Youth Against Establishment

STOP #7 OF VOLCOM'S NORTH AMERICAN PEANUT BUTTER AND RAIL JAM TOUR

The 7th stop on the 2006/07 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam series went down Saturday Feb 3 at Blue Mountain Ontario. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MOVIE TO YOUR IPOD When I think of Ontario, a recall my childhood friend �Junior�. Our time together wasn�t long, but he taught me a lot about life, love and everything in between. This is our story� I wasn�t more then 8 or 9 years old at the time and was deep in one of those endless summers that seem to only accompany youth. The day was partly cloudy, (high of 28 Celsius, with a low pressure system moving into the area) when I heard shrill calls for help emanating from my grandfather�s barn! Never one to shy away from the call of duty, I donned my army helmet and boldly dashed in to investigate. A neighbor�s dog had killed the mother of 4 baby squirrels and was looking to wreak more havoc. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I bravely stepped into the fray to fend off the foul curr! A few minutes later, order was restored and I turned to examine the victims of war. Seeing the baby squirrels had survived I did what any grade 5 would do - give the alpha squirrel a name and bring him home. My furry comrade came to be known as �Junior� and my father constructed a pen for him to sleep in at night. Of course our cat wasn�t sure what to make of the whole situation, but the humans seemed to like the squirrel so he didn�t put up much of a fuss. I quickly realized Junior and I shared many common interests such as skating, climbing trees and playing monopoly (original edition). Junior�s diet consisted of cat food and vanilla ice cream, which we all know is just asking for heart problems down the road. He would run around with me outside and come in when I called him. In exchange for his company, I taught him all I knew about hunting and evading predators (not much). I was soon letting him out on his own and he would return in the evening. Eventually he didn�t come back and I like to think he�s out there making it on his own. Truth be told he was likely eaten by my jealous cat underneath the front porch. Nevertheless, every time I�m back in Ontario for the Peanut Butter and Rail Jam, I call his name when confronted by a black, bushy tailed squirrel. Yes, I�m insane. Blue Mountain is located a few hours North of Toronto near a town called Collingwood. It�s assumed by many US citizens that Toronto is a small logging community, consisting mainly of igloos and populated by ill-tempered polar bears. The two hours of daylight are generally consumed by hunting, fishing, drinking, playing hockey and making maple syrup. If you�ve bought any of this, please make haste to your nearest library and educate yourself! In truth, Toronto is a large and ethnically diverse city populated by nearly 6 million people. Leroy Seymour, Stacy Crellin and myself (Jeff Arnold), arrived in Collingwood a few days prior to the event to soak up the local scene. Blue Mountain�s own Jonathan Reid and his terrain park team had already installed a first rate contest area. A down-flat-down box, a flat-down box and a down rail made up the three custom PBRJ zones. After a somewhat orderly registration, we were off and running with the 15 and Under Division. Both heats were filled with some of the finest jibbers we�ve seen thus far on the North American tour. If I had to pick standouts, Mackenzie Whalen, Taylor Watling and the infamous Harrison Grey quickly jump to mind. All three riders were ripping like maniacs and making life difficult for the judges. As a whole, all the 15 and Under riders charged it and put on a great show. A few minutes later, we were deep amidst of the 16 and Over Division. The riding was insane with hammers being thrown down on all three features. Competitors soon began gapping to the down on the down-flat-down and f/s 450s on the flat-down boxes! The Girl�s Division was up to throw down next and didn�t disappoint! Catherine Simms and Victoria Marshall quickly set an up-tempo tone and the rest of the ladies followed suit. The features were victimized by smooooooth front boards, back lips and 50-50 to boardslides. The Open Division had the unenviable task of stepping things up another notch. Apparently this wasn�t an issue! 270s and 450s quickly became commonplace as these guys mad their winning intentions clear. Myself and hundreds of others involved were left slack-jawed. The problem was deciding on the winners! Thanks to Jonathan Reid, Shannon Ballard and the rest of the team at Blue Mountain for all their support before, during and after the event. Thanks also to our celebrity guest judges, Dave Wright, Tyler Ellement and Eric Gravenish. A huge thanks to Christy Raymond for once again holding things down at registration in the morning and tabulation throughout the day. Definitely couldn't have done it without her. Last but not least, thanks to Stacy Crellin and Leroy Seymour for their help well as Celtek Gloves and Red Bull for supporting with product. Results: 15 and Under Division: 1st: Mackenzie Whalen 2nd: Taylor Watling 3rd: Harrision Grey 4th: Mason Hambly 5th: Kevin Moran 16 and Over Division: 1st: Patrick Hrivnak 2nd: Devon Parsons 3rd: Gabriel Rivest 4th: Mike Baier 5th: Kris Lessard Girls Division: 1st: Catherine Simms 2nd: Palmer Taylor 3rd: Victoria Marshall 4th: Marie-Noelle Legere 5th: Gabrielle Bouchard Open Division: 1st: Jamie Corneal 2nd: Ryan Caesar 3rd: Jordan Fraser 4th: Riley Ellement 5th: Nick Harlos Back to PBRJ