When We Was Rad: Skateboard History from UK Vintage Magazine

Metal ramps were never my favourite thing, although I was over-enthusiastic about metal surface on wood construction at one point. This was at a time when local authorities were just starting to take a vague interest in providing facilities. Things have come on a long way since then. I’m still amazed and delighted when I see ramps and parks popping up all over the place. Many of them are as useless as ever, while others seem great, but it’s the number of the things which amazes me.

OK. Step up to the challenge: what’s interesting about this page of adverts? For me: Bod Boyle skating the big ramp at Hastings makes the Backyard advert stand out. He doesn’t look too happy in this shot. As for the rest: MyCycles plugged away at it with an advert which looks like a faxed layout to me (no idea whether that was intentional or just the advertising production team playing tough) while Hot Shot and Skate Attack list brand names and stick to their bike and roller-skate roots.

On we go with more strange but true Madrid skateboard facts from the pen of Mike John.

S.B.T. Fact 5

Street-style wasn’t a ridiculous collection of jump ramps, death walls and other nightmares — it was worse! The ‘course’ was just the four-sided fun-box thing and nothing else. Yup: no-thing else. Christian Welsh and co did their best to put the object together, but only after they had finished did they realise that they had been following the instructions for an MFI cabinet. Everybody Ollied, flipped, slid etc. In the end all that mattered or impressed were Fowlie winning with an Ollie to 50/50 down the handrail, Waage big smelly Fish into second and Skousen frontside Railslide to third. Oh, and some hombre did the sweet nutcracker on the rail.

S.B.T. Fact 6

Go-Go won the skate photographers ‘Best-looking freestylers award’ beating Shane Rouse by a hair’s breadth.

All tried to do their perfected runs to their sound-tracks but most ended up doing the sand dance on the dry and dusty slippy surface.

S.B.T. Fact 7

I could go on for ever about the ramp, how it was built, how everybody ripped but still had a good time — but I won’t.

The ramp was huge and perfect (see photos). Almost all the top European skaters were there (see comp reports over the past few months for basic tricks). There was lots of new and good stuff like Danzie’s Stale-to- tail, Douglas’ long 50/50 off the extension and Bod’s Lipslide up it, Tietzer’s forehead scraping Fakie Footplant Thrusters and biggest crowd pleaser of all, Florian’s back to back McTwists.

The top three could have come in any order and nobody could have said they were ripped. In the end Bod’s multi-trick gob-smacking runs, using all of the ramp, won over Nicky’s high speed runs, whipping round the ramp like a Tasmanian devil and kicking out 8 foot high Japan airs. Florian brought home third with Fast-plants off the extension and consistent Twists.

So, those of you still reading, that’s about the size of it: all in all, a relaxed fun comp with old friends, new friends and no pressure. I reckon Europe needs loose comps like this, as well as the big US pro-baiting slick comps like Munster, if only to keep a balance.

“And you get a free trip, you cheeky sod” added the reader. ”YOU’RE FIRED”

CAPTIONS: Mr Boyle used the full width of this big ramp for fast high lines
Bod, Payne and the big baby nearing completion
(below) ‘And here’s one we prepared earlier…’ — and the crew

There’s an interesting insight into Tim Payne’s ramp building techniques on this page: build it in sections on the ground so that you can have several teams working at the same time without the need for ladders. This was at a time when ideas like that were not common knowledge. Only a few years earlier none of us had any idea what the Americans were on about when they talked about using ‘Masonite’ to cover (indoor) ramps. Finally someone came back with the news, “Masonite is hardboard”. It always reminded me of the line “Soylent Green is people” from the end of the science fiction film.
Caption: Think of your own Steve Douglas caption.
The photographs of the ramp building are by Nick Ajose, not Mike John

These were the early days of street competitions and the course left much to be desired…

Strange But True Fact 1

The competition was held in the skatepark of Madrid, but no part of the park was used: the concrete was shined and ramps built instead.

Yes, the big pool was a bit too big and gnarly, with a couple of rough spots and no coping, just a shin-bashing sharp edge. The half pipe and tight bowl were ignored as they were too odd to get used to quickly and the amount of people in the reservoir turned it into a big mini ramp, with each person getting a 3 foot wide section to skate in.

S.B.T. Fact 2

Tim Payne, master ramp builder, was flown all the way from the USA 5 days before the contest, but the last of the wood only arrived the day before the start. There goes official practice day. I’ve never been to a ramp contest before where I had to help build the ramp: it was like going to a party and finding not only did I have to bring a bottle but also move the furniture and set up the sound system.
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“Not another boring European Competion report” says the fictional reader in the opening of this article on the Madrid skateboard content. We suspected that we were keener on the rest of Europe than most of our readers, and sometimes it showed.

EL TORRO GRANDE

by Jamon Bocadillos “Oh, no”snarled the reader as he/she flicked over the page, “Not another boring European Competition report!” His/her once cheerful facial expression changed to one of someone who had just found doggie-doo splashed all over their board after a night-time street session. But wait, oh faithful reader, before rushing on to the next article: give me a break, eh? I’m just trying to make a living off of skating, so in a shameless attempt to keep your interest and my job, I’ll give you the write up YOU want. Truth or lies, crail or crap… you choose!

First up what do I do next?

• Get a clue
• Get a proper job
• Get on with it

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Jamon Bocadillos = Mad Mike John, who is still working as a skate photographer to this day. Guerrero = fast, second. Bod = humongous Indy, second.

What better advert could you run at the end of the Irish story? Lance Mountain, looking like one of the nicest people in skateboarding. A moment of calm…

The Ireland article draws to a close with a Bloblands-type hump in Derry and a Wendy House in a ramp.

With its maniac skaters, novel spots and macabre sights, Dublin, and the Isle as a whole, gave the impression that anyone failing to have a good time here would probably be the sort who wouldn’t come here in the first place. And if they did they’d probably ruin it. So don’t go to Ireland, stay for a while — if you get my drift.

CAPTIONS:
Wurzel. Nightime Dublin streets
Another use for a ramp. Home sweet (Wendy) home. But living under ramps for real is not unheard of.
The Derry hump — it’ll dry

Gavin’s fond conclusion to the Northern Ireland section of this story also includes the advice that golf is “the nearest thing to skateboarding, and don’t let them tell you otherwise”.

‘Troubles’ was the after-dark topic. John Coffey’s troubles were ones of the soul: he’d thrown out all his copies of Thrasher with his scrap- books, binned them in disillusionment at passed dreams. Davie spouted he was going to take up golf “It’s the nearest thing to skateboarding, and don’t let them tell you otherwise!” was his cry. Steve spewed poetry from beneath a Kylie shirt and Glen entered into one matey on The, (yer actual) Troubles,.

The words flowed through a non-sectarian crowd (for skating and friendships here are not tinged by forefather’s religious squabbles). And the verdict? Carrying a gun should be compulsory and everyone might as well shoot who the hell they like.

They say that humour is a defence mechanism. If this is true, none of the bombs or bullets the bigots fire at each other will ever hit this lot. The sad truth is there is no solution to the Northern Ireland problem, however green or however clued-in you are. Simple solutions reek of sick insults. Yet if you’re looking for answers, the seeds have to be found in people like the Ulster skaters, who rage, laugh and ignore — despite and because of the shit the history has landed them in.

Don’t get me wrong: Northern Ireland is a rad place. It’s far less intimidating than London to the outsider: it just takes a lot of getting used to, like all places. It’s also embarrassingly friendly to a Camden cynic, and when the rain stops you’re on to a winner.
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