Thursday, August 13, 2009

AUSSIE SKATE TEAM IN USA

So for the past week Kieran Rielly, Jake Duncombe, Joe Pease, Jack Fardell and Shane Azar have been been in the states on a summer vacation.They have decided to take a 10 day trip up to San Jose, Sacramento and San Francisco. They are accompanied by Andrew Mapstone who will be documenting them on film and Mikendo Stanfield with the Video Camera.


The trip has been going to 2 days so far, and here are some pics of the Journey so far. Enjoy!!!


A little Danny’s to get the day started


Big meals for next to nothing!


Fardell has a new hair style...still has not perfected it.


Kizza and Jake are getting Gnarly!


Kieren starts a spit ball war that escalates further than expected


The dash board was the main Victim.


Nothing fazes Mapstone while on a mission!!!


The Trips already got Azar pulling crazy eyes


Everyone feeling a little kinked


Azar not happy having to clean the spit balls


Jake and Joe doing something creepy in the back of the van.


Day 2 proved to be as productive as the previous. Today we met up with Caswell Berry and his dog Miller, they showed us what town had to offer in the form of skate spots, and in the way of ledge wax. San Jose is proving to be my favourite city in America to skate. All the spots are super close together, and there are a lot of them. Here are some pics from today, enjoy!

Caswell and Miller


Mapstone and Mikendo doing what they do best.


This spot is amazing...and really hard to skate


Yo!

Duncombe flipping over a gap into one steep ass bank.

Mappa don’t mind a little dirty water if it means a quality photo


Azar has some crazy angels...


What is ledge wax like in your town...resemble anything?


Spot was rough as guts, and it took some skin form Azar


That is one hell of a mustache!!!


Duncombe got the highest marks in the wall ride challenge.


Jakes trying to hide his board...

I no I told you all we were heading to Sacramento 2 days ago, but we are still here in San Jose, the spots are just too good. Everyday we find ourselves still skating at 9 at night and every night we have something else we want to hit the next day. I know iv said it before but today will be our last day here, we have 2 spots the the guys wanna hit then its off to sacto!


Check these happy snaps from yesterday!


Jake pointing at his Thrasher Skate and Destroy Cancer sticker


Jake needed a little re alignment on his back


Mikendo looking into the distance... What tricks will he see?


Jakes board could not handle the pressure


Sweet spot if you could open the gate???


So Caswell did!

Little team work to get the the branches out of harms way

Kizza about to handle some business


Then Joe ended the day with some push ups!!


Day 5 started great..good sleep, good breaky, good warm up. Then we went skating! Below you will see how today went better for some than others. Enjoy!


It started off all flowers and dandy...



Then we found some pint size beers.


Then off to the hanger... Great time!


Silhouette pics are cool.


Then it was off street skating.. Here is where the day got worse for one of us that being Me. Fell all the way to the road Backwards. Smashed my head up pretty good, and my hip too.


And here is the top! Nice isnt it...

I was’nt feeling too bad, so we hit a few more spots.

Then it was home time for some of the best Mexican we have ever had!


So all in all the day was’nt a throw away, yeah I came off second best, but the other guys got the job done, and as they say...Tomorrow is another day. Lets see what it has in store for us!


Day 6 was another cracker. The spots just keep coming and the crew just keep smashing them out. Its actually dawning on me now that we will be back in the area of LA soon and all the spots that we are enjoying now, will be so far away. Leaving us to scavenge for spots like all the other crew in LA. That is a depressing thought. Especially seeing im injured and can only watch the guys skate these amazing spot.


So anyway, today Jack was last ready again... And Mapstone, kieran and myself thought it would be a good idea to teach him a lesson. We filled a bucket full of ice and water, tricked him into walking out onto the balcony and boom. Kieran covered him in the coldest water he ever felt. Don’t think Jack thought it was as funny as the rest of us did? Oh well haha..


Jacks wet body. Ladies, ladies please stop dribbling...


With my body broken, only use left for me is to drive!


Somehow we manage to water the wildlife ever where we go.


Still struggles with a sticker job, but god the kids gotten smart. Pulling pranks for days on the rest of us...Be warned!


The boys sizing up some gnarly rail.


Little warm up ollie... Maybe not so little.


This is Mossimo our Sacto tour guide. Kids got mad spots and films like a vet.


Jake trying to stretch out his ruined back. Someone really needs to fix this dudes body! He is killing it on this trip, and yet if his back were in good shape we all no he would be going even crazier. If that’s possible???


Getting to the end of the trip now... Last day in sacto today. We had a good time here. Spots were tight, and the weather wasn’t too hot.(bloody hot though) we were meant to be heading to SF today, but all the hotels in town are booked out for some reason, so it was off to Berkeley... Place is ok. We went 10 pin bowling and the security guards there wore bullet proof vest’s. That shit is weird to us Aussies... Who thinks about killing someone while your Bowling??? Bloody America man, this place sure can be weird to us... But god we love it. Every town we go to there is some thing so strange and foreign to us, but that’s the reason we love it I guess. The excitement of the un known, the culture, the people. It truly is a great experience to travel through America.


Peep the pics from today...


Kieran warmin up on a newish Sacto spot.


Nintendo Mikendo copped some sheep metal to the face.


Kieran and Jake found some funny sunnies


When your that big, you sit however the hell you want.


Fardell bowling. Not bad, but no match for mikendo


Mikendo 7 strikes in a row!


Joe shooting some pool at the bar


Can take the boys out of the gold coast, but you cant take the bla bla blah


So this was our last day of the trip. And usually that means you just drive home. But not for this crew. Joe had some unfinished business back near San Jose, so thats where we went. Joe smashed out 2 of the tightest tricks of the trip on the last day. After he did that it was a 6 hour drive home, filled with plenty of beers laughs.


Hope you have enjoyed our trip