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SKATERS
EDGE
by Bonnie Blouin
The skater's edge can be a state of
mind, a step into the unknown, an attitude,
a realization, an annoyance or one of thou-
sands of experiences we encounter as
skaters. We face them, sometimes gra-
ciously, sometimes not. Such is our plight
as our realm unfolds before us on..
THE EDGE OF DISCOVERY: The
ultimate driving force. To seek, to find, to
grind, to conquer...or not.
THE SKATER'S EDGE IS...
Trying a new move, knowing you
have a 50/50 chance of becoming as one
with the flat bottom.
Thinking you've invented your own
trick. When you meet some dude from out
of state, you watch him repeat it with style
and ease, then say, "Oh yeah, I've been
doin' those for seven years."
Catching your mom in a boisterous
mood, convincing her to try your skate and
pushing her down the street as the
neighbors look on, thoroughly convinced
your family is wacked.
That moment, at the close of a
heated session, when your bodily reserves
hit rock bottom but your mind is amped.
You take just one more run, then another
and for the next hour you skate...totally
flowing. Totally pushing your limits.
Spotting a perfect bank from the
interstate, driving to it and finding it
enclosed by a twelve foot tall barbed wire
fence with curbs at the bottom.
Finding a friend who also skates.
Going to sleep and dreaming about
a monster pool with fifteen feet of vertical.
You are the size of an ant. You blast an air,
rising high above the extremity, floating
endlessly, until your dream fades into yet
another...
The mental rush you get when you
figure out those subtle body movements
that turn a sketchy new trick into a flowing
move.
THE EDGE OF FATE: The ultimate out-
come of a predetermined destiny or a
willfully determined one.
THE SKATER'S EDGE IS..
Skipping school to skate the park by
yourself. You skate six miles to get there.
After ten minutes your flesh looks like
someone ran you through a cheese grater.
Driving an estimated hour to a killer
ditch. Your friends know exactly where it.
is, but it takes you four hours to find it.
Suddenly finding yourself respon-
sible for some little kid who ate pie at the
ramp and doesn't know where his parents
are.
...That fleeting moment when your
heart sinks to your stomach as you feel
your back truck graze the coping coming
off of a backside air.
...Convincing your mom that you are
an aspiring athlete, not a degenerate slob,
even though your room smells like rotting
pads and you'd rather wear your Bones T-
shirt with the holes in it than that new shirt
from J.C. Penney's.
Doing a high-speed frontside carve
in a big bowl, over-extending and remem-
bering you aren't wearing any knee pads.
...Having to constantly explain why
you have duct tape on the tops of your ten-
nis shoes.
Slamming on a miscalculated
Andrecht and getting up to try again before
the fear factor creeps into your brain.
Finding new ways to explain to your
boss why you have to take off for a week
every month, knowing that he thinks
skating is just a fad for kids under twelve.
...A frontside micro wheeler, five times
in a row.
... Finally telling dad you don't want to
play football, you want to skate. You want
to grind curbs 'til your trucks scream, you
want to loft big air with nothin' between you
and the coping but empty space.
Driving by that pool you've lusted for,
finding it empty, skating it, then driving
past the cops who've come to arrest you.
...Strapping a smelly pad to your dog's
nose after he farted.
THE KNOWN-EDGE: Through experi-
ence, reality and mutual understanding,
one finds....
THE SKATER'S EDGE IS...
...Knowing when the fountain pools in
the city are drained every year.
BAYCE KNIGHTS
...Being able to congratulate the guy
who edged you out of first place, knowing
he deserved it.
...Over-hearing your surfer friends
freak on the concept of bailing on concrete.
Persisting in your pursuit to learn lip
tricks, even though big airs score higher
in contests.
...Reminiscing about all the times you
had to shovel snow and ice off the ramp
in the winter, while it's 105° in the shade
and you're standing on the deck with
sweat saturating your very brain cells.
Seeing a lone skate sticker on a
highway sign in the middle of the desert.
Snappin' a layback with all the style
you can muster.
...Kicking back after an all-day ses-
sion, crankin' your favorite tunes and pop-
pin' the top of a cold one. Ahhhh!
Getting a care package from Mom
with shoe laces, underwear, duct tape.
socks, shoe goo and a note saying, "I was
going to send $20 but..."
Teaching the young and up-and-
coming the importance of their roots.
A solo street cruise when nothing
matters but the wind in your hair and the
curb you just found. +
...Learning to be adaptable to all types
of terrain because one day you'll wake up
and your ramp will be gone, your park
dozed, and your favorite bank will have
metal posts sticking out of it.
...Looking beyond the glory and the
glitter to find that skating for self-
satisfaction and peace of mind is all that
matters.
THE SKATER'S EDGE: Your edge, your
realm. Live it, or rest assured...someone
else will.