Lazy Sundays

   Lazy Sundays, late mornings on through the afternoon, sometimes even into the evenings. Dusk, the loss of light. Dark shadows loom to ruin photos. This was our own Sunday old school tradition in the workings. The foundation included myself, Lance Robson, Robert Bain, Shannon Bruffett, Troy, Chris Knight (a lot of the time), Tre, and so many others, both among the named and the random nameless. These were our Sundays at the historical Bro-Bowl in downtown Tampa. Cases of beer were drank, cook outs were just as common and ghettoblasters supplied various soundtracks. From Hip-Hop to Punk and Metal to Reggae. Fast cruising lines down the snakerun - jamming around the top of the bowl and carving back down the back wall up over the humps to carve back into it once more around. All the while holding a can of beer with a certain respect to Chet Childress. A plank of wood and four small wheels really is an absolute freedom that many will never truly understand. But by now it's been almost a month since the last session. Well, I should say the last session I've been to or know of.

   We had been doing these Sunday sessions for a few months, but this one Sunday - the vibe felt different. There was something that felt important about this particular Sunday's sesh. I was stoked LBK was going to be up there because that coming Wednesday he was hitting the road headed back out west, to Santa Cruz. Of course most of the regular crew was there. I was more into photographer mode than skate mode that day. Which worked out well because I was able to get a few good shots of LBK, and Robert was having one of the best skate days he's had in some time. I racked in a few sequences and stills with him. My favourite is the still frame of his frontside 360 ollie. Robert had been blasting big high frontside ollies across the back-side bank wall of the bowl. When I asked him to do one more so I could get the shot, he pulled out all the stops, full throttle, and whipped out a big frontside 360 first try. At first when I popped the shutter of my camera, I was taken by surprise by the unexpected 360 ollie. I thought I had blown the shot. As it turned out, when I hit the preview button, I got another surprise. I ended up realizing I had what would become one of my favourite skate photos - even more so now after how that Sunday would end. 

   I don't remember exactly the time but it was after 5P.M. The session was definitely winding down. LBK still wasn't back from the store getting us water, Robert cruised along the sidewalk that outlines the bowl - setting up for one more ollie into the bowl for a cruise run. This is when Robert broke his right ankle. He ollied in, slid out leaning back - sliding up one of the humps pushing his weight back sitting on his ankle, breaking it. I was turned to my left to start packing away my camera equipment, I saw him slide out - out of the corner of my eye, I heard Shannon's voice and it didn't sound promising. I looked back to my right to see Shannon running down into the bowl and Robert was hobbling up to sit on top of the hump. He was saying he just needed to straighten it back, that's when I looked down, closer, and saw his right foot pointing outward to the right. Behind me, to my left, I heard Lance's voice telling me to go get my truck, but before I could react Shannon was already yelling to Tre and throwing him his keys to his Lincoln. With quickness Tre had Shannon's Lincoln jumping the curb and on the grass, I tossed Robert and Shannon's boards in the trunk, grabbed Robert's cell phone and cigarettes - he was calm, Shannon carried him out of the bowl and put him in the passenger seat. Robert smoked a cigarette. Of course just seconds after they leave for Tampa General hospital, this is when LBK gets back from the store. I met Shannon and Robert at the hospital. After a couple of hours or so, the result was a compound break which also resulted in Robert having to get surgery and have screws and pins put in. By the time Robert was able to be released, Lance showed up, helping to make times good even when they're not so good. It truly is a blessing to have great friends.