PLACE
Clockwise from Above: 1990-Master of Disaster, Duane Peters, Vision ramp. Duane rages through life so that
the rest of us can remain normal human beings. 1987-Lance and the Chin brigade, on a roll. 1989 - Godoys,
illustrated men. 1983-Bad Brad Bowman at the boomerang banks, SF.
Opposite Page, Clockwise from Top: 1990-Edgar Rivera throwing skate lines to the slopes. 1990 - Dave
Bergthold, skater, company man, bowl ramp craftsman. 1988-Raging Waters in San Jose was going to build a
skate pool, but ended up with a ramp wasteland. Roskopp hovers. 1990-Eddie Elguera wrote the book on
advanced maneuvers in the early eighties. Still raging, Le Grand Bornand, France. 1981-Skatepark Marina del
Rey waiting for the iron blade. 1981 - Roger Hickey smokes past a bike with fairing at Laguna Seca Raceway.
32 THRASHER MAGAZINE
new dimensions spines, elliptical
transitions, bridges of death, over-
vert walls, escalators... Mini-tamps
explode and hordes of skaters
neglect other terrains completely.
Tricks learned on mini-ramps are
exported to high vertical, they soon
get sicker than ever dreamed pos-
sible. Bowl ramps are made in the
image of pools by Dave Bergthold,
Jeff Phillips and Hawk. There's even
a wooden kidney at the Ramp)
House in North Carolina.
"What if you break your neck?"
Insurance is a non-ending battle,
the proverbial ugly head, the blood-
sucking evil monster. Sue-happy
lawyers and neurotic neighbors.
destroy countless parks, ramps.
playgrounds and pocketbooks.
"How high can you ellie?"
The no-hands aerial is invented
by Alan Gelfand in the late seven-
ties Mark Gonzales floats it to the
street. Natas raises it to new per-
fection with fire hydrant and cow
flights. Nowadays it's the gold.
standard with ace pilots Jason Lee.
Ron Chatman, Julien Stranger, Tony
Henry, Brandon Chapman and Sean
Sheffey powering over the asphalt
and Steve Claar, Jason Ellis and
Jason Jessee lolting above the vert
Its variations are endless: Nellie,
Ollie Shove-it, Caballerial, Ollie
Blunt, Impossible, Anything-to-1
Grab, Kickflip, 360, Melanchollie....
We begin as hooks Is time we get
good, maybe even become profes
stonal. To be goed at something or to
be a professional is a priviledge. To
realize this is to become honorable.
Being honorable we become hamble
Being humble is realizing that no
matter how good we have become,
we are still kooks
Stacy Peralta
November 1990
"He still has fifteen seconds"
Vintage contests Whittier Turkey
Shoot, Rusty Harris Series, Gold
Cup Series, Del Mar Classic, any
Upland event, Capitola, NSA at Big
Surf wave pool, Savannah Slamma,
Sacto Streetstyle, (add your favorite
here). Backyard contests provide a
break in the vibes: Joe's Jam, Lock
at Lance's, St. Pete Jam and Midwest
Melee... Quintessential rivalries:
Duane vs. Stevie, Christian vs.
Tony, bad vs good, rookies vs. vets,
primitive passion vs. surgical
precision, North vs. South, East v
West, punk vs. preppy, truth vs.
lies, skaters vs. cops, skateboarding
vs. the world. It's a good thing
professional skateboarding isn't a
competitive sport.
The nose wheelie still embodies
the pure rolling magic"
Rodney Mullen is the undisputed
monarch of flatland freestyle He
contributes coundless crossover in-
novations like the stationary ollie.
the ollie impossible, and the ollie
kickflip, which quietly snake their
way into streetstyle. Per Welinder is
the cely guy who ever beat Rodney
in a pro consest. Primo Desiderio
busts the full-speed, rail-skidding
Primo slide. Pierre Andre. Per
Halknekt, Ganter Mokulys, and
Marco Contati demonstrate why
freestyle is so popular in Europe.
Ray Meyer, Bob Schmelzer, Kevin
Harris, Don Brown and Joe Humer-
es keep it smoking in the States.
"You can sell he's a streetstyler
because he's got two t-shirts on"
In 1981, there's nowhere to go but
the boulevard. Fausto Vitello mints
the term "Streetstyle" for the Street
Style Contest in Golden Gate Park,
Tommy Guerrero wins the pro as an
am. The olle pop changes the face
of asphalt cruising. The streetplant
and its subsequent variations are
something we'd really rather forget.
Certain Venice Boyz drive skating
up the wall. Cliff Coleman & the
Berkeley crew pioneer plastic hand
pads and downhill slide techniques.
Founding fathers of street: Neil
Blender, Steve Rocco, John Lucero,
Christian Hosoi, Mark Gonzales,
Natas Kaupas, Scott Oster, Aaron
Murray, Gary Scott Davis, Bryce
Kanights, the Jaks. Pierre and Street
Scott. Countless cats turn pro with
virtually no combat experience.
Some street urchins forsake vertical
altogether. The Gonz and Natas
map uncharted handrail terrain
"But is it a busa?"
Fool riding is a struggle, an art-
form, and, in most places, a mis
demeanor. Backyard coping blazers
Tony Alva, Dave Hackett, Steve
Olson, Duane Peters, the Albas, the
Fly. Kiwi, Shreddie Repas, Brad
Bowman, Jerry Valdez, Mark Smith,
Kent Senatore, Eric Dressen, Jay
Adams, Chris Strople, Tom Inouye,
Tay Hunt, Rick Blackhart, Steve
Schneer, Steve Shelton and Team
Virgin. Airplanes and helio-chop-
pers are operated by both sides of
the law. A few pools of legend
include Dead Cat, Nede Bowl,
Doris, Gonzo's, Buena Vista, Kitty
Pool, Rat Hole, Punk Pool, Pink
Motel, Blood Bowl, Cambridge,
Monster Bowl, Blue Tile Lounge,
Air Bowl, Fly's, Rock Canyon, Los
Altos, the Arm Pit, Bastrop, Eight
Ball, Hell Hole, Gallows, Dolphin,
Egg Bowl, St. Elmo's Fire, Amoeba,
the Tub, Aids Pool, Dead Kid,
China, Beatle Bowl, Jew Bowl, and
on and on... The bust factor serves
so keep the sessions lean and the
lily-livered away. Sacto N-Men Gary
Cross Sam Cunningham and Randy
Katen hone backyard bowl finding
and grinding to a virtual science.
Some skaters refuse to let the
coping dust settle Fogtown. Frog
town, Dogtown, Dave Duncan,
Darrell Delgado, Christian Hosoi,
Brian Brannon, Doug Perry, Bryce
Kanights, Don Fisher, Shruge,
Royce Nelson, Dave Warren, Mike
Kresky, Chris Cook, Dave Rael,
Scott Oster, Aaron Murray, Pat
Ngoho and John Swope. Rule of
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