administrator
04-23-2005, 08:26 AM
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/hi_focused/Untitled-1.jpg
The Parker Bros.
Are great skaters with great personalities. They have the extroverted, enthusiastic, fun loving attitude towards skating that that inspires kids to want to be pros. Rollerblading back in the day used to be fun and open minded. Over the years it has gotten too stuck on the latest trends. Skating with the Parker Bros reminds me of the old days where it’s all about fun, jokes and good times. It was great to get to know them and I look forward to seeing them shine in the future.
1. How did you start skating?Â*
Rob: We went on holiday with our mum to Germany about 8.5 years ago. We stayed with some family friends and the oldest son of theirs skates. He used to skate along the road and do 360s and set up this height bar about a meter high and jump it, we thought it was amazing!
Rich: it was a challenge to skate because we had no natural talent whatsoever, and I managed to jump over a bar about 3 inches high and was really happy, so it was a great new challenge
2. Who has inspired you to skate vert instead of following the trend of street skating.?
Rob: for me i never chose to skate vert, obviously i started by skating street, then we went to a skatepark with a vert and just tried to skate everything, and after a while i found i was just staying on the vert more and more until eventually that was basically all i wanted to skate. It was a gradual thing. My inspiration was and still is Cesar Mora, the king of vert!
Rich: my 1st influence was Sam Bishop, an English vert rider in the old days and also an aussie video called Krangk. Both made vert skating look really cool. but like rob it wasn’t a decision i made, i just kinda naturally started skating vert
3. How has it been being brothers and skating together? Has it been really competitive in a good way I mean? Do you think you each have gotten a lot better because of the other?
Rob: Oh definitly, when Rich learns something new I dont want to feel like i’m being left behind and so it pushes me to learn something also, and I think I push him the same way. We both want to do well, in competitions for example, but we have always just wanted to be 1st and 2nd in which ever order!
Rich: We have never been angrily competitive although we both still want to win and want the other one to do well, and having the other one there helps push the other. We both want to stay/get ahead of everyone in the country so we both have the same goals and feed off each other
4. Why do you think there's more vert skaters in England than a lot of other places? What is the spot like where you practice?
Rob: there are a fair few vert skaters in England, half of them are probably park skaters who skate vert as well. I dont know why, I guess we have quite alot of ramps here as a country even though some are only small. But its not great skating in the winter when your inside a cold dark warehouse trying to learn difficult new tricks
Rich: While there are not many big competition size ramps, it’s easier for people to get into vert by starting on a 10ft ramp, and like rob said alot of park skaters can easily jump on a 10ft ramp and grind and can still air as its not big. Our ramp is one of only 2 competition sized verts in the country (14ft) and me, Rob, Alex and Doug are the only ones that really skate it, though other people come on and have a go as well
5. How would you attribute your success having become the best known vert skaters out of England?
Rob: Um, i have never really thought about it, we both just love to skate and I guess have gotten ourselves around to alot of events, I'll leave this to Rich!
Rich: We have always gone to competitions, and have done for along time, always tried our best at them, and we made alot of sacrifices to skate alot between competitions, because we have never had a vert ramp near us, so having to travel alot to skate made us try harder when we were thereÂ*
6. What are your current set ups and sponsors?
Rob: Stock rollerblade downtowns with cozmo wheels for vert, and I have some RB alpha2's from Richie at woodward I use when I skate street. I have no hardware sponsors, but i ride and do demos for www.teamextreme.co.uk
Rich: roces black m12, black fiziks and crap bearings with 57mm cozmo wheels. Im sponsored by roces ukÂ*
7. How has it been traveling to America on your own? it takes a lot to fly so far to another country. Any crazy expriences being stranded?
Rob: man, the only time i was scared on an airoplane was this one time we went, I think to LA, but we had to change at Atlanta on the way back, and there was a storm there and the plane couldn’t land, so they said we're gonna fly to Cincinnati to refuel and try again "there SHOULD be enough fuel in the plane to get there" is what they said to us!! when we eventually managed to land in Atlanta it was a scary landing. Thats probably my worst experiance
Rich: before the 2004 world championships we got to LAX airport and they had lost my bag with all my skating stuff!! so i had nothing! my heart droppedÂ*having come all this way for them to lose it! but they managed to put it onto the next flight and it worked out ok. Oh, and there was one time when we traveled to Florida to stay with Elmer and Sonia Pillon, and moments before the competition I collapsed and had to go to hospital with low potassium levels and heat stroke. I missed the competition, it was pretty bad!!
8. What tricks are you each currently hoping for this season?
Rob: well i just started landing forward 900s and I have a bunch of new grinds. If we go to Woodward again for a while I would like to take doubleback 180s from the foam pit to the resi and maybe the vert, but i would have to be at Woodward for a while to do all of that. But after being injured for the last year on and off I’m really just trying to get everything old as high and smooth as possible also.
Rich: I have recently learned garfunkles, alleyoop 720s and 1080s, so i’m just going to try and get them smooth and consistent
9. Why is it that when you both were at Woodward you had so much gas?
Rob: thats because of my crazy diet, also alot of practice at home, when i wake up in the morning and let rip, anyone else around me knows about it!
Rich: must have been the high quality food of processed cheese on bread with cream cheese i ate everyday!!
10. What is your life like when you aren't skating? Hobbies etc....
Rob: My biggest hobbie is Mercedes Benz cars. I bought my 1st one a year ago and bought another one a few months ago, and just sold one today. I will buy another soon, I just love them, trying to learn about diesel mechanics myself. I also enjoy video editing, and spending lots of time researching things on the net.
Rich: Boring! I don’t have alot of time between college, work and skating, so probably listening to my baby sister scream!
The Parker Bros.
Are great skaters with great personalities. They have the extroverted, enthusiastic, fun loving attitude towards skating that that inspires kids to want to be pros. Rollerblading back in the day used to be fun and open minded. Over the years it has gotten too stuck on the latest trends. Skating with the Parker Bros reminds me of the old days where it’s all about fun, jokes and good times. It was great to get to know them and I look forward to seeing them shine in the future.
1. How did you start skating?Â*
Rob: We went on holiday with our mum to Germany about 8.5 years ago. We stayed with some family friends and the oldest son of theirs skates. He used to skate along the road and do 360s and set up this height bar about a meter high and jump it, we thought it was amazing!
Rich: it was a challenge to skate because we had no natural talent whatsoever, and I managed to jump over a bar about 3 inches high and was really happy, so it was a great new challenge
2. Who has inspired you to skate vert instead of following the trend of street skating.?
Rob: for me i never chose to skate vert, obviously i started by skating street, then we went to a skatepark with a vert and just tried to skate everything, and after a while i found i was just staying on the vert more and more until eventually that was basically all i wanted to skate. It was a gradual thing. My inspiration was and still is Cesar Mora, the king of vert!
Rich: my 1st influence was Sam Bishop, an English vert rider in the old days and also an aussie video called Krangk. Both made vert skating look really cool. but like rob it wasn’t a decision i made, i just kinda naturally started skating vert
3. How has it been being brothers and skating together? Has it been really competitive in a good way I mean? Do you think you each have gotten a lot better because of the other?
Rob: Oh definitly, when Rich learns something new I dont want to feel like i’m being left behind and so it pushes me to learn something also, and I think I push him the same way. We both want to do well, in competitions for example, but we have always just wanted to be 1st and 2nd in which ever order!
Rich: We have never been angrily competitive although we both still want to win and want the other one to do well, and having the other one there helps push the other. We both want to stay/get ahead of everyone in the country so we both have the same goals and feed off each other
4. Why do you think there's more vert skaters in England than a lot of other places? What is the spot like where you practice?
Rob: there are a fair few vert skaters in England, half of them are probably park skaters who skate vert as well. I dont know why, I guess we have quite alot of ramps here as a country even though some are only small. But its not great skating in the winter when your inside a cold dark warehouse trying to learn difficult new tricks
Rich: While there are not many big competition size ramps, it’s easier for people to get into vert by starting on a 10ft ramp, and like rob said alot of park skaters can easily jump on a 10ft ramp and grind and can still air as its not big. Our ramp is one of only 2 competition sized verts in the country (14ft) and me, Rob, Alex and Doug are the only ones that really skate it, though other people come on and have a go as well
5. How would you attribute your success having become the best known vert skaters out of England?
Rob: Um, i have never really thought about it, we both just love to skate and I guess have gotten ourselves around to alot of events, I'll leave this to Rich!
Rich: We have always gone to competitions, and have done for along time, always tried our best at them, and we made alot of sacrifices to skate alot between competitions, because we have never had a vert ramp near us, so having to travel alot to skate made us try harder when we were thereÂ*
6. What are your current set ups and sponsors?
Rob: Stock rollerblade downtowns with cozmo wheels for vert, and I have some RB alpha2's from Richie at woodward I use when I skate street. I have no hardware sponsors, but i ride and do demos for www.teamextreme.co.uk
Rich: roces black m12, black fiziks and crap bearings with 57mm cozmo wheels. Im sponsored by roces ukÂ*
7. How has it been traveling to America on your own? it takes a lot to fly so far to another country. Any crazy expriences being stranded?
Rob: man, the only time i was scared on an airoplane was this one time we went, I think to LA, but we had to change at Atlanta on the way back, and there was a storm there and the plane couldn’t land, so they said we're gonna fly to Cincinnati to refuel and try again "there SHOULD be enough fuel in the plane to get there" is what they said to us!! when we eventually managed to land in Atlanta it was a scary landing. Thats probably my worst experiance
Rich: before the 2004 world championships we got to LAX airport and they had lost my bag with all my skating stuff!! so i had nothing! my heart droppedÂ*having come all this way for them to lose it! but they managed to put it onto the next flight and it worked out ok. Oh, and there was one time when we traveled to Florida to stay with Elmer and Sonia Pillon, and moments before the competition I collapsed and had to go to hospital with low potassium levels and heat stroke. I missed the competition, it was pretty bad!!
8. What tricks are you each currently hoping for this season?
Rob: well i just started landing forward 900s and I have a bunch of new grinds. If we go to Woodward again for a while I would like to take doubleback 180s from the foam pit to the resi and maybe the vert, but i would have to be at Woodward for a while to do all of that. But after being injured for the last year on and off I’m really just trying to get everything old as high and smooth as possible also.
Rich: I have recently learned garfunkles, alleyoop 720s and 1080s, so i’m just going to try and get them smooth and consistent
9. Why is it that when you both were at Woodward you had so much gas?
Rob: thats because of my crazy diet, also alot of practice at home, when i wake up in the morning and let rip, anyone else around me knows about it!
Rich: must have been the high quality food of processed cheese on bread with cream cheese i ate everyday!!
10. What is your life like when you aren't skating? Hobbies etc....
Rob: My biggest hobbie is Mercedes Benz cars. I bought my 1st one a year ago and bought another one a few months ago, and just sold one today. I will buy another soon, I just love them, trying to learn about diesel mechanics myself. I also enjoy video editing, and spending lots of time researching things on the net.
Rich: Boring! I don’t have alot of time between college, work and skating, so probably listening to my baby sister scream!