Text and Photos by Liam Annis
Well shit, Portsmouth NH is a small bricky city on the coast of NH bordering Maine. We don’t pay taxes on shit unless it’s food. We don’t have to wear our seatbelts or helmets on our motorcycles, we live free or we die. We jump our drug dealers that short bag us and then come through the skate spot. We are PISCATASQUAD.
For the small amount of skaters in the city, shit park is basically what makes up the scene here in Portsmouth. By making up the scene I mean where the scene collects, and where you will get a good idea of who skates in Portsmouth.
What started out as just a flat gap in the foundation of an old trolley mechanics building, has become a DIY engineering style skatepark. It’s called shit park because it’s shitty, but we live on the east coast so we couldn’t give a fuck. Shit Park has gone through some revolutionary times, people started to make boxes and bring random materials down to make spots out off wood. Three different heighten boxes would be the first to claim you as a victim as it would inject splinters into any falling skater. Although this place was rad and all and we managed to obtain a yellow flatbar, small town vibes started to get to us, as every year we would get kicked out of the park by police. Every other year private property “no trespassing” signs go up, and everyones scared to skate shit for a while.
But fuck it, Shit park is going through its renaissance and it’s showcasing some solid talent out of Portsmouth NH. What was once wood and concert, is now just tons of concrete. I would say we graduated from the wood and started making shit people couldn’t destroy and light on fire. As of now we have a spine ramp, hip, kicker to kicker/funbox, pole jam, three ledges, two manny pads, a bank to ledge, and three quarter pipes. Everyone in the community that skates has put many hours in to building atlas one of the many aspects that make this place SHIT PARK.
Piscatasquad is also the name of the local video filmed and edited by Ronny Krueger. Him and basically two other dudes with the exception of a few others were able to film and put out two full lengths in one year back in 2014. Will Mazzari and Henry Purple are the only two that really have full parts in either video, and they’re in the middle of a third.
If you find yourself with any interest in such an odd, but maybe familiar place like Portsmouth or shitpark than check it out on youtube. Rkrue882 on youtube or follow @shit_park on instagram for endless updates on shit. Keep up on Piscatasquad here on the seacoast on NH, we don’t die, we multiple.
