Saturday, June 21, was the 5th annual Go Skateboarding Day (GSD) and more than 5000 skaters converged at the Brooklyn Banks to skate and hang out with their favorite pros and ams. GSD is a holiday in celebration of both the practice and culture of skateboarding. This year’s GSD coincided with Wild in the Streets, an annual skateboard event that was started in 2004 by Emerica.
Skating at the Brooklyn Banks was mostly focused around the 9 set and the quarter pipe and after a mad scramble for maps of the day’s spots we headed to the LES Skate Park in Chinatown, with Heath Kirchard towing people on his motorcycle. At this second spot the group joined a Stoked Mentoring event complete with a DJ and Red Bull girls giving away free Red Bull. With all the skaters crowding in to the park there was barely enough room for Andrew Reynolds to bust out a huge front-side flip over the pyramid.
The third stop of the day was Tompkins Square Park, where everyone had a chance to catch their breaths before heading over the Williamsburg Bridge and all the way to an awesome block party outside KCDC skate shop in Brooklyn where there was more skating, more pros, more music, and of course free pizza.
Unlike last year, there were almost no police, or at least none that anyone listened to, until we got to KCDC, when the mass of skaters caused the street to be shut down. Even after a BMXer tried to wally up onto a stopped cab earlier in the day and ended up going through the windshield the police were no where to be seen. Last year’s event had about 1200 skaters and a full police escort.
The crowd in and around KCDC lasted into the evening with some of the skaters leaving to go to the Supreme Trading after party with Voodoo Fe, Game Rebellion, and Slick Rick.
More pictures from this year's GSD/ Wild in the Streets can be found here http://flickr.com/photos/alexnathanson/sets/72157603686812317/
Last year’s GSD coverage is available at http://alexnathanson.blogspot.com/2007/08/go-skateboarding-day.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment