G&S
Salida
Stave Gabafo blatted airs like this all over the pool
His parforhances on vertical are indescribable.
the riders pushed limits beyond the fringes
of insanity. The top Pros were like animals
attacking the pool, pushing their moves as
fast and high as had ever been done.
Not only did they recategorize old tricks,
but they invented new ones too.
Tony Magnusson was topping six foot
backside airs. Lester Kasai and Tony Hawk
were doing backside reverse foot-
footplants that they call an 'Ice Plant.' Tony
was also doing bio, one foot, 'Gay Twist'
alley-oops. Steve Caballero was consis
tently pulling off what he calls "Les Twist."
It's a 'Gay Twist with the hand on the out-
side of the board rather than on the inside
of the board.
Each contest always has it's own sort-of
personality. This contest would definitely
have to be remembered for the progressive
skating that took place.
It became evident after several dynamic
runs, who had the pool wired the most and
who skated to the judges liking. The four
finalists were, McGill, Caballero, Hawk,
and Magnusson.
The first heat of this four man head-to-
head consisted of McGill and Caballero.
Steve beat out Mike. Mike dropped down to
the loser's bracket to skate against the
loser of the next heat, which was Magnus-
son who lost to Hawk.
Magnusson beat McGill, seating McGill
in fourth, and Caballero lost to Hawk, drop-
ping down to skate against Magnusson to
decide the third place spot. Magnusson lost
and seats himself.
Caballero, skating to the music from his
band, The Faction,' went against Hawk for
the final deciding run.
Both skaters skated their little hearts out
and it looked really close. But after all the
scores were tallied, Steve Caballero was
the second place winner and Tony Hawk
was the champion of the 1983 Del Mar Na-
tionals.
After the Pros were wrapped up and
packed away, the amateur pool event
began. Placing in that event were as fol-
lows: Kevin Staab in first, John Park sec-
ond, Steve Steadham third, and Owen
Nieder fourth.
This event was sure something else. A
lot of new friends were made and a lot of
truths realized.
Stacy Peralta said as he was leaving the
Ranch,...no matter what is said, no matter
who wins, no matter what any one is doing.
the level of energy, guts, creativity and ta-
lent that exists in this sport today is unsur-
passed...Now, where's my sunglasses?"
See you next time, Stacy.
RASTED
-Harry Lallwell
landed tangled in the fence. What's
wrong with that kid?
The crew was skating with a lean, "no-
holds barred aggression. If it wasn't for
skateboarding, what would these excep-
tional young individuals be doing?
They could join, the military and be
trained into 'lean mean fighting machines."
But that would be stupid. Any form of dis-
cipline is extremely contrary to the
skateboarder's nature.
No, these guys would probably end up
jumping off cliffs in the Caribbean. Or
something that takes a lot of balls like jump-
ing off those tall platforms with ropes tied to
the ankles to put on the brakes just before
they hit the ground. Yeah, something like
that.
What goes on in the minds of these
super-men who fly, who defy gravity with
such eerie aplomb? What is the feeling
they have in their stomachs while hovering
five feet above a 10 ft pool? Do they thrive
on the answers to these questions? The
answers, no doubt, differ from radical indi-
vidual to radical individual.
Of course, one who does not skate would
never be able to fathom the individual as-
20
pects of such a personal pass time.
It was back in the spring of 1975, that
Bahne Skateboards held what was consi-
dered the first real serious skateboard con-
test, across the way from the Skateranch,
at the Del Mar fairgrounds. It was the first
major public skateboard event since the in-
vention of the urethane wheel.
Since then, skating has progressed tre-
mendously to the state in which it was to be
performed today.
Stacy Peralta, the old-timer that he is,
has seen it all. His comments on todays ex-
perience:
"I have been involved in every aspect of
this sport since its rebirth, and I can hon-
estly say the skateboarding being done
today has surpassed anything I could have
ever imagined. I had always thought that
someday aerials would be possible, but
never the way they are being done today.
The one thing that I noticed this weekend
was the intense speed that the skaters
were using combined with the phenomenal
heighth of their airs. Skating has taken a
big leap forward with the strength that to-
days riders are employing."
The pool event was soon underway as
A jubilant Per Welinder after an excellent,
nigh scoring run.
San Diego local, Billy Ruff has been skating this park for years. He blasts a
high backside air under the brightly hot Southern California mid-day sun
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