ROOKIES
RICHARD
KIRBY
Y
ou may deprive him
of his possessions;
you may shed his
blood and burn his body;
but you cannot change
his style or near his
depth. His hands hold
the soil of the past and
the seeds of the future.
Richard Kirby is one step
from the visibly known,
towards the unknown.
Time flies when you're having fun
is a great statement; but if you don't stop
to smell the burning urethane,
you will cease to remember
where you've been.
I grew up like
where you're headed or everyone else who
skated. My town was
small-minded with no rad spots to
skate or fellow skaters to ride with.
Patience was the key. Dan Henegar,
Pax, Donald, Sloth, and Jason are
the guys who would be around, on
and off, for the next couple years to
keep things fresh and new.
I grew up skateboarding. My par-
ents bought me a Valterra Heat
Zone for Christmas, 1985. I didn't
know back from front, up from
down. I was pretty clueless. I used
to ride as much as I could-up and
down the street-and when I was
done for the day, I didn't even care if
I had left my skateboard outside in
the rain for the night. At that time, it
was just a toy. I had no idea that it
would soon become an extension
of my body and soul.
My second skateboard was a
"good one." I took care of it. It was a
Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp #3 with
Independent trucks and OJ II
wheels. I was in awe. This was when
it was the best. Being clueless was
fun. Remember how stoked you
were when you ollied up your first
curb? I was hyped.
A couple months later, I found
out that people all over the world
skateboard. I found a weathered
copy
of Thrasher magazine; Alan
Losi issue. I still have it. I was
stoked even more this time.
Because now I could read about
skateboarding while in school and
not just daydream about it.
1995. It was a month after the
doctor gave me the okay to start
riding again. I got a call late one
night from Roadie and Ryan. They
were in Portland skating the
Burnside Projects. A week-and-a-
half later (that's including a three-
day bus ride from Virginia to
Oregon), I, too, was riding the best
skatepark in the world-made for
skateboarders, by skateboarders. I
moved into their crash-pad and
withstood the summer. But once the
summer was over, everyone except
J-Rock, Roadie, and myself had
gone back east. Then Roadie was
the next to go, leaving me without a
roommate to help pay rent.
I went back to Virginia to visit my
parents and somehow picked up on
Kara, who's now my girlfriend. She
dropped everything-her job, her
school and the lease to her apart
ment-and literally ran away with me
-Scotty
back to Portland. We both
got full-time jobs to make
ends meet. It was chill, me
and her by ourselves with Burnside
right down the street. Life was good.
It was in Portland where I met
Noah Martineau. We talked, we
skated, and we hung out every.
now and then. Noah became one
of my closest friends from
Portland. It's because of him, I am
where I am today. Noah thought
might have a chance of riding for
Santa Cruz and just so happened
to know some people, so we made
a video and sent it in.
I
Next thing I knew, I was on the
phone with Jeff Kendall, now team
manager for Santa Cruz Skateboards.
At first I couldn't believe. That
would be like most of you kids today
calling your favorite company and
talking to Eric Koston or The Muska.
Just that conversation was enough.
He put me on the flow list for Santa
Cruz boards and Krux trucks.
couldn't beat it. I was stoked.
I
moving truck as my reign for sleeping
quarters. I began to travel-whenev-
er, wherever; I didn't care, just as long
as it was in the name of skateboard-
ing. The new spots hit me quick and
overwhelmed me, but then again, so
did all the people and traffic.
By this time, I was learning the
ropes to selling product to live. I
would get a box of cereal and
pint of milk. That would be break-
fast, lunch, and sometimes din-
ner-if I didn't splurge for a burri-
to. Sleeping outside in a parking
lot is kind of exciting. Who knew
when some local lurker would just
stroll up and what not.
The big wigs at Santa Cruz real-
ized I needed to skate different
stuff. They started to send me on
tours and set up demos and the like,
usually far away. They just wanted
me out of their hair, their offices,
their parking spots. I admit I was
annoying, but then again, they
should admit that the "flame dot"
actually is a good selling item...
I played the flow/voice mail game Santa Cruz started sending me
for a while, then decided to make a overseas to promote skateboarding
couple of trips down to skate in real and fun. Jeff even pulled a couple
life. Those couple of trips then turned strings and managed to get me paid a
into me putting my life with Kara on little so that I wouldn't have to sell
hold for a little while. She went back all of my product. That went down for
home to start school, and I went a couple of months, then I was
homeless in Santa Cruz. I slept in offered a pro model. The only condi-
parking lots for six months. I had a tion was to skate a pro contest. Once
pallet fortress, a couch, and a vacant again, I was overwhelmed by what
was happening to me. I was able to
travel the world, and get free skate-
boards and a little cash on the side
so I could eat.
The time was going well,
although slow. My next objective
was to get Kara back out here so she
could finish school and we could
move back up to Burnside. Well,
she's back now and in school, and
I'm travelling as much as I possibly
can, leaving for up to a month at a
time. Sometimes it's not even for a
demo or a contest, just to plain be a
billboard. I just leave when I get the
urge to skate a new spot, to meet a
new face, to skate, period! When I
think about it, I don't want it to
ever stop.
Thanks to God, my family, Kara
Hill, Noah Martineau, Burnside and
Portland, Jeff Kendall, Bod Boyle,
the whole gang at NHS, Scotty,
Tom and Cindy at Este, Sasha
Steinhorst at Etnies, LAB, Fu
Manchu, Ween, Quasi, Dave at
Landspeed, Sam H, Jon Humphries,
Crazy Eddie, Red, Munk and Brewce
Martin-I really appreciate every-
thing! -Richard Kirby
Since the other Xtreme sports take
all their tricks from skating, Kirby
felt it was only fair to boost this
BMX bump for a few floaters.
FANT