The stoke and the skate

It's been a long day. I'm knackered. But, for those still looking for the stoke even at this time of night, let me point you in the direction of Jed Stone. I interviewed Jed today. He's 53, fit as a fiddle, and he rips. He's a good bloke, and, even better, he's an old school skater. I'm talking about a man who knows a frontside grind from a fakie, a McTwist from a 360, and - of course, brethren - a no comply from a NO ARGUMENT I AM GOING SURFING. Turns out Jed skated a couple of the same bowls as me, a long time ago. Also, that he managed one of them. I confessed that back in the day, when a friend and I had tired of some Fistral aggro, we hit the Holywell skate bowl, and once there, we decided to skate the car. It was a Mini 1000, and I'll scan the photos in soon. Jed's reaction?  A big, broad smile, an immediate understanding of exactly why we decided to skate the car, accompanied with an instinctive assessment of "did you make it?" We might have done. But for now - and I should be back soon (swell may take me away) - I wish Jed and his fellow competitors all the best in surfing's amateur World Champs.