Thrasher Magazine

Ted barrow once described Tompkins Square Park as A SOURCE OF ETERNAL YOUTH IN NEW YORK CITY. So after seeing another gray whisker appear in my beard, I immediately packed my camera and headed over to discover the secrets of this mysterious flatground spot. I also went to ask a younger person if they would be interested in selling me some of their plasma for a Peter-Thiel-style sicko blood ritual. Incidentally, there was a skate jam from Vans and Hockey going on too! Join me as I deny death long enough until my DIY transfusion kicks in. —Ted Schmitz

Rolling up, we see my first potential client, I mean fellow skater

Don’t have an ad budget? Just build a box and leave it at the park. Thanks, Robert!

Quick check to see the mans with the plans—or mens with the plens? This joke sucks, but Zach Sheats and Bob LaSalle don’t

New York’s son Jiro Platt was ready to rip

Look, it’s Will See! Limo, let a boy know if you need an intern

Could I interest you in some Cap’n Jazz to go with that montage?

Seattle ruler Dylan Clark warmed it up with a kicky over the orange thing

Then Will did it switch. Not cool, man

It’s always the ‘90s at Tompkins. High-flyin’ V from the local ripper    Photo: McKenna

DRAKE! Looks like he’s still killin’ after that HUF vid, hardflip    Photo: McKenna

Told you Jiro rips. Smith grind on the goal    Photo: McKenna

Nothin’ says Vans X Hockey jam like Diego Todd up on the net    Photo: McKenna

Curren cops a big back Smith    Photo: McKenna

Diego slithers out a quick boardslide on another new obstacle    Photo: McKenna

Those things cost $.25 a minute. This dude must've cashed out when Billabong went public

Hey, Grant! Make sure the media section’s a tight ship

Not exactly what I meant

Peace and love, Diego

Orange things, not just for skating

Hey, I know you from the internet! Good hangin’, Josh

Always stoked to see the guys who’ve put their time into the streets. Joseph Delgado and Jeremy Elkin

What’s up, Eric?!

Top a’ tha mernin’

Always good to see Kava and company at the gatherings

There’s only one representative from Vans and Hockey with eyes deeper than the East River

My associate for the day, Sam McKenna, was running the lensman’s double barrel

Reggie’s makin’ all sorts of new friends in New York

If you don’t know Felipe Munhoz, then you need to do your research

We must be in the East Village

Looks like someone’s takin’ the Wallenberg approach for the flat ledge

Ladies, gentlemen and friends beyond the binary, I give you the inimitable John Franco

As raw as it gets, Elissa and Frecks

I called the cops on Jersey Dave for murdering his thirst in broad daylight

Let’s see some skating already

Unstoppable K White cruises over the board gap with an SSBSTS

Ben Patrick flies into a fakie crook

Flech with some revolutionary belt technology

Alright, let’s turn this thing around for some reason

And cover that crack

Oh no!

A bloody false start. Maybe we shoulda left it

Franco down!

And he’s back up, going boardslide to lipslide down the steps. The kind of trick that is best shown in a single still image…

Standing room only? No problem!

Anatomy of a frontside noseblunt attempt

Don’t worry, Kevin keeps the session lit with a classy back noseslide

Not sure if this was for the switch back tail, but I like to think it was for the nose. Let’s see some faces before the next obstacle

Literally radiant

Is that a young Mr. Spicoli?

Sean Doyle is your favorite skater, you just don’t know it yet. Seen here with Gunner, the certified savior of iconic East Coast granite

Zach Sheats killed some thirst next to Hopps pro Keith Denley

Seattle, stand up! The Genesis crew showed up in full force...sans Troy

Legends, I repeat, we have LEGENDS! Aaron Meza, Lee Smith and Jeremy Elkin

The session never stops when Drake’s on it. Unrelated, should we try to track down someone with pink hair?

Two redheads is close enough!

This crew is HARDBODY

Good gang to run into, Kennedy, Jack and Evan

They see me rollin’

Yes. All I can say is yes!

Alright, let’s move onto that dragon rail. Baby Sean Penn gets first dibs

Careful, Ben!

There’s snakes on this dragon!

There we go, grind to rock fakie and back down the tail

Alright, let’s get the crowd over

Gettin’ pitched on a Smith? That’s OD

Now, that’s how you start a session

Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Smith through the ribbon

While everyone else was riding on, Dylan popped into back lip like some kind of freak. I wonder how much he charges for plasma…

You did good, kid

A staple of any jam, guy going well above his weight class

The VX2100 actually has way better low light

Young money!

Early-twenties money! One more lap before the final session?

Two of the gnarliest to ever do it, Gabbers and Taylor Kirby

Nice work on that HUF part, Sully. Sorry I missed the focus on you, Meza

They were smiling before I asked for a photo. I have that affect on people I’m a fan of. My bad, Ben and Andrew!

Cross-company love! Grant catches up with Nike's Ryan Flynn

Where were you guys on the session?!

Doesn’t matter as long as the crowd’s hyped

Or maybe they weren’t…

Silly goose? Nah, that’s silly Gus… and Franco

Something immensely funny about only getting the dog in focus

And something not at all funny about a dog thief

Cass and Nat always bring a wholesome vibe to these things. Alright let’s see the last session

Why are three dudes shooting fisheye? Because triples is best

Right, Evan?

Evan came right back with a nosegrind

Shit, I forgot to tell Dylan this was ABD by Curren

Jiro back on it with a front tail

Channeling Jason Lee with a high-flyin’ one-foot nosegrind    Photo: McKenna

Session-closing bump to back tail

You know it’s time to give out the money

Curren’s already got a contract, so here’s a little somethin’ for that back Smith. Fatherbop is a just and generous man

Good day for Dylan. Alright, let’s wrap up with a few goodbyes

I gave these dudes my love, but most of them just called me the C word

I have on good authority the delegation from Michigan hit the streets after this warmup

SF to NYC connection stays strong. Y'all heard we got an FTC?

Hey, Curren, I hope it’s cool we gave Dylan a few bucks…

Oh shit, we can’t leave now. There’s free poddy!

Hope these are your size!

Raise your hand if you’re a 9!

At the end of the day, I couldn’t find any eligible candidates that could sell me their life force, but that was until I realized I was looking at it all wrong. I don’t need younger blood. I need ageless blood! Here me out, Vern and Joel…just hear me out! On a normal note, thanks again to Vans and Hockey for putting this jam together. Everyone enjoying a session with their friends at Tompkins makes me think this place really is the fountain of youth