Four Wheel Fools : Rak N Roll Dayer 2019

Words & photos by Paul Jackson

With recent events still jagged in all our hearts the group of friends that come together to celebrate the life of our friend Luke Jarvis tragically cut short 3 years ago now had a new sense of camaraderie and a want to not only come together in one place, but give each other a hug and talk. The loss of Ben Raemers has profoundly affected every one of us to the point where, I found myself talking feelings with people seen from the outside at least, as a very male dominated, macho group. Skateboarding has from its inception been viewed as having the put or shut up, man up, grow a pair attitude. It’s skate hard, party hard, brag hard and talk shit hard. No mention of the tough times or the dark stuff that affects every one of us in our live to some extent. Some more than others.

Ben’s funeral and the notion that taking his own life was the only way he could see a release from those darkest times has forced a wider conversation between many friends across the U.K. skate scene about our mental health.

What Munson said to the hundreds that attended the Seven Hills Crematorium on that Monday morning about us talking to each other about our demons hit a chord.

So maybe we can from now on not only play hard, but talk hard and listen hard. Listen to each other and realise that maybe the guy that’s always smiling might be screaming under their skin.

Men have been told to man up for too long. Our brains are as soft and delicate as any other and need cleansing with love and understanding.

I arrived at Stowmarket Town FC in driving rain and found Pete’s King Ramps 8 footer freshly painted and repelling the downpour making it very easy to sweep and only 20 minutes to dry completely once the clouds and heavy rain passed. And by 2 o’clock the session was on with Muckefuck’s Lee Blackwell, Dungeon Gateway’s Mikey Joyce and Olympic team hopeful Matt Beer for Flatspot along with a large number of Jarvis’s friends and a number of younger riders.

And once Rob ‘SkateWine’ Ayton had thrown a few shapes he made some bad jokes and chatted shit about all the riders to entertain the crowd. Although I don’t think anyone but the skaters had a clue about what he was on about!

Here’s part one of what went down. There'll be loads more through the week.

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