In the mid-eighties, Oakland Tech was the
spot for skating in the Bay Area. Countless
skaters assaulted an assortment of banks,
Jump ramps and railslides. Ex-Albany High
wrestling team member Jim Thiebaud
(right) grapples a makeshift obstacle with
determined blowfish style, circa 1987. Nell
Blender (below) bounds over a curb with a
no comply in 1985. Street skating wasn't as
serious then, and Nell was always the joker
as well as an innovator.
Just before he was about to go zooming
into the intersection, my heroic brother
ejected himself to the grassy edge of the
road, one single god-zillionth of a
second before the skateboard
squirted out from under
him and squibbed into
the intersection rolling
over, wheels up as it
went. A car down.
there came to a
rocking halt as the
SAFE
projectile went by What the hell was
that? Never seen nothing like it before.
And my brother was up on his feet, both
arms in the air in triumph, big
goddamn grin on his face
that I could see from
the top of the hill,
yelling "See? I
told you!!"
SPEEDSTER SILVERFISHI This
movin' amoothie is a sudden blur eft
precision motion. His style is clean, his
manner is mean. Free and fresh, this fish is
a portrait of pure grace. He sare ain't stale..
OLLIE GATOR: Flushed into the sewer when
their allies grew too big. Ollie Gators cruise
from the storm drains and terrorize the
streets. They breed like rabbits and may
one day take over the city.
I did see. Wow.
It was like I
was seeing for
On our "Street Issue"
cover (April 1982),
Street Scott (below) fies
off a driveway while a
pedestrian turns his
back. While they walk.
we ride, and the last
laugh is ours.
the first time in
my life. And I
knew this. My
heart was pound-
ing faster than
when I stole that
girlie magazine
from the used
bookstore.
Let me do it
Stranger, Sargent and Ferdi-
nand. Snaggle: Winsor, Duane.
Miller and Cardiel. Sheffey:
Brian Brown, Steve Teague and
Wayne Cox. / Carroll, Howard
and Way. Evans: Gonz and
Christian./ Sheffey, Sartos and
Bertino. Kepper: Gonz, Cab
and T.G./Vallely, Stranger and
Hassan. Cardiel: Meek, Peters,
Schroeder and Winsor.
Sanchez and Carrol. Hensley:
Hostetter. Look around, they
are everywhere.
No. You'll kill yourself, and then Mom and
Dad'll kill me.
THRASHER
SKATEBOARD MAGAZI
GNARLY STREET ISSUE
NO
PARKING
CATALINA
ISLAND
STREET
SCOTT
Back at Oakland Tech
then Orb, (above) now
Rob Fladen, tarques a
Quasimodo pretzel air. Hey,
street then meant jump
ramp. Ugly, or what?
1000
RICHARD HENRY DANA
ATHENAM
Josh Swindell gives it
straight and snaps us
back into the modern
world with a kickflip
180. The freestyle
influence is happening
and don't be surprised
when they de Primo
slides on caping