TALKING ED
It's a curious thing that there seems to be a new energy sur
rounding skateboarding lately, and it doesn't revolve around the
skateparks. I have no pity for badly managed or poorly constructed
parks. Many of them were financed by people with an eye on
making dollars, figuring that if they threw a ime cement into a hole
in the ground and called it a skatepark they'd see kids flocking in to
pay money to skate there. Well, it worked for a while, but the fact
remains that many backyard swimming pools are much better for
skating than a lot of skateparks could ever hope to be
Now don't get me wrong skateparks have done a lot for the
sport. Many kids had never set foot on a board until their first try at a
skatepark, and some of those kids have gone or
on to become top-
notch vertical skaters. But many of the parks were built at a time
when skateboarding was considered a good investment by the
money people. They were not built with the skaters' needs in mind
nor were they well planned or thought out. Now that skating has
endured and gotten past the Yad stage, some of the parks are
being left behind while more skaters are being seen on the streets
than ever before.
It's easy to assume that any kid who has a skateboard also h
has
access to a park right around the comer from his house, especially
in California, where parks were popping up as fast as Winchell's
Donut houses. Yet in many areas parks have never become a reality
and the prospects for their construction does not even exist
To all the skatepark owners and managers writing hate mail at
this moment, please don't take this as a stab in the back I have
nothing but praise for the parks that have taken time to appreciate
the needs of the skaters who frequent their parks. But don't take it
for granted that the kids will flock to your park because it is the only
game in town. Put out that extra effort to make your skaters feel
welcome of your facility. Throw a contest, have a barbeque. I am
sure the skaters will return the favor
And to all of the skaters out there who have never seen a park
or who have n no access to one, hang in there and keep shredding
With this renewed skate energy comes an awareness of the many
different types of skating that can be applied to a skateboard
Some of you older rollers must leam to savor all of the experiences
that attracted you to the sport in the first place those downhill runs
at two in the moming under a full moon, or the first time you skated
a backyard pool feeling as if carving tiles was more natural than
doing the breast stroke
me
You younger skaters and those of you who are just discovering
the pleasures of skating, take your time, enjoy yourself. When you
rush into something you tend to rush out of it also Skate your local
park, plywood ramp or backyard pool, but take time out for a l
cruising once in a while. Pop a nose wheelie, do a handstand
Skateboarding is an individuals sport. If you feel radical when you
grind a curb then, by golly, you are radical No one is going to prop
you up on a board and send you on your way, and no one is going
to catch you when you fall either.
-KT
FORD CA
MAIL DROP
EAST COAST RIPS!
Thrasher Mag
Just a note to let everyone in on
how it's goin' along the Southern
and Eastern United States: Mike
Folmer, Chuck Walstead and
myself recently went on a tour to
promote skatin, and, of course, our
products. Our first stop was Arizona
where things weren't t
too hot. The
High Roller Skatepark in Phoenix is
closed due to business and
ownership problems, I I guess
After
AZ we found many unexplored
reservoirs on
Texas While in San Anand in
we
skated a hot ramp with local ripster
Andrew Lopez Moving south w we
made stops in Houston, then into
Galveston, where we sessioned the
local park as well as Booger's half
pipe.
which wo
was a blast to skate. On
to Alabama, in which many p
still operate and function. Finally
arriving at the tip of Florida, we
surfed Pensacola Beach
moved eastward to Tallahassee for
some ripping at Peddie's Pool On
then
to Jacksonville and the Kona Skate
park for a demo-promotion. Later
to Gainsville's Sensation Basin for
THE LATEST
the 3rd Annual Pepsi Pro-Am, in
which I participated as a judge. The
competition was h
shot
ot making for
some hard action. Leaving Gains
ville, we stopped at Casey's ramp
for a photo session. Days later y
slater we hit
the Hypoluxo Ramp and the
peanut-like pool at Solid Surf Skate-
park, which definitely r
rips. The last
part of my trip included a four-day
stay in Cherry Hill, New Jersey to
skate the biggest and best indoor
skatepark built to date. The Egg
Bowl is
is the BIOEST pool ever skated
Jamie Godfrey, "Mouse" and the
rest of the crew showed insane
improvement since my first taste of
this facility some time ago. For those
who don't know, Cherry Hill still
stands and plans on doing so for a
long time to come
All in all the t o was fun and I met
a lot of cool people (and hopefully
sold some wheels, boards and
trucks). Also, I would like to thank
everyone who put us up and made
our trip more comfortable. The
parks and other terrain were great
and I suggest to anyone in these
areas to scope it out and session.
-8. Bowman
THE
UNREAL DEALS
IT'S ALL I
ALL IN THE
DELIVERY!
WE'RE YOUR SUPER MARKET
FOR SKATE PRODUCTS.
you feed it sure is
Well, distribution in our last name
Buying from e shopping at
grocery store. We stock only the
top selling em according to
erized inventory. In most
cases this allows you to demo
of the item in this magazine with
just one call and get it shipped in
24 hours
If you're having trouble finding out
what's hot and what's not or you
just spend all day on the phone
give us a call for comple
Information and price liste Ask for Dept. 14
A SAMPLING OF OUR FINE INVENTORY
BLOOD
DONEL
DONEL DISTRIBUTORS, INC/13422 FLOYD CIRCLE/DALLAS, TX 75243/214 238-1701
THE EXTRAS
THE LATEST, THE UNREAL DEALS AND THE EXTRAS
Too SKF bearings)
24.00
2. Side Cut Concave 30 x 10% (Gull Wing
3. Deng Saladi
4. Fhing Ace 31 x 11 (Gull Wing Roller
balls, full precios bearings.
75.00
3. Pro 30 x 11 (dy 131, Yo
Conical full precision bearings).00
War Two 27 x 7 (Gall Wing
Poly Part wheels, semi bearings)
oritu
audita
11. 63m Poly Part (red, yellow orange
black) w/ bearings $2.00
12. G& 5 won patch.
13. Gordon & Smith airbrush decal
14. Gordon & Sith rectangle decal small
GS
READER
15. G&S decal mil/20, med/30,
16 G&S Speed Sparks
80
17. G&ver (yellow, orange, red
7. YoYo Double Cosicals (yellow) w/
Yote (red/white, blue/white)
bearings $8.50
bear
9. Rollerball (black, red, yellow, gree
bearings F
bearings
10. 30/30 (red/white, blue/white) w
bearings 8.50
/SKF bear
19.
USA
when applicable. Send your cashiers check
G&S
Base
Gordon and Smith Skateboards
5111 Santa Fe Street, San Diego, CA 92109
A Christ Centered Company
Urethane Cushions (soft, med
20. G&S Mock/12.00, block
11.00
21. Aed decal package (30 of them) $1.00
22. G&der Rails (red, yellow, bl.95
23. G & S Wallet fuld/s8.00, Trifold/50
24. G&5 Capas hat..
25. G&S Traider Tshirts (small, med
g) Short Sleeve $7.00/Long Me
95 The On/$27.25 Color So
blue brown white. Two
brown. Combo-Royal/grey. Rega
forsla