CON
OF
Of
SALMAN
Family: My family is great. I have been blessed with
godly parents, with godly morals. My Father, Mother,
brother, two sisters and two cousins are like no other
family in the world. My parents met at a gathering for
single parents, called Parents Without Partners. Obvi-
ously, one is a step parent; that would be my mom and
two sisters. Later my cousins migrated from Iran. They
have all been very supportive in everything that I do,
that's why they're great. When I needed encourage-
ment, guidance, caring, my family and Rebecca have
always been there for me.
Where did you start skating? When I was two-and
a-half, I remember my parents buying me a skate
board. It was a simple, complete, red board with tiny
trucks and red spongy wheels. I remember they
bought it, but I didn't ride it until a few years later. I
must have been seven and my dad went away on
business. He left us with a baby-sitter named Wanda.
We lived in Washington DC. Anyhow, she was pretty
easy-going and exciting. I knew where the boards
were and asked her to get them down off the shelf of
the closet and she did. The whole time my dad was
away, she, my brother and I would ride those things all
day, at least that's what it seemed like. Those were the
pre-origin skate days. We later did a lot of moving, out
of country and out of state, but settled in California.
Did you get to skate much? Not at all, there was no
time or money.
How did you get into it again? In the eighth grade I
saw that skateboarding was getting popular or trendy
and I found myself wanting to skate more than study-
ing or playing after-school sports. I asked my dad for a
skateboard, and three or four months later, when he
could afford one, he bought one. For a while I liked it,
but I wasn't good and felt discouraged and hopeless.
I've always been competitive with myself and wanted
at least to try to be good at it.
So did you keep skating? Yeah! I did, but I also liked
basketball and soccer, so I felt stuck. I didn't know
which I liked better until I started learning some tricks.
What were some of your first tricks? Backside airs
off the sides of jump ramps, ollies on the ground and
rock & rolls on mini-ramps. To ollie, I used to set my
wheels in a crack and practice. Rock & rolls took the
whole summer after my 8th grade year in school!
What was the skate scene like? San Jose was
known for its punk, negative, rebellious attitude. It
didn't stop skating from thriving though. It was a rad
scene, with everyone at jams skating, listening to punk
music and having fun. I would skate Alpha Beta every
day. It was, and still is, one of the most fun places to
skate. I didn't just skate Alpha Beta though. During
that time there were backyard ramps everywhere. I
remember Camden Ramp on the hill, where it took me
all summer to learn rock & rolls. There was Tom's
ramp; Tom's was all of ours though, because we all
stole the wood and build it.
Influences: Anyone who could do tricks that I couldn't
do was an influence skating-wise. There were some
that were outstanding though: Caballero and the
"Bones Brigade," Prosenko, Spalero, Fab, Corey
O'Brien, Danny Sargent, Barbee and Youssefpour. My
ultimate, main and only influence is my Lord and Sav-
ior Jesus Christ. I could go on about why I believe in
Christ and the Bible, so if you're curious, just ask and
I'll be glad to witness and share the Word with you.
Favorite skaters: I have so many, because skating is
so complex that one person can go off into their own
realm or way of skating. I like all skateboarders.
Where and when: I skate everyday usually local spots
like church ramp, SF, Studio 43.
Does any thing bother you about skating? Yes. A
lot of the new tricks are unbelievable and it takes a lot
of talent to make those tricks. But flying over a hip at
Powell or standing in a circle trying some worthless
combo flip doesn't seem like skating. It seems like
frustration, luck and a lot of focused boards. What is
even more lame is corporate money guys who tell the
pros and ams on their team that they aren't good
skaters. Or, they say it looks like they haven't been
skating much lately or how about a house if you make
that 360 double twister arounder once. They don't
care about us skaters or the quality of our lives. They
just care about being a money machine and using
other human beings. Quit being used! Quit helping the
ruining of friendships. Also, all the gossip that goes
around. Everyone skating is out there trying their hard-
est, what gives you the right to break them down? I
think everyone should have a little bit more respect
and quit being insecure little girls.
Future: Hopefully I can be a missionary in a foreign
country preaching the Gospel.
Music: I don't like music.
Where is the best place you've traveled to? Japan
by far. The people are respectful, nice and sincere. If I
could speak the language I would move there.
World view: I view the world through the Bible's eyes.
2 Timothy 3:1-8; But, mark this! There will be terrible
times in the last days. People will be lovers of them-
selves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, dis-
obedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without
love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, bru-
tal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a
form of godliness, but denying its power.
Thank you: Jesus Christ, my family, Rebecca, Steve
Caballero, EMB, LA, San Diego, Jeff, Jim and Tommy.
Look closer, it is true, the sequence you are studying is reality. By unloading a switchstance backside 180' kickflip,
Salman (sequence) is proving he is at the forefront of modern trick development. Off the steps and far down the street,
Agah (opposite page) shifties a nollie in classic thrash mode.