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My Friend Cipars

Words by Roberts Krums

I’ll never forget the day I met Normunds. We got introduced by a friend of ours in my old district Jugla. That’s almost 20 years ago now. Normunds’ skateboarding level was something I had never seen in real life. For the first time I saw someone skating a flat bar. He did a bs 5050 pop out. That was something magical. That day we became friends. I started going to Grīziņkalns. That’s where we spent most of our summer time as kids. From the first little flat bar to first handrail he skated. I didn’t notice it then but not a lot of people skated handrails back then and still don’t hah. That was some crazy stuff to witness. We had a ton of good times and good sessions.

Normunds Cirulis – Ollie / Griziņkalns 2008 photo: Arturs Pavlovs / via Asfalta Bērni

After some time life started to happen and I kinda quit skating for a bit cause of a broken ankle and the connection between us faded. Then I moved to UK and I was a stranger to what was happening in Latvia. We didn’t speak for years. I guess that’s what happens in life when you grow up, start to work or study or whatever else there is to do.

Normunds Cirulis – Griziņkalns 2008 photo: Gint Gailitis / via Asfalta Bērni

Last year we met randomly and had a little chat. After all these years we still spoke to each other as if we never had this 10 year gap of nothing in between. I felt that something is not right. We talked about the good times and then he started telling me how bad his life has been recently. All I could do was listen…
He still had a skateboard. I asked him if he ever wants to have a session together maybe that would cheer him up. So last summer we had our last little skate session together.

After that I saw him for one last time. I was on my way to a skate session and he was with a friend of his having some drinks. We had a quick talk about his broken arm. Said he broke it whilst skating and he said that he has to pause on that for now. That was our last conversation.

Shortly after a friend of mine told me that Normunds is no longer with us. He was dead. He took his own life.

I started blaming myself for what had happened. I knew that he was going trough some bad stuff, he was depressed. I was thinking of things that I could have done to help him. But all of that was pointless. It happened and I can’t change that.

All I can say now is take care of your close ones. Keep your friends close. Listen to what they have to say. Offer help and don’t be scared to ask for help. Got to understand that everyone on this planet feels out of place every now and then. No matter what kind of problems we are facing there always is a way. If you don’t know what to do then talk to someone. Don’t loose the connection.

I am forever grateful for our freindship.
Rest in Peace Normunds Cīrulis.

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We could have gone to college

Boga has been on a pro lifestyle spree lately, and we can finally see what he has been up to. On one of his many travels, Boga joined filmer Nick Heurberger and his crew on a 6 day trip in Switzeralnd. “We could have gone to college” is the result of that trip with Boga on photos and heel backtails.

The video came out with Boga’s photo zine that we hope we’ll get a chance to see in Riga. Also, we hope these guys won’t regret not going to college in the future ;). You know you need a back up plan and all that.

Featuring: Jan Hirt, Arturs Bogdanovics, Noel Schärer, Ramon Notz, Mika Möller, Pieter De Clus, Manuel Schürch.

Peace

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What is Isolator Madness?

With Isolator Madness around the corner, we decided to talk to Fricis Štrauss, and shed some light on the upcoming event. Fricis, along side other LSK heads,  is one of the main driving forces behind the event.  So what is Isolator Madness? Who is it for? And will it be rigged? Find out in this quick interview below.  

Hey, Frici! How the hell are you? How are things going with Isolator?
Hey! I’m doing okay. A lot of action and different stuff going on these days so it’s hard to even focus on Isolator. Don’t have enough free time. We’re constantly in search of more people that could help move the Isolator Madness project forward. We have tons of ideas, but it’s a lot of work.

Tell us a little bit more about Isolator Madness. What should we expect from the event and how did you guys even come up with the idea to organize it in the first place?
With Isolator going public we wanted to help out the community with a less expensive alternative for skating in the winter, because with the prices rising it’s getting pretty costly. What’s interesting is that Isolator isn’t even really a skatepark. It’s actually a workshop that slowly filled up with skate obstacles while working on other projects. When we got the idea of organizing an event we asked the owners of the building for permission and they didn’t have a problem with it. We thought to ourselves: ‘’Why not?’’

The event itself is going to be organized by LSK (Latvijas Skeitbordistu Kolektīvs). The whole program is actually going to be really interesting. There is going to be a conference/open discussion about the scene, video premieres. There are also going to be gigs from a few bands we’ve invited. I think it’s going to be awesome.

Has there ever been an event quite like this in Latvia?
No. I don’t think there has ever been anything quite like this. especially in an environment like this. Some old factory. Sure we’ve skated in a few old factories, but we could have never imagined organizing an event in one of them. So that’s pretty cool.

Isolator and its location has been kept under the radar for quite some time now. I think that the time has come for the people to know the answer. Where can we find this place? Word on the street is that it’s somewhere in Sarkandaugava.

Yeah! it is in Sarkandaugava. In front of the narcology center. The address is aptiekas iela 19.

Tell us a little bit about the layout of the park. Where did you take inspiration from when designing the obstacles?
The layout is really simple. Hip, quarter pipe, ledge, quarter to wall. Super basic with a few interesting quirks. We didn’t really take inspiration from anywhere. The obstacles we built are actually from other projects that we were able to get back. We just put them back in the building, next to the workshop and slowly it turned into a place where my friends and I were able to skate. We have a few workshop projects that we are really excited for everyone to see. Some glass obstacles by Kārlis (Bogustovs) and myself. The other guys focused more on the park itself and made sure everything flowed nicely. All of the building happened without any sketching or drafting. Like real skaters we went with the flow and tried not to think about it too much. But as I mentioned before it is a lot of work and we’re still trying to get as much help as we can. We have a ton of ideas, but the time, as always, is limited.

And now for the most important questions. Is the contest going to be rigged?
Haha. Of course it will! Naah but I think it’s going to be wild. It’s going to be a good time for sure. So yeah. Gotta get out of bed, hang out with my daughter and figure out the plan for today.

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Kārlis vs Madars

These two are already local Bosses even Bauses if you will.  They have been skating forever and doing dope things for the scene too.  But now it is time for the face off.

Kārlis had to play vs Boga, but Boga got injured and wanted to recover before going to Brazil. So Kārlis got promoted to the next round. Well he would have won probably against injured Boga, so …

Stay tuned for two more games.

Peace

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October links 2022!

This October graced us with some unity moments, some indoor moments and a meme page. October 2022 was notable for couple of things. Catch up below. 

LSK project won the comp

Like defusing a bomb on the last second, LSK won the funding competition for a DIY space with 1000+ votes overweight. You might have notices a lot of spam about a skatepark project under a bridge lately. Well the operation is successfully over. The project moved from 15th place to 2nd in the last couple of days. Everybody was so keen on voting that the website crashed the process. Congrats to everybody involved and shout out to everyone who voted and helped out. All in all two skateboarding related project got over the line which means more riding for us in the future. 

Welcome to isolator!

Nils-Eerik Veisberg – Hardflip in ISO during the Vans Trip Photo: Herbe

For the most part Latvian skate scene is usually bummed when indoor season rolls in. But now, with the announcement of the brand new indoor skatepark Isolator, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This magical, gritty, diy, Chernobyl-esque wonderland has a lot of things going for it when compared to other indoor parks in Riga. Scooters, rollerblades and any other wheeled devices that aren’t a skateboard, will not be able to step foot in this place. Also this is the only indoor skatepark in Riga where skaters will be able to enjoy concrete flat. Finally! Skating inside won’t feel like sliding around on an ice skating rink. The obstacles in Isolator are no joke too. Steep bank hips, gnarly quarters… But don’t take our word for it. Have a look for yourself our latest video ‘’Vans Baltic Weekend’’. Or in Rudik’s latest instagram post… But that is not where the surprises end because on the 19th of November, Isolator will be hosting its very first event called Isolator Madness. Be sure to follow their instagram page for any updates regarding that.

New Intern

 

RajonTV staff got bigger in October. Edijs Plume of Barspin and Tikari fame joined our ranks. His first job was to translate Linda’s summer memoir, make an insta edit of his skating, and write a paragraph about Isolator for the link section. As you might have noticed Edijs been killing it so far.

Halloween parties

Latvian were not participating in Halloween this year, but our Baltic collogues had some dress-up parties. Krulli indoor in Tallinn hosted an event called Boogieland Massacre and AJE skatepark in Klaipeda had a spooky session as well.

Meme page admin, anyone?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @latvian_sk8r_memes

One of the most effective ways to share ideas and beliefs nowadays are, surprisingly, memes. They are easy to consume. They deliver the point quickly. And they are usually funny which makes the point come across and stick better. Latvian skater meme page that appeared in October on instagram gained quick attention from the community. The meme page is smart. It is not only a mash-up of random jokes, it is also a grail of some insider knowledge; something everyone could enjoy. The page manages to connect both old videos, new videos, old generations and young generations. There are memes about Edijs Aizstrauts, Ernijs and Iso in one post. Then there’s an Avantis poster in the next post? Then there’s a Niks Kolosovskis appreciation post. All of this is really great, but it leaves us wondering: who could be running such an account? How could one person connect past, present and future of Latvian skateboarding all at once? Or maybe it is not a person at all. The version we have for the admin identity might seem a bit far-fetched but hear us out. It is not a secret that tech giants want us to spend more time on phones, so they come up with hidden ways to achieve this. Developing a content generating AI that sneaks into small groups within subcultures to make tailored and addictive content just might be tech giants’ next step. The Latvian skater meme page is run by such a robot. An AI system. It has analyzed all the data we have as a collective skate scene produced: video, photos, comments, captions. It has tracked our locations, habits and tastes.  (Taking into account the size of our scene it probably did it in mere seconds, and perhaps still continues to do so). It can listen to our discussions at spots and read out DMs. As it gathered all of the data it started to generate images and messages that the majority would enjoy. Hence, it is able to bridge  generations and accurately display the current mood of the skate community. But how far will it go? One thing for certain, no one is safe, so watch what you say and do. 

See you in indoors! Peace! 

P.S. We’ve been doing this for a while, heh? Check out October links from 2021/ 2020/ 2017 / 2018 

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Pop and drop

Niklavs and Rudik are two long term team mates for Clockwise skateshop. They have been together in the trenches for a while, and know each other’s ins and outs pretty well. They know what each can do, but still they can surprise even themselves. Enjoy the game.

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First skate trip of summer

Latvian Version Here

Hey, everyone

The last time I expressed my thoughts here was in June when I had only just started to get a taste of the lifestyle that skateboarding had to offer… I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much it would impact my life to the point of not even being able to sit down for a second and reflect on what was happening. I’m trying to balance the lifestyle of a 30+ year old with a job and responsibilities, whilst still giving my inner child a chance to live and enjoy life to the fullest. The stuff that I went through this summer consisted of 4 skate trips, a couple of contests and copious amounts of laughter and good memories. Finally, I have time to sit back and reflect.

The first trip we went on this summer was to Tallinn. The gang consisted of Emīlija Stoka, Robina Zvirgzdiņa, Artūrs Paugurs, Matīss Ozols and I. This was during the time when Simple Session was happening and even though we didn’t have a problem with the idea of attending and checking it out live, our main priority was still to skate and film. On the last day of Simple Session there was an event called ‘’Girls Girls Girls’’, for which the tickets were already priced at 20 euros, and so the idea of sitting down at a skate spot and watching the runs of our fellow latvian riders online seemed like the optimal choice. 

I melt when I reflect on this summer. The warm days, the cold beer…We spent a lot of time skating around Freedom Square in Tallinn. We also skated around the beach area and hit a lot of random spots along the way. After a nice swim Robina decided to hit a street spot and got everybodies blood flowing with her drop in, which was then followed by a few heavy slams from Emīlija. She did manage to roll away at the end though.  Everyone managed to get a few clips. I was happy to be practicing my chops on the camera.

We were thinking about hitting up the after party of Simple Session, however we seemed to be satisfied with the company of our own squad while filling up the streets of old town with laughter and silly jokes, which was then followed by a nice dinner.

Emīlija got herself a new nickname – The president of Algeria
The spot where Robina did her drop in and her followers
The morning of day 3 in Tallinn. The gang: Emīlija Stoka, Robina Zvirgzdiņa, Artūrs Paugurs, Matīss Ozols and me behind the camera
Girls and poppies

 

Matiss after his trefilp

The “Girls Girls Girls” event took place at the street course of Simple Session the 13th of June, as the closing event for the festival. It was organized by Liidia Maier and Kat Design Studio. I attended this event because i wanted to meet and talk to the local Estonian skater girls. I had already gotten a chance to meet Merje in Latvia, at the Vef DIY contest, so this was an opportunity to get to know her a little bit better.

Liidia was actually the one who contacted me following the first write up I did back in November of last year. I had also heard a few legends about Sandra. I had to meet them. The workshop couldn’t hold our attention for too long, since we wanted to skate so bad. Once we finally got to the park we all got a little crazy. Hell, even I did. I was surfing along the big ramps of the skatepark… I felt amazing. However this beautiful moment quickly turned into a full-blown nightmare when one downrail took out two MVP’s. Emīlija and Robina took slams on the exact same obstacle, which resulted in the exact same injury – a torn ACL.

They were rewarded for the gnarliest slams… Hmmm…

The trip back to Riga seemed like something in between a bad trip and a prayer to the universe, for everything to be okay. However, after a few days had passed both of the girls got their diagnoses and a sort of emptiness settles in once you’ve realized that your skatebuddies won’t be able to skate for a while. Everything we had planned for the rest of the summer now was impossible. Two of the already few Latvian girl skateboarders are now off their boards until February of 2023 at least. One of the thoughts that was running through my head was – “Emīlija won’t be able to go on the “Kurzemes tūre” tour.” The closer it got to the date of the tour, the more anxious I got. I was putting myself down for not being able to kickflip or not being able to go through the gnarliest slams, however I tried staying focused on the fact that I can still take some pictures and film, and blast a few beasty bonelesses of course. When the day finally came I thought to myself: “Fuck it, I’m going!” And so I made my way to the meetup spot at Lokal House. 

TBC…