Chris [WEEP] Blank
Groholski’s Ramp NJ
Photo by Greg Colescott
Archive addition number 600! thought I would give it to Weep with this cool ‘below the coping’ Jeff Roenning waiting for a go…at Tom Groholski’s.
Great stuff
Jason
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430: The House of Steam – Year three!!
July 27, 2009
Tom Groholski at Home NJ circa 1984?
Photo by The Padulo Brutics!
So on July 20th THOS turned three years old. Crazy to think I have been living with this thing that long in two different countries as well. It has been a great year from my vantage point it seems there has been no downturn in the brotherhood sector of the economy. A high water mark is obviously Jim Murphy being recognized for his charitable/skate endeavors but along with that I have my eye on a lot of other seeds that have been planted and people tied to this community seem to be gravitating towards one another with results to follow. So THOS continues on into year 4 – keep the pics and stories flowing and I promise to keep it all moving so no one will ever have time to hang a sign on us.
Cheers, My Bruthas and Sistas!
Ps How sick is that photo of Tom! Nice one Dave!
Another for the “UnKnown Skater” File
Tom Groholski’s Contest day
Photo Dietz Bruthas
Bernie wins the Prize!! It is Doug Mayer from PA…and we spy your yellow helmet…Rodney (Smith)!
Here is a tip of the hat to another “Unknown Skater” Invert on the extension…no easy feet considering Tom’s ramp was layered in ice. Anyone know who he or anyone on deck is? We see you Murph(Jim) with your pink zorlac board! What do you think the high bid on ebay would be for that Silver “Hawk” the lad in the red helmet is sporting? Lad? He is probably 40+ now…
Dan Brown at Tom Groholski’s on Contest Day.
Photo Deitz Bruthas
Maybe Bernie can confirm that this is indeed Dan Brown (I for one hope so because it will mean adding about the 185th! skater to our all important archive) Also if you are on the deck in this picture send me an email!!
Jason;
I love all the stuff my brother Ken has sent you. I haven’t seen this stuff in years so its cool seeing it on the site. I can ID the following people on the deck:
Far left, brown sweat shirt, white helmet John Aires (from PA/MD ?)
On the extension (left to right) Jeff Jones (in Variflex gear)
Jim “Outlaw” Murphy
Steve Herring
Steve Deitz
PS The skater is definately Dan Brown chucking either an invert or one of his extended layback airs
416: Tom Groholski’s Ramp Contest Day NJ 80′s
June 17, 2009
Tom Groholski’s Ramp Contest Day NJ Circa the 80′s
Gonna be away till next week which means (I miss out on using my Bouncing Souls backstage passes for London…aaaarrrgh..Thanks for getting them for me WIG!) everyone will have to wait to see some serious pics from Tom’s backyard. For those of you who have had an idea of what this abstraction of ramp reality looked like, wait no longer! (or at least till next week) All secrets will be revealed in these Dietz Brutha pics! Also thanks and cheers to all the people who have hit me up over here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jason-Oliva/88479491316
Means a ton!
409: Congrats Bernie O’Dowd 34 years skating. Jim Murphy undergrip Layback air at Tom Groholski’s ramp.
May 30, 2009
Jim Murphy somekind’a Andrecht grip layback air Groholskis ramp NJ Early 80′s
Photo: Doh’s Darn Deitz Bruthas!
So Bernie typed the other day that he is beginning his 34th year skateboarding. Here he is circa 25 years ago (Green Pickleheaded Helm) waiting for a go on Tom’s ramp. Knowing Bernie most likely dropped in did 15 tricks and exited the ramp onto the platform (very annoying to the skaters like myself who basically skated till they bailed or slammed whichever came first, and not after too many tricks mind you) It is safe to say Bernie has put in enough miles on vert ramps, both backwards and forwards to have traveled to the moon and back.
Nice work Bern, hope the next 34 are just as good fer ya.
Whoaaa back foot, Tom Groholski in his Back yard circa 84 Matt Padulo looking on.
You know you’ve come full circle when you’re listening to Ride The Lightening in your car on the way to Woodward Skatepark with your two young boys in the back seat and your brother next to you telling them the story of the first time you heard the song. (For the record it was a Wednesday night at the Barn, Groholski walked in, popped in the cassette into the player by the door, and jump on the ramp with no pads LONG before it was fashionable.) It must have been the Metallica playing in the car and the 13ft half-pipe they had at Woodward that got me thinking of the The Jersey Devil himself, Tom Groholski, and his freakin monster ramp he had in his backyard. A few minutes poking around some boxes in my attic produced this footage from the one pilgrimage I made to Tom’s with some of the crew from Warren & Watchung.
Tom, Dan Tag, Matt Padulo and Rocky Vertone
If this pic doesn’t capture a moment in time, I don’t know what one does. Tom extending a huge invert while Dan Tag, my brother Matt who must have been around 12 at the time, and Rocky Vertone look on, jaws dropped and speechless. I’m guessing this is probably either March 1984 or 1985. Maybe it was spring break. I remember it was cold and there were still a few last piles of snow around. It’s hard to put into words how TALL that ramp was. It took up the whole backyard and could be seen above some of the roofs in the neighborhood. It was the first huge tranny any of us had ever skated. Tom talks about how it came to his backyard in his Juice Magazine interview a few years ago. Good times.
Dave Padulo
Classic stuff!! I made the pilgrimage as well, driven by Dan Tag 2 or 3 years later. Tom’s was the tallest, slipperiest and most transparent ramp ever assembled. It made noises that no other ramp could muster. Tom ruled it and it seemed like when he was skating you could see him from across town. All the neighboring houses had boxed seats to view what was transpiring on the ramp. Needless to say I could barely manage to land any trick I knew at the time while Tag and Tom killed it. Normally I always traveled with a camera, not that day though. Nice one Dave, bet you wish you shot a whole roll!!
