Pictures and video

Here are a few pictures and videos from skating yesterday at DeShong.

Micheal - soul


Josh - top soul


Josh - royale


James - Soul


James - royale


Chris - back torque



Josh - flat to down royale


Josh - back royale

Pictures coming.

Got some pictures while at DeShong Park today. A couple videos, too. I'll upload them either later tonight or tomorrow sometime. Also, when James gets it back, he's going to review Clip 4.

Duncan Creek Park/Skatepark review

So, for those of you who don't know, a new park just opened up in in Gwinnett County on Thursday(May 22nd). It's called Duncan Creek Park. With a total of 88.5 +/- acres of land, it's a pretty huge place. It has a football complex, 2 lighted full-court basketball courts, 2 half-court lighted basketball courses, a 15,000 sq. ft. playground with a huge pavillion, 2 sand volleyball areas and, the focus of this review, a 20,000 sq. ft. all concrete skatepark located right next to the basketball courts.


Now, I've been waiting for this park to open for a few months now, ever since I found out about it's construction. Then, Friday at Woodward, I heard that it had opened. So, Saturday, James and I hopped in the truck and headed out.

Now, for those of you who live closer to Downtown, like James and me, it's a bit of a trek. It's two exits past Mall of Georgia off of the Hamilton Mill Pkwy exit. But, in my opinion it was well worth it. Or, at least it will be.

First off, it's free. Always a plus! Secondly, there are no pad requirements. Not good, not bad. I suggest you still at least wear a helmet, as concrete is bad for your dome. Third... it's LIGHTED! I've yet to find a fun park in the Atlanta area that was lighted. The lights don't shut off until 11pm, too. So if you're like us, and can't make it out until after work, you still have plenty of time to skate.

Now, the actual park. The four bowls that you see when you first walk into the park are setup very nicely. The first one is HUGE, too. the deep has got to be 10ish feet, with the shallow being around 7. You could literally transfer from one to two, two to three, three to four. It's very nice. I had never skated a bowl before in my life, and would really like to get used to it, because it looks like a ton of fun.

When you walk up to the park, if you look to your right there's a little run area set up that leads down to the street-like area of the park. The first set is a 5-set, I think, with a hubba on your right, and a rail on your left, and the next part is a mirror, but i think it's a 7-set. The hubbas are very nice, with a great angle, and about knee high. The rails are around the same height, but there's a problem with them. The bottom of the rail is only about 6 inches off the ground, so the ground comes up to you REAL quick. But, they're still nice and smooth and not too steep.

In the middle and furthest part of the park, there are some slight slant rails that are almost like handicap rails, but with a slight incline, the middle rail is flat, and the one on the far side is round. Both are about knee high. When you come off the flat rail, about 8 feet away is a small little ledge, between ankle and knee high and maybe 8 feet long. A nice little area to set-up some fun runs.

In the farthest part of the park, there is a bowl/bank area with vert walls, gap ledges, and transfers. I didn't get to skate this too much, because all BMX guys were tearing it up.

The street area has a 10-star with a handrail a little above knee height. Pretty gnarly. Brandon was DESTROYING this rail every chance he got with fakie back backslides, back fast slides, and all sorts of crazy. There's also a small four stair with two hubbas on either side and a small rail in the middle. When you come down the stairs, directly in front of you is a smooth little curve/elbow that's about two feet high. To the right of these stairs is a block gap, and a kinked ledge/bank that leads over to a sweet little curve ledge. Be careful, though, if you come at the curve ledge, you have to pass the bottom of the 10-stair. Also, between the top of the 10 and 4-stair, there's this really long, knee-high-ish ledge that I didn't get to skate because there were people sitting on it.

Also, right by the park there is a bathroom building that doesn't look like it's quite finished yet. It looks like it has a concession stand, too, which will hopefully be open at least some of the time when skating.

All in all, a very fun park. My only gripes are that there is a fence around each grassed area, and some of the fence is very close to ledges/rails, and they have these flat spike...things at the top. Nothing that could impale you, but it would probably ruin your day. But, they're suppose to cover those. Also, it's a new park, so it was VERY crowded. And not everyone was skating. It was just idiots walking around getting in the way. And I'm not even kidding. I was skating up to a rail more than once and had some random person not paying attention walk right in front of me. Hopefully soon, the hype will die down, and they'll put some signs up letting everyone know to watch the hell out. Also, it's outdoors, so wear some sunblock if you plan on going in the daytime, because there's no cover, either. But, it is right down the street from quite a few fast food places.

So, if you have the time, it's definitely worth the trip.

Duncan Creek Park/Skatepark
3700 Braselton Highway (SR124 at Pine Road)
Dacula, GA 30019 (map)
Size: 20,000 sq. ft.
Type: Four Bowls and street plaza
Materials: Concrete
Price: Free
Pads?: None required
Indoor/Outdoor: Outdoor
Hours: ??-11pm (lighted)
Overall: 8 out of 10.

New Atlanta Rollerblading blog

So, here's the first post. I know Josh Waggoner started a blog like this just before his death, and I thought it was such a great idea, I wanted to continue it. And just so you know, I didn't know Josh, but anytime someone in the rollerblading scene dies, it's always tragic. And, everything I've heard about Josh has been nothing but amazing, and I wish nothing but the best to his family.

What do I hope to accomplish with this blog? Well, I want to keep everyone updated on news on skating in Atlanta, as well as some DVD reviews, new park/skate reviews, etc. But first, I think a you should know a few things about me.

My name is also Josh. I'm 26 years old and have lived in Atlanta for about 6 years now. I started rollerblading when i was 16/17. I quit when I was around 19 for no real reason that I can think of. Recently, a friend of mine, Tony, got out of the Air Force, and moved to Atlanta. He wanted to start skating again, so he my friend James and I bought new skates (James, Tony, and I used to skate together in high school), and shortly after, so did Tony, and we all started skating again. So, I haven't really been part of the Atlanta area scene for too long, but it's a scene I've quickly become passionate about. Everyone, literally, I have met skating has been nothing but super nice to myself and my friends, and we've quickly made a ton of new friends. Also, growing up in the small towns of Ozark and Enterprise, Alabama, we didn't have too many places to skate, and Atlanta is just exploding with spots and parks. It's absolutely amazing.

So, that's about it. James and I will be posting to the blog as often as possible with whatever we can find that pertains to rollerblading. The first will be a review of Duncan Creek Park, which I went to for the first time yesterday. Also, James and I will be going to Superhick on June 6th, and will have tons of picture and hopefully some video.

So, keep reading. And any ideas you have for the site, feel free to let me know!

Peace,
Josh