When I first saw Jaya at the Kennedy
warehouse, I asked myself. "Who is this
kid? After bearing his name, my hypoth
esis was that the reason he didn't speak
wasn't because he physically couldn't. It
was because he probably wasa familiar
with the English language.
Jaya began to progress quite rapidly.
He was learning at least two tricks a day
on the mini-ramp and then he would
apply them to vertical. As Jaya's pres
ence became more known. I obtained
more info on him. H
He wasn't from a for
eign land after all. In fact, he had lived in
Northern California since the sixth-grade
when he moved from Hawaii.
Before
ng, Jaya became a force to
be reckoned with. A consistent skater
who unnavels difficult tricks, Jaya loves
early sixties Novas, rides all terrains and
a he skates his crack shows a little
too much
Jeff Kendall
What nationality is your name?
My first name is Indian, as in India.
Does it have any particular meaning?
It means "victory of the soul or spirit."
So, your parents were hippies.
I guess so, way back in the day. Not
the smelly dirthead type you might sea
on Haight Street, but the original liberal
anti-establishment type from the sixties.
What about your last name?
Bonderov is Russian. My dad is one
hundred percent, I'm half. My dad's par
ents escaped during the war because
Russia was brutalizing its own people.
So they couldn't take it and left?
Uh-huh. It's strange how easy we make
it sound, but it was a very courageous
task to take on as a family. My dad wasn't
born yet but his older brother and sister
were there. The only belongings they
tock were the clothes on their backs and
a few necessities. I wouldn't be here now
if my grandparents didn't
take that risk.
BONDEROY