New obstacles!

    
Ted Canfield put these ledges in on the manual pad.  Thanks, Ted.  I take back all those horrible things I've been saying about you. Seriously, though, Ted has been putting in lots of great work fixing up the park while I sit back eating grapes like Caesar.  As you can see, this ledge is flat while the one at the other end slopes down.  Small stuff, but fun. 

Not to be outdone, I did a little sawing and hammering of my own.  Six days of pulling apart old ramps, de-nailing the pieces, and attaching warped wood later, the result looked like this:


Think those are cool?  You haven't seen anything yet.  Another update is right around the corner for all you stair lovers out there: see the bank?  The ledge is coming out and stairs are going in.   Probably a rail, too - since I'm so street.

SUMMER CAMP 2008
Our successful camp program returns in June, and is sure to be better than ever!  Camp will run during the first three weeks of June and the last three weeks of July.  Come for one week, all six, or just a couple of days - you're sure to have a blast either way.  Cost is $135 per week for members, $145 for non-members.  Lessons, games, activities, and FUN are all ingredients to our camp program!  New this year is a carpooling system that allows parents the option to help each other.  Call 770-683-7588 for more information or to sign up.

SPRING LOCK IN
Friday, May 16  11:00 PM - 7:00 AM
Here we go again!  Sure, there will be food, drinks, contests, and all-night fun, but this is a Factory lock in, so let's get to the real point: if you think can handle dodgeball with me, come out and see if you've got the ninja reflexes you think you have.
Call now to sign up!
Members $35, Non-members $45

SUPERHICK 2008
Friday/Saturday, June 6 & 7
One of the craziest events ever...seriously.  We are proud to host the Superhick inline contest again this year!  Want the deets?  Then go here.

AST DEW TOUR FREE FLOW CONTEST
 June 21 - 22
That's right - the Atlanta stop of the Free Flow series will be held right here at Factory Skatepark!  Saturday, June 21st will be the skate event and Sunday the 22nd will be the BMX contest.  Note that BOTH will feature street and vert!  Click the "events" tab for the flyer and check out the Free Flow Website for all the info.

SKATE BLOG:

APRIL FOOLISHNESS 2008

For those of you who were rash enough to actually miss the contest, I taunt you all!  You missed out.  April 18 & 19 marked the 2nd annual April Foolishness skate comp, and the level of skateboarding did not disappoint. Some highlights:

Gromm Street Beginner: the less indoctrinated of our clientele kept asking me what "gromm" meant.  In the olden days (i.e. prior to 1996) there was a term affixed to the typical little kid hanging out at the skatepark, which back then most likely consisted of...a vert ramp.  Maybe a mini, too, if you were lucky.  These kids often didn't even skate, and if they did you'd rarely catch one dropping in - after all, vert ramps were a whopping 11 feet tall.  These little guys were usually obnoxious varmints who got in the way a lot, and were known as "grommets."  Over the years, as times changed and the sport progressed, your average 10 year old got exponentially better.  Not only did he skate, he might be better than you.  Accordingly the term underwent a couple of changes, evolving from the initial full length derogatory version to today's short, more affectionate one.  Thus endeth the lesson on modern doctrinal skate terminology.  Here's what went down on Friday:

GROMM BEGINNER
- Alex Cheek, who insisted he wasn't a street skater, was forced by the announcer (me) to shut up and skate in the contest.  He ripped.
-William Mason, traditionally known for going big, falling, and spending his entire run re-trying one trick, really put it together.  He got stuff done first try and showed variety to boot.  You are learning, young jedi...a well-deserved 1st place.
GROMM ADVANCED
-Thomas Martino is a warrior.  Channel gap - backside, no less.
- DJ Pritts started with white pants and finished with....less-white pants.  Tech as heck, though.  Nice flip tricks.
-Niko Howard's 1st appearance in the advanced class was phenomenal.  This kid is amazing!  At one point he did this Rodney Mullenesque primo 50-50 drop in from the mini ramp quarterpipe.  That's a 12- inch platform with an eight foot drop behind him while he's on his board PRIMO.
-Nine year old Team Skater Carson Watring was on fire.  Carson's speed, lines, and use of the the whole course earned him 2nd place.  Yeah, buddy!  Awesome job.

Saturday was the main event, and featured a future staple of Factory Contests: the Cafe' Facques-Torrie, a concessions stand on steriods.  Thanks, Team Moms!

13 & UNDER VERT
-Dalton Price is new to the contest scene (and skating, for that matter), but already has a deep bag of tricks.  My favorite?  The Sphinx  (I just made the name up but the trick is real).  He goes up transition, plops down on his hands and knees, and goes back and forth.  Yes, really.
-Hayden Victer took a burly slam when he rolled in nearly straight on and landed waaaay down the tranny.  It stunned him but he got up, climbed the stairs, and got it done.  You're a gladiator, Hayden.
-John McClelland, who insisted he wasn't a vert skater any more, was forced by the announcer (Ray) to shut up and skate in the contest.  He ripped.

14 & OVER VERT
-Drew Trosclair is the man.  He's still working on getting over coping, yet decided to compete against two sponsored guys with a backyard vert ramp and another who has skated in the X Games twice.  Drew, I salute you.  Keep it up.
-Dalton Dern is siiiick!  DIALED 540s and kickflip indies, nearly zero blank walls, and good style were all his.
- I told Chris that I didn't care what he did as long as he went six feet.  He blasted a crooked cop at six and a half.

MINI RAMP
-Existential Conundrum: if a contest promoter/website guy is stuck in the office inputting scores during a mini ramp contest, did it really happen?

BOWL
-Did I mention Dalton Dern?  Well, he does more than ride vert.  Dalton pulled a blunt on the railing next to the wallride and a kickflip indy over the hip.  Wow.
- William Mason was up to his old tricks again.  Not content with the previous night's bomb drop off the side of the big pyramid, he did one into the bowl from a rickety fan that was bigger than he was.  Mark my words, this is a future X-Games Mega Ramp contestant.

13-16 STREET
- Carson Watring (he's nine, remember?) kicked butt this weekend.  He skated with the high school guys and got 4th.  Take that, you big teenagers!  This kid rules.
- Jeremy Barnett goes through a deck every 7 - 10 days. This week's unlucky board was an expensive carbon fiber version that cost his grandpa 80 bucks!  Jeremy went big in both runs but his deck was flexing like an english longbow at the Battle of Agincourt [trust me - the analogy works].  Better luck next time, J.

OPEN STREET
-This event was the most competitive and had the big prize - a week at Woodward Camp this summer. 
-Miami's Luke Ballard was a tech skater doing stuff nobody else was trying.  At 26 he was the old man of the group.
-Factory team skater Michael Soskin rules at switch tricks and does some of the best rail tricks on the team (backside lipslide?  Hello!).  Problem was, Dean painted the rail the night before and the slickness threw Soskin off.  I TOLD you it would make that rail too fast, Dean!  How can you look at yourself in the mirror!?
-West Georgia Skateshop sent a couple of guys to the contest.  Both were impressive.
-The showdown was between Factory wonderchild Austin Gordon and Florida ripper Jordan Price.  I told Austin before his second run that if he won he was going to Woodward.  Talk about determination:  Austin rolled in, pumped the turtle for speed, and pulled an incredible kickflip carve over the love seat.  No grab.  All feet, on an 11 foot vert quarter, gapping over a six foot ramp.  The place (and I) went nuts.  He continued on a warpath, delivering an outstanding run.  He finished his run and came over to me on Cloud Nine (sorry...bad pun). I confess that I thought Austin was headed for Woodward, but Jordan turned in a package of lines, tricks, and style that was absolutely flawless.  I was rooting for Flash Gordon, being his team manager and all, but the Judges Hath Spoken, and they awarded Jordan the win.  Not bad day for him, I'd say, having won Mini, Bowl, Open Street, and getting 3rd in Vert.  When the dust settled and one thousand and one slushies had been sold by le Cafe' Facques-Torrie, the following shredders went home with trophies, product, and big smiles:

Gromm Street Beginner
1- William Mason
2- Alex Cheek
3- Kaden Campbell

Gromm Street Advanced
1- Austin Gordon
2- Carson Watring
3- Niko Howard

13 & Under Vert
1- Austin Gordon
2- Hayden Victer
3- John McClelland

14 & Over Vert
1- Chris O'Reilly
2- Dalton Dern
3- Jordan Price

Mini Ramp
1- Jordan Price
2- Dalton Dern
3- Austin Gordon

Bowl
1- Jordan Price
2- Dalton Dern
3- Will Mayfield

13-16 Street
1- John McClelland
2- Alex Pierce
3- Craig Miller

Open Street
1- Jordan Price
2- Austin Gordon
3- Hayden Victer

Thanks to all the kids and parents that came out and made this event the success it was.  Also, thanks to Camp Woodward for sponsoring the contest.  Have fun this summer, Jordan!

Congratulations to Factory Skatepark's International Man Of Mystery Chris O'Reilly, who once again took his talents overseas to show 'em how we do it in Georgia.  The event was the Vans/UKSA Vert Contest and Chris got 6th.  He stayed with his vert buddy Paul Luc Ron-shreddy (he spells it "Ronchetti"), who has pulled some serious stuff on the Factory Ramp during his visits here.  Chris reportedly loves British food.  Here's a picture of him getting a feel for the ramp.

"Oh dear, my socks don't match my shirt!"
 

BMX BLOG:

In attendance last week was the Sputnic BMX Team, and man, did they tear this place up.  Johnny Devlin was icepicking the entire mini ramp, Tony Neyer was whipping and barspinning all over the place, Doug Horton was doing HUGE airs across the hip and channel gap, and Brett Clark took pulled a smooth 450 into the step-up hip in between spinning lies on the deck.

What upstanding young fellows....

Newcomer Mike Jones has the most interesting color combos on his bike ever...a camo stem and a purple seatpost go perfectly, wouldn't you say?  Mike is new to BMX at 30 years old, but I'd say he's progressing quickly enough - check this air on the 8 foot quarter.  Mike is officially over the coping and can now start practicing for the next Big Air contest. 

WINTER SPLINTER 2008

See Alex Johann's back wheel?  This picture is indicative of the entire day.  See below for the epic story.....
 

Overall champ of the day Alex Johann over 9 feet.     Photo: Jason Williams

Winter Splinter 2008…..I don’t even know where to begin.  This was the best bike event ever at the Factory Skatepark and maybe the best contest here, period.  56 Riders came out and destroyed the place, competing in Park, Vert, Bunnyhop, and High Air on the 11 foot quarter.  Talem Cowart started the day off right by bunnyhopping an astounding 46 inches, earning himself an unofficial world record by ½ an inch (for an official record, the equipment would have had to be exactly calibrated).  The High Air event was a huge crowd favorite since they were allowed onto the course to watch from the base of the huge quarterpipe.  Of the eight competitors, North Carolina’s Alex Johann and semi-local Kyle Kelsey were the two top dogs; Alex topped out at feet but exploded upon re-entry.  Kyle made it to eight and a half and rode away clean, pulling the win.


Zach Newman going way higher than I did.           Photo: Jason Williams

The Vert comp, typically a small event in modern BMX contests, ended up being a great success.  Eleven riders donned their gnar-masks and braved infamous 13-foot U Track.  The Am Class didn’t disappoint: youngsters Ian and Zane Bradley, all the way from New Hampshire, did sponsor Rye Airfield proud with tricks galore.  Ryan Davis copped a rad-itude by stalling out an icepick, looking at his buddies on the deck, and waving.  Jason Williams did scary high speed grind variations using different parts of his bike.  I thought he had it in the bag, but according to the judges I went high enough to squeak out the win by half a point.  Take that, Jason! Next year I’ll bribe them even more so it won’t be so close…
                       Kyle Kelsey, 360 Tailwhip.   Photo: Jason Williams

Pro Vert was amazing, especially considering that none of the superstar types were representing.  Kyle Kelsey turndowned, barspun, whipped, and inverted his way to third, all in a Pro-tec skate helmet, having forgotten his full face.  Kentucky’s Zach Newman airs higher opposite than most mortal men go their regular way.  Tricks aplenty, height, and true vert style got him second.  Alex Johann did an alley-oop carve across the entire ramp, then carved it his regular way while pointing at the EXPN camera man as he cruised by.  He pulled a superman seat grab (having never tried them before), high whips and flairs, and basically shut the place down.  Numbah One.

As always, the park event was ridiculous.  Demarcus Paul from Albany, Georgia may look like a Brooklyn rail and ledge wrecker but can mix up huge box jump and tranny tricks with his street repertoire.  This guy absolutely shredded.  A well deserved win in expert.  After all the breath holding, cheering, and wincing of the day, I wondered if Pro Park would be able to top everything.  Well, it did.  Local Niles Harper, whose team recently won the Georgia BMX Film competition, combined high airs and street bangers like a gap to hangover toothpick for third place.  North Carolina’s Darren Bouldin came through with a big gap to barspin and a 360 double whip to nail second.  The winner, and a guy lucky to have survived the day, was Alex Johann again.  Flipwhip? Check. Huge whip over the 11 foot quarter? Yep. 6 foot flair over it, too?  Uh-huh.  The guy ripped.  First place - plus bragging rights for taking home both park and vert while giving Kyle Kelsey a run for his money in high air.  Rumor has it that Alex is going to start intensive bunnyhop training with an old 40-pound S&M H.A.F. so he can beat Talem’s record next year.

Jason Williams supplied these great photos.  For more of his excellent work, check out his flickr page by clicking here. 

Another swell guy in the photography realm is George Jones.  He will be posting a zillion pictures from the contest in the coming days.  Check his site out here.  I've already spotted intermediate winner Brandon Dahn stylin' his way over the second box jump.  George, I expect to see at least 100 photos of myself, since I rode in so many events that both quad muscles were cramping by the time I got to pro park (and got second to last).

Some great videos are online documenting the day.  Click on these links for:
An overall capture (Filmer/editor Unknown so far)
High Air (Thanks To Barry Malik)
Bunnyhop and High Air (Thanks To Nick Weigand)
 

The comp was a huge success, made possible by Red Bull, Props, Primo, S&M, Lifetime Bikes, Kink, Odyssey, Animal, Maxxis, A Plus Siding/remodeling, Hooters, and the Factory Skatepark.  See you there next year!  Click the links below to check out the results.

                                                           - Noel                                                

WINTER SPLINTER 2008 RESULTS
Beginner
Intermediate
Expert
Masters
Pro
Amateur Vert
Pro Vert

FACTORY TRICK TIPS DVD IS OUT!

The critics agree: this is the first no doubt THE BEST tricks tips video that we have ever released!!  Combining the team skaters' talent, Shrader's editing skill and my soon-to-be-nominated-for-an-Academy Award narrating, this video is a real gem.  It has instructional content, some amazing action footage, a bloopers reel, and even a "skatepark etiquette" advice section.  At $9.99 a pop you can't go wrong, either.  Dean's gonna kill me once I tell him what making this thing cost us...if I sell roughly 20,000 of these it might just cover the production cost, so please buy one and help me keep my job.  

Factory's Online Skateshop is open! Click the "Online Store" tab on the menu.

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Hotel Info:

There are options for special hotel rates: in Newnan and by the 
airport. Newnan is 25 miles south of the airport and 35 miles south of 
downtown Atlanta. So if you stayed in Newnan, you would be right by the 
park. If you stayed by the airport, you would be 25 mins from the park. It's up to you.

Best Rates:
Holiday Inn Express - Newnan
770-251-2828
www.hiexpress.com 

Also try:

Jameson Inn - Newnan 
770-252-1236
newnan.ga@jamesoninns.com

Hampton inn - Newnan
770-253-9922
www.hamptoninn.com 

Comfort Inn - Atlanta Airport 
404-761-6500 
www.comfortinnatlantaairport.com 

The Westin Atlanta Airport 
www.westin.com/atlantaairport 
888-627-7211 (toll free reservations) 
(404) 762-7676 (local) 

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