WORLD VS.
THE WORLD
Rocco is a busi-
nessman who
sells to the kids.
Unfortunately for
him, there is also a
retailer he must
deal with. The kids
want his stuff and
he wants them to
have it, but there
is a stuffy shop
owner who has
never experienced
a "shinner" telling
them both to go
somewhere else.
The kids don't
care if his pros
"I didn't know vert was dead. It's still
hap-
e is in control. "Bucky Lasek
everything so he is in control "Bowns
"It's just not accessible to every-
day skaters." Tony Hawk
pening to me, it's in my blood. But it was
probably Rocco that killed it. He c
never enter contests or ride
vert. All they want is the
newest and coolest. Most
Rocco-bashing comes from
jealousy or greed. So even
though he would like to think
so, Steve didn't kill vert either.
THE KIDS
The reason most
kids don't like vert
is because it is too
much of a hassle.
Why travel three
hours to a skate-
park where you
have to pay, ride by
the rules, try to get
runs on a crowded
ramp, and work on
the same thing over
and over again?
Instead you can go
to a mall, skate for
free, work on flat-
land combos and
bluntslides. It is still
skating and that is
all that matters. Dropping in on
a vert ramp for the first time
takes as much commitment as
your first handrail. Why classify
when we are all in the same
boat? It's skaters against the
world, so let's not divide
GWP
amongst ourselves. Open your eyes
and mind, and you will see how
similar we all are.
THE NEXT GENERATION
The vert scene will stay under-
ground for awhile but when it comes
back there will be better skaters.
better spots and most importantly,
no class war between us. The
answer to the original question is
nobody killed vert, it is all in your
mind and in your heart. I love stories
with happy endings.
The East Coast has always been a hot bed for vert
skating. Cheapskates serves as a home away from
home for Bucky Lasek (opposite page) and his
frontside nosebones. Neal Hendrix (sequence]
almost grinds in on a slob varial. Floridian power
freak Mike Frazier (above) is unstoppable
on his quest for tail grab glory at Kona.