Sunday Service

Sunday Service: Where is Nick Remon?

Chelmsford's supremely talented Nick Remon

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

As far as the supremely talented, and equally supremely modest Nick Remon is concerned, the latter is most definitely true.
Nick first came to our attention at NASS 2010 as a dread-locked unknown (to us at least) who turned up with a bunch of Essex skaters and proceeded to rip as hard as any of the established names signed up for the street contest.

Following this introduction, it quickly became evident that Nick Remon was a force to be reckoned with and as work began in earnest on the second full-length Sidewalk Mag video ‘In Progress’, Nick found himself regularly up North staying on Ryan Gray’s sofa in Leeds and becoming a fully embedded member of the crew.

Vans – The Big Push – 2011

Huge 360 flip – Gran Canaria. Photo: CJ

One thing which was clear from the outset however, was that his motivation for getting involved had very little to do with any concerted attempt to ‘come up’ or to get sponsored, and a lot more to do with wanting an excuse to skate new places and have a laugh.
It might not seem like that long ago but back in 2010 when this was happening, the cultural landscape of skateboarding was hugely different to the situation today.
Not every decision was taken with a view to trawling for Instagram props or the evanescent glory of ‘making it’ as a known skater. Some people just liked getting out of their hometown and ripping for the sake of it.

Kingpin Mag’s – The Drive featuring Nick and the Superdead team

With that said, the level of skating oozing from this young lad was hard to ignore and Nick found himself riding for newly-established UK brand Superdead (alongside fellow In Progress head Harry Lintell) and for Vans via the then UK TM Nic Powley.

Project followed project and over the space of 5 years young Nicholas racked up an impressive back catalogue of video and magazine coverage without really chasing any of it – the fact was that he was so naturally good at skateboarding that all you really needed to do was point a camera at him.

Vans Excursion Part 1 – Nick Remon – 2014

Anyhow, at the risk of this turning into an essay on Nick Remon – I’ll try to come to some kind of a conclusion so that you can concentrate on sinking your teeth into the selection of footage contained within today’s Sunday Service.

Nick Remon – Albion section – 2014

Sidewalk Point of Interest Part 1 – Malaga 2014

Some time around 2015, just as Nick had been elevated to Vans Europe team status and had started to get paid by both Vans and his shop sponsor, he suddenly decided that he was over it. Not over skateboarding by any means, but over the whole rigmarole of ‘being sponsored’.
In typically enigmatic fashion, he called up all his sponsors to tell them he was done and promptly got a regular job in his native Chelmsford, where he still resides to this day.

Route One Gran Canaria trip – 2015 with Nick Remon, Doug McLaughlan, Benson & Manhead

The title of this Sunday Service is ever so slightly disingenuous because we already know where he is but I’m guessing that lots of you don’t so, consider yourselves updated.
One final thing – Nick has a full part coming out soon in Mark Radden’s latest video (set to drop later this month) which I have no doubt, will be really good.
And with that said, let’s raise a glass to Chelmsford’s own Nick Remon and pay respect to someone who was honest enough to admit that being sponsored was actually ruining the enjoyment of skateboarding for him. Big up Remchops – hope you’re doing well man.

Second try frontside flip in Gran Canaria prefaced with the statement: “This is the last photo you’ll ever take of me – I’m over being sponsored”.
Photo: CJ