On Being A
POOL MERCENARY
At a small but perfect egg pool, Rick Blackhart works the edge
while Bob Denike looks on. To keep a low profile and to avoid
detection by the shotgun wielding pool owner, only one board
is brought to the pool and is shared by the skaters
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SAN JOSE POOL EXCHANGE
RESEARCHING AND
INVESTIGATING
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1576 NEWPORT AVE & CA 233-6
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LISACAL
In once park-infested San Jose, CA.
skaters have taken matters into their
own hands by creating the San José
Pool Exchange, a switchboard of
pool information. Forms are filled
out and files are kept on every
potential pool in the area. Before
an assault, trained pool searchers
plot their course using survey
maps dotted with rideable pool
locations
Photo Richard E. Garcia
You have the urge to skate vertical, but
your local skatepark just closed or you
never had a skatepark. You could build a
ramp, but this costs money, and money is
always in short supply. What you really
want is something free, where YOU lay
down the rules and have full control of
what's happening. The answer to these
and other questions is, an abandoned
pool. It's free. No crowds, no one telling
you what to do, and always heavy, full-on
ripping whenever you want.
Sure, right, easier said than done, you
say? Wrong. Pools are everywhere.
Winter season is drained pool season.
People would rather empty a pool than
maintain it through the winter months.
So you're all set to go. A skatewise pool
seeker has pools on his mind at all times.
Keeping eyes, ears, nose and mind open
to clues that could lead to an empty basin.
If you do the same, you'll be ripping a
pool in no time.
Some basic signs of a pool to keep in
mind: Pump houses, high pool fencing,
pool sweeps, slides, the smell of chlorine,
inflatable pool toys, solar-power panels,
big hoses gushing for days or chlorine
deposits (white salt marks) on the gutters
of a street.
You must also know where to look:
Run-down areas of the city are the best.
In low-rent apartment complexes, pools
are often drained and unused due to
upkeep costs.
Look behind supermarkets, creeks,
canals and R.R. tracks, or, where houses
are backed by fences. A quick run-by
should uncover a few pools. Plus these
zones are prime for quick escapes in
case you are discovered while skating.
Due to fund cut-backs, high school
pools are a common spot for a drained
pool. Usually, word of mouth between
skaters works best. If that doesn't work,
just call your local high school(s) and ask.
In some areas, the homes around
airports are purchased by Feds, due to
the noise-health problems. Find an area
like this and you're in there for multiple
pools.
Recreation halls usually drain their
pools yearly for cleaning because of some
health laws. Usually after summer swim
season, it's best to scam on these pools.
Sit down and use your brain to find
pools. Use what is around you to your
advantage. Here are some ideas that
have been used to locate multiple skate
spots.
Look through home listings for sale
homes with pools, or even call up real
estate agencies and ask about homes
with pools. After locating them, you can
have City Hall (believe it or not) help you
drain a pool. (Pools must be drained for
safety reasons if left longer than two
weeks.) Just give the City a call and tell
them about a pool at a vacant house. It
doesn't hurt anyone, and the pool would
probably get green and scummy anyway.
City Hall also has aerial photo-maps
open to the public. Check white dots
(empty pools) on the photos. If you can
grab a pilot and a plane, have them fly
you over your area and mark all potential
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