VLCM Groms ACT

Over a year ago Volcom in the cold Canberra winter held the WITP Champs at Belco Skatepark. Wild in the Parks comp series is more of a comp for the kids, or the up and coming skaters. The prizes and product on offer are well worth the effort of showing up and breaking it off for best trick or maybe you getting recognized and scoring your first sponsor? Azar has these comps down, they run fast and smoothly but most of all they are fun. Almost everyone walks away with some goodies and a smile on their face. This being the WITP champs skaters had turned up from all over Australia and even New Zealand. As for the belco park, man that place is fun.

Strangely for an event Canberra really turned it on for us, the day of the comp the weather was beautiful and the sun shined on. With the comp done and dusted, the real fun began and we had a few days of ACT street skating a head of us. If you have never spent anytime in Canberra for skating you are really missing out. Its cold in winter but its the best for skateboarding, a great skate scene heaps, of good parks and so many good skate spots. Not to forget Dad Cam Nigel and the Crew, and don�t for get the Hesh Skate Core of Canberra Luke and his beard. Cheeny is way fun to watch skate also. He goes for it! We had the Crew from Rush TV come along and doco the trip, TV style.

I was a mess on this trip, I had just fallen of the vert ramp to flat and really messed myself up. So with only one half of my body working I hobbled around the whole time and tried to shot the comp and tour with one arm. I dont know what hurt more? Being at all the good spots and skateparks and not being able to skate, or the pain of a broken shoulder, hip and face. Or maybe it was taking lip off Nik and not being able to kick his ass or chase after him when he got smart or stole something off me? Yep Nik being the elder of the crew and the bad boy. Jay being the youngest and also a bad boy, but in a good way. All the kids were rad.

Over a year later and most of these kids have grown up. Mickey has gotten bigger and I think his braces off? But he is still the same kid, so hyped on everything and so keen to skate, he pretty much got a trick at every spot. Kobe has grown a foot and really found himself when it comes to trannie, making the most of all that big trannie up Gold Coast way and now ripping everything. Keanu has gotten fresher and tech-er. Jay? Well I haven�t seen him at all but I hope he and his Dad are well, and I can only hope Jay is still a bad ass tough little bugger, he had me siked the whole trip, watching him skate was the radest. I know Nik is still a smart ass punk thats for sure, only he has more tricks, done more man-ly add to that a costume change and he has really found himself. Maybe its the direction of Dane? Azar well he is a dad now and still running Skate at Volcom underway is the next round of WITP comps next weekend Sept 21st at the Lefrevre skateparkOsborne SA. Vans and Volcom Team will be demoing on the Date, tones of give aways, pizza and redbulls. Come along and I will see you there!

Anyways here is a look at our trip, some of the photos have gone missing along the way (used) but what you see here will give you an idea of the Gems in Canberra, and the size of the skaters involved. Groms? Thats a surf term, can we call em skate-rats instead?