FREE IN THE STREET
TRACKER
Street crazed skate pirate, Chris Cook, enters the streetstyle arena from a high step ladder. Photo: Tim Plumarta
NSA SUMMER OLYMPICS #2
Freestyle/Streetstyle
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Streetstyle. What does it really mean? Is
it something new? Or is it the oldest form of
skate expression? Is it aggressive or is it
done with grace and fluidity? Just what is
streetstyle?
This question was asked to many
different people at the recent N.S.A.
freestyle/ramp streetstyle contest. Here
are a few responses heard:
Q: "What is streetstyle?"
The Manufacturers:
Fausto Vitello: "Anything-just doing
what can be done in the streets."
Stacy Peralta: "Pure fun, on your own,
self-sufficient fun."
Beau Brown: "A new form of skate-
boarding including freestyle and street
maneuvers, ramps and other various and
sundry objects on the streets."
Larry Balma: "G.S.D. is streetstyle."
Tim Pulmarta: "What's happening now
always did happen, always will 'cause
that's what they want to do-that's where
it all started."
The Contest Organizers:
Sonya Catalano: "What the kids do every
day when they can't go to the skateparks."
Frank Hawk: "The oldest type of skate-
boarding, using random objects in the
street to do tricks on."
The Mag Men & Skaters:
Kevin Thatcher: "Streetstyle is the
ultimate thrashing of any and all terrain, the
act of waiting for vertical."
Bob Denike: "Streetskating is emptying
your mind onto the streets.
Bryce Kanights: "Terrorizing spontaneous
maneuvers, take a foot off here, throw a
layback there, terrorizing whenever there's
a chance."
Garry Skate Davis: "Not getting hit by
cars, small wheels, no copers, little old
ladies, things like that, sound, night, wind,
garbage cans, bike racks, curbs, sewers,
sticks, cats, dogs, anything that you want."
Neil Blender: "Rambunctious, a way of
expressing yourself without having to look
good, looking like a dork-who cares?"
Street Scott: "Your basic 'bad-to-the-
bone' effect of skating. To the roots. To see
what you can do with nothing."
Lowboy: "Streetstyle is 520's, 13" wheels
all the way, hydraulics so you can lay it
front to side, side to back, side to side, front
to back-where you're flying your club flag
and scraping."
Bill Ruff: "No definition, just anything you
think you can do in the streets."
Ray Stevens: "Streetstyle is not break-
dancing."
Donald McKechnie: "Streetstyle is
skating how you want."
Corey O'Brien: "Something that LA.
people can't do. S.S.G. does it best,
always will. It has nothing to do with
freestyle."
John Insco: "Two years too late... that's
all I gotta say
Leslie Ann Miller: "Have fun with style-
exerting a lot of aggression."
variFLEX
GULLW
Per Welinder's strength, finesse and tricks put together a crowd pleasing routine and a first in pro freestyle