EXPOSURE
Ray Rodriguez discusses some of the finer points of ditch
skating in a phone conversation with Stacy Peralta.
SP: Ray, how's it going?
Ray: Hey Stacy, what's
happening?
SP: You been riding the ditch
lately?
Ray Heck yeah! Lately we've
been going in the evening
when the weather cools
SP: How long do you ride for?
Ray: As long as we want
SP: How long have you been
riding in
Ray: Oh, about three or four years
That's where I leamed to
skate s
you i know. We used to
skate there all the time when
were no parks
SP. Did
Did you stop skating there i
after t the parks opened up?
Ray NO WAY We've always ridden
there. And we always will
There's been four generations
of skaters who have ridden
there. The place is unreal
Hey, I'm graduating tonightt
SP: Really? Unreal
What do you like so much
about the place?
Ray: It's cool You can do anything
Ilke skating for fun. I don't
dig the contest attitude. I
had more fun skating in the
backyard pool days when
everyone just got together
and sessioned heavily.
That's
what we've been getting
back to. You can do all the
latest moves on the walls. It's
free and it doesn't take a pro
to rip it. Beefing is less frequent
than on vert
SP: Does it ever get crowded
there?
Ray: Now it does People have
seen it in the mags and
they're realizing how much
fun it is. We used to be able
to session it alone, but not
anymore. It's getting graffitied
out
SP: Do you ever get busted for
riding there?
Ray: Never! We had cops watch-
ing us before. They were
stoked
SP: So where's your future in
skateboarding?
Ray: The same place if's always
been fm always going to
skate no matter if there's
parks or not. I dig skating for
fun. That's why I started skating
and that's why I've been
doing it for so long and that's
why fm not going to stop
SP. Hey, that sounds hot. We
come down and see you
down there one of these
weekends
Ray Sounds good! Hey, where
you guys been skating?
SP: Mostly the Kenter banks
Ray: Is that place still cool to
skate?
SP: Totally it's so fun there in the
afternoon to get everyone
together and ride... Well, I
goffa get back to work We
will see you soon
Ray: All right See you later, take it
easy and all that sort of stuff
Photography by CR. Stocyk