Clem is Getting Married
Posted
on
on Wednesday, May 26, 2010
by Rob
Last night, cruising through the streets of downtown Tampa and Ybor was a flock of about 250 years worth of skateboard experience.
By Rob Meronek
Last night, cruising through the streets of downtown Tampa and Ybor was a flock of about 250 years worth of skateboard experience. With the average skater seeming to be about five years experience these days, you'd think this was about 50 people. Nope, this was just 14 old dudes making up 2.5 centuries on wheels, hence the abundance of non-flippy stunts involving stops at local strip bars and fried food establishments. Our reason for gathering: Clem is Getting Married.
Last night, cruising through the streets of downtown Tampa and Ybor was a flock of about 250 years worth of skateboard experience. With the average skater seeming to be about five years experience these days, you'd think this was about 50 people. Nope, this was just 14 old dudes making up 2.5 centuries on wheels, hence the abundance of non-flippy stunts involving stops at local strip bars and fried food establishments. Our reason for gathering: Clem is Getting Married.
Adding about 24 years to the 250 year group total is myself on a pint sized fire hydrant ollie out front of Clem's house with lens cap in hand after just handing off the camera to Schaefer for the photo.
Skater Profile: Rob Meronek
Skater Profile: Rob Meronek
A quick hike through the streets of Ybor...
...and down the smoothest street in the projects...
...and next thing you know, we're at The Bro Bowl of course. Here's Durke Schmidt, bartender at The Bricks, adding at least two decades to the 250 year total.
Skater Profile: Durke Schmidt
Skater Profile: Durke Schmidt
Frosty's got some snaps on his cruiser board and short sleeved ninja outfit, aka Tampa Kit.
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
The Tampa Kit is a versatile wardrobe. It can be repped with a wife beater and shorts to tone down the fluorescent legs you have as Durke is doing here.
Skater Profile: Durke Schmidt
Skater Profile: Durke Schmidt
Porpe's probably Twittering about his Tampa Kit right now.
Skater Profile: Jorge Angel
Skater Profile: Jorge Angel
Seamus will be bringing you food at The Bricks.
Click to enlarge. Porpe took a real beating going for this sign pole jam on the cruiser. Look at that flimsy thing bounce as he rides away.
Skater Profile: Jorge Angel
Skater Profile: Jorge Angel
Click to enlarge. Justin Ryan is champion of Innetech. He held on tight to this pole jam, feet all scrambling around like he's doing a hot coal walk.
We're not too cool for group photos, blunt nosegrabs, and cruiser boards at street spots. Wayne Schaefer, Dylan Perry, Porpe, Ryan Clements, Barak Wiser, Frosty, Justin Ryan, Seamus Gallagher, Jeff Lako, Stalker Steve, Brian Schaefer, Rob Meronek, and Durke Schmidt.
And there's the blunt nosegrab. Someone had to do it. Frosty sets it off.
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
Dylan Perry is demonstrating how to take the blunt nosegrab and make it even more foul.
Skater Profile: Dylan Perry
Skater Profile: Dylan Perry
I think it's amazing how the bean plant has really started to gain acceptance over recent times. That's Brian Schaefer who's been doing them all through the cool and uncool phases of putting a foot on the ground and hand on the board.
Skater Profile: Brian Schaefer
Skater Profile: Brian Schaefer
The Schaefer brothers on coordinated carving.
Skater Profile: Brian Schaefer
Skater Profile: Brian Schaefer
Frosty's tight grip tape job.
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
You know that flat gap behind the Bro Bowl? We all took to the air over it. Well, not quite all. That's Justin Ryan.
Skater Profile: Justin Ryan
Skater Profile: Justin Ryan
Frosty 180'd it.
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
Skater Profile: Frosty The Snowman
Does the bachelor have a rat tail?
Skater Profile: Ryan Clements
Skater Profile: Ryan Clements
The younger dudes in the crew had their boards going upside down.
Skater Profile: Dylan Perry
Skater Profile: Dylan Perry
The older you get, the more you tend to stand up when you ollie.
Skater Profile: Barak Wiser
Skater Profile: Barak Wiser
No set date on exactly when Seamus will be bringing food to your table at The Bricks, but as soon as we know, you'll know.
Lako looks like he should be selling sketchy knick nacks on Venice Beach or something. His job is to pack it in the ASS (Asian Sweat Shop - online order packing) at SPoT.
Hooters Channelside is very accessible by skateboard with many smooth roads leading in. This is not Stalker Steve's normal pile of Honey Buns for a meal. Looks like he's pretty hyped.
Skater Profile: Stalker Steve
Skater Profile: Stalker Steve
There was some kind of song and dance done by the Hooters servers in honor or Ryan's coming cermony.
Skater Profile: Ryan Clements
Skater Profile: Ryan Clements
A tri-fecta of Tampa Kits.
Our server said she used to come to Skatepark of Tampa 10 years ago. Get back on the board, woman.
After getting good and sauced up at Hooters, it's a dark skate over to the local strip bar, Skin.
Not that cool when they got two girls working and like 20 dudes show up.
It's pretty sketchy taking a stealth photo in a full nude strip bar with a giant ass camera. We didn't last long at this scene.
Maybe Dylan Perry had one too many O'Doole's in there. The hostest at Skin was encouraging some stair jumping.
Skater Profile: Dylan Perry
Skater Profile: Dylan Perry
Next we were onto 7th Avenue in Ybor where just seconds before we arrived, this drunk driver went diagonal, smashed a bench in front of the Ritz, and hit a tree. He could have killed any one of us.
Been in Reservoir Bar lately? The scene is pretty standard.
Pee Wee Kirks and the aging SPoT locals are in Reservoir on the regular. When you got a butt on your face and Florida on your forehead, what's a little ink on the neck? Pee Wee's is brand new tonight. Good night everyone.
Skater Profile: Robbie Kirkland
Skater Profile: Robbie Kirkland
