TALKING ED
As you may have already noticed, this issue is packed full of LA
energy. The Southern California area has been responsible for a lot
of skate activity. People all over the world focus their attention on
what is happening in the LA skate scene. The area boasts more
professional skateboarders than anywhere else on the planet and
houses more skatepark facilities than you will find in any other area.
Ever since skateboarding grew outward from the Southem
them
California surfing communities with the introduction of the urethane
wheel in the mid-70's, LA has been the center of skateboarding
Definitely one of the major contributions to society in the last decade.
The new wheels elevated skateboarding, which had already seen
massive interest in the sixties beyond any limitations that had been
encountered with earlier versions. The 70's were fired, bleak, boring
I wanted action and took to the streets armed with a new
The kids
found mobility allowing them endless exploration of a vast asphalt
jungle LA was the perfect proving grounds for the
for the skateboard
and immediately kids found untapped e energy in the form of hard
concrete and plaster. Empty swimming pools became shrines
where many skaters worshipped daily. Down along the beaches
and boulevards and in the parking garages e and schoolyards, the
skaters ruled Drainage ditches, spillways and cement pipes came
alive with new possibilities Wooden ramps were being constructed
where vertical forms were scarce or non-existent. Skateparks, the
next step in the evolution of skateboarding began to appear in
the LA landscape. Serving as a focal point, the parks provided the
skater with a place to p
o practice daily. Younger skaters and new
comers to the sport were able to develop their skills very quickly.
intensity c
y of
and the int
vas explored to the utmost
vertical skating was
Skateparks of eve design and description began t to
every des
appear i
other areas besides LA, and the level of skating ability and the
number of skaters increased with each park constructed Skaters
and non-skaters alike now had a place to go and satisfy their
curiosities about this new radical activity.
in
Competition soon found a home at the skateparks Originally
a skateboard contest was a bunch of neighborhood skaters gath-
ered together to run slalom cones on a local hill. Bigger professional
competitions were booked into arenas and auditoriums with large
ramps constructed for slalom and vertical exhibitions. The scene at
the parks was different. The pools became the arenas and specta-
fors watched in disbelief as the skaters took to the air, pushing the
limits ever further. Banked slalom and bowl riding had become the
main attraction, and there had never been as many Pro skaters to
take advantage of a thriving contest circuit. A guaranteed purse at
for it.
most contests assured a good turnout and an incentive to go t
Back out in the streets, speed runs down steep backroads had
evolved into full-on downhill contests, engulfing whole communities
in a speed rush. Spectators saw a more accessible form of skate-
board rivalry, featuring side by side, head to head competition with
a Grand Prix-like atmosphere. The thrills and spills of downhill racing
provided a new aspect to the Pro skating scene and many skaters
competed in downhill as well as bowl riding
Skateboarding h has flourished in
d in LA and the Southern California
area for over six years and shows no sign of letting up. The young
park bred skaters of the region have taken what their predecessors
have layed down before them to new levels of insanity. Many older
Pro skaters from days past have moved out of skate competition
but still act as the guiding forces behind a new crop of skaters. A
healthy amateur circuit provides talented skaters with a route into
the Pro ranks Amateurs turning Pro at an early age reflect the
youthful intensity of a sport that has come into its own.
гногте
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PRO-AM SKATEBOARD COMPETITION
March 14 and 15, 1981
SKATE CITY SKATEPARK, WHITTIER, CA
$2,000.00 PURSE
Saturday 14-Amateur Competition and
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Sunday 15-Professional Competition
Activities Begin at 10:00 A.M. both days
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Phone 205-757-1273