Sunday 30 October 2016

St Thomas

St Thomas
Railcity Skatepark

Got out to St Thomas for park #300 on a cool October day. Great park with a rail way theme.


 Quarter with steep wall.




 Slappy train track rail.


 Mini-bowl pocket

 My darling wife joined me for park 300.

Railway Museum and Railcity Skatepark.

Quick tour.

Located Behind Timken Community Centre
3rd Ave. St. Thomas, ON

Aylmer, ON

Aylmer, ON





In Optimist Park
Parkview Heights & Chestnut St. W.

10th Line & Aquitaine

10th Line & Aquitaine









Friday 28 October 2016

The Final Five

The Final Five
I started throwing around "The Final Five' in reference to the 5 skateparks needed to hit 300. Having hit #200 in 2013, 100 in 2011 and only started counting in 2006 I thought 300 should be a great park.

296
Greengate Skate Spot, Cambridge, ON
I hit this small spot at the end of August on the way to Guelph.



297
Silvercreek Skatepark, Guelph, ON
I got to this beautiful new park and got to skate with Kurt of the Dirty Jags.
This park is so popular other nearby communities and switched plans from modular skateparks to PIP after seeing the difference. 



298
10th Line & Aquitaine, Mississauga, ON.
A smalled, mostly pre-cast concrete park in the west end. I hit this first thing in the morning after a night shift.



299....sort of.
The Eganville skatepark is on holiday...permanently, I think.

299
Visited the Pembroke Skatepark while up visiting a friend. It is very popular and maybe too small for it's popularity. Hopefully it gets a phase 2.


300
I wanted 300 to have some meaning and be a great park. I chose St. Thomas' new Railcity Skatepark because I liked the design by Newline Skateparks and the early footage is great. Some people on Instagram told me to take a broom and they were right. The park is done and open but it's in the middle of a huge construction project.  I went with my darling wife, Amy, on a cooler day. We had to stop and buy gloves.  
I love how train track was used in the park. 
We had fun. I fell on my butt really hard. The type of butt fall where you feel it in your head. 
Concrete just seems harder when it's cold outside.











301
I hit another park on the way back to the highway, because why not? Why stop at 300?
I'll still hit almost every park possible but I'll make sure the road trip includes a quality park or two.


Friday 7 October 2016

New Skatepark Info

New Skatepark Info.

Pickering
The latest new on the Pickering skatepark is this; There is a new skatepark strategy included in the new parks master plan. The parks dept. is also recomending council approve a firm (a great one that can't be named yet) to be consults. This should be going ahead this month (Oct 2016) and hopefully I'll have more news by November. For more on the process that got us here --> CLICK.


Toronto
I got out to an open house hosted by Councilor Jim Karygiannis announcing a new skatepark and playground replacement in Fundy Bay Park in Agincourt. Reception was generally positive with the public voicing concerns regarding safety, noise and suggesting other ideas for the park. 
I arrived early and was looking at the examples of other skateparks. I ask a guy from Parks where they got the pictures.
'We got them from the Toronto Skateboarding Committee.'
"Oh, because their mine...And that's me." As I point at one of me jumping a 5 set on my wedding day in my rented tux.
Half of the pictures were mine.
I did speak to Migs and Nick of the Toronto Skateboarding Committee (Check them out HERE) because I'm cool with my photos being used this way. Migs said I have photos of the park before all the graffiti. 





A few days later I was invited to the Toronto Skateboarding Committee general meeting at Toronto City Hall.  The city wide skatepark strategy was presented. They also talked about an additional future park in addition to Fundy Bay and the upgrade of another. The Committee is active in Toronto, advocating for parks, identifying repair needs and working with city hall and other government bodies to promote and enhance skateboarding.



If you want to be involved with the TSC you can sign up on their website --> HERE