the era of WOTR was great because it was pre instagram so less getting to see ridiculous skating on the regs.
It would normally be a similar crowd of people so everyone knew each other and people didn’t seem to take it too seriously (with exceptions of course).
It would pretty much just be a big sesh/piss up with the chance to win 20 quid
Get what you’re saying but I disagree. I think if a skatepark tried to hold a UK Champs style thing in 2019 the show of major faces from the UK scene would be pitiful vs. 15 years ago
More informal jams with tricks for cash (usually Nike/Adidas/Cons related) have taken over now and whilst I don’t go to them from what I see on IG they always look popping
I think it’s just that the names are different. There are well known skaters that us above a certain age will never have heard of. It just won’t be full of names that we all know from the mags because they are winding down. There are plenty of skaters taking their place just that we are not seeing them.
It’s like skaters from the eightees saying that there are no famous celebrity skaters in the ninetees and the reason is that they are not reading the new magazines or watching the videos.
But IG has made it possible for old dudes to keep us all up to date with whatever skating they’re doing, and us lot being aware of who’s all coming up, without having to actually care about it if it isn’t our thing.
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Yeah disagree, see what build said basically
There are tons of younger guys ripping at the moment but don’t strike me as really comp skaters and you don’t see them travelling to go to comps the few instances they do happen.
Agree to an extent but DeCunha, Joe Hinson, Aaron Jago, Jordan Sharkey etc. do keep the comp circuit going. I just think it’s the profile of the events - they don’t really feel as important anymore and I agree with Michael Fabricant that that has a lot to do with the demise of Sidewalk. The unity of the UK skate scene isn’t as strong as previous.
yeah of course, some are socially savvy and have their eye in, many don’t though or consider it a bad thing.
It’s the typical thing of “don’t understand it so don’t like it” especially with me.
Totally agree on the Sidewalk point there would be an article in the mag and an online video which would leave people looking forward to it the next year.
I would always value the potential of getting a photo in the mag over potentially winning some money and obviously the photo reward isn’t there anymore.
I suppose but I wouldn’t say except for Sharkey they aren’t as universally known and respected as the ones I mentioned in the time period
I get that with you, for sure, but I don’t know a single other person who’s interested in skateboarding who doesn’t see Insta.
ha, maybe it’s just my assumption that there are others like me. Maybe i’m unique.
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I’m in two minds about the demise of Sidewalk ‘killing’ the UK scene. In one sense yeah it has meant there isn’t that universal monthly ‘event’ (for want of a better word) that skaters from all over the country all experience at the same time.
But surely with IG now there is more opening up of scenes and scenes can actually interact with each on a more personal level? For example lets say a crew was going to travel to another city, they could DM a guy from there who follows them asking to meet up. Or even just comment showing props to some guys trick from a skatepark on the otherside of the UK.
Absolutely, but how do any of us know that that’s going on? How do we learn which skaters from another city to follow? That kind of gate-keeping/coordinating role doesn’t happen so much on Instagram. It feels like a series of smaller little scenes which the average skater wouldn’t know much about without that article or interview shedding light on whoever or wherever. But maybe I’m a dinosaur - maybe the kids know who to follow.
I guess so, after the revelation that Builda socked to me, I think it’s possible that i’m in a minority due to my dislike of the internet.
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Explore page is good, reposts from sites like Vague & Grey and skate shop Instas. There are plenty of ways to find out ‘who to follow’
And I’ve touched on this before but no disrespect to anybody at Sidewalk as it is inevitable but there most definitely wasn’t always a level playing field in terms of coverage and certain people/ scenes got disproportionate amounts of coverage imo
That’s normal in small industries where everyone knows each other but some do not get on. I wouldn’t know any specifics myself as I never really poked my head into the industry. Although I do remember Niall Neeson being a complete bell, especially on here regarding industry stuff.
The city that a regular contributing photographer is living in is always going to get a bit more coverage just because they are there more often and are probably going to be keen to shoot photos of up and coming skaters in that place.
Only if that photographer is lazy. It’s not like mags are happy to run the same places by the same photographers any more. Insta has made mags step it up.
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Insta has killed mags
