About Duncan Clarke - Skater

I bought my first pair of skates when I was 16. I was intending on getting a standard pair of quads so I could have some decent skates when I went to the local leisure centre. As it was, I went into my local skate shop and saw something a little different. They were Monoline skates. They looked like ski boots, but with all the wheels in a line underneath. I was hooked.

From there I have moved on slightly. I now skate Salomon ST90's on Cozmo wheels as my usual skates, and have a couple of spare pairs - Razor Flats with Marco Hintze frames, Cozmo wheels - Hulgreens and Barcodes and Oxygen High-Tops with the Realm wheels.

I usually wear pads when I skate, because I have hurt myself too many times to risk it any more. I don't mind a hard slam, but hate leaving skin all over the floor, I don't want to break anything internal. The pads I have are:

• Knee pads - Smith (Scabs) - big, hard, excellent for vert.
• Elbow pads - OUT Moons - when I can be bothered.
• Gloves - Lazzy Legs Public Defenders. Unfortunately no longer made.
• Helmet - Pro-tec. Red and shiny...

I usually skate at Bones skatepark on Canal Street, Stockport. When the weather is better, I skate on the new mini-ramp in my home town of Alsager (or at least I did until they closed it down) or the knackered old spine ramp in Hanley Park.

I don't get time to skate as much as I'd like these days 'cos I got myself a job. Don't you hate the fact that you need a job to afford to skate, but when you get a job, you don't get time to skate.

I am also now involved with the Alsager Youth Project (web page pending) who are trying to get a skate park built in my local town. We do have a ramp already, but it is poorly located, and gets locked up when local townies (scum of the earth) keep trashing it. We are still in the initial fundraising stages, but any help out there would be greatly appreciated.

To see more sites I have created, check out my website.