean up. Lots o' crap in the bowls and too many glass bottles to leave lying around. Put your chit in the trash can you fkn dirtbags. I hate people.

I padded up and took a few tentative runs, and I was immediately comfortable. 'Crete, oh how I missed you so. NoShow rolled up and two Cretins makes it an official session. Some roadtrippers from Ohio were ripping the place up. Ronnie and Andrew (I think, but post up in the comments guys if I'm wrong). I was sure to get them a card and some stickers. About the time I was gettin' winded, Ward rode up on a bike. (He rips, so we won't chastise him about the bike. Besides, he could easily squash me like a jelly bean.)

Ward proceeded to teach me how to do fakie to lipslide. A fun trick, and relatively easy if you have all the elements already. Not too hard to put together. Wish I had tried them sooner. His were super smooth and quiet. Mine were sketchy and barky from dragging my wheels too much. I'll clean 'em up.

I had some good speed runs, rock-n-rolls in the 8' and one good backside air. I got 50-50s in the 6', but decided not to try them in the 8' again yet. I need to get more risers to better avoid wheelbite and the sudden flattening of self. I decided to leave on a good note. Then of course Skidzilla rolls up. I wanted to skate with him, but no, I must behave and not risk a worse injury. So I busted out the camera. The results are below. Skidz was sporting some new kicks and socks, and he used that new shoe style to bust a new one... FS airs over the hip. Damn, I gotta learn FS. While he is getting them, he's still taking notes from Andrew. The kid was flying.

Hope you got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather today. I certainly did. Life is indeed grand.
-NoShow carvin' high.

-Ward goin' for the hip transfer.

-Ward has sweepers on lock.

-I'm still trying to find the best angle to capture the style of the sweeper.

-Andrew can skeet.

-Big and smooth.

-Backside D by another Buckeye.

-Skidzilla is progressing...

-Skidz just cruising. Dig dem socks!

Feelin' it

2009-03-04T14:47:00.001-05:00

Again, I'm inspired by content found elsewhere(SkateandAnnoy.com and Oldkookskating.com). When Cretins actually have skated recently, apparently no one bothered to comment or document. The birthday(s) session will be for sure. And don't think I haven't noticed that we normally premier Sessions & Roadtrips about this time... same story as the previous 3 years... I'll get to it. Eventually. Don't we always get to it? Alright then... carry on.

Ty Evans(director) and Bob Burnquist(skater) recently shot a commercial at the Lake Cunningham, California skatepark. Yea, it was a paying gig. Skateboarding kicks ass.

The original concept. Just for shiggles. You've probably seent it. Several times. But it never gets old. Looks like an absolute blast.

Incidently, a gathering of old skateboarding kooks like myself, called Kookapalooza will be held at the Lake Cunningham Skatepark. October 9-13, 2009. I'll be there. Will you?

Double Concretin Birthday SK8 Bash

2009-03-01T22:01:00.003-05:00

Sunday March 15

Concretins will descend on Ollie's Skatepark in Florence, KY to celebrate the Birthdays of two of their finest.
(really we're all the finest, it's just their birthdays)

The park opens at 11am. Be there or be square!

http://www.skateollies.com/ for park info.

Venue could change to Louisville if the weather dictates.

Drama at the NoShow house

2009-02-20T13:05:00.004-05:00

Sheesh, keep NoShow in your thoughts this week. Do what you have to do. Send some positive energy. Pass along some uplifting thoughts. Pray for us. Make a virgin sacrifice for us if you have to.

Panzy (aka Kelsey) was diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy on Tuesday. She spent a night at Kosair a few weeks ago after suffering a little jerk or tic. She is on the same medication as my dad. She'll be fine but just something I wish she didn't have to worry about.

Will.i.am (aka Will) is recovering after an emergency appendectomy last night. His appendix hadn't burst but it was ready to pop. He is asleep right now recovering. I don't think I've ever seen him in this much pain (even that one time after he fell 15 feet out of the tree and he asked me if he was dead).

Mama NoShow has been taking it like a champ but it is taking a toll on her. She only wants the best for her chil'ren and hates seeing them hospitalized.

As for skating, I'm ready for warm weather and want to start putting the "Show" into NoShow. C'mon global warming and do your thing already!

Ribs and Ribbing...

2009-02-15T20:30:00.003-05:00

I took quite the slam last week after only maybe a 30 minute session. I joined Junior with a rib injury, though mine was not as severe, as I did not hear or feel any cracks or pops. But certainly a thumb of the 'crete gods smushed me into the flat with ah-thor-eh-tay! Only once before have I gotten up so slowly and in so much pain. And that was with my ankle, and I was out for 8 weeks. I so wanted to shake it off and take another run before I left, but there was just no way. The longer I stayed, the more I wanted to nut-up through the pain, and the more I realized if I did, I was going to get REALLY hurt. But hey, I have witnesses, the 50-50 before the smiting was textbook perfect!

So, with very lil' skating (or documentation) going on by the Cretins lately, I shall continue to "borrow" content from elsewhere. Found this on the OldManArmy forums...

People suck. AND they're stupid. No, I mean really fkn stupid. If you can't handle being flabbergasted, and seriously annoyed, don't watch.

"... you are trespassed..."

I mean, come on. You sound like an idiot. It's hard to take you seriously lady when you change the story AND sound like a 12 year old who just learned a new word. I'd like to know if this ever made it to the city council of Milton, but I'm sure I never will.

Because Old's Cool!

2009-02-02T22:11:00.006-05:00

(see what I did there? Old School... oh, nevermind...)

Skate Content! Woo hoo! Here's a lil' more for the Cretins who missed out on the 80's and early 90's of skating. The glorious air that comes from the LAUNCH RAMP! I love how most of these pros even are doing the "early grab." I mightamaybecoulda hung with this contest. Well, maybe 15 years ago that is. Enjoy.

HOSOI SKATES JUMP RAMP JAM - watch more skate, snow, surf, and moto videos

-Another angle of Rad!

Christian Hosoi Jump Ramp Contest from Jesse Fritsch