56 THRASHER
CAGED BIRD-RAIN FOREST, BRAZIL
The black forest of burnt trees signaled an
enter at your own risk scenario. A whole com-
munity of people, plants and animals once
thrived here, but their scene was obliterated by
a merciless firestorm. In the midst of this
tragedy, there were a few pools that beckoned
adventurous skaters, at least until the tractors
came and plowed the land.
A caged halfpipe pool sat next to the skele
ton of an old two-story ranch house. Only the
bottom floor remained, for it was made of
cement. A garden hose siphon flowed with
algae green water that Bill Melator had swal-
lowed to get the suction going. Large, healthy
trannies shone ever brighter as the water line
descended. The pool was long and skinny like
a weiner dog, with plenty of room to push for
speed. The corners were copious and a huge
death box loomed in the left one. Lines
abounded in the minds of all who gazed upon
the virgin walls. Some saw carves from one
sidewall to the other, crossing the corners, the
facewall and death box along the way. Others
saw bluntslides through the round corners and
over the box. Still others saw lengthy layback
Smiths on the large, sacred, bulbous coping.
They would all have to wait until the waters
were gone.
BRICKS-FEYZABAD, AFGHANISTAN
A prime right-hand kidney sat next to an
Afghanistan banana stand in Feyzabad, near
the Kowkcheh River. Where coping remained,
it was made of brick. Where it didn't, the locals
had chipped it off because they thought it was
too burly. Ben Hurtin remarked, "We would
have let it be if it was our pool." He then pro
ceeded to attack the facewall with furious com-
mand. On the right of the light, a luscious love
seat called. Dick Bentley flew frontside from
below the seat and clamped grinds up on the
lip. Sal Leeforth sailed maximum floatation tail
grabs and Ron Bunohide pumped the bowl
with style. Disasters on the plaster were com-
mon and late shove-its were few
THE SCHMOO-BOGOTA, COLUMBIA
The bowling pin-shaped bowl named "The
Schmoo" had a magnificent sweeping view of
downtown Bogota, the weekend stomping.
grounds for Columbian coffee picker Juan
Valdez and his pack mule. The trannies were
kinked, but Juan used every line, like an native
American on a buffalo. He figure-eight carved
between the deep and shallow, making full
speed headwind and ebliterating the coping-
less lip. Chips of chunky tile flew amongst
smoking plumes of dust as Juan plunged back
towards the deep for another full speed
frontside carve line. His sidekick Manuel Labor
had full scabbage on the left side of his face
due to an unfortunate Wilson. Manuel double
pumped the Schmoo in stylee carve fashion,
trucking freight train 50/50s from deep to shal-
low. Meanwhile, on another slope of the moun-
tain, the fair and lovely "Sue" waited under-
neath a ceiling of plywood and 2x4's. There is
no justice in this world for pool love.
FRIDAY POOL-GOTHAM CITY, USA
World pool dominators the N-Men recently
had a contest to see who could bring the most
chicks to a cement delight. The results were
seventeen burlacious babes at one pond.
"There were so many chicks you had to step
over them," said Chuck Rocks. "We went back
to my house and drank seven cases of beer."
BLUNT BOWL-BAD AXE, MI
Somebody pulled up to the Blunt Bowl on the
shore of Lake Huron in a battered sport truck.
He got out of his truck in a hurry and the crew
ducked into the shallow end with nowhere else
to run. Was he an angry homeowner, con-
struction worker, undercover cop or another
skater? He reached into behind the seat and
grabbed his board, not his shotgun..
Poised above the deep end ready to pounce, Phil Shoo (opposite above) is frozen mid nosestall while
Chris Senn (opposite below) leisurely grasps the end of his plank in his own backyard. A powerful
frontside grind in a pool will never go out of style, Brian Ferdinand (above) pummels the edge et o
bulging bowl party in Sacte. Taking the frontside corner oir theory one step further, Brian Frostad
(sequence) hops through a ninety-degree angle and grabs the wall on the way back in.