CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
The Minas Basin, Canning, Nova Scotia.
It's been 13 years since I last visited my home province of Nova Scotia. My parent's recently moved back after spending the bulk of many years in Arizona, so I took the opportunity to head back to the east coast and see the rest of my family while also revisiting some old 'spots'.
The biggest notable change is that Nova Scotia has finally embraced the idea of skateparks, which are popping up all over the province, including my hometown of Bridgewater.
Bridgewater's park is a flow based design (I made that up) with some street inspired features located on one end. I'd like to see some plaza style designs finally being built in Nova scotia, but anything is better than getting kicked out of the Sobeys curb or Medical Centre parking lot for the rest of your life. The park in on track to be completed by early December. Hats off to Spectrum and ProPour for making it smooth - is it possible to make it scooter-proof?
Speaking of getting kicked out of spots - I passed by my old high school, which used to be one of the best spots in town, to see how it's holding up. I still remember getting pulled out of class in grade 8 or 9 by the principal so he could talk to me about skateboarding on school property. Turns out they were about to pave a 6 foot high asphalt bank along the whole back of the school, and he had seen images of skaters on a half pipe somewhere, so he asked me if they should set the fence back at the top of the bank for a portion to create a 'deck' like he had seen in the photos. They even made a rough asphalt curb on top of the bank where it curved around to meet the ground. Unfortunately, times have changed and it's illegal to skate anywhere in Bridgewater, including the school. They even have a big, bold 'No Skateboarding' sign right at the top of the 2 stair I learned all my first tricks off. You'd want some large, soft wheels to skate there these days anyway - time has not been kind to that ground.
While in Bridgewater, I managed to meet up with my old friend Jesse Watson, owner and operator of Homegrown Skateboards. I grew up skating with Jesse, and even had the first skateboard he ever sold, so it was fun to tag along on a side mission to shoot photos for the next board drop. He chose some rusted out old ships that are slowly sinking in to the river as a backdrop, not far from my old house.
Richard Martin, backside kickflip, Bridgewater, NS.
A short drive down the coast from Bridgewater is one of the best, and most recent skateparks in the province - Mersey Park in Liverpool. Although heavily transition focussed, the park is smooth as can be and still provides a few essentials for street skaters on a small perimeter section. The one and only Adam Burgess made it down to the park to catch up after almost 15 years since last seeing each other... it was a true delight. Still sporting black es' Accels. Miss that guy. We dodged scooter kids on a brisk Sunday afternoon and pondered the possibility of a California rendezvous somewhere down the line.
I only had time for one trip into Halifax during my trip, and it was a cold and windy day, but I managed to stop by Pro Skates and ended up spending half the day chatting with familiar faces and playing with shop pups. The new shop is located right next to the original location I used to go to in the 80's and 90's, but it's a far cry from the tiny closet of a space they used to call home. Coffee? Got ya. Hair cut? Yup. Board wall worship? Start drooling cause' they got a lot. There's a ramp too. The guys at Pro have always done it right.
One of the advantages skaters living in Nova Scotia have is the more reasonable cost of real estate, which can make the idea of having an indoor spot to skate during the winter months more realistic. The Annapolis Valley has at least a few private indoor get aways, including a fun little set up I got to check out that was more appealing to a ledge dog like myself. What I would give to have something like that to maintain my sanity during the 9 months of rain Vancouver experiences each year.
One of the sheltered shred dens I got to visit was a birch surfaced bowl in Cow Bay, just a bit northeast of Halifax. Not too deep, with a couple extensions and a channel, and super fast. Lots of room on the decks for furniture and socializing to your heart's content. Situated in a garage right on the cliff of the eastern shore. It's such a rad little spot that you might have trouble going back outside once the weather gets nice.
Jason Keddy made the trek from the valley with me to reacquaint himself with the sultry curves of the Cow Bay bowl. Smith Grind.
Adam Fraser lives mere steps from the bowl and it shows in his skating. Frontside grind through the corner extension.
It was great to reconnect with old friends and see some parts of Nova Scotia I had never been to before, and it's encouraging to see the skate scene alive and thriving thanks to the much needed introduction of concrete parks. Hopefully the trend continues and the province starts to change it's uninformed policies regarding skateboarding in Nova Scotia. There were lots of parks I didn't get to check out, and a couple more under construction, including a promising design in Kentville that has more emphasis on street features, with a bowl slated to be added once funds are raised. I look forward to going back once the new parks are completed.
For now, I'm glad to be back on the west coast, and lucky to have caught one last Friday night Plaza classic before the real rain kicked in. BOING ! Til' next time...
Adam Cassidy, nollie, Vancouver.
[o] Mike McNabb
