The Year in T.F. Obstacles: #TFReport Special Edition

Photo by Emilio Cuilan

It has been a landmark year for the T.F. Some thought that it would never find #relevance in a *New* New York of accessible skateparks and children uninterested in street spots (or in its case, street spots that aren’t actually street spots.) With Autumn gone, others feared the T.F. organism could not continue life without co-dependence of a nearby shop that would supply it with sustenance by way of angle iron and wood. A select few believed that distant rival, T.F. West, could hijack key demographics at a time when the Tompkins covered our beloved green benches with caution tape. All were wrong.

Having reached its ten-year anniversary and thus solidifying its legacy (see #6), the T.F. sat back and reveled in its own immortality throughout 2012. Even new media has even helped propel Tompkins into the iPhone era: a kitschy title from the blog-only days of Epicly Later’d was transformed into a useful hashtag on the most popular social media platform among the T.F. faithful. Is there a #flushingreport, #midtownreport or #lenoxreport? You know the answer. Koston even Instagrammed from the T.F. this year, though he forgot to add #tfreport to his post.

At a time when 12th and A is fraught with internal problems and consistent closures, we have grown attached to the steadiness of the the T.F., which for the eleventh year in a row, is the most popular street spot in New York City. Join us as we look back at the obstacles that have graced Tompkins throughout 2012.

January: Autumn’s Final Box
How Long Did It Last? ~2 weeks

Autumn’s going away gift to the T.F. was this box. But with no place a half-a-block away for overnight storage (…like that ever made a difference), the box was mysteriously stolen two weeks into the new year. Read our initial report of this believed-to-be final box here.

February: A Plastic Housing Authority Trash Can
How Long Did It Last? ~3 weeks

Someone from a nearby housing project (the closest ones being three avenues away), was kind enough to lug this thing over here. Unfortunately, it was much higher and wider than your average wire trash can, so nobody skated it (besides Dre.)

March-April: Two Construction Cones Stacked On Top of One Another
How Long Did They Last? 2 months

The longest-lasting T.F. obstacle of the past year and definitely the one that had the most video coverage. Read our special LINSANITY edition T.F. cone report here.

June: Cute Skater Guys
How Long Did They Last? TBD

…there are always cute skater guys at the T.F.

July: A Filled In T.F. Crack
How Long Did It Last? ~1 month

The closest thing to knobs that you could ever do to the T.F. Luckily, the asphalt they used to fill it in deteriorated by the end of the summer.

July: A Recycled Plastic Bench From 12th & A on Two Out of Four Legs
How Long Did It Last? ~3 weeks

July/August: A Recycled Plastic Bench From 12th & A on One Out of Four Legs (with a construction cone propping up one of the missing legs)
How Long Did It Last: ~2 weeks

For the record, yes, people did try to skate this thing.

August: An Epson Printer
How Long Did It Last? ~1 hour…see here.

September: A Cone Propped Up On One Brick
How Long Did It Last? ~1 week

Nostalgic for the distant days of spring 2012, when the two orange cones radiated throughout downtown, and unable to find a second one, skateboarders made due with this set-up. It lasted until someone stole the brick.

November: A new box!!!
How Long Did It Last? TBD

Looking to fill in the void left by Autumn (despite being a ten-minute skate away), Labor Skateshop donated the T.F. its first box in eleven months, and even had the good sense to paint it forrest green in order to camouflage it better with the park. It has already been stolen once by Avenue D rollerbladers, but was quickly retrieved by the dunions and is currently experiencing a second life during this mellow winter. Thanks Labor.