PHOTO
graffiti
Vancouver Expo skate art. Photo: Bottina Poon
The Coors brothers
ONE
Pocho and the gang ripping it up in Bogata. Columbia
Pocho
When something first
presents itself, it is usually
perceived to have limita-
tions. Once it becomes
familiar many possibilities
are realized. Such has
always been the case with
the forever changing
activity, skateboarding.
The guy who was the first
to lean a piece of plywood,
or some similar form of
debris, against a wall, a
fence, a rock, an object;
ride a skateboard at it, up
it, down it, away from it
and prop it up when it fell
down, is probably sitting
alone in some cave up in
the Himalayas, dishin' out
infinite wisdom. He
probably doesn't realize
what he started. The
kickturn romp. The original,
basic idea has since been
I modified to a self-
supporting, leoning struc
ture. In 1978, at the
California Freeformer Profes-
sional Bank and Bowl con-
test held at the Runaway
Skatepark in Carson, Califor
nia, George Orton won the
final event, dubbed "ver-
tical ramp riding." The
structure was a 19 high,
Unknown, Golden Gate Park. SF CA
8' wide quarter-pipe with
10' of sheer vert and a 9'
radius transition. George
hit an 18' 2" mark, front-
side. Through the years, the
interpretation of the
structure, as well as its
design, have changed
tremendously. From the
simple prop romp or
quarter-pipe come a variety
of structures which are now
used for lounching. Consider
this scenario: A group of 40
to 50 kids are gathered,
standing in a crescent
shaped line-up. Many of
them assume the classic
stance; one foot planted
firmly on a skateboard, the
other, the push foot, poised
on the ball, hands resting
on the knee of the board
leg. One after another, from
various points along the
waiting line, skaters bolt off
toward a wedge-shaped
plywood structure. A fren-
zied flurry develops as 10 to
12 street rats take off in
rapid succession. By the
time the first skater has
launched upwards off the
romp, the next set of
wheels is hitting the gently
sloped transition.
Consued on rest page
Omaha pool assault by Brad Delahunty. Photo: BK
Paul Birnbaum grinds the Rectangle in Pleasanton, CA
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