I'm starting to question the viability of some of the womens contests nowadays.

I was at the West 49 Canadian Open last weekend in Mississauga, Ontario, and happened to take in the womens contest on the last day; let's just say I was slightly dismayed at the level of ability being touted by some of the girls, who had seemingly 'qualified' for the event.

I really hate to come off as biased or anything, but I think the hype that surrounds a person greatly outweighs the actual ability they posess, and that actually hinders the further progression and self-esteem of the person who posesses the real ability.

Well now, the shit hits the fan occasionaly in my sleepy part of the world, this time in a little burg about thirty miles northeast of me called Fonthill.

If anyone out there ever met a bloke named Mike Todd, you'll know what I'm talking about.

His shop, the aptly named CYRIL, is quite possibly on the last of its legs.

The announcement came about three days ago following an audit the man himself had undergone, and has quite literally floored all those who have known him and gotten their shred fix from him in the past two years.

It's pretty killer that people are weighing in with actual opinions these days.

That's what makes skating so unique.

Everybody has a style and everybody has a preference.

The whole plaza deal, for me, just equals people getting arrested or cited for actually skating in the streets, where terrain differs, isn't overly homogenized, and exists, for other purposes not necessarily that of skating.