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Criticisms to: Mal Drop, THRASHER
Magazine, P.O. Box 804570, San
Francisco, CA 94188-4570
SCHOOL POOL
I live in Manhattan and it's a real
hassle to find a nice ramp. Finally
found a place, my school, they dried
up the pool on Friday. Heard they
start cleaning it on Monday. I got to-
gether with a few of the locals and
we went over to the school. We went
around the back and found a couple
of windows. Looks like the school's
going to have to get some new
glass. Finally found the light switch,
it was a sight for sore eyes. We
shredded all day long. The school's
gonna be real suprized on Monday
when they find all the marks on that
pool.
The Locals
New York, NY
EVERYBODY'S GOT ONE
Here's a word of advice to all you
skaters out there who whine and cry
because There's no ramps, pools,
ditches or any good street spots
where I live." Well, why don't you just
grab your board, hop on the bus and
cruiz downtown, because every city
has at least one Parking Garage.
Those things are rad! It's too cool to
pile up 7 or 8 guys on top of a 9 story
garage and play Roller Derby to see
who can get to the bottom first.
Here's some pointers on skating this
terrain: 1. Go on the weekends;
there's usually no attendants then
and less cars. 2. If the garage is in-
fested with cops; get a Thrasher
skate bag, put your board in it and
just walk in. 3. Get some gloves and
squirt a ton of Shoe Goo on them
(for sliding).
The Garage Phantom
Pheonix, AZ
ARMY RAT
I'm a 21 year old skater, who hap
pens to be trapped in the Army right
now. The Army is really lame, it
SUX, in fact. This place is the ulti-
mate in conformity, but I can't con
form to their backwards rules. I'll
probably be back in the streets
within a few months. Well, actually, I
never left the streets. I totally thrash
this post for all it's worth. Lots of
gnarly street skating. Vertical is
practically out of the question, but
occasionally I find a piece of ply and
construct a kick-tum ramp. People
are always telling me I should grow-
up and mature some, but I say what
for? I'm only going to have to work
for the rest of my life.
I've got this really awesome skate
buddy who lives in Venice, CA. I
know he really thinx that I conformed
and sold him out but hey dudes. I
had to eat and the Army was the
only place accepting applications. I
think this was a little trick on the be
half of Super-Dick Ronald Reagan.
But at any rate I haven't conformed,
I can't. And I haven't sold out skat
ing, it's much too cool a lifestyle. Any
of you rad skaters out there who
think that maybe you've got a skate
partner who is selling out on you.
don't fret it because the force of
skating is too strong to completely
let go. They'll be back in the streets
eventually.
The Combat Skater
Pvt. Joseph A. Williams
THE HUNGER
I have never written you or any
other magazine before, but that's
because I was never moved enough
to bother. I wouldn't bother now ex-
cept that I've found skateboarding to
be more than just a sport; it's an art,
and the only true emotional release
through physical activity. In Tampa,
the city made a bowl just for skaters.
It used to be a duck pond actually,
but they built some housing pro
jects" next to the park it's in and the
people in the "projects" started eat-
ing the ducks. Anyway, the bowl is
tons of fun. It has mogels and some
great places for...anything!!
Rad Brad
The Skater Gone Mad
Tampa, FL
DEAR PENTHOUSE...
This is a brief letter to let all you
skate bums know that being a skater
definitely increases your popularity
with the girls. My radical skate bud
and I were doing some awesome
hand plants, foot plants and some
leisurely grinds at our local ramp
when we noticed a couple of babes
spectating from their new IR.O.C.
Z-28. Needless to say, we had a wild
evening and the following day the
local ramp was a little crowded
Somehow word must have gotten
around. All I can say is driving an
IR.O.C. is almost as cool as skat-
ing
Casey Sullivan
Huston, TX
DECKLESS IS RECKLESS
For all you skaters who think
you're hot 'cause you own
skateboards. Me and my friends
from Wichitaw, lowa don't even
have skateboards. Even though we
only have shoes (no socks) we can
get really rad on the streets and in
the meadows. We can do hand-
plants, footplants and boneless airs!
When we go to school we get
taunted and stoned from other skat
ers with boards. We don't mind the
rocks and stones cause we know
that skatelessboarding will prevail.
Boards are for the hoardes! But de-
ckless is reckless!
Adam, David, Jon
Wichitaw, IA
MARK-BALL
I'm just writing to report what's
what on the right coast, or at least
here in Port Washington, Long Is
land. Not much really in the form of
vertical, but me and Dave disco
vered this game where you use a
tennis ball and try to get it into a goal.
The goal is a tipped over trash can.
The game is a lot like basketball with
dribbling, lay-ups and jams, etc., but
it's more like lacrosse as far as con-
tact goes. You don't let the other guy
just flick the ball in but you don't pick
up your board and take out his
kneecaps either. It's more mellow,
but not by much. The game's called
Mark Ball, because I always win. It
Dave wins we'll call it Dave Ball.
(Though that's highly unlikely.) Mark
Ball is not for wimps.
Mark Duane
Port Washington, NY
TRIED AND TRUE
I haven't skated in a month and a
half because of a broken wrist. I
skated street for two and a half years
and the worst I ever got hurt was a
few skinned up elbows and knees,
but now, after skatin' a ramp for 2
weeks, I might never have full use of
my wrist again. This sure made me
think about getting out of the skate
scene. But in the last month, not
skatin' has just about killed me. So
as soon as I get out of this cast I'm
gonna invest in some wrist guards
and hit the ramp again. I went from
wanting to burn my board, to want-
ing to skate so bad I could almost
taste it. This just goes to show; true
skaters never quit, I'll skate I die.
Jeremy Jemigan
Riverside, CA
"VISIBLE NUISANCE"?
I recently had to tear my ramp
down, it was 75% completed (only
needed plying). I had a county per-
mit and license but then my neigh-
bor started to complain, saying that
the ramp was a visible nuisance." I
thought I was on safe ground for
having a permit, but not so, he com-
plained to the Neighborhood Board
Association, which is a board con-
sisting of incompetent jerks who
want to get rid of skaters in the
neighborhood. It seems that when
our family bought the house we
signed an agreement for these
rules, including visible nuisances."I
decided it was a waste of time, to
deal with these jerks so I tore the
ramp down and saved the majority
of the wood for the future when I
move to a "free" neighborhood.
What makes me mad is the Board's
and dumb neighbor's attitude to-
wards this problem. If the ramp is a
"visible nuisance," how about our
house? It is clearly visible that these
jerks are fully against skating and
would not tolerate such activities.
But this will not stop me, I will con-
tinue skating whether it means
traveling 25 miles to the nearest
ramp or skating off my dick neigh-
Harry
Clayton, CA
bor's car.
I'MSURANCE
Back in November 84 we made a
proposal to the Parks and Rec.
Commision to build a halfpipe and
put it on their land. The beginning of
May '85 we get approval. Alright!
Now we need money. Lots of letters
written to various clubs. The Winter
Games Committee has $50,000 to
give away for amateur sport. We ask
for a chunk and we get $500. So we
have a location and we have money
but no insurance. "Sorry, no one is
going to insure a skateboard ramp.
it's too dangerous and besides who
rides a skateboard any more any-
ways. OK, send us some drawings
and we'll give you a quote. You'll be
looking at at least $1,000 a year." So
much for rad skate terrain in Oliver,
B.C. All hope is not lost as we have a
few leads on insurance and if there's
no conditions on the grant, we'll try
to find private land to put it on and
have mandatory signing of rolease
forms. Monday night we're heading
up to Penticton for a ramp meeting
They have a place on private prop-
erty, so the Oliver skaters may get to
quench our vertical thirst. Till then
we'll continue ripping streets in our
quad.
Gary McBryde
Oliver, B.C
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE
WALL
I'm writing, in like, response to
what's her face who bitched that the
skaters never look at her and they're
more interested in their board than
the chicks. Well, maybe you girls
should look in the mirror 'cause
chance are a piece of wood with
four wheels is better looking than
you. Then realize that skating is
really important to some guys and if
you can't handle that then you're not
worth bein' a skater's girl, much less
bein' around 'em. I recommend a
change in attitude! Keep on skating
alf you guys out there.
DEAR LOSER,
A skater's chick
Gilroy, CA
This is addressed to the guy who
got two decks in the "sticker toss at
Trashmore on June 9. When I saw
you emerge from beneath the pile
with the second deck, I remember
thinking (and vocalizing), "What a
greedy asshole!". But I let it pass
Maybe you had a brother or friend
that wanted a new board too. When
a friend told be later that you wres-
tled control of the first deck from a
kid half your size by seizing his hair
and punching him out, I realized how
wrong I was. You are a complete
and total loser. In over ten years of
skating I have never before encoun-
tered such a supreme example of
shit-for brains. To quote a song.
"You are the best excuse, I've been
told, for retroactive birth control." We
don't need your kind in our sport
Why don't you go crawl back under
your rock or return to whatever
mindless pastime bred such a self-
ish, unfeeling attitude.
Spitefully yours,
Vernon Wingo
Wendell, NC
Our college educated art assistant
wonders why we don't do cool ads
"like David Byrne in a big suit
Well
You might find yourself stuck in
some bozo ad like this because
you have no team seniority.
You might find yourself sponsored
by some fat cheese-ball
You might have your ramp closed
by the cops cuz your neighbor has
no insurance,
You might have '67 quarter-panels
on your '68 Mustang
You might have your grip-tape turn
into cottage cheese
You might knee slide into a house
of pain, and you might say to
yourself,
"This is not my beautiful suit.
This is not my beautiful ad."
Lame as it ever was, Lame as it
ever was.
C. R. Stecyk
Jeli Grosso
at the
Studio of Fashion
POWELL PERALTA 501 East Gutierrez Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 (805) 963-0416