|
|
|
Florida Legends Desert Tour By GBMII
Prologue After the Kona Jam and a few side trips to Florida, skating with his old homies at Kona, St Augustine, Vans, Ocala, Clearwater and Prockos ramp in the middle of nowhere, GBMII came up with a plan to get some of these people out to New Mexico. He contacted Ed Womble, Chris Baucom, and Kelly Lynn to see if they were available around Labor Day to come to New Mexico for a few days of skating nirvana. Through the Florida Skaters website (http://www.floridaskater.com/index.htm ) the jam gained a life of its’ own and it quickly grew into the most anticipated event since Kona. On 30 August 2002, 13 East Coast Legend Skaters convened in Albuquerque for four days of ripping and reminiscing. The following is an account of the event, names have not been changed and no one is innocent. I think everyone walked away from this jam with their eyes opened and a smile on their face. The event started a little early as Chris West took a break from his touring schedule and dropped in to Albuquerque on the Sunday prior to the event. His help was greatly appreciated as he and event coordinator GBMII prepped for thirteen old men experiencing their third or fourth childhood. GBMII and Chris made sure reservations were valid, t-shirts were made, and the coping was warmed up at all the spots. The Cast of PlayersReggie Barnes – Age 41 - Owner of East Coast Skateboard Supply, legend in freestyle, banks, bowls and street. Former Walker Pro and tremendous humanitarian. Chris Baucom – Age 38 -The Rude Boy set the ‘80s standard for East Coast technical ripping as well as off court antics. Former Powell and Walker pro, Chris still lives in Gainesville with wife Rude Girl Kelly (she’s not really rude) and two great kids.
Brad Baxter – Age 34 - Bridged the gap between parks and ramps, and continues to rip on both. Lake Skates Pro that still has models showing up on E-bay. Currently living a tough life on the road building killer indoor skateparks.
Esha Chiocchio – Age 27 - Freelance photographer and daughter of Sensation Basin Skatepark owner Phil. Esha holds the distinction of being the coolest female on the planet. Chuck Dinkins – Age 36 -Walkers first Street Skater, signed unseen by Bruce. It turned out to be a pretty good move as Chuck ripped for years under the Walker name. Now is the Artist Relations Manager at House of Blues in O-town
Alan Gelfand – Age 40 - Holds the distinction of having sold the highest priced signature model of any of the Florida legends (so far) at $4K. Early innovator and current ambassador for the sport, Alan runs VW Depot in Hollywood, FL and is itching to get back into the industry. Chris Homan – Age 37 - Sensation Basin Local that had to put up with the antics of Womble, Mason, Baucom and McClellan at their pompous worst. Now shreds central Florida out of Tampa. Kelly Lynn – Age 38 - The stylie little kid that won everything he entered grew (way) up into Mr. Smooth. Former Santa Cruz, Markel and G&S pro, hasn’t used a Clyde Slide since his twenties.
Bruce Mason – Age 40 - Another Basin local, Bruce was sponsored by Womble and McClellan distribution. Continues to stay true to the old school, riding the best approximation of an ‘80s stick with a stub nose concave and vintage gullwing trucks.
George McClellan – Age 42-Albuquerque transplant and event host. Former Clearwater local with strong ties to the Basin and Rainbow Wave. Former pro for Kryptonics and Gullwing. GBMII has to face the difficult choice of which killer terrain in Albuquerque to skate every time he puts on the pads. (Pools, Parks, Ditches or Downhill???) Donny Myhre – Age 37 - Basin local who watched Baucom, Womble and McClellan become competitive forces and went on to surpass all of them. His Zorlac model was a big seller and can still be found on e-bay. Paul Schmitt – Age 40 - If Paul isn’t the Godfather of Skateboarding; he’s at least a Don. Tremendous leader and innovator started it all with a couple of pairs of PTFE rails. The guy stays as stoked as a 9 year-old the day before Christmas ALL THE TIME. Chris West – Age 43- Down-south local. Sims East Team charter member and former Turning Point Ramp curator. Strong, solid and stylish ripper who left our sport, and lives, for a long time. It’s great to have him back on the scene.
Ed Womble – Age 42 -The irrepressible Schwom. Basin local with huge, stylish moves any place with big walls. Truly “the man” in Hogtown from ’78 to ‘82. Married in NC with two charming daughters. Thursday evening On Thursday GBMII and Chris realized that all was ready and decided to take a break from event prep/planning. GBMII blew off work that afternoon linked up with Chris West and Ryan from Anomaly Skate Shop and cruised the local Albuquerque pools (to be visited during Desert Tour II). After checking out an astounding number of dry basins, GBMII and Chris headed off to happy hour to meet the charming New Mexico hurricanes Aja and Alisha Gonzales. At 21 and 24 these stunning beauties reminded the boys of how out of practice they were, but somehow they rose to the occasion. Chris nearly facilitated us leaving the first bar we chose in handcuffs, (long story, ask him someday). Margaritas were the poison of the day as the night disintegrated into a blur of body shots, hour-long pool games, underwear checks and huge jealous boyfriends. Somehow our boys made it out alive, and made it home in time to shit shower and shave before the next day started. Sleep? It’s over rated! If this is how the event is gonna run, we’re in for a rough ride! Friday, Day One. It’s on. 03:00 Phone starts ringing at as east coast boys start their journeys 09:30 Pick up the 15-passenger van and appropriately customize it with stickers. Load cooler with water/Gatorade and load the CD changer with ‘80s punk/new wave/ska mixes. 10:30 Flight 555 hits the deck. Baucom is happy to be off the plane, seeks out the pilot to personally thank him for not getting them all killed. AG is looking trim and happy, with Sharon at his side he looks like a rock star (if he only had big hair). Chuck Dinkins was incognito sitting back like a cat, watching it all unfold. Kelly Lynn and Donny Myhre had grins so big their faces were about to crack. Bruce Mason was so stoked he was almost buzzing (at least I think it’s stoke that has him buzzed). Chris West led the first crew to the hotel and Skatepark. GBMII was very nervous as he reluctantly handed the keys to the rental van over to a sleep-deprived, amped-up Baucom.
11:20 Schmitt hits the deck. With an hour to kill before Homan and Reggie Barnes flight arrive, GBMII and Schmitt talk business and world domination over espresso and biscotti. 12:00 Womble arrives, heads off to rehydrate and admire the tattooed patrons at the Airport Bar. Our lovely photog, Esha Chiocchio joins us and the hunt for Reggie and Homan is on. 12:30 All bodies have been found, luggage located and we are parking lot bound. West has returned with Ollie, Sharon and the van to welcome the late arrivals. Guesthouse Suites is unprepared for the onslaught of 40 year-olds acting like kids again…. At the ParkThe group
split up as some wanted to eat and some wanted to skate.
Fortunately there is a biker/sports/pool bar right across the street from
the park that serves up great burgers and “killer” burritos.
The crew is blown away by the Los Altos skatepark.
The weather was perfect, 80 degrees with muted sunshine.
GBMII smiles as he knows this is only the beginning re-establishing of
what people thought was fun skate terrain.
After the first mini-session the skaters started getting their sticks
dialed in, 97A to 101A hardness seems to be the wheel of choice, although West
was riding on 78A cored Kryptos in full stealth mode, you couldn’t hear him
coming. Los Altos Skatepark is
35,000 square feet of pure fun! Gelfand started getting off on the carve potential in the pools and rest of the park (it’s a hoot to see this guy carve!) Womble and Homan were taking a page out of the Zorlac playbook and were skating tough. Go Home? Not a chance bud! Part-time New Mexican Brad Baxter was ripping lines that only locals know. Baucom was blowing minds with an arsenal of old-school tricks that had 30 groms gathered on the deck of the combi-pool hooting and trying to figure out what just happened. Chuck Dinkins, Donny Myhre (freshly back from the emergency room with a clean bill of health), Kelly Lynn and Reggie Barnes were throwing down like locals in the capsule/combi area with hip airs, 5-0s and sick slides. McClellan and West were carving up the corners of the combi-pool and generally being a menace to all coping. Bruce Mason was in Sensation Basin form flowing layback grinders from 20 plus years ago, (even his gear was original, a stub nose single concave with Gullwing trucks!). And Papa Schmitt was showing the experience of living the life of a skateboarder; the guy can rip in ANY environment. Santa Fe resident Esha Chiocchio who signed on as event photographer started to understand the magnitude of the program and wondered if she should pack up and run…. (Thankfully she didn’t) The locals were also at it, ripping the park. The Ryan and Ryan show was in full effect, Kaylee Tejeda, Dunphy, Security Mike, Abe Towery and a bunch of hard-core rippers were doing incredible shit with no regard for life and limbs. (The lack safety gear in this park is a bit concerning, but it did not slow down the absolute shredding) After the session the locals welcomed the crew with open arms, (and beer coolers) setting the stage for more ripping. New friends were made and old friends re-united. It is amazing how tight the community of skateboarding really is. After a chow session at the local Applebee’s it was off to bed with dreams of new terrain. The session was not without it’s casualties. Ed Womble found a hip at the wrong time and ended up with a fractured foot, putting him down for the weekend. (Sorry Kim, we didn’t mean to break him). Donny Myhre spent a few hours in the emergency room only to hear the words we all pray for “it’s not broken”. (Sorry Jess). Event host GBMII took a nasty dive to the bottom after hanging up on the coping on a lipslide re-entry, leaving him with cracked ribs and a separated shoulder. While this didn’t keep him from skating, it certainly made him grouchier…. Saturday, Day TwoDay two started far too early, but for a good reason. The Skatepark at Calvary Church opens at 8:00 AM and packs out quickly. Also we needed to beat the heat and session before the sun rose high above the Sandia Mountains. The plan paid off as the crew shredded alone for over two hours. Calvary is a free park that is well designed and flawlessly executed. Words like “best-ever” and “incredible” were heard frequently. Today was the day the crew wore their Skate Legends Desert Tour shirts, which made them look like either a church group visiting Disney World or a curious splinter group of the Hells Angels. Lines were put together at the park that had never been thought of, and coping and concrete explored in many unique and different ways. Kelly Lynn and Paul Schmitt were carving around at mach speed until Paul slammed, taking an early exit after a re-entry/rebate collision. It looked like Baucom was back at the Basin, on one run he reeled off 21 consecutive different lip tricks, many of which hadn’t been seen since the “Rude Boy” years, and never on this side of the Mississippi. Ed “Clubfoot” Womble was reduced filming and commentating and made the best of the lousy hand he was dealt. West and Myhre were flying around, West was benefiting from hitting the park a few times before. Mason was throwing stylish carves that made the locals comment on why he had his hands behind his back (does it make him go faster?) But on this day Chuck Dinkins owned the park, linking old and new school throwing slides and hip ollies along with street moves, thrusters, and sweet Madonnas. The session wound down and we headed to Wild Oats for a health food lunch. Everybody was staying hydrated and loaded up with sunscreen. The crew took a short break in anticipation of the afternoon activities (Bear and Indian School ditches). The Bear Flood Control ditch (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/moebius/) is named after the canyon it takes the water from, but it could also describe the ferocity of the terrain. It is GNARLY! 40-foot walls, 30-foot flatbottom, burly transitions, and sandpaper finish, all on a 20 percent grade! On 22 Sept a sanctioned (http://www.ncdsa.com/) downhill race will be held here. The Timeship Racing team (http://www.timeshipracing.com/) and some locals were all out practicing when we showed up and were getting their quivers dialed in for the competition. 40/50+ inch sticks and giant soft wheels are the only way to survive at Bear. Pool/park boards weren’t especially effective here but Gelfand (yes – Gelfand!), Reggie Barnes and Chris West were killing it. Only a few of the crew was even interested in running the real course, but Gelfand and Barnes ran it in a respectable 21.3 seconds (on their park boards!). Joe Lehm and the boys from Timeship dominate this place having paid the price in blood, sweat and tears. Next stop was the legendary Indian School ditches. (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/moebius/) Over two downhill miles (at least, it depends how long you want to make it) of classic smooth transitioned, fine finished ditch that just begs to be skated. With local ditch guru and overall swell guy Kaylee as our guide and Ed “Moosehead” Womble as our shuttle driver we took off on multiple bomber runs down the ditch. Mason and Schmitt were the first casualties, unless you count a disintegrating baseplate that Kelly suffered on the last turn of his first run. After a few runs the boys started getting bolder and speeds started increasing, and then a subtle change in the weather helped everyone define just how much cojones they really had. The wind shifted from uphill to downhill and suddenly speed increased by a good 10+ mph. Those who didn’t know found out that the difference between 30 and 40 mph is pretty significant. Those who did know the difference relished it. Brad Baxter had rejoined the group and along with Kaylee and Ryan blew down the ditch at incredible speeds on their custom ditch boards. Gelfand and Barnes were actually staying with these maniacs until they realized that 40 mph on a pool board in a ditch just isn’t right. Unable to stop or even check their speed the two legends piled it in at the top of one of the walls, leaving flesh, pads, and clothing streaked on the walls. And then they got up to shoot it again! They were giggling like a couple of schoolgirls showing off their battle scars at the top of the run. After a photo session and a raid of Wombles’ painkillers, we headed back to the motel to clean up for a fine dining experience at Scalo downtown to celebrate the event and GBMIIs birthday. Seating sixteen skaters in a restaurant has always been a risky proposition, but this meal went smooth, maybe they kept it under control because GBMIIs 15 year old daughter was along. No food fights and only a small amount of shit was given to the wait staff. Fine wine/imported beer and excellent entrees have replaced pizza and pitchers, but the conversation remains the same, even 20 years later. We talked about the days sessions and sessions past, who is where and doing what. An informal count showed 379 years of skating experience at the table. An incredible wealth of wisdom and stoke. Sergeant McClellan presided over the festivities and led the crew in a round of “name that skater”. As the dinner faded into double espressos, shots of sambuca and snifters of cognac the team disbanded and headed back to their suites. The ever-magnanimous Paul “Rolex” Schmitt picked up the huge tab for dinner (Thanks again Paul!). Paul is my hero; our sport has truly been blessed with his leadership and generosity. The guy is living the dream, paid for through years of hard work and believing in his plan. There isn’t a soul on earth that can begrudge Paul any of’ his success, he’s earned it. Somehow Baxter, Dinkins and West got lost on the way back to the hotel and ended up sampling some of the local “flavor” till the wee hours of the morning. I’m sure they relished the extra couple of hours of sleep we were taking on Sunday to recuperate. Sunday, Day 3 Sunday morning dawned a little later as the crew slept in and licked their wounds. Injuries and family obligations sent Womble and Schmitt home early Sunday, leaving behind a tired but stoked crew. A short morning session at Los Altos preceded a feast at the legendary Los Cuates restaurant (excellent choice by local Brad Baxter). GBMII and Sharon were seen taking the edge off with a few signature margaritas (Coconut? don’t knock it till you’ve tried it). Most weren’t initiated to the size of portions served up at these restaurants, and were served up with WAY more food than they wanted/needed. Mason ended up with a plate of nachos the size of a Thanksgiving turkey, ate on them for an hour and still didn’t even make a dent. Baucom learned how to say “huevos rancheros” and Gelfand ate almost a quarter of his quesedilla (too many calories!). After a wonderful dessert of natillas and sopapillas, we rolled our stuffed carcasses back to Los Altos for a mellow afternoon session. Everyone was loosening up and taking things light because we all knew what was next, the pool session! What jam would be complete without an outlaw pool session? The locals let us into the inner sanctum and turned us on to a huge classic left-hand “L”-shaped pool, 12+ deep with a solid 5 feet of vert, and a giant, open shallow end topped with standard public pool drainage channel under the coping. Rumor has it that the pool is a bust, but the skate gods smiled on us, and security stayed away for our moment of glory. There is nothing like hanging with the crew in the shallow end of a pool as a killer session is going down. The pool was truly sick, just to give you some sort of reference on how sick, it took Kelly “Mr. Smooth” Lynn over 5 tries just to get to the tile. Baucom tossed his board in disgust as the pool had its’ way with his tired and broken body, and West and Dinkins decided that maybe carving would be more fun than grinding. Five plus feet of vert will humble your ass, son. That is, everyone but Baxter and Reggie. Baxter ripped corner carves, airs and generally ruled. Reggie had a dozen lines wired and was living on the tile as the rest of the crew just tried to stay on. Some of Baxter’s shredding can be attributed to having legs ten years younger than the rest of us, but 41 year-old Reggie is unexplainable, he’s just a fucking mutant! It is not humanly possible to rip everywhere as hard as he does. The session died down before anyone got injured or before we kicked Baxter’s butt for making us all look like pansies. We picked up souvenir tiles, took a bunch of photos and video and left with the buzz that only a pool session with your bro’s can provide. The weak knees and pool dust on our pads and butt will be gone long before the memories of this epic session fade. (Watch for it on video!!) As we pulled out we passed the security guards coming to bust the unfortunate soul left behind who had just put on his pad and started to ride. Sunday night was a trip down memory lane as we viewed classic old school (or just really old) video compiled by Kelly Lynn. The Basin, Clearwater, Skateboard City, Tomoka, and numerous ramps and pools were represented. Baxter brought out some Lake Skates history and flowed some vintage stickers to all. GBMII dug into the archive and pulled out some old/new Rodney footage (Rodney joins Reggie in the mutant or alien club) and a mint (never mounted) Rude Boy IV deck that would bring a small fortune on Ebay (killer graphics Bruce!). The evening ended well past midnight with Baxter and West holding court on the back porch discussing skated park design and construction. Four things struck me as ironic that night; 1) instead of skate magazines we passed around laptops supported by wireless broadband connections, 2) the harshest smoke came from Marlboro Lights, Cloves and Cuban cigars and not from Gainesville Green, 3) there was beer in my fridge the next morning, and 4) everybody had a designated driver. It looks like everyone plans skating for another 25 years. Monday, Day 4 Monday dawned with another early (8:00 AM) Session at Calvary Skate Park. The group was two smaller as Gelfand and Reggie headed off to California for some R&R (ramp riding) and the ASR Trade Show. Everyone was pretty cooked but stuck it out for one more session. The park was empty and the weather was choice. The clouds and early time made it a perfect set up for a major session. Kelly Lynn, Donny Myhre and Bruce Mason were ripping from the onset. Kelly was one of the few who remained healthy through the event although a close encounter with the spine coping almost rearranged his face this morning. Brad Baxter joined the crew this morning, (even though he’s not a morning person) and he and Chuck continued to blaze and establish new lines all over the park. Chris “The Energizer Bunny” Baucom finally ran out of gas and pulled off his pads after falling on a F/S Rock-n-Roll. Chris Homan and Chris West were the only two remaining truly healthy bodies and took advantage of the empty park as the numbers of burnt or injured legends grew. Once every trick imaginable was made, the session turned into a hip-air/Ollie showcase that had Brad, Donny, Chuck, Kelly, Chris and Bruce flying all over the place. Around 11:00 the crew called the session and headed over to Whataburger for some deep-fried lard balls, smothered in grease. After lunch we headed over to Casa GBMII for a final video session, hot tub, and awards ceremony. KL Video, Inc donated commemorative plaques. (Killer artwork by Kelly Lynn). After a “brief” hunt for Donny’s’ keys we headed off to the airport to officially close out the event. Session AwardsRuler of the Pool – Brad Baxter Peoples Choice – Reggie Barnes (Ripped Everywhere!) GQ Award – Chris Homan (pressed jeans and cool shades) Dirk Diggler Award – Chris West (Porn Star/Director/Talent Agent) Old School Trick Award – Chuck Dinkins (Madonna at Calvary) Bonehead Award – George McClellan (got hurt on the first day) Best Slam Award – Ed Womble (fractured 5th metatarsal) Skate Geezer Award – Chris Baucom (32 years on the stick) Taperkick Award – George McClellan (Thanks to some French collector) Bullshit Award – Chris West Long Distance Award – Bruce Mason |
|
|
