DON'T
MESS
WITH
TALY!!!!
other coast by five." The grueling schedule
is beginning to stress the guys out. After
another 140 km per hour trip with some more
worried faces, we arrive at the plaza. We find
ourselves smack dab in the middle of a flock
of kids as we attempt to park near the demo
area. Something strange is going on here in
Livorno. The plaza is ruled by full anarchy
There is no organizer and nobody seems to
care. Once in the shop I find out that police
have stopped the event. The organizers
never got a permit (though they're still try
ing to get one).
One hour later, the kids find the hotel and
they're waiting for the pros. I wonder if they're
skaters or just autograph hounds. One more
48
hour and we know that no demo will be held.
The shop owner was given only a verbal per-
mit, which wasn't enough since some
neighbors complained. Tommy and Mike are
bummed. They don't want to let the kids
believe they don't want to skate. After din
ner, when only the true aficionados are
around, Mike and I grab our skates and head
for the fully skateable plaza. Some locals
bring back the ramp that was hidden.
somewhere and the underground demo.
begins. There is no light, just adrenaline.
Mike is flying, no foot contact, and landing
perfectly. After a good jump ramp session we
move to the other side of the L-shaped mar-
ble plaza. Wall rides off the ramp are on now.
The Viareggio indoor demo played host to some
wicked moves, including Vallely's infamous
streetplant to eight-foot drop off the side of the
ramp-bravissimo!
A bunch of 40- to 50-year-olds stop and stare.
Mike is stoked. At the end of the trip I hear
him saying, "That was the best demo."
September 20th. The plaza is skated
again. Some slightly banked concrete which
joins two levels is perfect for railslides. Mike
and Tommy rip the spot. Today's trip is kind.
of short, but we have to leave. "That plaza
was rad, I think, while driving north to Par-
ma. We get caught in some traffic, but even
tually make it to the old cobblestoned square.
Some good ramps make the demo quite fun
despite the harsh surface. This crowd is the
most intelligent so far. No autograph swarms.
the cheers are proportional to the difficulty.
of the tricks. This town of Parmesan cheese
is fairly new to skating, less than a couple
years, but they seem to understand its true
meaning. The hardest part of the tour is over.
September 21st. I drive the whole troop
north to Milano and, without telling them, I
head for an always clean, large canal. The
moment they see it, the guys are ecstatic.
It's the most excited I've seen the pair all
week. The skater's soul is screaming. After
a short test at the section under the freeway.
we skate north, up the canal. We keep go-
ing for about a mile till we find an old car
posted right at the top of the banked wall.
This killer spot is immediately shredded. The
rusty car is skated on the sides, wall-ride
style, ground upon and ollied onto. While at-
tempting an ollie-to-tail, Tommy locks up and
tumbles all the way to the bottom of the ditch.
He's bummed, being injured and unable to
skate at such a killer spot. Even Jon Malvino
leaves the cameras to grab a board.
September 22nd. It's the last day in Milano
city. Tommy is finally getting in some shop-
ping. Hey, this guy doesn't only care about
skating; he likes to have nice clothes and look
cool. We stop in the middle of a tourist crowd
outside the duomo, the big cathedral. Some
dorking around is filmed, while thousands
of pigeons swarm over our heads. The day
continues with more driving to get to Action
Now indoor skatepark. A skate party is
scheduled for tonight. Tommy skates tough
even though he's still suffering from a bad i
fall. Loud music, ramp skating. goofy footers.
ollies, huge ramp-to-ramp transfers, couple
of beers, Mike's hat is stolen and some more
ramp skating, then the night is over.
September 23rd. Today is see ya day.
Some more driving, Italian style, but no more
worried faces. The boys seem to be kind of
used to it now.
OUT NOW!
Schmitt
Stixe
BRYCE KANIGHTS
THRASHER
BRYCE KANIGHTS
MODEL
SPECS & DETAILS
Length: 31"
Wheelbase: 15.5"
Width: 10.25"
Nose: 3.75"
Tail: 6.75"
Concave: S-3
by Schmitt Stix