ASK THE DOCTOR
Talk about
finding a cool
spot. The
pickings were
good for Dave
It's about time, it's about space, it's
about time to skate someplace. That's
right, it's time to get out and find new
spots. How, you ask? By getting off
your butt and looking. Take the time to
do it. Grab a friend and look around. Go
somewhere you've never been: a new
Donaldson
neighborhood, new hill, new school,
when he
new adventure. Take a car, bus or bike.
strayed into You might even have to hike. Go to
Dave Reul's other skate spots and talk to the locals,
ramp/pool ask around, get tips and info. Follow up
compound. on it. There are spots out there just wait
Donaldson ing to be discovered. Maybe there's a
hovers a one reason why a new spot is suddenly
footed alle skateable, like a house burning down
with a pool in the backyard, a Fotomat
disaster over
that closed down with outrageous
the mini-ramp. curbs, or maybe a reservoir that's been
drained and now has a dry spillway. And
there are just as many spots right now
that haven't been found. So get up, get
out and get down.
JOCK TALK
24 THRASHER MAGAZINE
don't know how to
solve. These stupid
jocks who sit across
from our table at lunch
always make fun of us.
They have really weak
insults like "skater tags'
or "skate dogs. We
come back with put
downs to their inte-
lligence and other
things, but I don't know
how long we can hold
out before we get the
hell beat out of us. I
don't mean to sound
wimpy, but they are big-
ger than us. We have
already tried the big
friend protection pro-
gram, but that didn't
work. So how do we
keep the typical high
school jock from break-
ing our bodies in half?
Puzzled Pat
and Friends
Woodstock, GA
It's pretty basic,
actually. Avoldance
usually works best.
Just stay away from
these assholes. If
that's not possible,
ignore them. They
can't help it. Pity them
for their lack of free-
dom. They're bum-
ming because they
will never understand
the outrageous enjoy
ment of skateboard-
Ing. If you guys are vibing these jocks
and getting away with it, be happy with
that. Besides, if they get violent, you've
got a skate; use it, one way or another.
You can swing it or you can push it.
Just remember, if you do swing it, be
ready to push it soon thereafter.
MONSTER BASH
I was looking at an old column and there
was a letter about board bashing. John
Lopez was whining about how everyone
was bashing their boards, and how he felt
like telling them off. Well, I just happen to
be one of those people who like to trash
their board. And when I see someone with
a nosebone or tailbone on their board try-
ing not to get a single scratch on it, it gets
me pissed. I feel like going over to them,
unruliness or to zing it out of the pool
just to see how high it flies and what
damage might be incurred. But what
pisses me off is when a guy falls or
misses a trick, then takes his board and
throws it or smashes it in a fit of whin-
ing wimpiness. Like, oh man, I can't pull
it off, whimper, smash, bash. On the
other hand, I also hate to see guys pol-
Ishing their board after each run and
checking for every little ding. Some peo-
ple have nice cars, some have beaters.
Nice cars are a hassle: washing them,
protecting them from scratches. Boring.
Jalopy? No worries, have fun, pile in,
let's go. Same applies to your board.
You can't thrash it if you're protecting it.
all the time. Hey, to each his own.
STREET MEAT
Dr. Rick, you are a dick. Your narrow-
minded attitude is to Thrasher what water
is to fire. When you say the ultimate thrill of
skating is getting weightless on vertical,
you don't take into account that others
might have a different opinion, like street
skaters who don't find it so thrilling. You say
street is where you learn and vert is the
goal. I live in a city with plenty of vert ramps
and I have no such goal; neither do my
friends. You say vert takes more effort and
requires a mixture of skill and courage and
style. If you're even slightly insinuating that
street doesn't take skill courage and style,
then you wouldn't know a good street
skater if they did an ollie one-footer into
your balls. It would take plenty of "effort" to
have that good of aim. I skate street rather
well and I skate minis, but I have no vertical
urge. What you say in the June 1991
Thrasher is an insult to all street skaters
and to your own intelligence.
Matt Meade
Address Unknown
Whoa, wait a minute here little bucka-
roo. I can see why you might be a little
bent out of shape about this street/vert
thing, but believe me, you're wrong. I'm
well aware how intense street skating
can be. I have the utmost respect for the
guys who can do that stuff. I'm not say
ing you have to skate vert to be a good
skater. Besides, I wouldn't want you to
get hurt. Personally, I like mini-ramps.
The way I look at it, vert is burly, a chal-
lenge; so is street. It depends on how
much you push it. I'm not about to try
and yank a 540 on a twelve-foot vert
taking their board away and stomping it. ramp or an ollie impossible over a damn
What do you think?
Kade Miller
Theodore, AL
Board bashing, skate smashing, deck
dinging, it's all part of skating. It's one
My friends and I have a problem that we thing to trash your board in a moment of
garbage can. When my generation
started skating, we craved vert. So, chill
out; street is sweet. But, no matter how
you look at it, it's still freestyle. And if
that's all you do, you're missing out.
-Rick Blackhart
STEVE ORTEGA?
POORHOUSE
POORHOUSE
1045 South Pacific Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Phone (7141494-4991 FAX (714) 3229