At one of the later Eastbourne downhill races (think it was the last one) i was tired out like a dog in the sun. Sweat leather loving in the uplift bus with all these Euro freaks and Gazillion Brazillians and Wank Yanks. I walked past this group of three kids 16-18 maybe just standing by my van really as all these zoids were funking around the car park doing skate things, swirly around the tarmac in a kind of chill out zone. I think Mike Stride had cones out, there was slalom stuff going on. In all it was a kind of breather an oxygen boost after the madness of the loud hailers and the testosterone that was flying around the race groove on top of the hill….
I had a sandwich in the van that i had bought at some shitty shop, pre packed tomato and cheese or some shit, brown bread and totally dead. I was cool, leathers off sitting on my van step yamming my zombie bread catching the soft light happiness and warm fuzz of the day. These three youth stood a few yards away watching the action going down clutching these skateboards…a Lush Spooky, some Mindless deck, i think some Landy skate as well…they had the gloves the pads and the helmets and the obligato kit one needs to skatey happy fuzz gatherer stylee. As i ate my sandwich people came over to love my food, my tobacco, rizla, my coffee my custard and cream sweeties. I saw that one of the youth (gyaldem) was grooving to my deck and set up inching forward slowly to check it and report back to the group about whatever….
I was in Mikey Happy space with the warm glow of the FuzzGod nestling in my heart…i called the group over…”Yo fondle the deck thy see before thee and bask in the glow of its happiness” i said to them. Which meant..”hey if you want to look at it get a closer look touch see feel smell” etc. Forsooth and verily they did approach and asketh questions. I’m sorry that my technological explanations about my custom trucks and wheels etc weren’t very techno…”why are your trucks so wide?” they asked….”i dunno” i mumbled ” because i like wide trucks” through mangled cheesey tomato on brown bread. They were students from Exmouth College up for a days freeride dropped off by Mom. I chatted to them as i rolled a mighty spliff (for it was decreed that one is FORBIDDEN to utilise Jah Herb for medication upon the mighty start line and ramp).
They had been here for a few hours, it was cool, they were happy seeing all this shit, yeah it was cool and gnarly and all this shit. I asked them if they had skated the hill yet?
“No”
“Why not?”
“Its a little intimidating….” The Gyaldem said. The two lads with her nodded that much that their heads nearly fell off. The three of them had paid cash money to skate the hill on the freeride grooves but hadnt actually skated. Wow. Why not waasamatterman? The noise and confusion, the leather madness, the people getting ready for heats, the soundsystem playing rubbish music, the crowds, the stoke sapping shit that goes on.
Mikey spent some time easing their little hearts into downhill mode…it’s cool make your way to the ramp, queue up get to the top of the ramp and go down it, then skate how you like down the road, get the bus back up and then repeat. Yes there are some very fast skaters who will be going down the hill with you, chill out dont worry about them, they are good enough to stay out of your way. Skate like this skate like that, enjoy the groove…..ok for me to say it but these kids had been inched out of the hill by the madness of the event. Eventually i grabbed hold of a reliant snotnose and put them under their care and verily they enjoyed the rest of the day…even the Mom came over as i was de leathering to thank me for my kind words…alas i am a Mom fan and couldn’t stop looking at her tits.
Kids….i’m riffing on my Kids Skate For Free groove. Can we have some kind of buddy system for snotnoses? Is it a rite of passage that sometimes we treat them like little fuckers that are in the way? Do we treat them like that? Is downhill skateboarding too arsey for youngbloods? Especially young kids who are a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing? Can’t we have a Kids Hour where they take over the hill for a while as older riders rub liniment on sore knees?
I dunno….
lovemachinegun 