V
ERN LAIRD, VETERAN PHILADELPHIA
ripper and top-notch filmer, once told me, "You
suck at skate writing." Vern is a very straightforward
guy. He might just be a grumpy vegan with a low blood
sugar level, but he's right. So I'll keep the intro to this article
brief, with a quick summary of the summer of 1999 in
Philadelphia: heat wave; 100-plus degree weather;
month-long drought; bike cops at Love Park; more
heat; motocross cops at Love; crazy fucking heat;
undercover cops at Love; enough with the heat
already; Greek week. The kids
skated through it all.
Philly's killin'.
A very clean switch
bluntslide to fakie on a
very clean ledge. Josh Kalis,
Federal building.
AM
At a spot tucked away in one of
the most dangerous sections of
the city, Rick Oyola backside
flips out of a bank, over a bike,
and makes some new friends,
Jim Moyer park.
Vern Laird scrapes a
railskidder across a
north Philly long wall.
hiladelphia
Words and Photos by Shawn Brodsky