Introducing 'Ipswich Ben'

Another week, another quick-fire chat with a Team Ledge-er. This week, it's the turn of Ipswich Ben - a Suffolk lad who originates from East Anglia and now resides in the splendid ciy of Leicester. That's him below with a cuppa. Well, we're sure you'll make feel as welcome as we have.

Ledge: So How old are you? Ben: 19 years young.

Ledge: How long you been skating for? Ben: Not long enough.

Ledge: What was your first proper trick? Ben: I rolled off a ramp into a 50-50 on a kerb.

Ledge: Did anyone actually witness that? Ben: Yes, a BMXer called Sam.

Ledge: Is that ‘Ipswich Sam’? Ben: No, cause he lived in Trimley.

Ledge: Where the hell is that? Ben: You know the guy that killed all the prostitutes in Ipswich? Well he lived there.

Ledge: Ermm, nice. Let’s get back to it. So what would your ideal day consist of? Ben: A new city that I’ve never visited, A dry cool day good for skating, with a bunch of like-minded friends exploring the city.

Ledge: And what would be your ideal getup? Ben: New but worn in Vans, Stretchy jeans, New smelling Tee shirt Jacket or hood by Independent.

Ledge: So how long have you been in Leicester now then? Ben: About two years now.

Ledge: And what do you do when you’re not skating for The Ledge? Ben: I’m doing photography at college.

Ledge: So where do you see yourself in five years time? Ben: In a wheelchair cause I’ve skated so much! Haha!

Ledge: Britney Spears or Girls Aloud? Ben: No contest, Girls Aloud. Britney’s fat!

Ledge: Fair enough. So fnd Finally, what’s on your iPod? Ben: Sub Divisions by Rush.

Inroducing Josh Walters...

This week, we’re taking time out to chat to Josh Walters of Team Ledge. He's our very own skate scoundrel and we caught him in store to grab a quick Q&A session with him. We've also got a couple of cool photos of Josh that we've thrown in to the mix. Enjoy!

Q#1. How old are you Josh? I'm 16 years old.

Q#2. How long you been skating for? About 5 years and 6 months.

Q#3. So why did you start skating? The voices in my head said DO IT!

Q#4. What was your first ever trick? A back flip up a kerb. Nah it was a front flip down the same kerb!

Q#5. You taking the mick? Tick tack...

Q#6. Thanks for the honesty...so who influences you the most? Geoff Rowley, Tony Trujillo and Sammy Baca.

Q#7. So you're rocking a lot of Vans recently...why? 'Cause they're blatantly bad boys and everyone who skates for Vans is fuckin' rad.

Q#8. So tell us, where's your favourite spot? Any street transition...

Q#9. Finally, what's your favourite Vans product at The Ledge? The Vans TNT 4. It's Tony Trujillo's fourth pro shoe from the Vans stable.

Thanks Josh mate. Catch ya soon...

Mike of Team Ledge

If you're a regular reader of our email newsletter, you'll remember that we spoke to Mike Simons a couple of weeks back.

Mike's a skater for Team Ledge, a skate school instructer at Leicester's Boardroom and our very own 70's punk-rocker wannbe.

He's landed a part-time job working with us on Fridays and Saturdays, so he's certainly an all-rounder. We asked him:

Q#1. How old are you? I'm 18 and been skating for 5 Years now.

Q#2. Is it true you used to do ballet? Ha! Yeah...a long time ago though!

Q#3. What's your favourite trick? Street Grabs.

Q#4. Who are your favourite skaters? Corey Duffel and David Gravette

Q#5. What kinda music do you listen to? I love all the 70's stuff! The Ramones, The Germs, New York Dolls, The Scientists and Bob Dylan.

Mike's a big fan of Vans and picked out this Vans 'Off The Wall' white tee as his product of the week.

It looks as good over a long-sleeved tee in the winter as it does with shorts in the summer. Perfectly versatile and a true skate classic!

Grab it now for just £21.99...

New stock: DC Spartan Highs

Check out our new DC Spartan Highs, shown here in white and turquoise.

With their heavy-duty upper, foam-padded collar and lightweight mesh tongue, these high-top shoes from DC are ready for anything you wish to throw at them and are now available online, in store or by calling our order hotline on 0116 2516 167.

For improved traction on the ground or on your deck, these stylish babies have a textured rubber outsole as well as a perforated toe which allows for greater ventilation. Custom eyelets let you customise your lacing and an engineered airbag at the heel gives you that additional cushioning and support you've been craving.

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All this in a cool looking high-top with a bright colourway. Get 'em while they last...

The Ryan Wright Stuff

Meet Ryan; skater, lover, fighter and out-and-out street king!

He’s our very own tattooed assassin and Shop Assistant extrodanaire. He’s got a passion for decorating his body and a zeal for all things skate.

Here's what he had to say when we bugged him at the shop counter one recent afternoon:

Q#1. So Ryan, how old are you? Ermm, 18. I'll be 19 in December.

Q#2. How long you been skating for? Five years now.

Q#3. And how long you worked at The Ledge? Two years now.

Q#4. What's the most bizzare request you've had in the shop? I was once asked whether we had a pink, furry princess outfit for for someone’s daughter to rollerskate in.

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Q#5. What ya skatin right now? My Ledge 8" deck, Thunder Trucks, Black Label 52mm wheels. Sick!

Q#6. What's your favourite trick? Ollie North

Q#7. How many tattoos have you got now? I think I’ve lost count now! The most recent ones are on my knuckles as you can see in my pic.

Q#8. Did it hurt? Nah, not really...I’m used to it now.

Q#9. Are you gonna stop? I’ll stop when I run out of space.

Sunday Brizzles

This weekend (Sunday to be precise!) sees The Boardroom Skatepark in Leicester hold its third annual skateboard competition and The Ledge is proud to be sponsoring the event.

That means that The Ledge Team riders will be there and there will also be loads of crackin' prizes and giveaways!

There will be a range of comps from under 16s right through to the professionals with trophies and prizes to be won in all categories. The day will be kicking off at around 11am so prepare yourself for an early start this Sunday.

Entry is £5 for skaters and £2 for spectators. not only that, but it's a great way to support a well-designed indoor skate park and ensure the day goes off with a bang.

Click here for more information about The Boardroom Skate Park.

The Ledge in FD2D Magazine

As you probably know, we've got a shop on Leicester high-street. Who knows, you might have already been in to see us.

Well, if you're a student and live in Leicester, boy have we got news for you. First of all, you're now lucky enough to have FD2D; the city's first independent student magazine dedicated to you. It's filled with articles, reviews and a host of money-saving vouchers.

Secondly, The Ledge now offers all students 10% off our full range if you come in and see us in store.

FD2D recently popped in to The Ledge nd wrote about us, as well as lots of other shops, in their magazine. This is what they had to say about us:

"Although The Ledge is a high street store, it's clear the moment you set foot in the place that it is very much an independent specialist store."

"At first sight, I thought it wasn't for me, but give this place a chance and you'll realise that there is actually a selection of styles suitable for everything from going out to a gig, a party, to chilling out at the park in the summer. The outrageous, understated and general fashionistas are all catered for in this underrated store and if you are not a hardcore skater but like to look like one as and when it suits you, get yourself down to the Ledge."

So we were chuffed with that!

Midlands BMX Championships

If you're anyone who's anyone, you were at the Midlands BMX Championships in Derby a few weeks back. Of course, The Ledge was there to enthusiastically cheer on the riders.

We were joined by Shanaze Reade, 2008 World Women's BMX Champion and finalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games who opened the Championships at Alvaston Park, Derby. Riders flocked from across the country and the event is a great example of just how many aspiring BMX Olympic hopefuls there is out there.

We took some snaps of our day out - here's a few of the best ones!

For loads more great pictures of the event, take a look at the British Cycling Events website.

If you were there and grabbed any pics or vids, send them through to us at skatetheledge@yahoo.co.uk and we'll put 'em on our blog and stick your name next to them.

We're still building the BMX section of our website, but feel free to take a look at what we've got so far.

Skatin' Acres

We recently announced the winner of our competition to win one of our Ledge Decks.

Here's a picture of Matt Acres (aged 12) collecting his prize.

Good to see ya Matt dude - now you can always skate the ledge!

Competition winners...

Last week, we asked you to send in your pictures and promised the winner one of our Ledge Decks.

Well, take a bow Matt Acres Matt Acres (aged 12) who sent in this picture of him ollieing the three set at Skeg Vegas plaza. Our runners-up, who all get a Unabomber DVD, are also pictured below. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Matt Acres, competition winner

Sean Millward

Brogan Dooley


Lewis Brown

Matt Acres again (he sent us two photos ya see)

Introducing Jimmy of Team Ledge...

We're making something of a habit of introducing you to members of Team Ledge, and this week's no different - ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Jimmy 'Jim' Cliffords.

In typically nosey fashion, we asked Jimbob a few questions so we can all get to know him a bit better.

Q#1. So how old are you Jim? 16

Q#2. And how many of those years have been spent skating? About the last four I think!

Q#3. So who sponsors you to skate? I'm lucky enough to be sponsored by The Ledge and Boardroom Skatepark.

Q#4. What's your favourite Leicester spot? The Boardroom and the Fletcher Six!

Q#5. Do you have a favourite Brand? I love DC stuff. Anything in XL hip-hop style ya know!

Q#6. And a favourite skater? Erik Koston and Terry Kennedy.

Q#7. What's on your iPod at the moment? Full Effect by Tinch Stryder; An MC from London.

Here's Jim nailing a nose grind front shove out...innit!

A bit thanks to Matt Clarke for the photo.

Kate wears our skates

Posh papperazzi queen Kate Middleton was seen going all 80s on us a couple of weeks back and wearing a pair of our very own Stateside LA Lights.

These sexy four-wheelers come with all the basics you need for entry level rollerskating. They've also got some pretty cool light up wheels that don't even need batteries to glow. All they need is your skate power...

...so if your mum, sister, girlfriend or chick-friend fancies something a little different for Christmas, you now know what to get 'em!

No self-respecting Betty should be without them. Buy them here for just £39.99.

Introducing 'BMX Paul'

Over the next few weeks, we'll be introducing you to a few of our staff who are the throbbing heartbeat of The Ledge.

First up is our Assistant Manager Paul who's more of a two-wheeler than a four-wheeler. He specialises in BMX (although he also skates!) and has been kicking it on two tyres since the 80's. Here's his mugshot where we think he looks a bit like Mickey Mouse...but with BMX wheels for ears.

Paul's worked in store for over 10 years now and he's also skated the now-legendary Granby Halls. He tells us that his favourite current TV programme is The tweenies, but he puts that down to his kids (yeah, right Paul).

We decided to probe a little further and asked him five quick-fire questions to get to know him a little better:

Q#1: How old are you? I'm 40...and looking younger every day.

Q#2: How long have you been riding for? It's 28 years since I first got my first bike - has it really been that long?

Q#3: What's the worst injury you've picked up? I once broke my foot which was pretty damn painful!

Q#4. What's the strangest question you've been asked in store? Someone once asked me if we sold frogman flippers. For the avoidance of doubt, we don't!

Q#5: What's your favourite BMX trick? I love doing whips! You can click on this YouTube clip to take a look at a few cool ones...


Paul's a star when it comes to giving advice to budding and seasoned BMX-ers alike.

If you have any questions about BMXing or our in-store BMX products, you can email Paul at paultheledge@yahoo.co.uk, call him on 0116 251 6167 or pop in to see him anytime!

The Ledge gets Hooked

Although us lot at The Ledge have been around under various guises for some time now, our new name of The Ledge is still growing in reputation - that's why new people keep finding out about us and want to spread the word. You can't blame them I guess.

The Ledge was recently featured on Hooked, a group based in Derby dedicated to helping young people with an interest in alternative sports. Take a look here at what Hooked had to say about us.

Hooked's aim is to provide accessible facilities for young people interested in extreme sports which not only keeps the kids healthy, but keeps them out of trouble too.

We loved this video that a few of the Hooked guys put together recently - click on it to take a look. It promotes the research they're currently doing to find the best location for a skate park in Derby.

The clip contains loads of Hooked footage from sessions and events...so if you've been to any of their events, you might even be on there.

Think you can do better? Well, keep your eyes peeled for a competition bought to you by The Ledge where we'll be asking you to send us the best video or photo of you riding, flipping and sliding.

Surf The Ledge

OK, so it's not realistic for everyone to visit us in Leicester every week...well, not if you don't live there anyway. That's why we've been working hard to bring all that's great about The Ledge to you through your computer screen.

Our website's still quite new and it's growing all the time...but we've already got a cool range of the latest footwear, skateboards, hardware and related clothing and accessories. We've also got a fantastic range of BMX bikes and hardware, inline skates, roller skates, aggressive skates and much much more. Get cruising our online store at www.skatetheledge.co.uk.

If you can't find exactly what you want, don't worry. You can email us at skatetheledge@yahoo.co.uk or give us a buzz on 0116 251 6167 and we'll let you know whether we've got what you want in stock.

Our Leicester Store

Before we get on to talking about all the cool stuff you can buy online at The Ledge, let us introduce our home in Leicester. Our shop sits on Leicester high-street (No. 29) and is crammed with the coolest stuff you can think of.

It's an Aladdin's Cave of everything from shoes to sunglasses and belts to beanies. Make no mistake about it, it's brimming with all the stuff you need in your life.

We pride ourselves on friendly, helpful and reliable service. If you're in the area, feel free to pop for chat - it'd be good to see you.

Getting to know each other

First of all, welcome to Skate The Ledge - a blog created by The Ledge (a skate, BMX and inline store run by people with an unrivalled passion for the industry).

If you're as excited about skating, BMXing and getting around on wheels as we are, this is where it's at.

Our blog will tell you what's new, keep you up-to-date with any offers we have on, talk about what's going on in the world and help us get to know each other a little bit better. After each post, you'll have the opportunity to post a comment to contribute and build Skate The Ledge's online community.

So, what are we waiting for...let's crack on with things yeah!?