It’s been a while since I’ve been there but change is currently happening at Playstation skatepark right now, about time really cause the street course at that place was starting to get stale. Not sure exactly what the plans are at the moment though, hopefully should find out soon.

Is it something in the air? DC Shoes was recently sold to Quicksilver and now it’s the turn of Vans Shoes who have been bought by a company called VF. They own other brands such as Eastpak, Jansport, Lee Jeans and Wrangler. A bargain at around $396m.

A few things on the rumour mill, St Georges Skatepark in Bristol has / might be turned into charity status, which is good news as they should be getting £25,000 a year for the next couple of years to fund some new ramps there. Craig Reynolds is the man that should know and coincidentally has just finished his ‘zine called Body English. Also an area has been cleared quite near to St Georges for another outdoor skatepark to be built.

The 6th annual Sprite Urban Games will be back on Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th July 2004. All the usual including skating, BMX, Freestyle Moto-X riders and breakdancing.

The BMX dirt will host the British leg of the European King of Dirt and the vert is a qualifier for the Gravity Games with 4 places up for grabs.

Gates are open between 12noon and 6pm on Friday 23rd July and 10am and 8pm on Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th July. Last entry is 5:30pm. On the door tickets are priced at £10 on Friday and £15 for Saturday & Sunday. Pre bookers receive a £2 discount on Saturday and Sunday - £13.

Tickets can be bought in advance from the ticket hotline number -0870 902 0444 or via the website www.spriteurbangames.com

Lookout
A warning to anyone thinking of going to the metal skatepark in Woolwich, here's Tom James story...
Yesterday Alex Belch Ted and i went to woolwich to ride the parks (yet again) and we left the one by the river cos it was getting a bit crowded. We headed up to that shady metal one and as soon as we start riding there are kids giving it from the top of the wall, you know the usual shit but with the experience that kids who live next to a skatepark have. We're trying to put them down anyway we can, ride shit, take the piss tricks etc. Then they start throwing stones and we should have left then but i said to one of them if they don't wipe those grins off their faces and stop throwing stones i'd come up there and rip their spine out through their throats and stick them up their arses. Well 2 minutes later i look up there and the entire road is filled with kids from around 16 to 20 bounding towards us. I tell the others to grab their shit and leave quick!, but all my stuff falls out my bag as i rolldown the quarter. The next thing i know i'm surrounded by all of them starting to punch and kick me while one gets out a baseball bat so i'm trying to get away. I manage to get to the gate and they're slamming it on me i'm still getting hit from all directions , the others are still behind me and i'm lets go lets get the fuck out of here and i'm getting dragged backward by my bag with fists and kicks coming from all angles and i'm just pulling them along fighting my way forward trying to get on my pedals and get away. Belch says "they've got your camera" i just said fuck it lets go and manage to pull away the others are with me and were still getting chased all the way down the road with them just inches behind us. We stopped on the corner and belch is turning back with his socket wrench in his hand but we got him back and called the police. Fuckkked!!. So its probably best to warn any body who might have seen the park on your site who was thinking of checking it out not to. Get this the police said well what were you doing at that skatepark have'nt you heard?. people get robbed and beaten up there about once a day on adverage. They should put up signs or close it down and move the ramps somewhere reasonably safe or something.

PassionsBMX
Just a quick note from Homer to say that www.passionbmx.com now has a forum for people to talk about photography, learn, help etc.

During Friday afternoon at the Bike Show, NEC, Birmingham, we lost a wheel from our stand. The wheel was a custom build for the show. A Profile SS 48 hole black cassette hub with a 13T rear cog and 14mm Titanium axle. The rim is a Sun 4Play in black and is laced with black spokes.

We would like to name and shame the person who has this wheel.

For information on this wheel and it's return we will give a 3 piece Profile crankset, size and finish of your choice.

For the name and shaming of the person who took the wheel we will donate £50 to a charity of your choice.

Contact Steve or Sam at Profile Racing Europe. www.profileeurope.co.uk or www.profileracingeurope.co.uk or 02380 458328

NSF Shop
There is a new BMX specific bike shop recently opened in the heart of Newcastle. Souter is the man behind the project, for more information see the www.streetphire.co.uk website and drop Hman and email.

Bike Show
Another year, another bike show. Racing I didn’t watch, dirt that didn’t happen, MTB kids walking round wearing tyres, Mirra and Nyquist on the street course and the Jamie Bestwick vert show. Easily the best thing worth watching, back-to-back flairs, tailwhip flairs, carves the whole width of the ramp, huge airs and the best vert style ever. On the street course Mirra and Nyquist where firing off all the usual stuff, flipwhips, barspins, 720’s etc the finals where actually quite good, Chris Mahoney finally pulled a double flip which he’s been after for about 3 years.
I just don’t get why that place is such a rip off? My housemate turned up on the Sunday with about an hour and a half to go and still had to pay £15 to get in.

Hidden Nation Stem
After 6 years the Hoffman Stem has come off and a new Hidden Nation Sidewinder Stem has taken its place. Slightly shorter in length but almost half the weight.



Hoffman Stem - 14oz
Hidden Nation Stem - 8oz

For more information contact Lee at www.hiddennation.co.uk

Ride Video Premier
Friday night saw the video premier of the new ride video. No Front Teeth. It was a good night, the Rainbow Bar was packed and the video seemed good from what I can remember. Along the same kind of lines as the Cassette video, featuring sections from Joe Fox around London, Benson, Phil Dolan, most of the main jams, DC Trails trip and probably my favourite section, Leo and Kye at their ghetto park which got burnt down about a week after filming. The video should be out in May and should also include a Scott Edgworth section and footage from Backyard Bournemouth and the Bike Show.

On iTunes this week
Tommy Guerrero – Loose Grooves & Bastard Blues
Underdog – The Attic Tapes
Archers of Loaf – Speed of Cattle
Thursday – Full Collapse
American Analog Set – Various

The RandomBMX and TWOAND8 HQ have recently had a change of scenery. Totally un-coincidentally but Adi and I ended up moving to Bristol on the same day. At the moment we are both without internet access, hence a lack of updates to both sites. Somehow my slide scanner has decided to stop working during the move, so the full Backyard Jam gallery won't be going up.

Skatepark Photos
Various photos taken at Derby Storm and Sittingbourne Skatepark
Wallride.jpg
Wall_Tap.jpg
Pipe_Carve.jpg
Kev_Wallride.jpg
Kev_Nosepick.jpg
Lee_Wallride.jpg

Hidden Nation Akira Frame
Lee now has in his hands the first Hidden Nation Akira frame, well he did until he handed it over to Rikki Gunner.



The frame is more trails specific with a street version to come later. The frame weighs in at 4lbs 13.5ozs and is built from Reynolds tubing. For more details either check out the website www.hiddennation.co.uk or the complete bike should be displayed on the Profile stand at the Bike Show this weekend.

Art Fags
For anyone in or visiting the London area, there is a Jethro Haynes - A Piece of Thing exhibition on between April 14th-May 9th 2004 at the 88B gallery, Cide skateshop, 88 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, London. 020 7207 7055.

Ride Video Premier
As most people know by now, tonight is the Ride Magazine video premier of their new video, No Front Teeth. The venue is the Rainbow Pub, corner of Adderley Street and Digbeth High Street (kind of near Custard Factory where we showed Cassette BMX last year), Birmingham. For directions call the pub on 0121 772 8174, Film starts 8pm.

Sittingbourne Park Update
The curved wallride should now be complete, the jump box is being changed with the rail and stairs being removed and the box being made smaller with hips. There is a BMX day on 25th, £10 for all day 10am -10pm free pot noodle / drink / crisps with ticket.

Snicker Game On Press Release
SNICKERS Game On, the year’s biggest Skate and BMX event has found its’ spiritual home at this summer’s best rock festival, Download at Donington, taking place on 5th & 6th June. Following a sensational debut last year SNICKERS Game On has risen to the challenge yet again to provide the fuel to enjoy the best Skaters and BMXers in the world as they battle it out in the internationally renowned Snickers Bowl and across a ‘Best of British’ styled competition.

This is only the second time that the Snickers Bowl has been set up in Britain, and with the world’s best BMXers and Skaters attending, SNICKERS Game On looks set to rock the Festival in its own right. BMXers competing include Jamie Bestwick, Zach Shaw, Simon Tabron, Eduardo Torres, Achim Kujawski, Stefan ‘OBG’ (one big German) Geisler and Skaters include Steve Cabalerro, Lincoln Ueda, Sergi Ventura, Brian Patch, Jessee Fritch, Rune Glifberg, Tony Alva, Tony Trujillo, Geoff Rowley and Jim Greco.

SNICKERS Game On further extends into a fully equipped ‘Street’ area with a brand new course designed exclusively for the weekend. Based on a ‘Pride of the UK’ theme, SNICKERS Game On gives British Skate teams the fuel to enjoy what promises to be one of the most innovative courses in the UK this year.

Invites will go out to biggest British Board Company teams for a head to head over the two days. With four riders at a time in a jam format, this will not be your ordinary competition. With the 'SNICKERS Best Trick' event and open Skate sessions running throughout the weekend for all other invited riders, Skaters are definitely in for something special.

SNICKERS are also supporting the second stage at Download, the ‘SNICKERS Game On Stage’ bringing you the best in punk and rock. The ‘SNICKERS Game On Stage’ will host Electric Six, Soil, Bowling For Soup, Dillinger Escape Plan, Life of Agony, Hate Breed.

Acts appearing at Download include some of the biggest names in rock such as headliners Metallica and Linkin Park with incredible back up from clown metal icons Slipknot, the legendary Iggy and the Stooges and punk icons The Distillers The Hives, Machine Head and Korn to highlight just a few of the acts.

TICKETING INFORMATION
Tickets for Download 2004 are onsale now for more information please go to www.downloadfestival.co.uk or call 0870 400 0822

Donington ticket prices:
£80 for the weekend (plus agent booking fees)
£95 weekend and camping.

Due to the overwhelming demand for Campsite Plus last year Download have introduced the £5 upgrade for Loaded Camping which includes hot showers, cloakroom, attended toilets and access to Club Kerrang! in the Download Café (limited capacity).

Based on feedback from last year, Download will also be introducing the Upload VIP Package this year, available on 0870 145 1210 or from the website. This includes:
Secure parking, Private VIP campsite with mains toilet, shower and catering facilities
Exclusive entrance to festival
Preferential access to Club Kerrang! at the Download Café (limited capacity)
Access to backstage guest hospitality area, with cash bar facilities
Download goodie bag
Event Programme
Stylised VIP pass for each guest

Scotland – ticket price:
£79 for a two-day ticket (plus agent booking fees)

More acts will be announced shortly, with contracts in the final stages.

Here's a handfull of photos from Bournemouth, full gallery soon.

Taylor_Ledge_To_Whip.jpg
Cook_Seatgrab.jpg
Jackson_Backwards_Grind.jpg
Overview.jpg
Martinez_Fakie_No_Hander.jpg
Whitton_Lookback.jpg

Anyone in need of some BMX media, check out www.nofrontteeth.com for a teaser clip of the new Ride video, No Front Teeth.

Here are the results from sundays pro final at backyard...

01 Gary Young 94.60
02 Jay Miron 94.40
03 Ali Whitton 93.40
04 Bas Keep 90.20
05 Luke Marchant 85.40
06 Nate Wessel 82.40
07 Kye Forte 81.20
08 Paul Kinder 80.60
09 Dave Osato 79.00
10 Taj Mihelich 78.20
11 Dan Sieg 77.80
12 Garrett Byrnes 76.80
13 Matt Beringer 76.60
14 Ben Hennon 76.20
15 Tony Mortenson 75.60
16 Allan Cooke 75.40
17 Dave Freimuth 73.80
18 Ruben Alcantara 73.40
19 Mark Webb 70.40

I've added to the galleries section of the site some new street furnture photos. They are taken around Woolwich by Tom James.

Graeme sent me this photo of Kye from the Backyard Jam that has just gone down this weekend. The finals were just as nuts as ever.



What the photo doesn't show is that the tyre tap is out of a 10ft quarter pipe.