tricking out the local architecture

Question
Hello. I rollerblade and skateboard and am a keen fan on all extreme sports. At one point my blading was going great but it has come to a stop. The last trick I learned was jumping onto a bech riding along it backwards and jumping off. I also mastered another trick which is pretty hard to explain. there are no low rails 2 grind on and the only facilties I have are curbs-pavement curbs, benches, ledges and very high rails. can you suggest any tricks for these? I feel as if there is nothing else I can do! Nowhere sells grind plates.

Also-I can`t stair ride-how do u do that?

L. Struthers

Answer
Hi,

Good to know there's still some people skating old-school style.  If you can't get grind plates, then curb grinds are pretty much out.  But that's ok, because the current trends in skating tend to be moving more towards gaps and transfers than grinds, which were in vogue over the past few years.  Anyway, what's important in street skate is improvising.  You need to do what you can with what you have.  If you have benches and ledges, you're in business.  Start thinking more along the lines of jumping onto and off of things, with spins and grabs, and get your thinking away from grinds.  However, you can't just forget grinds.  Most skaters can't grind handrails.  It's a psychological thing, but it takes a while.  My friend, who's been skating for five years, just got it down recently.  What you can do is build yourself a smaller grind rail.  The easiest way is to get an 8 foot long 2 X 8 or 2 X 10 piece of wood and an 8 foot long metal pipe.  The best diameter is about 3/4 in. to 1 1/2 in.  You can find piping in the plumbing section of your nearest hardware store.  Now, take the rail and drill a hole in the bottom of it on both ends.  Screw the rail to the edge of the plank of wood so it hangs off just a bit.  If you want, you can use a little piece of wood to prop up one side and give it some slope.  This is just one way to make a rail, there's lots of others.

If you're looking for grind plates and can't find any nearby, try looking online.  There's stores online that sell skating equipment.

As far as stair riding, this is a great old-school trick that's been going out of style lately.  You want to approach the steps at a jogging pace, put one foot in front of the other, bend your knees, and roll.  It's easy.

Keep skating!

-Justin
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