Mid-Eastern Skateboard Series
Britt Parrott
Hometown: Smyrna, TN (Now: Portland, OR)
Still skating? Yes, (limited skating/no vert between 1991
and 2000)
Occupation: Web designer
Moved to CA: 1985, worked for TWS and Vision Skateboards. Moved away from CA three times.
Favorite MESS memory: The Middletown contests—the MESS
regulars were always there. The adventures after the contests were always fun, especially if Marty Jimenez was involved.
Influence of MESS: Combined with the early zines, it showed
all skaters, especially the west coast, that even if your sport is declared
dead by the trendsetters, you can mold it into whatever form you want it to
take. Skating is rad today, but I'll always remember what it was like to be
one of a handful of skaters in a major metropolitan area traveling hundreds
of miles to skate with another handful of skaters in a different major metropolitan
area. Now when I go skate, everybody seems to take the parks for granted, and everybody skates on their own. I think about all the sessions with my old friends and it brings a tear to my eye, like that old TV commercial with the Indian.
Above: Backside air at MESS #2 (1984) in Johnson City,
TN
Right: A single frame of a frontside grind from a dusky video in Aumsville,
OR, (population: 3,045) July 2002
Interview excerpt from Tailspin skate zine, 1984
(by Dave Ciminelli, VA Beach)
How did the latest MESS contest go? Did you have any problems?
This year's MESS was much better than '83. It was much more organized, and
we did not run into many problems, such as rain, cancellations, etc. Most
of the skate companies gave full backing. The first and fourth contests went
smooth because those guys had contests last year and they knew what to do.
I was pleased with the overall result though. There was a total of 118 skaters
from 16 different states that competed in MESS '84. The main difference between
this year and last year ('83) was that in '83, it was mostly just a handful
of skaters going to each contest, and we were all friends.
What was your personal attitude toward skating in the
contests? Were you satisfied with what place you ranked in them?
I love competing. It's great fun I think. At some contests, it was hard to
try and skate and run the contest also. Johnson City (#2) was particularly
difficult because not too many people were helping out, and I wanted to skate
just as bad as everybody else. I was really surprised that I got fourth place
because I only got about three practice rides in before we started. I was
pleased with my performance. Out of 29 skaters [sponsored], I ended up 7th
overall. It was too much fun though. It was well worth it.
How's the skate scene in your area? Are you still working
on your mag Skatenn?
The skate scene is picking up steadily, lots of new ramps going up. A few
skaters moved away, but then there has been some new skaters move to Nashville
recently. There is also a new crop of skaters coming up. There is about 3
bike shops that stock skate stuff also. I seriously doubt if there will ever
be another issue of Skatenn. Joe Bowers and I collaborated on that
one. We put one issue out, but that was as far as we got. I was too busy with
the MESS this year.
How long have you been skating? Who influences your
skating the most. Is he/she your favorite skater?
I've been skating about 7 years now with about 4 years of that being vertical
experience. Ray Underhill and Lyle
Donoho have influenced me the most. They were the first ones to really
start teaching me how to skate vert and do tricks. My favorite skater would
have to be Joe Bowers. Joe is sponsored by Madrid
and Tracker and is fun to skate with. He rips. I also like to skate with Chip
Jones, John Dettman, the Squids, Bill Danforth, the Nad Ramp locals—I
could go on for 3 more days.
