Whose idea was it to do a skate safari? Well mine actually, but we needed to consolidate the group with a trip or something and I always want to add value to the youth work- create a memory, put a twist on it. So today at 10-30 we bundled into the minibus 11 skaters and three bikers with a support car.
The weather was great and getting lost on the way to the first park just give it that edgy feel that we were on more that just a trip. Arriving at Ilchester, they piled out after memorising the first rule of skate safari. “What’s the first rule of skate safari?� I asked as each person descended from the bus. “If I break my neck it’s not your fault� came back the reply.
After an hour of skating and pictures of Ryan’s first ‘dropping in’ and massive air on the bikes and boards, an ice cream van pulled up, and we chilled before getting ready to move onto Somerton. Two young people navigating in the front of the bus, whilst shouting to the back to score Ilchester – 7 came back the reply. After stopping for water on the way, we arrived at the park. It was literally glistening in the sun and had a concrete surface like marble, but boiling, with no shade from the midday sun. First rule of skate safari was reinforced and they raged through the park like an all consuming fire. It scored a 6.5 but they were wiped out by the heat of the day we headed for lunch in Glastonbury, the biggest park in the area. A great place to skate and ride with some great tricks being pulled, 7 foot drop ins, and rails to slide. A definite highlight and very credible 9 out of 10.
Onto Weston Super Mare, directed by the guys in the front and time for chat as we drove, so I asked “how does it feel when you skate and everything is going right?�
“It’s like you’re, you’re kind of, you’re one� he replied
“Is it spiritual?�
“Yeah, the adrenaline is going and it flows�
So we chatted about surfers feeling at one with the world and in the zone. The conversation meandered around the idea to do a skate church and experiences of doing church on the streets with young people. After a few strange looks they got the idea. I explained about the idea of dong a skate pilgrimage, which they were well up for. So we discussed the old Celtic saints and the crosses around Cornwall deciding that a nutty Celtic saint would be a good patron saint for skaters.
Arriving at Weston Super Mare, it was better in the pictures that in real life. Following on from the Safari idea it was decided that Ilchester, Somerton, and Glastonbury were the big three – Lion, Elephant and Rhino, but on any safari you were bound to see some more boring deer, or squirrels, however in the end Weston was labelled Giraffe as it looked good but didn’t actually do a lot. Ever one to try to encourage new experiences for the group I offered around olives stuffed with garlic I had brought, no takers even when I explained that were up for trying new tricks in new parks but not new food. So we got a few takers on the cherries instead. Weston only warranted a 3 and we headed to the final park of the day.
Down the motorway explaining to two different skaters the previous conversations and getting their views on skating and spirituality. Different answers, but coming from the process of learning a new trick and how it feels to perfect it. Arriving in Taunton and after skating their way through the local supermarket and picking up drinks as they rode through, heading towards the final park. Smaller boxes to try and perfect tricks, it was a whistle stop ending as we headed home after 8 and half hours, on the road, or in the parks suitably exhausted. Everyone had a burn or scratch to take away as a memento of the day, but everyone had remember the first rule of skate safari and no one broke their neck!
