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I didn’t worry too much about Jack getting hurt if I skated with him before a Monsterwatch show. My good friend and fellow skateboarder plays drums in the Seattle based groove-punk three piece. I didn’t worry about Jack getting hurt and missing a gig because a few years ago when Jack sustained a reasonably brutal injury working a fakie big to tail over the spine at Greenlake skatepark, Jack fractured his ankle and ended up getting a steel plate put in there and ended up off his skateboard, off his walking legs, and out from behind his drums. Many bands would be disintegrated or at least greatly slowed by such an incident--not Monsterwatch, and not Jack. After a few months of normal rehab and some time on a Rascal personal mobile device, the band started up at it again, this time with Jack relearning the drums using his left ankle to drive while his right one healed!

Time passes. People grow. Friendships morph and bands develop. It was an honor and a treat to hang out with my friends Monsterwatch on the east side and especially to skate with one of my best friends Jack.

The band is ripping along and even though Jack was on a borrowed skateboard and tight schedule, Jack was ripping too. John is literally a musical genius and Ben joining the band has rounded out the vibe and the sound of Monsterwatch as a tight bass driven power trio.

Be on the lookout for these dudes as they ascend to greater and greater things. And don’t hesitate to task Jack with the 30-Second Kickflip Challenge.  He’s got this...

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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.

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@amesburyskatepark fundraiser going down @flatbread good times for a great cause come through! Repost/share to help spread the word 👊🏼❤️🛹😎🙌🏼 (at Amesbury Flatbread Company) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0j3a09lden/?igshid=148p85g2o8wk0

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Had the raddest experience yesterday. I started skateboarding on olive st in 1985. @lapham32 was my mentor skoach best friend and basically portal to skateboarding. My mom worked as a flight attendant and didn’t have much time for little league and certainly knew nothing about putting boards together. Steve’s dad taught me how to ride a bike. Steve had a subscription to transworld and his porch was our skate clubhouse. We learned every flatground trick on olive st in the late 80s. In dec 2018 when I moved back to the area I drove down olive st in a snowstorm and saw a tree stump in front of my old house. I wanted to skate it and film a line down olive st full circle for my skate journey. I randomly saw Steve and told him about it in January. Yesterday me and @olliedodge finally went to Skate it and I was struggling. Steve happened to drive down the st and I got so juiced and did the trick and filmed the line. Steve parked and came through with two vintage sma everslicks. He showed me I had written “Hell concave” on the griptspe of one of them back in 1991 🤣 Steve hasn’t skated in years but is an amazing athlete and I will always look up to him as my first favorite skateboarder. Thanks Ollie for the photo and thanks Steve bob and jean Marie for raising me and encouraging me to skate!! Olive st. 35 years later. Who would’ve thought. I guess I would have... #continentalcrustskatevid forthcoming 🔮🛹 @collisioncurbclub @narcs_anonymous @newenglandsucks (at The Razor's Edge) https://www.instagram.com/p/Byuf72WFj7b/?igshid=1q8z7xxn9kb0c

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another cool snap from @droffilctam 🕺🛹🤓🌊

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@droffilcttam took this photo of me skateboarding at the sea wall down Joppa. Pumped on it. Thanks homie 🤙🏽🙏 @collisioncurbclub @narcs_anonymous @newenglandsucks @sickboys666 #continentalcrustskatevid (at Merrimack River) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqwjDQFmaF/?igshid=yrnq12f2sa7b

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@herbshouseinballard @collisioncurbclub 📷 @jonahscottbmx #collisioncurbclub #collisionbikeclub #65thstboys 🚲🦅🤷‍♂️😂 (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTAmbPFvdy/?igshid=u8601i1p6zmt

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So there I am minding my own business staring at my phone fucking with my instagram account like your average American when this dude hits me up and wants to know if I will sign off as technical advisor for a skate video project he’s working on for school. Sure, I agree. I can’t really understand why this dude wants me to offer any knowledge or expertise on filming and editing when there are so many other folks that are obviously way sicker at both, but what the hell, I’ll oblige. So next thing I know I get an email from this teacher who’s thanking me for helping out with the project, but all I did was drive to Quincy and do a lipslide on a curb. Anyway the end result is this here video Dumb Urban Boy by Lo Clewell. I thought at the time when Lo had hit me up that his video was for a College course, but it was actually for a high school senior project, which makes the whole thing all the more impressive. The skating and the filming are both very sick and homie filmed and edited it all around the Boston area in just under a month or so. Ironically enough Lo is about to cruise out to Seattle to continue skating and other various creative pursuits and studies at Seattle University. It’s a small world after all, but don’t worry about it ‘cause I doubt we’ll run ever out of shit to skate. Cheers! Collision Curb Club state to state international spawn

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@camstagram79 #chris #mytwodads #birthdaymagick #adc #collisioncurbclub #wehadthebesttimeatyourparty #hesathirdgradeteacher #raddads #metalheads #skateboarders #dirtbags #friends (at Maine) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx_ItOulln9/?igshid=1b6jb08i3icwk

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Rebuilding the quiver fun little Stoney sticker art project late one night thanks for the stoke @collisioncurbclub @8ballr @nhs_inc @pakmailnbpt @jackflanndraws @dunsel_fahq @crustcoach @commie.eyes (at Newburyport, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxpwpLzFx8H/?igshid=1mpxw40c5murh

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This is a photo from redroom in Santa Cruz. I drank alone there a lot. Santa Cruz was a crazy point in my life and I just couldn’t take the reigns. Today is May 15 2019 and I haven’t had any alcohol since November 15, 2018. So this is my six months everyone give me a pat on the back post. I randomly was at the dr yesterday with a bunch of bloodwork results and my heart and my blood is extremely healthy I’m told. But I do have a high MEAN cell count which is directly related to alcohol consumption and if not dealt with can deteriorate the bone marrow. That’s probably why I felt so achey all the time before I got the balls to quit drinking. I usually had about 4 pale ales a day and at my body weight my bone structure could literally not absorb all that alcohol. Not here to preach. Just sharing the mild storm I went through and thankful to know it could have been a whole lot worse. It took me almost forty years figure out I can’t move as fast as everybody else. It’s not a race. So with that I’m patting myself on the back and saying that today just like everyday is the first day of the rest of my life. Yours too. Thanks for all the love and support through the many stages and phases. One Love. Can’t wait to brag about a year with no alcohol. (at Newburyport, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxew21wlTOi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14g76fl1fk9h

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TBT NYC owls head old man bowl jam. I was 28 fuck it 📷 @michaeljourdanais @collisioncurbclub #collisionclubcuts (at Rocky's & Nicky's Pizzeria II) https://www.instagram.com/shopdeckcollisioncrew/p/BwXHohWF0pP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14y41d347nf5j

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@_samhall__ #delicatedeathmachine @collisioncurbclub link in bio #collisioncurbclub #collisionclubclips #collisionclubcuts #collisionvision #mynameitissamhallsamhall #samhalloffhthewall (at Advanced Foot and Ankle Clinic of Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/shopdeckcollisioncrew/p/BwMyciEF-55/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qxzhronsijk8

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@landofwolves206 has rad t shirts available from their record release. Check out their band camp and peep the tunes. I’m featured on a track so fuckin toot toot link in bio (at Seattle, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/shopdeckcollisioncrew/p/Bv-PkW9l_CQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vte31gl4xsse

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@troy_61 snapped some shots on last weekends excursion. Thanks homie! 🛹🤙🏽🎩 @collisioncurbclub #collisioncurbclub #hudson #photo #collisionclubcuts #skateboarding #daytrip https://www.instagram.com/shopdeckcollisioncrew/p/Bv18nDUlusB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=risey8k0a5f

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Drinking Black Coffee at the Grog at Midnight how are you? (at The Grog) https://www.instagram.com/shopdeckcollisioncrew/p/BvZU5uYFGou/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11fwmxwqgxxej

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Knowledge. Respect. Passion. Individuality. Freedom. Guts. RIP Jake Phelps. Skateboarding Forever. (at Marblehead, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/shopdeckcollisioncrew/p/BvAygWzlT0c/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xwqlbca0k9hs