Catching Up

I've been getting pretty behind on my photos, so this post is just me tossing up a bunch of backlogged stuff I haven't posted yet.

Had a fun session at this Rosemead homemade spot again. I've been hearing the spot was destroyed recently. Such a bummer. I really hope there was a decent reason for destroying it. Ray Maldonado having fun on the long parking block ledge.

Ray was doing these every try.

Gotta love Guffey's commentary. Thats Alec Beck doing the mean grinder.

Ray steps it up and kickflips into the back lip.

Tyler Kindred working on his pop overs.

Alec Beck using all four elements of the spot in Blog Footy #12.

Alec going back the other direction for Blog Footy #13.

Ray crushing it in Blog Footy #14.

Guffey killing it first try for Blog Footy #15.

This probably should of been part of the Hollenbeck post, but oh well. Alec shutting the spot down.

Tyler Kindred warming up on this rail at SAMO with a front board.

Before Tyler could get his trick this cop with sweet hair came and gave us the boot. Not sure why the SAMO employee called the cops without even asking us to leave first.

I was feeling really sick one day but was convinced to get out of bed for a sec when I heard that everyone was skating this gnarly hydrant gap really near where I live. The photos are pretty weak because my head hurt too much trying to think of a good way to shoot this. Austin Squire was handling though, floating a proper switch ollie.

Then he ripped a kickflip.

Josh Campos smoking a frontside flip.

This parking lot hill is right next to my work. It's pretty damn fun to bomb. Campos did a nice tre flip into it.

Went to this really gnarly street gap in Chinatown. I love how casual Tislam Smith looks floating this warm up ollie.

We were only at this spot for a second, but Alec Beck managed to fit in a quick back smith.

Hit up this crazy white thing again and Alec was having fun.

Alec pumping to fakie.

Another angle showing the other side.

Then he pulled of a pretty sick frontside side rock.

I see this handicap ramp all the time and never expected anyone to ollie it. Tislam Smith didn't hesitate at all though.

Hollenbeck Skate Plaza

Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights has a new skate plaza that we've been hitting up lately. I wonder what John Edward Hollenbeck would of thought of the psuedo urban obstacles placed on top of his hill. Ledges, rails and stairs built so that young people rolling on pieces of wood can huck their corpses around.

Just a quick history lesson taken from here: http://www.urbanedpartnership.org/access/change/histbh/index.html
"John E. Hollenbeck was a very wealthy man who had lived in Nicaragua. One day while Mr. Hollenbeck was visiting Los Angeles, he too got enchanted by all the beautiful land that the area east of the Los Angeles River had to offer. So he decided to permanently move here to Boyle Heights by buying land from his old friend, William H. Workman. Mr. and Mrs. Hollenbeck built their home on what today is near the intersection of Boyle and Fourth. As a matter of fact, this structure still stands today but it is now called the Hollenbeck Home for the Aged. The Hollenbeck mansion is now directly

John E. Hollenbeck’s house

across from Hollenbeck Park. The park was built by Mayor Workman sometime after Hollenbeck’s death. In honor of his beloved friend, Mayor Workman named the park and a street after John E. Hollenbeck. In those days, Hollenbeck Park was twice the size that it is today; the park was cut in half when the Santa Monica Freeway was built."



This postcard was mailed in 1911. Check out this page for a whole bunch of old postcards of Hollenbeck Park. Pretty trippy.

Alright, on to the skating.

Whitey's kickflips have been looking super proper lately. He did this a few times, and I'm sure I could of captured a better catch if I had bothered to keep shooting.


Pretty sure I've seen some edit where Ellington nollie flips this thing and they play it over and over again. Don't worry, I only got one photo of Josh Campos doing it. I don't think he's capable of bailing a nollie flip.


Tyler Kindred was only at the session for a short while before he had to go to class, but he definitely made the most of it by seriously throwing down on the rail. Switch Blunt.


A horizontal version.


Tyler only gave this nollie heel noseslide a couple tries before heading out. He almost had it though, and took a pretty good slam. Watch for that in the video below.


Justin Cefai having fun grinding the short, high rail.


The session moved over to the three block, and everyone started throwing down. Alec Beck floating a frontside half cab.


Colin Cook catching a proper kickflip.


Graham Harrington cruising a nollie front shuv.


Graham switching up with a switch front shuv.


Campos did a proper nollie frontside flip.


You'll see it in the video below.




Check out this edit of the session from the one and only Jesus Grajeda.


Another day at Hollenbeck. Josh warming up with a front board.


Campos switch flipping the set in a line.


Josh did this fakie flip way too easily.


Another little edit from Grajeda Films. Good times.

Typical

The usual stuff.


Skated this awesome homemade spot in Rosemead. This the only photo I shot, but look for some Blog Footy's from this session in the future. Justin Cefai back noseblunting the middle.


After Rosemead we hit up this park in Glendale again. Alec Beck warms up with a half cab.


Tyler Kindred warming up, front boarding the sort of gap to rail.


Jesus missing out on Tyler's nollie boardslide haha.


Believe it or not this was a warm up too. Michael Guffey back lipping with ease.


Josh Campos getting in on the action. Warm up switch ollie over the rail.


Alec got a super nice tre down the set.


Back with some more reflection shots at this spot haha. Jesus touching down into manny.


Cefai flipping into a switch flip nose manny.


Jesus, kickflip manny.


Campos, frontside flip switch manny.


Cefai, nollie heel nose manny.


Campos, switch heel manny.


Back at this spot again. This time the light was totally different. Justin floating out of a back nosegrind.


More traditional timing on this back nosegrind.


And another front nosegrind. I wish I could nosegrind every try like Cefai, looks like so much fun.


Not sure what this guys name is, but he was doing some steezy back lips. Hey Tislam, this guy said he knows you. Whats his name?


Later that night we hit up this gap in UCLA. We messed around with my flashes while waiting to skate it. Don't take these portraits seriously.


Hahaha, the under lighting makes Justin look super Straahnge.