Action Sports
WRD: Black Diamond Divas vs. Red Rockettes 04.14
Starting the night off, the Divas took an instant, rather cushy, lead. Both teams were using a strategy of slow starts and quick stops, and generally this strategy, in my own humble opinion, is a short term gain for a long term loss, but I guess the Divas knew something I didn’t as shown by the 51 point lead by Jam 12. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Ladies, Leave Your Man at Home
Bike shops intimidate me. I don’t think it’s so much that I walk into a shop and there’s a whole bunch of dudes who know way more about bikes than I ever will throwing around bike mechanic gibberish—I’ve got mad respect for people who can do things I can’t (yet) do. I guess I just feel a little sheepish walking in there and asking them to switch out my pedals when I purchased a fixed gear primarily for its low maintenance. This is why the Salt Lake Bicycle Collective is one of the greatest places in all of Salt Lake. … read more
Photo Feature: Millionaire Michael
I took this photo of my friend, Millionaire Michael (real name withheld to protect his stock market status), last October at this strange spot on the outskirts of Oakland, Calif. This spot is in a city park in a really mellow neighborhood. It actually used to be a skatepark in the 1970s. When the 1980s hit and skateboarding kind of died, the skatepark was torn out and the city turned it into a playground. … read more
Cameron Wood: BMX pro, Jesus Carpenter, Entrepreneur … Anything Else?
For the last 15 years, Cameron Wood has been perusing the back alleys and grungy side-streets of Salt Lake on his BMX bike. Instead of focusing on giving the public more contests or being a poster child for his sponsors, Wood is taking a more unique approach with his involvement in the sport. The Wood Shop, recently opened by Wood, is not just the sole BMX-only shop in Salt Lake, but it is also home to his unique, crafty carpentry designs. … read more
The SLUG Games: Shred the Park After Dark
On Saturday, March 10, Park City Mountain Resort played host to Shred the Park After Dark, the second and final contest of the SLUG Games series. With the sun shining bright, deep into the late afternoon, the snow kids turned up in droves to compete for bragging rights. With nearly 50 competitors, the table was set for another installment of SLUG-style madness. … read more
Wasatch Roller Derby: Bonneville Bone Crushers vs. Magic City Rollers...
The Magic City Rollers rolled into Salt Lake this weekend from Billings, Montana to face Wasatch Roller Derby’s Bonneville Bone Crushers. Fans were treated to an evenly matched bout, which featured numerous lead changes and close scores throughout. … read more
Shipping Up To Layton: Junction City’s Saint Patrick’s Day Brawl
As anybody in the derby world will tell you, roller derby is 75% sport, 10% perspiration, and 15% beer. It’s what we drink to celebrate victories, to mourn losses, to wash down our ibuprofen, and it always tastes better in the shower before a game. Unfortunately, the rest of the world usually frowns upon our healthy drinking habit, with one exception: St. Patrick’s Day, when derby folks can go hard as fuck and face absolutely no repercussions. … read more
WRD Skater Smackdown: Black Diamond Divas vs. Hot Wheelers 03.10
Not only was this bout a rematch between Wasatch Roller Derby teams Hot Wheelers and Black Diamond Divas, but it was also a charity match. Forty-percent of the net ticket proceeds went to Camp Hobe, a summer camp designed for children with cancer and their siblings. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: SXSW Edition
As part of my SXSW experience, I participated in SXcycles, the new (as of this year) bike share program provided by the festival and Tern bikes. They opened it up to those with badges and wristbands during the Interactive portion of SXSW, and I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of it on Monday and Tuesday. … read more
Utah County Counter-Culture: Happy Valley Derby Darlins Bust Expectations 02.25
The game was set in a gutted Food-4-Less building, the yellow and black sign still looming above the storefront. Inside, the fluorescent supermarket lights were buzzing bright over the taped-off track, the smell of popcorn was in the air, and fans had already started setting up blankets and camping chairs on the edge of the line, ready for gametime. … read more
Photo Feature: Chris Grenier
Putting foreground elements, such as trees, in front of your lens will often get you mocked by the snowboarders you photograph. “Ohhhhh, look at Andy getting mad artsy with the branches.” Or my favorite, “Art school called and they want their angle back.” Let me set the record straight here: This is not an attempt at getting artsy. … read more
Avante Garde: The Future of Indoor Training at Snogression
“Basically, you grab this bar, push the green button and hold on.” These were the words from Snogression owner and innovator, Kevin Brower. I stood atop the synthetic snow in-run, looking towards the kicker and foam pit. My palms began to sweat and my pulse quickened. With a mechanical whoosh, I was hurtling down the “slope” and before I knew it, I was airborne. Milliseconds later, I came crashing down into the pit. Let’s do it again, and again and again! … read more
