1. Name, Age, Company?
  David Childs, Age 36, Rampchild Ltd.
   
2. A little birdie tells us you used to compete in BMX at a pretty high level, can you tell us more about this?
  Yeah i started riding back in 1982, riding my first backyard ramps and the local 70s concrete park with its crazy 18ft deep bowl.My early influences were riders like, Bob Haro and the skatepark guys like, Fiola, Dominguez and Blyther, also The Bones Brigade videos with, Hawk, Cab, e.t.c.

I was always drawn to the ramp and skatepark riding and the freedom it gives you. As my riding progressed i started competing in regional and national competitions, traveling all over the country with friends and meeting up with the best riders from the, uk and beyond.
Im proud to say that i have ridden with, Bestwick, Tabron, Zak Shaw, Jerry Galley, Hoffman, McCoy and skaters, Dossett, Goff, just to name a few of the top of my head.
I have fond memories of riding at, Southsea, Mons ramp, Romford, e.t.c. all of which has given me masses of experience of ramps and parks.
   
3. Do you still get a chance to ride ?
  Yeah i still love to go ride, i have never really stopped apart from a couple of injuries along the way. Having been ramp building throughout my riding i have always had the benefit of being able to ride new and correctly build ramps, as im sure youre aware it really helps to learn on good equipment.

As the ramp building has progressed ive had the chance to travel and ride some amazing places like, Woodward and some of the parks in, California like the, Vans park at, Orange.
All of which has really helped with my riding and building.

I also ride at the local parks in, Northamptonshire which we have built for local councils and youth clubs. It gives me a real buzz to watch the local guys improve on ramps ive designed and built.
   
4. How did this progress into professional ramp building ?
  Even in the early years it always seemed to fall to me to build the ramps we had, i guess my fathers construction background really rubbed of on me as i loved to build ramps whenever i got the opportunity.My early ramps were, Quarterpipes, Halfpipes and even a rollin of our garage roof to a quarter, Camarillo ramp style. I had also built ramps for friends and local clubs, Vert ramps, Jumpboxes, Quarters, Mini ramps, all sorts of things really just so we had places to ride, i remember we ended up with lots of places to ride, and i think word got around that i knew how to build.

I guess this was picked up on by people like the, Radlands team who invited me to help build that legendary park in,Northampton. Things have just progressed from that point to where i am today, one of the recognized ramp builders.
   
5. When did you form the company and how many people currently work for you.
  I started plugging the, Rampchild name i guess in the 90s although ive been building since the early 80s for myself and friends.

The whole, Rampchild thing has been a story of progression, influenced by the projects ive been involved in and the people ive worked with on the way.

The clients, councils, the ramp users and the build standards all have an influence on what we do, the parks and product has really evolved into something im very proud of.
The design and build team is myself and about four experienced guys that i regularly employ.
My staff are usually guys who ride or skate and have a genuine interest in the sports and what there producing, this really helps me with the finished result.
Rampchild was born through a real passion for the sport and all the experiences along the way have helped make it a real ramp company.
   
6. What was your first commission and who was it for.
  My first builds were for friends and a local youth club, i built them a, Vert ramp, i remember back then it was all 9ft trannys and no coping, everyone loved it, how things have changed!
I guess my first well known commission was to be deputy to,Tim Payne during the build of, Radlands in the early 90s, this was a fantastic experience and i spent a lot of time talking to tim about designing and building during the build of the, Vert, Midi and Street course.I continued working with, Radlands for many years building for european and world events.
I had a fair bit of magazine coverage through all that and things just snowballed.
   
7. How many projects do you reckon you've completed to this date.
  I guess it must be in the hundreds, ive built for, private parks, authorities, youth clubs, families, trade shows, even ramps for celebritys children.
Everything from backyard miniramps to full commercial parks.
   
8. Which of these projects are you most proud of.
  I think the best projects are the ones where ive been given the chance to be creative and build something a bit special like the, bowl, spine, vert complex i built at, Weymouth, that was some thing i had discussed with previous clients, but finally had the chance to build it down at, Weymouth. They were great clients.

Other projects like, Radlands, Derby storm, The Edge in, Leicester and many of the public parks have given me a lot of satisfaction, not just with the way the ramps turned out but the good times ive had with the people involved.
People like the, Ince family at, Radlands and the, Johnsons and their team at, Weymouth.
Ive met, learnt from and enjoyed the company of some very interesting visionary people.
   
9.

Where do you draw your inspiration and influence from when designing / building a new park.
  My inspiration can come from anywhere, magazines, movies, architecture, being around and chatting to riders and skaters, or just going riding and spotting new lines.
One of the best imaginative sources can be meeting all the skaters and riders at meetings and consultations prior to a build, sitting there and throwing ideas around can really produce some great ideas.
   
10. What forms the basis for a good park, e.g. flow, size, variety, construction e.t.c.
  Firstly its important to get the construction right, a ramp with a wrong or poorly cut transition, or a bumpy ride because you can feel the ribs of the ramp through the surface are some of the things that can spoil the riding experience, im sure we can all remember going to ramps and thinking how bad they were.

These are some of the points that only a rider or skater would know and unfortunately can be overlooked by inexperienced builders.
The flow of a park or a ramp is equally important, even the simplest of layouts can be designed to include transfers, good lines, and good transitions, all these things can make the park more enjoyable and help the riders and skaters to progress.
Variety and size are related in as much as a park with lots of space allows you to build ramps and equipment for all levels of experience and even separate sections for the different sports, sometimes however a restricted space can mean trying some more imaginative solutions to space problems and can make for a great park with some great lines.
Sometimes working round doorways or pillars in indoor parks for example can produce some exciting results.
   
11. In your opinion what has been the best development in skatepark design over the last 20 years.
  I think the defining factor in skatepark progression is the growth of the sports involved, the way each new generation of riders or skaters push the boundaries of there skills to new levels, thus influencing improvements in ramp and park design, from what was once quite basic to more progressive layouts and designs with more exciting lines and variations in terrain.

An example of this is say a cradle in a concrete park or the, subbox rail trend, or split levels in ramp parks.
Another important development is the progression on design and build techniques, e.g. parks that ride better now due to better, planning, design and more accurate construction techniques.
   
12. Concrete vs, wood / skatelite - what are your views.
 

Im a big fan of both ramps and concrete parks, i learnt to ride on both, and both have different pros and cons. There is a place for both.
As you know my area of expertise is timber ramps and there, cheaper cost, easy repair and adaptability to changing trends is very popular with my clients. Ive been back to many of my clients, not for maintenance, but to adapt the ramps to the latest trends, in that respect im glad we never built them in concrete.


However the popularity of concrete parks has always, and will always be there, if you have a greater budget and you can build enough variety into the initial park not to warrant change then a concrete park is great.
I guess what im trying to say is that there are projects and situations that suit both materials,
both are very popular. I think it simply comes down to client budget and preference.
The ideal layout would have both ramps and concrete bowls, both can be very good if built correctly. Equally both can be a disappointing waste of time and money if done wrong, choose your contractor wisely!
   
13. We've seen a lot of changes in skatepark design over the last couple of decades ourselves,
what do you think of the latest, skate plaza craze ?
 

I like the the idea of the, "skate plaza", i know from building many of my local ramp parks that many ramp users want to diversify into different areas and still go into the streets to skate curbs, steps, rails and "real street" and the nearest thing to this is the, skate plaza.
This area is one ive been looking into with my construction contacts, Im hoping in the future to offer the,"skate plaza", real street option along with my ramps.

I think it relates to the last answer, that ramp and park users want variety, different avenues to explore, in which to progress in there sport.
Thats what im trying to promote, basically its important to build the right equipment to improve riders and skaters abilities, whatever material its made from.

   
14. How do you see skateparks developing in the future.
  With the ever increasing popularity of, skating, bmx, and extreme sports in general i think the clients looking to build skateparks and ramps will begin to realize the importance of consulting park users and park builders in more depth before undertaking new projects.
This is definitely what i hope will happen anyway, ive spoken to lots of skaters and riders that have waited years for a park just to end up with something that will never promote there skills.

Being involved in the sports we all know how good a skatepark or ramp layout can be if done correctly, i sure as things progress the parks will perform better, be better constructed and allow for much more progression for the users, who knows what moves people will be doing in the coming years. Let me finish by saying thanks for letting me convey my thoughts, hope you've enjoyed the interview.
   
  David Childs, Director, Rampchild......