Snatch Magazine by Eco Star

southwales

snatch magazine

gig reviews # local gossip # www.snatch-mag.com

inside this issue... #surfing

This magazine is put together with stories and pictures sent in by its readers.

IF YOU HAVE A STORY, PICS, IDEAS OR ANY COMMENTS, EMAIL US AT: snatchmag@yahoo.co.uk or extremewales@yahoo.co.uk

Home Nations challenge

Pamplona Bull Running

Chepstow Bowl Review

#skate

Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers can not be held responsible for the accuracy of the information within, or any consequence arising from it. The views expressed in SNATCH are not necessarily those of the editor or the publishers.

Fair Bits ďŹ lm & night out

Blackpill Contest

Welsh Champs

#mboard

#surf

#nightout

Blackpill Contest 2005

#skate

Big thanks this issue to: Wilf, Phil, Becky, Meis for stalking Kirsty Jones, John and anyone else who helped and we forgot. A big thank you to all the advertisers without them there would be no magazine.

#skate

#travel

SNATCH team: Jamie Glarvey - Editorial content Jason Cartwright - Creative content John Lewis - Photography Phil Worsley - Photography Meirion Evans - Tea.

Mountain Boarding

Snatch Magazine issue 5

#fashion

Printed by: Harcourt Litho, Swansea.

summer clobber

Advertising: Anyone interested in advertising in SNATCH call us on: 07867 870 188 Email: snatchmag@yahoo.co.uk

#music

previous issues

jimmy eat world review

As a welsh person, nothing drives the competitive spirit more than being the opportunity to put one over on the English! For years we have enjoyed the hard fought battles on the rugby ﬁeld every winter, and with recent success the feeling of beating our friends across the border is being felt once again. Some of the superbeings in charge of what goes on in surfing in Wales and England obviously had the same feelings inmind when they organised last years Wales v England surf contest in Porthcawl. It may not be as muddy, but it was certainly as hard fought and entertaining as any rugby match as the two teams battled it out in the sunshine and 2ft surf of last June.

surf

The 2005 event was hosted at Watergate Bay over 25th and 26th june. Heats began early on Saturday morning in the 2-3 foot surf with England’s young Alex Baker (14) putting in a strong performance, this his ﬁrst time competing at national level.

Bethan Mason and Becca Templeton helped Wales scour some points back with a series of high scoring waves in the girls division, however in the under 16’s England’s Jayce Robinson and Tom Butler made sure that the English lead continued. Sam Burkett (Wales) and Mitchell Corbett (England) claimed high scoring waves in their heats with well-linked manoeuvres on each ride.

In the newly added Open division Russell Winter and

Grishka Roberts gave strong performances for England, with Mark Vaughn shining for Wales. The open surfers were also on hand to provide invaluable knowledge and training tips for the aspiring juniors. Contest director, Paul Jeffery’s said “its great that Russ’ and the other guys have got involved with this and are on hand to train the juniors on a national team level” he went on, “between them they share a wealth of contest experience that will only beneﬁt the juniors in the short and long term”. As the tide pushed in later in the day the surf increased slightly, offering the competitors more of a face to manoeuvre on. WSF secretary, Lynda Keward pointed out that the small surf wasn’t a problem, “you never know what the surf will be like for a contest so you have to be able to perform well in all conditions”. Surﬁng conditions on the Sunday were unsuitable to hold a full day of contest heats so it was decided to have a tag team event whereby each surfer would only be allowed one wave, with the possibility of

doubling a single wave score by claiming the double-whammy. The Welsh surfers managed to catch some good waves and claimed the tag-team title, which softened the overall loss of the event. Wales were disappointed not to have won the event this year, but are eager to have another go in 2006. Lynda Keward said, “the event has shown us what we need to improve on, but I’m really happy with their overall performance and their team spirit”. Prizes from GOTCHA, FCS and DC shoes were awarded to Alex Baker and Bethan Mason for best performances throughout the event. The ESF, WSF and Gotcha would like to thank all those people who have put their time and energy into developing the junior surfers of our home nations.

see us online: www.e treme-wales.com

travel

The festival of “the running of the Bulls” As told by Wilf Lewis

In the summer of 2002 my close friend Robert Howells the second announced o the world that he was to make an honest woman of his dedicated girlfriend Gillian Boyce. The marriage was scheduled for August 2003! Everyone was of course delighted; I was especially pleased as I was to share the honour of Best man on Rob’s big day. It was therefore the duty of both myself and Chris (Robs brother) to organise the traditional “stag do”. The “”stag do” once a good night on the booze has over time

evolved into long jaunts abroad – basically a good excuse to have a boys holiday, and why not. We banded around ideas of Blackpool, a surf trip to Newquay or possibly Ireland. Nothing however seemed to satisfy the tastes of all those involved. After much umming and ahrring, the mean streets of Swansea and a few vodkas in revolution seemed to provide the inspiration for somebody to suggest a trip to Pamplona and attend the festival of the “running of the bulls”.

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This was of course an unpopular choice with the bride , particularly due to the close proximity of the festival and the wedding. The prospect of ignoring the wishes of the bride to be for one last time was enough to prompt us to into booking the event. Soon enough we found ourselves on board a BMI Baby flight destined for Barcelona – there were eleven of us brave enough to take up the challenge of four days of bull running and boozing. We arrived in Barca on Wednesday night and were scheduled to catch the train for Pamplona early on Thursday morning. A good night in Barcelona ensued taking in the sites of the Ramblas and the Bars of the Olympic village, enough entertainment for a stag do in itself. The hangover on the train ride was appalling. Eleven boozy lads on a cramped train to the foot of the Pyrenees, Pamplona in the north of Spain! A place we knew nothing about. On arrival Pamplona is like any other Spanish city, charming but nothing out of the ordinary. In the centre of the city is the old town with a huge moated fortress. I am told the city was a hub of trading between the north and the south of the country. The centre of the city has old 4 – 5 storey balconied buildings built around narrow cobbled streets with buildings and people full of character. The place felt very old, very clean and sedate. People sat around relaxing in the sun and were very chilled out. The boys and I were a little unsure of what to expect. The place had seemed a little calm – not the venue for a wild stag do. We couldn’t have been more wrong. We got into the spirit of things by purchasing red neckerchiefs and tying them around our necks, and adorning the customary white t-shirt; the uniform of the festival. As the afternoon went on more and more people took to the streets and began drinking. The San Miguel seemed to be available from every shop front café and doorway at an incredibly low price. We figured that san Miguel was cheaper that water; so the precedent was set! We soon found ourselves following a local band playing rousing traditional Spanish songs and getting into the atmosphere. The day turned into evening The streets were electric with children, adults and grandparents all enjoying the warm evening air, live music, fireworks and freshly cooked food. The sun set and we found our spot outside a huge bar on the main square in the town. The bar is called Hemingway’s and was where Ernest Hemingway sat and wrote his famous account of the festival and brought the festival of san fermin into the eyes of the world. Around this time we were educated by the friendly locals that we should be drinking ‘Kalimucho’ the disgusting sounding combination of red wine and coke. This was something I had turned my nose up at until actually sampling it! It’s fantastic. It’s purchased as a litre of coke and a litre of cheap red wine –both lovingly mixed in a plastics pint glass. The red wine provides you with the al-

cohol whilst the coke gives you countless amounts of energy! This enabled us to stay up until the early hours of the morning and prepare for the running of the bulls the following morning. Matt Jones, one of our party had been prodding and prompting me all day, “Lets do it – lets run the bull’s” – labelling me a pussy and a chicken. I had promised family that there was no way I was going to partake in the actual Running of the bulls. A crazy activity which when brought back to basics involves running up a enclosed, narrow street ahead of 6 prime 3/4 tonne fighting bulls. These are followed closely by 6 steer bulls with the run ending in a stadium surrounded by 20,000 people shouting and jeering. At 6 am on Friday morning I found myself walking back into the old town of Pamplona with Matt and most of the team. We had only had a few hours sleep and it was true to say that everyone felt very rough. It was a beautiful morning with bright sunlight breaking through the streets, warming our battered hung-over bodies. Matt and I were going to do the run this morning and watch some of the other guys run the following days. We discussed our tactics nervously and decided that our motto was GLF – when you see the bulls ‘go like F***’!! We walked through the bustling main streets and fought our way to the enclosure. For the event the streets are surrounded by huge wooden fences that stop the bulls running a random course. The course is penned in for 1.5 km from the old church of San Fermin (the patron Saint of Pamplona) to the bull fighting stadium. A coliseum style bull ring. We arrived at the start of the course and made our way into the people pen where everyone waits to be given the all clear. The thick wooden pens were thick with people waiting to watch the chaos soon to follow. Matt and I waited with many other people, trapped in – even if we had changed our minds there was no way we could have escaped the penned area. It was just too busy. We hung onto each others arms nervously. The balconies above our heads were filed with people waving their red neckerchiefs, a fantastic site – I felt very nervous and yet unbelievably excited. At 7 am a huge firework exploded, shattering the sound of everyone’s nervous chit chat. The locals rolled-up newspapers were poised for whacking the bulls as they ran! Everyone started their run up along narrow streets to find their place to wait for the bulls. We found a spot after a bend in the road which was called suicide corner, a place were the bulls are known to slip on the cobbles. We found a fenced doorway and hung onto each other. Three minutes after the first warning bang the second sounded – we knew the bulls were on their way. There was no escaping – no way out. It was an incredible feeling really, and probably the best hangover cure I have come across to date. We stood out from the narrow doorway and looked down the street. People were moving nervously something I have never seen before. A Mexican wave of people began running and diving for their lives, then six of the biggest creatures I have ever seen in my entire life were running straight towards us. I was terrified. It’s difficult to describe what it’s like seeing an animal the size of a metro running towards you 60 meters away in a random fashion. Our plans to run ahead of the bulls and move at the last minute evaporated. We legged it to the doorway and made ourselves

travel

as small as is humanly possible.

The bulls came alongside us and we chased after them. Bulls can run at an incredible speed, much too fast for a human to keep up with. I had come to within 6 feet of an amazing animal that could kill me with a swipe from those massive horns. As they passed, fear lifted and the sense of excitement became a thousand times stronger. I had never been so exhilarated. The danger was however not over. We ran as fast as we could toward the stadium over the cobbled streets. People littered the ﬂoor unable to get up for the wave of bodies running through the street. During my run I could hear an amazing amount of noise from behind, I turned to see 6 more bulls running up the street (the steer bulls – I later learned there to stop the ﬁghting bulls turning and running back down the street) I shouted to Matt “Oh my god – there’s more” a line that always amuses us and one he has never let me forget!

We dived to the side of the street and clung for dear life to a drain pipe – why I have no idea, I suppose it was just something to hold onto. The steer bulls passed and we continued our run to the large circular stadium. We stood in the ﬂoors of the stadium along with many other people and photographed ourselves. Everyone’s faces were ﬁlled with excitement and adrenalin showed in their eyes. People milled around the stadium. Was that it? We had no idea of the way things worked. I said to Matt “They’re not going to release a bull in here are they? There are too many people? That would be crazy?” With that a junior bull with capped horns was release to run the stadium. People scattered and moved from the path of the young bull. Occasionally a bull would collect a runner and the crowd would erupt. This process was repeated for the best part of 30 minutes with a new bull being released when the junior bull was exhausted.

We had done it – we had run the bulls. Each time I tell the story it gets better and better and I get a little closer to the bull which becomes a little bigger, a little blacker and a little more terrifying. An onlooker would probably tell the tale of two Welshmen who saw the bulls and scampered. Seriously though, the time we spent in Pamplona was really special. The atmosphere was outstanding, thousands of people dancing, partying and drinking. We saw no trouble the whole time we were away; the event was brilliant. The memories of Robs stag do will stay with me forever and wholeheartedly recommend that everyone experience the festival for themselves. Big thanks from Snatch to Wilf for the article. We got there in the end...

skate

Sn e h t h wit

It was a hot summer day when the Freak Show decided to venture up and check out the concrete at Chepstow Bowl. We were still rubbing the sleep from our eyes when we were bundled in to the back of a van by a gentleman playing Phil Collins Cds. Contrary to our ﬁrst thoughts, we hadn’t been abducted – the middle aged gentleman was Glarvey, and we were in the back of the Snatch van. The tunes unfortunately were VERY real and we endured a journey of rally style driving and Phil Collins Cds all the way to Chepstow!

w o h S k ea r F g n i ell v a r t e n i z a g a natch M ºOur ears were bleeding by the time we arrived. Jonny the photographer had to make a quick stop for pies when we got in to Chepstow, and picked up a local newspaper with an article on the bowl gracing its pages. Typically the local rag ranted on about how the new skate park had brought grafﬁti to the town and encouraged dodgy crowds of hoodlums to hang around the park. Not knowing what to expect, Jon ate the pies and we headed to the Bowl. Arriving at the park we saw no crowds hanging around, just clean, healthy skaters. There was one section of grafﬁti in the whole park, in fact, the whole place looked brand new. Seeing the bowls before us, the Freak

skate 14

Show wasted no time in getting down to the serious business of skating the place with Tim Cooms, Joe Clifton, Tristan Bonnonet, Marc Thomas, Dicey and myself pulling out all the stops – this was going to be a good day!!

hurts when you bail. It’s difﬁcult to skate somewhere like this full-on and get no injuries, and we all felt it at the end of the session as we limped back to the van, hurting – but grinning like chesire cats.

As you can see from the photos, Chepstow bowl is a lot of fun to skate, with a little section of the bowl leading in to a larger steeper section perfect for carving it up. The park also has a little street section with some tuff little blocks mixed with some nice little banks and a good rail. This park is set up for bucket loads of fun!

My ﬁnal thought on the park was that it is a good day out, and a great place to skate – deﬁnitely worth a visit. Thanks to everyone for skating, Glarvey for getting us there and introducing the boys to Phil Collins, Jonny for the pics, everyone for reading, but most of all, me for writing it. Ben.

The only down side to the whole bowl experience was pain. With everything good comes the bad, and the bad side of skating a bowl like this – it

e treme-wales.com

Spectacular views our speciality

start to burn. Without an up there is no down and the first thirty five minutes it’s all up! (SKYLINE’s highest point is around 470m). At the top you get the choice of which trail to ride indicated by the different coloured posts. I was feeling heroic (or dumb, depending on which way you look at it) so opted to do the SKYLINE (46km) and so begins the hunt for small yellow triangles . It’s a relatively new trail and the quality of the singletracks are superb, the technical sections are linked by fireroads and all are clearly marked (even after losing my map I didn’t get lost). 46km is a lot of riding so make sure you are up to the challenge, take two water bottles and a muesli/energy bar to keep you going. On a summer day the climbs are going to make you sweat so light clothing is the go, if there’s any sign of rain or its a bit colder take a jacket as it gets high

Author on a climb

SNATCH returns to the Afan Valley to check out WHITE’S LEVEL and SKYLINE trails at Glyncorrwg.

mtb

Opened to riders in 2003 they’re two great additions to the mtb scene here in South Wales, if you’ve ridden the PENHYDD and Y WAL at Afan Argoed then you’ll know what awaits. Riders from all over the UK head here and Afan Forest Park is becoming arguably the best dedicated mountain biking destination in the country.

Don’t take your sister’s old bike along or it’ll look like this

Take the time to stop

Funding for the centre was provided by CYDCOED and the WALES TOURIST BOARD to the tune of £500,000 with the aim of opening up the forest to the public, create local jobs and draw in the tourist pound. The infrastructure being put in place is first class, the newly built visitors centre is truly incredible (check out the pictures), it’s ski chalet design houses at ground level an information desk for getting latest trail condition , free maps as well as the fully equipped (everything from an inner tube to a new top of the range bike) SKYLINECYCLES shop . Upstairs is the fantastic DROPOFF cafe. Owner Ian will whip you up a treat after a hard ride and you can scoff it all down on the decking that overlooks the fishing ponds and the beginning/end of both trails (I can’t brag up the visitors centre enough, it’s magnificent).

Behind the centre is the camp site which is superbly facilitated with showers, electric points, toilets, bike wash etc and it costs around £5 a night for a small tent, motorhomes are also welcome (summer weekends are super busy so phone up to book a pitch in advance). Car parking is free with donations for trail maintenance accepted in the visitors centre (chuck a couple of quid in the bucket so we get more trails to ride, you know it

makes sense). The trail builders have constructed worthy challenges for the rider and have incorporate all the experience gained from the last 6 years building Afan Argoed’s trails here at Glyncorrwg. Currently there are 2 official trails: WHITES which is 15 km and the 46 km SKYLINE . All sorts of man made and natural challenges await, the terrain conspiring to throw you off your bike ensures an exhilarating ride. The technical sections are not overly long in length but there’s more than enough to keep you interested and with the fire roads breaking it up you can still hammer it or recover on the easier parts. The whole course takes a good two and a half hours to ride if you are really fit and do a lot of miles and about double that if you are not. Light XC bikes are what suit the course not half-ton downhill monster bikes with full helmets and body armour. Both rides start from the centre, pass the fishing pools and you find yourself climbing immediately on the singletracks of Y TRWYN and DASTARDLY AND MUTLEY through the woods (try not to loose your map like I did at the start of the ride ....... nice boy!). Straight from the off its technical climbing: tight switchbacks, loose stones, rock obstacles and slippy hard-packed soil if it has rained. The valley is really steep and you quickly gain height, looking down at Glyncorrwg it begins to look like doll’s houses as your heart races and legs

and exposed in places, you don’t want to get caught out having to walk ten miles with a mechanical failure in the rain and cold. There are a few wimp out sections along the course which can shorten it considerably if you begin to think you have bitten off more than you can chew. The views are some of the best I’ve ever seen, one of the paradoxes of mountain biking is that you are

riding in stunning scenery but your so concerned with keeping your line to avoid riding off the side of a cliff that you miss out on some of what you come to enjoy, so take a few minutes to appreciate it, it’s out of this world. After the climb it levels out somewhat but still gains altitude and opens out as you ride on a fireroad until you hit HEARTBURN which skirts Brynllydan then its back to fast rocky singletrack. Another fireroad links you up to GRANADA with more technical riding (at the end of this singletrack is the first shortcut option). Continuing on a long fireroad it’s climbing again, watch out for trucks along this stretch as they are building a wind farm on the side of the mountain. This road seems to go on forever and you will think that you have taken the wrong route but stick with it and pass a roundabout with tree trunks stripped bare, keep going until you see a quarycutting, you then come to a fork in the road, keep right and continue going up (there aren’t many signs here) . Eventually you will pick up

SHORT’n’SWEET which is exactly what it says on the tin. The panoramic vista along RIDING HIGH looking north over CRAIG Y LLYN Nature Reserve are mind blowing, from here you can see all the way from Swansea Bay to Penyfan the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The rocky section of ON THE EDGE is cut into the side of the mountain with a few hundred feet drop to LLYN FACH waiting if you make an error, if this doesn’t concentrate the mind then nothing will. Heading back into the forest and it’s a return to fireroads, the good news is that it’s downhill as you absolutely fly for a few miles (the second shortcut is on this road). EXCALIBUR and SOUTH PIT await, tight singletrack plus the usual rocks and off-camber challenges with stunning views as you cling to the side of the mountain and over Nant Cwm-cas (translated this means nasty valley stream). Next is a climb (another!) on semi rutted fireroad which improves after about 200 meters, at the top it returns to the singletrack of HANDY ANDY. GRAND CANYON presents two

Impressive cycle shop stocking everything you might need

Refreshments with a view...

Yeah uphill. Once you get your breath back it’s bombing through FAST FORWARD then JOYRIDER. JOYRIDER is one of the longest sections of purpose built trail and is a real mixture of exposed tree roots and undulating stony out crops. For me the next climb hurts, you can see the houses in the valley and you think your at the end but no it’s back uphill again! Once you reach the top, that’s it! No more up! The climbing is over and it’s all downhill from here,

DEADWOOD snakes along then merges into JETLAG with more ledges and drops to negotiate, jumps to hit plus several severe switchbacks. It’s ﬂowing and fast as you trade altitude for speed all the way back to the centre.

mtb

sections of loose stones to ride , the stones move as you ride over them and it’s a challenge to stay upright. Here the riding begins to step up a level with a few drops and steps to ride. Guess what’s next????

For me it’s the best course in South Wales, go and check it out for yourself. Get out and ride.....................

GETTING THERE For those familiar with going to Afan Argoed its super easy to ﬁnd; turn off junction 40 on the M4, follow the A4107 towards Cymer, go past Afan Argoed Visitor Centre, following signs for Glyncorrwg then look out for a sign on left hand side for Glyncorrwg Ponds and before you know it you’ll be there. Driving up from Port Talbot you may be tempted to put your foot down in one word DONT! Try and hold back the power from your Maxpower’d up one litre Nova as this is a dangerous road and loads of people have died on this stretch up to Cymer, the bends are tight and some are full on hairpins so slow down!

see us online: www.e treme-wales.com 19

The delightful Kirsty Jones is 26 years old and hails from Pembrokeshire, she’s a Pro kite boarder, a kite boarding instructor, an international competitive surfer, a windsurfer, 2001 and 2003 British kite boarding champion, 2004 World wave champion, a model for Animal clothing and if that wasn’t enough she has now reached the pinnacle of her sporting achievement....

keeping up with Kirsty Keeping Jones ...an interview with SNATCH magazine!

interview

Kirsty, how did you get started and who introduced you to the wonderful world of watersports?

My mum and Dad introduced me to the sea at a very young age .Dad used to be a lifeguard in Porthcawl in his 20’s and then became a keen sailor. Mum used to body board on those old wooden boards in Porthcawl back in the 60’s so the love of the sea is very much in the family. I started windsurfing when I was 15, then Surfing and wakeboarding when I was about 18 and eventually Kitesurfing in 2000. I moved from Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire when I was 17 and worked in West Wales Windsurfing, living in a little caravan close to the beach. Here I was able to work, windsurf, surf and sail all in one day. Were you a natural in the water or was it hard work for you? I guess watersports came pretty naturally to me because I love being in the water so much. I think with anything you have to put a degree of hard work into it if you want to improve and push your limits.

You’re well known for your kite boarding but you’re also a talented windsurfer, do you still compete at other sports apart from kite boarding? How

up with Kirsty Jones I just don’t have the time to do competitions in Windsurfing and surfing as well as kitesurfing. There are just not enough hours in the day or days in the year! I want to start doing some Competitions like the ‘Masters of the Ocean’ comp in Dominican Republic. Its like a watersports Triathlon, You compete in surfing then windsurfing and Kitesurfing in the waves and it’s the best overall water man/women that wins. So I guess I am quite competitive, I enjoy the excitement and buzz of doing comps and it also really helps you to push your limits and improve. In the last few years you’ve travelled extensively, how did you enjoy visiting different countries and experiencing they’re cultures and is there a particular place that stands out as a favourite? Travelling is one of the best parts about being a professional Kitesurfer, going to beautiful places for photo shoots and competitions. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to check its all real. I feel so lucky as I’ve visited some amazing countries. This year alone I’ve been to Yemen, Senegal, Africa ,Cape

Verde Islands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Brazil, the canaries. I love Africa and remote, wild places with a unique culture and simply way of living. I must admit I love coming home to Wales. Surfing and Kitesurfing around all the beautiful beaches of Pembrokeshire and the Gower. Not in the winter though! Back in autumn 2002 you became the first person to kite board from Cymru to Ireland, what had you been drinking to make you think that it might be possible !!!? How much planning is involved in getting an idea like that up and running and how tough was it to complete the crossing? I think I swallowed too much sea water at a kitesurf competition or something! This is when I had the idea, I was angry at myself for not doing well in the competition I wanted

to do something different, for charity, to focus on a new challenge to balance out the selﬁshness of competitions. I wanted to give a little something back from all the enjoyment I had received. No one had ever crossed the Irish Sea with a kite, let alone solo, so I wanted to be the ﬁrst person to do it!. You’re very involved in charity work and especially with the Ellen MacArthur Trust. Do you have a lot of fun doing these projects and are there anymore in the pipeline? I raised money for Ty-Hafan Children’s Hospice when I did the Irish Sea and I’ve been raising money for the Ellen Macarthur Trust for when I Kitesurf the English Channel in May 2005. To me the most rewarding thing is not winning a competition but being able to

kitesurf

competitive a person are you?

help other people. Whether it’s introducing someone to surﬁng for the ﬁrst time, helping to support a worthy cause or just showing kindness to people. Next year I would really like to spend a couple of months doing voluntary work in an African country, It’s a bit unrealistic at the moment as I’m so busy and have commitments to my sponsors but I’m hoping they might support me.:-)

How did you get into the competitive side of kite boarding, and how has the last year been for you on the Pro Kite Riders Association World Tour (PKRA)? 2004 was when I entered my ﬁrst PKRA World cup comp, In Belgium of all places! It was actually great conditionsReally windy, choppy, and small fun waves. It was quite overwhelming entering a

interview

world cup competition for the first time and even more overwhelming when I got 2nd! I couldn’t believe it, about 25 women from all over the world entered and I didn’t even know if I was going to get through the qualifiers. After a few days of competing I suddenly realised I’d made it to the final and was up one on one against World Champion Cindy Mosey! It was like a dream come true being on the podium afterwards with the champagne and flowers! After this event I actually decided I didn’t want to do the next couple of events, I had a couple of exciting Kitesurfing/ surfing trips and a crossing planned so didn’t want to just drop everything to do the PKRA. It’s very hard to be able to do everything and my heart is where the waves are not the PKRA Freestyle events. I decided I would do the final in Brazil at the end of the year. It turned out they held the World Cup Wave Event in Brazil at the same which I have just got back from and can proudly say I am now Ladies World Wave Champion! It can’t be all success and smiles when you are competing against the world’s best, what’s left you feeling at your highest and what was the lowest point?

e treme-wales.com

Winning the World Cup Wave

Event in Brazil this Year was just a dream come true. It meant a lot to me as this is where my real passion lies – in the waves. You do encounter a lot of emotions competing and I used to get angry at myself and grumpy when I didn’t do well at a comp.(ask Ben Hanbury!) I’ve realised now though it’s just as important to my sponsors that I’m a positive, happy role model enjoying what I do and promoting them and the sport in the best way I can. As for my lowest point…ummm.. I think we all know that life can be like a rollercoaster, one minute you feel like you’re winning the next everything goes wrong. I think it’s important to try and be content no matter what your circumstances. We’re all winners if we’re enjoying what we’re doing and being the best person we can be What kite/board set up are you currently riding in competition? I use Krunk Kiteboards from Fuerteventura who design and shape custom kite boards to suit the individual. I’m currently riding a board that is 125cm in Length and 33cm wide. I’m experimenting a lot at the moment with different shapes/ styles of board. If I’m riding in

The BIG BLUE KITE SURFING school in Newgale seems to be going from strength to strength , are you still involved? Ben Hanbury and I set up Big Blue Kitesurfing on Newgale beach, Pembrokeshire in 2001. We sold the school in 2003 and it’s still a successful Kitesurfing school run by friends of ours James and Oli. I try and get down to Newgale as soon as I get back from being away, I just love it down there, the kiting the surfing and the magical Pembrokeshire vibe. It’s really great to see the school that Ben and I started doing so well now. What equipment would you recommend for a beginner wanting to start kite boarding and any tips for the wanna-be Pro aspirants? Using Kitesurfing equipment can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing so before buying anything you should get a lesson. You will progress much quicker and safer this way and will have an idea of what type of equipment you will need. It’s a good idea to get a small power kite first which you can use on the land. The Flexifoil Bullet is a perfect first time kite to learn the basics of flying and to have fun with on the land. It must be a tricky juggling act trying to find time to train, compete and teach. How do

you fit it all in? I couldn’t fit it all in before that’s why I sold the school. Sometimes doing too much of something can put you off it. I think I overloaded a bit on Kitesurfing – teaching, competing, training, photo shoots. When I was teaching or doing pictures sometimes I felt like I should be training and learning a new move and I was starting to get frustrated with Kitesurfing. It’s important to have the right balance in life and now I have a much better balance.

kitesurf

waves, especially if the wind is light, I’ll use a directional board (a small surfboard with straps) or sometimes I just take my Animal 6.0ft surfboard out with a small kite.

Animal have been your main sponsor for a few years, how important is your relationship with sponsors? My relationship with my sponsors is very important, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my Sponsors. It’s my job so I put 100 into keeping them happy. I am so lucky to have Animal and Flexifoil as my main sponsors, they are the best and a fantastic team of people within the company too! A big Thankyou J How do you envisage/hope the next few years will work out for you? Waves, Wind, Peace and love Many thanks to Kirsty for the interview and to her sponsors who make it all possible, we at SNATCH magazine wish you the best of luck in the future. If you fancy learning to kite board then get in touch with the guys at BIG BLUE KITESURFING who will be more than happy to organise some lessons. You can contact them through the website (bigbluekitesurfing.com). Kirsty is also doing one to one Kitesurfing/surfing tuition/coaching in Lanzarote. You can call Kirsty on 07812 652 711 for dates, prices and accommodation. or check www.kirstyjones.com

Big Thanks to The Edge for supplying the footwear below, and showing how to

REEF Abreosos Merin £11.99

REEF Persuader Brown £24.99

REEF Recife Blue £9.99

ROXY Happy Tropical £11.99

ROXY Graph Khaki £9.99

REEF Tapas Sand £24.99

REEF Girls Slap £29.99

REEF Leather Slap Brown £29.99

BILLABONG Radial Black £11.99

ROXY Graph Black £11.99

QUIKSILVER Pollock Navy £11.99

REEF Smoothy Blue £19.99

clobber

OK, so we’re halfway through summer. You never know, Indian Summer, holidays Always good to have a good pair of ﬂip-ﬂops. Whatever happened to the plastic ones that used to rub you raw between your toes? They’re probably being used to torture prisoners somewhere!

THE CAPUCCINO KID RIDES AGAIN

KEEPING SHERIFF GREG ORDER IN GS IN DD PROCE

skate

After the 2003 ‘not a competition’ and last years episode with ‘Angry Man’ it was nice to see that Ric and the boys at Exist had got their corporate heads on and attracted not only approval but help from the local authority! A ﬁne achievement in anyone’s book, and one that will hopefully cement this event ﬁrmly in to the

calendar for years to come. Once again the weather was beautiful, and the large crowd basked in the sunshine, listening to the tunes and watching some good (for the most part) skating. All the results can be found at www.existclothing.com Look forward to next years being bigger and better than ever!

see us online: www.e treme-wales.com 27 DAY A GREAT TURNOUT ON A BEAUTIFUL

night out

Surf film on the big screen, followed by a night out with the boys. What could be better. We even got organised enough to book tickets! Pre-film drinks at Swansea’s Taliesin gave the opportunity to catch up with a few people I hadn’t seen for a while before settling down to the film. The Taliesin is a great place for this kind of event. It’s small enough so that you don’t rattle around in there, and everyone gets a good view of the movie. A few words from the Billabong Hair Bear Bunch and the film was rolling. Jack McCoy said a few words, he also said Aloha a lot. And we were in to the first instalment. The first film of the evening was ‘Solid’ two days in Teahupoo, with some awesome tow-in footage. Shane Dorian seemed to be the man of the moment. The audience hooted (a compulsory requirement in surf films) for barrel after barrel and

e treme-wales.com

sickening wipe-out after wipe-out at this deathdefying surf spot. But even monster overhead gaping Teahupoo get tiresome when you’ve seen loads of it. Solid got it just about right in terms of length, and just as you were beginning to feel like you’d started watching ground hog day the film ended. So to the interval. A much missed part of the modern cinema going experience. Time to discuss the first half of the film, sip some beer, and look forward to Fair Bits. We were ushered back in to the cinema, and Big Hair guy from Billabong handed out some prizes to the lucky prize-draw winners. Then on to Fair Bits. Big Hair told us that this was going to be a bit more ‘arty’ a bit more ‘experimental’ a series of short films. After the Teahupoo epic, this sounded just what the doctor

like ‘Kong’s ordered, and classics came to ’ ax Island’ and ‘Mad W mind. you be? It Oh, how wrong can the most en says something wh rf film su interesting part of a rfing on su ed tri ey th was when e table! ffe co wn do e an upsid s (I can’t film The various short there were) y an m w remember ho w, mostly all feature Taj Burro s seeming air blasting airs. Tow-in ich was all wh , to be a speciality inutes. m n te t great. For abou s can you

How many tow-in air

One section in get on to one ﬁlm? same air, after the particular showed 3ft monster, a to in d we being to helicopter shot e about 15 times! Th angles, the beach it from a couple of gle, the water guy had another an her angle, the ot photographer had an r angle. If ﬂiphe ot an d ha y gu in towhe would have per had been paid, angle covered. had the underwater a vain attempt Not only that, but in e same move th t cu to hide this, they e, possibly ag ot fo r in to the othe would notice. hoping that no-one , and on, and Fair Bits dragged on

in to our valuable drinking tim e. It wasn’t until 9.40pm that we got on our way to the evening’s nex t stop at The Sand Bar. Everyone see med to be heading there from Tali esin, so it looked like a good night was about to unfold. As we though t, it was wedged. Plenty of familia r faces packed the Cole brothers join t to the rafters. Deﬁnitely worth checki ng this place out. After a few beers, a little min gle, and about half an hour waiting for a pint at the bottom bar, last orders was called. There were some crie s for Bentleys, but most people see med

night out

to be heading for Monkey. Not to be outdone, we followed on. A co m alcohol, talkin bination of g and Quinn’s leg meant the wal us about 40 m k took inutes, and the queue outs id when we got th e Monkey er horrendous, it’ e was s good to see somewhere di ffer so well in Swan ent doing sea. Phil

tried his best to play the Snatch editorial team card to jump the queue, but to no avail, and we wandered off down Wind Street in search of the action. After an hour or so in Pitcher and Piano, we strolled back to Monkey, and enjoyed the rest of the night with everyone else. Some of the

people waiting when we left were just getting in, which made us feel a little better. Monkey was bouncing, and we enjoyed what was left of the night in there.

According to Mr Big Hair, the Billabong ﬁlm festival will be back next year. If it is, see you there, if it’s half as good as this year it’ll be a blast!

Wakestock2005 BODYROCKERS ROCK 10,000 PEOPLE AT NORTH WALES’ BIGGEST FESTIVAL WAKESTOCK 2005

The action packed day started with terriﬁc performance at Pwllheli Marina with amateur and ladies wakeboarders’ pulling off some great tricks in the water. The action moved to Abersoch beach early on the Friday afternoon for the Big Air Classic, where both pro and amateur wakeboarders used a purpose made ﬂoating kicker in the water to propel them in the air to attempt some massive tricks.

WAKEBOARDING RESULTS BIG AIR CLASSIC Winner: Dean Smith (Australia)

WAKESTOCK UK PRO CHAMPION Winner: Jonty Green (UK) 2nd: Marc Rossitier (UK) 3rd: Shane Bonifay (USA) WOMENS Winner: Dallas Friday (USA)

wake

Ten thousand people rocked at the ﬁrst night of Wakestock on Friday 22 July.

The evening festival site packed full of some of the world’s best DJ’s played to a fantastic 10,000 strong crowd. Saturday, 23 July, pro competition at Pwlhelli Marina saw Dallas Friday, female no 1 wakeboarder produce some phenomenal moves. Packed crowds cheered on some amazing wakeboarding from some of the best pro’s in the UK, America and Australia who were all battling it out for the prestigious Wakestock 2005 title. The music site tonight, Saturday 23 July, will witness performances from acts such as Hundred Reasons, Million Dead, The Ordinary Boys and Thirteen Senses as well as DJ’s such as legendary Norman Jay, Matt Hardwick and new on the scene, Kano. Pics: Turtle Photography

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Welsh National Championships 2005

LLOYD COLE RETURNS TO CONTEST SURFING WITH A BANG

surf

Lloyd Cole who has given contests a miss for the past few years returned this weekend to take the Welsh Open title for 2005. The contest – held at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire – started on Saturday with 3/4 foot surf in what turned out to be the best conditions of the weekend. Over a hundred and twenty competitors battled it out for 14 national titles. The premier event kicked off the contest and most of Saturday was taken up by that division with stand out performances from Lloyd Cole, Isaac Kibblewhite and Sam Burkett. On Sunday the swell had dropped slightly and we concentrated on the other categories finishing once more with the Open semi finals where Lloyd Cole’s huge air won him Cobian’s £200 best manoeuvre prize. Nick Reid also put in a big performance in his semi to secure his final place alongside Isaac Kibblewhite and Mark Vaughan (who only returned to the water last weekend after an eight month break due to a knee injury).

All the finals were held in difficult 4 foot conditions due to strong southerly winds. Apart from the Open the result of the day must have been 13 year old Gwen Spurlock who not only took the Youth (Under 14) title from the boys she also won the Womens surfing event – that’s a girl with a bright future. Glenn Welsh (Llantwit) took the Cadets, Beth Mason (Swansea) added the Girls (under 18)to her list of results, Dan Harris (Aberavon) retained his Longboard title while Craig Bright (Llantwit)

made sure of the Junior title being off a strong challenge from current champion Harry Cromwell (Pembroke). Simon Blower (Swansea) won the Masters division while Mark Vaughan blasted the Senior ﬁnal. Once more Gemma Harris is Women’s Bodyboard champion and Mark ‘Splinter’ Grifﬁths retains the Bodyboard Open title that he has won countless times while Louis Welsh took the Junior trophy.

any way this weekend – you know who you are and we couldn’t have done it without you! Special thanks to out sponsors Billabong for their long history of supporting Welsh Surﬁng and Cobian for the prize money and the prizes along with Snack Attack for feeding everyone his weekend – cheers for the donation. Lynda Keward

We would like to thank everyone who judged, beach marshalled, tabulated or helped in

CHRIS GRIFFITHS SENIOR (OVER 28) MARK VAUGHAN SIMON BLOWER NICK SWINNERTON CHRIS FOWLER

1 2 3 4

JEMMA DENDLE 4 BODYBOARD OPEN MARK GRIFFITHS 1 LOUIS WELSH 2 RICHARD PETERS 3 GEMMA HARRIS 4

WOMEN’S SURF GWEN SPURLOCK 1 REBECCA TEMPLETON2 BETH MASON 3 KARI KNUTSEN-REES 4

YOUTH (UNDER 14) GWEN SPURLOCK EVAN ROGERS ADAM REIMITZ JOSH HAMMETT

1 2 3 4

CADET (UNDER 16) GLENN WELSH 1 ROB WEBSTER BLYTHE2 ADAM REIMITZ 3 TOM PERKINS 4

JUNIOR GIRLS (UNDER 18) BETH MASON 1 GWEN SPURLOCK 2 KATE DENDLE 3

GROMMET (UNDER 12) JUNIOR LONGBOARD JOSH HAMMETT 1 JAMES LONGDEN 1 MAX TUCKER 2

OPEN LLOYD COLE NICK REID MARK VAUGHAN ISAAC KIBBLEWHITE

1 2 3 4

LONGBOARD DAN HARRIS CHRIS GRIFFITHS ELIOT DUDLEY NICK DOWRICK

JUNIOR (UNDER 18) CRAIG BRIGHT HARRY CROMWELL JOE LEWIS SAM BURKETT

1 2 3 4

MASTERS (OVER 35) SIMON BLOWER 1 GARY ROGERS 2 COLIN BRIGHT 3

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1 2 3 4

Evidence that Blowers head really did inďŹ&#x201A;ated after winning.

Harry Cromwell surfed his way to second in the under 18s

Isaac Kiblewhite

Lloyd Cole won every heat on his way to the title

Not the Welsh, but Ozzie pulling in at Langland lefts

So we were off, me Meis and Glarvey Glarv. Off to the middle of nowhere to come down a hill strapped to a plank of wood on wheels. I did things like this when I was younger, more foolish and more ﬂexible! As we got nearer, the hills seemed to become mountains until we pulled in in front of a very rand residence somewhere in Brecon.

mboard

The house is owned by the son of the third earl of extreme sports, who has generously opened his house and his land to the youth of today. Such a large house demands a lot of upkeep and is helped along the way by the various schools, colleges and groups that use it as a base for various adventure avtivities including coming down a hill. The hills around the house seemed pretty steep to say the least, and my nerves were not exactly comforted at the sight of the various forms of padding and armour being unloaded from the camper van next to us. Out of the van stepped a man

and his family of a wife and 2 young girls. Now if THEY were going to do it, it couldn’t be that dangerous, could it? A quick run out on the gently sloping lawn eased the nerves a bit before we made the walk up to the main hill. After a 10 minute amble through the woods we arrived at the bottom of what is essentialy a ski slope of grass. Wide open terrain with smooth bumps in the main

section and a more trying course to one side, not the dirt and mud covered extreme course I had been dreading. This was going to be OK! After padding up in the ‘trailer’ and having a quick talk on safety, we were off. There was a group just arriving at the same time as us for some lessons. We of course, were far to cocky for lessons! About what we thought was half way up we strapped ourselves in and pointed down the hill. We were about to perfect the ability to stop. An essential skill when you are strapped to your board. Up the hill we went, dragging our boards behind us. It was getting hot, and the trudge up the hill

seemed to take for ever. The ride down took about 20 seconds! It seemed like this was going to be a long dau until we spotted the tractor. Fact was we were only about a quarter of the way up. We needed help to get to the top, and is was coming in the form of a trailer pulled behind the farm tractor!! After a bumpy ride up we were let loose on the wide open hill back

to the base. This was more like it!! As the confidence grew so did the speed, Meis was a natural, making it look really easy. We were having an absolute blast, this really is a grat way to spend the day. It’s like snowboarding all day in the heat of summer and it doesn’t get much better than that. Mountainboarding or all terrain boarding is the alternative to snow boarding without the snow similar to skateboarding being derived from surfing without the surf. The first real all terrain boards started to appear in the early nineties, early generation boards were not much more than modified skateboards fitted with larger wheels. Early production of purpose built boards began in about 1992 by No Sno in the UK and MBS in the States and the first UK mountainboard competitions were held in 1997. Today there are many different

types and manufacturers of boards to suit different riding preferences and terrains, prices for boards vary from just under £100 for a junior beginners board to several hundred pound for specialist competition boards, however, a good intermediate board that would suit most riders demands will cost around the £150 to £350. Once you’ve got your board the

next thing to invest in before you start riding it seriously is protective gear which should be a minimum of helmet, wrist guards, knee & elbow pads. Getting started The best place to learn to ride and try out different boards before buying is at a recognised mountainboard centre where you can hire out boards, protection and tuition for your session, there are currently 2 in South Wales, these being the Green Man at Penpont near Brecon which held the 1st Welsh Open Mountainboard Championship in July 2004 and the Wild West all terrain centre at Penparc, Cardigan.

sliding the board sideways. How I got into it I got into Mountainboarding by accident, 2 summers ago I saw someone using a board with a kite on my local beach at Llangennith which looked fun, so I bought a board and a kite, however, I soon got frustrated with waiting for the right wind conditions and having to set the kite up etc. and then it occurred to me that it could be

ridden on more interesting terrain than a beach and their was a lot of downhill ridding to be had on the local hills and park slopes too. It wasn’t until I went to see the UK mountainboard championship events that I realised how big and exciting the sport had got and was growing, there’s basically 2 categories at the competitions; Boarder cross which typically involves 4 riders racing each other down a track with rollers, tabletops & berms (similar to BMX tracks) and Freestyle which involves jumping off ramps or dirt kickers whilst performing stylish grabs, spins & ﬂips in the air for points.

Mountainboarding can be an extreme sport or a mellow fun People who have previous thing with your mates or family, it experience of snowboarding, all depends on the terrain, style skateboarding or surﬁng are likely and preference of your riding, to pick it up very quickly, however, my wife and 2 daughters have those who have no experience their own boards too now and will still ﬁnd that the boards are ride regularly whether it’s at very stable and should practise competitions, centres, or local hills on smooth gentle grassy slopes & grassy park slopes etc. ride on learning to carve and stopping by and ave it!

g to off or your goin was “don’t fall that everyone is Th nes seemed two stroke engi die’ heights, it to kiss the sky, which With the roar of as the time of the autos ke bi r ei th wanted w ened, it was approaching it These kids looked under ity of cases happ that I can’t or aj m e th in s. and 65cc clas were but that didn’t stop e guys riding testament to th me off. ly co 10 and probab the course and getting e on r be remem them ripping up f the awesome jumps. and am te of r ch actice session some major ai e from the Snat group has a pr starts at 10am hort wheel) 85cc (s ch Ea SW Thats the advic it to Furnace, Llanelli. e th e m e racing simpl Next ca vis BW( big wheel, three races, the nd 4.30pm. If you want after their first followed by the the 125 Youth. If you ou ar es ish oM fin ( d s d an for the day. All with Jamie Jone really!) 85cc an ones could go watch r it’s £30 to racee from toilets to te en to tle After meeting up member of West Wales lit e to th in plac springs thought d word awesome the facilities are Burger Van (no pies, tor X regular an sappointed to see that these boys, the t flying round the track a di to e s er ic e w ed e du m w y ra ) da signage Pa en club the ing). The usual mind as they w t able to make quite disappoint you that motor x is a Fat Ants wasn’ king the night before and kicking up the dust for fun. in in place telling marshall to excessive dr ased by Jabba down the e size of is erous sport and it is, so if a u th ch ng g isi in al be re e ill st er ng yo w da ss e was le w e un u , tim ld yo is n ou . By th seen to move I w pecially whe u es , yo bike. GE lls x te HU o ravine when last ot its m , the course sweeping me part of a co om be Fr e th to it. t of nd an ap w ou m have to walk ar p jumps this course has d showed us a to After Jamie ha d explained where the ists of around bends to table ght put in to it and is a an se Wales Club cons % are under t t ur es gs W on e am Th t ou 2.1km co ou th es had a lot of of which 70 e we headed at build it (Chequ 130 members e it’s a family orientated best jumps wer and into the 30 degree it to the guys th wis please). ed cr se d n ow ca cr u yo e 0+ 15 so to J.Le em lik the 50 joining give Paul made payable hich made it se ur interested in 789 264904. yo If t. or sp heat and dust w Lawrence of Arabia, on 07 t time ne Wilson a ring pen’, not golf bu a scene from our own Lawrence, xt up was the ‘o rut their stuff. Novice or An Ne ly te na rtu fo un to st and the unable to be for the big boys ult and Expert Adult to Jamie Jones ks an Mr Worsley was nd though was th g bi A Ad day out. , Adult, Junior whatever size bike they with us. On ha e legendclub for a great groups can use ey use the bikes. the ever reliabl wned th like and boy do ary world reno and all photographer ing round good look guy, Jonnyboy.

Y! WHAT A DoAto X as M Go see you can. soon as

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build costing £6K to With the course ount of work going in d an n ai nt am ou e brey M and a massiv d of year, nowhere to ey Forest, Pem I hear Pembr On top of that more money is t hy W to it over a perio in Carmarthenshire, n. w do it so on. ns helicopter ou e l want to close ...... lic ci po un a co hold competitio below legal limits, club ng tti t away ell read on spent on ge lly driver l w ge ra el , w ho ex am ls (w by re ve s d le sc er uncil u ne rid ise yo l find the illega d now the Police are no bers agreeing to work with co When a farm ow being used By local to e us g an as em ly in w e) m s on nd le tim n te ar e at ca th Ch s so Nigel ns they 99% of members ride moto x bike practice on, they Due to restrictio ys a year. The council members, club lve issues and providing ining officers to these riders. Police moto x riders to d make a pretty da tra so 14 re se to t ur gs en co tin e e an ul th as mee nstantly mainon a perm decided they co . Nigel, Jamie Jones, that they can ch months against some ntrolled and co rival any in ing to stop this isance’ . They co , try fe e sa ar ck w a fe tra a e r siv s then impres ‘noise nu training fo hich would years? You y and other rider basis as it is a plaints when one of the tained course w e why the council wish en riding for 6 that race be se ho w Richard Anthon e track in to a 2.1km d m ki se th received 11 co ed 240 riders. Since ess who’ll win the UK you can NO? Neither can we, so started to build the duration of a year can probably gu 0 motor x bikes in attract down. 99 gs it to tin ut ee es er sh m tri 40 see what ov to en e ck d m te moto x tra and with so has restric nce Moto X and event ats a lot of they held th rie ub ly , cl pe Ju e ea ex ve st th ar d ha La en ire an e K. th sh er ily go at a cost of £6 ere which was a great rbing and fam is restriction th ly 3 the Carmarthen riders. Since th an exciting, abso rised. been on g. in as their first race th guess what? The ch rp su be ith ll y, it is. You’ complaints, w success. But he is ‘noise aining about th low pl m one complaint co ’s that if 50% of ho w So Jones believes e the course dentally is be live ie ci in m Ja ch hi w coming from e’ nuisanc s could us ople who the illegal rider could save the council Pembrey moun- the legal limits? Is it the peurse? Well, he k co ee s e w at th a th ar s ce ne on tain! Ye in Dan-Y-Banc e a high percentage year. around £15K a right, you hear isn’t becaus e course come it no on th a motorbike breath but 400 of the marshals d support the events, won’t hold our to ride, how loud is e W an ea and it can only ar at e th from here to becom riders and no w be coming from in turn the club train them farmer and r? te l se op ca ur lo lic e co he th w at ne be th the marshals. May ards who lives 6 fields ch in Furnace!. h Council. Councilor Mr Ri id Mr Richards called u Llanelli Boroug e yo to er ra Ov af Well thats th m away, no I’m d has no proble attitude the n on the day an oever. Mr Richards w do e ts wha council ar with the course ses like this help to adopting, you at cour th s ise al re over his and see they would stop people riding illegally d it en nd. Is rather sp other farmers la annered about £30K the mild m y nr He . Well of tax payers janitor? Could be The only t. no money res it’ this time ning seem seeding areas people complai cil s ke bi un co where in rta ce to be e have been ils in the Furnac ee oy pl em g, in rid e. lly or ga le area. Say no m areas such n, as Pen Y Fa

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JIMMY EAT WORLD

Beccy Williams

If you’re looking for something catchy and fun, you need look no further - Jimmy Eat World’s brand of punchy power pop is the answer. Very rarely do you come across an album where I just can’t pick a favourite song, or in the case of Futures, a song that isn’t a favourite. The most interesting thing about Jimmy Eat World’s music style is the contradictory happy/sad feel. A lot like Bush in this sense, they manage to be both melancholy and uplifting at the same time. A lot of

music

their lyrics are quite deep, but the music overall is pretty upbeat, and doesn’t feel depressing at all. It’s the subtlety of the darkness that is Jimmy Eat World’s masterstroke. Jim Adkins wants to share his feelings, but doesn’t want you to feel sorry

track listing

• Futures • Just Tonight • Work • Kill • The World You Love • Pain • Drugs or Me • Polaris • Nothing Wrong • Night Drive • 23 • Shame (bonus) • When I Want (bonus)

for him - that way it never comes across as ‘whining’, as is often the case when lyrically tackling some of the subjects that this album has. Even when the words aren’t particaularly cheery, the music still makes you feel good. The album starts with the title track, a midpaced rocker with big hooks, and a cool acoustic break. ‘Just Tonight’ and ‘Pain’ are faster-paced, with driving rhythms and rousing choruses. Super catchy melodic rock follows, with ‘Work’ and ‘Kill’, then a couple of epic ballads with hugearrangements, ‘23’ and ‘Drugs or Me’. In terms of the overall sound, not a great deal of variety, but saying that, each song is as good as the next, so not necassarily a bad thing. the song writing is deﬁnitely enough to keep interesting, with inﬂuences from, or at least coinciden-

Stockists

tal echoes of Green Day, Bush, Good Charlotte, Ash and even a hint of Kurt Cobain. Futures is a more cohesive record than Jimmy Eat World’s last album, ‘Bleed American’, which sounded more like a mix-tape in terms of style and theme. Sonically consistent - each track ﬁttingly introduces the next and concludes the last without there being any obvious connection. That said, you still get the classic Jimmy Eat World mix of ballads, rockers and mid-tempo tracks, blending acoustic and electric seamlessly into one song, indeed one album. Futures is the perfect record to listen to when you want to enjoy being a little sad, a little nostalgic, but left with the energy to pick yourself up again at the end. Another awesome record from Jimmy Eat World - excellent musicianship, with powerful guitar hooks and energetic percussion, feel-good harmonies - pretty much all you could ask for in a straightforward melodic rock album. Along with Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’, this is one of the best pop rock albums of the year, which is why, perhaps, it’s no surprise Jimmy Eat World will be supporting Green Day on their tour of the States later this year.

Swansea City Surf Surf Shop On Board Island Leisure Nucleus, Swansea Nucleus, Mumbles Gower Boardriders Barker Tempo Screwloose Action Bikes Wheelies Swansea Cycles Twisted Clothing Derricks Records Swansea College Swansea Institute Swansea University Big Drop, Swansea Big Drop, Mumbles Snow & Surf, Mumbles Rox, Mumbles Cream, Mumbles Ocean Cafe Bar, Mumbles P.J.s Surf Shop, Llangenith SDF, Gower JP Surfboards, Mumbles Animal Shop, Swansea The Sand Bar, Swansea Tenby The Bush Wimpey The Edge Underground Surf Shop Tenby House Reef Bar The Lifeboat Walk on Water Underground, Saundersfoot Llanelli Llanelli College The Edge Occy’s Scorpion Cycles Solid Gold Bowlers Pembrey Ski Centre Carmarthen The Edge Tempo Porthcawl & Bridgend Rush Extreme Sports Afan Argoed Haverfordwest Big Buoy Surf Shop If you would like to stock the next issue of SNATCH, please contact us at: snatchmag@yahoo.co.uk