LA VISTA
Nezall
DRUGS
VISTA
DAL FISH
Frankle Hill is a free-spirited
freeskater from Santa Barbara,
Vaj Potenza and Joann Gillespie
managed to stick a tape recorder
In front of Frankle's face after a
local mini-ramp session.
When did you first start getting into
the really sick stuff like banisters?
I saw Brandon Chapman doing it
first. He showed me a lot of stuff.
Was Brandon a big influence?
Fully. Brandon, Jake Bradley, Mike
Dominguez. I used to skate with
them a long time ago.
How did you start doing things like
fat banisters, ollies and stuff?
When I started skating. I used to
jump off big walls behind Lucky's. I
liked being in the air. I started trying
to go off and jump off shit... go fast.
What are your favorite tricks?
The kind that add to the water in my
hip. I like doing a big ollie down stairs
or over a drop, and try to add some-
thing to it, like flipping my board or
varialing it or something. Yesterday 1
did a 360 kickflip mute grab off a
step for the first time.
Can tricks go any further?
Dude, they'll go
so much fur-
ther it's not
even funny,
People will
be doin' dou-
ble ollie impos-
sible. kick off and
tail grab down nine steps.
It's just gonna get better.
Do you feel like the older guys have
a lot to offer?
I think the older guys have a lot of
influence. I mean, they pretty much
have all the influence, because what
the older guys do, the younger guys
are gonna try to do better.
What do you attribute your glue-
foot style to?
I picked it up from Ray Barbee.
What do you think of contests?
I hate the way contests are set up. I
think street contests nowadays are
just mini-ramp and vert ramp. I
don't think any of the skaters really
appreciate it. I mean, a few of them
might think it's a cool thing, but I
can pretty much guarantee ninety-
five percent of them think it's bull-
shit. They want a real course. The
way they should do it is have a really
good street. pick out a really good
street in SF or Embarcadero and see
who takes it.
If you wanted to preach for a second
what would you say?
Try to think of your own tricks. Go
fast at stairs and handrails and try to
figure ways of getting close. When
you're close, try to figure a way of
making it. Keep havin' fun. Don't
worry about shit.
Eric Sanderson comes from a
skating family. He was influenced
by older bro Gary and sister
Michelle in his early freestyling
years. Now, all of nineteen and
going on twenty, Eric, who says
he's been skating "a long time,"
has announced his engagement to
flancée, Lorraine. He skates the
family ramp in West Covina, CA.
What have you been skating?
Mini-ramps and street spots with
long railings and plenty of curbs.
What have you been eating?
Chicken sandwiches every day.
What have you been listening to?
The Damned, Stiff Little Fingers.
Blast! and Slapshot.
Do you have any superstitions or rou-
tines you always go through?
I never plan my run until several min-
utes before the contest.
What's the best spot you've skated?
Probably in Tolouse, France. The big
halfpipe they had was the best.
Eric won the 1989 National Amateur
Mini Ramp title in Phoenix, AZ with
tricks like 360 airs over the spine,
nollie-to-pivot-to-rock 'n' rolls, one-
footed disasters, 360' reverts and a
slew of combos. We asked what new
tricks he'd been working on lately.
Backside disaster-to-frontside Smith.
grinding backwards-to-backside 360°
revert. Skating fast and using the
whole ramp.
What are the raddest tricks?
Anything that Tony Hawk and Bucky
Lasek are doing.
Who are the hottest young upstarts?
Frankie Hill is the best street skater.
period. My friend Robert Chism
skates fast and does the biggest olle
Japans in the world.
What will skateboarding be like in
the nineties?
You can expect anything. The way it's
going now with new tricks, anything
could happen. I will try and tour
more, except in July because Lor-
raine's expecting.
Ah hah! An even littler Eric, perhaps.
"We'll call him Jonathan lan if it's a
boy." says Eric.
When pressed about outside inter-
ests. Eric said he has a job driving
packages and documents around for
the LA Department of Public Works.
He logs about 200-300 miles a day.
When there's free time between
skating, job and wedding plans, it's
listening to music, watching TV or
hanging with friends for Eric. So,
Eric, what do you like best about
skateboarding?
The adrenaline and the danger. The
feeling you get when operating on
the edge.
What was that favorite expression
you had?
Squash it like a cockroach
SANDERSON
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