Skate 2 takes to the streets of London

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Skate 3 intro video
May 11, 2010

Skate 2, the sequel game to EA’s Skate is out at the end of this month. And to celebrate the launch the promoters are putting on a bit of a show; a race across London that will see man, car, tube and skateboard do battle across the city.

Professional skater and founder of King Ramps, Pete King

I’m standing under a bridge near Waterloo encircled by stacks of skateboards and videos cameras. Freestyle skaters Daryl Dominguez and Kevin McKeon are warming up, slicing up and down the London pavement whist the film crew adjust their gear ready for battle against the lack of light on this misty winter morning.

"Street skating as a mode of transport is a relatively hassle-free way of getting around."
Dave Slade, Skate 2 promoter

The race will take four participants from Waterloo to a check point at St Pauls and then back across the river to the London Eye. Dominguez will skate, King will drive, McKeon take the tube and Skate 2 promoter Dave Slade will… jog.

Screenshot from EA's Skate 2

“To promote the game we thought we’d do something different and get a skater to hit the city and race across London,” says Slade, “ and to add an extra dimension we decided to pit the skater against other modes of transport.”

It’s a genuine race, no set ups from the guys behind Skate 2, with each contestant paired up with a cameraman to follow their every move. Will skating be the quickest mode of transport across London - as well as being environmentally friendly, healthy and free?

“Of course we’re hoping that the skater wins but we don’t have a clue how it’s going to pan out,” says Slade. “The advantage with skating is that you avoid the waiting around that public transport entails, walking is knackering and with the car you’ve got the congestion charge, traffic jams, and parking fees. Whereas street skating as a mode of transport is a relatively hassle-free way of getting around.”

Unless of course, you’re in London. As skater McKeon admits, “In the square mile of the city, it’s illegal to skateboard, you can get fined for it, or a written warning.” The race better be quick.

Daryl Dominguez skates London's streets

And they’re off… Dominguez slamming his board to the ground, King firing up his engine, McKeon skating to the nearest tube station and Slade? He’s bloody running for it.

As we hot-foot it to the finish line, a cameraman rings, informing us that King and his car have reached the St Paul’s checkpoint first. We wait, hoping there’s still a chance that skater Dominguez will rock up first. And then… he’s only done it… skateboarding along the paved Thames riverside there he comes, complete with smile and healthy glow.

Kevin McKeon rides the tube

Next to pitch up is tube hopper McKeon, followed by carbon-guzzler King and lastly the panting Slade. McKeon is stressed from his journey: “They put an announcement out at the tube station (directed at us), saying that you’re not allowed to film or take photos and as I was skating away from the checkpoint at St Pauls there was a security guard who told me to get off my board.” His journey cost him a less than pleasurable £4.

Driver King arrives and within minutes has to make a dash back to his car to fend off a traffic warden that’s sniffing around it. “St Paul's has got such beautiful architecture but because I was driving I missed it, if you’re skating or walking you get to take it in. I appreciate there is a danger issue in a city, but in reality someone skating down a road isn’t any more of a risk than a cyclist. The cycle paths should be open to skaters too,” he says. “I think the fact that there’s a rule stopping people from skating on the streets of London is disgusting, it’s taking away people’s civil liberties, without sounding too dramatic. It’s controlling how people are allowed to transport themselves through a city centre, which is pretty grim.”

Law abiding Kevin McKeon enjoying London's Southbank skatepark

Winner Dominguez suggests it would be, “well fun to get skateboarders together to race, not round a track, but in a city where there’s all sorts of obstacles. Also a legit indoor skate park would just be the best thing for London.”

“I just can’t stand packed trains with sweaty business men. With skating you get the fresh air, the breeze, when you’re skating really fast; it gives you a sense of release,” adds Dominguez, before shooting off to the fabled Southbank undercroft where he can ride to his heart’s content without fear of being fined.

Look out for a video of the race across London on huckmagazine.com soon.

Skate 2 is released on 23rd January.

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Skate 2 takes to the streets of London (text) by Kezia Clark is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.