Billy Clark

Billy is a classic Prescott skateboarder.  He dealt with the rough spots before the skatepark was built.  We ran with different crews so we didn’t cross paths often, but during the early days of the park we became acquainted.  Even though we didn’t really know each other we always had good sessions together because we were around the same level, but more importantly we liked to have fun.

As time went on he got a skate-van and collected countless stories.  He hung out and went on trips with good kids around his own age and adults that were often questionably sketchy.  As I said, he is a classic Prescott skater.  His skating is strong and surprising.  He doesn’t skate often, but after twenty-plus years on the board he still has the ability to beat some of the best kids in the area at SKATE.  People will never know all the tricks Billy has done, and somehow it is better that way for the man known as Chicken Hammer.

Several years ago I came up with a set of questions about skateboarding.  These were Billy’s answers.

What isn’t like skating?
-Everying else.

You can also watch Billy skate Prescott Park and then take a tour of his classic skate-van.

Name: Billy Clark
Age: 18
Type of Job/Schooling: Highschool, Motorcycle tech, Yavapai College Clerk
Years Skating: 13

What’s your first skateboarding memory?
-Fifth birthday, Grandma bought me a square tail punk nose board.  Haha.

What’s your favorite skateboarding memory?
-Having big sessions, skating pools.  Before everyone moved to Oregon.

Ever quit?  Want to, or say you’ll quit?
-No.

Where did you start?  Did that influence you?
-Southern California.  Don’t think it has influence.

How would you describe the feeling of skateboarding?
-Accomplishment.  Self-discipline, pain tolerance, exciting, adrenaline rushing.  Fun.

Why do you keep skating?
-It’s like a hobby.  Some people work out some skate.  I keep skating because I love it.  If I don’t have anything I would have a skateboard.  Passionate.

Do you care about the history of skateboarding?
-The history of skateboarding influenced my skating.  Like old 80’s vids and shit.  Wouldn’t be here without it.

Do you care about the current skate media?
-Not particularly, but it’s cool to see friends in vids and mags, and just to see what’s up.

What else is like skateboarding to you?
-Nothing.  Not comparable.

What isn’t like skating?
-Everything else.

What was the first hard “trick” you worked for?
-Varial kickflips off curbs.  Haha.

Why work so hard for a trick?
-Why work so hard to get something done and get it done right?  Same reason anybody else would work for something.

What’s your favorite thing to do on a skateboard and why?
-I love to cruise and carve around, but throwing down some street stuff brings back memories.  Skating tranny.

Is there a trick you don’t think you’ll ever be able to do?
-Nollie tre-bomber – back tail – 360 shuv-it – backside grind, revert-reverts, skating a pool with no tranny.

What is most important about skateboarding to you?
-Havin’ a good time.

Is there any maneuver you would purposefully not do?
-Sure.

What’s the trick you can do every time that surprises you?
-Forward flips.

What’s your dream “tricks”?
-Gay-twists.  Stalefishes for now.  Ask tomorrow it will be different.

What’s your favorite terrain and why?
-Tranny.  Gives a rush and it’s not like sticking your hands in a blender.

What do you hate about skateboarding?
-Bad attitudes, poor sports, posers.

Best (worst) injury?  Healing time?
-Compressed disks causing swelling, pinching my sciatic nerve.  Healing forever.

How do you overcome fear.
-Don’t overthink.

Do you remember the details of your first setup?
-Inhouse blank deck, original Phantom trucks, blank wheels, Quicks bearings.

Did you start with friends or alone?
-Alone at first then made friends.

Was it hard or easy at first?
-Easy to push around and ollie but got harder.

Was there anyone or anything that especially inspired you to start or keep skating?
-Tom Fein, an old pro-turned-pastor made me drop in for the first time.

Do your parents ever have a problem with skateboarding?
-Not that I know of.

When did you realize you were a skater?
-Never thought of it that way.  Just pumps through my veins now.

How do you feel about skateboarding now compared to when you started?
-Seems like everyone skates now, but it doesn’t last for most people.

What is most important about skateboarding to you?
-Havin’ a good time.

How do you overcome fear?
-Don’t overthink.

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Peter Sundt

When Peter first moved to our scene I didn’t get to know him well because I rarely ran into him.  Maybe it was that or maybe I just wasn’t seeing him because he was always in the bowls that I avoided or out on trips.  Years later we became friends and he has become yet another skater that I am jealous of.

Peter knows his way around transitions, especially small ones.  The ways I have seen him glide, bend, and slide through tricks has that perfect mixture of sketch and skill.  It is a calm and quiet kind of ripping that is very similar to his general demeanor.  Peter skates so nonchalantly I wondered if he tried harder if he could “make-it”.  Then I laughed at that thought because the best part about his skating is that he doesn’t care and he is having fun, and it makes me want to have fun too.

Several years ago I came up with a set of questions about skateboarding.  These were Peter’s answers.

When did you realize you were a skater?
-When I sold my blades.

You can also watch Peter do 27 tricks on some tiny tranny here.

Name: Peter Sundt
Age: 18
Type of Job/Schooling:
Years Skating: 4

What’s your first skateboarding memory?
-Loony Toons board.

What’s your favorite skateboarding memory?
-Skating pools.

Ever quit?  Want to, or say you’ll quit?
-No.

Where did you start?  Did that influence you?
-The streets… No.

How would you describe the feeling of skateboarding?
-G.E.D.

Why do you keep skating?
-Because skate shoes look cool.

Do you care about the history of skateboarding?
-Yes.

Do you care about the current skate media?
-No.

What else is like skateboarding to you?
-Nothing.

What isn’t like skating?
-Cooking.

What was the first hard “trick” you worked for?
-If it’s too hard it’s not worth it.

Why work so hard for a trick?
-I don’t.

What’s your favorite thing to do on a skateboard and why?
-Powerslides because it sounds hard.

Is there a trick you don’t think you’ll ever be able to do?
-Most.

Why do you keep skating?
-Because skate shoes look cool.

Is there any maneuver you would purposefully not do?
-Anything Billy does.

What’s the trick you can do every time that surprises you?
-Crailslide.

What’s your dream “tricks”?
-None.

What’s your favorite terrain and why?
-Pools.

What do you hate about skateboarding?
-Not wanting to do it.

Best (worst) injury?  Healing time?
–

How do you overcome fear.
-Go slower.

Do you remember the details of your first setup?
-No.

Did you start with friends or alone?
-Alone.

Was it hard or easy at first?
-Fun.

Was there anyone or anything that especially inspired you to start or keep skating?
-Pool coping.

Do your parents ever have a problem with skateboarding?
-No.

When did you realize you were a skater?
-When I sold my blades.

How do you feel about skateboarding now compared to when you started?
-It was nice to me.

What is most important about skateboarding to you?
-Easiest label to get.

What do you hate about skateboarding?
-Not wanting to do it.

Castles Made of Concrete

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Life and Death of a DIY.

A post shared by B.U.D. (@ouroot) on Sep 24, 2014 at 1:59am PDT

When we began building our DIY spot I wanted to believe it could survive, but part of me was putting all that work into it expecting destruction and I was okay with that.  I was viewing it as a sandcastle destined to wash away in the seas, or more precisely, I looked at it as a ritual temporary creation like a sand painting or dry-painting.  I helped create our DIY as a sacred practice and it evoked moments of altered consciousness and deep clarity within myself.  It was also just simple awesome fun.

With my grand concepts of non-attachment in place I was able to handle the news of it’s destruction without a problem.  Our City posted a red notification of our “wrongdoing” and their intention to get rid of what we had done.  I thought they would clear away our work, but they went full out and also crushed the foundation we built upon.  I actually felt a strange pride that our joyful creations resulted in such a drastic reaction that likely cost more than we spent building it.

While I had initially thought I was detached from it’s possible destruction, when I actually went to see the remains of our DIY I got emotional.  I was alone and the first of the original builders to see it, and our wonderland was practically unrecognizable.  Suddenly my correlation to sand painting struck home teaching me about loss through skateboarding.  I helped create something and became familiar with nearly every inch of it, and then all of a sudden it was all obliterated.  As sad as it all makes me, I love the experience for it’s lesson and treasure every moment I shared with my friends.  I recommend it!