coastal british columbia  

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WhaT iT is: ashphalt deck & concrete bowls / outdoor / Bench / round rail / flat bar rail / two small bowls / little run into one / assortment of homemade ramps and launches LocaTed: East Vancouver in China Creek South Park NoTes:Yearly Jaks copm 2nd Saturday of September. » Rumour that this skatepark will be demolished soon. DirecTions: Clark & Broadway, Vancouver, BC » google.com/maps +49° 15' 42.21", -123° 4' 44.69" . 3 blocks west of the Broadway skytrain.

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Jaks T.A. Memorial China Creek Skate Comp 2010 Ahhhh. Sept 11..... A very bad day for our American friends. On this day some years later it is sunny and the Vancouver JaKs Sk8 Team hosts their annual skateboard competition. The first contest was 25 years ago and the prizes where probably some used skateboard equipment and a some beer. Today the prizes are plentiful and new. PD's HOT SHOP as usual comes with a good lot of Skull Skates and t-shirts for everyone and has always been the biggest supporter of this contest. TopNotch skateboards from van also handed out a deck and stickers. The Victoria JaKs came with skate decks and stuff from Old Nicks, Coastline, Sitka, and HTO. So I say SUPPORT these shops! It's the usual reunion of old and new skatepunks from the Vancouver area. The skateboarding is getting hotter every year and with the building of more pools and bowls Vancouver skateboarding is devolving back to 70's style. The type of skating that would have made Don Carver JaK (R.I.P) proud. The beginners category had a total of 18 entrants and I watched the tiny grommets carve around tea cup and bath tub popping air and powersliding the park raw. Intermediate skaters showed just as much style and the advanced category slayed with some awesome airtime and the odd invert. Ferris Jak took to the mic and MC'd the show... in the early years there was no amplified microphone so old Ferris would have to yell out the contest, wrecking his voice so his friends wouldn't have to listen to him for a few days. It was good to see Ferris back on the mic... he hasn't done it for a few years. Some old Jaks showed... Gordon Campball, Thomas Chong, and Stove Fonyo to name a few but some were missing this year. The crowd is getting bigger every year and it's the usual group of punks and older punks with kids. Edmonton Div of JaKs, and some Teem Shitty even had a few in attendance! The contest went by quick and only one young dude got taken away in an ambulance.... broken leg and he was handed the best wipeout prize as he was taken away in a stretcher. The contest ended with a commemorative model of the twin towers made out of empty beer cases with two airplanes stuck in the side burning in flames and skaters took turns airing over the flames. No police and the rain held off till the end. As the rain started TA's Mom, Alice, rolled up in her van and fed everyone a good meal of banic and salmon. TA was a stylish pioneer of Vancouver skateboarding history. Just like our American friends mourning the loss of many Alice morns the loss of her son TA JaK. She fed us good and I recon it made her happy to see all of TA's Jak brothers. Till next year - Ricky photo by Casual

The Jaks Team 22nd China Creek skateboard comp at China Creek skatepark at Clark & Broadway in Vancouver. Starts sometime around mid day and goes 'til it ends. Sponsored by Skull Skates since day one china creek skatepark page Saturday Sept. 8, 2007 - The Jaks Team host their infamous 22nd annual =T.A. Memorial skate comp at the China Creek skatepark in Vancouver.= Check the Jaks team heading in the skateboarding section at skullskates.com for a couple of quicktime videos of the 20th year competition.

The Jaks annual competition is always a blast as my attendance is for the sole purpose of being entertained by people drinking a little more than they should on a skateboard. It does get a little crazy at times with a little rowdiness and seems like the last man standing and still skating wins! It was well attended as usual and the weather was fantastic unlike last year when it started to piss right after I parked my car.

I think Dave "57" came 1st in the competition but the real winners of the day are all the skaters and the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition that supported this park as it was destined to be filled in or demolished by the city planners. For the time being it's still around but for how long I don't know. It was built in the late 70's and as good or bad as some may say it is, without a doubt it's a legendary spot and hard to believe that China Creek is still around after all these years.
Wee - arrWee

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