skateboarding ...
[for those who enjoy surf-skating , 'old school' style ....
... this guy , Richard Hiatt , over at 'Facebook' has been putting up some photos from the past and present ... enjoy !]
cheers ,
ben
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.208861902472323.54903.100000455441939
[ I hope this link works ...if for some reason it doesn't ? I'm sure a 'google search' under 'Richard Hiatt , skater [Facebook] ' , or similar , would show some shots ...cheers , guys !]
(Richard's comment , on the Melton skatepark pic ....)
" Melton was 14feet one side . 8 ft the other and tapered of to three foot in the shallow end about 150 ft long small snake into it and a really shit bowl at the deep end that was used mainly as a rollin for blasting big lofty airs on the eight ft wall. Johnny McGrath , wedge francis , and Adrian aerial Jones still all skate. Adrian shreds , Johnny skates occasionally and still leaves every one pondering , and Wedge carves anything to pieces "
wow... Robert "Wedge" Francis would be well into his fifties [!] , now ...
.....I guess Tony Alva , and Stacy Peralta , and Jim Muir would also all be pushing that [the ? mid-50s] , too ? [in America ]
When I was growing up in Sydney, reading "Skateboarder" magazine in the 1970s , those guys were a few years older than me [except Jay , I think he was my age , from memory ...so that would make him a 50 year old skater , if he still charges !]
.... Does Jay Adams still skate ? anyone ?
cheers !
Ben
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.151122751579572.26522.100000455441939
and ....
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.210321448993035.58098.100000455441939
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.160469280644919.34754.100000455441939
Hey Ben,
I read something within the past two years, someone doing an interview with Jay in Honolulu. As I remember Jay told the interviewer to come by at 7:30 am, but the guy showed up late, and found a note, saying “Sorry I missed you, I had to go skating” - he had headed up to some pipe or bowl, it was more important to him than the interview.
I did a cursory look for it here, (on the Juice website), but couldn’t find it.
thanks for that , Moss !!
let's hope that interviewer learnt something from that experience ....
Hello Ben, the first link took me to a facebook photo album titled "Renton's comp .2011"
I think the full name might be Renton Millar - vert skater from Melbourne - see this incredible youtube vid of him on a Melbourne ramp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCAIJVyQjt4
he is not that old, in his thirties. However Wedge Francis still skates and is 50, I think thats what he said when I saw him at a council skatepark meeting. There are a bunch of them known as Melbourne Old School Skaters aka MOSS.
I'm not too enthused about Jay Adams - his past is a bit too dark, but Alva still shreds pools.
I'm 50 and skate - more than I surf due to my city location, but don't do old school or vert - I prefer new school - at a fairly low level lol
If you want to skate with other middle-aged skaters or correspond online then charliedontskate.com forum is Oz centric and a good start. US centric forum for the old skaters is oldmanarmy.com and the UK centric forum is middle-age-shred.com Although of course the forums have international members too.
thanks very much MR. J , most helpful
melbourne , and vicco in general , have some great skate parks , eh !!
the stuff richard is posting on facebook is everything from the nunawadding pipes to mordiallic [?sp?] to stuff on the sunshine coast , and sydney stuff ..the man gets around , and obviously from the recent shots of him , he still RIPS !!
CHEERS !
Ben
no worries Ben,
yes Vicco has I believe the highest concentration of skateparks in Aus - this link shows the location of parks in Aus. http://skateboard.com.au/v2/index.cfm?smithgrind=search
you may know your locals already but in case it helps the advanced search on the above link is a bit stuffed, but if you choose the Country list box of Australia, the state of WA and don’t touch the “rating” and “sort by” choices you will see them
I remember you posted a pic of yourself in a WA skatepark on Swaylocks some years ago - at that point I wasn’t skating, but I remember your pic and subconciously I wanted to skate. Nowadays I can’t get enough and have to structure my weekly routine to avoid over use injuries - this new school stuff is rough on the middle aged frame!
me at one end of the Melbourne city skatepark. I like this pic coz it has the sun shining on the caps of my kneepads 
thanks J , you're the only ollieing grandad i know !