STORET SPOTS
SPOT
CHECK
Bob Denike, gliding and sliding the four comered walls at The Box' with the Santa Clara Valley skyline as a backdrop. Photo: Matt Etheridge
SPOT CHECK
Over the years we have all seen many
changes on the face of skateboarding.
Type of terrain and the availability of
places to skate are ever changing factors
that have always, and will continue fo
shape the different styles that have
evolved. Whether it be backyard pool or
ramp, spillway, ditch, even skatepark,
there was never any guarantee that a
skate spot would still be there when you
returned to shred again the next time.
Every skater that has been around for
more than a few years remembers the dry
spells. When it seemed that the only
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skating you did was the basic street
sessioning. Just to let off the steam and
aggravation caused by looking for some
vertical or decently banked, gyratable
terrain all day. I mean, let's face it, the
basic instinct involved in skateboarding is
the crave for vertical. All skaters crave
vertical in some way, shape or form. The
youngster who gets a brand new model
these days is usually anticipating gettin'
bio airs and handplants in a pool, park or
on a ramp sooner or later.
Underneath all of the hype and hassles
of searching for off street skating and
evermore challenging terrain, there are
"the spots." Skate spots that have always
been there. No matter what time of day or
season of the year, the local skate spot is
usually happening. Laid back sessioning
or gnarly all day grinders at the local spot,
provide constant testing grounds while
other skate places are built and destroyed.
It's the type of place that you have totally
wired but never seem to do the same thing,
the same way, twice. The kind of session-
ing that always produces new tricks, new
styles, new skaters and most of all fun.
We thought we would take a look at
some of the more distinguished "Skate
Spots" that have played a part in shaping
the state of skating as we know it.
KT
THE BOX
San Jose, like many cities, is a very
large and growing area which has a
tendency to sort of bury people in the
hustle and bustle of city life. Nonetheless,
if you are willing to drive, at the most 40
minutes, out of the city, in almost any
direction, you may find yourself in peaceful,
calm and often very scenic surroundings.
Not your average aggressive skate
environment, you might say, but for those
who can remember, much of the early,
clean and simple roots type skating often
took place in skatespots secluded from the
rat race pack of urban living. An example of
such a skatespot, nestled among peaceful
surroundings, is a place simply called
"The Box.
Situated on the outskirts of San Jose,
this piece of skate architecture seems to
have withstood all the generations of
skaters spawned and spread in the San
Jose region. Much like the old and majestic
buildings of the Downtown area, which
seems to be forever standing. The box too
has weathered all the storms.
The actual structure is simple in form.
Smooth cement walls sloping at 40-45
degrees, sharp transitions, overall shape
of a square, with 50 feet of flat bottom
between the angles. It comes complete
with chain link fencing, a water pit to lose
your board in, and the always looming
possibility of a bust, but many are con-
vinced the risks are worth it.
It's the type of spot that will always be
there to skate, it's clean and simple, much
like the skating that took place there years
ago and hopefully, for years to come.
Bob Denike
THE SPOT
The Spot, it's a tradition as the spring
rains slowly drain away, Shay, Tim and
what's left of the B.C. Boys will again play
host at The Spot. It's the only ditch on the
Milwaukee County sewer system that has
been dammed off, swept up, regraffitied
and then shredded on an annual basis for
the last six years or so, with the skatepark
turned into a strip joint, this summer's Spot
sessioning may top last year's, double
daily sessioning. The younger kids skated
during the day, then at night the locals
moved in and took over.
The Spot, semi secluded and sur-
rounded by trees, offers a great atmos-
phere to get away from society and get
down to some serious skating. With just
enough flat, it can be pumped like a
halfpipe making each run long enough to
be worthwhile. The robot skaters are
thrown off by the transitions and kicked out
for their grinding devices. With two raw
concrete edges on either side, contorted
and lengthy grinds are executed with a
harsh, metal-meets-concrete sound.
Local, Tim Schwartz, makes it look easy
when he finds his groove and pulls off his
stylish moves, consistently dropping jaws.
It's not skatepark perfect but it is some of
the best natural terrain to meet this
skater's wheels.
Ron Schneider
On form, Stacy Peralta edges a
critical wheels out kick turn back
into a smooth cement reservoir lo-
cated near the Palmdale ramp in
California. Photo: Stocyk
Committed to total style, Tim Schwartz
compresses into a two wheel carve grind at The
Spot! Photo: Ron Schneider
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