Sultans of Steeze

The Sultans of Steeze is for the discerning, experienced old school skater who was riding back in the day.

In recent visits to the HopShop I have met a bunch of guys my age who are getting back into skateboarding. Like the Maidens of Steeze, we have a group that needs to be represented. Mark Knopfler sang about us - we are the Sultans of Steeze. If you are >40 then we should hook up and get some new school skating into our old school bodies. More importantly lets get some practice in so that we can prove to these young guns that we were legitimate custodians of the sport back in the 60's and 70's. I will put an event together so that we can have a roll at our pace and get rid of the cobwebs.Even if you have not skated before but are somewhere around the age demographic, you are welcome. For any of you groms wanting mum or dad to get into it, give them a nudge. I like skating with you young guys but would also like the chance to skate with people my own age.

That's Tom and I at Benbro's Murrays run

Motorcycle Cop in St Leonards**Respect

I am the Secretary of the Rotary Club of Crows Nest. Part of my duties is to empty the Post Office Box regularly. I am not keen on jogging or anything that requires energy expended for no good reason or without a destination, so I jump on the skateboard and go to the PO Box at around 6am. First thing is to push on up to my favourite carpark - a wonderful double helix formation of ramps with 4 levels. After bombing the carpark I'm off up Herbert Street, onto the Pacific Highway along the footpath to the Post Office. With the mail safely in my pocket I head a little higher up the Pacific Highway and then cross over and descend the hill back to St Leonards. I keep trying to get the red light camera to catch me as I go through but it doesn't seem to happen. So a week or so ago, I was heading down the Pacific Highway going north - I was the only punter on my side of the road so I was carving across three lanes. I looked back and saw a motorcycle a long way back and didn't take a lot more notice. The road went from two lanes to three so I put my arm out to indicate that I was going to change lanes. Then the motorcycle was beside me with Police lights flashing, waving me to pull over. I footbraked to a stop and he looked a little surprised to see me. Instead of a 15 year old hooligan, he was faced with a 50 year old hooligan. What could he do?....he simply told me to be careful, outlining that cars could barely see him on his bike so what chance did I have.....he rode off and I rode off. An enjoyable encounter with the law.  

Whistler Downhill*

There is a race at a wellknown ski hill in Canada, Whistler. This unbelievable 1.6 km road features a 1000ft vertical foot drop as riders grip and drift through eight 180 degree hairpins.
This is a raw run with James Kelly and Louis Pilloni....wow.



http://vimeo.com/26496588

RAD DAD - not quite...

The Sydney Morning Herald wanted to do a piece on old school skaters and I got the call. Robbo dobbed me in for an excercise designed to give the sport some good publicity. I suspect that that was achieved. I am not a rad dad, I just like skateboarding with my daughters. I don't act my age but certainly don't act theirs - that would be creepy. We skate together but I am dad, not their mate. CalStreets picked this up as well.

http://etni.es/3o0

My Scariest Moment aboard a Skateboard**

It happened recently (2011) while bombing my own street, and even eclipses the events of Christmas Day 1995 (that's an earlier story). We live on a reasonably steep but short and nice little bombing hill. Good speed is achieved and then it rolls uphill. At the top of the hill there is a stop sign; a left turn and down the hill is a left hand bend (a dogleg). There is a single lane speed hump a little further on. The left handed dog leg means that the speed hump is not able to be sighted. I was on my Loaded Dervish at the top of the hill coming back from an early morning roll. A 3 tonne truck and a car preceded me and went through the stop sign and downhill. I gave them plenty of time to get out of the way, a good 20 - 30 seconds to have gone past the speed hump... and then I took off. My 'ohno' moment happened as I came around the dogleg at reasonable speed and Leaping Shitburgers 'JEEZUS' the truck and car were stopped waiting for a garbage truck to go through the single speed hump. My footbraking stinks; Pendy is non existent and my reactions were clearly not good enough. All I had available was to pick a line between everything. I hit 2 sets of catseyes, but stayed aboard. I grazed the truck mirror with my shoulder. The only thing I could do was to stay committed to the line I had available and went between all cars and trucks without any injury and a poofteenth of an inch to spare....following that episode I could almost swear that the colour of adrenalin is brown. There were two of the locals out for a walk who witnessed the whole thing and said that was so cool....Cool my arse....I near shit myself. Now, of course, I walk with my shoulders back when I pass these two punters but secretly I think they know it was more good luck than good management that I did not end up as road pizza.

Injuries**

Let me take you back to Critmas Day 1995, the family is gathered at the outlaws place in Pennant Hills north of Sydney in NSW. Santa got me these very cool shorts, and the big guy in red got my 5 y.o nephew elbow pads, knee pads and helmet. They had a sketchy old skatey and I hadn't skateboarded for about 5 years or so. I had done a couple of previous incident free bombing runs down Hillcrest Road Pennant Hills pre Critmas and all was OK. As a responsible uncle I had taken my 3 y.o nephew on a couple of these quick runs down the hill - he fitted neatly between my legs so we could both fit on board. Safety gear, overrated and inherently unnecessary - I was old school. Where was I - yep, that's right Critmas Day and the Penno neighbourhood was alive with kiddies on their new bikes, scooters and other assorted wheeled toys. I managed to coax my nephew out for a run down Hillcrest Road, so named for good reason. He had all of the safety gear on from Santa, I had my new shorts and an old pair of high top runners. All of the family were out to watch and all of the neighbourhood families watching their own kidlets on their new wheels. Everyone was on the street to watch this 6'4" lunatic try to maim and disfigure his young nephew. We started off at the top of the hill together both standing Goofy, with him tucked in with me and off we went - the only way was down and bugger me if it didn't go seriously downhill bloody quickly from there. He got a bit spooked at about 35km/h and moved a bit too much which upset our equilibrium sufficiently that a minor speed wobble began to develop, Within a poofteenth of a second a mild speed wobble became a death wobble and in slow motion as it was happening at the time, it was unrecoverable. All I could think about was how this poor little kid was going to get damaged because he trusted his uncle to deliver him safely from the top of the hill to the bottom - clearly that was not going to happen. The aforementioned death wobble reached critical severity and it was time to either beat a hasty exit and jump or to be catapulted from this spawn of the devil. I grabbed my nephew, bundled him into me and jettisoned the evil piece of wheeled equipment. as it happens, right outside Pennant Hills Police Station. We'd had a good head of speed up and our rendezvous with the bitumen went better than I had expected. My nephew was upset, understandably crying but unharmed, in fact there was not even a scratch of any of Santa's safety gear. I was in a different position, however. The lovely walking shorts that had been so lovingly wrapped by a member of the family were barely able to be described as shorts - they were cactus - utterly destroyed. No broken bones, but my dignity was another story - it was shattered. The walk of shame had to be done. I had to walk back up the hill with all of the families out on the street who had witnessed my majestic fall from grace and fall from the demonically possessed skateboard. There were many who did the tsk, tsk which I took to mean that I had allowed them to point out demonstrably to their own children why they shouldn't play on the road. All that I was wearing on our ill fated trip down Hillcrest Road was my ex-shorts, so you can imagine the work required to be done by my body to mend all of the missing components now devoid of skin. Ankles, calf, knee, thigh, hip, forearm, elbow, shoulder and back were all missing substantial layers of skin. This was not the worst thing however, using a nail brush at the outdoor tap to get the pieces of gravel out of the open wounds was an experience I can only liken to combing your hair with a potato peeler. Pain is personal though. To give an idea of the recovery work required by my body, it was three weeks before I was allowed back into the marital bed. We still talk about Critmas Day 1995 and my nephew, now 23 still talks to me and surprisingly doesn't kick me when he sees me.

Fast forward to World Youth Day Sydney 2008...Friday 18th July, my daughter Brittany rings me at work to say that my wife is staying in Pt Macquarie for the weekend with my daughter Belle. Conversation goes something like this 'The Pope has his pilgrims everywhere and the streets of Sydney are closed to traffic; wanna go for a skate'. Affirmative was my call and with the blessing of the Police we weaved in and out of pilgims all night...on the way home at about 11pm, skateboarding over the Harbour Bridge heading north I missed seeing a checkerplate cover. Doing maybe 20km/h the 'possessed by demons' skateboard stops instantly at the said checkerplate cover - I continue in an undignified version of simulated flight. All good while in flight but the landing was atrocious. Buggered elbow, knee, lots of skin gone; DNA left on eastern walkway of the Harbour Bridge and have destroyed another pair of flairs. Daughter laughing hysterically - at which time I found that my dignity was lying beside my my DNA, on the walkway of the bridge. Thanks Pope.

The one thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history. 15 years to the day - yes, Critmas Day 2010. we were in Pennant Hills with the outlaws again - you'll detect a tradition. We went out bombing hills in another hilly area of Sydney called Cherrybrook. We had a good 2 km downhill section with smooth bitumen and lovely meandering bends. My eldest daughter, 18 and very cocky, wouldn't wear gloves, knee pads or helmet. Bombing hit number 1, all good - uneventful and good fun. Episode 2, she got down too low and got death wobbles. She was lucky and got away with both knees and a hand grazed. Suffice to say that her body got it's chance to carry out repairs but grazed knees on a girl don't look so flash. Check her knees in Heelside mag - she is a featured chick longboarder.

I have repeated this skin eradicating exercise at the Pumpstation in the Blue Mountains at MOTH 2011 and then again at the Hopkin School of Speed in February 2011. My DNA is now on the roadway and in the dirt at the pumpy - woohoo. One day I might learn....but somehow I doubt it. I always wear a helmet though.

I recently purchased Cooper' Kruize's leathers for my 14 y.o daughter, Belle, so that there is no chance for the tradition to continue. I also bought Luca's fullface for racing.....she'll be safe.

Why I skate and how I started**

It would probably appear to the groms that when I fart there would a plume of dust, due to my age but I got started in skateboarding in 1968 when I was about 7. My first board was a Warwick Bullet which was made in the UK. I asked for a skatey for Critmas because my neighbour had a board made from an old expandable roller skate which had been split in two and nailed to the deck; I wanted one. The old Bullet had black rubber wheels and odd rubber trucks, well they seem odd now but it did turn really well for those days. Following that was the Surfer Sam experience - plenty of board but really skinny trucks, black rubber wheels and no turn...tic tac'ing was the way we turned those big angry bad boys. With the advent of urethane wheels and the Ultimate Flex Machine movie our hero was a yank called Russ Howell. He was big on handstands and 360's and came out for the 1975 Coca Cola Skateboard contest at French's Forest. I was there and it was a fantastic event...the footage from Forever Young is from that era. This was also the Bahne era - but who had parents who could afford them. My dad knew a guy who knew a guy who was selling wheels and truck sets so my brother and I ended up with Apolloflex Stoker wheels on Chicago trucks...loose bearings were fun (not) and there were no decks that we could get our hands on so we made our own out of three ply and a bit of fibreglass matting and resin. Most of the time we spent riding through the streets of Forestville and the playground at the Forest High School. In the fullness of time I transferred my wheels to a 'spastic plastic'. It was a formed plastic deck with a little kick tail at the back. My neighbour, a fitter and turner, made me a stall pad from cast iron and it got bolted to the rear of the board...it was how we slowed down.If you were belting down a hill you just brought the front wheels up and dragged the back. I could always be guaranteed for a light show throwing sparks up. As we went from early teens to mid and late teens we had more cash from returning bottles to the milk bars for refund and from paper runs. We also had more of an idea about what was what. So it came to pass that I got my hands on a Saurus deck with the Edwards, the first of the wide trucks and transferred the Stoker wheels to that bad boy. My brother had a DHD (David Hill Designs) board and we would ride the sandstone flagging banked walls outside the school hall doing radical re-entries from the top. The skatey was our primary means of transport. I'd skate from home to Warringah Rd, Frenchs Forest and then hitch to Narraweena where my surfboard was kept at a mates place and then go to Dee Why point for waves. When I got my P's we were driving but the skatey was always in the car because there was never any guarantee of waves at Macaha, Longie or Little Narra, in which case we'd skate Long Reef headland or around Beacon Hill, Collaroy or Cromer. I mucked around with the bushings in the Saurus and eventually worked out that the urethane bushings in the front coupled with my uncle's old thongs cut to size in the back gave me amazing turning .....so now the old Saurus hangs in the HopShop, the power pivot is also too somewhere along with my 70's skateboarding book. You can still see the original thong rubber still in place along with the sealed bearings which have never been changed or cleaned from the 70's and still roll well. I live in Naremburn which is documented in Willoughby Council archives as being called "Dogtown" back in the 1890's....irrelevant but interesting. I bought a Dervish from the HopShop a couple of years ago and then a little later I picked up a Demonseed for racing downhill.


I am actually indebted to a young 19 year old upstart named Jackson Shapeira who told me that I should get a helmet. I told him I was old school and it was unnecessary.I survived the 70's with no helmet no shoes....he simply outlined that there was no excuse for preventable brain injury, so I picked up a Triple 8. A couple of months later I tried to slide on a narrow section of footpath; slide I did not - turn sharply I did...forehead first into a handrail. Dazed yes - hurt NO. Thank you young Mr Shapeira.


I have 2 daughters who skateboard as well and we did our first ever organised downhill event at MOTH 2011. I was never going to trouble Benbro, Leeso, Jacko and the gang but had some fun...my girls got podiums (2nd and 3rd) so we were very pleased with the outing. Brit has a Loaded Vanguard and is currently in Europe on a Rayne Hustler. Belle rides a Norfin Manta, Norfin Pintail, Norfin Manta Foam Core with PanelVan paintjob and a Fibretec Flying Pan.


Why do we skateboard? Because we hate jogging.


We like the way the longboard community rolls - take the Matti Rae incident for example. If there is a man down then the community rallies. Couple this with the immensely dedicated souls that are the backbone of ASRA and why would you not live your life by it....when guys like Gabe, Cam and Jacko along with the rest of the gang are putting on Grom days, Schools of Speed and Slide Schools in Sydney and Merrick doing the same in Queensland then this community is tight. At Mt Annan School of Speed recently, Luca Coleman asked what it felt like to be skateboarding, he was respectful not to finish the question with 'at your age' and I thought for a moment and replied that when I jump on a skateboard the years fall away and I am back in my teens...and so it is...


I have the power to be happy or unhappy. I choose which. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow's not here. I have today, and I'm going skateboarding because that's what I like to do.


I would like to see a Masters category in the ASRA events..something for the Over 50's. Womens, Groms, Open and Masters. Seriously though, there should be more dads skateboarding with their kids because nothing pulls the family together than doing things together. I'd also like to skate with punters my age as well as skating with young people.


I skateboard because I am proud to be a part of such a great pursuit; I am pleased that I am still able to do it; and while I am my age I do not have to act my age....res firma mitescere nescit (L).


Something else that is really cool is that when I'm carrying or riding my skateboard and another guy is doing the same there is a nod or an eyebrow lift...a small, barely noticeable but mutual sign of respect. Any dude on a skateboard is my brother from another mother. Respect.

Skateboarding President and Philip

North Shore Times Wed 8th June 2011

Philip is afflicted with Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy
 so we got him a new chair to get him around

Carpark Capers

On a rainy day there is not much to do so so it's off to the carpark. We have this wonderful little carpark very close by with 5 levels of toeside downhill. Hit the bottom and it's into the fire stairs to get back up there. It has an up and a down ramp in the 'double helix' pattern. The ramps are 15 metre wide and we just love it. Undercover means rainy days - we are still skatin'.

Sydney City Bomb Squad - Respect

Belle and I took off at 5pm last night to head off for our first ever foray with the Sydney City Bomb Squad. We aimed to meet with everyone at Central by 6:30pm. We parked down near the Quay and skated to Central. Being school holidays there were about 30 riders so it was a great turn out and a great vibe. We took off down through Haymarket heading for the Entertainment Centre carpark...there was an event on so we kept going. We rolled along past the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. It certainly is some spectacle to see 30 or so riders all in a vague formation skating along the Sydney Harbour Foreshore. We were busy dodging pedestrian traffic but by and large I think the tourists thought it was pretty cool. First stop was Maritime Museum driveway. There is a sensational grade for the team to slide and bomb. There was the odd bus parked in front of the museum but that did not stop the team. A lot of the riders are seriously outstanding at sliding and I can see why their wheels don't last too long. I was told that security would turn up but they did a 'No Show'. We thought to call them to see if they were OK. After some considerable time at Maritimo we rolled along through Pyrmont towardthe Anzac Bridge. There was a run which was pretty quick where the guys could get a tuck going. Belle and I were unfamiliar so we were doing a lot of foot braking. I am sure that the next time it will be different. We left at around 8pm and headed back for a bite to eat at the M's, before skating back to the car. What a blast. Sydney City Bomb Squad - enormous respect.

 

Belle likes Norfin and Norfin likes Belle

Since we went to the MOTH event in January people have been more than a little bit impressed with the fact that Belle got a podium finish on the Norfin Manta. I flicked the Norfin people a quick mail outlining that they should be proud that their chariot, with Belle aboard, did so creditably.

A big surprise came when a month later there is an offer from Norfin to make Belle a custom Longboard. She can even get involved in the advertising and distribution of boards among her friends. This could be a good arrangement for both. Call it sponsorship....so at 13 years old Belle has her first sponsorship deal, albeit unofficial.  

Shameless exploitation of the Media**

I did not write this but hey, it's good press....some of the detail is a bit sketchy. Like.....I got my first skateboard in 1960...very resourceful procuring a board before I was born.

We managed to cover some stuff off:

1. Safety aspect - helmets...check
2. Advertising sponsors....we did our best to sticker up
3. Publicity for Skateboarding and Downhill, particularly Girls on Longboards
4. Good press for Mt Panorama
5. Notification to the public at large that the aging porn star look is BACK!

In addition, I think we showed it is a family pursuit which we can all enjoy together. That's how we roll.






MOTH aka Master of the Hill 2011

At 6am on Saturday 29th January 2011 we had piled into the car to get to our first ever downhill skateboard racing event. The Master of the Hill event was being run at the pump Station in the Blue Mountains.Belle had her trusty Norfin and a full face helmet borrowed from Robbo. Brittany had the Loaded Vanguard which, we discovered, was not going to be able to do the downhill job. I had my Demonseed and an old motorcycle full face helmet from years ago. As it happened Brittany and I had to share equipment which was a nuisance, but now we know.

When we got there we found a locked gate and a lot of young people making their way down to the campsite. The hill is around 800m of beautiful hotmix, a few catseyes, a couple of fast corners and a lot of fun. This was going to be a day where we would get some fitness because what flies downhill has no choice and must walk back up it.

I encouraged the girls to get some practice, but got none myself. In the qualifying I pushed off very fast down the hill not knowing what to expect at the big corner...short story, I met the gravel. I lost my dignity, my pants were wrecked, bleeding from my arm, hip and knee but got back on board to do the honourable 'Cool Runnings' thing and finished the race before getting patched up.

Belle and Brittany were in a group of 5 women and were learning very fast and they continued to get better and better. In the Grand Final of the womens I was at the half way point when Lea Robbo came around the bend with Belle on her tail, Brittany behind her with Imogen and Deanne in pursuit. I was so pleased for them. They took podium spots 2 and 3 in their first ever event. What an absolute blast.

It was a wonderful day with the entire skateboarding fraternity making it like a big friendly family day. The top World Cup riders were engaging the grommets and the girls to make them feel welcome and the mood relaxed and friendly. Thanks Bugs, Haggy, Robbo and ASRA and to Benbro and Steve Daddow for keeping the girls stoked. What a buzz, what a great sport - we'll be doing more of this.

Belle in Second

Britt 3rd

Brittany stylin'

Aussie Podium