Action Sports
Movin’ On Up to the Westside
The rush for westward expansion is alive and well in the Salt Lake Valley. Cheap land is available by the acres. You could think of places like West Valley, Rose Park, Kearns, West Jordan, Riverton and Herriman as the Louisiana Purchase: big, fertile land just waiting to be exploited by some rich white man. The exploitation of land, however, has an unexpected side effect. This side effect is advantageous for a skateboarder. … read more
Picture Me Rollin’: Mark Judd
I met Mark Judd a long time ago but it was back in the day of Connections. I saw him skating in a competition there and he was throwing bangers on the rails and shredding the park harder than anyone I had ever seen. He was pure energy. “I got like fifth place, but I thought I should have gotten better,” Judd recalled. I agree he should have. After that contest was over I knew he was a lifetime ripper. … read more
True to Form: The Sofa King Interview
When considering the symbolic nature of the rat in parallel with Willy Nevins, it becomes obvious why his alias is “Ratchild.” His art, music, skateboarding and writings are the proverbial foods for you to devour. Infected with the disease of creation, he rapidly spreads it through the streets he scurries through. … read more
SCDG: Salt City Shakers vs. FoCO Micro Bruisers
The Micro Bruisers from Fort Collins, Colorado visited Salt Lake City to skate against two of the leagues in the valley, the first of which were the Salt City Shakers on Saturday night followed by Wasatch Roller Derby on Sunday morning. These ladies had to have slept well on the bus ride home because the two Salt Lake leagues challenged their roller derby skills. The Micro Bruisers fought for their points and played well, but they were no match for the local gals.
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Wastach Roller Derby’s Midnight Terror vs. The FoCo Micro Bruisers
The girls from Wasatch Roller Derby’s Midnight Terror stepped onto the track early, obviously prepared for their bout against the Micro Bruisers of Fort Collins, Colorado. The Micro Bruisers had just woken up from their defeat against the Salt City Shakers the night before and seemed to be making some last minute adjustments before the bout began.
SCDG: Bomber Babes vs. Leave it to Cleavers
Watching teams having fun while playing roller derby is joy to behold and it was obvious to the crowd at the Salt Palace on Saturday night that the Bomber Babes and Leave it to Cleavers enjoy playing each other. This was the second bout of the 2010 season for both home teams. … read more
The Hilltop Aces vs. Railway Banditas
With only three jams of the bout played, the Railway Banditas were up by 20 points. It was looking pretty bad for the Hilltop Aces for the majority of the first half. The Aces really only had one jammer scoring the majority of their points–Over 25 of the points could be attributed to her, while the other jammers had less than ten points each to their names. … read more
I Left My Liver in San Francisco
I don’t really know how it all happened or where to start, so I’ll start as far back as I can remember. About a year ago, Mike Murdock invited me to a barbeque. But it wasn’t any ordinary barbeque: it was a barbeque to induct me into his gang, which shall henceforth be known as the International Gang of Awesomeness. Not only was I made a member, but I was now privy to all the rights and privileges pertaining to being a member of this gang. … read more
Water Loggin’
There are very few things that make for an epic day trip. The crew (one), the vibe (two) and location (three) can make or break a day trip much like a sharp sword can easily slice through skin. Mike Murdock, Sam Milianta, Mark Judd, Adam Dorobiala, Josh Joye, Conor Provenzano, Willy Nevins and myself recently traveled to the west desert to ride the Tree of Life’s (Sculpture by artist Karl Momen) outer wedges just off of I-80. With the first step of a great day trip locked down, it was time to move to the second step: setting the vibe. … read more
The Porter Pipe: Killing the Proverbial Panda
Ahh, the smell of fresh cut grass. The good lord gave us things like that and other things like half pipes and the American Dream to make life worth living. While the latter has become a thing of the past—stomped under foot by the big wigs in Washington, greed and anti-Americans everywhere—Kevin Templin, head brewer at Red Rock Brewing Co. in Salt Lake City, has taken it upon himself to make sure his eight-year-old son Porter gets a taste of the glory. In this case, a taste of cold refreshing glory is a three-foot half pipe in his very own backyard. … read more