MEDICAL
Reflection
BACK FADE "Invented out of need, copied out of greed.".
DUANE PETERS did my time.
WADE SPEYER The gnarliest thing ever.".
RODNEY MULLEN "r'd never be any good
CHRISTIAN HOSOI 1 don't have to prove anything"
STEVE CABALLERO m a professional skater.
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IT WAS A WARM SPRING AFTERNOON in April 1975 when
my life was changed forever. I started skateboarding. It hap-
pened innocently enough, skateboarding was all the rage and
I wanted to be hip, so naturally I was down. The first two years
were lost in a world of grass rides, scabs, loose ball bearing
wheels, tic-tacs, friends, dirty clothes and worn-out shoes.
Then, just as fast as everyone started, everyone quit. I can still
hear their voices as they asked me. "You still skate?" I just
shook my head and pushed away. They never got it. That
was the dawn of the reality that most people never really do
get it, they just go through the motions for acceptance,
because going against the grain is too much work. Skate
boarding transformed me from a sedated slug into a action
addict. Always on the prowl for some new kind of kick, I found
it looking in backyards for pools, stealing wood to build shitty
halfpipes ten feet tall, bombing monster hills, burning down
kids' ramps who wouldn't let us ride, getting chased by the
pigs and basically telling all who crossed my path to get out of
it. At fifteen, I was down for life. I spent the next ten years
punishing my body to the physical extreme: broken bones,
being hit by cars, punctures, hippers, swelbows, shinners,
ankle folds, I was pushing limits in all aspects of life for that
was how I wanted to die. In 1989, I got a job at High Speed in
the shipping department. It was the first nine-to-five job I ever
had. I was happy to find employment at a place that under
stood what my life was all about where you could express your
opinion and not fear the ramifications. And by always speak-
ing my mind and calling bunk on what I thought was weak, KT
asked me to work in the editorial department. In 1992, with
the help of Kurt Carlson and Brian Brannon, I assumed the role.
60 of the leader. Skateboarding is my life. I don't have a car, so
you may see me on a rainy night cruising on my roadkill spe-
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cial or maybe out of the corner of your eye cruising down
the sidewalk for I have miles to go before I sleep. -Jake Phelps
GROWING UP as an active twelve-year old City kid, I never gave
thought to the fact that the plank of wood with urethane wheels,
rolling beneath my feet would come to consume such a large part of
my life. I was just happy to roll around town with my friends, learn-
ing tricks, building bank ramps and escaping pressures at home. 1
really didn't see it as a future profession or long-term goal at the time.
It was just me, my friends and our skateboards, and the City streets
were ours for the taking. Ever since those first days, there's always,
been a magic feeling of freedom in riding a skateboard that really
can't be explained-it has to be experienced -Bryce Kanights
SALMAN AGAH This is a stickup."
TONY HAWK All generations were welcomed...........68
JEFF PHILLIPS 1969-1993".
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RAY BARBEE Just go ride and have fun
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NATAS KAUPAS "You skate and you surf..............
MIKE CARROLL It all depends on the day..........
MY EARLIEST SKATEBOARD MEMORIES involve being six years old and
getting pulled by my dog Sidney down the sidewalk at light speed.
Some people said it was being mean to the dog, but you should have
seen how excited he got whenever I pulled out that board. When it
came to trying it on my own, I was afraid to stand up at first, so I sat on
it backwards and pushed myself with my hands. Then I graduated to
lying down and eventually started running alongside to get it going as
fast as possible and then jumped on with my knees and pushed with
my left leg while grabbing the nose in the speed bullet position.
In the twenty-something years that followed, I've seen the rise and fall
of great skateparks with perfect pools, perfect reservoirs, and perfect
snake runs. But for all the killer parks like Marina, Colton, Whittier, Lake-
wood, High Roller in Phoenix, Upland, Paramount, Skate In The Shade,
Pomona and Surf "N" Turf, I always had the most fun skating them after
they closed. I guess when you have to trespass to get your kicks things
begin to take on a different glow. Eventually all the parks got closed and
'dozed except for a precious endangered few that I wouldn't even
want to mention for fear that they would be next.
Without any parks, we went to backyard pools, illegal pipes and, of
course, the streets, Pity to say, I learned most of my street skills after I
moved to San Francisco five years ago to work at Thrasher. We didn't
need the street in Phoenix because we had so many abandoned swim-
ming pools with lovely curvatures and smooth, nice surfaces. Here in SF
we have some of the best hill and street terrain in the world, not to men-
tion the curbs and ledges we hit twice a day during our breaks at work.
I'm still down to skate any banks, bowls, large pipes or siphons anyone
has going, it's just that I have a couple new tricks I want to try.
Keep Rolling,
Brian Brannon
15 REASONS TO LOVE SKATEBOARDING by Roger Browne
1. Because you can be an unemployed, no-play-gettin', hungry and
dirty individual and not even care 'cause you're too busy having
fun skating.
2. Because you can get chased by the cops and feel like a real crim
inal without having to be a baller, a pimp or a gangster.
3. Because you can be a gangster, a hick, a jock or bohemian and
still be labeled a skater
4. Because you can cruise to the store, carry your board into the
store and skate home without worrying about it getting vicked.
5. Because if you're adventurous and resourceful, you can find an
endless variety of terrain to prevent boredom and complacency.
6. Because the magazine glorifies its criminal behavior, thwarting"
the efforts of the Man to control it.
7. Because when it's popular, everyone vibes and talks shit, but
when it's not, every skater is your brother.
8. Because you can be a gangster, hick, jock, bohemian, paid or
penniless, and become a professional skater and make mad loot.
9. Because if you're pro you can trade in all your product for mad
loot, chronic or fresh gear.
MARK GONZALES "Anything great takes hard work."
STEVE ALBA "God, I hope I hang on..........
TOMMY GUERRERO rubbed that shit in his face.".
MIKE VALLELY "Something much more valuable.
MUSIC -The greatest bands to ever walk the face of the earth."..108
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10. Because you can understand skateboarding much better than you
can understand the opposite sex.
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11. Because it's not about the amount of points scored, it's about
tricks and style.
COVER: Salman Agah by Lance Dalgart. Rodney Mullen by Bryce Kanights. Tommy Guerrero
by Bryce Kanights. Ray Barbee by Luke Ogden. Tony Hawk by Lance Dalgart. Duane Peters
by Lance Dalgart. Notas Koupas by Luke Ogden. Mike Carroll by Bryce Kanights. Salba by
Bryce Kanights. Jeff Phillips by Mofo. Mark Gonzales by Mofo. Mike Vallely by Jim Knight.
Hosoi by Dave Duncan. Wade Speyer by Bryce Kanights. Steve Caballero by Kevin Thatcher.
12. Speaking of the opposite sex, how about those muscular calves
and tight buns you develop from pushing around all day?
13. As a shield, club or getaway vehicle, a skate is the ultimate when
it comes to self-defense,
14. Crusher doesn't drop the ball with seconds left; thus losing the
game for the whole team.
15. Instead of collecting tattoos you collect scars and cool stories on
how you got them.