My Default Blog
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Hey everyone, We just got back from the Parks Board meeting regarding China Creek. Both sides presented arguments for and against for about 3 hours. (Howard Redekopp, Jeff Chan, Calen Sinclaire, Derek DeLand, Doug Donut, Dan Cummer, Jay Pay, a couple of neighbours in favour, including Cate Atkinson, and me, Kim Glennie, spoke to save the bowls, several neighbours spoke against keeping them.) Mark Vuillamy recommended preserving China Creek, Michel DesRochers did not speak out against them, just presented options 1 and 3. I'll cut to the chase with the good news - the commissioners present are recommending Option 1 - that is keeping the skatepark! Korina Houghton, Loretta Woodcock and Spencer Herbert were all in favour of keeping the bowls. It will go to vote in the beginning of next year, no other commissioners were present, but Al DeGenova has already voiced his support, so that means we have a majority! At the end, and to summarize, the commissioners commended the VSPC on their positive action and organization, while recognizing that some of the concerns residents have are real and need to be addressed. The Parks Board did not agree that removing the bowls would keep the 'bad' element out of the park; in fact they thought the opposite was true. The Parks Board felt that all wooden ramps need to be removed, as well as possibly the rail, to limit noise issues, and to also make the park look cleaner. Korina Houghton also acknowledged the historic value of the bowls, she really seemed in favour of some sort of plaque, Loretta Woodcock said we all seem like a great community with lots of history, and Spencer Herbert said the skatepark was far more likely to scare away negative activity than attract it. Also, the commissioners suggested we all need to work together - that is - meet with residents sometime in future - and cooperate on how this can work for everyone. I suggested doing skateboard mentorship or lessons, through a shop or community centre, and after the meeting, I spoke with several of the complainants, offered my email address, and said I would bring up their concerns and possible solutions at the meeting tomorrow. The Parks Board MAY organize a meeting so we can all get together sometime also. The woman I spoke longest to, Barb, was the Cedar House community policing rep, and really wanted the skatepark gone. I tried to make some suggestions, and she seemed amenable to some of them. They also would like to be invited to the next event, which would be a great way of helping them be less intimidated by us skaters. Anyhow, they are open to discussion with us, in varying degrees, because, really - we all want the same thing - a great park for everyone. With an amazing skate facility as well! So thanks to everyone who took the time to write an email, come out to the event, show up for any or all of the meetings - it seems like our hard work has paid off. See ya tomorrow at the meeting, Kim and Derek ff87kim@vfs.com www.downspace.com www.theformlab.com
Monday, November 20, 2006
There will be a special screening of HARVEY SPANNOS - a film by Corey Adams. Wednesday Nov. 22 at the Royal Unicorn Cabaret - 147 E. Pender St. in Vancouver. Admission by donation, with proceeds going to the Lee Matasi Memorial Skatepark Project. Doors at 9:00 pm. Screening at 10:00 pm. Dance party post screening.
This great film is a must see, please forward this information to any interested parties.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
This article was written by Jeff Chan for beyondrobson.com - so show up Saturday and support China Creek, skate, see a demo, have some hot chocolate. It will be fun.
China Creek Appreciation Day!
Vancouver's rich skateboard history would not be the same without China Creek. Built in 1979, it's the oldest skatepark in Vancouver, the second-oldest in Canada, and one of the few North American concrete skateparks from the 1970s that's still in existence. And now it may be in danger. A few concerned locals, among them the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition, have been doing what they can to drum up support and have successfully gained some attention through articles in The Courier, The Province, 24 Hours, and Metro; radio interviews with CBC and CKNW; and, to date, two meetings with Vancouver Parks Board officials. The response has been encouraging, but we're not in the clear yet, so the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition and the Neighbours in Support of the Skatepark are going to host a China Creek Appreciation Day to highlight the positive energy associated with this historic place.
China Creek Appreciation Day will take place on Saturday, November 18th from 1-4pm at China Creek Skatepark. Rain or shine. There'll be a skate jam, a prize giveaway at 2:00, and tents serving coffee and hot chocolate... to accommodate us on the ever-so-slight chance that it rains.
VSPC/China Creek meeting @ antisocial this Wed nite @ 7pm
There's a Skateboard Coalition Meeting, Wed Nov 1 at Antisocial - 7 pm. 1) China Creek - washrooms and stewardship group 2) website update - what's happening including what the new domain name should be? Bring your ideas. 3) logo update - what's happening with that 4) Topics that Michelle and Jeff will communicate before the meeting that I don't have here.. 5) ? your topic goes here - suggest something and get back to Lee Ann( secretary@vspc.ca) with anything that is important that you want to discuss. come out!! seeya, misskim
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Hi all,
The Parks Board seems intent on tearing down China Creek skatepark. It's a pretty old, some say historic park, but the main thing is, they shouldn't be getting rid of skateparks, they should be building more, or improving the ones we have. For info on what's up, check this out:
For Jeff chan's article on beyondrobson.com, check here:
But, it's not over yet - it's a public process, and there are options for us. Michel did say that the elected Parks Board members do not always follow the staffs' recommendations, so we can lobby the individual PB members directly. Their contact info is on the Park's Board website... maybe this could be our next step, something we could do as a united effort by the VSPC and the skate community. Here's the link to the Park's Board commissioners info: http://vancouver.ca/parks/board/commissioners.htmAl DeGenova has always been on side for skateboarding... he'd be good to approach about this. One other thing to consider is that we can delay the whole process from being completed... if we insist on not having any 'interruption of service' (which according to the woman Parks Board staffer, I forget her name, is what they usually do) - meaning they CAN'T tear down the park until they find another location and build a park there... so if they were planning on tearing down the park in spring, too bad, they would have to get a new location approved first and build something there before they could touch China Creek. If we're considering lobbying the elected Parks Board members, Derek and I still have all the old China Creek petitions that we collected names on - about 600 names in total... and we can start another round of petitions, and get letters from people (local politicians, business owners, skaters, pros... etc... ), present these to each individual PB commissioner, get the media out, etc. Another thing, about the washrooms that they can't afford to build... didn't the Parks Board just build a million dollar washroom and expensive restaurant at Kits Beach like last year? Why is there money for buildings like that in a park but no money for washrooms in East Van? Anyhow, we have options, it's not over yet - so let's not be too discouraged, and let's start planning the next step - Check the antisocial site for the next Skate Coalition meeting...
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Last Chance to Vote: China Creek Skatepark meeting Oct. 11th 7:00 pm 800 East Broadway
Seems like this is the final meeting for the China Creek upgrades, so let's all try to make it out and vote. Tell your friends, etc... I just checked out the Parks Board site, and there are 2 options to vote on, as far as how they will deal with the upgrades: One is to keep the skatepark, and put a playground to the west of it, divided by some trees and landscaping. The other option is to remove the current skatepark and replace it a playground, and build what seems to be a much smaller park to the west of that. Here is the link showing the 2 options the Parks Board has offered: http://vancouver.ca/parks/info/planning/chinacreeksouth/whatnext.htmHope lots of skaters turn out for the vote!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Skate Spot (published monthly in the Nerve Magazine) (thenervemagazine.com)
Shreditorial: Fall Out
Protest the Hippie
The motley skate crue at Protest Skateboards are premiering their new video “Never Give Up” on Friday November 17 at 9:30 pm at Coastal Riders in Surrey BC ( 10310 152nd Street, off Hwy #1). There’ll be a Vancouver premiere as well, location TBA, check calstreets.com for updates. Like a modern-day A-Team run by Murdock, Protest is the brainchild of friendly sasquatch Hippie Mike Faux. Catch the stylish stylishness of Jeff Cole, charisma of Jon “J. Lee” Irvine, mathematical precision of Cisco Gooding, feminine wiles of Carrie Williams and the mystery of Brad Danyluk. Highlights include a great many tricks featuring skateboards, plus Hippie busting out his custom 2x4 deck for some kickflip roof gaps and a 10-stair early grab. Video runs a half hour and comes with a bonus tour DVD. Buy it and protest everything.
Share the Rad
Jeff Cole organized Douglas Park Community Centre’s “Share the Wealth” Skate Jam and Protest demo for all the groms. All Nerve readers must buy something from each sponsor tomorrow: Protest, RVCA, Momentum, Boardroom, Vestal, Pacific Boarder, Thriller, and especially Downspace. Otherwise you’ll have bad luck for seven years.
VanCity Downtown Plaza
Underworld hosted the End of Summer Skate Jam to end summer with a bang, hand out prizes and commiserate over the start of rainy season. As usual, Underworld put on a good event to support the skate community. The comp went down at Van’s Downtown Plaza, which is currently only a temporary park. The Vancouver Skatepark Coalition is lobbying the City to make this park permanent, but needs help from skaters. To make this a reality, there has to be less garbage at the site, as far as the City ‘s concerned. It’s something to keep in mind – since we all need more parks and spots, not less. So remember to throw out your crap so we can all enjoy the plaza for a long time to come.
Almost Secret
If you bought the Almost “Cheese and Crackers” DVD, you’re in luck. Jay at Westbeach tells us there are 2 hidden bonuses. Go to the Main Menu, to the upper left icon and press left left up. Alternately, go to the lower right icon and press right right down. You may be rewarded with big wood and some fat blunts. It’s like Super Mario. If it doesn’t work, blame Jay.
This and That
"Thatmagazine", which has been floating around in small format for about 3 years, has grown – into a full-sized skateshop, that is. Drop by 12 E.Cordova St in Gastown, Vancouver and check out various local brands such as Vancity Skateboards, Lowsea Loc Skimboards, Thatmagazine, Powdered Donut Bearings, and Strike Three Clothing . The opening is set for November 1st, Release party coming up too. If you’re cold and lonely, Dan Cummer’s got new Maniac shirts and hoodies and Jay Pay ‘s on Co-Op radio 102.7fm.
Calgary
If you’re in Calgary you might check out the Group Seven shop’s hardwood miniramp. They’re at 2115 4th Street or call ‘em at 403.229.3117. We forgot to mention last month that D-Rock won Slam City, specifically the high score on Ms. Pac-Man, and won a shirt from a little company called Big Swell who you should support cuz they’re nice.
Rainful Wet Tour
Daewon, Marc Johnson, McCrank, Danny Garcia, Brandon Biebel, Jeron Wilson, Mike Taylor, and Van Wastell were in town on the Matix Grateful Shred tour, for a demo at the Plaza, but were rained out. They still showed up for a signing at antisocial, along with a bunch of groms. Rain sucks.
Eastside
Zoo York's AM Getting Paid went down Sept. 22nd to 24th 2006 at South Parc skatepark in Montreal . In it’s third year, the event’s a 3-day Am comp put on by Zoo York and Underworld skate shop. Dan Cordeiro and Dan Vezina were behind the street course design (Vez was the brains behind the Tazmahal park in Montreal in the 90s). Check the site for more details: www.south-parc.com. Also coming up is the premierefor Underworld’s latest video, check dates across Canada at: http://yesterdaysfuturevideo.com
Now that monsoon season is about to hit, it’s good to do a little research on your local indoor skatespots. This month we want to mention Adrift Skateshop in Toronto, run by ex-VanCity’s very own Lyndsey Westfall. The shop is at 751 Queen St. West, and is home to some small skate obstacles, lots of fun consumer items and a lot of heart. http://adriftskateshop.com or http://myspace.com/adriftskateshop
Error!
A.N.T.I.S.L.A.M’s Last Man Standing was actually won by John Baker who beat Seb in a confusing overtime scenario.
Leeside
Sept 24th was the hiphop, breakin’ and skatin’ show at Leeside to raise awareness and fundraise to make the tunnel an official skate, bmx and graf site. Performers included Curtis Clearsky, Rapsure Risin, 49th Peril, Brigee K, In:Stead, Su Commandante, Buzy B and Rupinder Singh. Thanks to antisocial for covering insurance costs, and everyone who came out. Check http://leeside.ca/ or http://leematasi.spekt.net/ to donate to the park, which is in memory of Lee Matasi, the skateboarder and artist who was shot last year. On another note, Momentum Wheels has released a memorial wheel for Lee: the 'I Heart Lee Matasi' 53mm Momentum Wheel. 100% of the proceeds go to Leeside and it’s available at antisocialshop.com and darkflavour.com. Speaking of dark flavour, Matt Smed came up with Leeside Blend coffee and wants you to know all the profits go to the Leeside project. Now you can push, roll, sweat and piss Leeside - that’s what Lee used to do.
-D-Rock and Miss Kim. Email us at downspace@telus.net .
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Skatespot: From Van to Slam and back Again
Calgary Slams
The circus rolled into Calgary last weekend. Slam, which moved from Vancouver to Cowtown, this year, hasn't weathered the move too well. Under new ownership for the past 2 years, it's become more like a Rightguard ad and less like the homegrown contest that grew into a world-class event. Part of the of the problem is that it's no longer being managed by people who actually skate and have experience in the industry. Just the same it's always fun to see what unique course New LIne will come up with, and see your favourite locals skate with international pros. Last year's course was granite-enriched and pure-street-ish, this year more artifice with a mini-golf/cartoon flava - Peanuts doghouse, iced out gold-chain rail and an arcing Spiderman rail, plus a rolling My Humps ledge just for fun. Tech maestro Micky Pappa beat out Will Christafaro and some older and taller competition to win the Es Game of Skate. The comp overall was pretty fun, but not as many pros as in past years. Contest Results: 1. Greg Lutzka, 2. Chad Bartie, Australia; VanCity's Ryan DeCenzo, Magnus Hanson and Nathan LaCoste, placed 3rd, 4th and 5th, 6th was Calgary's Ryan Oughton, 7. Dayne Brummet, 8. Sascha Daley, 9. Tony Trujillo, 10. Danny Fuenzalida; other good runs for Canucks were: 11. Scott DeCenzo, 12. Sheldon Meleshinski, 15. Chris Haslam, 16. Eric Mercier, 17. Jesse Langden, 19.Josh Evin (who also placed 10th in vert), 20.Greg Brewer, 21. Trevor Houlihan, 22. Josh Clark, 23. Micky Pappa and 25. Geoff Dermer, Vancouver. Men's Vert: 1. Rob Lorifice, 2. Sandro Dias, 3. Neal Hendrix. Girls' Street: 1. Lacey Baker, 2. Vanessa Torres, 3. Lauren Perkins. Canadian Kristen Zurwick came in 7th. Girls' Vert: 1. Karen Jones, 2. Holly Lyons, 3. Vanessa Torres 4. Amy Caron and Vancouver's Alison "Nugget" Matasi placed 5th.
East Infection
Spectrum's Prez Jim Barnum joined "East Coast Skate Militia" Richard Sarrazin, Steve Lange and Brent Jordan in skatepark and spot entrenched North Carolina's Outer Banks. Am Getting Paid goes down Sept. 23, 24 amd 25 at South-Parc skatepark in Montreal - check south-parc.com for more details. Bad news from Montreal - the Big O Pipe is in jeopardy. A soccer stadium is is plaaned for that site, which could mean the end of the Pipe's existence. Montreal skaters are organizing to try to save the classic spot: go to their website and sign their guest book to help Save the Big O pipe.
http://www.savethepipe.blogspot.com/
Back in the Van
The Underworld sponsored Fraser Heights Comp went down Aug 19. First place went to Ryan Decenzo, 2nd Dustin, Montie, 3rd Magnus Hanson. The Vancouver Skatepark Coalition voted in thier new Board. Congrats to Michelle Pezel (Prez), Jeff Chan (VP), Char Hunter (Treasurer) and Lee Ann Slade (Secretary). A main priority is getting Leeside built - soon and right. Check vspc.ca and antisocialshop.com for upcoming meetings. Summer End Skate Jam, put on by Underworld Skateshop is Sept. 3rd at the Downtown Plaza, with lots of cash prizes for best tricks. After party at Lucy Mae Browns. Coming up, the official opening of Quilchena Park is Sept. 9, with demos planned. Hope they fix the bad coping job before it goes down. Plus Matix and Supra's Greatful Shred Tour, with your shredologists: Marc Johnson, Daewon, McCrank, Biebel, Danny Garcia, Mikey Taylor, as well as Travis Stenger and Mike McDermott. Signing at Antisocial at 3pm Sept. 20, and The Source Skate Shop, Calgary, Sept. 24, 3 pm.Demo in Van at the Plaza (Georgia Viaduct) and Calgary at the Millenium Park; both demos at 5 pm.
D-Rock and Miss Kim
downspace@telus.net
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Published by misskim: 11:05 PM
Updated On: 9/2/2006 at 11:06 PM
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Saturday, September 02, 2006
Skatespot World Tour - Survivors’ Account
This summer, Skatespot mediasupernova toured all 4 major international cities, starting with Winnipeg - now international centre number one. Is too, you bullies, judging by its new Plaza at the Forks, maybe the best streetpark yet. A well-composed architectural landscape, it’s big, (stairs, rails, banks, granite ledges) and distinguished by details - 2 sculptures, one a fish-like steel cantilever next to a China Banks replica, one a steel/concrete ribbon we call “My Humps”, plus local skate-art displays. New Line creatively multiplied the banked-ledge-next-to-stair element from Vancouver’s plaza; the pool-like bowls include oververt clamshell and cradle. Thanks RJ/Kyle of New Line, to Mr. Burns’ (true fact) donation of $2 million (Excellent, Smithers) and to Sk8Skates for design input. Opening week saw Koston, Appleyard, Keegan Sauder, Geoff Dermer, Kris Foley and Jim Barnum show and shred. Not bad, prairie town.
Ah, Montreal, home of le street shred. This summer South Parc hosts hella comps – check south-parc.com. Don’t miss the hallowed Big-O fullpipe next to ’67 StadeOlympique. (photos at parfond.com). Big-O rulers Marc Tison and Barry Walsh are writing a book - “Pipe Fiends” – send Big-O photos/stories to HYPERLINK "mailto:marc.tison@gmail.com" marc.tison@gmail.com. Known for gnarly streetskating, Toronto also harbours Gymbo’s inner city indoor skatepark Shred Central. (check HYPERLINK "http://www.shredcentral.com" shredcentral.com) Manzanita, Oregon - We surfed, but the Skatallica tour destroys Oregon’s bowls each summer – (grindline.com or dreamlandskateparks.com)
Finally, back in Van, Underworld hosted eS Game-of-Skate July 29, , Bowl Series wraps up (Whistler, Aug. long weekend), Leeside progresses (antisocialshop.com), and VSPC’s new Prez/Veep vote is Aug. 12 at antisocial.
D-Rock and Miss Kim downspace@telus.net
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