Autumn of 1989 saw one of the world’s top professional vert skateboarders come to Dundee. Why was Lee Ralph at our humble and vert-less first skate factory in Stobswell? I think he must have been visiting Angel Lights church skatepark in Glasgow, which had a great vert ramp, and came through with the Clan guys whose wheels called that place home.
The Factory Sensibles were throwing a comp, a Skate Frenzy! Along with Lee Ralph, a host of name skaters arrived from Glasgow with the Clan crew. Maybe someone can help me remember in the comments, but I recall Jamie Blair, Davie Phillips, Aljo, Chimp, Stan Stanners, Fred, Bod Boyle?, was Billy Fuggn Smith there?
The crew from Glasgow arrived Friday night and after repairing to a local skater’s for rest and ‘refreshment’, the fun guys returned for a night session on our wonderful mini ramp. We’d added the hip for this comp, making the ramp quite expansive, but the wee bit, high bit, roll-over, spine section, and hip were still not enough ramp to contain the mach-speed mentalness that ensued. See the following video clip for an idea of how crazy things got (this was the team comp on Saturday and not quite as frenzied as the night before):
Davie and Chimp, for me, were the most impressive – they kept running out of ramp! Going fast was an end in itself, not the tricks!
After this weekend, I loosened my trucks and pumped as fast as I could into every trannie.
Lee Ralph was a phenomenon. He had a mohawk, bones dangling from his neck, and Doc Martin boots. Dwarfing the ramp, he was a giant in fact and in attitude. I was there for his famous flat bottom turn, a surf-like move where he dropped in on the low section, turned on the flat and rode up to rock on the high section of the same side of the ramp. That’s how my old memory recalls it, anyhoo. Madness was the order of the session on that Friday night, and my innocent little skate mind did not know what it was witnessing. Of course, we all did not know how famous Lee’s ‘trick’ would become – it entered skate folklore and is still talked about 22 years later. There may even be a movie coming out about him that mentions it. His is an amazing story, that’s for sure, and it’s great to see Lee’s still skating after all his travails.
Frontside pics all the way 😉 There will be much more blogging on the capers of the Factory Sensibles and the first Dundee skate factory as my memories randomly surface from the foggy swamp of the past. One thing I do remember clearly is getting a photo of Lee Ralph, and I remember because that pic still exists. Everyone, meet Lee and my Mum 🙂
So good mate, what a weekend! Do you remember where that 6ft hip to 7ft back started bro? Amazing memories with amazing lifelong friends.
The best times, John. So was that the bmx ramp we picked up from the back of Monifieth? Were you on the crazy truck ride to pick it up?
Sure was mate, I built that ramp on Jamie Darcy’s father allotment on the bottoms of West Park Road. It was 8’ tall by 8’ wide. Then Allan Smith and I moved it to Barnhill where we made it 12’ wide. Didn’t get to finish the platforms as we built the ramp on a service road. Arthur stone was the best place to put it. From memory, I remember you and Craig driving down to pick it up. Then we had it as a very ramp painted white in the Factory. Until chopped and made into the hip, which was so much better. Crazy 32 year old memory huh? 🤣🤣🤣
Yeah I remember the ramp up West Park Rd. Skated it once with Lindsay and Rafi, I think. Maybe that was the time you showed us the Star Wars cellar!!!! Didn’t realize that was the ramp that became the hip though. It was pretty cool as a vert ramp for the few weeks it was. Didn’t we put it upside down on purpose for that?