Bigspin Magazine Issue 1

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THE FIRST ISSUE STREETS MADE US & SAF 2 CHINA TOUR DORFUS INTERVIEW ELAN PHOTOCOMP CHURCHILL RD STURT CREEK

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QUARTERLY WINTER 2012


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CONTENTS Intro: Welcome to bigspin | 6 The China Syndrome | 10 Your Local | Churchill Rd Boff! | 14 Classic Spot | Sturt Creek | 18 interview | Dorfus |22 PhotoBombs | 26 Video Review | 36 Elan Photo Comp | 37 Next Issue | 37 Back Page | 40

Cover: Dale McDermott takes out the inaugural front cover spot. Fifty-Fifty at an inner east school. Photo: Andre Castellucci


Here: Cale Nuske stonks a massive nollie flip into the bunker banks on South Road. Photo: Jarrod Knoblauch


TO BIGSPIN

WELCOME

MAGAZINE

FROM BIRTH YOU ARE LED TO BELIEVE YOU SHOULD FOLLOW THE TRIBE AND COMPLY WITH MAINSTREAM SOCIETY, GET A REAL JOB, PLAY A REAL SPORT, CONTRIBUTE TO THE MACHINE. All those cogs from the machine grind away, emitting the same frustrating undertone: ”When are you going to grow out of it?” “You’re wasting you time” “Why don’t you play a team sport?” They say this for your own welfare, to help prepare you for the real world, to help build a foundation for compliance. What they don’t realise is; that little piece of wood gives you the freedom to create whatever you want from life. It inspires you to confront your fears, to love your fellow man and go into the real world and battle like a true warrior does. We can and will achieve anything with this piece of wood by our side. This magazine has been built to support all the skateboarding warriors out there. So whether you are just a beginner or you’re the best, we have created this for you. By Matthew Symons

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Photo: Andre Castellucci

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The China Syndrome In the movie, The China Syndrome, a nuclear reactor melts down and bores a hole right through the earth to the other side, which is apparently America. The polar opposite in many ways to the heartland of skateboarding, the USA, China continues to draw skaters from around the world on filming missions for those perfect marble spots. Despite being plagued by a couple of early meltdowns in the form of two knee reconstructions, in March a bunch of Adelaide heads set off on their own

Andrew Walker. Kickflip to Fakie Going to China with Walker was awesome. Although he was much more subdued than everyone else he made up for it by the first one up and ready to skate every morning. He knew the tricks he wanted and where he wanted to do them. Walker acts like a boss in all facets of skateboarding, from how he runs his company to how he films a section. His part in the upcoming “Streets Made Us� video will definitely be a banger. Now if only he could choose between a rusty trombone or a mahogany boat.

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Photos and captions: Jarrod Knobluach


search, logging footage for upcoming Adelaide films, SAF 2 and Streets Made Us. Andy Walker, Tom Reilly, Goodalls, Dunsby, Liam Casey, Jarrod Nicholson and the Knoblauch brothers plundered their way through Shenzhen, Quanzhou and beyond and came back with the goods from the land of the red dragon. Check the vids for full exposure of their exploits, but in the meantime, heres a couple of shots.

Sam Goodall. Ollie into the bank. Hanging out with Sam is generally crazy enough but travelling to China with him was another level. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him I would say he is best described as a reasonable as guy who has an amazing ability to get any situation completely nutting. While we were on this trip Sam managed to buy every gadget the electronics markets had, eat 50 oysters and a skewer of cat in one sitting only to give himself food poisoning, get engaged to a Chinese girl he had only just met and handle all his business with a longneck in his hand at all times.


The China Syndrome

Braydon probably skated the most out of anybody on the trip, He also slammed more that anybody on the trip and by the end of the trip he could barely walk. Right after stomping the hardflip, Braydon slipped out on the buttery Chinese marble and smashed his dome. He was all good but just had to relieve some stress which he did by focusing his board over a fire hydrant. Braydon kinda has a short fuse but he definitely rips.

Braydon Knoblauch, Switch Hardflip

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Photo Jared Nicholson

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CHURCHILL RD SKATEPARK

BOFF Story: Lee Skrabanich Photos: Alcorn

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Top:The local park monster, Sam Goodall tre flip over the wall Sequence: Another certified local Lee Skrabanich with his signature feeble along the length of the ledge. Photos: Alcorn


Nestled in the inner western suburb of Prospect lies what used to be one of “those” skate parks that was rightfully overlooked due to the all too frequent curse of inappropriate surfaces and even poorer design. How does this continue to happen? Surely there are enough skaters in the community to consult if a council is making the gesture to embrace our sub-culture and spend money on a facility? (Inappropriate soapbox moment? You betcha! Another article perhaps.) The year is 2010 and with the shitty old asphalt removed, adjustments to weird ledges and some seriously smooth cement poured, this little place has become a great spot to roll just out of the city. It’s a fairly standard layout. There’s a mellow quarter at one end, a pyramid in the middle and a bank with some mellow quarters either side at the opposite end. There’s a great ledge and a flat bar too. Somehow the simplicity of it all makes for hours of entertainment, as does the awesome crew that you’ll find frequenting Churchies. On any given afternoon, Adelaide’s finest will be found blowing minds. If you’re especially lucky you’ll hear the cry of “BOFF” and get a glimpse of Goodalls as he shreds the place at will. A truly amazing spectacle to witness. Explosive mind blowing brilliance! Churchies has become a great alternative to City Park, not only because of its location and fun terrain, but the park is actually a great place to chill. With plenty of trees and grass to keep cool between tricks and a crew that is welcoming and down to skate, this place is a diamond in the rough.

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CHURCHILL RD SKATEPARK

BOFF

This park draws all ages. Above, filmaker extraordinaire and Adelaide skate royalty, Bryan Mason fakie five-o’s the most skated part of the park.

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Above: Spring chicken Colin bangs an old school boneless over the box.

The Churchies Crew Jack Bridges will have you shaking your head with his effortless way of popping everything chest high. Smiles and styles for miles. Leo is one to watch, as is Rowan. Both these guys have me crashing my tail on the coping every time I see them rip. Leo will dominate the hip with some seriously sweet backside flips and Rowan is going to break the quarter soon with his powerful yet easy-as-you-like lip trickery. Andy Walker is a beast. Skating technician at warp speed. Bryan Mason has been giving the ledge the thrashing it

deserves too, creative and original. Henning is so good. He can do some of hardest tricks so sweetly you’d never suspect he was a Viking. Gilby, Dave (Mary Jane), Colin, Dave, and we couldn’t get away with not mentioning the park security and purveyor of candy Heavy D. So many crew to mention in such a short space. Sorry to all the other locals I missed, you all rule! If you don’t already know Churchill Rd Skate Park is located at: George Whittle Reserve, 56 Churchill Rd Prospect.

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Built in 1965 and running from Darlington through to Glenelg and into the Pat, the Sturt Creek Drain has stood to test of time as an icon of South Australian skateboarding for 47 odd years. Its been skated since probably the early 70’s. Local skate band The Slimeballs immortalised the spot in a song ensuring its legendary status for years to come. Starting at Bedford Park near the corner of Sturt and Marion road and winding its way through Marion, Morphetville and Glenelg past the new monument of West Beach skatepark, it’s skateable through most of its length in the Summer. Where to skate it? The Bridge at Sturt Road where it starts. There’s also the train bridge near Oaklands for the thill of a three carriage pass-over, the bank to wall at Daws Road and anything in between. But the thing that stands as its legacy is the fact it is still so skateable. We went back there for a session recently, and that thing is still as fun as ever. An overhanging tree provides a ripping green room, and despite the pigeon shit, carving under the bridge is smooth thanks to a painted surface - just watch you head on those pylons. The rest of it is pretty rough though, so be prepared to strap on some large soft wheels and to lose a layer of skin if thins go wrong. “Skated here ever since I was a kid - Sturt Creek Saw Wilbut do a caveman off the bridge - Sturt Creek Don’t let your board fall down into the slime - Sturt Creek Same thing’ll happen to yours what happened to mine - Sturt Creek” From Sturt Creek by the Slimeballs 18


Classic Spot

Sturt Creek

Story and Photos: Mark Alcorn

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“I am the explorer, the hunter of terrain When I’ve found what I’m looking for, it’s an empty drain.”

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Don’t fear the sweeper. Sac keeps it old school at all times, Baring skin to sandpaper concrete he lays it down. Sweeper to tail on one of Adelaides classic spots.


Tommo finds the line and chalks up some time in the green room After a quick tidy up with brooms and shovels, the line of the day was under the overhanging tree through the green room and over the drain pipe. Duck your head pick a high long line and go like hell. I can’t remember having so much fun just carving a flat bank. I forgot just how good the bank is too for flip tricks. Its big and long, there’s heaps of room, and you can bomb in off the top of the far side

to get enough speed. I vote next time we go back we build some obstacles into the bank though. Its begging for a ledge, a kicker or even just a parking block. There’s the challenge. When it dries out again next summer I want to see some improvements. If not, well, its still just a rad old school spot that has survived the generations of skaters who’ve lost skin there.

Young Jake Tomlinson mixing it with the dinosaurs. Boneless-one Photo: Chalmers I went for a roll down the drain to check out the hip a further down the drain.Who did I run into but Joel Van Moore, aka Vans the Omega putting the finishing touches to this masterpice. Check out some more of Joel’s work at his website: vanstheomega.com

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The Tim McDougal Interview Interviewed By Beau Williams. When I first got to Oz in the mid 90’s I did what every skater was born to do, I searched. One of the few jems I came across was Whitey’s 6th Sense indoor park. The joint was packed out due to a comp that was well under way. The scene was so rad because it seemed that every ripper in SA was there skating. Although one dude stood out head and shoulders above the rest, and that sick bastard was Tim McDougal, a.k.a. Dorfus. I remember being truly intimidated by his skating. He would hit every ramp in the place like it owed him money. I had butterflys in me gutty works just watching him rip. And I was thinking that’s how I wanna skate, I wanna feel what he feels. The greatest thing about skateboarding is the various styles that it is filled with. Trust me, I love them all but Tim’s style fires me up. Hesh or fresh, we’re all very fortunate to be on board... So I’m gonna ask my heshian amigo a few questions an I hope that whoever reads this may get a better understanding of one of SA’s finest sons. When, where and why did you start skating? Ah when, ‘86 yeah the summer of ‘86. Why, hmmm this is a story I’ve told before but I saw a skateboard hanging halfway between a fence and I took it and started bombing hills on me butt. So yeah, becuase it was fun trying to do 360’s while bombing hills on me butt. Who influenced you the most, or rather who did you look up to?

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Dorfus with the frontside bear claw deep to shallow at Flagstaff Hill. Photo: Alcorn


That would be the 80’s crowd from Fulham. Steve Gourlay, Milko, Sac, Wilbut, Ash, bloody Hogey, bloody Tommo yeah all the old Adelaide cunts... Can you recall when skateboarding truly took over your life? For me it was ollieing a stick on the sidewalk. Shit just changed... Yeah ‘88, ‘89 I saw Heith Almen ollie on to a curb, yep “one ball” Almen. I think the same day someone threw a used condom at us out their car window while we were skating on the street and I was wondering what that was. So seeing him ollie onto that that curb was it? That was the shit? Yep, yeah it was magic man. Fuck yeah.. Alright, raddest place you’ve ever rolled? Well I’ve been giving it to Burnside forever, just got a special fuckin stoke for it, special stoke to it. But otherwise, probably the most amazing place would be Geehi, the Dam in the Snowy Mountains. Big big pipe, thats the rollercoaster. What’s your take on the scene today? Ah the loves always there, you know to come from Portand Oregon back to Adelaide, with Burnside being my local for five years and to come back and seeing all my old mates all getting into it, all still skating. Still listening to music, good punk music. Just having a beer and a skate and just having a good time you know. It’s fucking great from as far as I can see. I mean I wish we could all skate together but some of us are getting on a bit and can’t mix it up in the street but fuck, let’s all skate together, fuknoath... What tricks haunts you? Ah, hmm maybe a frontside invert, yeah if anything realistically that’s it. I could do a flip trick but frontside invert yeah naw...

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“Ah yeah, build a fuckin’ compound. Free for all, skate utopia. Anyone could come build.”

Moonies’ utopian skate compound is coming along nicely. Dorfus lays into the vert ramp with a smith grind. Photo: Chalmers Righto, the trick you love, the go to? Fuckin’ grinding! Frontside grinds. Ah mate I could do like ten frontside grinds in a row and I’d be stoked. A great session to be had, who with and where? Ah fuck (sighs) Sorry man, these questions are fucked up. A great session, well that could be anywhere I would ever go I guess. Could be Adelaide, me mates at Flaggies, Fulham fucking where ever. West Beach, over in Melbourne with all the Melbourne cunts. Fuckin’ over in Sydney, hmm maybe not so much with the Sydney cunts, naw only joking (laughs). The Goldy or

W.A. fuckin’ wherever. Anywhere there’s a good stoke on the session and fuckin’ good times. Fuckin’ doesn’t matter Dude your a gem. Most folks would pin point it to one place. Who’s ripping in your eyes now? Yeah Beau, not you Beau but little Beau [Hinge].Yeah young Beau’s fucking amazing, he’s out there. He’s totally killing it. Me mates, Blocky and Peaky especially. Just anyone who’s having a good time skating, that stokes me. If you were givin a large sum of money to be


put solely towards skateboarding how would you spend it? Ah yeah, build a fuckin’ compound. Free for all, skate utopia. Anyone could come build. Places you wanna hit up? Ah FDR, Cayman Islands, Shanghai, all the new shit in Oz. Fuck dude I don’t know, just all the epic spots. I guess I’ll start with Australia. Music? I like old fuckin’ Thrash, fuckin’ Punk Rock, bloody Irish, love the Dubbliners. I Don’t really hate anything. Blues, yeah I got me old records all the

good stuff. Anybody else killing it amongst the young ones? Yep, Angus,Young Westy all those young ones... Upon leaving Tim’s house and enjoying the company of his wife and children I wished I had asked him more questions but I didn’t want to take up any more of the man’s time. So if you’ve got any then do yourself a favor and make his aquaintance. He’s a gnarly bastard on the board but off it you’ll find him to be a gentle, humble hombre.


This was taken at Sac’n’Sams BBQ Jam late last year. While the vert dogs were busy on the rusty behemoth, Ross Forknall was getting cheeky blunting the nipple in the bowls. Photo: Alcorn

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We came across this spot by getting lost on the way to another spot. Battling buses and complaining neighbours and with Lucy on the lookout, Kat landed this kickflip and we were on our way. Where is it? I honestly couldn’t find it again if I tried. Photos: Alcorn

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Clint Kenneally has been on a streak lately. Here he backside flips three times in a row, with Street League consistency, while Andy lurks in the background to get the clip. Photos: Andrew Rowe

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Do you think when Hitler commissioned the volkswagen beetle he pictured Eric Hoeberg ollieing its stylish wheel arch? Photo: Jarrod K

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Pete Smith takes his namesake backside in the deep end of Flaggies bowl in classic form. Photo: Alcorn

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One mans trash is another mans pleasure. Sure, it was sad when the old Mitsubishi plant at Tonsley closed putting thousands out of work, but now at least we can skate that rail. Dale McDermott backside lipslide. Photo: Andre Castellucci

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Beau Hinge, nose manual kickflip out. Seaford. Photos: Alcorn

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Video Review By Bryan Mason In the wonderful world of digital technology and the intron-net we now have the pleasure of being able to watch skating clips from all over the world, often only a day or two after they have been filmed. This form has been rapidly taking over from traditional skating videos. I think skate vids will always have a place but the immediacy of online clips means that company videos need to go further to stand out and grab peoples attention. Today’s clip that grabbed my attention comes from Adelaide, Osborne skatepark to be precise. This clip is the distillation of a single session at Osborne from Kat Wiliams with a few choice tricks from Jack Bridges thrown in for good measure.

Filmed by Andy Walker, Edited by Jared Nicholson and set to cruisy beats, this clip is just over a minute of shredding at this awesome new South Australian facility. Kat and Jack are so sick, both are super friendly, always seem up for a skate and they clearly rip.

Staff And Contributors Bigspin Magazine is; Mark Alcorn, Matthew Symons, Beau Williams and Dan Ivett Contributors: Andre Castelluci, Jarrod Knoblauch, Jared Nicholson, Andrew Rowe, Lee Skrabanich and Bryan Mason Printing and Pre-press by Dylan at Express Colour Logo Design by STORE Sales and advertising contact: sales@bigspinmagazine.com All other enquiries contact: 36

admin@bigspinmagazine.com Send us your photos for consideration in the mag to: photos@bigspinmagazine.com A big thanks to all those people who helped get this thing off the ground. It took a while for this first issue to get out, but now we will be releasing Quarterly. Look for the Spring Issue in 3 months. Cheers from www.bigspinmagazine.com


Elan Photo Comp: At Bigspin Magazine we want to include you in our content as much as possible. To get the ball rolling, we’re running a photo competition. Send us your photos to photos@bigspinmagazine.com and go into the running to win some fresh Elan product. 1st Place wins and Elan deck and a set of wheels 2nd-5th place win an Elan T-shirt Send us your preferred wheel, board and t-shirt size with your photos. We’ll annnounce the winners in the next issue. Not only that, we’ll try to run as many pics in the mag as we can, with all the rest posted online at www.bigspinmagazine.com Get shooting and send ‘em in. Last day for contributions is 30th August.

Andy Nicholls, FS Board Photo: Andre Castellucci

Next Issue.... Interviews: Double interview issue! The Stalwart, Andy Walker; and fresh off the back of his comp success, the Australian Amateur champion, Sam ‘Gunti’ Tran Park Check: The latest and greatest contribution to SA concrete: Osborne Reader Photo Comp: Yes, we will put you in the mag.That’s what it’s for after all More rad photobombs from across the state. In the meantime check the facebook page and the website for updates. Thanks for reading, and check the back page for the Streets of Adelaide photo of the day!

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Until Next Time...


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