The usual drill - Empire Skatepark, a bunch of eager skaters, Harry
Wilson with a megaphone and a box of prizes donated by Navitas Outdoors.
As I arrived, Harry was in a bit of a fluster. He asked me if I had any spare batteries. I had, but only a few AAs. After briefly explaining that the megaphone needed new 'D' batteries and he didn't know if he had time to get them himself I suggested he send someone out for them and instantly he calmed and sent someone out and thirty minutes later, the platforms were jammed and the siren sounded.
Things kicked off with the under sixteens category.
Harry announced that the over sixteen category was "...a free for
all. No limit to the number of skaters in the ramp, just get it done!”
And it went off.
We were treated to many collisions and near misses along with an onslaught of lazy
cool from local Jordan Thackeray’s satchel of stoke and some balls out skating
from the relentless Taylor Jones, and at any time that Taylor wasn’t skating he spent shouting abuse at the top of his voice at anyone skating the mini.
Cries of "Danny Way!", "Smile!" and "Saaaafend! Saaaafend!" were heard by the large crowd gathered on the platform & gallery and were also treated to a colourful range of insults and encouragements that clearly did the job.
Jed Jolly, Justin Baker and Max Melwani pulled some radness out too.
After about an hour, the comp was drawn to
a close on the mini. The crowd of spectators soon went home and the 3 sided bar
was fitted over the grass gap.
Harry came back with the Navitas box and
what hadn’t been given away on the mini was duly gifted to the gifted that
stuck around and put the hours in.
The beer flowed freely, Taylor's encouragement grew stronger and the session got loose with revellers gathering on the hubba to watch Harley Miller and Mark Radden make some
gnar stuff stick and Toby Gozzett came away with a whole bunch of NBDs over the bar.
Harley & I left for home at around eleven. The party was in full swing and was soon to relocate to a bar in town with the lucky task of entertaining this now quite rowdy gang.
The evening's event had a good turn out and was a welcome change from
the banging Halloween fancy dress parties that have become an Empire tradition in
recent years. I hope we haven't seen the last of the Halloween events, they really are so much fun. But the odd mini ramp session and in the future, night's held in the DIY bowl complex slowly coming together in the back yard can't hurt the health and growth of an already tight local scene.
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| Max Melwani - f/s 5-0 fakie |
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| Andrew Houghton - f/s boneless |
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| Jed Jolly - I have no idea what this is called. It was rrrrrrealy rad though! |
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| Justin Baker - f/s 50-50 |
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| Jed Jolly - f/s nose pick |
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| Mark Radden - blunt 3 shuv |
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| Max Melwani - f/s tail slide |
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| Jordan Thackeray - f/s nose grind |
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| Taylor Jones - b/s boneless |
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| Mark Radden - f/s pivot grab |
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| Taylor Jones - madonna |
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| Max Melwani - ollie up to f/s smith |
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| Taylor Jones - ollie up to f/s smith, down to disaster |
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| Harley Miller - b/s board slide |
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| Mark Radden - f/s feeble |
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I don't know this guy's name.
Taylor can be seen in the background screaming "SAAAAFEND! SAAAFEND!" as the nameless skater ollies the bar, to flat.
Somebody please help with his name. |
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Harley Miller - 5-0 transfer
(Melvin reckoned this was a bonk, I think this picture proves otherwise.) |
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| Mark Radden - f/s blunt slide |
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| Toby Gozzett - ollie over to f/s lip slide |
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| Harley Miller - f/s board slide fakie |
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| Toby Gozzett - ollie over to f/s smith |
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| Toby Gozzett - kick flip |
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| Toby Gozzett - switch ollie |
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