.:IMYTA Report:.

On the way to Rampworx in Liverpool...i was greeted by lots of skaters and cheers to the guys at Rampworx, the guys in green, and the dj´s for keepin it cool and keeping the hype up to a tight level the skating was going off and soon Zik, Jon, and all of the Salomon riders as well as all of the amazing UK riders were going off, I dont know how many poeple got hurt that day...but i want to say like 5 or 6...I know Jon Julio twisted his ankle, Beethoven tried to kill himself numerous times...but it would not work...so the guys in green spent some time with him... Ty Brissett broke his foot, Si Cox, had already broke his wrist the day before (or at least sprained it) and the list went on...after the session...Anthony Mackie proceded to attempt to put on a show...and I am sure his Rapping was tight as hell...but I am not sure, because the sound sucked so bad that you couldnt really hear shit...the main thing was that everyone was in high spirits...and you could feel that everyone was a bit nervous about the next day...it was like everyone knew that some historical shit would go down...and as we all know know, it did.

I have to also mention how happy I was to see more and more small kids skating, and getting caught up in the excitment, and I also was even more happy to see that many girls were skating as well...not only that...but the girls who were watching seemed to be genuinely interested in the skating and the skaters of course) and I have to again admit that I am well happy that the size of the breasts are getting larger and the girls are seemingly more and more happy to give up the pooty. (if that sounds sexist...it probably is...but hey, i tell it like it is)

Then on to the hotel...in which Paul, Si, and the homies hooked me up with a room...(thanks again guys!) by that time it was late and after Ty Brisset and I had a little nap...it was off to a cheesy Chinese place called the Northern Palace...(inside joke) and had some really nasty Chinese and some hot spicy snack...back to the hotel to get rested up for the next day - not before some hit the swimming pool and the jacuzzi to chill.

Day 2 -
Got up to find that I had missed breakfast, but felt a little better after having slept (by this time my headcold is developing just fine) Paul and I went to get some breakfast that was as equally nasty as the chinese the day before...I guess i should say that it was raining like hell and it was again, miserable...anyway...Paul and I walked to the Train station where we were to get instructions for the IMYTA spots - and at 11:10 there were literally hundreds of people there! I mean everybody who is anybody in the UK and Hella Crews - (Richard Taylor made a point to show me his CRU was there as well) and just mad skater heads...the cops were hanging around and probably shitting in there pants...and after about and hour of hanging around Dave Bell casually walks in and the commotion was felt all over the station - he hands out the instruction flyers like the mack daddy he is...and the kids were taking it like crack feinds...(me too, I have to admit...i needed my IMYTA fix) then Paul and I proceeded to agree that we were both wankers for having to walk back to the hotel to get cameras...but it was OK because in the taxi, we saw a massive exedos of skaters moving to the park area...so we had time to get back to the hotel, and to the spot in under 30 minutes...at the spot...total chaos...skaters bojanglin...and the scene was set to make history...

Here is something nobody else has but me - (haha! kyped it from JJ...naw...I told him I wanted to keep it) The LIST! there were 39 skaters registered for the Liverpool IMYTA and here are those skaters according to groups:

Group 1:
Richie Eisler
Richard Taylor
Sam Davis
Beethoven
Frasier Watson

Group 2:
Mullet Man - (otherwise known as Rob Thompson)
Rob Taylor
Andrew Bonter
David Granntham
David Wood

Group 3:
Chaz Sands
Che To
Shaun Lockyer
Glenn Hull

Group 4:
Albert Hooi
Paul Morris
Jon Hubbard
Travis Sweeney
Ben Connell

Group 5:
Wilfried Rossingnol
Tim Darker
Joby Dick
Scott Bagnell
Ed Braun

Group 6:
Jeff Frederick
Jeremy Spra
Sy Coburn
Guy Crawford
Abdiel Coldberg
(This was the battle group in the prelims...they all wanted to advance for sure!)

Group 7:
Brandon Campbell
Adrian Wallace
Dave Bradshaw
Bryan Adams
Justin Buchanan

This brought us to the Semi Final round where the 2 best winners of each group went to the next round - and gave us 4 groups...

Semi - Final Group 1:
Richard Taylor
Sam Davis
Andrew Bonter
David Granntham

Mad props to everyone in this group - they all battled nicely...and at any time Sam Davis could have taken it if he would have just had a bit more luck, but undisputed was Richard taylor and his smooth switchups on the jimmy rigged rail after clean lines on the ledge...Richard Taylor definitely repped for the UK and his Crew in this semi final round.

Semi Final Group 2:
Chaz Sands
Glenn Hull
Albert Hooi
Ben Connell

This was definitely the Highlight Group of the semifinals - Hooi and Sands were killing it...Chaz was basically hitting almost everything he tried..and Albert was going for the glory and making it known that he wanted to take this IMYTA - so Chaz and Hooi advanced to the final...it was sick to watch...and they both deserved it hands down.

Semi Final Group 3:
Tim Darker
Ed Braun - someone switched with Brandon Cambell I am not sure if it was Darker or Braun (sorry...)
Guy Crawford
Abdiel Coldberg

This group was also tight...but saw Abdiel an early fall out because of some injuries...but props have to go to Guy Crawford who was giving it all he had and Brandon Cambpell who go a second chance after missing in the Prelims...he showed that he had what it takes by advancing with class along with Guy Crawford.

Semi Final Group 4:
Dave Bradshaw
Bryan Adams
fill in: Mullet Man
fill in: Wilfried Rossingnol

This group was definitely another highlight of the Semis...both Rob and Wilfried got to fill in for thier good performances in the Prelims...and Wilfried for the fact that he just would not stop skating...but they both gave the crowd what they wanted...dangerous shit and that on a regular...Dave Bradshaw was holding his own...but the star in disguise was not Mullet man...but a scottish kid named after a Pop star rocker - Bryan Adams...this kid brought the sauce - he showed that he was gonna take the group and he shined like a Silver Dollar...some of the switchups were even hard to follow...but he had the nuts to clinch the Group and he advanced to the finals.

Finalists were:
Richard Taylor
Chaz Sands
Albert Hooi
Guy Crawford
Brandon Campbell
Bryan Adams

It was going to be one of these six...so I will turn it over to Paul...because since i was dealing with cops too...(props to the cops also for being chill! and props to Mike Wilson too.) I didnt get to see alot of the finals...which still pisses me off!

Paul: The finalists got together and everybody headed towards (to call it mad would be an understatement) the craziest fuckin kinked rail I've ever seen in my days. After several attempts at this rail by the finalists, it was decided it was impossible, even for $2000. Then along came "Woody", a northern skater with serious bollocks and when he managed to get half way down this 10 kinked rail, people wanted to see more from the finalists, so the masses went onto the next "Final" Spot.

The second of the "Final" spots was crazy. No rails, no ledges, not even any stairs. But a 40 meter long flatbank with a 10 foot gap leading onto another small flat bank and what had to be a 35 foot gap into a road. After the finalists gathered at the top to await thier destiny, the cops told Mike Wilson and Mark K, there was no way this spot could be used because of the road directly at the bottom of this crazy fuckin runway. The next and final spot was decided and just 200 yards down the road. Once it was decided this was impossible to use for the final spot, the crowd moved on again. The final "Final" Spot was a kinked rail (not as crazy as the previous), but never the less, a skateable obstacle for all the finalists. The rail was a 6 flat 6 and there was a small flight of stairs at the bottom with a rail too.

When I arrived at the spot, peeps were already skating and everyone was juiced. Wilfred R was killing it with topsoul gap to topsouls and chaz Sands was going turespin crazy. Brandon Cambell did top soul down and across to BS Pudslide down. Rich Taylor did the smoothest backside royal, 270, frontside torque slide then went onto fastlide the second rail at the bottom. Brian Adams pulled a sweet topsoul down, gap to BS Farv. However, it was the man Albert Hooi who stepped up the pace and after about 3 attempts, pulled this:

Makio stall on the first step, jumped from the step to royal down and across, to 360 topsoul down.

As soon as he landed it, Azikwee had the champagne cracked open and the winner was obviously decided. After millions of cameras filming the occassion for the duration, I went and congratulated Albert on his victory.
IMYTA was over for Liverpool and it was to the skatepark for a VG premiere, however we just went back to the hotel for a celebratory smoke.
Sunday was a chilled session at the skatepark because the rain was coming down again. Rob thompson was busting out 360 (tornado) topsouls and sick switchups.along with vinny minton and lots of locals that is when we discovered the Future of Rollerblading! - and his name is Sam Whitey! with only an hour left before I had to fly back to USD Headquarters...I witness a kid no bigger than a thumb impressing me, Si Cox, and basically everyone who was standing by us with an arsenal of tricks including (but not only) cesslide the entire high quarter from the top, 360 cesslide, 540 cesslide, backside royale to gap to cessslide, disaster truspin soyale etc. etc. etc....had to sponsor him right on the spot!
be watching our for this kid!
So basically that was the IMYTA Liverpool - and some extras....Cheers Paul for backing me up and thanks to everyone I saw in Liverpool for Contributing to my incredible experience! one last shout out to Zik, Mike, and My Homeboy, Jon Julio for making it happen.....again.

- Edinskate