GOIN'
UNDERGROUND
MILPITAS CONTEST
Sat. October 15, 1983
Saturday morning had finally ar-
rived along with the hot blistering sun.
Today was the contest day at one of
the many new ramps in San Jose, this
one just happened to be by old Skate-
park Victoria, otherwise know as Mil-
pitas. Heavy practice sessions com-
menced through the week with a hefty
turnout.
Martian, Meekster and myself ar-
rived around 8 o'clock to find the ramp
wet from the morning dew, so every.
one just waited for a while and played
hacky with a soccerball. The sun
started to hit the ramp and it soon
dried with the help of a few skaters
fakleing back and forth. Unsponsored
practice began as more people start-
ed showing up. There were many
skaters trying to snake and there were
a few close calls.
Two skaters, Ken Takeda and Tony
Chiala, looked like the ones to beat.
Tony was blazing the backside airs,
everyone was hooting for him to reach
more height, so he did.
The contest coordinator was none
other than Craig Ramsay. He had set
up the whole contest. Craig, Ross
McGowan, Tim Martian and myself
were the judges. Sponsored practice
was just finishing up and soon we
would get under way.
First to go were the AM's. Nine en-
tered and were cut to eight to go head
to head; some of the outstanding were
Tony Chiala, Ken Takeda, Dan
Sporana (inventor of the Chest Plant?
ask Dan). It was close all day between
ELGIN CONTEST
Ken and Tony and in the finals Ken
was perfection, no falls. Tony, on the
other hand, was just pushing himself
too much and the falls hurt his scores.
So Ken came out the winner of the
AM's. Congrats, Ken.
The temperature began to rise until
it was baking. Even more people
showed and made the tiny backyard
now look even smaller.
Semi-Pro's were up next. There
was some intense ripping going down
in practice, so it looked like the crowd
was going to be stoked. There were
also nine entrants in the Semi-Pro and
every one of them ripped. During one
of Fish's runs he lost his board over
the fence, so he climbed over the
fence, threw his board back over, then
he jumped over and continued his run,
"What a dude." Chris Cook did the rad
50-50 frontside grinds across the
whole ramp, but took a bad head slam
during the finals. Mike Romero was on
the edge as usual pulling manuevers
no one else would dare try. Meekster
came out of retirement to show every-
one he still shreds, and has one of the
best styles I've ever seen. The top
shredders were Corey O'Brien, doing
contorted layback airs, burley back-
side airs; you name it, he did it.
Another skater who hasn't been in a
contest lately but has been shredding
ramps in Saratoga was Anthony Diaz.
The dude is burly, he skates with in-
tense power.
Eight of the semi pros went head to
head. It was very hard to judge, I hate
judging anyway. In the end it was
Corey against Anthony and Corey had
The Pipes were originally discovered in 1978.
Upon viewing the pipes one would assume that
they are a gift from the Skate Gods. 2-40 foot
Tory Boettcher, natural canyon ollie.
Anthony Diaz, stylish tuck air.
to beat Anthony twice to win overall. everyone left realizing what they had
Antone put two incredible runs to just seen was some of the best skate-
gether and Corey looked like the heat boarding in the U.S. There was more
wasn't helping him. He did his best, crowd cheering, more enthusiasm,
but it wasn't enough to beat the burley more fun, no rules. The backyard is
guy himself, Anthony Diaz.
where it's at, so build a ramp and
After the prizes were given out, throw a contest. -Rob Roskopp
long, 14 foot diameter pipes just sitting in a field.
I've been skating the pipes for three years. After
reading the "Desert Ramp Battle" story I de-
cided a contest was needed, so early in the sum-
mer we had the first contest ever at the pipes.
TUD
Naturally it was a success so I figured another
was necessary.
The atmosphere was relaxed and the judging
was simple. There were three judges and each
rider had two, one minute runs. There was a
pipe-pasting side event in a very tight full pipe.
The winner, Tory Boettcher, was at 10:30 when
he stretched out and slapped a sticker at twelve
o'clock; in second place came Randy Vickers.
The turnout for the actual contest was great.
Tom Thumb brought the van out and skaters
from Milwaukee showed. Practice was all mom-
ing and promptly at one the contest started. A
high scoring maneuver was canyon jumps, plus
aerials off the levels. In 5th place was Rich Bauer
who really hauled ass and utilized the whole
pipe.
In 4th was Tory Boettcher, who won the previ-
ous ramp contest. He was pulling off mind-blow-
ing frontside olie canyons, not to mention lofty
backside airs.
3rd was David Seifreid, with in and out ollies,
inverts and a real neat olie pogo.
In 2nd was Randy Vickers, who was really
smooth-not to mention high frontsides, rock 'n
roll sliders, ollies and more.
And the winner was 'OZ,' who came down
from Milwaukee to skate the pipes. He totally
hauled ass and shook the pipes all over the
place. Extended hand plants and the high ca-
nyon jumps helped him to win. See 'OZ before
he's dead-it won't be long.
Well, that's it-now I'm in College, hating life.
Thanks to everyone who showed up, especially
Miles Horton and Dane Bweykowski, who
helped judge, Scott Simmons, the timekeeper,
Tom Thumb for the prizes and skaters every-
where for skating always.
John Mohr
Elgin, IL
THE FIRST UNDERGROUND
SLIDE RACE
By Richard Dunlap
Ever since the slow demise of competitive
skateboarding a few years ago, interest in pro-
fessional downhill skateboard racing has de-
creased dramatically, sponsors have thinned out
during the recession period of the eighties and
the trend has been for fewer races to be held
every year. 1983 saw only one organized profes-
sional race, the Capitola Classic, and though Photography by George Powell
racer and spectator turnout was reasonably
good, there were doubts about the probability of
next year's race. Downhill Skateboarding, it
seemed, was on its way out....
On September 25, 1983, on a private access
road in the Santa Barbara Hills, a group of dedi-
cated skaters from Berkeley decided to change
all that. Clifford Coleman was instrumental in
planning what was to be the first ever downhill
slide race. If it was slightly illegal then it was a
necessary act of civil disobedience, for the race
was an underground success!! Everyone in-
volved had a great day of skating in the sunny
Santa Barbara Hills.
This, you see, was no ordinary skateboard
race, the nature of the course demanded that the
entrants have mastered at least the basics of
downhill sliding, as the course was extremely
steep and fast, with comers impossible to nego-
tiate without controlled slides. This style of riding
was nurtured and continues to be developed in
the steep hills of Berkeley, and it came as no sur-
prise that seven of the eight entrants were from
the Bay Area downhill haven.
In the end it was consistency that paid off in
the final standings, with each rider taking three
timed runs, of which the best two were taken for
a combined time and a place in the standings.
Caedmon Bear, longtime Berkeley local and all-
around good person, took first with consistently
fast times, including the second fastest time of
the day, 56.2 seconds. Jimmy Thornburg was
the only other rider with three clean runs, and it
got him second place. Chris Pettyjohn, with two
clean runs, took third. The other riders were
plagued by sliding off the road, and their com-
bined times were somewhat slower. In order of
finish they were: Rich Dunlap, 4th; Greg Histed,
5th; Jim Cluggish, 6th; Cliff Coleman, 7th; and
Chris Iverson, 8th. After the race, a racer claim-
ing to be from Wellesley, Massachusetts,
clocked a blazing 56.1 seconds, the fastest time
of the day, but to no avail in the final standings...
the race was over.
I hope this race, a complete success, will
serve as notice that downhill racing is not dead!!
With more independently organized contests, an
underground circuit could be arranged, with the
power of decision put where it should be, with the
racers. The time has come for downhill racers,
like the vertical skaters with their ramp contests,
to take hold of the future of their sport. The roads
are certainly there, the foot is in the door, the rest
is up to us...
Many thanx to: Barfoot Skateboards, Madrid
Skateboards, Powell-Peralta, Cliff Coleman,
N.H.S. and George's wallet for supplying the
prizes-everybody won!!! Special thanx goes to
H.H.S. for supplying the timing equipment, and
certainly to Cliff Coleman for organizing and
planning the race.
Cliff Coleman
slides into a tuck.
Gregg Histed.
180° drift.
Photo: Run Sch
39