COMPETITIONS:
62 MACAE
EASTE
COAST
WING
HANGTIME IN
CHARLESTON
by Scott Needham
The East Coast has the best
skate terrain in the country right
now, but in light of recent develop
ments in the NSA's '91 pro contest
schedule, nobody wanted to travel
all that way to have another event
pulled out from under them. Many
pro teams have turned their ener
gies toward organizing their own
tours and demo sched
ules after word came
down that Savannah
Slamma was canceled.
Someone forgot to put
a deposit on the Martin
Luther King Arena in
Savannah, Georgia,
thus ending a tradition
of fine and fun events
at that venue. This on
the heels of the Rosari-
to Beach skate fest that
ended up inside the
Vision house.
Those who did make
the trek, so as not to
waste a non-refundable
airline ticket, were
treated to a little mid-
week skate party at the
East Coast's number
one skate facility, the
Charleston Hangar, which houses
voluptuous wooden architecture
that fuses ramp practicality and
pool skateability. Throw in a big
dose of Southern hospitality pro-
vided by Rich Moore and North
Carolina ruler Reggie Bames, and
those who showed up at this
unofficial skate party were treated
to a mega barrel of fun. ➤
OPERATION: "PUNJI" (aka Kona Spring Nationals)
by Billy Runaway
The most extraordinary adventures always seem to
present themselves in the midst of the most ordinary
affairs. Back in the city and recuperating from opera-
tion BANCHA, I decided to take an afternoon off
from doing nothing, head out to the track and play
the ponies. As I perused the racing form, a name
jumped out and slapped me in the face. The 10-to-1
odds were formidable, but recognizing "PUNJI" as the
new code word revealed to me back in Tokyo's Tobu
Beer Gardens, how could lose? I put a G on "PUNJI"
to win, went to the clubhouse, ordered Surf and Turf
and a magnum of Ridge '85 Cab and waited for the
third post. I'll spare you the blow by blow, but let's
just say that "PUNJI" had given new meaning to the
term "easy money." I finished my meal and made for
the cashier's window to collect my Ben Franklins. The
buxom young cashier gave me an unusually friendly
smile. Did I know her from somewhere? Before 1
could make the connection, she handed it over.
Clipped to "it" was an airline ticket, destination
itinerary and what I could only hope was the young
lady's phone number. She nodded at me knowingly,
Opposite page: Chris Miller floats a distorted frontside bone before
the sun-baked masses at Kona. Top: Third place racer Christian
Hosoi brings style to the cross country course with a serious
frontside lap. Above: Madonna would be proud of the way Chet
Childress handled the curves in the Charleston bowl. Left: Buck
Smith tacks to win in the cross country event.