SHOES
GATOR
Long before Tony Hawk, there was Eddie
Elguera. For his time, he was simply more
innovative and much more dynamic a rider.
He was a harbinger of what skating was to
become, because he pulled out the Elguer-
ial, all the varials, frontside handplants, fakie
flips, fakie ollies and frontside rock 'n rolls.
Everyone thought it had all been done-
then he came along and broke the barriers,
adding a new dimension to skating. Not that
he made skating as it was known obsolete,
he just initiated a new subdivision.
How did 90° transition wall riding, and
ramp to wall riding affect you when you
first witnessed it?
I was breathless. I was in awe. My jaw was
lower than my shoelaces. I was just blown
away. "God damn, ridin' the walls!" Just
defying these barriers is a blend of a wild
youth style and a physical activity. It's pro-
ductive. Check it, you're looking at a graf-
fitti'd wall with cracks and crevices. On the
left side of the picture there's a bum with
a bottle or a junkie with a needle hangin'
out of his arm, and on the right side of the
picture there's Jesse Martinez sweatin' it out
and cussin' at the wall and-Bam!-fucking
forging reality, pushing his body up the wall,
using his body like no other skater has ever
thought to. Making skateboarding less
skateboarding than it is. More gymnastics.
More contortion. It's a real productive way
of venting some way harsh aggressions. In-
stead of breaking a bottle and slashing
somebody's face, you're throwing yourself
at a wall with sweat dripping in your eyes..
What do you think of the full frontside
edger type of thing? What does that say
to you when you think of something like
that?
It portrays having balls. It portrays bravery
and the desire to get spicy. Also, it depends
on what forum it's in. If you're skating in front
of a bunch of first and second generation
skaters, they're gonna get stoked. Some of
the long-time, hard-core guys will appreciate
that stuff. I appreciate that stuff. New skaters
who have a little knowledge of how
important that part of skating was will
appreciate it.
Do you think its validity still holds true
today, or do you think it's kind of lost?
Fuck no! Just try it. Anybody out there just
go out and try to do a frontside edger.
Anybody. Right now, in a pool, in a ditch,
a half-pipe or on any vert. Then you can
comment on it.
Do you think contemporary skaters are
somewhat ignorant about skating's past?
No. Reese Simpson just came around a
couple years ago, and he's way into that.
Not your new competitors, but your new
generation of skaters, the kids who are
just coming in, do you think they know
enough about the background?
62
Not your brand-new-board, three-month
skaters. No. They don't know anything about
it. They might've been told or somehow
seen some old magazines, but they'll never
hold it in as high a regard as some of the
older skaters. But then again, they're
inventing their own radicalness.
What if you were talking to a newer skater
and made reference to someone like Ty
Page, do you think they'd know who you
were talking about?
Not unless they read it in a history book.
Just like, "Alva-isn't that a company?"
When you look at your favorite activities.
past, how do you feel?
Probably in the same way or in a similar
way as I respond to.. juggling. How long
ago were people juggling? How much do
people respect juggling? I ran into Jerry
Lopez at the last trade show and I was blown.
away. I paid him homage to the fullest
extent. I'd probably spend an hour talking
to a figure of the skate past with my eyes
as wide as the ocean, with a million ques-
tions, getting stoked on all their responses.
Mother and son.
Some of those guys would probably include:
Gregg Weaver, Ty Page, because I saw him
skate once and it blew me away, Pineapple
(Doug Saladino) for his style and innovative-
ness, Shogo with his big gnarly laybacks,
Tom "Wally" Inouye, Jim Sigurdson.
Sigurdson did frontside airs two-and-a-half
feet out at Kona Bowl! Roy Jamieson, Jeff
Tatum let's talk about legends, there you
go. Steve Archer Ferris, nicknamed Carvin'
Marvin. There are many others.
Who have been your various sponsors?
At the Colton Pro Am I got sponsored by
Dogtown. That was about 1981. Tony Hawk,
Christian, Mike Smith and me were the only
team riders then. This is when I started look-
ing at skating as sort of a profession. That's
where my main interests lie. I was a hope-
less skate maniac. I travelled to a lot of con-
tests, did the ASPO series for a long time,
skating for Indy, Dogtown and Vans. Then.
Dogtown went under, so I got sponsored by
Gullwing and G&S in '82. Steve Cathey
used to flow me stuff. I was doin' pretty good
in the circuit and had to skate against Bob
Serafin and Mike Hirsch a lot, so I was
getting third in almost every contest. Then.
I went to Canada for the Canadian Amateur
Skateboarding Championships in Van-
couver, and I won half-pipe, slalom and
downhill almost everything. It was fun
because it was my first real road trip. I went
up with John Tuisl and Jim Goodrich. It was
pretty wild.
Then I turned pro, got a model on G&S,
but things weren't working out well for me
with them. So, after two-and-a-half years of
skating for them, pretty loyally and faithfully.
I had to leave. I had to have more. I was look-
ing for something better. My goals were
higher than what they could cater to. I
wanted to participate a little more in promo-
tion and organization, to be a team kinda
guy. I wanted to do demos. I wasn't getting
enough equipment. They weren't into sup-
porting me as much as I needed for my
goals. To go places and achieve things, you
need support. In March of '83 I went to
Vision. I just kind of took a leopardly leap,
and then things started to happen. I wanted
to skate for a company that had other in-
terests besides flowing boards to a skater.
I wanted to have some identity. I saw skaters
like Stacy Peralta who were using their own
tools, and being creative and productive in
skating. I wanted to make the rounds, ven-
ture out and discover, and help the sport
thrive and exist. Having fun, that would
probably be my number one priority. But I
wouldn't have to be a pro to have fun.
What is your definition of a professional
skateboarder?
There is no exact definition, there just
isn't; all the pros are so diverse. My opinion
of a pro skater would be turning my life in
the direction of promoting skateboarding in-
stead of going to school full-time and
becoming an archeologist or something like
that. I'm promoting a company. But more
than promoting a company, I'm promoting
skating, letting it come to the forefront,
displaying it and showcasing it, letting the
world know that it's out there.
How important is what you're doing?
It's the spiciest thing in my life. It's what
makes me wake up in the morning. I dream
skating.
What would happen if all of it was taken
from you?
I'd probably have some suicidal tenden-
cies. I'd feel low, cheap. I'd feel like nothing,
I couldn't exist...no way, I'd kill myself.
Lose my spirit, I'd float away and my car-
cass would get buried. I can't see existing
without skateboarding in my life. When I'm
skating with my bro's, having a good ses-
sion, fully sweatin' and pumpin' out and
rippin', there's like this little volcano inside.
of me that's driving me and heating me. It's
better than anything.
What's you favorite form of skating?
Probably vertical. Backyard pools and
halfpipes.
How do you see skateboarding as it
stands today?
If it never progresses from here on out.
it's still going to be as fun. Cor. on page 101)
AIRWALK
AIRWALK, Dept. TH-2
P.O. Box 9000-227
Carlsbad, CA 92008
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