Riding in an empty swimming
pool
is a skateboarder's ultimate thrill.
For over twenty years now, underground
factions have hunted and explored the
urban scrawl striving for the roller
coaster excitement an empty pool pro-
vides, defying gravity and the long arm
of the law in the process. The aver
changing landscapes of metropolis
have given pool riders many opportuni-
ties to seek and destroy spots behind
enemy lines. As the opposition blatantly
tries to suppress pool riding, the players
themselves have gotten wiser in trying
to outwit the media, noisy neighbors.
home owners, realty companies, slum-
lords, HUD officials, police departments,
and even the US government them-
selves. Pool riders are a breed apart
from the rest of the skate populace.
even though many skaters share the
same goal: to skate and have fun.
Though pool riding was at one time the
main focus of the sport (sponsorship.
media coverage, etc), the advents of
skateparks, then ramps, and finally
streetskating eventually diminished the
allure pools once had. Now in 1996,
pool sharks are scarcer than ever, but
the brotherhood that exists has taken
pool riding to its furthest heights yet.
which brings us to the matter at hand.
Many, many people have helped
shaped pool riding into what it is today.
Pool riding has its own history, language.
laws and codes to abide by, figureheads
and legends. Names like Kevin
Anderson, Wally Inouye, Chris Strople,
Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Mike Weed,
Greg Weaver, The Dogtown Boyz, Team
UFO and the Badlands Crew were the
early pioneers that put pool riding on
the map. The next wave was pre-
skatepark and post-skatepark riders such
as Steve Olson, The Buck Bros, KT and
Blackhart, Goldman, Curt Cortum, Kent
Senatore, Jerry Valdez, Brad Bowman,
Doug Salidino, Rodney Jesse, Lee
Gahimer, Charlie Ransom, Tay Hunt,
Muck, Duane Peters and a host of others
I've forgotten or failed to mention.
These are the people that I remember as
influencing me and my outlook on skate-
boarding. But, as time wore on, the
older guys faded into the woodwork,
and new and upcoming guys came into
the picture to steer pool riding once
again into new frontiers. People like
Scott Foss, Stevie Caballero, Mike
Folmer, Jeff Phillips, Craig Johnson,
Tex Gibson, Tom Groholski, Buck Smith,
Monty Nolder, Gator, Mike Smith, Dave
Duncan, Sam Cunningham, Al Losi,
Lance Mountain, and John Nakama took
pool riding to new extremes.
Nowadays, or since the decline in
'89, many pools have come and gone
along with vast riders of cement ponds. I
would say that pool riding is more popu-
lar than it's ever been, and there are
pockets of people everywhere whose
sole existence in life is to find and ride
pools. San Diego has many pool mani-
acs, LA, OC, SF, Sacto, the Badlands,
Arizona, Texas, and Nevada all have 'em
tool Maybe you know some of 'em:
Cholo, Chuck Holtz, Chicken, Jodie
Royak, Peter Hewitt, G-Man, Psycho
Dave, Arab, Ron Emory, Steve Gabel,
Gary Owens, Four-Nine, Yeah Yeah,
Brandon, Atwater, Rodney C. Fabian.
Jake P, Brannon, Wez from Seattle,
Burnside Boys, Hubbard, Andy
MacDonald, Rhine, Twister and many
more. Anyway, the point I'm trying to
make is that with all of the people who
ride pools, there are only a couple hand-
fuls of people that I think deserve to be
Thrasher's top 15 pool riders. They're all
here because of their many years of
experience, riding ability, dedication and
passion for skateboarding in pools. To
them, all that matters is skateboarding in
an empty swimming pool. Enjoy.
1. John Swope aka The Man
Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Height: 5'9"
Weight: 165 Age: 25
DOB: 6-20-70
13
Quote: "If it's west of the 405, I know
about it."
John Swope is the San Fernando
connection, backyard annihilator and all
around fun-loving guy. I've had the plea-
sure of actually knowing John for about
seven years now, and he never ceases to
amaze and bewilder me with a vast
assortment of pool knowledge and
expertise. He's always got the spots
(except when it rains, because he never
empties) and will shred in any given situ
ation. When I first met John, he was a
clean-cut, American boy, tattooless and
fearless, but a major bone break (ankle
damage) slowed him down a bit for a
while. The road to recovery put on some
poundage on The Man, but in the long
run it just made John stronger and ready
for more punishment. Killing yourself to
live is a good thing to do
Just within the last few summers
since the big quake, Mr Swope has
arisen from the ashes and once again
has proven that just because you're a Val
doesn't mean you can't rip. John goes
fast, destroys shallow ends, and does
things that you usually sea on ramps
such as fake rocks, body jars, backside
disasters and nosestalls. Mr Swope has
been known to bust big ollies and has
the record for the biggest comer air aver
attempted and made, going over the
stair railings in the process. He loves
punk rock, surfing and shooting shot-
guns out of car windows, so watch out.
Tools of the Trade: Think Wade Speyer
Model, Indys, Think 55s. Hardly wears
any pads at all.
Weaponry and
Tactics: Racing
from deep to
shallow with good
choice of tricks
and lines in all the
hardest spots of
the pool. When
Swope's on, he is
the best!
2. Ricky Stiles
aka Stilemaster,
Riki Tiki Tava
Hair: Brown Eyes:
Brown Height:
5'5" Weight: 145
Age: 27 DOB:
10-20-69
Quote: "No pool
is too dirty to
clean!
Rickster the
Trickster hails
from the Nor Cal
area known as the
Golden Cross and
was once a proud
member of the
NHS legacy that
spawned many a
great skater.
Ricky started on
the banks of Derby and graduated to
pools (Buena) and ramps in the region.
Riki Tiki Tava's little stature provides him
with the ability to get into spots where
others couldn't possibly attempt, let
alone try. Smooth aggressive style
makes Mr Stiles one of the premier
pool masters, and his berging tech-
niques have allocated him many spots
others see as impenetrable.
Ricky is a skating little monster with
powerful thighs, which allow him to do
things inhumanly conceivable, like
dropping in on face wall at Balboa
Gardens and doing airs over rocks and
such. The thing that gets me about Ricky
is his consistency, his body positioning
and his famous backside smith grind stall
falls. So, if you
ever see a little
mongoose-like
skater just demolish-
ing a pool, chances are
that it's Ricky Stiles.
Tools of the Trade: Ricky
Stiles Basic Model, Indys,
STC Basic 554 Mostly wears
knee pads
Weaponry and Tactics: Fast carv
ing action, loads of foftiness and
killer tricks such as twelve-foot grinding
lay-backs, tweaked handplants and grind
reverts in any pool anywhere.
3. Micke Alba aka Malba
Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Weight: 5'6"
Height: 160 Age: 30 DOB: 12-10-65
My little brother has been around,
longer than anybody besides myself, and
if experience counts, Micke surely has a
distinct advantage. Malba entered the
First Hester Series at the tender age of
twelve and placed top 15 at Big O, beat-
ing out Scott Dunlap. That was Mick's
first goal: "I gotta beat Baby Huey!"
Since then, Micke's contest record
was one of the most consistent over a
ten-year period, and even up until
Micke's burnout period, he was still plac-
ing in the top 4 with a shit load of 3rd
placings, but never the top spot. Micke
started as a whining little crybaby, but
put all this on the back burner as he took
off into the stratosphere of life. Maiba's
positive self-confidence pushed him into
the outer limits of skateboarding, far
overshadowing both of our expecta
tions. Micke has strength, endurance
and the ability to learn tricks quickly and
adapting them to a variety of surfaces,
whether it's a wooden ramp, concrete
bowl or plastered pool. Micke grew up
on pools, and lately it's pools that get
Malba's rocks off. Now living in Tempe,
AZ, with his fiancée, Micke juggles
school, work and riding pools when they
pop up. Brian Brannon assured me that
Micke is still ripping heavily, and if you're
in Arizona, Micke says look him up; he's
listed.
Tools of the Trade. Any free board
now, before Malba Model, Indy 159.
wheels at least 55mm or bigger.
Weaponry and Tactics: Invert in any
pool, roll-ins, strong carve lines into rock
n' roll slide to shuffle, big airs on any
wall, love seat trickster galore and much,
much more.
4. Kale Sandridge aka The Creative
Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Height: 5'6"
Weight: 130 Age: 24 DOB: 12-13-71
Quote: "I gain life from a death box."
During the skating boom of the
eighties, things were looking up for me,
so I took my wife Julie to Hawaii for a
vacation, and while I was there, I got to
skate Wallos with Mondo. It was a dream
come true. Anyway, I saw this little guy
no more than five-feet tall, native to the
bone, completely barefoot and bushy-
haired, just shredding the shit out of it
body
WORDS BY SALBA
15
board but his
case he didn't
even own a skate.
He rode the place like
he owned it, and I could
never forget it, because it
was so out of control
A couple of sumurs later, Kale
Sandridge came to the mainland, and I
remembered his face and had heard
about this little Hawaiian powerhouse
from Gary Owens, another Hawai pool
recon man. It seemed that Kalo had
achieved superstar pool status on the
island, and we just had to skate with him
again, so he came with Rueler one day
to Central Pool and again blew all of our
minds. Since then he has skated many,
many pools and put in his time along the
way. He has a mean little tranny pump
that winds up and snaps at the lip like
the tail of a shark. He just does the craz
est shit, because he is all small and wiry
Explosive and exciting, Kale really makes
the impossible possible and is quite a
thrill to watch. Mr Sandridge will make
a mess of things, that's a promise.
Weaponry and Tactics: Lipslides in every
pool, ollies to anything, backside turtle
snaps and shallow and master. Wicked
pump gives Kale the racer's edge.
5. Dave Ruel aka Rueler, The Dr
Hair: Brown Eyes: Green Height: 5'10"
Weight: 155 Age 27 DOB: 4-21-68
Quote: "Seek and find stuff and share it
with your friends."
They say that Texans are the lowest
form of humanity, but if you knew Dave
Ruel, you wouldn't agree. Very hos-
pitable and always smiling, the Rueler
cut his teeth on ditches, pools and
ramps in cowboy territory. A transplant
to Cali, Dave hooked up on Team Alva
(those were the days) and assumed the
Alva method of pool destruction and
dissection. Strong carve lines and legs of
a Texas steer propel the Rueler through-
out the bowls, and by golly Jesus. Rueler
has skated a lot of 'em
The Dr
has definitely
POOL PUNISHERS
paid his dues with a
severa faceplant direct to the flat-
bottom in where he lost some teeth,
brake his nose and blackened both eyes.
He hit so hard that his teeth left an
imprint in the plaster. Makes ya shiver?
Royce is the quiet, good
natured school boy on the outside, but a
atle ol' devil on the inside. Me Nelson
has been known on occasion to inter-
I've skated with Dave for a long
time now, and he is ever getting better-nally combust into a demon possessed
learning new things and even skating
new school deck measuring under 8
1/2" Now that's progress for a former
Dread Head
Mr Ruel is not known for his pool
cleaning skills (lazy bumi, but he will
always show up after the pool has dried
and is ready to skate. Maybe it was his
upbringing
What I like about the Rueler is his
ability to adapt quickly and provide
Inspiration for those involved in the ses
sion. He's fast, he's bold, and he does
frontside 50/50s just about anywhere.
Tools of the Trade: Possessed Nude
Bowl Model, Indys, Spitfires or Think
55s. Usually wears at least knee pads
Weaponry and Tactics: 50/50s from
hell, boned-out frontside airs, patented
backside tailslides, allies to tail. Rueler
will watch a line and steal it then make it
his own. The Dr will attempt anything
when taking photos.
6. Royce Nelson
Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170 Age: 26 DOB: 7-6-69
Quote: "Go big and fast and hope you
all survive."
when assaulting coping. Riding padless
(at least every time I've seen him), he
scrapes the metal off his trucks for lang
periods of time (five to six block stand
up grinds), blasts big (three to four feet)
backside airs and Jack-Be-Nimble olies
to tailslides on command. Tall, mean and
lean, Royce always boasts of walking and
talking softly but carrying a big stick.
Like John Swope, Royce is fearless.
Earthquakes have been very, very
good to Royce as well as big fires. Loads
of road trips have provided Royce with
valuable concrete commando tactics and
tips, which have led me to believe that
Mr Nelson is actually part leopard. He
has this spring and prowess that is not
seen in most of his contemporaries,
plus he always lands on his feet. He also
has this pump that only about twelve
people I know of have. And Royce
knows- it's all in the pump. For those
who know, you too can attest that Mr
Nelson is one crazy son-uv-a-beech...
Tools of the Trade: Think Big Boy Board.
Indys, Spitfires.
Weaponry and Tactics Fat airs, allies to
front truck grinds, fast speed lines with
tricks thrown here and there make Royce
a pick
for the pool all-star team
7. Lance Mountain aka Bushy
Brow, Mr Hill, Sir Lancelot
Back in the day, skateboarding
teams and skatepark locals pretty much
hated each other's guts, even though
they secretly admired certain team mem
bars. I'm pretty sure it was at Pipeline
when I first saw Lance during one of the
many contests there, and it was under
these circumstances that I first noticed
Mr Mountain. He was riding for Variflex
then, even riding those nightmare trucks
they made, and still ripping the shit out
of the combi pool. He went fast, did
inverts and pretty big airs, and was
even carving something his team
mates weren't known for. He stood
above all the rest even then, and out of
the whole bunch, Lance is the one who
lasted and is still an active participant in
the scene in 96. So much for history,
Anyway, Sir Lancelot grew up dur
ing the skatepark era, learned in the
bowls, snake runs and pools of the day.
Mr Mountain had the ability then to
make use of the whole pool with good
lines, tricks, his own sense of humor, and
now can still rip pretty much any pool
with his own style of skating. Lance isn't
really known for his pool riding, because
it's never been pursued by the mags, but
36 THRASHER
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