Whitley Bay Skatepark update

Here's an update from Ros who works for North Tyneside Council:

From outside the barriers the site looks small but once inside it feels bigger. It won't be the biggest skatepark in the world but there will bedifferent lines to ride and skate. There have been a few tweaks for variousreasons but the main design is more or less the same as last time.

So as a little reminder this is what we will have (will try to remember all the bits!)

Near Panama Bowl Gardens entrance we have: Panama Bowl 1.5 m ( 5ft) deep plus 1 m over vert (could use it as halfpipe) dropping to 2.1 m (7 ft deep kidney bowl) Kidney bowl has hipped saddle 1.5 m (5 ft) deep drop into bowl with 60 cm drop to skate area leading to driveway. 1.2 m high flat bank with transitioned Hubba and 1.2 m transition to Driveway and Wall ride.

Driveway is 0.75 m high flatbanks with transitioned edges. Wallride is 1.95 m at highest point going to 1.5 m at either side.

There is a slight change to the roll over where it was hipped to the wallnearest the path.The "Wave" wall leads round to the Promenade Bowl (near the prom!) There is now a 1.2 m high platform area that goes to a flatbank leading to ground level behind the Promenade bowl. There is also a ledge next to this flatbank that goes behind the bowl and joins up to the flat bank and stair set on the side of the bowl! The ledge is 90 cm at the highest point from ground level. The Promenade bowl is 1.8m high.

Going back to the Panama Bowl street side. On the flat leading to the Hubba there will be a grind rail 30 cm high. On the grass bank side of thePanama Bowl there will be a curved block 60 cm high. As you go towardsthe Pier 7 and flatbanks there will be a 30 cm high Manual pad to one sidenear the grass bank. The Pier 7 is still 15 cm high on one side and goes to 45 cm drop. The Hubba on the grass bank side is 60 cm high The Jersey Barrier is next to the flat bank with Pier 7. It has a transitioned bottom and flatbanks below leading to the driveway. There are also transitions hips leading from the street area to the driveway. As you leave the Pier 7 you travel along to the Stair set with Hubba, Rail Flatbank and ledge behind the Promenade Bowl. Before you get to the stair set there is a stand alone block 45 cm high and a block to the side near the grass bank 60 cm high. As you go down the stair set you come to the Taco in the tight corner. It has been moved to one side near to the grass bank side. It now has a bitof a hip at the back of it to one side . Should be interesting. The Taco is 1.2 m high.

Well hope this helps. Good day to be out skating and riding.

Speak to you soon.

Regards Ros

Rosalind J. Taylor

Urban Games Development Officer

Play and Urban Games SectionLocality and Preventative Services

Children Young People and Learning Directorate

North Tyneside Council

Unicorn House

North Shields

Tyne and Wear

NE30 1BB

Tel: 0191 200 5449 Fax: 0191 200 1700

Mobile No: 07855506082

rosalind.taylor@northtyneside.gov.uk

best blog ever??

LEARN HOW TO HAVE FUN

Really well written, great lunch time reading. Get to it

Scotty T and The Count's backyard ramp!

its tight as hell and difficult but fun to ride, once the other 2 sides are done their backyard will be class. Marty was airing out of the top after about 2 minutes riding the thing..

shit photo but you get the idea

Jo Oliphant Interview

I've ridden with Jo for as long as I can remember and he's come along way from the scrawny kid who used to always wear a helmet, not just in height but also in bike control and style. He doesnt really pay too much attention to what's hot and what's not in the BMX fashion world and you definitely won't catch him with his seat slammed to the top tube or wearing a New Era hat. Above all he's just a good lad who loves life and loves riding bikes.  - Mexican John

Name: Jo Oliphant

Age: 21

Star sign: virgo

Chinese year: Fire Tiger

Years riding : 7/8

Favourite tricks: Toboggan, 360's, Peg tricks.

Other interests: Smoking, drinking, drumming, driving.

Music: Metal, hardcore punk and Drum and Bass, hip hop and a bit of techno.

How did you get into riding?

My first school library had a sweet old 80's book about bmx racing which i used to read every time i had to do silent reading, i managed to get me mam to get us my first bmx; £20 second hand from the spanish city market it was fucking class it was some raleigh burner style derivative with a massive white 2.2 front tyre, i got ripped for it like, but it was a start. At about 13 I built a shady 5ft quarter in my garden, a grind box and a rail which was class word got out and being from Whitley bay it wasn't long before i met the locals John Bowman, Tom and Dan.

What is your most memorable session?

In Whitley bay on the site of the current mall there was a derelict bus station which was in the process of being demolished there was loads of timber and sheets of ply so we built a 15-20ft wide ghetto quarter against a building in the car park next to the site. It was there for a month or so it was really good, there was one evening when everyone was out, the south shields and sunderland riders were up. Marty, Will and english hop Hodas had just started riding. You cant beat a summers evening session.

Favourite spot: 

The Ferguson's banks in holystone, an old lorry depot with the best flat bank fence set up. We found the spot about five years ago but it was never unridable because the yard was always full of HGV's until recently.

Who are some of your favourite riders who have influenced the way you ride or just enjoy watching?

Matt Beringer is definitely one of my favourite riders, but you don't tend to see that much of him riding, more just pissing around with horse masks hoying his stomach through the nose holes. i like his off the cuff style and his pedal, crank, peg chink shenanigans, I'm definitely a fan of novel trickery.

Ruben is another favourite, simple yet ridiculous, the street reelie into a ten set off a ledge in Grounded and basically every video part he has done has been epic.

Aitkin - 5050 section.

There are loads of randoms: Sinisi, tiseo, martinez, hamilton.....

I think most of my influences come more from the people I'm riding with, rather than those I'm watching. I find watching bmx gives you the motivation to go out and ride, and riding with different people influences your individual style, or lack of it.

What kind of things do you look for to ride when you are out street riding?

I'm a peg man so mainly rails, ledges, sub box's, benches etc. My favourite set up would be a flat bank to jersey barrier set up. I also thrive on wall rides and (preferably) grass bank hips.

Do you pay much attention to the BMX media, magazines and videos etc?

I used to be a subscriber to all the mags but just got bit bored, i only ever bought it for the pictures anyway and I've sort of grown out of covering my walls in shite, you see them on the net anyway, which will probably be the downfall of the magazine world. Anyway no i don't read mags, there 4 quid a pop anyway, rather get an autotrader.

Videos is the way, mainly youtube / vimeo based but do purchase the odd one every now and then if its a good'n.

What do you think of the skatepark that is getting built a stone’s throw from your house? Do you think it will be good for the scene down on the coast?

Its been a long time coming, ever since i started riding there has been efforts to get a free outdoor park, especially with the closure of vertigo and fast eddies, not to mention skate city ( who didn't allow bikes but was subject to the odd rebel run now and again). I cant wait, I've been keeping up to date with the progress, its going to be so motivating just rolling down the park when ever i get some spare time.

The skate park is not the only thing happening in Whitley, it is part of a full regeneration project for the promenade and links area which, from the initial proposals, looks to be promising for street riding with all manner of modern architecture, ledges and stair set ups.....nice.

Riders wise the coast has lost a few to the likes of Heaton and Fenham but the scene was never that massive down here anyway, riding always involved a bit of travelling whether that be to Newcastle or South Shields but with a new park and summer coming there'll be plenty sweet late nights down the park . Roll on summer....

Joe Rich

Its hard to find any rider who does not like Joe Rich. He has been killing it for as long as I can remember, back in the old days riding for Standard rocking a front brake and a full face with Luc E, heavily featuring in the original (and best) Road fools ten years ago and not to mention founding one the most respected and first rider owned companies in Terrible One. I think his style of riding is rare these days in an era of triple whips and front flip flairs, a few tricks and raw power go along way in my book. His section in Etnies Grounded is proof of that, arguably one of the best sections on the video.. who needs tricks when your hitting 7ft hips at 100mph?

Joe Rich, nose carve over the hip.. sick as fuck

T1's new stem, nice and tidy..

Some new riding photos..

Federal Bikes rider Marty 'Wienerman' Meenaghan ripping it up in Benton, North Tyneside