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The Vision
HCS was originally going to be a skateboard store and park. Derek's
older brother, Andy, thought of using some extra warehouse space and
an empty storefront to host Binghamton's first skate park. This was
back around 1996. Andy failed in realizing the HCS vision despite a
valiant effort. Derek was then infected with the HCS plague around
2000. During the 4 year lapse, HCS as a store and an idea was
set aside.
The space, however, was not. The ramps stayed in the warehouse
and were joined by many others. Ramps were constantly added, moved, torn down,
rebuilt, taken apart, used in other ramps, and generally abused toward
whatever end Derek and Andy wanted. This trend continued and shapes
the way HCS is run today. No matter how large or small the ramp or
setup, you can be sure that it's not permanent. HCS, passing through
these 4 years, saw more setups and arrangements than you can imagine.
Originally HCS was: one 2' bank with standing room on top, two regular 2'
banks, one 4' quarterpipe, one 3.5' bank ramp, one 10" tall, 3'x7' funbox, and
8' ride-on flatbar that was bent using 2 trees. From these fantastic
beginnings, tons of setups came and went. If you want to fuck with Derek a
little, ask him to tell you about every one of the setups. I don't even think
he remembers them all. Finally, pushed ahead by his highly developed ramp-building
skills, Derek decided to punch doubt in the face and go for it.
HCS then began to develop quickly. The end of the summer of 2002 saw the
opening day of HCS. After a summer of crazy work, setbacks, frustrations,
successes, and imagination, HCS smashed its way into the world.
HCS, both as a store and as a park, was opened for the same reason that
every other local skatepark and shop in the world is opened: To have a rider-owned
alternative to the corporate shitboxes in the mall, the idiot-designed
monkey-fucks that pass for public parks, and the overpriced and exploitative
mailorder garbage. HCS is no different and exists for no different reasons.
HCS, as a shop, wants to offer parts that are worth buying and that riders and
skaters can actually use. Prices are as low as we can get them. Hell, most of
the time Derek works in the morning to pay the rent, bills, and to afford gas money.
So far, all of HCS's profits have gone into restocking the shelves and building ramps.
You see, HCS isn't trying to make anyone rich. If it was, it would be failing
worse than you would be in advanced Calculus. HCS just wants to be a shop with
prices kids and afford and parts they can use.
As a park, HCS is trying for several things at once. First, before
anything else, HCS wants to be a park that isn't typical. Everything in
the park is an attempt to make something that can't be found in most skate
parks. New ramp designs, new rails, new transitions, new uses of space, new
angles, new materials, new setups. HCS wants to be evolving and changing
all the time. There are tons of rails, grindboxes, and bankramps outside. They're
there so that if you want to try a new setup, you can. We use them like Lincoln
Logs. Ramps on top of rails on top of ramps. Boxes laying on their sides,
rails being used as blocks, bank ramps on top of each other. We've tried a lot
of shit; you should come and try it too. Why do we try to change all the time?
Why try not to be typical? Why try to have new types of stuff? Basically because
street is always better than park...so why not try to make the park as much
like street as possible. Street is fun because you can find crazy shit that
doesn't really exist other places. Street's fun because you can ride all
different kinds of stuff. Street's fun because every spot is somehow different.
Parks usually suck because they're all the same. Box jump, bower box, blah,
blah, 1' tall flatbar (that you can't move), bank ramps, blah, blah, quarters
all have the same boring tranny, rail that goes across and down, blah, blah,
lame-ass hips--it's all the FUCKING SAME!
Fuck stupid-ass parks. Fuck cookiecutter ramps. Fuck kids running register
in shops who think that their job makes 'em better than you. Fuck all the
monkey-ass corporate stores trying to leech off our shit. Fuck people telling
you what you can and can't do. Fuck fashion. Fuck doing anything
because it's cool...
Just bust ya colla' kid.
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HCS will be right there next to you.
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