By Kurt Carlson
It takes unique compulsion to draw 2000
to an all-day event on the only slab of heat-
absorbing asphalt between miles of dusty
cow pastures and pollen farms just to sit in
the blistering heat of the Sacramento Valley
and watch skateboarding. But, that was just
what the second annual version of the leg-
endary Sacto Streetstyle event managed.
The course, set in the parking lot of BMX
park that was once a formula Grand Prix
track, was drawing plenty of inspired moves
by the practicing skaters and contained a
good array of obstacles. The skating area
was about 100' by 50', depending on the
whim of the crowd. Throughout the day the
universal battle between spectators and se-
curity raged as limits were periodically at-
tempted. Aesthetically the arena was pretty
impressive. In one corner was a scattered
arrangement of standard parking curbs.
Neil Blender, stop, look and shred.
58
Towards the center of the area were two fine
wave ramps side by side creating a crest of
coping approachable from either side. (It
would have made things interesting if these
ramps had been moved apart halfway
through the contest.) At the opposite end of
the area, by the PA system, was a 3 foot
high plank platform ramp with a square roll-
out deck. Dead center was the insistent car
obstacle, this time a 1970 Dodge Charger
with no front tires and a 'shards of glass'
hazard created by the freshly broken wind-
shield. The car thing, which began at the
last Go Skate event, seems to be sort of a
cliche tradition in streetstyle contests now.
Do that many skaters really skate on cars,
or is it actually symbolically presenting some
contrived subconscious desire to destroy
automobiles, the accepted enemy of the
skater? Organizer of the event, Matt "Quim-
by Oldham, custom-molded two interesting
curbs, a 12' S-shaped curb and a pyramid-
like pointed curb, situated at either end of
the car.
During warm-up the skaters favored the
double-wave ramp and one after another
would approach at speed. Blasting less than
a second apart, sometimes simultaneously,
they were always on the fringe of a slam,
constantly avoiding skaters, spectators and
photographers. Collisions were rare, show-
ing reason why these are the best; control-
ling their situation with aggressive precision.
By 11 o'clock, long before the ams had
begun to skate, the green chemical-out-
houses were sending off waves of toxic
odors as the mercury rose beyond 97° and
created a dangerous "greenhouse" effect for
anyone desperate enough to use them. For
those who couldn't resist the urge to draw
their own lines, a porta-quarter pipe was
erected just off the main contest pit, adding
Left: Caballero controlled contortion, muted over the
masses. Opposite: Lock, load and launch. John Grigley
and Mark Gonzales share some air.
VISION
TEAM