Article by Chuck Harp
Photos by Chuck Harp & Mike Macaluso
Trekking over from the subway, sound of train rumbles followed us, mixing with guttural vocals and chugging guitars. They urged us to storm the dirt trails and crawl across cracked slabs until fresh eyes soaked in views from a top painted DIY ramps, molded perfectly by anti-idol hands. There, sprawled out before us, was FDR’s fifteenth annual “Sober vs. Wasted” event.
The vast concrete skate mecca known as FDR is something that shouldn’t exist. Like the universe itself, FDR is an ever-expanding entity bringing together old and new rippers from all across the Philadelphia territories. And Sober Vs. Wasted event does just that. Created by those who hold it closest, the entire day felt personal. Whether it was the merch stand, the judge’s treehouse bleachers, or the heavy metal resembling lemonade stand called the “Gnar-Bar,” which assisted those who quickly depleted their beer supply. And, by the look of a neighboring tree with its branches bestowed with bottles and cans, this was a true concern.
And a place this unique naturally drew an equally strange array of rider. A variety of cameras captured board shapes as diverse as the skaters themselves. Board clacks and cries of, “Get some!” were heard on the winds. Sure, there were collisions everywhere, but concluded with bumped bloody fists, like fighters before breaking faces. No frills, all chills….
The only consistency here were the green “SOBER” and orange “WASTED” stickers that were slapped on everyone. One child’s t-shirt was almost entirely lathered in wasted orange. One woman had some pasted to her ass. But for those tossed in the trenches of competition, their shirts were spray painted with a harsh red number, some opting to save their shirt and have it applied directly to their skin.
Like many legendary skate DIY setups, there is a level of intimidation hovering over the self poured paradise. Washing that away was an accepting ecosystem, one ready to nurture and push the community across spray-painted bowls. The proof of this was uncovered during the opening jam, when multiple announcements informed skaters could enter the contest for free, due to anonymous donors throwing up the entry fee. Just because they wanted to see the park flourish that day with excellent, hard-hitting skateboarding.
That is the especial spirit of FDR.
Article by Chuck Harp.