FlatRailFlatGroundFlatBread
I had never actually been to a game of S-K-A-T-E before attending the Brian Eldridge Memorial Skatepark Fundraiser at Flatbread Pizza in Amesbury, MA on Wednesday August 7th, 2019. For me personally, flatground skating had honestly lost its appeal around 2001 when bowl riding started to become a more accessible thing available to east coast skaters. The advent of a hyper-media-focused-gymnastics-revue-like atmosphere, a la Street League/Dew Tour/X Games, seriously drove the nail in the coffin around 2007, when my interest in flatground skateboarding, particularly on a competitive level, became absolutely nil. (I ironically worked professionally covering skateboarding for ESPN at that time. Life’s a paradox, babe.)
However, having stated above, my general lack of interest in flatground, I must say that I have always believed and maintained that it is the burden/responsibility/joy of the aged lifer skateboarder, to at least be aware of the new trends, fashions and tricks, if not embrace them in some open-minded and progressive manner of acceptance. True, skating is all about doing your own thing in your own way, and ultimately it doesn’t matter what anyone else is up to, but when you have been immersed in an all-encompassing cultural juggernaut such as skateboarding for the entirety of your life, you can’t help but maybe take a few notes along the way. I, for one, am proud of my connection to the youth, dem, granted, you won’t likely see me doing a switch hardflip anytime soon, but kudos to the kids for keeping it going, especially when it is to raise money for a local skatepark (likely to be a tranny dog’s dream, incidentally).
So, because, for some reason I want to be a “filmer” with my iPhone 6 Plus and Skidmark gimble and fish eye, I hit up the flatbread dudes and was like, “yo, I’m hyped on this contest, I love pizza, and I want to film it. The homie Paddy was like, “cool”, Then flatbread started following me on instagram. That was that. I didn’t prepare much or reach out beyond that, and truthfully I showed up late because I took a nap and the event was postponed by thundershowers.
When I did finally groggily make my way to the Mill Yard in downtown Amesbury, I arrived to find a few friends skating a flatrail.
Flatrail. Flatground Flatbread…keep up, yo!
I am appreciative of the locals at the Amesbury skatepark in a very big way. Returning back after nearly a decade in Seattle, the Amesbury cats have embraced me and made me feel welcome back home into our little pocket of New England skateboarding, and it feels really good. Which is to say why, for the most part I didn’t do a bang up job of documenting the entirety of the actual contest (on my iPhone 6Plus), because I ended up being kind of busy just kicking it with my friends and enjoying the atmosphere.
Walter killed the event as an emcee, and at one point harkened back to a mid-90’s era contest that took place in a nearby parking lot, where a young skater got knocked over in a port-a-potty, among other various nefarious goings on. I marveled at just how far this shit has come and at the fact, that we, as adults in fund-raising support of our local skatepark, were enjoying gourmet pizza, craft beer, legal cannabis, the fine sounds of Slayer and a semi-completive skate session in the Mill Yard in Amesbury. It’s 2019, I guess.
Like I said, it was my first game of S-K-A-T-E. I truthfully have never watched a Battle of the Berrics. Whether I’m jaded, out of touch, purist or kook I just don’t know (or care). But I do know that I had a lot of fun in the baseball-game-like-atmosphere of the Mill Yard that day, just watchin’ some shredders skate some flatground for a good cause. And once Frankie Boy and the Blues Express started wailing and that flatbar came back out, I got hyped and even skated a bit myself, dusty sketchy old schralper that I am.
Much love and respect to all that make the Amesbury skate scene and skatepark what it is—a radical refuge of good vibes, a community of passionate friends and a wicked (hella) fun place to lurk, whether you want to slash a carve or practice flatground. Thanks for your support.
