BILL THOMAS
NATAS KAUPAS-
At a small mini-ramp in the
South Park area of San Francisco, a
blond shock-haired skater launches off
the lip and lands in a four-wheeled
wallride on the side of a clapboard
house, then ollies from the vertical wall
back into the ramp. It's Natas blowing
minds again-pushing his own limits to
the max wherever and whenever he
touches a board. Skating a contest is
not Nat's favorite thing, "Having fun
and controlling my board is," says the
boy wonder. He's a freeskater who
likes to travel and session with the
kids, but he'll also get off on the beach
curbs right in front of his house or a
drag-out session at Kenter. On the
side, he indulges in drawing and
reading (Kurt Vonnegut is among his
fave authors). Natas started the 1990s
with a 5th-place finish at Del Mar,
proving that his avoidance of contests
is because of preference, not lack of
ability. A Kaupas training secret:
"Skate whenever you feel like it."
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CHRIS MILLER
-
You might think having a
kid would slow a young skater down but not
Chris Miller. Having Zachary around has only
made Chris a better skater, we'll tell you that.
When he met his wife, Jenny, in '87, he went
out and won the Bare Cover in Phoenix; after
Zach was conceived, he won the Vans con-
test; and with Jenny and Zach at rampside,
he took the Ramp Riot in Melbourne, Down
Under. Chris is fired up for the nineties
and possesses an ultra-smooth,
mega-large style that is a joy
to watch and it might even win
a contest or two.
BLL THOMAS
STEVE CABALLERO - If
there is one skater who started
strong in the eighties and shows no
sign of letting up in the nineties, it's
little Stevie Caballero. Witness:
November 1980-Steve Caballero wins
a war with Duane Peters in the Combi
Pool at Pipeline and takes third overall
in the Gold Cup Series. September
1985 Cab wins Capitola Streetstyle.
March 1989-Steve destroys the first
pro mini-ramp contest in Honolulu, HI.
One of the most visible skaters over
the years, Cab is definitely a member
in good standing of the million-mile
club for his extensive
global wanderings. Cab foresees
no slowdown in his second pro decade.
He has been street skating a lot and says
he'll skate every day in the nineties and
"learn tricks." This from a guy who
already gave us the 360° fakie-ollie
Caballerial. If he's not winning, showing
or placing in the big events, Caballero's
probably off racing remote-control cars or
snowboarding.
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