SLAG Summer Camp

Food Poisening

I was tabling for SLAG at sub pop and I really didn't want the burger but I was hungry and it was free... big mistake. It was really bad, I mean the food poisoning, I mean both ends simultaneously bad. So I've been out of commission and converted back into a vegetarian.

If you see some guy with one rubber glove running around like a chicken with his head cut off and grilling burgers, heed the warning.

Seattle WA and SLAG

I arrived in Seattle and was welcomed by the 'Skate Like A Girl' (SLAG) posse. My welcoming included fried eggs, outdoor feasts, a plethora of skateparks with a whole crew of girls to rip with. If your in the area you must attend one of SLAG's super secret skate dates (check out their website for more info). It's worthwhile to be skating with a bunch of local rippers. These girls are super chill and fun to be around. Its definitely powerful to show up to a place you've never been and instantly become part of a community.

Aside from skating, I worked with SLAG to assemble gear for the week long summer skate camps for girls. Our first group was 14-18yr olds. They came from a wide array of backgrounds and ability levels. Girls who couldn't even push the first day were rolling off of curbs and doing kick-turns on the tranny by the end of the week. Others were dropping in and ollying onto ledges. Everyone was pushing themselves, bonding, and getting amped on skateboarding.

Aberdeen, WA

When I showed up to the skate park I found these three older women smoking cigarettes and watching somebody’s son. I was hitting them up for some info on cheap motels and one of them told me she wanted to see me skate because she had never seen a girl skateboard before. Her friend was like ‘I have, in the sixties I saw a girl skateboarding.’ I gave them some SLAG stickers and managed a weak boneless tail-plant. They were satiated.

As for the Hotel… I don’t really know where in Washington it is but I recommend it. I had to park on the lawn and go through this elderly man’s house to get to my room. He had a stroke and can’t see too well so I had to go behind the counter and ring myself up as well. I was really tempted to put my dyslexia to use during that transaction.

Toilet Paper or Subdivisions?

The thing I noticed when I got into Washington is that the clear cuts are right along the roadside. They don’t mess around with that 50 ft buffer you find along the 101 in Northern California and Oregon, so that you can pretend you’re driving through a pristine, limitless natural resource. In Washington they even have signs telling you if it’s a third growth Douglass fir plantation or what not. I wonder if anyone has tried to make a skate deck out of Doug fir?

Astoria

I missed the park at first and ended up downtown, pretty cool place. I went into this cafe that advertised serving stumptown coffee. I had all intentions of getting salad after my whole living off of gorp and fish & chips the last few days. However, when my lunch came, I found myself eating a pastrami sandwich and potato chips.

Seaside

As soon as I am out of my car I have another kid hassling me; “do you skate? Where’s your board?” There’s no place like… um, the skate park. This park has a crazy maze of bowls and pockets, all connected. Never seen a park quite like it, too bad it started raining after 20 minutes. Oh yeah, that’s why the grass is greener up here.