"Hey."
"What's up?"
"Nothin'."
"Cool."
Repeat this dialogue two hundred times
while shaking hands with a friend, and you have
an inkling of what a weekend at the ASR trade show is like.
You may want to drink a few beers out of paper cups
and wrestle with a
40-year-old securi-
ty guard to get
the full effect, but
you get the idea-
one big yadda,
yadda, yadda.
Luckily skate-
boarding has
people like Marty
Jiminez.
"What if," Marty
thought, "What if,
as long as we have
the best skaters in
the world assem-
bled in one place..."
Things were really
starting to cook.
"What if we do
some..."
Yes, yes, it was
coming.
"What if we do
some...skating!"
How had no one
seen it before?
Some skating-the
perfect vessel to
carry everyone
through the dol-
drums of trade
show misery. It was
so crazy it could
work. It had to
work!
What was slated as
a simple mini ramp
contest on Marty's
new 40-foot-wide
six footer quickly
deteriorated into a
30-man free-for-all
à la Jim's Texas
Death Match.
Past the squealing
girls, ex-skaters and
ear-punishing punk
Caballero and Donny Barley were swappin' sweat with ama-
teurs Marcus Bandy, Steven Bailey, Texas Dan, Anthony
Carney and Vanik Hacobian. Even old dudes like Jim Gray
and Brewce Martin were gettin' in the mix.
Everyone went at once, and over-unders weren't uncom-
mon. Nor were mid-flatbottom coconuttings. Despite the
melee, people were getting their tricks in enough for the
judges to rank them and hand out some cash.
In third was Tim Brauch, who is equally adept at both the
BP tweaks a roof-raising method during a pre-chaos practice sesh.
rock, all the heavies were hoggin' the ramp, which is butted
up to the back of the old Soul Bowl and features a set back
wallride portion.
Omar Hassan, Brian Patch, Jim Gagne, Dave Duren, Mike
Santarossa, Gershon Mosley, Chet Childress, Tim Brauch, Chad
Vogt, Mike Vallely, Rune Glifberg, Max Schaaf, Steve
ollie blunt and the
slob air. Blunts to
backside nose
bonks were espe-
cially effective.
Brian Patch got
second but might
I have done better
in a less stressful
session. Patch can
basically do all his
vert tricks on mini
ramp, which
meant air was
caught. Girls go
for the big air, you
know.
The winner and
king of the day
was Chet Childress.
Chet's comfort on
ramps allows him
to do things others
are unable to, like
look around to see
if anyone's coming
while in the mid-
dle of a 55-mile-
per-hour 5-0 to
fakie. Chet's super
trick was the back-
side wallride to
disaster revert re-
entry. Isn't it great
that we live in a
world where there
are two pro
skaters named
Chet?
Best Trick was
next, and things
were looking pret-
ty even between
Chris Gentry (who
bonelessed in off
the back of the
Soul Bowl), Chet
(who did a 5-0 to
180° ollie into the set back wallride portion of the ramp),
and Patch (who kicked a method onto the wall flying as high
as the Soul Bowl's rail). That was, until Rune climbed up the
ramp and proceeded to ollie to grind on the same piece of
wood that Patch only wafted by. Splinters flew and everyone
soiled themselves. It was quite a sight. -Michael Burnett
whenever I think of the name chet, I
think of the older brother in "weird
science." "You're stewed, butt wad!"
wallride to disaster revert.
You could call Dave Duren "Double D"
but everyone would think you're talk-
ing about Duncan. Duren pumps an
Alva-free frontside air.
Barley's shifty ollie-oop sends
Gershon running for cover.
Hubbub At the hub
Australian visitor Dustin Dollin was the littlest dude, but he threw the biggest flips to fakie. size ain't shit, yo.
22 THRASHER