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Al plows through a frontside grind in Upland's combi-
pool in one of the several pro contests during 1985.
Who would be a good example of a
skater, in your opinion, who has an ex-
traordinary skating style?
Neil Blender. The man stands out. He is
one of those people that does everything
his own way. He gets very intensely into
his skating. Skating seems to be the best
thing in his life. I like to watch him skate
because he gets so involved with his riding.
Lance Mountain. He's really "at-home" on
a ramp, that's kinda how he is. He's very,
himself. When he gets on any ramp he just
learns how to do it. Where other people.
have to stop and think, he just learns how
to do it because that's his second home.
That's why I think he is probably one of the
top competition skaters today.
Chris Miller likes going fast and working
a pool. He loves to go as fast as he can
and he uses the pool to get more speed to
do that air longer and higher. He indi-
vidualizes the trick. That's why he's got a
lot of style. I like the way he skates.
42
Guys like Christian and Caballero pos-
sess two more distinctly different styles.
Well, their personality is their style. I think
Johnson is shredding. Craig Johnson prob-
ably is my favorite skater. To watch him ride
is so radical. Gibson shreds, you can tell
they were raised in the same kind of area.
What would be your personal criteria for
judging a contest?
If I was going to judge a contest, I'd look
for a guy who would do tricks that fit him,
you could tell he was doing things that he
liked. Doing tricks he wanted to do, hot
tricks that he thought he should do. Essen-
tially I'd look for someone who did good
tricks, went high, had good style, used the
whole ramp and I would watch how far he
was pushing himself and how he would
handle a Jam situation.
What do you think of this new genera-
tion of skaters, like the ones who are
just now getting their first new deck?
The first thing I did was start skatin
around the streets, learned how to go up
and down curbs, things like that. Then we
built the little kickturn ramp. But back then.
we had plastic boards, with trucks that
didn't even begin to turn. Now, today, it's
better because these kids can get a board
that works. They've got the edge on us.
What's your opinion on the new kid who
is just bursting into skateboarding and
immediately starts unwisely testing his
ability?
When I was a kid and I'd see skate
photos, it would give me energy. It gives
you a boost. You've got to use that boost
to go out and learn how to do it yourself.
Think about your own style, the way you
skate and learn how to do everything your-
self. Don't try to copy what people do, learn
how to do it yourself. That's the key. You've
got to think for yourself on all of your tricks.
What crucial standard adjustment do
you make to your equipment?
I ride pretty tight trucks right now. On the
streets I ride loose trucks, but on the ramp,
when trying to do airs, there's a lot of power
and a lot of force and I need a tighter truck
for landing. I used to ride real loose trucks
when I was just doing grinds and riding a
little thing. Real loose.
Do you think skateboarding is cornering
and/or limiting itself by over-emphasiz-
ing the ramp aspect?
Ramps are just, kinda, the ultimate.
They're the push. You know what I'm sayin'?
A lot of people can learn to do a lipslide on
a bank, but not everybody can do a five
foot, one-footed backside air. So, I think
that since ramps seem to be the hardest,
over the years those riders are gonna be
the ones who get the most respect.
But that gives the illusion that you're
only good if you do good on ramps.
What if an individual does really well
skating ramps, but can't do much any-
thing else, anywhere else? Do you think
that is limiting the outlook on skate-
boarding?
Yeah...in a way that is. Do you think it is?
Absolutely. I think a professional
skateboarder should be able to rip
everything. Otherwise they should be
categorized as some sort of a specialist.
That's true. You should know how to ride
a skateboard. Most of the pros today can
rip the street.
Most?
Most.
Not all. What percentage would you say
can?
Maybe seventy-five percent. But there is.
a difference between top pros and...some.
of the other skaters. I guess there are a lot
of skaters who do demos and are con-
sidered pros, but they've never hit the
series or the circuits...well they're never in
front of me, or the people I hang around
with, so I never get to know those people.
So, I can't really speak for them.
How many different ways can you
skate?
I like just riding a skateboard. Ride
streets, ride ramps, to ride pools, some-
times I like freestyle, anything to entertain
myself with skateboarding is skateboard-
ing.
What about the kind of stuff we see guys
like Jesse Martinez and Kaupas doing,
riding up onto 90° angle walls with no
transition and pulling it off? Why can
that happen?
Because they and their individual per-
sonalities achieved the goal. Now that
we've seen it, pretty soon people are gonna
be able to understand it. But they're the
creators and we can see it through them.
Do you get a certain amount of satisfac-
tion being a part of something that is
progressing so fast and yet, very di-
verse and personal in itself?
I think that skateboarding is the best be-
cause of the personal feeling, the reality of
it. I think that skateboarding is the best sport.
and personal thing to do. That's why I've
been doing it for ten years.
I saw Tay Hunt, in Upland, when I was a
little kid and I couldn't believe it. He was
doing like three foot backside airs. I had
no idea that could be done at all.
Who would you say had put together
some of the hottest runs you've ever
witnessed?
Tony Hawk at Houston. He put together
a couple runs with 540's over the channel,
7200 He did everything, just the bast
Perfect confidence, perfect control. He
walked through the ramp, and just tore it
up. Then, in the older days in the wake of
aggression skating, Steve Olson at Big O
where I got fourth as an amateur. He did a
frontside air over the channel. Back then,
If you did it out over the coping, that was
really es bio as it was. He did it a little bit
over the normal height and he early re-
leased it. On the way in, he locked into a
grind and pulled it off. With no copers, no-
body ever heard of copers before that
How much farther can you see skate-
boarding's limits being pushed? Do you
think it's going too far?
It's getting kind of advanced, Kinda
pushed. Like 640's. A lot of people are get-
ting hurt doing 540 airs, Phillips. I think got
hurt. I know McGill hurt his knee. Joe
Johnson broke his ankle. Lester Kasai, K
saw him bellyflop at Del Mar on the coping.
I've seen Tony Hawk slam. Almost everyone
who does them I've seen take a few hard.
spills. But lately it's gotten a little more de-
veloped. I guess it's natural progress. As
for what's next...it'll happen, We'll have to
just wait and see. You can't really foresee
what it'll be
141
Cashing a controlad backside grind during practice
at the Houston