Back in Raleigh there was this backyard that became a sanctuary for me as i attended
nc state. we all called it Springers, because Shawn Springer was a renter who didnt give a shit. he moved a ramp
from across town and created a hot spot for cheap rent and fun times. lots of roommates and tons of skaters came through
for a bit of the excitement that usually ended up happening.
Shawn slithering up the vert wall in the wild
in the beginning it was Brandon's, another college renter who decided to go for it. i was so happy to find this place.
i just moved to a new town, knew of no skaters and still had some mini skills. it was located right behind a popular
bar, so maybe it received to much attention there. i remember drunk dudes coming over in work boots "i use to skate,
can i drop in?" lots of laughs with that shit. it lasted about a year there, but eventually had to go.
Jerry and the bell tower in late '96 at brandon's, where the ramp originated
click this for more photos of brandon's
i dont know who or how it ended up moving to shawns rental property, i was out of town for that. After feeling out
the landlord, things started expanding. shawn had a lot of friends down to work and there was a lot of random
nc state students (like me) that needed a good place to skate some transition. we all started putting our resources
into the backyard to make it more comfortable. the fact that were not picky about the wood helped. the thing basically evolved with construction scraps. we
went so far as to burn wood we couldnt use, then take the nails and screws out of the coals and reuse them. just like the rail road workers
in the wild west did with spikes.
adding 12 to 16, this thing went from rad to fuck yeah!
click this for a few photos of the first expansion
i loved this ramp, it was fast and gritty with cool obstacles. some enticing characterstics included 8' of flat,
tight tranny's, pool coping, set back vert wall and extensions. it was a great place to create and build because we were all into the
same shit. and hanging out under the trees, being free from school, work and or society. guess thats what made this place
special to me, enjoying freedom. 10 years later, i recycled a bunch of ramps to make a ramp very close to this design.
jerry's ego video. music by Weasel Dust
we kept building and evolving the ramp. we saw brewce martin pour his own lip, so we did that to our delight.
we tried to make a roof for the thing out of bamboo. shawn and i really started getting into bamboo after that project
(which ended with the city cuting our bamboo poles that backed into their property). the bamboo coping had to be put on
somewhere. then we tried a tarp system with wire and pulleys. that worked, but was not easy to perfect. there was
the path to the house, so you could get a beer easy. the fish bowl was a trip, incorporating trees as walls into the
6" of flat addition.
9 plus minutes of construction through various phases
Mike Adams Brian Dale > and more from 9.97
Shawn Springer Ben Conway > and more from 10.97
Brian Dale Shawn Springer > and more from early 98
click for some shitty consolidated clicks from 6.99
Shawn Springer and some more photos from 9.99
phase 5 was where it all came together. a fish bowl with a pump bump to a track to the house. we got real close to
the trees, making a tree wall ride, screwing ribs into roots, and molding coping around a trunk. spring 00 construction photos
without a doubt, one of my favorite ramps/scenes. those days and nights at western are unbeatable. Rarely been so
happy to sleep in my car so i could skate again the next day.
- Jeremy Lange
atmosphere clips
Science Fair came through did a few boneless variations and then some
Shawn tore it up. music by Weasel Dust
the best of my footy of springers. skaters include shawn springer, jerry hahn, ben conway, matt moore, shred ed, jason may,
christian stephenson, dave maxwell, benji galloway, trey womble, jeremy lange, mark waterman, frank, bob reynolds, chris bukheit and joey watson
