Day-By-Day At Woodward Skate Camp Part Four Article at Skatepark of Tampa

Day-By-Day At Woodward Skate Camp Part Four

Posted on Friday, June 20, 2003 by Ryan

Day-By-Day At Woodward Skate Camp Part Four
June 20, 2003
Words By Ryan Clements & Photos By Big Dave
Day Six

Grant Taylor - frontside lipslide at the Rock Kevin Sullivan - boardslide
As I rolled out of bed for my final day (morning) at Woodward, I knew that it was time to go because my body was demanding, “No more skateboarding!” Scotty was busy pulling over his favorite move and I headed out to grab some breakfast. After energizing, I was off to get my morning stretch on and I realized that it hadn’t rained in an entire day, so a session at the Rock was in order. My new pals that I met the night before (forgot their names) joined me and we skated and talked about skateboarding for a few hours.

After grabbing some lunch, I said my ‘thank yous’ and ‘goodbyes’ and headed back to Delaware. It’s almost a four-hour drive, but the scenery makes it interesting because there are Amish people everywhere. I don’t know much about them, but apparently the Amish don’t believe in modern stuff like electricity, gas machinery, etc. The proof is that I saw this one guy mowing a gigantic field, standing on a huge piece of metal equipment drawn by horses. It actually looked pretty fun, for about five minutes. I also passed two different convenient stores with horse and buggies tied to the dumpsters. The funny part is that you can buy a “Horse & Carriage Ride” or “Visit Amish World” (or something like that). They may be ignoring modern society, but they’re certainly not ignoring the almighty dollar.

Grant Taylor - frontside bluntslide The crew
I made it back to Aunt Ro’s just in time to head over to “the restaurant” and have dinner with the entire family. It was crowded, so we ate in the kitchen, Soprano style. My cousin Monte gave me a tour of the ‘hood as we stopped by a couple of different places to have drinks. The Wilmington ghetto is some serious $h!t. It makes our bad neighborhoods in Tampa look like child’s play.

The rest of the evening was spent with my godparents, talking about whatever and drinking Southern Comfort in honor of my late grandfather, Frank (he started having me pour his shots at age of four). They had this really powerful flashlight that literally lit up the sky that I was fascinated with. Well, I was more fascinated with shining it at their neighbors’ windows...good night.

Day Seven

Matteo - frontside air Gap ollie - if this is you, put your name in the comments Whoa!
You can say that I had a bit of a ‘slow start’ thanks to the Southern Comfort. I had steak and eggs with my cousin Roxanne and her family, got my act together, and hit the road. Since I left at about 1pm, I knew that there was no way that I was going to drive all the way through. The drive left me plenty of time to reflect on everything that happened during the week...a few things that came to mind are as follows.

Scotty's best trick the entire week... And he can even do it switch!
NO PHOTOS OF SCOTTY: Did you happen to notice that there were very few photos of Scotty Conley, although he was at Woodward the entire time that I was? That’s because his best moves were done in bed, where he slept away many ours of daylight, both switch and regular. Nice work, Scotty. He claimed, “We’re are on different schedules; I rip when you’re not around.” Hmmm.

NO PHOTOS OF BIG DAVE: Big Dave broke his ribs before I arrived at Camp. He was doing 50/50’s on a flat rail that angled all the way down to the ground, to where you don’t have to ollie to get on to it...just ride up it. The board slipped out, and WHAM, broken ribs and a night in the hospital for Dave. He spent the better part of three weeks just hanging out and moaning when he had to sit, stand, or make his way up and down ramps. He did one hell of a job on shooting all of the photos that you’ve seen...thanks, Dave. And he’s coming back with a ton of great ideas for the reconstruction of our Kiddie Course this fall.

Holy crap! Check out the "gymnasties" workin' out!
I got off I-95 in a town called Santee, S.C. It was like I stepped into a time warp. The hotel was decorated in a tropical theme, but it hadn’t been redone since Miami Vice started showing reruns. The girl at the counter said, “I’m going to have to charge you weekend rates, Sir. It’s going to be $33, but that includes hot breakfast.” I laughed to myself and made my way to my room. I don’t recall really ever staying in a hotel room by myself before, so I felt a little anxious. After a shower, I went to grab some food at the hotel restaurant. It was 10pm and closed, so I walked into the bar. The bartender informed me that the nearest restaurant was a 10-mile drive. I went to bed hungry.

Day Eight

Some kid, some air Matteo - smith grind
Finger flip - sorry I forgot your name and lost the sheet Ryan Clements - kickflip backside tailslide on the big rail
When I awoke and the sun came up, I came to realize how jacked Santee, S.C. actually was. I walked into the hotel restaurant and there was an old black lady and her husband sitting at the hugest table. It was dimly lit, but I could see some sort of buffet behind her. She looked at me and put out her hand for my ‘breakfast ticket’ and asked, “Tea or coffee?” I got my coffee and put some bacon and eggs on my plate. While she and the man next to her discussed going to church, I got the impression that they were born and raised in that little nothing town.

My nose noticed that there was a guy behind me smoking cigarettes like they were going out of style. I thought they were out of style, but he must have been stoked that you can smoke in restaurants in Santee.

I was minding my own business when the lady asked, “You don’t want no bread with that?” “I didn’t see any up there,” I replied. “It’s up there,” said answered, as she motioned towards the buffet. Another couple walked in and sat down at a booth. Here’s the conversation that went down:

Old Black Lady: “It’s serve yourself.”
Young White Girl: “Excuse me.”
Old Black Lady: “It’s SERVE YOURSELF. What do you want to drink?”
Young White Girl: “Orange juice, please.”
Old Black Lady: “Coffee or tea.”
Young White Girl: “You don’t have orange juice?”
Old Black Lady: “Coffee or tea.”


When she was grabbing the girl’s coffee, I left a dollar in the tip jar and got the hell out of there. The old man was stoked on the money. I hopped in my truck and went to the nearest gas station, but found that it was a restaurant. What? Then I went to the next closest gas station. Closed. Then I went to the next closest gas station. Out of business. I got on the I-95 and headed as fast as I could. Later, Santee...I won’t be back.

I arrived home eight hours later and relaxed with my wife. It was nice to get away by myself, but it sure was great to be back. I mean...I’ve been skateboarding for 18 years. How the hell did I know that when I started at the age of 12 that I’d be where I am? Damn I’m fortunate to be able to do what I’ve done. I’m already planning another trip to Woodward.

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