Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Remember Jason Crolly 1979-2016

I bought this piece of art from Jon Schledewitz at a photo sale he had many moons ago. It is a piece of art, because it not only highlights the creativity from the mind of Jon to mount a photo of Jason Crolly on to a truck riser pad, fastened with skateboard hardware, but it features the skateboarding creativity of Winnipeg legend Jason Crolly.

I actually bought two pieces out of a set of three. Two pieces, because that's all I could afford at the time, but I am now down to one piece. Why? Because as soon as my friend Zakk saw them, he offered to buy one. He had to have it. I can imagine the same reason I had to. It was a combination of radical, gnarly and awesome all rolled in to one. Skateboard hardware, a photo by Jon Schledewitz and Winnipeg's own... Jason Crolly


...at the time of purchase, I had never actually met Jason Crolly before. I had heard of him, seen him in videos and I had seen him in passing. The first time I saw him up close, I noticed he was missing his front teeth. I assumed it had something to do with his hardcore approach to skateboarding. No one could be that solid without being hardcore about it I figured.

I never went out and shot with Mr. Crolly, but I was lucky enough to capture him hucking here and there over the years.

WAM 2008 @ The Forks Plaza


Circa Demo 2009 @ Komenda Skatepark


The first time I officially met him was only a few years ago while skateboarding the mini-ramp in his backyard with my son and my friends. He just got home from an early game of golf I believe. He took a sip of his beer, dropped in and joined our session. He was art on wheels.

Despite being completely intimidated by witnessing his skill set, I took my turn as if we were old pals. I was repeatedly failing at pulling off a frontside boneless and then I heard Crolly's motivating push "You gotta WANT it!". With his voice repeating in my head the next few tries, I eventually landed it. I don't know if I was more stoked on landing the trick or stoked that Mr. Crolly was stoked that I did.

To this day... anytime I am having trouble seeing something through, I hear the same words of wisdom in my head. You gotta want it!

R.I.P. Jason Crolly. If there is life after death; I can only imagine you ripping it up with Jai Pereira, Josh Evin, César Alpizar, Johnny "Ganzo" Castillo, Mark Webster, Karl Harder, Lucas Thorvaldson, Justin Peirce, Harold Hunter, Jeff Phillips, Jay Adams and all the others who left this earth far too soon.

4 comments:

  1. This may be semantics, but Jason was born in 1979

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  2. Great piece, it's beautiful to see stories from people who's lives Jason touched in a positive way. I can't imagine anyone saying a bad word about the wonderful friend I knew and respected above all others. Thank you for sharing your memories with all of us. RIP my boy you are missed J, even by the people you met in passing.

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  3. Jason was my bestfriend when we were boys. Very sad to hear of his passing. He is with his mother now. miss you bro

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