DATASAFE
Spread (Left to Right): Combatants
Tom Scott, Shrugie and Nosmo. Far
Left: The perils of total commitment,
Tom Scott. Left: The bare
necessities. Below: No, this isn't
garbage, it's the puck
A BUDDING NON-SPORT
It's taken about six years for this sport to
unfold to its present state. When I was kicking
the idea around amongst the skatebrains, I
told Duane about the concept. He said he
had played something similar down south
years before, but nothing ever became of it.
I heard tales of Jak's team in Portland, Ore
gon, playing something like it and I began
to have visions of inter-state matches. Re
cently Fish told me how he used to play
skateboard hockey in the big bowl at Rim-
rider skatepark. That sounds like the ultimate
concept. Unfortunately, after the decade of
park genocide, the Rimrider bowls are,
nothing more than a breakwater for S.F. Bay
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Eventually, I got some sticks and started.
working out plays with a few bros. We were
just getting the idea going when Petaluma
Jak's team caught wind of it. Good thing, too,
because the guys I was playing with either
moved to Canada or dropped out of life. Mike
Hill and the Petaluma boys took the torch,
continued the development and fine-tuned
it. The game caught on like wildfire up there.
In the meantime we rounded up a fresh
crew in S.F. During the Jak's convention in
Portland, the world wasn't even aware that
the first international skateboard hockey
match was about to happen. Nor did it care.
Sporticus brought the Canadians sticks
down in his Cadillac. and Mike shipped
Petaluma's sticks up on UPS. On a rainy
Fourth of July we chose a parking lot as our
field of battle. It turned out the Portlandians
had been using baseball mitts and other odd
equipment. We showed them our style and
they took to it like water rats in a downpour.
The contests were hellacious and bloody
hilarious. That day was the true advent of the
West Coast skateboard hockey scene.
NO. RULES
No rules would be perfect, since nothing
is perfect that's why there are a few. The
main rule is no feet on the ground when you
hit the puck. You can have one, two or no
feet on your board, though. There are al
couple of rules for starting. The rest you can
figure out or disregard for yourselves. For
instance, if the puck winds up en top of some
one's board locked under their foot, it's okay
to skate along with it. Just don't forget that
it's also okay for all the opponents to chop
as hard as possible at the foot to get the puck
loose. Of course, high sticking should be kept
to a minimum. One of the best annoyances
when an opponent is off their board is to
shoot the board as far away as you can. It's
always good for a laugh. This sport is based
on the honor system and that's about it.
For equipment you need two kinds of
sticks skate and hockey. We use two
cones, one hockey stick length apart, for a
goal. Shots between the cones over shoulder
height don't count. That rule is only in effect
until a better goal is invented.
PUCK IT
The original puck was two old-style oval
dome skid plates bolted together. They rule
for size, weight, high speed glidability and
off the wall bank shots. The skate parapher
nalia companies haven't made this kind of
skateboard tail plate for years, though, and
I've exhausted my supply.
The Petalumans started using empty
Foster's cans as pucks. These have a limited
life span, but there's an unlimited supply.
Before the game, there's the ritualistic pass
ing of the Aussie brew amongst those mates
who choose to imbibe. Then the captain of
each team puts a small dent on opposite
sides of the can. This allows the puck to
crush down more evenly These pucks are
fun and become lethar after a few points
PREVENT BODY JAR
Body grelection is highly advisable. You
can really lambaste someone with no effort.
whatsoever. Shins get raked often. I use old
baseball.catcher shin guards. I found a set
at a thrift store for ninety-eight cents. (Second)
hand stores are also a good source of hockey
sticks.) Eric Lips uses kung fu pads. Others.
tape on newspapers. Use your imagination.
You want the best protection that allows for
lightness and flexibility. I wear skate gloves
and an old leather aviator skull cap and feel
relatively protected.
Skateboard hockey is just beyond the fron-
tier of the wild west and wide open, so you
can still get away with a lot Variations are
up to the local bandoleeroes San Francisco
has the only crew 1 know of that occasion-
ally allows motorcycles in the game. They're
great with one bike per team circling the edge
of the field giving high speed lows. This tac-
tic works best with a larger playing field.
FIELDING A TEAM
Which brings us to the field of play itself.
Naturally, a very large bowl would be best.
Since bowls are rare, a flat asphalt or con-
crete area with banks is next best. Parking
lots and school yards are common game
sites. Hindrances add more excitement.
Basketball poles and parking blocks work
well. In S.F. we roll a convenient straight log
out toward the middle for rock and roll slides
and ollies during play. Small ramps are also
fun. I feel wet surfaces are the best to play on.
So here's how it starts: Each side picks a
striker, who tries to hit the puck first. The
striker can push up to, but not beyond the
team's goal line. He can't push his board
hoyond the start line until the puck is hit. He
must gate, wettle, or whatever. Some shove
their boards beyond the start line singulone
jump onto a
passible
much as they want after the puck is hit. The
object is for the striker and his team to hit
a buck through the goal on the side from
which they started (that keeps things irra-
tional), hence a quick striker is most effective
Offensive and defensive strategies inevit-
ably come into play. Most teams designate
a goalie, but some don't. It can take a gruel-
ing amount of time to score when teams are
evenly matched. If you have good teamwork.
you can apply tactics. Power plays and fly-
ing wedges can send opponents reeling
Remember, it's not whether you win or loose
that counts, it's how hard you play
The team that scores replaces the pucks
at the center of the field and spits there to
mark the spot for next time. That's just eti
quette. After each point the teams swap sides
to eliminate field advantage. With three-man
teams, we usually play to three points.
especially if a lot of people are standing by
to play. Larger teams play to five points.
in S.E we have a good number of skate
hockey teams. There are the Sharks, the
Kings (led by Nosmo King), the Speedracer
team and others. The Petaluma team comes
down often and always makes a good show-
ing. The next big international meet is
scheduled for the Jak's team convention on
July 4, 1989 in Seattle. Watch out for the
Canadians. They be bad. All are welcome
to challenge; just bring your own sticks,
That's what it is and what it ain't. It's never
going to be is a sport that fat cats make odds
gambling on in Reno, Vegas or Atlantic City.
That would be too lawful and orderly.
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