Tagged "chicago"


Chicago Street Jam 2016

Posted by Michael Spizzirri on

This years street jam we played it pretty close to the finish line. We always start planning for it super early but when it comes down to wrapping everything up, it’s never done until the last week. This year we weren’t done until the morning of the jam. A couple people were on the fence about the last spot since the risk factor was super high. We had a feeling someone was going to the hospital.

Another issue we had was the hunt for an HVX. A couple filmers we were relying on coming to the jam couldn’t make it so a last minute call went out to Proto to hook it up. Now that all the spots had been Bondoed, there were two cameras and three filmers to swap between, someone to lead the jam and a motorized scooter to tow around 17 people at a time, we were set.

The first spot we hit wasn’t too far from Wilson skatepark and was supposed to be a somewhat easy rail for people to hit. To our surprise, only a handful of people were into the rail. There was also a yellow pillar at the bottom that made it risky to try certain tricks. The people that weren’t riding were either running to the store to buy drinks for everyone, climbing the railroad bridge or getting on top of the roof and poking holes into peoples ceilings. The spot ended up lagging out a little so we packed it up and headed to the next spot. Big shout out to Proto for sponsoring this spot and throwing in extra money for some of the winners.

The second spot we decided on the day before the jam. It is a cool spot to film a line but we didn’t exactly think about people wanting to hit the ledges from both sides which made for one big cluster fuck and a really hard time to film because nobody took turns. A lot of people battled it out and tried to get tricks, while others stood and watched the chaos. Scooter Zone ended up sponsoring the ledges and through out some tricks that needed to be landed for some quick cash.

We pushed pretty far to get to those butter benches and had a long trek back to the third and fourth spot. Pretty much, the second we got to the spot, people were already hucking themselves down the 4 block. We aren’t even sure how people had the energy after that mile push back. So many tricks went down here and it was very fucking pleasant to watch. The trick to land was a 180 down the gap to half cab up the curb. It was pretty intense to watch multiple people attempt this but out of nowhere, Reece landed it first try. The Shop had the cash to back up that request and the spot was shut down. We moved to the front of the building.

Issac killed himself, landing a triple heel that immediately lead him into chugging a beer and showering himself with it to clean off all the dirt on his back from falling.

Once we moved to the front of the building, we were at the spot Aztek was sponsoring. It was a skinny flat rail that had riders squaring up and getting use to it. Mark "Black Momba" Williams ended up hopping on for a back lip and lost balance so he kept his foot off and landed a one foot back lip which was pretty amazing to watch. That sort of set the tone for this spot. Only 5-10 riders were into the rail but they were attempting some solid tricks. We probably would of stayed there another 30 minutes if the cops didn’t show up. Some people were stuck cleaning up in front of the cop while the rest made their way to the final spot.

The last spot was a doozy. It was a very tall 10 flat 10 that went straight into a tunnel. The likely hood of someone eating it hard was about a 10. We ended up having a decent amount of money left so we told everyone, whoever tricks down it gets $100. That made some people line up and others gather around to watch the mayhem. With the first person aka Dennis pushing fast at the stair set, everyone was keen to see if he was going to make it. Both wheels touched ground with relief. It was hard to believe someone landed it first try. With that out of the way, we all wondered what was next. Before we knew it, Nick was pushing fast at the set and threw the gnarliest 360 anyone has ever seen. It looked like he was going for a nose dive at the end but really he was just throwing in some extra flare. Collin walked up, realizing nothing gnarlier was going to be thrown and handed Nick the rest of the cash we had on hand. Every year we don’t know how we are going to top the year before but to our surprise, it keeps happening.

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Disposable : Chicago Street Jam 2016

Posted by Christopher Martin on

This year we had an extra disposable camera lying around so we passed it around from friend to friend to capture the street jam from a riders perspective. Ideally each person was suppose to take one photo and pass it along. We have no idea who really contributed to this so thank you for somehow getting this back to us for these awesome photos.

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Chicago Street Jam 2015

Posted by Christopher Martin on

The weekend hit off with the TILT Shop BBQ. No advertising keeps things tight with the homies when we pull the ramps and grill out. The night is always rad. We get to see our best friends from all corners of the world. Behind the scenes, some of the crew had a long day up in Chicago setting up for the CSJ and TILT2 Premiere. The next morning, the CSJ met up at Grant Skate Park. Little did we know, Zumiez was hosting a skate event there later that day. Thankfully we didn't shut too much down. A heavier trick selection was thrown down on scooters while we were just meeting up than at the actual skate comp. We got out of there just after noon. The first spot was a giant bank to bike rack gap. Everyone threw down hard over the gap, down the rail, down the set, everything. The cops came by and shut things down. Donkey Dick was up next - a classic Chicago rail spot. Shoutout to all the gnarly combos that were thrown down. We peaced out once the tricks started dying down. Next up was an angle iron ledge in the Fulton Market, but cars were in the way. All the pros sesh'd a dumpster and a van while the ams battled it out for prizes on a ledge nearby.

A short cruise over to a couple stair sets was a prime spot for a best line. Plywood was staged on another stair set for easy run up. Heavy combos went down the sets and the rails. The last spot was insane - Halsted Gap. The gap is setup on top of abandoned shipping containers and was a staple spot in Chicago for years. A homeless guy calls it home and litters the spot with 40oz bottles. About half the bottles double as his bathroom. Coming up short isn't an option unless you're down with getting peppered with glass and pee. Even though we're just scootering in an abandoned lot, the cops came in hard. Five police cruisers rolled up, and the jam was shut down for the day. Everyone took a chiller for a couple hours and rendezvoused at the TILT2 Premiere for a high jump, product toss, and of course the video. Things got tight when everyone crammed in for the single showing. The TILT crew got together in the lobby with free posters and a signing after the showing. Thanks to everyone who made the trek to Chicago, parents who were down to support their kids, and everyone who came out to the TILT2 Premiere. See you all next year.

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Chicago Street Jam 2014

Posted by Christopher Martin on

This was our 4th annual street jam, and it was definitely one for the books. The number of riders went uncounted, but we would like to think it was around 10,000. The Tilt crew along with 20-30 riders started in Mokena and took the train in. From there they took a small cruise through the streets to meet up at the starting point, Union Station. Immediately upon arrival the Chicago Street Jam was underway. With $1,500 cash up for grabs plus gear the riders mobbed the streets. The first spot was Fulton Market where we had one of the owners cars waiting to be gapped over. One rider tried a gnarly front flip over the car and ended up breaking his ankle. After Collin's car had been beaten down and dented, time came to mash over to the NBC tower to hit the clock ledges. This is where people had time to get a little technical and get that cash. Once the mob's energy died down, the cruising continued to the next spot. With cars turning around and bridges being covered with scooters like ants, the city clearly didn't know what to do. The third spot was a flat 9 rail at Butler Field in Grant Park.

Right away tricks were being thrown and didn't stop until the bangers came out. After too much hype, the riders went to an unexpected cool down spot at the stage ledges. After everyone had some time to rest those feet, it was off to the ender. The last spot was the massive Buckingham 12 also located in grant park. Everyone gave it a solid look and determined right there whether they were hitting or observing. A select few threw down and snagged cash to bring back home. Before the jam could end, a bike cop pulled up and tried to shut it down. He said he had reports of some unsafe maneuvers happening down some stairs and that's why he showed up. As he turned his bike sideways to block the stairs, the riders ran to the other set right next to it to set up and land their last tricks. After the cop realized he was defeated, he joined the crowd along with many other Chicagoans and watched in awe. All in all, very little injuries occurred and a lot of good vibes were sent out through the entire scooter community. We thank everyone that was a part of this amazing time. Until next year.

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BBQ Jam Weekend 2014

Posted by Christopher Martin on

Like always, Tilt hosts a BBQ for all the riders and people that are apart of the chicago jam. No invites ever go out but the people that are most influential in the scooter scene just know about it and show up. This year we had a mini park set up to mess around on. People ended up throwing down after they got their hamburgers in them thanks to Tom K for being the grill master. We started to feel bad that we had to pack up because so much was going down. After things were packed up it was off to the tilt house where the after party happened. The backyard looked like a campground were we tried to burn everything that would catch fire. Inside the house, there was a mini tech deck sesh that happened while others smashed on more food.

Since so many people were in town a lot of crews joined up after the jam for the whole weekend and rode together. A couple memorable moments are, a group of rappers filming a music video and trying to link up with us while we were filming some lines by the beach. Josh Young throwing down while a security guard tried to kick us out. Jona Humbel stepping in front of a car to save one of the shots for Chris. Ridding into the night 15 deep while Collin Niesen tried to fast plant a car. Dylan Kasson going up to that same car trying to FS 180 and the dude that owns the car walks up and gets right in and drives off. Eating tons of pizza and chicken. Thanks to everyone that made it a great time and kept up the good vibes.

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