SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE Slalom Skaters Interviews (vintage)

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Wesley Tucker
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SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE Slalom Skaters Interviews (vintage)

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:30 am

SKATEBOARDER Magazine Slalom Interviews

Well, here they are. This is a little project I’ve been working on for several months. There was no deadline and no rush, just something I wanted to get done and online. Just a matter of scanning, OCR’ing, correcting and occasionally typing. I hope that now they are digitized they will go on forever in our little world of slalom and cyberspace. Following are all of the slalom-related interviews coming from SKATEBOARDER magazine between 1975 and 1979. You've heard about them and you've wondered about them. Wonder no more because this is what it's all about.

The only caveat I want to add is that I did NOTHING to edit or change the text as it was originally published. I might have missed an italics or a bold here or there, but I did not take it upon myself to "clean up" any of the grammar or punctuation. Don't get on me if you read something that appears rather strange, awkward or unacceptable. There's quite a few instances of just plain bad writing. That's the breaks. That's the way SKATEBOARDER went to press and that's the way it appears here.

Oh, and before anyone asks I’ll tell you why I didn’t do the Alva or Peralta interviews. This is SLALOMSKATEBOARDER.com. It’s about slalom. Even though those guys were great slalomers and raced well, their interviews pretty much ignored the subject. It was all about roundwall, pipes, ramps, surfing, partying, sponsorship and other stuff. So, no slalom, no need to repeat it here. The Olsen interview didn’t talk about slalom either, but the guy is racing now, so I’ll go ahead and give him some dap. Besides, the ladies REALLY need to get a grip on Steve’s opinion of women in general! :-)

One last thing. In the Fall 1975 issue the magazine ran a lengthy interview with Chris Yandall. For those of us who started riding that summer, one of our first issues of the magazine had an interview with a hardcore slalom rider. Well, you know how that ended up. I must warn you, though, that the magazine MISSPELLED CHRIS'S NAME THROUGHOUT THE ISSUE, INCLUDING THE COVER! I'm not joking. That's the way, however, it went to press and that's the way it appears here.

Following in the order they were published are interviews, the Slalom Symposium and Who’s Hot! For:

• Chris Yandall’s interview
• Tommy Ryan’s Who’s Hot
• Bob Skoldberg’s Who’s Hot
• Danny Trailer’s Who’s Hot
• Slalom Symposium
• Denis Shufeldt’s interview
• Woody Woodstock’s Who’s Hot
• Chris Chaput’s Who’s Hot
• John Hutson’s Who’s Hot
• Henry Hester’s interview
• Steve Sherman’s Who’s Hot
• Wentzle Ruml’s Who’s Hot
• Bobby Piercy’s Who’s Hot
• Mike Williams’s Who’s Hot
• Dave Hackett’s Who’s Hot
• Bobby Piercy’s interview
• John Hutson’s interview
• Davey Andrews' Who’s Hot
• Bob Skoldberg’s interview
• Harvey Hawks’ Who’s Hot
• Curt Kimbel’s Who’s Hot
• Charlie Ransom Who’s Hot
• Randy Smith’s Who’s Hot
• Evans and Ransom’s interview
• Steve Olson’s interview
• Curt Kimbel’s interview
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:51 am, edited 4 times in total.

Wesley Tucker
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Chris Yandell Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:31 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 2, No. 3, Fall 1975.

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Chris Yandell
ON TOP OF DOWNHILL SLALOM

By. Brian Gillogly

“It makes me sick sometimes, People come up and ask me if I’m Chris Yandell the skateboarder. I tell them, no, I’m his twin brother!”

Chris Yandell really doesn’t like all the notoriety he’s received lately as a top-ranked downhill slalom competitor. But at the rate he’s going – 1st place at Kate Sessions, Del Mar, and the San Diego-World Contest, 2nd place at Orange County – it’s just something he’ll have to live with.

In a recent interview with SKATEBOARDER at his home in Pacific Beach, Chris revealed his very youthful, almost naïve enthusiasm for life, something which usually begins to wear through by age 20. This is not to say that Chris doesn’t have a serious side, He is presently a French major at San Diego State and manages the skateboard end of the PB Surf Shop after school. What’s more, prior to taping the interview, Chris openly discussed his desire to see his skateboarding talent pay off soon – not in fanfare, but in dollars. (Chris recently was offered $100 a week to ride for another major manufacturer. He had to turn it down: “I couldn’t win on one of their boards.”)

It should also be noted that Chris is an accomplished and stylish free-form rider, with the newest addition to his repertoire being a standing-to-squatting nose wheelie. It’s just part of psyche to take things one step further; or maybe a little bit faster. As Gary Keating told me the morning of the San Diego-World contest: “ the difference is that Chris does it with control.” Its this aspect, his ability to temper his seemingly limitless enthusiasm with a critical eye for technique and form, that has made Chris Yandell “the man to beat” in the downhill slalom, not to mention an interesting subject for interview.

Pacific beach is a pretty heavy skateboarding area, isn’t it?

Yeah. Tourmaline Hill is just down the street. It’s a really steep hill. In fact, there’s a saying around here: “ If you can’t skateboard Tourmaline Hill, you can skateboard!” So a lot of the kids around here are into that type of trip on the hill.

Is that where your style evolved?

Yeah, on the hill. I guess I’ve been riding Tourmaline longer than anyone else. I like to ride it “Grand Prix” – that’s what Torger Johnson and friends call downhill free form. I like to do the most I can, whatever feels good. Yesterday we even played tag games for a while. I especially like for extension power slide, but he extended out, but under control.

Does your free-form riding help your slalom?

No, I think it’s the other way round: My slalom helps my free-form. This is especially true for contests where I want my performance to be a continuous thing. All my previous performances have been broken up, choppy. The slalom is a continuous thing, and the freestyle should be similar. Like Russ Howell, he flows through his routine.

How did you into slalom racing?

Kate Sessions Park – that was my first contest. It was August of last year.

In some of the pictures I’ve seen of you, you’ve been riding parallel stance. Do you ever ride that way in competition?

That’s just for fooling around. I usually ride one foot in of the other – surfing style. But since I did ride parallel occasionally, the took pictures, maybe thinking it would help open the sport to skiers. . . If I could attach my feet to the board, that would be much better for ski-type weighting and unweighting. It would also be an easy way to get hurt.

Still, do you think skiing has affected your skateboarding?

Well, I never got into skiing that much to really get prolific at it. I only skied for four seasons, mostly icy snow, when I was living back in Michigan a few years ago.

Would you elaborate on your slalom technique?

Most of the weight is right in the center of the board, one foot behind the other. Arm placement is also critical. It takes a lot of practice to have your arms in the right place. A lot of people have their arms out of whack and wonder what’s wrong with their balance. When I’m going down the course, I like to have my arms in front of me, slightly forward to lead me.
Sometimes it’s good to pump the arms too. But I’m not much into using my arms: I’d rather work from my hips with my torso upright.

So you generally don’t use your arms for thrust?

I used to, but I felt shakier. Now I have more control.

Do you ride a different board for slalom and freestyle?

Right now I’m trying to keep the same board. Like the Logans do it, though they alter their boards a bit. I used to like a wood board for jumping, but now I can jump off my Fibreflex. A spring board helps me get over (the jump) and cushions my landing.

What are the most important characteristics of your board?

It’s got a working flex. Most flex boards just flex – the flex isn’t adjusted to make it work for you in weighting and unweighting.

Who worked out the flex on your board?

Mike Gordon. I’ve ridden one for almost a year now and he’s had eight or nine board-flex variations. It’s a snappy flex, as opposed to other boards which just sag when you step on them.

How much flex does your board have?

About an inch, maybe more.

At the San Diego-World Contest, it looked like you were pushing, pumping hard all the way down, whereas most of the other competitors pumped much softer toward the bottom . . .

They were either getting tired, getting close to spinning out, or the line they were trying to pick out was getting really inconsistent and they were trying to straighten it out.

But is it a true statement that you were pushing hard all the way down through 35 cones?

Yeah. I just try to be consistent all the way down and make all my lines clean. Ya know, identical.

So working the straight cones is really just a methodical thing?

It is a method, a movement, and the sooner (closer to the top) you get into it, the better . . . There’s only one way to do that course that will be the fastest, and when you hit that first gate, you should already have that line picked out. If the center of your trucks stays on that line, you’ll be the fastest.

It seems that with your pumping style you draw a slightly wider line than most other top competitors. Does that have something to do with your trucks, as well as the flex of your board?

You have more traction with these trucks. There’s about 4-1/2” between the wheels, which means you can pump harder with more wheel on the ground. I’ve got Dan Trailer on them now, and I’m trying to convince some other people. (My note: he’s talking about the original Tracker Full Track, which was all brand spanking new in 1975.)

How big a factor is the wide truck?

Well, according to the times, it didn’t show that much. I went about the same speed as usual. The only difference is that I was more stable, a lot safer. So I’ll stay with the safer truck.
But you have to consider that it takes a certain kind of technique to use this type of truck well, and some people can’t get into it. The other problem, aside from having the wheels far enough out to step on them, is that these trucks wouldn’t work as well for someone much smaller than me. Actually, the wheel base of the truck should vary according to the size and weight of the person.

What type wheels are you currently using?

We sell them all at the shop, so we can stay on top of it. As I see it, the best wheels are the Road Riders with the sealed bearings – sealed bearing are happening!

Do they run faster?

I don’t know. I haven’t been on this specific type of wheel in the stoker size long enough. (My note: the “new” Road Rider 4s. 2s were out first.) I can’t say it goes faster – I know it goes fast, though. Like, we were racing yesterday up in La Costa, and I was going fast under control, not too many slideouts. I got going fast enough to make me wonder, “If I were to slideout, could I handle it?” That doesn’t happen very often.

How do you handle a fall like that?

Usually when I’m going to wipe out at high speed, the board will buck me off, and I’ll be in a position where I can just jump away from the board and run it down.

How did you learn to fall and roll properly?

Well, you could read all the books about falling, but the best way to learn is to fall. You have to take a lot of falls before you learn how to fall right.
The problem with most people is that when they stick out their arms to break a fall, they leave them there and slide on their palms. The best thing to do if you fall forward is just take the impact and pop it; break the fall and then walk it down with your feet and hands . . . As for falling to the side, you shouldn’t be in a position where you have to do that. You should either be able to fall forward or run it down.

What about rolling a fall?

I roll a lot, depending on what the fall is. It just came through experience. I don’t know if it’s all that good, but I haven’t broken any elbows, fingers or arms yet – a lot of road rash, that’s for sure!

What about your feet? I remember seeing a picture in SKATEBOARDER . . .

That picture was really gross. That happened when I was going really fast and my trucks were loose. I took a bad wipe out, and the picture was taken about a week after the crash.
I like to wear shoes when I’m going to be out for a long time: more than 15or 20 minutes.

What about for races?

On the Bahne Ramp I don’t mind going barefooted, because if I wipe out there, I’m only falling on wood.

So you just wear shoes in case of accidents?

Yeah, and for pedaling. I push with both feet because it seems to increase my sense of balance. Anyway, I’d rather lose rubber from my shoes than skin off my feet. You also need protection from glass and other debris on the road.

Do you find your sensitivity much greater without shoes?

Sure. It’s like not wearing booties when you’re surfing. . . Gregg Weaver, he’s always barefoot, and his, he’s right in there.

Is that sensitivity very important in slalom racing?

Not really . . . It might make a slight difference, but probably not enough to win or lose by.

How do you prepare for a race? Do you make any adjustments to your equipment for the different courses?

I try not to make adjustments, because if I have to readjust my equipment, I’ll have to make a body adjustment too . . . Usually the cones are a similar distance apart and my board is directional (sensitive) enough that it naturally has enough tension to go straight but will still turn sharp. The only tuning I’ll make is in replacing burnt out rubbers

How do you prepare yourself physically and mentally?

My cousin turned me on to an ancient Greek form of body conditioning. It helps me get my body relaxed and my muscles in the right place, avoiding pinched nerves and making my muscles more receptive for good balance.

Is this both a mental and physical for of conditioning?

Well, you have to concentrate on what you’re doing – that’s the most basic part of it. I’m sure Lopez, when he gets in that tube, is concentrating fully.

How do you get up for a run?

It’s hard. Like, when I played football it was easy – we’d smack each other before the game . . . I guess I try to think the least of it and the most of it at the same time. It try to approach it midway, not going off on the extreme and losing sight of the whole.

Do you get nervous before a run?

I get butterflies, but not really nervous. It’s nothing – the lull before the storm!

What kind of slalom do you prefer?

Starting off with surfaces, I prefer new white cement over the cleanest asphalt. The Bahne Ramp is nice too . . . short and sweet! You have to get on it right away, think it through.

How far ahead are you looking?

First, I tell myself I’m going to get through the course. Then, I sight down my first obstacles, maybe the first three or four cones. I’ve read in ski magazines where guys sight five to seven gates ahead as they’re coming down . . . going one at a time, like some people I know do, is really slow.

Yeah. Your mind can think on more than one level at a time, and it’s just a matter of letting it come out spontaneously.

Sure. You have to concentrate and block everything else out.

Do you find staggered and offset cones much more difficult than a straight set up?

I like a staggered then straight then staggered setup – like the Bahne Ramp. It’s more fun, not all work like the San Diego Contest (a 250-foot straight course.) It takes more skill too, changing trains of thought as you go down.

Do you ever practice with cones?

Sometimes . . . but it’s not really necessary. You can go down any hill, any speed and just run off the squiggles. That’s how Dan Trailer picked it up really fast . . .
If you fall when you’re pulling off those squiggles, you body must be in the wrong position, of your mind. And if your mind isn’t there, you shouldn’t be doing it.

You mentioned earlier that you hoped to make some money from competition?

I’d like to. But even at what I’m making now from working the sport, it’s definitely worth it; it keeps me fit, keeps my mind quick. . .

Is there something about the speed aspect of it that you really appreciate?

Actually, it’s just the idea of putting out the maximum effort and having control.

Then it could apply to any endeavor.

Yeah. It’s a good philosophical principle for doing anything.
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Wesley Tucker
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Tommy Ryan's Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:34 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 2, No. 6, Summer 1976.

WHO’S HOT!
Tommy Ryan
23 years old, rides for Turner Summer Ski

By. Warren Bolster

"Whatever happened to Tommy Ryan?" the letter received at SKATEBOARDER asked. For those readers too young to remember, Tommy Ryan was a much-publicized wonder roller of the 1960's, what with his own column in SKATEBOARDER entitled "Tips From Tommy" (wherein he provided an inside look at the fundamentals and skills of skateboarding in its craze phase), and featured articles in LIFE Magazine. While Tommy probably doesn't even fully realize it, he picked up something of a following across the country. The fact that the above-stated letter came from New York City only further illustrates his early roots. People obviously hadn't forgotten, even twelve years later.
To answer this question, we made a few attempts to locate Tommy at his home in Del Mar, California, only to find he was again on one of his many tuna fishing trips-a job that keeps him away from home for extended durations, at least a couple of times a year. We finally pinned him (and ourselves) down on his return recently.

The answer is that Tommy's still around, surfing, skiing and skating at least as well, if not much better, than ever before; and while he rarely mentions the past, he didn't mind telling it one more time:

"People like to talk about it because I was pretty successful when I was really young. I got into it, full-on, when I was about 13 years old. It was a fad, then it progressed and got better and better, then turned into a good money thing. I quit for about two or three years, then came back and watched it progress again; then it went out, came in and went out again.

This time around I got stoked on it strictly because of racing. The equipment had improved so much since wood boards." This time around, Tommy feels that while he'd rather consider his past performance as just that-past performance-"it's definitely opened up doors now that I'm back into it."

Unlike a lot of skaters, Tommy rarely travels to skate, preferring to race at La Costa (nearby) when he's not fishing. In spite of his work schedule, he still manages to place high, or even win, the weekly La Costa races that include the best slalom racers in the country.
When asked if he thought fishing ever takes the edge off his skating, Tommy replied: "Fishing tunes your body and mind to the max. You can also just sit back and dream off on everything."

For Tommy, slalom racing, or just "racing," as he prefers to call it, is everything for him now. To make professional racing a financial reality, he and friend Joe Lynch have formed the World Professional Skateboarding Association. "'We're trying to design a program 'by the racers, for the racers. ' It's going to be a thing the racers can enjoy instead of the manufacturers."

For equipment Tommy prefers his Turner Summer Ski, a low-production, high-performance, totally specialized slalom board made of high-density foam and fiberglass. He likes this high-cambered board "because of the punch you get out of it; the drive and quick response. You can get a lot more out of it than the normal flex." Like a lot of slalom racers, he rides a Tracker Truck/ O.J. wheel combination "strictly because they work."
Within the realm of slalom racing, there's at least three distinct preferences when it comes to the slalom courses themselves.

"A lot of racers like the short, tight courses on a workout basis, while others like myself prefer the giant slalom because you can't really prove yourself on a 3-5 second run."
Still other racers prefer the wood ramps, a controversial product of the present pro contest system. Tommy has his own thoughts: "I love the wood surface; It's a good, smooth surface - they could do a thing where they'd set you up on a ramp to get you going, then you could really have a race."

Regardless of the course, Tommy has already shown that he can adjust to anything; his skiing experience has undoubtedly aided his attack. And attack he does-his super-quick thrusts at high speed have left more than one racer and bystander wondering how he can cut the cones without spinning out. Although into skiing, as stated previously, Tommy prefers the surf stance, or "push stance-it's really good for opening up gates."

Tommy's favorite racers include Henry Hester and Bob Skoldberg, ironically his toughest competition. In freestyle he likes Bruce and Brad Logan. "I've known them for so many years. We started the same time-back around '62.”

Besides La Costa, Tommy enjoys the Carlsbad Skatepark, and has occasionally ridden some local banks and bowls. Uniquely, the street in front of his house in Del Mar is legal for skateboarding: "The people of the town wouldn't allow them to shut if down."
When asked what he wanted us to mention, he added: "Just that we (the Turner Team) really like to race. We’ll race anyone, anytime, anywhere."

Wesley Tucker
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Bob Skoldberg's Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:35 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 2, No. 6, Summer 1976.

WHO’S HOT!
Bob Skoldberg
23 years old, rides for Gordon & Smith Flbreflex

By Henry Hester

"Who's hot?"
"Bob's hot."
"Bob who?"
"Bob Skoldberg."
"Bob Scholberg?"
"No! Bob Skoldberg. You know, 'Ventura Bob,' 'King of the Mountain, 'Mr. Arizona,' 'King of La Costa, alias 'The Man to Beat.’"

Thus goes a typical conversation about one of slalom racing's hottest, Bob Skoldberg, spelled S-K-O-L-D-B-E-R-G. Bob started his skate career about four years ago in the downtown parking lots of La Jolla. Accompanied by his long-time friend Steve Meanas, an accomplished surf-skater himself, Bob began to form his efficiently smooth slalom style before many even got into the second era.

Coming back from Europe (in 1975) and joining the Fibreflex team was inevitable after some coaching for about twenty minutes from another good friend, slalom racer "Bad H." That was all Bob needed to be placed easily in the top three in nearly every slalom race thereafter.

Bob's style is a natural. He has a quick push start, make that the quickest push start. He has the ability to stay over his board, keeping the traction where he wants it. Bob is a master of wide, fast, giant slalom turns. Watching him ride a course is like watching a bird or dolphin ride a wave. He's got that inner sense of the perfect line-every time!

Bob selects a soft flex, standard 28" Fibreflex. Since his availmont moves (rotation method) are very smooth, the viewer usually finds his board riding with a one- two-inch consistent flex most of the time, He doesn't "pop" his board as much as his peers, his moves are more lateral and snake-like. This gives him the consistent, low times that has everyone scratching their heads.

All of this is fine and dandy. We now know that Bob is insanely hot at slalom, but he's even better at cross-country and obstacle courses. You just mention cross-country to Bob, and he starts shaking and trembling with excitement. Bob loves cross-country!

His favorite race partner in crosscountry is Tony Alva. Tony and Bob have been having it out for quite some time now, and a recent contest at Magic Mountain showed intense competition between them, with Bob taking it this time.

Bob has a way of stopping very quickly, and kiddingly calls this move "his patented method." What he does is drop his back foot off the back of his board to slide it along the ground. A hard move at 10 m.p.h….Bob can do it at about 35 m,p.h., no sweat! Obviously, due to the stop-start nature of crosscountry, quick stops are one important secret to winning.

Bob also has amazingly strong ankles which enable him to maintain fast stability on the obstacle course banks and walls. He's never entered a dry pool, but many believe he'd rip the tiles right off!

So that's the story of Bob Skoldberg, You're going to hear a lot more of him in the very near future. His moves are so precise that victory is never out of sight, making him "The Man to Beat.”

Wesley Tucker
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Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Danny Trailer's Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:36 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 2, No. 6, Summer 1976.

WHO’S HOT!
Danny Trailer
19 years old, rides for Gordon & Smith Fibreflex

By Chris Yandall

Tourmaline Hill, an old, cracked, precipitous downgrade, was the spawning grounds for Neil Graham, Danny, and myself. It was an early shooting ground for our fearless editor also. It was in the fall of '74 in which our little trio began to weave and wind our way comfortably down the "Hill" and into contest contention. At that time, we were all generally riding wood boards and Chicago trucks, with da Kine wheels. Neil, after a hundred and one arguments, convinced Danny and me that flex boards were where it was happening. Danny immediately went to work making wood and fiberglass-layered flex boards until the "Big Pink" (Bill Andrews) and Steve Johnson down at PB. Surf Shop heard of our "Hill" playing, and turned us on to the mighty Fibreflex chassis. Neil at this time had returned to Houston for lack of funds, and we sent him one to rip "the Ditch" there.

Nevertheless, we were amazed at the snappy flex quality, and we first got to test their superior qualities at the Del Mar Bahne-Cadillac contest. Danny placed second, just a hair from first place, and had a well-received freestyle routine. At the San Diego World Contest, he again placed second in the slalom, just a finger's distance out of first. Pity! He has since been in contests and has consistently been a finalist.

Danny has been an avid water skier for most of his life, and one can see this technique imbedded in his skateboarding. Unlike many of the professionals who confine their activities to skateboarding, he is prolific at surfing, motocross, football, baseball, basketball and poker.

Danny feels, like many, that skateboarding's competitve arenas don't necessarily promote the recreational aspects. Staying young at heart and living clean, with crystallized, healthy habits, are very important, he adds. But, he feels skating to make money and skating for diversion are ultimately different spheres, and diversion from the toils of everyday living are important to a certain degree. Recreational skateboarding may eventually produce competitive skaters in the long run, but the time it takes them to get there normally takes dedication from having fun. Just enjoying the flowing energy celebration is what it's all about.
Danny thinks that control in all downhill situations is the primary objective for anyone interested in grade skating. Placing oneself in difficult situations such as speed runs is not only asking for trouble, but adds to the increasingly bad vibrations to the sport.

His favorite downhillers are Graham, Hester, Ryan, Skoldberg, Alva, Katz, and Coconut.

Danny undoubtedly will continue to be one of the contenders in pursuit of slalom's top honors, while ripping with his water skiing technique and hooting and howling in his typically stoked, fourwheeling celebration of life.

Wesley Tucker
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Slalom Symposium

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:37 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 3, No. 3, February 1977

SLALOM SYMPOSIUM

(No author identified)

Slalom racing is unique in many ways among skateboarding events. The modern racer has taken the oldest, most basic of skateboarding maneuvers, the S-turn, and developed it into a high-pitched downhill intensity, unimaginable prior to the urethane breakthrough. While perhaps not appearing to the untrained eye to be quite as dramatic a departure from the past as pool riding or speed racing, slalom racing, due to the subtle techniques of control and mental conditioning, still represents a steady, consistent progression. The differences may only be apparent in thousandths of a second, but the real story of the race is in the heart and mind where it's all taking place.

While the attitude of the racer plays an important role, equipment also plays an increasingly vital, complementary role. In fact, nowhere in skateboarding will you find all phases of a skater's equipment so finely tuned. On race day, the pit crews, comprised mostly of manufacturers' representatives, work feverishly replacing last week's prototype with today's latest breakthrough, whether it be a cut-away, high-torque board, or the latest composition of height, width, contour or durometer of wheel.

Next, the slalom racers take the products to their limits in the constant quest for speed with control, which is also very applicable and essential to everyone's everyday skating, where control and safety are in direct relationship to the pleasure quotient. When speaking of the safety aspect, the slalom racer of today is also leading the field in finding the safety products that lend themselves to performance. Protective products designed for other sports are quickly put to the test-the ones that work are implemented immediately, encouraging specialized protective designs with just the skateboarder's problem areas in mind.
Unfortunately for slalom racing, it lacks the photo impact; therefore, the viewer interest, due to its seemingly mechanical nature. But slalom is the thinking man's game. Once tuned to the subtleties, the thrill unfolds. Head-to-head racing can be extremely exciting under the right conditions-just check the abundance of head-to-head ski racing on TV. Undoubtedly with the introduction of custom-made skate park runs, we'll start to see performance of previously unknown boundaries. The slalom racers of today are ready to take it there.

How many years have you been slalom racing?

Bob Piercy: Skateboards two years; skis four years.
Woody Woodstock: One year
Stacy Peralta: One-and-a-hall years, very inconsistently.
Lance Smith: One-and-a-half years.
Paul Engh: I started skating at age 8, so I guess about eight years.
Henry Hester: One-and-a-hall years.
Bruce Walker: One.
Neil Graham: Since the Kate Sessions Contest in San Diego, about 2-1/2 years.
Peter Tholl: About one year
Danny Trailer: Two years, beginning with Del Mar.
John Huston: One year. My first pro race was at Phoenix, Arizona, November, 1975.
Conrad Miyoshi: One year.
Chris Yandall: Two years.
Tom Ryan: I've been slalom racing competitively for the past two years.
Michael Williams: About one year
Bob Skoldberg: One.
Tom Sims: Twelve years
Denis Shufeldt::[/b] four years altogether. From '64 to '66 and from '74 to now,

Why do you race?

Piercy: For the thrill and excitement of pushing myself to the outer limits with the natural energy that IS within my own body.
Woodstock: I like to compete, meet other skateboarders, and maybe win some money.
Peralta: I'm very much into the technique of weighting and unweighting, using your arms, legs and knees altogether to control and pick up speed.
Smith: As an outlet for my aggressions, competition between teams and individuals. It's also a good preparation for contests.
Engh: Dollars. From the money I can make Skating, I can get in some excellent skiing. Also it's kinda fun being flown all over the US to do demos and compete.
Hester: Money and competition.
Walker: Besides the obvious fun involved, It's a good way to test the effectiveness of different equipment.
Graham: To please the women and to become part of the skateboard scene.
Tholl: It's fun Sometimes you can make money too.
Trailer: Slalom racing is a true thrill, along with a money incentive. I race for the same reason Buddy Baker does.
Hutson: I enjoy competing. It's a challenge. It gives you something to go for. I used to look for glory of winning races. I found this was an illusion. Skateboarding can only be fun.
Miyoshi: For the fun and excitement of pro racing.
Yandall: Because I need a job.
Ryan: Racing gives me the motivation to keep "'proving my skateboarding skills and techniques. I also race because I totally enjoy the thrill of competition
Williams: I like to compete. There's a lot of satisfaction in racing the pros, especially beating them. The money won is also a nice reward for all the hard work and time devoted to practice.
Skoldberg: Mostly for fun and excitement. Earning money is nice too.
Sims: Competitive racing demands perfection in timing, rhythm and concentration, and seems to tap the primal force. The scientific aspects of racing make it totally objective since timing lights determine winners
Shufeldt:: Racing is very exciting, and is something you can enjoy with friends almost anytime.

What type of equipment do you prefer (wheels, trucks, boards -stiff or flex)?

Piercy: Equipment varies depending upon the surface-indoor, outdoor, etc.-but I prefer custom Road Riders overall (preferably 4's), Tracker Trucks, and a stiff flex board for more direct response.
Woodstock: Road Rider 4's, Tracker Trucks, and the G & S Fibreflex Hester model The new Yandall wheel rides nice-lots of traction.
Peralta: Trackers, Half-Tracks, Bennetts, Road Rider 4 's, Sims Comps, and my Gordon & Smith wood board. Stiff for giant slalom, and a flexible Fibreflex for some real tight, flatland straight courses.
Smith: For boards, G & S Fibreflex Hester model for tight slalom, cutaway solid wood for giant slalom. For wheels, Road Rider 4's and 6's, Tunnel Wheels, Cadillac DK51s and OJ's. For trucks, Trackers and Half-Tracks
Engh: For my slalom, I stick with the narrow truck. I feel the smaller axle span provides for quicker gyrating turns, and keeps you In the fall line better in downhill I use the Cadillac 90's with a medium flex, 30-inch Bahne honeycomb.
Hester: Henry Hester model board, G & S Road Rider wheels on Tracker Trucks.
Walker: I prefer a flexible board for most slalom courses. Wheels would vary according to the particular setup of the course There are too many good wheels to single out one or two. As far as trucks go, basically any kind with a 7" wide axle.
Graham: Pro-roll Yandall's are "da kine." Trackers are #1, just ask the Big H. Brewer and Rad Pads flex boards kind of turn me loose.
Tholl: Still Logan Earth Ski, Tracker Trucks, Road Rider 6's.
Trailer: My favorite wheels are the Yandall Pro Rolls because of their smooth and clean roll. Tracker Trucks because they give performance as well as stability.
Hutson: Road Rider 4's, Tracker Half-Track or Bennett Pros. Heat and pressure laminate Santa Cruz blank.
Miyoshi: I prefer a semi-stiff board. Wheels depend on the type of surface a course is set on (Jarvis Pros on most courses). Tracker Trucks always.
Yandall: My wheels with the only truck that cuts the roads - Trackers. Fibreflexes are so fine they make me feel like I'm skiing and surfing at the same time.
Ryan: I ride a Turner Summer Ski. It's a soft board with a stiff flex. I use Tracker Trucks and ride Kryptonics wheels.
Williams: I use Gullwing trucks, Road Rider and Tunnel wheels, and Turner and Santa Cruz boards for the best competitive combination. A camber flex gives me the most positive punch as ~ really responds quickly to pressure during a gyration.
Skoldberg: I prefer a board with medium to maximum flex, depending on the course. Lots of flex for G.S., and a little stiffer for regular slalom. I use Road Rider 4's and 6's, and Tracker Trucks. I use two boards a lot: The Henry Hester model, and my new Hobie Flex, which is only a prototype of something soon to come out.
Sims: In tight slalom, I use Pure Juice slalom wheels with Bennett Pro trucks in front, and Tracker Trucks in back. I am experimenting with the new Gullwing truck, which seems to have good turning action. For most slalom courses, I use a maple core aluminum Pro Slalom, and in giant slalom, my 36" and 44" laminated wood boards draw the best lines.
Shufeldt:: The Turner Summer Ski by Bobby Turner is an excellent racing board with flex. Also a new truck and wheel assembly by the Magnum Company. It's very quick, positive and smooth. 1t was designed by Steve Kimmel.

What kinds of safety equipment do you use?

Piercy: Premier helmets, Kip gloves, Hallman pads, and Ace ankle supports. Woodslock: Helmet, knee and arm pads, sneakers, gloves.
Peralta: Elbow and knee pads, gloves, and helmet when necessary,
Smith: Helmet knee pads, elbow pads and gloves.
Engh: No comment.
Hester: Helmet, elbow and knee pads, gloves, shoes-all the basic stuff.
Walker: I generally wear knee and elbow pads and gloves. If the course has any amount of speed to it, or if it's during a contest, I'll wear a helmet I like to promote safety, because therein lies the future of skateboarding.
Graham: Lightweight helmet elbow and knee pads, gloves, and lightweight shoes with thin soles,
Tholl: Helmet gloves, knee pads, elbow pads,
Trailer: Helmet, gloves, knee pads, elbow pads and Johnny-Go-Fast shoes,
Hutson: Helmet, elbow and knee pads, gloves.
Miyoshi: Helmet, Helmet, elbow and knee pads, wrist braces, gloves and shoulder pads,
Yandall: The works.
Ryan: I recently invested in a pair of custom-made leathers that completely protect me for the type of skateboarding I do. Naturally I use a helmet, gloves, etc. I'm still trying to find the "right" type of shoes as I go through at least two pairs of shoes per month when racing.
Williams: Well, you might say I've gone the whole route from no protection to the best I tried everything, and was still getting hurt, so I went to Torsten-Hallman Racing, which makes some of the best equipment for Moto-X racing. Lars Larson and I got together and designed some elbow and knee pads especially for skating. They are vinyl on the outside with high-impact plastic shields right on the knees and elbows. They don't grab when you fall, but allow you to slide without leaving your skin on the concrete! They also have Velcro straps to avoid a loose fit, and you don't have to slip them over your feet or arms. The worst injuries I've gotten while racing slalom have been on my hips. Anyone who has slept on one side for two weeks knows what I mean, so I use high-density foam, pads that snap right into my pants,
Skoldberg: The helmet is a Jofa (hockey helmet), Hobie knee and elbow pads, and wrist braces, The gloves are Freestyle Paws manufactured by Kip,
Sims: Fast and steep slalom runs demand the finest safety equipment Flat-soled Puma shoes give a sensitive feel of the board.
Shufeldt:: Shoes, pads (knee/elbow), gloves and helmet.

What physical and mental preparations do you employ?

Piercy: I work out 4-5 hours per day, free skating and racing cones. Twenty-four hours before a race, I have myself convinced that I'm the man to beat. This keeps my energy directed into my performance for each run, instead of worrying about everyone else's run. Winning is totally mental.
Woodstock: I just try to “go for it.” I don't really prepare.
Peralta: That it's not for real, and it doesn't matter how I do, just a practice run, that way I don't get nervous.
Smith: Concentration and awareness, Effort.... concentration is what to strive for, Concentrate on performing under stress.
Engh: Karate. I've been training in a Korean form of karate called Tang So Do for several years. Karate helps you keep in top shape physically and mentally for competing.
Hester: Not much physical, but full mental about a week before a big race-Ann calls me an "obsessed fanatic" about racing.
Walker: I try to practice every day for at least a week before a contest. Endurance is one of the things I work on. Pedaling uphill is really good for that.
Graham: I try to avoid butterflies and meditate on my performance. Surf and bongo boardin' are excellent ways to cook on the S.B.
Tholl: Deep breathing and concentration.
Trailer: I work out three nights a week on weights, and surf regularly.
Hutson: I have tried several methods of physical training, with varied results. At one point, I was training very hard, repeating 40-70 runs a day. All runs were timed with a stopwatch. Each run was made on a set interval, say every 90 seconds. This was good for conditioning, but my contest results were less than spectacular. Another method I've used is my "skate at will" method. This utilizes the theory of "when you're hot you're hot, and when you're not you're not." To start with, you don't force yourself to skate if you aren't doing it naturally. Secondly, form is emphasized most, speed will follow. Relaxation is a key. The last thing I do before I race is the most important: a short prayer. The reasons for prayer are few and simple, but the wisdom behind it, which is not my own, is infinite. Amen.
Miyoshi: 80% mental, 20% physical.
Yandall: A little thought, with hopes of getting in the groove. Lately I've had little practice in the physical realm.
Ryan: I try to work out as much as possible. Long-time competition in skateboarding has given me the ability to concentrate.
Williams: I try to be as relaxed as possible and still rip the course apart. It's a real hard thing to learn and carry out, but rehearsing it in your head before racing can help. I watch my biorhythms, eat good food, get enough sleep, and practice.
Skoldberg: I think about contests and racing about a week in advance. I definitely get some strategies working in my mind. Physically, I try to stay in good shape, and rest a little the day before.
Sims: Since racing is a 50-50 trip, the human body must be working well, and the racer's mind must be clear.
Shufeldt:: Yoga stretches, and a positive downhill attitude to keep myself committed to my moves.

What is your favorite type of course (tight slalom, giant slalom, or other)?

Piercy: Tight slalom-the tighter the better.
Woodstock: I like all different types. I seem to do best on straight cones.
Peralta: Straight cones spread 8-1/2 feet apart on a slanted hill. A very long, straight course that allows me to pick up more speed through the end of the course using gyrating techniques.
Smith: Semi-tight slalom with the gates about five- or six-feet apart.
Engh: I like a course that starts out staggered, but still keeps you in the fall line. The first hall should gradually line up into the bottom hall, which would be straight cones.
Hester: I kind of like slow, wide turns like the Ventura contest. Straight cones about 6-1/2 feet apart are exciting if you're having a good day.
Walker: I prefer a giant slalom, or the type of course that really allows you to use your own pumping for speed, as opposed to a course where the hill itself creates most of the speed, and you end up just trying to control it. I like something where you can just cut loose and not have to put on the brakes too much.
Graham: My favorite course is the six-foot cone spread, straight pumpin' course. Slight to no-slope.
Tholl: I like a long course. Curb-to-curb turns.
Trailer: Tight slalom of a workable pump type.
Hutson: I enjoy all courses, but I feel cramped on a long series of straight, fight cones. I like courses that test the rider's ability to traverse and turn.
Miyoshi: Tight slalom.
Yandall: All courses are my favorite.
Ryan: I like a combination of the tight slalom and giant slalom. I prefer a giant-slalom-type course at the top, with tight cones at the bottom.
Williams: I really like all of them. Each one is approached differently. Rhythm flows through all of them.
Skoldberg: Giant slalom is my cup of tea. Long, fast, drawn out turns in a G.S. are right on. Tight slalom is fun too; it helps you put a fine edge on your rhythm.
Sims: My favorite course is a banked giant slalom. The bobsled run in Grenoble would probably be the ultimate GS course currently in existence. Hopefully, skate-park designers will engineer some "primo" slalom terrain.
Shufeldt:: I like courses that change from tight to wide rhythms and back again. The rhythms are similar to skiing and surfing.

Have you had any particularly memorable races? If so, why?

Piercy: The Long Beach World Championships. The last of four runs with Henry Hester gave me the fastest time of the entire meet. I beat Henry with thousands of people pumping both of us with their energies. There was more pressure on me that run than any other race in my life.
Woodstock: They have all been good. The New York race was a stoker because I had a lot of people cheering for me, and that helps.
Peralta: Steve's South Bay, and the USSA San Diego World Contest. The courses were straight cones 81 feet apart, on a slanted hill that was very long. I usually start slow and start picking up my speed a quarter of the way through the end.
Smith: The races I remember are the real close ones. Pete Tholl is one guy I've had some good races with.
Engh: The Ocean Festival at Del Mar. When I heard about it from a friend, I was afraid to enter, but decided to go for it, and walked away with first place. Also the Cow Palace, where everyone was trying to decide if it was Henry or Bob Skoldberg who was gonna win, and I guess I just came outta nowhere and beat the big boys-stoke '0 life.
Hester: Two different days: La Costa last summer-you can see that day in Scott Dittrich's movie, "Free Wheelin'." That was the best racing that has ever happened. Long Beach Arena-my third race on Sunday against Bob Piercy. It was so full-on that I don't even remember who won, and I don't even care. What a race!
Walker: The most memorable race in my life was the one at Magic Mountain in May. It was by far the longest and also the most interesting. There were different sections of the run, and each required a slightly different approach. It definitely kept you on your toes. The plywood ramp at the end of the course, for slowing down, was definitely a heavy experience.
Graham: The Hang Ten Contest at the LA Sports Arena, where I placed 4th, even though we raced after midnight.
Tholl: The Cow Palace Contest. I didn't place, but it was fun being there.
Trailer: Del Mar's kickoff to slalom and freestyle days.
Hutson: Magic Mountain. Although the officiating hurt many people, including myself, the course was outrageous. It really challenged the racer, with more than 35 gates, and elapsed times of 45-50 seconds.
Miyoshi: The La Costa Summer Contest sponsored by the YMCA. I took a bad fall, which kept me out of competition for over three months.
Yandall: Not really. I've been busy with too many things to really enjoy the races I've been in, but someday when I climb out of my rut, I'll be back.
Ryan: The Hang Ten Contest at Carlsbad, recently. I got to race with all my old teammates, and we proved we are still number 1.
Williams: I'd have to say the Sunday La Costa races. I feel very fortunate to have learned to race there. It taught me a lot about the techniques of slalom racing, and is a geed weekly, all-day workout. It you can beat them at La Costa, you can beat them anywhere.
Skoldberg: I'll never forget my first race at the Bahne-Cadillac Contest. I drew Chris Yandall and I was bummed. I was nervous as hell and when the gate flew open, I went about two feet and fell flat on my face! What a drag' I also enjoyed every race at the Cow Palace. Everyone was so hot.
Sims: The Magic Mountain Giant Slalom was the classic this year. I had the fastest time of the day in the prelims, but a wipeout on a water slick caused by the computerized sprinkler system knocked me out of competition.
Shufeldt:: Not in particular. They all seem to come together in a growing racing experience. Learning, teaching-teaching, learning more.

What do you think would be the ultimate racing conditions?

Piercy: Head-to-head tight slalom-35 straight cones 6-feet apart. 11% grade with gates at the top that you pull out of.
Woodstock: New asphalt with a combination of slalom and giant slalom, a big crowd, and $10,000 to $1,000 prize money for the first 10 places.
Peralta: Sunny, brisk day, with the wind at your back, and a perfect grippy, smooth cement or asphalt.
Smith: Only time will determine the ultimate racing conditions. A full-on organized racing circuit, with super adequate, designated areas for racing would be good
Engh: For me, my own private little dead-end street tucked back in the hills of La Jolla.
Hester: Long Beach Arena, 15,000 fans are enough, $10,000 for 1st, and very controlled conditions with PSA rules. The more fans-the faster we go. It's proven!
Walker: About 60 degree air temperature, on black asphalt pavement; a 100-yard course on a winding, curving road, slightly downhill, with several really steep sections throughout the run.
Graham: Dual slalom with timing lights. No wind.
Tholl: Indoors. A long, wide course with a smooth blacktop surface
Trailer: Where everybody who races gets show biz money in the exhibitional contests.
Hutson: Good course, good racing surface, tight officiating and real fellowship and brotherhood between every racer, regardless of placing.
Miyoshi: La Costa conditions . . . steep, tight and fast.
Yandall: Skating when you know you'll win, just like Henry.
Ryan: About a half-mile of clean blacktop, absolutely no wind. The surface of the course should be warm, with a lot of spectators hyping the sport.
Williams: One designed by racers to begin with. I'd like to see a good downhill course, two miles long, with 200 cones to go around. It takes a lot of endurance to get through it in less than two minutes, but you would see some healthy racers.
Skoldberg: Electric timing that worked every time. On-time racing; no delays. Head-to-head for big money.
Sims: A head-to-head, two-minute giant slalom (with a $100,000 purse) down an unreal banked concrete course would be pretty good conditions.
Shufeldt:: Slick, black surface, lanes 30-feet wide, starting gates, lights (timing equipment). Varying slopes connected so they could be used altogether or one at a time. Also plenty of spectator bleachers.

What is your theory on getting a good start?

Piercy: Anticipation, with a hungry kick
Woodstock: Start moving before you hear "go."
Peralta: Can't really say because I always have slow starts.
Smith: A slalom race is won or lost right at the start. Timing is super important. A racer should be on his way on the "set" call of the starting sequence.
Engh: You'd have to ask Henry on that one. It's my start that messes me up every race.
Hester: It's very simple-you have to be moving before you hear "go."
Walker: I like to get a really good thrust from my kickoff, and then try to draw the straightest possible line throughout the course. The first few cones are the most Important because they set you up for the rest of the run. It you get a bad start, things usually get worse
Graham: The Big-H "Crow-hop" is not only stunning, but obliterating to all racers
Tholl: Timing and concentration.
Trailer: The "Crow-hop" start, which Hester has mastered.
Hutson: Anticipation. You must know the starter's tempo and rhythm, then react 'when the starter gives the command to go I try to think of exploding when I start.
Miyoshi: Anticipation of the starter, and getting as many kicks in as possible before the first cone.
Yandall: Good habits and clear dreams of where you'll be.
Ryan: I work out in practice. Just so I won't have starting problems. I have the most perfect start in my mind before I ever get into the gate. . . mental concentration.
Williams: It helps your start to begin pacing yourself with your breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth between each "on your mark, get set, go." At "go," you should be exhaling in time with your first push The added punch of oxygen to your brain IS good for speeding up your reaction time.
Skoldberg: Calculate the cadence and book!
Sims: I concentrate on cone patterns near the top of the run, eyeing my trajectory through the first three or four gates. Jetting out of the starting gate just after the "set" is the key to a fast start.
Shufeldt:: Practice your starts just as much as you practice racing the different types of courses.

Do you ever hold back for any reasons?

Piercy: Only in the case of wide crankers which directly break the fall line.
Woodstock: Sometimes I do itf it's a really hard course, and I haven't got it wired.
Peralta: No way!
Smith: I hold back when I don't have total confidence in my wheels or the course. Some courses have to be milked, others can be powered all the way.
Engh: No, not in competition, but in practice, frequently, because I wanta keep my bod in one piece.
Hester: I always plan to, but I never do.
Walker: Not any more. I did at Magic Mountain because I didn't really feel comfortable with such a tight course, and I hadn't really practiced a lot on good, long hills. Also, I wasn't well equipped at the time. I've learned a lot since then, and I'm not planning on holding back any longer.
Graham: Only when the course calls for it.
Tholl: No. If it's a hard course, I will ride slow for a while until I get II semi-wired, then go for it.
Trailer: When racing friends. I just hate to beat them, so I hold back.
Hutson: Sometimes you just don't have it. You aren't trying to hold back: you just can't seem to go forward.
Miyoshi: Never, unless racing with an injury.
Yandall: Yes, especially when I choke.
Ryan: Only during practice, but never during a race. I can be injured, or worse, during actual competition, and not hold back any.
Williams: I really don't like holding back: it's not my style of racing. Sometimes I will, though, if it's the kind of course that is easy to go too fast and not make it. You have to hold onto regulation of your speed. In warming up, it is important to hold back because it takes a while to focus on the fine line, and it's easy to fall on your first few runs. Take each run a little faster, till you feel comfortable to cut it loose.
Skoldberg: In a controlled racing situation, never.
Sims: No.
Shufeldt:: Not unless my timing is off on a gate or two, and I've gotten a little out of control.

Why don't some racers go as fast?

Piercy: They have a mental block which won't allow them to break the outer limits.
Woodstock: Some aren't able to find a fast line between the cones. You have to really want to go fast.
Peralta: Not enough experience; maybe bad equipment.
Smith: Speed depends on skating ability and confidence. Also a knowledge of the fastest way down a course.
Engh: No balls, or lots of brains: one or the other.
Hester: Guys don't push fast enough, and they don't go about it in the right frame of mind-too many riders are too casual-racing is not casual.
Walker: Perhaps it's their equipment, which can have a lot to do with it. Or it might be the way they move their body.
Graham: Because of lack of rhythm and equipment problems.
Tholl: They may have bad timing, or can't concentrate.
Trailer: They can't get into the swing of things.
Hutson: Some racers go fast because they are in the groove. They are confident, almost conceited. They always rise to the occasion.
Miyoshi: Some racers are hungrier than others.
Yandall: I think it's because of bad practice habits and angle of attack.
Ryan: Probably due to lack of coordination, lack of good race equipment, and due to their "all-around outlook" on skateboarding.
Williams: A lot of racers don't seem to concentrate or practice their techniques. One thing I've noticed is how some racers look real fast, but have slow times. It takes more than looking pretty to beat the best racers. You have to get aggressive and hungry. Don't be afraid to let that raw energy out, and direct it to that fine line.
Skoldberg: Some slalom racers are into casual cruising. To go fast is another frame of mind entirely: you have to think fast.
Sims: There are too many factors involved.
Shufeldt:: Some have a mental block that stops them from connecting all their turns together, and some are afraid of slick black

Who do you think is the top competition? Why?

Piercy: Henry Hester and Tony Alva-they hate to place second as much as I do.
Woodstock: Henry Hester, Bob Skoldberg, T. R., Stacy Peralta, Paul Engh, Alva.
Peralta: I respect Henry Hester very much. I classify him as a real professional. He always has his equipment tuned to perfection, and has a good competitive attitude. He doesn't get upset. I also consider Bobby Piercy a real professional for the same reasons: also Bob Skoldberg, Mike Williams and Tommy Ryan.
Smith: Bob H., Bobby Skoldberg, Bob Piercy, Tommy Ryan, Mike Williams, Chris Yandall, Scott Johnson, Pete Tholl, Tony Alva, Conrad Miyoshi.
Engh: Bobby Piercy and Henry Hester, but H's days are limited.
Hester: My top competition is Paul Engh in track slalom, and Bob Skoldberg, Bob Piercy, T. R., and Tony Alva on asphalt. Paul has good leverage for straight cones.
Walker: From what I've seen, I'd have to say Hester, Alva and Skoldberg. In Florida, the best would probably be Bobby Mandarino, Dave Smith and Joe Levitz.
Graham: The big, bad H. He's perfect with the flow.
Tholl: Henry Hester and Bob Piercy. They're both pretty consistent.
Trailer: The mighty and all-perfect H, who I'll beat in the near future.
Hutson: Henry Hester. He has won almost every blasted race he has entered. Nobody comes close to his consistency in any area of skateboarding, slalom or freestyle.
Miyoshi: Henry Hester, Bob Skoldberg, Bob Piercy. Henry and Bob Skoldberg are always in there on top. Bob Piercy always rips, and I feel he will be the man to beat for # t place in the near if not immediate future.
Yandall: If any skater is tops all around, it would have to be Tony Alva. He is a true skater. When it comes to tops in the slalom field, Henry Hester has become an historical figure for the advancement of slalom racing. He is in the groove.
Ryan: I'd say Henry Hester . . . he's always consistent, and always pushing hard.
Williams: Henry Hester. It's a question of mind over matter.
Skoldberg: Henry Hester, Danny Trailer, Bob Piercy, Mike Williams, Tommy Ryan, and Tony Alva. They have that frame of mind that I was talking about. They think fast.
Sims: For each type of slalom, there are those who stand out. The most consistent racers include Hester, Skoldberg, Ryan, Piercy, Alva, Engh, Hutson, Trailer, Yandall, Peralta, Williams, Andre, and Reeves.
Shufeldt:: Henry Hester, T. Ryan, Mike Williams, Bob Piercy, Bob Skoldberg, Tony Alva, and John Hutson. They've all worked out their own styles and techniques.

Who do you see as fast and upcoming? Why?

Piercy: Conrad Miyoshi-he has the ability and the determination to be # 1.
Woodstock: Bob Piercy and Mike Williams.
Peralta: I haven't been around La Costa enough to tell.
Smith: I see plenty of upcoming guys every Sunday at La Costa; I don't know all their names. A few are Scott Johnson, Layne Oaks, Marty Schaub, Pete Tholl.
Engh: Conrad Miyoshi. He's hot but doesn't do good in competition.
Hester: Mike Williams has "fast and upcoming" written all over his face because he's serious about what he's doing. Also David Hackett.
Walker: In California, I'd say David Hackett. He has a good-looking style even when he's going fast. In Florida, watch out for Jim McCall. He hasn't been entering slalom competition, but has decided to get into it. He's a lot faster than I. thought he'd be.
Graham: Ryan and Piercy are steaming up Henry's alley.
Tholl: Marty Schaub. He gets taster each run.
Trailer: Tommy Ryan with his snakey moves.
Hutson: It is still too soon to see any new kids coming up. It's going to happen, but it's still very early.
Miyoshi: Steve Sishler and Mike Williams.
Yandall: Mike Williams, Bob Piercy, Tommy Ryan, and the ever-amazing Bob Skoldberg are on their way up.
Ryan: John Hutson from Santa Cruz.
Williams: Bobby Piercy is unique in his fast ski stance. He is a fine snow skier, and employs a lot of that skill into his skateboarding.
Skoldberg: David Hackett. Every time I turn around, this guy gets harder to see! Woody Woodstock is also going to be hot; he's gotten the basics down in a hurry.
Sims: John Drury, who competes in the Jr. Men's, has never taken less than a "first." His gyrating, tracking and lines put him consistently tar ahead of the pack.
Shufeldt:: Pete Tholl, Marty Schaub and Davey "Pappy" Andrews. They enjoy racing, and they practice a lot.

What do you think is the future of slalom racing?

Piercy: I can't see slalom racing going anywhere but bigger and better.
Woodstock: Better rules! Separate slalom and freestyle contests on different days. As skateboarding becomes more and more popular in this country and abroad, the competition will increase greatly.
Peralta: I think it has a great future as long as the courses are set up like the skaters themselves want them.
Smith: Slalom racing will continue to grow as long as there are safe, clean hills and surfaces to run on. The competition is there, ready and willing to race.
Engh: No comment.
Hester: I’d like to see it get like the drag races every Friday night! I hope it isn't pushed aside in major contests any more. Europe is going to be slalom crazy in the near future. Pro boards will be custom made and be about $150. You'll see top riders coming out of the mountains. Courses will be more electronic. It will be twice as exciting from now on because the slalom riders are learning a little showmanship.
Walker: I think it’ll get tougher for the best racers to stay on top because as time goes on, more people will get into it. Equipment will get better, and times will be cut tighter and tighter. The best riders will have to work twice as hard to stay where they are now.
Graham: Future is the dual-ditch slalom, which will complement the flat downhill.
Tholl: I think it will go a long way because it's fast and exciting.
Trailer: What is the future of snow-ski racing?
Hutson: The future of slalom racing is bright. I think slalom will become a very participant-oriented sport. Anyone and everyone can get out I on the course and record a time, then compare himself to other competitors, and know where he stands. Slalom racing will establish itself as the "true grit" event in skateboard competition. Also, slalom racing will separate itself from freestyle, and contests will be scheduled dealing strictly with downhill events.
Miyoshi: Big money, and most of all a lot of fun from racing against international competition.
Yandall: The future is Larry Bertleman style - anything is possible.
Ryan: If people don't start realizing this is a sport and not just a little kid's game, there will be no more sport. I feel the promoters could do much to improve skateboard racing's image by providing good courses, and in their promotion and coverage of the races.
Williams: It's whatever the skaters, promoters and manufacturers do to the sport. The best is so possible in both organization of races and equipment. The worst could happen ~ things are not really refined and polished. It's just like riding the best combinations of equipment-it all pays off. You have to do it right to make it all come together!
Skoldberg: Hopefully, slalom racing will take its place alongside other professional sports such as skiing, and a professional tour will happen. I do think it is here to stay as a professional, major event.
Sims: The massive growth in the last two years would indicate a continuing development of slalom racing. With many skate parks now in planning and building stages, it appears that ideal conditions for organized training and competition may not be tar away.
Shufeldt:: If we get sponsorship from big business, and keep organizing Am and Pro meets, it will grow like ski racing has, but on a little larger scale, I believe.
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Sun Sep 04, 2005 2:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Denis Shufeldt Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:37 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 3, No. 2, December 1976

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Denis Shufeldt

By Warren Bolster

Denis Shufeldt. The name brings to mind images, years past, of a shirtless longhair, wearing only Levi's and gum-soled shoes, rifling the fresh, steep asphalt of La Costa. Very advanced for that time, Denis was the first person to put a high-speed body fairing to use, and with outstanding success. Rumors of his courage and speed on stock 24" skateboards created a mystique that still surrounds him today. Our first encounter with Shufeldt was no less than a revelation; and, unfortunately, a story too long to go into at this time. When we get around to doing the La Costa story, it will, however, begin on the first page of the first chapter. It was at La Costa on many future encounters that we came to know the man well. Words like positive, direct, intelligent, responsible, well spoken, soulful and disciplined all describe him very well, and these traits have allowed him a large degree of identification and influence in the sport. Denis could be said to be more in touch with the sport at all levels than anybody, and because of this, he's provided a vital function in many areas at a time when skateboarding needed someone to lay the groundwork for the future. As can be said of few others, "his mama didn't raise no fools." We here at SKATEBOARDER have often had cause to wonder what direction the sport would have gone without his guidance in so many areas. As a skateboarder, Denis' mature, precise, individual style is a showcase of the art. Those who know him still think he's the fastest racer they've ever seen. When Denis starts to talk of long, twisting mountain speed runs, his eyes start to glow like I haven't seen them in years, and he drifts into another world very much compatible with his other two major interests-surfing and skiing. They're all downhill sports, and Denis seems to understand them very well. I interviewed Denis in two parts at his North San Diego County home. In contrast to another mellow North County resident-Gregg Weaver-Denis had a lot to say.

How did skateboarding all begin for you?

For me, skateboarding began when I was just about eight years old. You know, I knew surfing existed, and I wanted to do that, and it was just more or less another form of entertainment, you know, something to get off on. We were just using 2 by 4's and steel skates, our sisters' skates pulled apart and nailed onto a 2 by 4. It was just riding and having fun. . . that's when it all started.

Who was influential to you in your early days?

Tommy Ryan was the first person that I ever saw on a skateboard in a picture in a paper, so I'd say that was the first person, as far as knowing there was someone else out there that did it and was getting recognition for it. And later on, in '63 and '64 through '65, I got to know Tommy when I rode for Gordon & Smith Fibreflex Team, and I'd say Vince Turner and Skip Frye, WIllie Phillips, those people were very influential in turning me onto parallel skateboarding and slalom skateboarding back at that time, and they were also very influential because I could see them out in the water surfing at the local beaches, and they
were very smooth, so they influenced me in a surfing style as well as a skateboarding style.

When did you start getting into speed racing?

I got into it pretty young. One time, I guess I was about . . . that was '61 . . . I was about 11 years old then, and we had pretty much customized our steelwheel boards, and gone through the whole gamut of going down the sidewalks as fast as we could, down hills that were pretty radical, and we'd just got into the new clay wheels. Actually, the first time we started skating the street was '61. We were always on the sidewalks, you know, because of the steel wheels. And then when we got into the streets on clay wheels, if we had a good, clean street, we got into speed running then a little bit. But not with as much finesse or with as many technicalities, you know, that we're doing now.

When did the finesse enter in?

Well, finesse for me, as far as speed racing, entered into it when skateboarding started all over again. The finesse part entered into it around '73, '74, when I was currently into yoga at that time, very heavily into it. I had been teaching it for about three years and everything more or less had a basic technique in which I was trying to reach a certain point of just either relaxation or a certain point of concentration, or a certain point of more or less freedom. That's what everybody more or less searches for. And in skateboarding, the speed situation was very much the same as feeling free, so . . . yoga's what really got me into the finesse thing in skateboarding. It was all just more or less the right place at the right time, and I got into more of a technical end of skateboarding than anybody else was at at that time, so I had a bit of a jump on everybody.

How did your entry in to practicing yoga come about?

I entered by getting introduced to an individual who ended up being my teacher. He was a very close friend of my sister's. My sister's husband grew up with the individual, so my sister knew him, and I had always been interested in yoga, and that type of thing. I was into meditation when I was about 16, and when I was between 20 and 21, I got introduced to this individual, and seemed to get off on him very, very easily. He and I communicated very easily, so I began to take yoga at that time from him, and within six months I started teaching it. After that, I was teaching it at night and working during the day, and from then on it just became a normal practice in my everyday frame of being, I guess.

Does it have any other advantages besides relaxing you?

It seems to center you very much, and give you a good place to approach everything from. It gives you a very clear and well-balanced view of things. You don't tend to get as uptight about things as when you're more or less out Of center, because you see more than just one side of things; you can see what motivated some people to do a negative thing, and you can also see why somebody gets uptight at receiving that negative thing-you see the whole picture, more or less, and you're not necessarily above it; you're just with it more.

Did you skiing experience enter in at all to your fairing at that time?

At that time, my skiing experience didn't really enter into my fairing that much, as far as my practical skiing experience, because I hadn't really had that much experience in skiing yet, but the knowledge of what ski racers do entered into it. I had watched them on television, you know, ski races and that type of thing, and I picked up on exactly how they were fairing their bodies, and how they were making themselves go faster; and also bicycle racers, anybody that's going through the air, I just picked up on that. And ski jumping in particular-how the guys foil out their bodies totally, and break down the resistance so they can fiy. So that's what I was getting into on a skateboard, more or less flying as low as I could.

Would you care to comment on your new fairing technique?

Well, my new fairing technique is something that I've been working on . . . I worked on it a bit up in the mountains, and I got the idea pretty much from watching different skiing techniques and ski jumping techniques and also ski racing techniques. With my arms back, the way I'm skating now at times, it works very well in minimizing drag, but .it only works at a certain degree of speed. I find that the fairing technique that I developed back in '73 and '74 still works very good for working up to a certain speed; and then when I get up to a point where I need to really minimize my drag under certain kinds of conditions, then I'll go into a full fairing where I have my arms totally back, and I can extend my body out over my board more. It gets into even a lot more flying. It's like ski jumping, more or less.

What other forms of skateboarding are you into?

I'm also into slalom racing, tight courses, you know, regular slalom racing or giant slalom, or downhill slalom racing; I like all three types of slalom racing more than anything. I also really enjoy skating in the Park (Carlsbad). The Park's really great fun, and it allows for a little bit different type of expression. Of course, I'd like to see the Park a little bit larger so you can. get into a lot longer type of line and break loose a little bit more, but then again I like freestyle too. I'm not the most fantastic freestyle skater in the world, but I enjoy doing freestyle in the driveways or, you know, out on the black hill, or something, just getting loose and relaxing. I like all types of skating, really, but freestyle is the least of the three types, as far as freestyle, slalom and park skating.

What, if any, form of skateboarding is the most difficult?

I can only actually answer for myself in that. For me, the hardest is the one I don't do the best and that's freestyle, but I enjoy doing it just as much as the other ones. Speed racing comes pretty natural to me and so does slalom racing, so that's the way that one is.

What would you like to accomplish from your efforts in skateboarding?

Well, there's a few different things I'd like to accomplish from my efforts in skateboarding. The skateboarding aspect itself is just tp enjoy skateboarding, and also maybe help skateboard parks progress to the point where we can get some really fine parks where you can really cut loose and enjoy yourself safely. Other ~ aspects of skateboarding, like the commercial aspects of it or the financial aspects of it, you know, I'd like to get along fine like I have been in the last couple of years and making a living from the sport because I enjoy it. And I also enjoy the fact that I get paid for helping the sport when I work for a company. It's nice to be able to make a living at something you enjoy doing, and get off on what you're doing it for.

What other type of terrain would you like to see in a skate park?

I'd like to see other types. . . getting into more of a surfing thing like we had except at the same time not quite as radically vertical. I don't think the angles in skate parks need to be quite as vertical as what everybody wants them to be. Pool riding is not limited by any means at all, it's just that a little bit easier angle, like say at the Reservoir, is a lot more workable, and you can do a lot more different types of freestyle maneuvers on them. Ask any of the hot freestylers, it's a lot easier to pull two or three 360's off of a slight angle than it is a vertical wall like a pool. So I'd just like to see a lot more mellow angles with a lot longer runs that you could build up a lot of speed and still get a lot of freestyle maneuvers. Right now the fall line, so to speak, just leads down to one point, and you need more different trails to take.

How long a run do you think might be optimum or ultimate?

Well, a nice run would be . . . a 200yard run would be excellent. It wouldn't have to be over that long a space, it's just that it would go back and forth so that your terrain was always changing and every corner was new. You could have a pretty entertaining run; you wouldn't have to have it straight. But a good 200-yard run would at least be fun in a skateboard park so you wouldn't be running into the same people all the time. .

You sort of avoided competing pretty much in the last year. Would you like to explain that?

Sure. Competition to me is . . . it's not far away to me, like I like to compete when the time's right for me and the place is right, and also my position in skateboarding, what I've been trying to do, personally, is trying to create a competition . . . that kept me from entering a lot of contests because I felt that bias might have been called on my part and that type of thing, and I wanted to make sure the contests came off right, and so I chose to work in it, or maybe M.C. the contests, just to help the contests work out better. And also, a lot of races that are held, I don't particularly either care for the area that it's being held in or the way in which it's being held, or sometimes no limitations on equipment and that type of thing. I race with very limited stock equipment, where other people are getting into more experimental type of things. I've always skated commercially, you might say, in the last year or two; I've been promoting people's products, so I take a very stock piece of equipment to a limit that a lot of people couldn't possibly do, without getting a piece of equipment that makes it a lot easier to do it with.

How do you think you’d fare, like in a speed race, for instance, against someone on more specialized equipment?

Well, depending upon the size of wheels I was using versus the size of wheels they were using, and also here again the hill would have something to do with it, I would fare very close to most people, but when you get into competing with somebody that has a four- or five-foot-Iong board, you have so much weight displacement that it makes it very easy to carry all that weight down the hill; whereas, with a little stock board, you have a lot more problems with control, and also you have a smaller amount of surface area to carry your body weight, so you have a lot more friction. So I would be at a disadvantage, but I would still fare decently. Now if I was to be on some sophisticated equipment, I would fare even better (laughter), especially if I could find the type of hill I like, I'd fare even better because I've had some nice experiences up in the mountains with long hills, and I've had some very nice experiences in La Costa with the old Watertower Hill. The longer the hill, the more of a fairing you can constantly break into, and break out of, to re-create more speed all the time.

I know that last year at Signal Hill you weren’t invited to race; whereas this year, you were, yet you decided not to. What reason would give for not . . .

I have a couple of reasons: one is more or less a personal reason, and another reason, which is a better reason than the personal reason; the practical reason being safety-wise, and also a little bit of stupidity on the part of organizing the contest at that hill. You have a very steep hill, which is great for speed, and then you have an acute angle at the bottom, and with the equipment that we have today, you have speeds available of in excess of 65-70 miles an hour, with the right hill and the right temperature conditions. And at the bottom of that hill, coming off it with a three-inch wheel, ask Tommy Ryan; he told me he got airborne at the bottom. And I said I've gone 58 m.p.h. myself on a stock skateboard; I'd hate to hit that standing up and get six to eight inches off the ground airborne. Also, you've got potential there with that hill for 65 m.p.h. easily, and I was surprised to find out that they only went 54, until I found out that the temperature there was about a hundred degrees. The contest should have been held at six o'clock in the morning so the asphalt would be cold and hard, so higher speeds could be obtained, and then they might have seen quite a few accidents, though, so it might have been worse.

Well, if you know they’re planning on having another one in January, is there any way you would consider racing?

I don't know about that hill, because it's kind of hypocritical in one way to hold a high-speed contest at that hill. You've got nice steepness, but then a very radical angle at the bottom to flatten out on. And then also, with the equipment that we have today, we should actually be racing on a strip approximately three miles long in which we'd be setting up for the main part of our speed track for about a mile, just doing regular skating downhill, building up our speed, and maybe holding a fairing for another half mile through a time trap of maybe a quarter of a mile, and then having another half mile of uphill slow-down area to straighten out of. And it could be done very easily up in the mountains anywhere, and that's the type of situation I'd like to see. I know we're just trying to get speed racing into the spectator aspects of it, but the safety and also the . . . taking it to its full limits should also be thought about at the same time, actually. . . fairing techniques don't really begin to take place until you hit 50 m.p.h.

You mentioned before, and I want to get back to it, that you had personal reasons for not competing at Signal Hill. Did I miss those, or did you neglect . . .

No, I just neglected to tell them because I don't really like to mention anybody's name in public as far as saying a personal opinion about them, because that's just personal bullshit.

You mentioned that you thought speeds of 65 to 70 m.p.h. were possible at this time. Would it be possible on stock equipment, or would you have a specialized skateboard?

Specialized in the ways that you'd have. . . a larger wheel is specialized in that aspect, and also, take for instance Mike Williams and Tommy Ryan; they ride larger, longer boards, very heavy, different than what Chuy (Bob Madrigal) is riding, different than what Grundy rides; they're long too, except they're not as heavy as what Tommy was riding. Tommy had 30 or 40 pounds of weight in there. And a very strong type of new truck that's been out, I guess it just came out on the market, and with huge wheels, and that's the type of thing you can go 70 m.p.h. on with no problem, as long as you've got somebody that knows how to stay cool at that speed and control it, especially with some of the new fairing techniques like being on your knees, you can really hold a high speed on a good piece of equipment like that much easier than standing up. It's a lot harder to hold a high speed when you're standing up.

How fast do you think you could go on a stock skateboard yourself?

Well, depending upon the wheel size, if we put a good three-inch wheel or four-inch wheel on it, we wouldn't have any problem of going 65 or 70 m.p.h., if you have the right hill. But then again, that takes a lot of space.

How do you feel about the new fairing techniques, the kneeling and the lying down? Do you think you’re going to get into that yourself?

I don't think I'll ever get into it myself because it's not natural to me, I don't feel like I have as much control. And also, it's like the difference between surfing and kneeboarding; they're both good sports, and I've got no bias against either one, but skateboarding to me is done standing up and not on your knees, and it's just a personal opinion that I have. I wouldn't do it laying down on my stomach or my back. Skateboarding to me is standing up.

Do you think there should be a division for the different styles, or do you think that they should all be grouped together as they were at Signal Hill?

I think pretty much that there should be equipment breakdowns, and also there should be either a fairing breakdown or else a limited and unlimited division, and the unlimited being no limit on fairing techniques and no limit on equipment; and the limited should be stock equipment, standing up, so we keep some of the essence of skateboarding.

I’ve noticed recently that you’ve widened your stance a little bit from the parallel position that you used to use, to a little more of a surf stance. Why is that?

Well, that's pretty much due to skating the Carlsbad Skatepark lately quite a bit, and also skating driveways around my house that I'm living at now. I've been getting into more of a freeform type of thing like imitating surfing when I'm skating driveways or the Skatepark. You have to skate with your feet further apart-if you're skating parallel all the time, you can't get quite as much juice, and the wider stance also allows for you to do some off-thelips, slides, and that type of thing that's enjoyable in a park.

What advantages does the parallel stance have, if any?

To me, the parallel stance has an advantage in that if you have quick reflexes and ankle motions, say take somebody like Bobby Piercy, who has very quick ankles, and also Conrad Miyoshi, they can pull themselves, actually whip themselves through tight gates with their ankles. And the parallel stance is also very good for practicing and toning the same muscles for snow skiing, so it has a therapeutic value to it, and also has a value to it in tight course racing.

Which do you prefer for general giant slalom; do you still prefer the parallel for giant slalom?

I prefer the parallel for tight slalom, the giant slalom and for downhill, or else a wide giant slalom. I prefer not quite a feet-apart surf stance, but feet apart parallel stance, more or less. It's almost like skating a single ski or something; you've got your feet just apart; excuse me, not a single ski but a surfboard.
What do you think of the associations at the moment?

What do you thing of the associations at the moment?

Well, the two that I see working, the PSA and the Pro-Am Racing Association, those two that I see working seem to be doing some good, and they're trying like hell to get some good competition on the way, but they have the same problems everybody is running into. It's the first time around for many of them, and they have to learn by experience, and it's a trial and error process; and when you're dealing with so many different styles and different opinions, it's very hard for the growing process to speed up at all. But they're coming together a lot better all the time; it's just a matter of them working out different contests and finding out what works, and they'll have it together. And also I think it takes listening to the skaters

What do you think is the overall vibe of the top skaters at the moment? What do you think they’re feeling about the sport?

I think they're all stoked on what they're doing, but off and on, they have their moments of doubt. Some of them, that are getting i'1to the mid-20's and late 20's, wonder what they're doing in this sport because it isn't quite paying off yet as far as prize money and competition and endorsing products yet. But then again they realize that it's still in an infantile stage, with a lot yet to happen in the sport. I think they're all into it for hangin' on, because they're just beginning to get their dues all paid up so they can start reaping some of the benefits of the sport. Most everybody seems to be willing to stay into it for a while and make sure that Ws done right, so that other people can enjoy it like they have.

You mentioned, among other things, that you were looking to attain a certaln point of freedom. Have you reached that point yet, end Is your freedom level compromised very much by your work load?

You reach that freedom at different points, you know, off and on you reach it. You never get to hold on to it quite long enough as you'd like to all the time; that's why you keep going back after it. It's like surfing or skiing, you keep going up the lift or back after a wave. But now, it's like you get priorities, and since your priorities change, then your freedom priorities change, and now my freedom isn't so much. . . it's still the same as it used to be, but it's different things too, as well as trying to make sure the sport gets off on its feet as well as possible. I think skateboarding's gonna change a lot in the next six months to a year, due to the equipment that's gonna start coming put.

What particular changes do you see in the future?

Well, I see the truck has gotta change a lot, because skateboarding now is not stagnant so much, but it could go into a point of stagnancy very easy by the equipment not evolving any further than it has to this point. They evolved past the equipment twice already. They evolved past the rollerskating equipment that we had with the urethane wheels, and then the truck assemblies got better, such as the Tracker and the Bennett and the Bahne, then the skaters progressed with those trucks again, and now the skaters are past those trucks; their actions are better than what the trucks will really allow these days. And now the equipment has to really get a lot more fine tuned, so the skaters can get a lot more progressive, and that's why I think the truck assembly is gonna change a lot. On the board , . . the same materials will be used, but I think the construction and the lamination of them will be a little bit different in the future.

I know you just got back from the East Coast. How did you find the enthusiasm to be back there?

The enthusiasm from the skaters themselves was really great; everyone is really stoked on the sport, but, of course, they're bummed out because they don't have as many nice places to skate as we're blessed with here in Southern California. But they're always looking for new places, and they're always wanting to know who's the best, and that type of thing, and what type of equipment is the best, and what else is available that they don't know about. But then the enthusiasm by the people that don't skate is pretty much the same as it was back in the mid 60's. They think it's a fad, and they think it's just gonna die out; they don't give it enough credibility until you show them what can be done on it and what it can be used for as far as exercise forms in keeping your body in shape for other sports. Then they slowly begin to come around a bit.

As we heard the other day, there’s a bill before the legislature to ban skateboarding in California from streets and sidewalks. What do you think the result of this might be, and how do you think any such ban might be prevented?

It could be drastic if it finally comes down, because at this point, we haven't enough skateboard parks to accommodate all the people that are skateboarding. It's no one particular person's fault; it's just, I guess, a matter of society's fault over a lot of years of having a concrete jungle created, and all the young people have discovered it, and are using it because they have no other place to skate. And it's a full-fledged sport now, and the young people with their awareness, a high amount of awareness today, and also with their ability on a skateboard, they should be allowed a place to enjoy a recreational sport as well as to participate in professional sports.

How do you think we might be able to convince the legislature or the community in general that skateboarding’s a viable, valuable asset?

Well, I think we might convince them just by showing them how many are actually doing it, and also seeing that it's. . . it's a seasonal sport and also a geographical sport, depending upon where you are living, so it's not going to be happening everywhere, and it's not some mass plague like they think it is; it's not something that's gonna degenerate the kids. It's something that takes a lot of skill, and it takes a healthy person to skateboard. And I think we can show them that by having good, clean, safe skateboard areas, and good, clean, safe minds in the skateboard competitions to progress a healthy sport. Show them that it's healthy. . . it's up to everybody as an individual, not just a couple of people at the top pulling all the weight as far as getting everything organized.

Do you see anything that can be done to promote the credibility of skateboarding, outside of touring and competition and the skateboarders themselves?

Well, outside skateboarding itself, we just come down to the everyday life of the individual, and that reflects a lot. If an older group of people by chance know that somebody is a skateboarder, and they pull something pretty off the wall and upset somebody, it goes against all skateboarders. That's just the way human nature is. So it's a good idea that all people, you know, that are into skateboarding that want to promote it at all, that are serious about promoting it and enjoying it, they should just have a mature attitude, and consider everybody whenever they're in any public situation.

You're one of the leading advocates of safety equipment. Is there any time that you feel that It would be all right to skate without safety equipment?

Yeah, there are certain times when it can be gotten away with. Take, for instance, when an ice skater goes out and performs in the Olympics or in an amateur meet, or whatever, they don't have any type of padding on; they just have a nice looking uniform and their skate equipment on, because they're out there, and the chances of them getting hurt is minimal because they've learned everything, they've paid their dues, and they're under control 99.9. percent of the time. So that's one instance you can get away without padding. And there's a lot of days when you can skate your brains out and get away without any padding, and then all of a sudden, one of those days you feel great, and in five minutes you've snapped your foot because you didn't have a pair of shoes on, or scraped up your body really well because you didn't have any padding on. So it just pays to wear it all the time to cover those times when the unexpected's gonna get you.

Do you feel that safety equipment restricts performance?

Well, it all depends upon the situation. In high-speed runs, safety equipment only heightens the experience and performance because you're more safety equipped, and you feel like you can go for it a lot more, reach a higher degree of freedom. Also, in skating in a park, you feel a lot more uninhibited if you're coated with safety gear, because it's bad enough with a lot of people around you skating, but if you're coated with safety gear, at least you can be protected enough to have your mind relaxed a bit, and skate a lot better. There's a time and place of having it off, but I'd say 99 percent of the time you should have it on.

What kind of safety equipment would you like to see on the market?

Well, the main thing I'd like to see come up right away, which I've seen a few people work on, is wrist braces, because even myself, I just sprained my own wrist just a couple of weeks ago, and I think it's very important because that's the classic skateboard injury at this point. and it's a very important thing to protect, because it takes a long time to heal, and you can ruin your wrists for life if you don't protect them, so I'd like to see a good wrist brace. But then again, I'd like to see sportswear designed around skateboarding, like ski wear, too, so that it could be worn in the winter time when it's a little bit cooler.

How safe do you think skateboarding is for young kids?

Well, I know for sure it's a lot safer this time than it was the last time. The problems aren't all the same; there is one major one that is the same and that is the only place we have to do it is in the street, and we should have alternate places to do it. I mean, golfers have miniature golf courses and driving ranges and everything like that, and skiers have their places, and skateboarders, as large numbers as they are, as good in nature and as healthy as they are, they should have their own places as well.

Who are your favorite skateboarders?

There are so many hot skateboarders it's hard to pinpoint. As soon as you asked the question, I have two people, actually three people, that come right to mind. Now that I think about it, four people that come right to mind: Bruce Logan and Ty Page, and Torger Johnson and Brad Logan have got to be the four people that I relate the word skateboarding to, because of the roots that they have, and also because of the finesse that they have, using a board with their feet only. They have something that a lot of the skateboarders just don't have; they have the roots. Those four are basically related to freestyle, and I'm pretty much the opposite type of skater. That might have some type of relevance, but the reason for it being is that Torger and Bruce were both around when I was in it last time, and they were who I regarded at that time as being two of the hottest people in it, and now they're just as good if not better than they were then; in fact, they are better because of all the new tricks that are around, but they created many of them. They're good in situations that a specialist isn't good in. They're good in all-around skating and radical terrain; they're good at freestyle and in slalom racing; they're better than the average slalom skater. They don't practice as much as Big H does, or somebody hot like Petey Tholl or Bob Piercy.

Who are the young kids on the scene today that you think have potential?

In freestyle, I think Doug Saladino; Pineapple is really getting hot. Chris Chaput is another young one that is really hot. Those two are the young ones that really impress me a lot in the freestyle aspect. Then all-around skaters like typical Gregg Weaver and Eddie Katz. I think that's about it.

What chance do you see for people from other areas becoming competitive with people from Southern California In the near future?

I think it's good, the only problem is that in a lot of places, it's seasonal; they can only do it six months out of the year, so it's gonna take them a while to be good enough to compete with the California standard. But I think we'll begin to see people like we already have from Japan and from Australia more and more all the time, and then next maybe from Europe and Canada.

What kind of Improvements would you like to see in the present competition system?

In freestyle competition, I'd like to see a new form of judging. I've developed a judging system that finally came about after the last two-and-a-half years of working in contests and trying to develop a judging system that would be fair, unbiased, knock out as many possibilities as possible, and keep anybody from cheating in judging. What it is is a compulsory judging system similar to what ice skaters, ballet skiers and freestyle skiers use, in which you'd have a set number of maneuvers that you would be required to do. Say you'd have to do five maneuvers in your minute-and-a-half; you'd be able to pick those five maneuvers out of about thirty-five or forty maneuvers. Your routine would be based on those five maneuvers, how well you did them, the execution of your entire routine, the maneuvers in which you filled in between, and the variety of them, and how well everything fn together-more or less the execution of the routine and the composure of the skater, the presentation is within composure. So he would be judged on those compulsory maneuvers as well as his entire presentation of his routine. And the number system is something I won't get into at this time because it's a little bit more long and drawn out, but n would give you a much easier system of judging. The judges would already know what the skater was going to be doing ahead of time, the value of what he was going to be doing, and then it would be based solely on what the skater came out and performed right in front of the judges' eyes. That would cut down a lot of problems in the judging system we have. Also in the slalom racing, I don't see too many problems in it really other than that we just need to get more stimulation in the younger kids in the racing. It's a lot of fun; it's a lot safer than it ever was before because of the equipment and the safety equipment we have now. Right now there's been a rule that's been going down in racing that every time you hit a cone, or knock a cone over rather, they add time on your score, a tenth of a second for every cone you knock out of place. Well, in snow ski racing, you can hit every damn pole down the course, and as long as you go around the correct side of the poles, and you make it down there faster than anyone else, you're the winner. And I've heard people say, "'Well, that's skiing not skateboarding, and we're trying to perfect these people into skating cleaner and a better line without hitting any cones." Well, racing is racing, and drawing lines is drawing lines, and if a skater can draw as straight a line as possible down that course, faster than anybody else, he's the better racer, and that's the only thing I'd like to see in the current racing situation change, that one little rule. You should be able to knock down every cone as you go down the course, as long as you go around the correct side, If it's racing, it’s racing.

What do you think the ultimate course might be; you mentioned black aphalt . . . do you think asphalt is the best surface?

I think slick black is better than concrete for slalom, not for skate park and general skating, but for slalom, slick black is better-better traction. Also, in a skateboard park, you could work an excellent slalom racing situation in that you wouldn't necessarily have to have a straight hill. You could have a dog-leg, which is like an "L" or a slight "V," more or less, two angles could both be downhill, because all ski racing courses aren't straight downhill. You start off at one angle and have to cut across the hill in the other direction and go down through some gates. So I'd like to see at a skate park a nice dog-leg course of approximately a hundred yards long, where you have a nice variety type downhill courses, giant slalom and slalom courses.

Would you want to see sections in those courses where you're braking at times?

Well, yeah, part of racing is going as fast as possible through a course, but that doesn't mean going full speed the whole course. Fast as possible, at times, means cutting your speed three quarters of what it was two seconds before, because the terrain may change and vary a bit, and you have to put on the brakes to keep from hitting the next gate, which could be ten yards across, or five feet away. So racing is very technical and tactical both; it's knowing when to speed up and when to slow down. Ask anybody like Big H or Bob Skoldberg; they're constantly tuning into which gates to go on and which gates to stop on.

Where Is your favorite place to skate?

First, I'll say my favorite place to skate was the Reservoir, which was a one-of-a-kind place. And right now my favorite place to skate has been the sidewalk right out in front of my house. I've got three driveways that line up in front of each other, with a nice 45degree angle, and it can be a nice bank-riding thing right down my sidewalk. But that's just a current happening. I would say my most favorite place would have to be La Costa, all the different hills out there.

What kind of equipment do you use?

I use a wide range, actually, It depends upon what kind of skating I'm going to be doing. If I'm going to be skating at a park or driveways and doing free-form or freestyle type of skating, or surfing skating, I'll be riding a Logan Earth Ski with either Cadillacs on it or Road Riders, and Tracker Trucks, nice, low, wide profile trucks. Then if I'm slalom skating, I'm either riding a Turner Summer Ski, which I consider one of the better and more advanced slalom boards; and then also I have a Fibreflex; I have two of them. I have a short one, a newer one, and I have one that's about eleven years old, comes from the first time Fibreflex was around and I rode for them back in '64 and '65. I have a couple of Bahnes that I ride also, off and on, one I use for freestyle and another one, a narrower one, that I use for slalom skating, and it's got a pair of the wide Bahne trucks on it, the newer Cadillacs, and it rides pretty good. So I use all three different types of materials; I use the wood, I use the foam and fiberglass, and I also use the wooden fiberglass, and I also use the putrusions. Excuse me, that's four.

What do you use for speed racing?

Lately I've been using wooden equipment; I've been using a Torger Johnson model, because I like a little bit extra length to help give me some weight displacement, and it makes it a nice, comfortable ride. So that's what I've been using lately for speed equipment, but I'm gonna be completing some boards very soon, hopefully, that were supposed to be completed a while back. They'll be made out of foam and glass and some pultruded fiberglass.

Do you use the Tracker Trucks for slalom and high speed?

I use the Tracker Trucks mostly for slalom. I haven't really tried them at high speeds. I like a narrower truck, actually, for high speeds; it's a little easier to control. You don't have quite as much leverage on the wheel, and you can tighten up a narrower truck a lot more, it seems like, than you can the wider, low-profile truck, so ycu don't have quite as much wobble or instability with it.

Do you think there were any advantages at all to the composition wheels?

The old composition wheels? There was a slight advantage; at that time we didn't have urethane, so it was an advantage over the steel wheels, and that was the only advantage at the time. They were still very dangerous. They were made for a perfect surface, like a roller rink; they just weren't made for concrete.

Do you think they were faster than the wheels that are on the market right now?

They were faster to a degree, but they had so much less control and they had a bad safety aspect to them that . . . I've traveled at high speed with urethane wheels and hit rocks and just knocked them right out of the way, but I've also hit rocks at high speeds with composition wheels, and stopped immediately and gotten a pretty good burn, They're not very safe. That's the main thing; that's the whole thing that's kept skateboarding around as long as it has been this time is that our equipment is a lot safer.

What durometer of wheel do you usually ride for your speed runs, or other activities?

Well, for speed runs in all-around, getting a good, fast ride, durometer, depending upon if it was hand-poured or injected-injected wheels are usually a little bit harder-about 85 to 87, close to 90 is good for going fast. But then again, the harder you get, the less control you have in contact with the surface, so it's a limited wheel.

Since you're not totally affiliated with an manufacturer, and we get a lot of requests for advice, What kind of skateboard setup would you recommend for a beginner?

Depending upon the size of the beginner, the board should be, the length of the board should be relative to the size and weight and also the age of the beginner. A shorter board for a smaller child, a medium-size board like a 24" for a young teenager, and you can get longer as the individual progresses in skating ability, and also as they progress in size. Some very small hotdogs like Eddie Katz could use a Torger Johnson model; it all depends on their ability. But a wood board is an excellent board to start with, but then again, if the individual has been surfing for a couple of years and they like the surf style, why they might want to get into a flexible board. It depends upon pretty much, like I said, the size, age and ability of the beginner. But they should always deal with a quality product, for sure.

Do you think the cheaper products are functional at all?

I think so far the cheaper products have pretty much hindered the industry, the market, the safety, the growing aspects of the sport, because for one thing, they're unsafe; for another thing, they just knock the market to pieces by making the uneducated skateboarder think that a skateboard is only supposed to cost $10, when a good quality product costs anywhere from $40 to $60. And also, it just totally knocks the whole thing out from under you because you've got this piece of junk that's exhibiting no finesse at all on the market, and things like that can only hinder you.

How responsive do you think the Industry la right now to the needs and wants of the skateboarder?

I think they're becoming a little more responsive. We had a problem with that in the past that the manufacturers didn't listen to the skaters enough, the top skaters, they were the people that were getting the rest of the people stoked in buying boards. and the manufacturers weren't listening to what the skaters were telling them to build, or how they were advising them to get ready for the next change in the market. And the skaters that are at the top, they know what's happening, so the associations and the manufacturers both should start listening to the top skaters a lot more, otherwise they'll find themselves in a lot of trouble very shortly. What kind of trouble? The trouble that I see is that they'll lose their top riders; they'll lose their sales simply by not having the right image and also not having the right product. You have to stay on top, and the top skaters know what's happening, because that's why they're there.

How does the industry look to you at the moment?

The industry looks good in one aspect that it's now sophisticated the average skateboarder to the point where he knows what a good piece of equipment is, and they're willing to pay a good price for a well-made piece of equipment. Another point that has stabilized itself to a degree here in Southern California, and I also think back East is that we've saturated the age groups of people that accept skateboarding in their ego realm. And also, everything kind of goes in cycles, you know, you get a heavy pump on it for a couple of years, things will kick back, the people that are into it will get even more deeply into it, while the people who are out of it won't pay any attention to it at all, which is perfectly normal. And then it will have another resurgence once we start getting more promotion behind it as far as sponsors for professional contests, which can be done at skateboard parks. Professional racing is a good spectator sport.

Do you think that that will actually, happen, the future hold that In store for skateboarding, that it will hit the truly professional level?

The possibilities for it to happen are very, very good if we don't have the type of conflicts that we're having in freestyle, as far as manufacturers getting, you know. . . it's just that when manufacturers get involved with competition, lots of times it becomes a little biased or they shift rules or they make little loopholes, more or less, for age divisions or amateur divisions or professional divisions, so the younger skaters can keep skating; and it kind of knocks the possibilities out for the younger amateur kid to get into freestyle skating at an early age because he feels disenchanted; he doesn't want to go up and skate against a top-notch amateur when this kid should actually be skating against professional skaters of 18 to 21 , instead of a young kid of 13 or 14 skating against a kid that's 13 or 14 who has been skating for three or four years, and has all the equipment that he would ever want from his manufacturer. He just has too much of a jump on a kid. So if the manufacturers would give the amateur kid more of a chance, freestyle skating could go a long ways because you're gonna get more amateurs, more spectators, and create more interest in the professional sport as well as the amateur sport. Same way with racing; racing has a really good future right now too because we've got some good professional racers, but amateur racing has to be developed more right now, and skateboard parks have to be designed with amateur racing aspects in the parks so that we can hold amateur races there once a month or twice a month to increase more interest in racing, and just in general in the sport. It's a very healthy sport, a lot of fun, and racing for competition, amateur-wise, you've got nothing to lose; you can have a really good time doing it. But even if competition itself were to die out, skateboard parks would be there just so everyone can enjoy the sport, just like people just enjoy surfing out in the water; and as long as we have an ocean of sidewalks, we're really looking good.

Wesley Tucker
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Woody Woodstock Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:38 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 8, March 1978.

WHO’S HOT!
John Woodstock
21 years old, rides for Gordon & Smith FibreFlex

By. Brian Gillogly

Surfer /skater John "Woody" Woodstock refers to himself as a "proud North Shore local." Not the North Shore of Oahu. Hawaii, hailed for its heavy winter surf, but the northern coast of Long Island, New York, hailed for its. . . skateboarding?

And yet if you live on Long Island and you're a skateboarder, or even a surf-oriented skater, there's no mistaking which North Shore Woody's talking about. The North Shore.

Surprised? Well, don't be. As Woody explains it: "The place is known for its skateboarding. . . 'cause we pretty much started it there (on the Island). Like, people come to our town to skateboard places we kind of developed. Not even good spots, though. . . as far as banks and bowls go, they just don't exist on Long Island."

The "we" of whom Woody speaks also includes Mike Fiedlein and Mike Feinberg. Fiedlein he characterizes simply as an "unknown" talent. Feinberg, who placed 4th in the New York Pro Championships last June, is "the hottest freestyler on the East Coast." And as for himself, Woody modestly claims to be more or less an "all-around skateboarder." Yet, 6th in the slalom in New York and 2nd in the barrel jump at Long Beach, plus various local competitive successes in freestyle, high jump, etc., during the last year and a hall, Woody is beginning to make his mark as an aggressive, multifaceted skateboarding competitor in the vein of a Tony Alva. Despite the obvious seasonal and terrain limitations on skateboarding in the area of his Oyster Bay, Long Island home, Woody's skating is inadvertently helping to perpetuate the North Shore myth.

In the mid-60's, Woody learned to surf at a few semi-secluded breaks on Long Island, and when the waves were down, surf -skated nearby hills. "And then my skateboard got broken or run over by a truck-I can't remember which." And, eventually, Woody forgot about his sometime downhill diversion. "Skateboarding had gone out anyway."

Then, about two-and-a-hall years ago, Woody and a few friends picked up on the urethane wheel, began making their own plywood tops, and were re-infused with the street surfing spirit-again, when the waves were down. Skateboarding didn't become a separate entity for Woody, in fact, until SKATEBOARDER Magazine went into publication again in 1975, introducing him and his friends to a fuller potential of the new wheels and trucks.

"When SKATEBOARDER came out it was . . . like, we read every page for two days straight, checked out the styles, and we'd just go out there and put it all together with our own ideas." Three years of competitive gymnastics in high school (he was captain of the team) gave him an immediate edge on handstands. High jumping (he's cleared 4'2") and obstacle jumping just came naturally, as did slalom, although he admits to having learned a lot from the Vlest Coasters, particularly Henry Hester ("II you're going to do well, you have to stick with the hottest guys").

When winter weather has put a damper on his surfing and skating, Woody has sometimes turned to skiing for exercise and a downhill rush. Besides, he says, it's come easy for him. "I've been lucky in whatever I do. II I like a sport, somehow I've just been able to pick it up in a couple days."

Another example came when Woody was in Southern California last September, where, despite his limited background, he adjusted easily to the contours of the Carlsbad Skatepark. Not surprisingly, Woody calls bank freestyle his "favorite" type of riding. He enjoys one-and-a-hall's, 360's off the top, power slides and, especially, leaning into one-foot banking turns, a carry-over from longboard surfing.

Woody is convinced that an operation similar to Carlsbad would go over well on Long Island, and would make someone "a lot of money." As for his own finances, Woody has of late been working for a landscaping company ("I gotta be outside"), and looks to make a part-time career out of pro skating.

Yet his ultimate goal in life is a much more profound one. "What I want to do is stay young my whole life. I don't want to become famous or rich or nothing like that. I just want to keep (participating in) all the sports I love: skateboarding, surfing, skiing. . . II I could just keep doing them for the rest of my life, I'd be as happy as I could ever want to be."

Wesley Tucker
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Chris Chaput Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:40 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 8, March 1978.

WHO’S HOT!
Chris Chaput
15 years old, rides for Logan Earth Ski

By Brian Gillogly

Chris Chaput is a freestyle skater's skater. The reason, as he amply demonstrated last September at the California-Freeformer Pro Invitational in Long Beach, is creative, precision skating. It's basically inverted and two-wheel maneuvers, highly innovative and technically difficult, in a routine which approaches perfection; except, possibly, in the continuity which seems to come more naturally to older-and most of them are-pro competitors.

Chris took the men's freestyle in Long Beach and spun 12 revolutions into 2nd place in the 360 competition, adding to a contest record which already included 1 st's in his freestyle division at Belmont Park and the San Diego World Contest. Clearly, along with a mere handful of other talented skaters, Chris is on top of competitive freestyle. The obvious question, then, is: What put him there?

Not too surprisingly, Chris is intelligent, articulate and even quickwitted, with a sufficiently satisfied ego to seek in skateboarding a healthy form of self-expression. "I don't want to do the same thing as everybody else," says Chris, "so I try to add a little flair (e.g., headstand spinners, two-foot tail wheelies) to my routines."

Yet Chris is also a pragmatist and certainly not aloof to the financial possibilities of professional freestyle. "I've been a lot into freestyle, because that's where the money is," he admits, already $3,500 richer for his efforts; and, with offers for promotional work coming in, well aware of the dollar value of his singular talent.

And if there's another success-oriented factor in Chris' psyche, it would have to be defined as an unneurotic desire to stay ahead of the game. For example, known for his strength / balance maneuvers, Chris has actually picked up a lot from watching skaters like Skitch Hitchcock (L-sit into handstand) and Richy Saunders (the parallel bar or "English" handstand on one board). Of fellow South Bay local Saunders, he concedes: "He's hot. He can do outrageously hard hand and headstands. . . a really stylish guy." So Chris eagerly takes note. "I just can't stand it when someone can do a handstand or headstand trick that I can't do." Still, the fact that he is now in a position to make such a statement is likewise a tribute to an evidently high degree of natural freestyling ability ("I've never really been in gymnastics but I could always do handstands"), and, over an elapsed 1-1/2, years, some long practice sessions.

Chris began skating seriously in July of 1975 after meeting Bruce Logan and watching other accomplished skaters at the Steve's South Bay Championships. Although thoroughly impressed, he felt that the boys' freestyle division was not exceedingly strong, and that with a little hard work he could break in. At the end of the summer, in August, he made his play at the San Diego World Contest (curiously enough, there was a great surge in the level of ability in the boys' and juniors' divisions at this competition), and the rest is history.
Chris reminisces of this formative period in his skating: "Seemed to me that 1 picked it up pretty fast, but I didn't develop a style along with it. I didn't surf; 1 didn't snow ski. . . so right now I do whatever feels good, but try to stress style."

Chris is presently learning to surf, and has snow skied a few times, enough so to call it "the fastest, cleanest motion sport" he's yet encountered. Longboard skateboarding, he feels, offers a similar ski/surf sensation. "I love the feel of the elongated turns. . . and walking the nose on a board-I'm always kind of dreaming that I'm surfing or skiing."

A good longboard Chris defines as "over 3-feet, with Tracker Trucks and Road Rider 6's or 4's." His freestyle preference is Bennett Pro's and Road Rider 4's on a 29" x 7-1/2" full shape, with "bullet nose" and square tail. And for both styles of boards, Chris regards wood as "by far the best medium (because) it absorbs the shock better, and you can shape it any way you want." Along with close friend Laura Thornhill, Chris is enrolled in wood shop during this, his junior year in high school, where he's looking forward to replenishing his quiver for the new year.

As of this writing, Chris will be among a select group of pros traveling to Busch Gardens in Florida for the filming of a television special. Chris' agent, Bill Rierdon; arranged the production, as he did last October's Challenge of the Sexes, which pitted Chris against Robin Alaway in freestyle, slalom and an obstacle course event. (Interestingly, Robin narrowly beat Chris overall, winning the slalom and obstacle course, both in which she was spotted negative seconds.)

Of the more distant future, Chris has been heard to jest, "I'd like to be a millionaire before I'm 17 and kick back the rest of my life." Chris is more serious, however, about getting into some field, possibly "advertising or design," where he can continue to be creative.

"If I can make money doing something that I like, I think that's great. But I'll continue with skateboarding, not as long as It makes me bucks, but as long as I'm happy with it. And," he adds, seemingly to confuse the issue, "bucks make me happy. "
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wesley Tucker
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John Hutson Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:41 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 8, March 1978.

WHO’S HOT!
John Hutson
22 years old, rides for Santa Cruz Skateboards/Road Rider

Yes, there are some hot skateboarders up on the chilly northern coast, and the skater who's putting the most heat on the southern racing scene is John Hutson of Santa Cruz.

John began skateboarding when he was nine, and his long practice has paid off in many recent contests; he took third in the slalom at the Ventura Championships in February of 1976, then took second place in both the Men's Obstacle Race and the Head-to-Head Speed Race at Magic Mountain. At Marine World in April, he took a strong first in the cross-country slalom. In September, at Carlsbad, he was on the winning cross-country relay team, and took second in the downhill and fourth in the slalom, helping the Santa Cruz team to an overall first for the entire Hang Ten Championships.

Talking with Hutson, you see quickly that he isn't one of the flashy-front skaters; he makes no show for the crowds before a race, either, but his competitors always know when he has arrived. It's as if a small, dark cloud has blown down out of the north to rain on the hopes of the southern heroes. John loves good, clean competition, and feels that by mixing it up with the "heavies," a skater will advance the quickest, taking new steps and new chances that he would never take alone. He cites the full-on approach of Tony Alva as having had the greatest effect on him:

"I don't ride at all like Tony," he admits, "but I admire the way he throws himself at a course. He just drives and drives through any situation, jumping at it, but still staying on the board somehow."

Because John Hutson's attack is expressed by a cleaner, tighter style and an emphasis on the fastest line, his equipment is smaller and lighter than that of Alva and many other full-on attack riders. His board is a 26%-inch Santa Cruz, pressure-laminated model that is one of the lightest on the market, incorporating a stiff, quick flex. After many truck changes, John now favors a Tracer Half-Trak for its steadiness and responsiveness under stress. He uses Road Rider IV wheels because they have competitive speed and traction characteristics.

John's winning technique includes a visualizing process, whereby seeing the perfect line through five or six cones ahead of where he is, he never gets caught unprepared as he comes to a tough turn. He also works hard on speed control in turns. To accelerate, he starts crouched, and straightens up in the early part of a turn, increasing pressure and pumping forward. To slow, if needed, he bends his knees as he gets deeper into a turn, absorbing the speed without sliding, keeping the inertia in his body so that he comes out of the turn "right at the max." On big, wide-turn courses, he prefers taking one smooth pump through a turn to taking several short, jerky pumps that use up energy and distort the clean downhill line.

Although he appreciates all the improvements in contests and skateparks in the last year or so, John hopes that as the sport goes on, there will be longer, more demanding courses featuring a variety of terrain, and more races like the cross-country and the relay that call on all-around skating skills.

"I'd even go for a circuit-type race," he says, "like a bike race around the streets of a small town, with racers jockeying for position in a pack, and lapping each other and everything. More of an endurance race." He also wishes that the rules and officiating could be limited more, as has happened in ski racing; time penalties for cone hits, and the complicated push-off rules should be eliminated, as they were long ago for downhill and slalom ski races. This would make contests quicker and more fair, and would let racers push to top speed and go full-on all the way down. Racers should only be DQ'd, John feels, if they jump at the start, knock over a specified number of cones, or leave the course altogether.

In a wide open race such as he envisions, there's no question that John Hutson's cool threat to the southern racing elite would make the competition hotter than ever. TOM CUTHBERTSON

Wesley Tucker
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Henry Hester Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:43 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 3, No. 6, July 1977

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Henry Hester

By Warren Bolster

"That guy Hester really runs a clean trip," the spectafor at the 2nd Annual Signal Hill Speed Race commented, immediately following the first of Henry Hester's two runs, prior to facing Dave Dillberg in the final run-off, leading to an eventual tie for first place.

I stood there thinking to myself just how appropriate that comment was (and also how fortunate I was for having asked Henry for this SKATEBOARDER interview during the opportune, pre-event time period).

You see, Hester really does run a clean trip; we've known it for a long time. Signal Hill was just another in a long series of successful skateboarding ventures that have added astounding credibility to the growing Hester legend. A legend derived from consistently placing in, or winning, every major competition entered in the last two years. Furthermore, his thoughtful, highly professional conduct has served not only himself, but the sport he represents, as well. The status of being the top, overall money winner, and a two-time World Champion (if you count Long Beach, that makes three), consistently places him in the public eye, be it radio, TV, or personal appearances, where, as one of the most responsible people in the sport, he represents us as well as anybody.

Surprisingly, success is a relatively new experience for Henry. Although long considered a hot surfer in the La Jolla, California, area, and at one time attaining the junior presidency of the prestigious Windansea Surf Club, Henry was still, by his own account, "a late bloomer"; a relatively frustrated individual as regards to surfletic (if you will) achievement. While he says he didn't really have his trip together then, it's undeniable that he has it together now.

In the beginning, as a highly successful slalom racing specialist at La Costa, Henry was able to prove him~ self against the best racers in the country, while gaining a reputation for winning that was to go on to become a self-perpetuating psychic device which could fell even the strongest competition.

A new dynasty had somehow begun, and the ole Hester-Skoldberg "one-two" partnership was responsible. Bob Skoldberg, early teammate, racing buddy, and brother of Henry's girlfriend, Anne, was the other half of the partnership. Having practiced together consistently, they became a team within a team, using their combined energy and determination to lift them above the pack. Figuring that one of them would always finish in the money, they devised a profit sharing plan where the winner would get 75% and the loser 25%. In the two years that followed, it would prove to be an exceptionally perceptive plan. Skoldberg, a.k.a. Mr. Consistent, the King of La Costa, was to place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 16 out of 17 La Costa races before June of 1976; and Henry, in 20 out of 23, with 9 firsts. Let's not even mention the other pro meets; let's just let it suffice to say that their ole "one-two" would make George Foreman envious. The La Costa Boys were definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Then, around the time of the 2nd Annual Hang Ten World Championships at Carlsbad, where the cumulative point scores were to decide an Overall Champion, Henry began to work harder on improving his skills in other aspects of the sport, as it was becoming glaringly apparent that the energy, where it could, was moving toward bowl riding and the parks. Henry's fifth (overall) placing there tells a lot about his ability to adjust to a new situation. After all, it’s been said that slalom racing is the thinking man's game-if that is the case, then Henry is the thinking man; an asset that once learned, can be well applied in other areas, as Henry seems to be finding out.

Since that time, Henry has been passing time as a resident pro at the new EI Cajon Skatepark, and learning how to do kickturns on its vertical bowls (his latest challenge). His recent success at speed racing has done nothing to slow his mounting credibility, a credibility that, while not yet strong in the routinely accepted paths to gfory (freestyle and bowl riding), when considered thoroughly, places him among the best all-around skaters in the world.

Yeah, no doubt about it, "that guy Hester really runs a clean trip."

COMPETITION RESULTS

1st Men's Pro Slalom-1st Annual Hang Ten World Skateboard Championships. Los Angeles (1975).
1st Pro Speed Run-1st Annual Hang Ten World Skateboard Championships. Los Angeles (1975).
1st Men's Slalom-Orange County Skateboard Championships. Orange County Fairgrounds (1975).
1st Men's Slalom-California State Skateboard Championships, Ventura (1976).
2nd Men's Pro Cross-Country. Marine World (1976).
2nd Pro Slalom-Northern California Championships, San Francisco (1976).
1st Slalom-New York Invitational Nassau Colosseum (1976).
1st Pro Slalom-California FreeFormer World Professional Skateboard Championships. Long Beach (1976).
1st Pro Slalom-2nd Annual Hang Ten World Skateboard Championships, Carlsbad (1976).
1st Pro Slalom-La Costa Annual YMCA Championships, Carlsbad (1976).
1st (tie) 3rd Annual Signal Hill Speed Race, Long Beach (1977).

How long ago did you start skateboarding?

I started skating when I was in the eighth grade. I used to skateboard to get to school and stuff. I used to skateboard with George Tayfor, and we made these boards back then. We really idolized the Makaha team up in L.A., but those guys were about fifteen levels above us. We used to make these little boards we called platters, and they were about eight-inches around in the back, and about a four inch diameter nose with straight rails, and they were about a foot long. They were really fun, but we made them out of quarter-inch plywood, and they used to break; we'd ride them for about two days and they'd break. They sure were fun...

Were you standing up on those?

Yeah. And we rode slalom a lot then too. We used to paint dots in the street and ride slalom; we rode more slalom than anything. We didn't do kick-tricks and stuff; in fact, we couldn't even do 360's and stuff at all.

Did you ever compete In contests back In those days?

No

I vaguely remember you or Bobby saying once that you guys tried to think six or seven cones ahead in a slalom race. Explain how that might be possible.

Well, during practice, obviously you check out the course and stuff, and you get to know the course like the back of your hand. And then when you're riding down the course. . . like if there's a real tough cone about six or seven cones away-it's really about three to four cones-you're only looking at the cone you're riding at; you don't look ahead, 'cause you'll never make it. You're looking at the cone that you're training on, but you're thinking about the cone two cones down. That's how it works. It's just a matter of getting used to the course, and realizing what the course is going to do. [/b]

Your crow-hop start has been credited with being the best starting technique. It's been said that the start is one of the most Important aspects of a successful race. You might explain the start, and how you think it's better.

Okay, what the crow-hop start is . . . those guys were just goofing around, Neal Graham and Danny Trailer, or in that slalom, we were just goofing around. They called it that, so I guess that they named it. That's just getting a real fast start on the clock. When the guy is saying, "get on your mark, get set. go," you know, you gotta slide your board back on "get set"-I've said it a million times-you just take off, right before he's saying "go." Theoretically, right when he's saying "go," you want to be on the starting line and be moving. But one thing that's really happened is I've gotten busted for doing that start a few times when they have an electrical light in front on the timing, on the start line. I've gotten probably 25 percent bad starts. But the start is the most important part of the race, I think, especially in track slalom where you're racing across the arena floor or something like at Long Beach or New York. II you can get the start on the guy, he sees you in front of him, and he's thinking about you, and he's not thinking about the course. He's thinking about how last he has to go. That happened with me and Piercy. You think about the guy in front of you, and you don't think about what you're doing, and then you start blowing it; your back wheels tend to slide in that situation, 'cause you're leaning forward, and you don't have your weight on your back wheels. What you'll usually find is a guy spinning out with his back wheels when he has a guy in front of him, 'cause he's trying to reach. Forward and trying to get past that guy, which is almost impossible on an arena-floor-Iength course.

That's interesting. That brings up the question of … are there any other psychological devices that you might employ in a race aside the actual race itself?

That's what's so neat about slalom racing; I consider it one hundred percent psychological. Me and Piercy have psych-out contests in every race. I mean, we have psych-out contests that get so heavy, they get doubled up; I psych out his psych, and he doubles back and gets me, and I get him, and by the end of the day we're just flustered messes.

Give us some examples of this. What might you say to him, or what might he say to you?

Oh, it's nothing you say to him, 'cause it's all on our plane. It's so hard to explain; it's the way you look at a guy, if you look at him a weird way. Piercy will look at you and give you that headshake look, as though you don't really exist, and you've gotta give it right back to him or he's gotcha. It's almost like scoring points against each other during the course of a race. That's the fun of the whole thing, not the racing. The racing's just going-it's all mechanical-going down the hill. I think the fun part's betting with the guys; you know, Piercy coming up, or Tom Ryan and those guys coming up and wanting to lay down more money 'cause they think they're having a hot day. 80 you lay down even more, and they go, "Hey, maybe he's really feeling good today." It's all psych-out.

Well then, how important Is the equipment?

You have to have a good skateboard to be able to win a slalom race. You can't do it on a bad skateboard; it can't be done.

Then what you're saying is equipment is a basic essential, but mental is what makes the difference. . .

Equipment is something you take care of weeks ahead of time. All that is is material things, you just get the equipment, and you got it, and you don't have to worry about it. The thing you worry about on race days is your personal stuff.

I know a lot of racers do adjust their equipment according to the track or the course. Do you do any of this yourself, or do you pretty much use the same... ?

Last year, I used the same board, like my model, the G & 8 model. I used that board in about live or six contests, and I've won all of them except for one. I just made a mistake in my final heat . . . spun out. It's easy to spin out on your first turn-this is the hardest turn, 'cause you're just standing on your board, and you've got to do your turn blindly; you don't have a set up turn to do. Anyway, back to equipment. The things I use are a Henry Hester model with my wheels, my Road Rider wheels. Those wheels are narrow for slalom, 'cause you don't want a wide wheel; they slow you down too much. You want a narrower wheel; in fact, you could go to even a narrower one than my wheel, to an inch wide. When you get to a certain level in slalom, traction isn't even a problem, 'cause you've got your traction so down physically, that you can do it. You don't have to worry about your equipment; you just want something to just groove along.

Also, you're riding pretty wide trucks, aren't you?

I ride Trackers; you know, the wide ones. Half tracks are a little bit too narrow for me.

Why do you feel that the widetrack trucks are the best for you?

Well, the way I discovered that I wanted wide trucks. . . I was riding Bennett's, and those Control Products wheels, which are about three-inches long, really long, wide wheels, and I had the width of a Tracker, but I wasn't cuttin' the times; the wheels were so long. So I liked the width, but what it was was basically changing the wheels, making the wheels narrower, so I changed to 4's at that time-that was all they had-and that left a nice open space in between the wheels to work with. I think that open space in between the measurement from inside one wheel to inside the other wheel is a real important thing-not so much the outside measurements, but the inside measurements. I may be wrong there; I'm not sure, though it seems to me that that's true. That's why I think you can feel drag with wheels that have the cut out on the inside.

What kind of bearings do you use?

The stock Road Rider bearings; I don't even know what they are. You know, we take the seals off.

What does taking the seals oil do?

Well, what we do is flip those little black plastic seals off, and put WD-40 in there, and get all the grease out. Last time I took an air hose and sprayed out the thick grease and put WD-40 in there; that makes it roll faster, but they just collect dirt. They're good for five runs, and then they're all dirty. They still roll good after that, but I wouldn't suggest doing it for the average rider. The bearings are a buck and a half each; they go out fast, but they do roll fast for a day's worth of riding.

What does the cutaway board achieve in the way of performance?

What the cutaway does is make the back act much more subtle. You don't have that leverage in the back; you have a quick leverage, but you don't have a lot of leverage. The wider the board is, the more back and forth movement and leverage you can get. When the board's narrower, you have more control, but you don't quite have the leverage, so you don't find yourself turning the backend as much, but you're turning the front end, and the back end is just sort of following behind, and thrusting behind, plus it torques a little bit. . .

So It follows the lead of the front better...

It kind of follows the lead of the front, yeah.

How do you feel about high-camber slalom boards?

Like Turners? Turners are pretty good. There's a few reasons why I can't get into Turners, and that's the fact that they're a little bit too stiff for me, and they ride a little bit higher off the ground; they're thicker, so you're farther away from your wheels. They have a roll to them on the deck; it's like a rolled deck, and you can't feel the edge. I like to be able to feel the edges and contour of the board with my foot, so I know right where that edge is all the time. The turn is slowed down like a turned-down-rail surfboard, and you can't feel that edge, but the guys that ride 'em, dig 'em; there's nothing wrong with those boards at all, as far as being a tough, top board. The only problem is they can't make enough of them.

Do you see any new equipment Improvements In the near future?

No.

What do you think the future holds for slalom if everyone has the same equipment?

I think what's happening is that boards are getting more and more like. Fibreflex boards, like the Sims board; there's all kinds of copies of my board; there's one in the new magazine-last issue there's a board that's a direct copy of my model, a couple. And they're just gonna get more and more alike, just as the racing snow skis get more alike. Everyone's finding what works works, and what doesn't work doesn't work. It's gonna stay pretty much the same. I have a feeling that guys are gonna go to narrower wheels than my wheel. My wheel is a narrow wheel. I think guys are gonna go to a narrower wheel than that, especially for straight slalom, 'cause you don't need any traction. Not that they don't have traction-they work kind of like radials-they bend and stuff on turns; they're really neat.

How do you think camber should be determined for each Individual?

That's been a problem for me because I've never been able to really ride a stock Fibreflex; I can now, but seriously in a contest, I'd have to get a stiffer one because I am heavier than the average skater, and they make it for the average skater who is about 15, or something like that; they make the camber just right for them. With the camber I ride in my board, I can stand in the middle of the board-sideways across it-and as hard as I can push down, I can bottom it out.

Without jumping?

Not jumping up in the air, just sort of weighting and unweighting, giving a good snap down.

With a wood board and a little practice, Tony Alva visited La Costa on three different weeks, and won the races there twice, getting a second once. How would you explain his victories under those circumstances?

The thing is, Tony is just an insane rider, that's all there is to it. He's one of the top riders in the world; he's the best skater in the world, probably, and he can do slalom too.

But he did it on a wood board.

Yeah, he did II on a wood board. There's guys that ride wood boards that do pretty good, like Pete Tholl. He rides a wooden board, and does all right in the amateur class. Tony did that on a giant slalom course where you don't need a flex board quite as much. On those same days, he could probably run a slalom and he wouldn't even make the cones. But in giant slalom, he just has the perfect. . . you know, you find a niche every so often, and really do good. You know, I'm not knocking him at all; the guy's hot.

Tony was one of the first people I saw do sort of a little squiggling motion between cones. What does that accomplish?

Well, what it does, is it . . . okay, when you're riding giant slalom, some guys ride from cone to cone; other guys ride pointed straight downhill the whole way, and just sort of edge themselves over and go around the cone, and edge themselves over and go around the next cone; what that does for the guys who are like Tony and Tommy Ryan is move you sideways on the hill to go around the cones. Fantastic; it's an unreal way of skating. Skoldberg is a perfect example of a guy who doesn't do that. He goes around. . . he just snakes around and rides straight from cone to cone.

Who gives you the toughest competition In slalom, and why?

The toughest competition comes from different people on each course. Tighf slalom, Bob Piercy. I think Tommy's better in the giant slalom; I'd say Bob Piercy is the only guy I really think about in tight slalom. In track slalom-where the cones are six-feet apart, as opposed to tight slalom where the cones are four-feet apart-the best guy is Paul Engh. He can just work through those cones, but Piercy was the guy at Long Beach that I had to race, so I can't count him out. I still insist Paul's got a really good gyrating maneuver.

How about in giant slalom; who's your toughest competition?

Bob Skoldberg, probably. Bob Skoldberg and Tommy Ryan and Tony, equally. I'd say I'm better in giant slalom than slalom. I'm the best in track slalom, then giant slalom, then tight slalom.

Who do you see as hot and up and coming?

Mike Williams, Marty Schaub and Steve Sherman. Marty and Steve are pretty good, but we haven't been racing at La Costa, and they have been-and winning a bunch-so it's hard to tell. They're winning the races, but I don't think the hot guys have been around; they've been working for parks and stuff. It's been sorta split up.

What kind of racing surfaces do you prefer to race on?

Anything that's hard for the other guys; like Ventura is a real rough surface, really just a lousy surface. I ate it up; I loved it because I have an ability to make traction, and some of the other guys fall apart when there's no traction. I like rough surfaces, not for going fast, but for doing hard turns . . . anything that's going to make the other guys psych out. That's the fun of it.

The races you guys set up at La Costa are usually long, difficult, braking-style courses, or courses where the rhythm Is often broken up throughout the run. Why do you prefer this particular style? Just because It's difficult for everybody?

Well, they were really like that before, then they started to get really patterned. In the last six months, the courses are so patterned that they're almost boring.

But you haven't really raced much In the last six months?

No, not a lot.

When you were racing, the courses were like this? Why?

Cause I was helping set them up, and Vince Turner was helping set them up, and we used to like to see guys go around and just do these giant eight-foot slides trying to make the cones. I'd just sit on the sidewalk and laugh. We knew how to brake and make it around the cones, but some of the guys like, especially Neal Graham, oh wow, he used to bock it into these turns, and he'd go slidin' eight, ten feet sideways with his toes-you know how he rides barefoot-with his toes gripped around the board and that determined lock; and he'd go slidin 'by the cone he was supposed to be making, looking back up the hill at it, still thinking he can get around the cone. But you know our courses-the courses that I set up personally-are really hard to make, and they're slower. They aren't the fast, he-man courses; they're the slow courses. . . they're thinking courses where you have to go fast and slow and then medium, then you can get a break and punch it for a second. That's what I like. I don't like the kind where you go fast all the way.


How does the technique differ from course to course? From event to event?

Technique doesn't change quite as much. Well, Bob Piercy goes from parallel stance in tight slalom to surfer stance in giant slalom, but I don't. I keep the same stance; I just change boards. Basically, I use the exact same kind of board; but one's a little longer board, a longer wheelbase, to make a slower turn.

Does the mental technique vary very much?

Yeah, a little bit, 'cause in slalom, you're basically going from A to B; you're going in a straight line; you can concentrate -like in indoor slalom - you can concentrate on that projectile, projecting yourself forward and going fast. In giant slalom, it's more of a cone-by-cone situation. I like having to think about the cones; I like them hard so you have to think about each cone when you're going down the course. The thing where you just project yourself forward, that's nothing. You just go do the race, and you don't think about racing.

What have been your favorite races and contests so far?

My favorite slalom race was with Piercy at Long Beach, and that was fantastic. That race was professional; we had 15,000 people just screaming and yelling; I turned around and was locking up, and there's guys with posters of me, holding up posters and yelling; it was almost a European-type bobsled run, or something. It was fantastic, and we had the crowd really pumping us. I looked over at Piercy - we had been racing for two years, you know - and we were laughing at ourselves, because we knew it was so full-on; we were both so stoked, I didn't even care then. I guess he got the fastest time of that day, but I guess my added scores were a little bit better.

So you won the event?

Yeah, but it was close; they're all close. I don't think I've won a race where it hasn't been by just twenty thousandths of a second. I mean they've been close, really close.

Of all the things to take into consideration, what do you think contributes most to that twenty thousandths of a second?

The start. Like when I was coming out of the gate at Long Beach, I hit the gate, and I could feel that little latch open it up, right up against my stomach. One time I blasted through the thing, and they called it a good start, and a fair start; another time I didn't even touch it, and it opened up on its own; I went right through it, and they called it a no-fault start. They should have some kind of a beam or something. . . no, in fact, they shouldn't have a beam; that always messes me up. You've told me what your favorite races were; which, do you feel, were the worst races? Well, I've gotten ripped off. The Magic Mountain Contest. . . I was clearly ripped off in that contest. They had three events; the cross-country, the slalom and the downhill, but the qualifying preliminaries for all three were in cross-country, and you know me; I can't do cross-country. So I went through, and fell down trying to go through this Malibu tube-typing thing. I went crawling through on my stomach like my typical fashion, and I didn't make the cut, so I didn't get to race slalom. I watched five guys going through the slalom course that I could have beaten by two seconds; I guarantee it. It just blew me away.

Were you confident in winning both World Championships?

Yes. The first one was my big break into racing. I had won one contest before that, I think. I won Orange County before that.

So you were confident going in . . .

I wasn't real confident going into the World Contest, but I was thinking that I could win. It turned out I won the slalom and the speed race, I had a really good night; it was one o'clock in the morning when we quit racing. And the second one up at Carlsbad, I was fairly confident about that, but Piercy had me kind of psyched out, because he did really good in a race that I didn't think he was gonna do good in. He did good in the Long Beach race where I didn't think he would be too hot, and I know he's unreal on asphalt. I also thought Skoldberg was gonna do good. It turned out that I raced Tony Alva, and I want to clear something up that hasn't bothered me, but I thought I ought to clear it up; it involves race rules. Tony and I went into our heat, the final heal and we both took off, I jumped the gun, and he went down. . . he made a good start and went down and hit a few cones and D.Q.'d, . . .I guess it was a three-cone D.Q but because I jumped the start, I got a rerun. Their rules were unbelievable. If you jumped the gun, they called it a false start, so it turned out I got another start, and I had a really bad fall. . . my worst fall ever; I fell on TV, and it was really embarrassing. So anyway, we both got a D.Q., right? He D.Q.'d his first round, and I D.Q.'d in my makeup run; so for our first round we both had a D.Q. So we switched courses, and he had a bunch of runs where the clock didn't work right, the clock was messing up on his side. Then we finally got it together, and I beat him there, but I think I told him that I didn't know he had a D.Q. on his first run, so I told him all he had to do to win was get a certain time. That might have made him ride a little slower, I don't know. I don't know if I've ever felt good about winning that race, or not, 'cause I tried to explain it to Tony, and I think I was either explaining it wrong, or he might have taken it wrong. I don't think there's any problem; he was happy to get the World Championship. But I think if that rule hadn't been in effect he would have won the race.

Have you ever really gained anything through the title?

Oh yeah . . . well not from the title itself, but from the accumulated victories, yeah; money, You make a thousand dollars when you win a slalom race these days. I guess next year it will probably be two thousand dollars, and so on. I've made some good money in race winnings; I've got my board model and wheel model, and I've gained a little respect in the skateboard world; probably more than I'm due because I'm just good at slalom.

Would you say that you make a fairly good living?

Oh yeah, I'm making about $1400 a month; that's not including royalties. I'm making really good money, and I'm trying to make it so that I keep making it. But it was a long time deserved, you know; I did good for over a year, not making a cent, not even making contingency money or anything, I can honestly say I've paid my dues in the skateboard industry.

Do you really enjoy competing, or Is It now more or less just for the money?

No, I enjoy the competing; I don't enjoy competing at La Costa that much anymore, but I do enjoy competing in different places where I've never been, especially if there's hot riders, 'cause we can test our ability to switch to a different place and see how soon we adapt to that place. One important thing is to be able to adapt very quickly to the race-surface you're riding on; that's a problem. Some of the guys are so used to La Costa that they have a hard time getting used to an arena floor or something like that.

The different surfaces bring to mind a question I should have asked before. What do you think of the wooden ramps? You've won a couple of contests on them, but most people find them rather difficult.

That even brings it back to a thing where it's hard for the other guys. It's not a gutsy race; a wooden ramp isn't a gut-level race, or anything like that; it's a butterfly race; you gotta be light on your feet. The wood ramp races have never been billed as a he-man race, I don't dig the he-man, fast races and stuff; I like the ones where you have to be light on your feet.

How does a 185- to 195-pound guy stay light on his feet?

You learn to stay light on your feet by riding fish surfboards. That really helps.

We've talked a lot about winning and competing. . . do you consider yourself a good loser?

Oh yeah, a great loser. It's fine with me. I don't consider myself a good person that's been cheated out of a race when I lose fair and square. Hey, that's what's so neat about slalom; when you lose, it's cut and dried; there's no problem there.

What changes would you like to see in contests?

Nothing much; they're looking pretty good now. I think the PISA rules are about the best rules. I like the indoor contests.

You've recently shifted a lot of your emphasis to park riding; does this mark any particular change in your Interests, or Just a further realm of expression?

Definitely marks a change in interest. I've really dedicated myself totally to learning how to do those kickturns on a vertical wall. I've been working at the EI Cajon Park as a Pro. . , I've paid my dues on that wall, Skoldberg and I went into it the same way, but he did it on the two-week plan, and he hurt his hips and stuff like that, and Mike Williams hurt his hips. That's what you usually hurt when you do kickturns. I took the three-month plan, now I can do it, and Stacy helped me a lot on it. I really felt like an oaf going up there and trying to do a kickturn, especially with photographers there and hot guys around, but now I feel like I can do it all right. All it takes is one kickturn to get the feeling down right, and then you can do it . . . yeah I like park riding a lot.

Do you enjoy any particular realm of skateboarding more than another?

I like bank riding pretty much; not speed bank riding, but going up and doing kickturns. I like everything pretty much, I like competing; I like to throw little contests at parks; you know, see who can do a kickturn straight up the line, or who can go straight up the line in the beginner bowl and do a kickturn, and go back down, . . I like little things like that, little betting things, little fun things; they aren't serious, but that's the best thing I like in the whole realm of skateboarding,

What do you think of parks In general? You obviously like them.

They're pretty good. Most of them are too tame; the guys are worried about making them radical. But we've only seen the beginner areas in all these parks; it's really gonna be interesting next summer when they start building their second phases. : Everyone has a phase one and a phase two. When everyone builds a phase two, it will be really interesting to see some of the. . . they're gonna get pretty hairy, I think; which isn't bad because you can ride anything around the bottom of a turn; it's just riding on the ridge of a turn that's scary. And they're gonna get a lot better than they are. I think one of the best parks is Reseda. That's a good park. It's got vertical walls, and all the walls are nice and smooth. It could use a bit more of a downward angle to keep you moving. I think you have to push with your feet too much to keep going at a good rate of speed.

What kind of terrain would you like to see In parks?

Well, if a guy went out and bought himself a real nice pipe, like the ones in, the desert, or like the ones that are in the current issue of the magazine; if he went out and bought four of those pipes and put them together, he'd make a million dollars just letting kids skate in there, and that's all he needs.

Have you ever been In a pipe yourself?

No. I'm waiting.

Do you think that there are any best all-around skaters?

Oh yeah, I'd say the best all-around skaters are Mike Williams-we call him the Scarecrow, 'cause his hair sticks out-I think Bob Biniak is one at the top five in my book; I think Tony, obviously; everyone says Tony, so I'll say Tony. I haven't seen him in a long time, but I've seen pictures of him, and he's really hot. And Stacy, you know, all the same guys. I think Bob Skoldberg is one of the top skaters, even though he's not really into pools and banks quite yet; he can learn anything; that guy's just got such a sense of balance, it's unbelievable. I think the best freestyler in the world-the flatland freestyler-without question is Weed, Mike Weed. I think he's just untouchable. He does his maneuvers so fast, and he just comes around. . . he does everything, you think he's gonna fall off, and he does a backwards walk-the-dog, and lands on his board; he makes every maneuver, and he just does everything so perfect. But one more rider that I think is probably the best in the world, and one of the best guys ever for skateboarding . . . one of the guys I have more respect for than any of these guys is Chris Yandajl. I've seen him skate the park, and he doesn't do the flashy maneuvers. The things Chris does are a lot more subtle than everyone else. He doesn't stand out, but I'll tell you, if there was ever a perfect skater, in my book it's Chris Yandall . . . perfect, 100%.

How do you feel about safety gear?

Well, I haven't skated without safety gear. . . I was the first guy in slalom racing to ever wear kneepads, I think, and I was the first guy to ever wear a helmet at La Costa. I'm not a safety gear fanatic, but I don't skate without it. I don't like to skate with guys who don't wear safety gear, because you just have to pick them up off the ground and ruin your day; drop them off at the hospital, and stuff.

Have you ever ridden pools?

Yeah, I rode one pool in La Jolla called the Punchbowl. It was a doublebowl pool, and it took me about. . . God, it was weird at first; it was kinda scary. It took me about 25 runs to get up and go on the tile; alter about 20 runs, I went up and rode on the tile, and it made that sound like you hear in the movies. So I got tile there, and I went home and got Bob Skoldberg, and he'd never been to a pool. In about two runs he goes up and hits the tile. I almost felt like killing myself. But later on, I got so I could go under one bowl and get tile, and shoot at the next bowl and get tile there. That was in the days when they weren't really kickturning, at least on our end. In other areas they were.

So after participating to some degree in almost every aspect of the sport, which aspect do you think has the greatest spectator appeal?

Speed racing. Signal Hill has more spectator appeal than anything else I've ever seen. My girlfriend's mom was stoked; it was hot.

What, for you, brought about the recent Interest In speed racing?

Well, we went up last year with Bob, and watched the races at Signal Hill. It was a real hot day, and we took our shirts off, put on a hat, and just walked around and cased the whole joint out to see what was going on. We helped push Tommy Ryan; we got into it like that. We were the guys that talked him into laying down prone, 'cause no one else was doing that, and we figured he could win if he did that. He went a mile an hour faster, which I've found since then is a big difference at Signal Hill.

This year, for a sell-professed chicken, you did pretty good at Signal Hill. How did you overcome your fear, or did you?

Okay, that really wasn't me as much as Gary Keating writing that article to make sure that the little kids knew that we weren't going too fast and stuff, and to create a good image, which it did, and it still is. I never go any faster than I can basically run off when I'm standing on the skateboard. It's just stupid to go too fast; why would you 1 want to do that? The fear involved at Signal Hill . . . boy it was a six-month gruel in making that board, and I kept thinking about Signal Hill; dropping off, dropping down on that hill inside the shelf. I took it to the Stroker guys and . . . well it's a long story in the way that it was set up, but I got over the fear through laying down, basically. My ankles are unstable going really fast. I can't ride fast standing up. So lying down took care of that. It just took a bunch of practice runs to work up the hill and get used to it.

You say you can't go last standing up, and yet I've seen you in those giant slalom runs go faster than most people would ever want to go. How do you explain that; Is there a certain point where you don't feel you have control?

Well, maybe I'm just trying to stick to the thing that all manufacturers dig the theory of me being a tame rider. Truthfully, how can I say I'm a tame rider when I win a bunch of races, and races are actually fast. I guess I have to say I do ride fast once in a while.

How did you feel about going down that hill, a hill that you'd never ridden before?

That was one of my big beefs with Jim Mahoney. I called him up, and wrote a letter about practicing. He wouldn't let us have practice, and I could understand where he was coming from, 'cause he's got the hill for five hours, let's say, and he wants to get the race over with; he's renting the hill from the town, and he wants to go in there and go out. So this year they didn't have practice. This year, that was a mistake, I think, in the fact that some of the guys didn't have brakes that were good enough to slow 'em down. On my first run down the hill, I beat the record by two miles an hour, 56. I was planning on making a run of about 52, 53 miles an hour. My pusher just gave me a medium good push, not too hard at all, and I went 56, way faster than I wanted to go; not that I was scared or anything, 'cause I'm not scared riding in that thing. It's sort of like Nathan (Pratt) saying that when he's riding in his thing, all he does is lay down; it's kind of boring really. You just lay down in the thing, and it just works so perfect. You know you're gonna stop. I think the fear concept comes in when you know something is not working right. That's what the guys at Stroker told me; they said, "we want you to get in the thing, ride down the and get out." Stop it and get out. . They didn't want me to be atraid or anything, 'cause that meant that it's exciting. They didn't want it to be exciting, 'cause that means there's some kind of element of danger in it. So anyway, my lirst run was 56, and that looked like a serious run; everyone thought that that was a serious run, and in truth it wasn't. My next run was a serious run, and it was funny 'cause I had two guys pushing me full blast with a T-bar and stuff on it, and I only went a mile an hour faster. I couldn't figure that out; the only thing I can attribute that to is the fact that one mile an hour is a lot of difference. I was really going; I thought I went 60 on my second run, and I was really surprised to hear I only went 57

You mentioned before, and I want to get back to It, that practice runs were not allowed, yet I know I personally saw some people practicing back when they had the thing rained out, and then I saw people practicing the morning of the contest.

Okay, that's all illegal. I wasn't about to . . . for one thing I had a full-on racing board, obviously, and I couldn't take that thing down without the whole thing being blocked off, and the street being totally cleared. You don't get in something like that and do a halfway job, I mean, you go down. So I couldn't practice-no way-and I wasn't about to practice illegally and get a $500 fine, or whatever.

How did you practice before the contest?

We practiced at La Costa. The fastest I'd been before the contest was about 53 m.p.h. at La Costa on Black Hill.

Is Signal Hill faster, do you think?

Signal Hill is faster, but it's easier. Signal Hill is the easiest I've ever been down; it's just simple. How about the road that crosses the bottom? That's nothing. All those guys were saying that that was really hairy. Mcintyre was telling me that there's railroad tracks and stuff, and everybody was going "oh, it's hairy," so I go down, and there's a bump right where it says stop ahead, a little bump that throws you up maybe an inch or two, just a typical bump, and it bumps you. I put the brakes on right about there, and I went slidin' across that intersection, and let my brakes off, and just held on and went over the intersection; I was absolutely surprised to feel how smooth it was. That bump isn't bad at all; that hill is a fantastic hill to run speed races on because you don't really get going super fast. It's like a set hill, you know, everybody wants to be able to go 60 on Signal Hill. Mahoney was scream; ng at us, "go 60," and I go, "I can't. I can't go any faster than 57." No one else could either. I want to give a lot of credit to Dave Dillberg, too. We both had a good race, and he wasn't about to beat me, but I wasn't about to beat him either.

So the race ended up being a tie?

Yeah, it was a tie. Dave went 57 on all three of his runs. I went 56 on my first run and then 57 twice.

I was wondering how you were feeling at the top of the hill. There was a delay right at your first run, and Just before that I believe there'd been a couple of brake failures.

Okay, the brake failures came after my run, fortunately. My teammate Terry Nails' brakes worked, but they didn't work that good, and he went out and had an accident with a car, which fortunately didn't turn out to be too bad. See, my brakes worked exactly like his did because our boards were made by the same company. If he would've gone before me, I wouldn't have gone down the hill, because that would have proved to me that my brakes weren't gonna work right. Anyway, at the top of the hill, I got inside my shell. It's not a real elaborate procedure; just get in it and lay down, and the guy puts it down - there's no bolts or anything - he just puts the shell down. And I'm laying there, and the starter says" okay, hold up, hold up." It turned out that a girl had rolled her electric bumper car. [/b]

She had her trucks on backwards.

Did she really? She must have. She's a real nice girl; she didn't show any fear or anything when I talked to her later in the race. But that sorta slowed things down. Everybody at the bottom of the hill thought I was waiting inside my shell, getting all steamed up. It gets hot and stuffy in there, 'cause it is quite a tight fit, especially for me. No, I just waited outside and just sort of walked up and down the road.

Signal Hill brings up one serious question which a lot of people are asking, which Is, what does Signal Hill have to do with skateboarding? How do you feel about that?

That's a good question. What does it? I mean, it's not . . . it's a different type of thing. I think what we're doing at Signal Hill definitely stems from skateboarding, or is an offbreed of skateboarding, but it's not skateboarding. What I did wasn't skateboarding, I don't think, It was more like driving a funny car; it's neat; it's a neat thing, and it should be covered in SKATEBOARDER Magazine because it is done by the companies that are also into skateboarding. The guys that say that's not skateboarding, you know, they're right brakes. Your life is resting on a really nice braking system, and I think that's gonna have to be developed all around.

Do you feel that the fairings that you guys were employing really were effective, or do you think something less tuned, but enclosed In the prone position, would work?

Absolutely. I think the race between me and Dave Dillberg was absolutely shape oriented. I think that if he would have had a different shape, or if I had had a different shape, there might have been a winner in that race, or there might have been one winner in the race. I think that fairings make a lot of difference from 40 miles an hour on up. I'd race Bob and Mike Williams, and I'd just blow right by them at La Costa; my first few runs I just went right by them, and I know it makes a big difference even at 40; at 40 I started to go right by them, just sail away from them.

What do you think could be done to make slalom of more Interest to the spectator, because I feel like right now It doesn't really have as much Interest as It could?

Everyone seems to want to see bank slalom. I think that what the magazine ought to show is more of the tension and stuff of the start, the tlash of the finish. I think the start and finish of slalom is where it's happening. I don't think that during the slalom course it's actually super exciting, but I think the start is awfully exciting, and I think the finish is exciting. I think if you were to dig out some photos of starts and finishes, I think readers would really say, "Hey, these guys are really sweating; these guys are into it." You know, you look into their eyes, and they're just hungry for blood.

What ultimately would you like to accomplish from all your efforts in the sport?

Well, I guess I've accomplished everything I can imagine. I don't want to be a skate star or anything, but I'm not the kind of guy that says, "Hey, I want to be in the background and stuff." I'm not like that; I'm basically an outgoing type person. You know, I like to talk to people and have people come up to me . . . I don't mind that; I'll admit it. So I figure I've accomplished pretty much everything I can outside of physical things like skating pools. I'd like to be one of those guys from San Diego that go up and challenge the guys up in . . . I want to be one of those guys, but I can't. But if I were a good skater, I would definitely be one of those guys.

How do you feel about the Dogtown Influence?

I don't think there is a Dogtown influence; I don't think anyone's skating like those skaters up there. There's no influence; they're in their own time warp, and they're the hottest skaters, there's no one hotter than those guys anywhere-for any event or anything-there's no one doing more than those guys. They're the best there is. But I don't think they're influencing anybody, and I don't think they're trying to influence anybody. I don't see kids down in San Diego copying them, and I don't see kids up in L.A. copying them; I don't think anyone copies them; I think all the little kids copy Bertleman and those guys. I think Bertleman's got more intluence. You know, that Bert style, the kick slides, kickturn slides and stuff; they're all doing that. But no one is doing what the Dogtown guys are doing, basically because they don't see them do it. You know, they see it in the magazine, but it's hard to tell the aggression and the fierceness involved.

A lot of people were taken aback by Tony's interview. I was wondering what you thought about his abrasive behavior?

I think that it was basically someone else talking through. . . I think that he was prodded on by the interviewer, for one. You answer what the guy asks you, you know. I think he was prodded on in a way; that's his style, but I don't think that was total Tony in that interview. I think there's a softer Tony than was portrayed in that interview.

So, what do you think of rock music (laughing)?

I dig rock music. I play a Stratocaster . . . I jam with the Mellow Cat every once in a while. We play all kinds of rad music. Tony's a good guy. Last time I saw him, I said, "Hi Tony," and he didn't say anything to me, but I still say he's a good guy. Saying something more about the Dogtown influence; I think a lot of guys probably don't like them, 'cause they come off so hardcore and stuff, but I think they're good guys; I like them; I like all of them- Jim Muir, Stacy, Paul. I didn't really get to know Nathan when I talked to him, 'cause I was just hittin' him for information so hard. When I talked to Nathan, he had been doing the fairings, and I hadn't; and I was asking him about fairings and stutf . . . he was more advanced than I was, and I shouldn't have been asking him, 'cause he was on a different plane than I was at the time. Maybe he is now too, I don't know.

What are some of the advantages or disadvantages of being well known?

The disadvantages are: people call you up and want you to do stuff for free, which isn't bad, because I get paid by Gordon & Smith to do those things. But people expect a lot of things from you-like skatepark owners expect you to come out for demos for free. People who want you to do something for free are out of it. I'd never ask someone to do something for free. The advantages are neat. You meet a lot of people; I've met the nicest people in the world. There's no one nicer than skateboarders; they make surfers and skiers look like really out-of-it people. Skateboarders are good people, except for a few who are into their own trip, which is cool, but on the whole, most of them are just little kids that are just out having fun. Usually in skateboarding, it's "the more the merrier." I think it's kind of neat that way. It's no fun skating by yourself. I've had EI Cajon Park all to myself, and you skate for ten minutes, and there's nothing to it; you can't do it.

What's the most radical thing you've ever seen?

That brings to mind one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and that was Bob Piercy riding down La Costa, from halfway up, holding Tommy Ryan on his thighs in the tandem position. They decided they weren't gonna be able to make it, so Tommy started putting his hands down, and all of a sudden they decided to go for it. Tommy put his hands up, and they went down the hill in full glory.

Do you see anything happening in the sport right now that you don't really like very much?

Not necessarily. I think it's going all right. I think some of the skatepark guys are a little shaky, but they're money guys. Outside of that, everything's going pretty good. The bad companies have sort of fallen out, fallen behind, and the good companies . . . the kids are starting to ride good equipment. The kids are the ones that are so hot.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Steve Sherman Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:44 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 1, August 1977.

WHO’S HOT!
Steve Sherman
14 years old, rides for Gordon & Smith Flbreflex

By Guy Motil

For such a young racer, Steve Sherman has had a great deal of success in the highly competitive La Costa slalom races. Having raced for only the past year, Steve, and his father Brigg Sherman (who devised the electronic timing system used there) have been extremely involved in the La Costa events, Consistently finishing in the top five, competing against some of the fastest names in slalom, Steve is looking forward to ISA involvement, and wants to compete as a pro racer this coming year. Steve's favorite skaters include two hot racers, Tommy Ryan and Mike Williams, who have obviously had an effect on hiS racing. In banks and pools, Steve points to "definitely the most radical skater I've seen," Rodney Jesse, adding, "he's always a total gentleman."

Possibly due somewhat to R.J.'s influence, Steve is spending more and more time riding the banks at Carlsbad, where he's becoming increasingly more proficient. "It's a different type of skating from racing. . , much more like surfing." He feels the variety offered by skateparks helps to counteract the boredom a skater feels when he specializes too heavily in anyone type of riding. Steve is also directing more of his energy toward pool and pipe riding, "the ultimate bank challenge. "

Steve's skating equipment is becoming as varied as his interests in the sport. For tight slalom racing, Steve's equipment preference is a Henry Hester model, with Gull Wing trucks and Road Rider Fours, For giant slalom, he uses a 29" cutaway, Gull Wing trucks and Hester wheels. For banks and pools, Steve rides a 29" Bowlrider made of wood and' fiberglass, with Half-Track trucks and Yoyo Pros wheels. Steve's also been surfing for the past year or so, and he sees his style of surfing as a reflection of his "pump and go" slalom riding. In the water, he rides a Bing 6'8" stinger/swailow/Bonzer, which, even though it sounds odd, Steve claims works quite well for him.

Though not yet even in high school, and already approaching or equaling pro slalom racing standards, Steve Sherman is a rapidly rising hot young skater. Definitely someone we'll be keeping an eye on for the future.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Wentzle Ruml Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:46 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 1, August 1977.

WHO’S HOT!
Wentzle Ruml
18 years old, rides for Town & Country/Z-Flex

By John Smythe

Wentzle Ruml is a man of few words with a heavy rep. Stacy Peralta credits Wentzle with pioneering the 360 slide. Tony Alva says Ruml was the first to execute the elusive 180 lip slide into a 360 roundhouse and back into a 180. The following interview was conducted in the kitchen of Wentzle's North Shore home while he cooked Swanson beef pot pies and listened to Hank Wilson, the crying country crooner, on the stereo. It appears in the unadulterated question and answer format because Ruml insisted on no embellishments-"just give 'em the facts."

Hometown- "Dogtown."

Skating experience-"Six years." Favorite type-"Pools, bowls, banks."
Equipment-"For pools, 30" slightly kicked Yz" ash (very light) with Bennett's and 4's; for freestyle, 28", 1/2" ash square tail with moderate kick and full plan shape, mounted with Bennett's and 4's; for banks, original Z-Flex with Bennett Pro's and 6's with open bearings."

Style and goals-"A smooth but radical style flow. Always try to go further, always try to make it harder than before, to keep pushing it beyond the extreme limits."

Favorite skaters-"My friends. . . you know who they are."

Up and coming skaters-" Jay Schien . . . drives his VW to all the local spots and rips."

Favorite spots-"Mainland-Skatopia, Bellagio, Kenter, Canyon Pool, B-Pool, Manhole, Highland, La Costa. Islands-Wallos, Kammies Drain, Master Blaster, Uluwatu and Spreckels Ditch."

Favorite musicians-"Lynrd Skynrd, Allman Bros., Gabby Pahinui-see 'em as often as possible."

Contest experience-"Placed second in freestyle at 1975 Hang Ten World Pro-Am."

Comments on contests-"Getting there wasn't half the fun... it was the only fun. Definitely not into organization; am waiting for more money in pool and bowl action."

Brushes with the law-"Six citations for various skating infractions."

Safety equipment-"Possess all pads."

Injuries incurred-"Lost three teeth, received sixteen stitches in lip, dislocated elbow-had equipment on, but it didn't prevent these. . . it could have been worse."

Surfing equipment-"Kneeboards: 5'3" by 19" square tail winger, and a thin 5'6" x 18" winger swallow. Both are Dean Edwards shapes with airbrush by Chris Cahill."

The future of skateboarding- "What is that question. . . tomorrow is the future of skateboarding."

Advice-"Break out the stick and giveee-um.”

High point of career-"Being discovered by Skip Engblom doing Berts under the Ocean Park bus at the Third Street stop." Engblom's comment: "He always missed the rear wheels, so I picked him up for the team. I had a feeling that we had to get him off the street if he was gonna last much longer."

Future plans-"None of the above."

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Bobby Piercy Who's Hot!

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:47 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 7, September 1977

WHO’S HOT!
Bobby Piercy
22 years old, rides for Lightning Bolt

By Brian Gillogly

A few years ago. before the extensive touring. the wide media exposure. the advent of the skatepark and the resulting measure of respectability skateboarding has found among the general public. there were those who were already committing themselves to the emerging phenomenon.

On wide asphalt streets secluded in the hills of La Costa, a group of young San Diegans were pushing one facet of the sport, slalom, to previously unthinkable extremes, regularly challenging each other to intense, though friendly, competition. An esprit de corps prevailed. Cheering each other on, the camaraderie gave way to a spontaneous, almost explosive, excitement. And significantltly near the center of this energy, sometimes almost epitomizing it, and certainly on anyone day, its most vocal proponent was a fast. ski-oriented skater from Pacific Beach by the name of Bobby Piercy. A profile on Bobby, his prowess in other areas of skating as well as surfing and skiing notwithstanding could very easily, in fact, turn into a statement on enthusiasm, so much the essence of the sport as he likes to point out himself. (' 'There's so much energy around skateboarding. the young skaters especially, that by getting involved you can really 'feel a part of it. ") And yet, in one sense, that penchant for zestful response is merely a by-product of something more central to Bobby's psyche, something possibly even more positive, It is what has allowed him to overcome the inherent fear of falling. and become so proficient at flow-motion sports. Bobby simply relates it to the fact that he was born under the sign of Aquarius ("that has a lot to do with the way I am about the sport"). But no matter what the reason: he has learned to handle whatever obstacles may be in the path of self-expression; whether that communication is oral in nature, or, like working a smooth, quick motion through the cones; athletic.

Presumably, Bobby was opening up and cutting loose early in life, as he was already surfing, and as a direct spinoff, skateboarding by age 7. At 15 he began redirecting himself toward snow skiing, making his move to Colorado two years later, and eventually racing competitively and working for a race camp in the offseason. "And I used to skateboard to keep in shape during the summer months for skiing."

When skating began catching on once more in Southern California, on a lark, Bobby got together with' Bob Turner, a local surfboard manufacturer, to design a board to be ridden parallel stance "for skiers specifically." Although the Turner Summer Ski was handcrafted of foam and fiberglass, the outline design proved so successful, it has become a prototype for many of today's production slalom boards. And as for Bobby: "I was a test rider, and (skateboard) slalom racing became so exciting I kind of pushed everything else back."

"I like the way he shakes his boogaloo." -Robin Logan

Bobby's characteristic slalom technique has long since been adapted by many and appreciated by all but his close competitors. The fact is that it's the most efficient technique going. As Bobby explains it:

"With a surf style, you're moving around the cones with your body. But with a ski style, the lower half can go around them while the upper part stays above them in a straight line. That causes you to go straighter and tighter by each cone, which gives you a faster time." Add to that aspects of balance, rhythm and timing close to skiing, and it's clear that the parallel experience contributed much to Bobby's frequent competitive edge at La Costa and elsewhere. And yet, if everything runs in cycles, Bobby's skating is .at least partially returning to a sur! style of earlier days. A former resident pro at Montebello, and consultant on that design, he has found the wider stance more functional and versatile for park riding. It was a necessary changeover, he feels, to stay in tune with the sport and the "limitless riding potential" of the various park designs. Bobby is wholeheartedly behind the skatepark concept, and is presently working out the contours of a new facility in Modesto, California, as well as assisting as resident pro at the Vernon Valley Skate Mountain, the largest East Coast park, with the object of providing "kids a place to go, to be creative, to develop their balance and keep in good physical shape."

Also contributing to the progress of the sport, Bobby recognizes the continued importance of the development of new equipment. Although he is currently in favor of HPG's for slalom, and Midtracks for banks and freestyle, he is quick to add: "What works today will work tomorrow, but there will also be something which will work better tomorrow. If you don't stay on top of equipment, you're always going to be limited in your skating. We're bound to get better skaters in the future because of better products. And now they're making better safety equipment, which allows you to go for it so much more." A good example of the latter, he says, is the Time Tunnel wrist brace, designed for "comfort and support" and to cut down on one of the most common of skateboard injuries.

And just as good safety equipment can speed up the learning process, so too, Bobby believes, could skateboarding schools, or, better yet, summer camps with pro instructors. Says Bobby: "I'd like to teach kids how to skate and skate safe. I'd really rather work with young beginners, because at that point they're all ears, and just by giving them the time they need, they can achieve so much. You just have to point them in the right direction."

To be sure, it's a long way to the top. "There's a line you have to cross over every day," says Bobby. But by the same token, it doesn't take much practice, he feels, to discover the essential enjoyment of skating, which makes the sport all the more accessible.

"Anybody can skateboard. You don't have to be 15 years old and a surfer from California. The people in the Midwest have just as much energy as we do, waiting to be unleashed. You can never have been on a board in your life, and within a week be enjoying it so much so that you feel hot. . . 'cause it's all an expression from within."

Wesley Tucker
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Mike Williams Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:48 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1977

WHO’S HOT!
Mike Williams
25 years old, rides for Gull Wing/Lightning Bolt

By Brian Gillogly

Were it not for space limitations and other regretful restrictions, this profile on San Diego's slalom and downhill ace Michael Williams, might well have taken the format of an in-depth interview rather than just a more or less conventional "Who's Hot." There is good reason.

Not only is Mike a top-rated racer and highly competent all-around skater, but he is also bright, well-spoken and has, seemingly, already led a full life.

Mike was, by his own admission, one of the early surf rowdies from San Diego's "Cliffs" area; and, as such, an original "fish" rider as well. (The fish, which was innovated in the late sixties by Cliffs local Steve Lis, is a relatively short surfboard with a split tail, two fins and skateboard-like maneuverability.) He was also among the first regular racers at La Costa some three years ago, following the example of his former surf buddies, Bobby Piercy and Tommy Ryan. Although he feels his reputation was built almost exclusively on those early skating efforts. his more recent competitive successes-2nd in Slalom and 3rd in the Speed Race at Long Beach. 1st in the Downhill at the Carlsbad-Hang Ten and 2nd in the Downhill at Akron-certainly have not detracted from his public image.

But Mike is likewise known as the preliminary designer of, and major force behind, the successful Gull Wing steering unit, more recently contributing his expertise to the upcoming Gull Wing park truck and a new series of safety pads from Torsten Hallman.

And interestingly enough, a married man with twin, 4-year-old boys, Mike has made the transition well from "surf bum" to the role of conscientious father and able provider. Though that responsibility is gradually turning him into a "weekend warrior." as he puts it, Mike is undismayed. He currently derives enormous satisfaction from skating with his family (his wife, Rebecca, won the 1976 La Costa Summer Races; his kids have been cruising on their own boards since age 2) and advises other young families to do the same. "It's just a tremendous recreation," says Mike.

Thus, all things considered, Mike certainly could provide an interesting, possibly enlightening interview. Perhaps the next best thing, then, is the following sampling of his well-considered perspectives on skating and life in general.

The optimal slalom run:

"A G.S. (Giant Slalom) going through snake run. . . that really stimulates the
imagination. There's so much you could do with something like that, bringing racing and surf-type riding into one event. . . A big snake run with a few cones put at the parts where you come down to the bottom again, so you have to go through a series of cones and back up the wall. . . It would be an exciting race!"

Favorite races:

"We've been racing back in Colorado for this circuit called 'Another Roadside Attraction.' There's five different races in the circuit held on street runs and at mountain passes and I've gone to the last three of them. They're the most fun races I've ever been to. Well organized, never any timing problems and the people-most of them skiers-are just fabulous. . . they love racing."

Slalom technique:

"I skate surf stance, similar to Henry Hester. With my feet right above my trucks, so the trucks are almost an extension of my feet, I always have (pressure) on my wheels, keeping them from sliding out. . .

"Just before a race starts, I usually take three or four deep breaths and then just hold it. . . and when they're counting down-'On your mark, get set, go' -I take a breath between each one so on my start, my body is going to that tempo. Somewhere between 'get set' and 'go,' it just clicks. I've found that you really have to be heading out of the gate by the time he says, 'Get set.' Like at Akron, the guy said, 'Get set,' but the racer next to me wasn't ready, and yelled, 'Whoa, wait!' . . . and I was already out and broke the gates. I bent them in half and broke right out of them. . .1 couldn't help myself. You just have to cock and spring and that's it-you're gone. . .

"A strong part of it is mental. You just have to think as fast or faster than your body's moving, be able to project with your mind down the course. It's just like throwing a rock and directing it with a yell, similar to the way Indians did. You can direct your body that way by not letting any outside (thoughts) interrupt what you're trying to achieve."

Favorite spot:

"For all-around riding, I'd have to say I like Upland (The Pipeline Skatepark) best. Checking out the big bowl is like paddling out to Sunset for the first time. And you can get more weightless in a pipe than any other form of skateboarding . . . that's where the surfing feeling really comes in."

Life goals:

"I guess my goal is to be financially happy by the time I'm 35. At that time my children will be early teenagers, and I'd like to take them sailing around the world. There's a lot to see out there, and I want them to see it."

Future of the sport:

"I think that in a year or so there are going to be racing camps similar to what they have in snow skiing. Bob Piercy and I have discussed it heavily. You could have a video machine, a few pros and a little park there. And kids could come and learn what it took us years to learn. . . I would like to get involved in something like that. There's so much potential there-it would be unbelievable!"

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Dave Hackett's Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:49 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 7, February 1978

WHO’S HOT!
Dave Hackett
17 years old, rides for Gordon & Smith FibreFlex

By Jim Goodrich


If the art of skating could be any more redefined by anyone, it would have to be by Dave Hackett. Though relatively unknown outside of the L.A. circuit, he is hardly an obscure personality and, at 17 years of age, he has emerged as one of the West Coast's top skaters. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, he received his first board at age 5 and wasted no time in getting accustomed to the asphalt domain around his house in Malibu. Over the years, Dave has had the opportunity to learn and skate with the best, such as Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Andy Pryciak, Chris Bellows and Kerry Cooper.

Even though Dave's real interest is in pools and banks, he has never been afraid to flow his talents in anything. In 1975, in his first major contest in the L.A. Sports Arena, he placed 1st in slalom. Then, at Ventura that same year, he entered yet another area of competition freestyle-and took home 6th place. His display of versatility did not stop there, however: in the 1976 Magic Mountain Masters, he placed 2nd in slalom, 3rd in the obstacle course and 3rd in the speed race. Later that year, he was invited to the World Professional Championships at Long Beach, where he placed 10th in slalom. In late 1977 at the Catalina Classic, Dave ran up against long-established slalom racers and still took 5th place.

Shortly after last year's Cow Palace contest, he joined the Gordon & Smith FibreFlex Team and has been by far one of the team's major assets since. More recently, along with his brother, Paul (also a G & S Team member), Dave has been riding and promoting the new "Suspenders" in several ads and demos. He's also credited with being the first to do helicopters off a ramp with them. When riding skateparks, pools and banks, Dave rides a 29" Warp 2 with MidTracks and YoYo wheels. For his "Suspender" riding, he uses a 29" Bowl Rider with Mid-Tracks and Emotion wheels. Dave loves skating the streets around his home in "Sunset Mesa," but his favorite spots are Reseda, Skatopia, Arthur's Pool, Shell Bowl, Dino's Dog Bowl and, sometimes, the banks at Kenter School. Jammin' to his favorites, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Lynrd Skynrd and Genesis, Dave will take on most anything from a full-on downhill run to the most insanely vertical walls.

Being very much into surfing, Boogie Boarding and body surfing, it only stands to reason that his skating is a natural progression of his surfing . . . and, in some ways, vice versa. Applying his casual yet aggressive lifestyle to both, Dave has set his goals, reached them, then extended the limits even further. In all areas of life, most are only too aware of their limitations; but for Dave, as things appear right now, there seems no limit in sight.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
Posts: 3279
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Bobby Piercy Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:50 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 7, February 1978

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Bobby Piercy

By John Smythe

At 22 years of age, Bobby Piercy is one of the brightest lights on the slalom scene. Fresh from hard fought victories on the circuit, Piercy has positioned himself in the driver's seat, so to speak. Albeit racing being racing, the chair is always up for grabs. A stylistic innovator, the parallel ski stance he pioneered two years ago was considered a curiosity; it may in the near future be deemed de rigeur. This was no mean feat in a surf-styled skate world, and the parallel approach's current upswing in popularity is directly attributable to Piercy's success as a competitor.

Of the top-ranked pro slalom men, Bobby is probably the most adept at transversing radical terrains. From quarter-wheelers off the cope to jumping on and over several Playboy Bunnies at a crack, his credentials are in order. Piercy's attunement to the vertical is aided by his fifteen years of surfing experience in the O.B.Cliffs environs (one of the hardest core, most esoteric areas in California), and his current involvement with skatepark design.

Bobby approaches everything with his characteristic inventiveness, agility and enthusiasm. . . and it shows. Some in the sport feel that he possesses both the showmanship and, that most intangible of commodities - star quality - necessary for the general public's embracement of slalom as a spectator sport. (It is not insignificant that after his performance at the Catalina Classic, several ABC execs speculated much the same.) One thing's certain: The guy's fast and he's a trip to watch. They don't call him the fastest ankles in town or the boy in the bright blue jeans for nothing! In his own words, "tight's alright."

TO START OFF, DO YOU HAVE ANY GENERAL COMMENTS TO MAKE?

From what I've seen in skateboarding today, most of the juice is Down South. I'm not really talking about the business between Dogtown and Down South, though, because when everyone's together, they all flow together pretty well. We're speaking of Tony, Jay, Shogo, Muir, and, of course, Martinez, Jesse, and the names go on. The real goons are the Inland Boys, They don't have any surfing background. There's a few good skaters like Jerry and Kent. . . but the main thing is in the trip between the Dogtown Boys and the Down South Boys, they're all high on energy. There's a lot of juice right there. I've seen 'em both get in a pool and totally terrorize it, together and by themselves. It's just like in slalom: There's a lot of competition between Up North and Down South . . . between the Santa Cruz Boys, the Turner Boys and the other racers Down South who don't ride Turners, like Michael Williams and Henry Hester. We've been having this thing going on between us for awhile, too, in the racing era of skateboarding (which a lot of people don't know about since there's not a lot of media talk about slalom racing today). This goes back to the early days at La Costa when this thing all started between the FibreFlex Team, led by Henry Hester, and the Turner Team ,led by Tommy Ryan and myself. There was a heavy rivalry going on there, and a lot of people never even knew that it went on. This is the kind of thing that's made slalom racing what it is today. The testing ground for that had started at La Costa, and that's how I got into skateboarding and why I'm at where I am in the sport today,

DO YOU THINK THE RIVALRIES ARE GOOD?

Definitely. It brings out a lot of cheap calls, which are just talk. But it also brings out a lot of head-to-head duel situations, whether they're through a course or in a pool; and you find skaters pushing themselves further than they've pushed themselves in the past. which is bringing out new, hot talent. Without the rivalry between the two, you would lose some of the drive. The drive comes from within, each rider has that drive; but, it's amazing; it won't come out until a given period, a given moment, which is usually caused by somebody else, another rider, pushing themselves further, and then the next rider pushes himself further . . . you see this a lot in pool riding.

WHO ARE THE MOST RADICAL SKATERS YOU'VE SEEN?

The most radical skaters I've seen skate are Rodney [Jesse]. Martinez, and Jay Adams. They are the most radical because they eat it the most; they pay the heaviest dues. But, at the same time, they're young and loose. There's a lot of hot riders and I've seen them in New Jersey, in Texas and a lot in Colorado. So it's pretty hard to determine who's the hottest. It's like surfing: there's a lot of hot surfers and everyone has his own favorite.

WHY DON'T WE GET YOUR BACKGROUND OUT OF THE WAY?

O.K. Well, my background started from my surfing era. I surfed from 8 years old on. My mom gave me a ride to the beach every day; she'd drop me off. Even if it is only a ~ mile haul, when the boards weigh 40 pounds and you're a little rug rat, it's pretty hard to carry a board down there. So I started hanging around on the beach, hanging around older guys because the older guys know where it's at, and they're at the surf every day. . . so you get rough pretty quick. You have to, or otherwise, you don't hang around the beach. . . you turn into an inland boy. We skated the boardwalk, and got into freestyle and slides and stuff. . . only when the surf was blown out. We were full fledged surfers. When the water started getting too crowded, I turned to the Rockies and started skiing. I went to Colorado to get into snow skiing and snow racing. After a year of skiing every day all winter and-in the summer keeping in shape for winter by skateboarding, I started working with Bobby Turner-who had designed a slalom board-and Tommy Ryan, because they wanted a skier's approach to skateboarding. Tommy, who is a surfer also, had been riding open stance, similar to the way Henry Hester and Bob Skoldberg ride-they were the two top racers in that period. Yandall was into it pretty full on, too; he was number one on the tour back then, but Hester pushed him out real quick. Later, I edged Hester out. But I pushed Hester out with a whole different style of racing that nobody had seen up to that point. It was the parallel technique, with feet side-by-side, that was adapted through total ski racing techniques, and it helped me draw tighter, straighter lines through the course. It got us into riding tighter, faster courses. We were riding courses that were 50 to'75 cones, 51'. to 6 feet apart. Before that, the slalom racers were riding courses 8 feet apart. With our new cambered boards, they turned 3 times faster than the stock board on the market at the time. . . these were hand-made boards that Bobby Turner designed and built. They were the most advanced slalom boards in skateboarding at that time, and today they're even more advanced. So, we were testing these skateboards skistyle, and Tommy Ryan was testing them surf-style. We got into competition, we found out that they worked, that they could beat the best, which at that point was FibreFlex. So we started really pushing our slalom, and we raced. We had our local crew testing these boards out, and we went underground for about a year until we came up with a new design, a new model. We really pushed our slalom boards a lot in Colorado because I moved back to the mountains when the ski season started to start ski racing again. That was my goal, I was gonna be a top pro racer and all my energy was going to that. As skateboarding started getting heavier and heavier and it started getting more and more exciting, my interests and ambitions switched from ski racing back to skateboard racing, which is much more of a year-round sport. It's probably the most exciting thing happening in the sport today because you have head-to-head slalom races and it's 100% go-far-it. If you hold back a blink, you lose. You can determine who the winner is and who the loser is; there's no argument: Whoever crosses the finish line first wins. In freestyle or park riding or bank riding or pool riding, it's very hard to determine who the winner is-because it's judged on style and technique so much-while slalom racing is judged on the fastest time of the day; that's who takes home the money. Well, I'm into skateboarding 100% right now, and I'm into riding pools and slalom both.

WHAT EQUIPMENT ARE YOU USING NOW?

I ride for Brewer Skateboards and I have two models coming out. One is a 29" freestyle model and one is a 30" pool model. Both are made from a strong wood laminate core. I think it's important to ride wood in vertical wall situations because it's what's happening. I rode everything, and that's what I'm into right now, that's why both my models are wood; wood is probably the most durable board happening today, for this time and space right now. But when it comes to slalom racing, I ride a foam cambered board which Bobby Turner makes for the Brewer Racing Team. The reason for that is that Turner makes the best slalom board in the world today. It's a fact. For wheels, I ride the new Kryptonics Green Kryptons, I'm diggin' on 'em.

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK EQUIPMENT IS OVERALL?

Well, equipment gives you confidence. Either your equipment works or it doesn't. Anything will work; but when I say "work," I mean "works best." Now, the way I skate, I try everything. I'll ride anything once, and if it works, I'll know it; if it doesn't work, I'll know it's bunk. I've been keen on equipment ever since I got into skateboarding because I'm a slalom racer and equipment makes it or breaks it. That's what racing is about; it's testing equipment to see what's best. Lately, I've been getting into riding banks and parks a lot because I design skateboard parks, you know-that's what I'm really into, designing parks, and I'm also into promoting skateboarding in the United States as a sport, not just an image. It's definitely gonna be in the Olympics and it's definitely a sport that's here to stay. When we have international competition, equipment comes into the picture heavily. I've been working with Michael Williams designing a new truck called the "Phoenix." The "Phoenix" is a new design strictly for banks, pools and freestyle. This truck gives much more control in turns, on spins and, especially, on coping. We've been getting a lot of help from D.T. Boys, especially from Billy Uron, Adams, and a little bit from Shogo and Alva. They've tested this new truck along with Dennis Martinez and the others here. The truck has a split axle, but it has a different pivot point and you can change your pivot by adjusting the tension; it enables you to get whatever kind of turn you want out of the truck; whether you want a fast turn or a slow, carving turn. . . you can ride in a pool and draw lines nobody else can draw. It's intense. The things you can do on these trucks are insane. It's not because I ride for this company that I'm telling you this; it's because these trucks are the newest thing on the market and they're total technology. They've taken other trucks and incorporated what's good about them and taken out what's bad about them, and incorporated new ideas. It's up to the rider to go out and test them, but it's so hard to introduce a new truck or any new item on the market today because there's so much criticism of anything new or different. You need a rider to go out and test them. The testing ground exists with any skater, whether in Wyoming, Colorado, Florida or even California. You just go out there and try it for yourself and then see. But don't get caught up just riding what you see in the magazine. . . test it for yourself. That's where equipment comes into the picture, especially for me. I'm into testing new equipment. Anything new on the market, I'm gonna try it. I want to ride the best thing happening becauseI'm into skateboarding and I'm into bettering my skating and getting more radical. . . and you do that by pushing yourself and by pushing the equipment you ride.

YOU HIT ON SKIING A LOT AND RELATE IT TO SKATEBOARDING, BUT YOU HAVE SURFED A LONG TIME, TOO. IS THERE ANY RELATIONSHIP TO SURFING IN SLALOM?

There's a lot-basically in the psyche involved. If you've never surfed, it will be hard for you to understand this; but if you do, then you're hip to what I'm talking about. When you're surfing, there's never enough waves for a few of us, regardless how consistent it is . . . considering the mad pack out there and all the cords dangling and all the dwids chirping and the natural scene that every surfer's bound to face between the beach and the outside. But it's gelling your head prepared to meet those guys and knowing how to get through 'em and turn around and catch the waves without causing a scene or ripping somebody off for their wave. That takes a heavy psych that you get through years of experience of dealing with that pack. Like in slalom racing, when you're at the top of the ramp-especially in head-to-head dual, when you look at your opponent-you know that both these guys are going for that wave and only one of them's gonna get it; that’s where my surfing experience helps me a lot in the determination of making sure I'm gonna get that wave, in making sure that I'm gonna cross that finish line first. It comes from the self drive that you get from surfing every day and pushing yourself. In surfing, you can surf mellow or you can surf radical. The same in skateboard racing, the same in slalom racing; but in surfing, there's a lot more elements involved: The wave's moving, you're moving and you're not connected at all. In skiing, the hill's stable, you're connected to your skis; and your skis never leave your feet unless you eat it, and then you've got safety straps or ski stops, and you put 'em back on before you continue. Whereas, with skateboarding and surfing, you and your board are just totally balanced and it's totally footwork. The footwork is in relationship to you doing your riding; you know, training skateboarding and training slalom, they're basically stable, they don't change; whereas in surfing, the whole wave goes off, you surf the wave, and after you kick out, the wave's gone. . .it’s over. The whole thing's moving and it’s going off. You have to anticipate and meet that wave. Surfing is a thinking sport, I mean, you have to totally anticipate what's going to happen it’s so important! More important than skiing. In skiing, you can always recover because the hill is stable. In slalom racing, in a tight slalom, the cones are so tight and so straight, even in giant slalom, that you usually don't have time to bring it back in if you blow out. It's an automatic d.q. So, you have to psych yourself to look ahead and watch the course; your run has to be put through your mind before you even take it, because you're looking so far ahead; if you don't, you don't make the course. So, they're a lot alike in that respect. Surfing is a much more religious sport with me; 1 surf for myself. In skateboarding, I race for my sponsors . . . and also myself, for my own ego to win . . . but I am doing it for a lot more people and a lot of other exposure. When I race, I'm racing for my sponsors and I have something to prove for them. They put their faith' in me, so I have to make that finish line first, I have to beat the other guy. I'm pushing our products because I feel they're the best. I'm riding Brewer boards and Gullwing Phoenix trucks; it’s up to me to beat Hobie or Mcintyre or whoever it’s the sponsors racing each other, and as soon as the sponsors get more into their riders and more into racing, the sport will go a lot further. Right now, there's a lot of sponsors who are afraid of me, they're afraid of what I represent, you know, what Brewer represents. We go for it; we put ourselves on the line, especially when it comes to races.

YOU'RE 22 YEARS OLD AND YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL SKATEBOARDER. YOU'RE PROBABLY WHERE A LOT OF KIDS ARE GOING TO BE IN SEVERAL YEARS WHO WANT TO BE PROS. WHAT’S YOUR LIFESTYLE LIKE?

Well, I'm pretty much on a health diet because I'm into being an athlete. I don't have a football background, so I'm not a natural jock and I'm trying to turn into one now, basically so I can hold my title for years to come. You do that by eating good foods and not by going out and partying every night. I do occasionally like to go rock and roll. I like disco music, I like disco clubs; I go out nightclubbing one or two nights a week. What's really funny is that the people I go nightclubbing with have a whole different lifestyle than I. They're total disco ducks, all they do is disco. They disco at night and they're deejays during the day. It's really funny that somebody like that can get together with a skateboarder at night and actually flow on the same ticket. It amazes my friends almost as much as it amazes me how I do it, but I really like dancing. If I'm not gonna go dancing at night, I won't break out my leather jacket, I'll break out my tennis shoes and hit the park for a night session, It's really funny how they work together, I think anything you do with your body and your mind can be related to other things you do, My dancing helps my skating like my surfing helps my skating, My skating helps my surfing, My skating, surfing and dancing help my love life. . . and my love life helps my skating! I hope that this doesn't confuse you because ~ confuses me; but, I guarantee you, with me, they're all related to each other, they're all related to my daily routine. I try to keep my life motivated. The worst thing for you to do is to give up and quit. As long as you can make yourself go out and do something, then you're on the right track because you're being progressive in your lifestyle. It's not a dead lifestyle when you're doing something with the juice you have. By pushing that juice, you keep yourself motivated and rejuvenated; at least, with me it works that way. I don't know how it works with someone who weighs 250 pounds and is 5'2" . . . I don't know if he can find that kind of motivation in his daily routine; but I can, and my lifestyle's pretty simple. I live at Sunset Cliffs, San Diego. I wake up in the morning and go right down with my dog to look at the surf; either I'm out in the water, or I come home, eat breakfast, go skate, go run slalom for 2 or 3 hours or call Martinez, Michael Williams or Wally. We've got a lot of good skaters who live down here right now, so it's easy to find someone to go skating with; it's kind of boring skating by yourself. It's better to go skate with your brother. I find if I can keep a full schedule in my daily routine that that's what helps me progress in my racing. I find the minute that I try and slack off, I find myself sitting at home trying to watch the tube-I'm not interested in t.v. I'm not into staying home and being uncreative. There's too much to do out there. I'm 22 years old and I know I'm not gonna do as much as I wanna do, but there's still a lot of things I intend to get done. [/b]

WHY DON'T YOU ELABORATE ON YOUR OUTLOOK ON HEALTH AND CONDITIONING?

I think it's very important to keep health consciousness .in racing today. You find yourself at an age where you don't have enough money to do what you want to do; then when you do (have it) a lot of people are already burnt out. By "burnt out," I mean they're overboard. I don't drink at all; I don't drink and I don't smoke and I don't mess around with drugs. It's important for me to keep that setup in my daily attitude and my daily lifestyle, because it would be my downfall, like it is the downfall of so many other top athletes, not only skaters. It's easy for me because I don't like liquor and I don't like smoke; cigarettes are bad for you and liquor is bad for you. They don't have anything I need in my lifestyle or in my life. I'm not a religious man, but, at the same time, I'm into health.

YOU'VE GROWN UP ON THE BEACH AND YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY IN THE SAME SCENE NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN IN ALL ALONG. ARE THERE ANY PEOPLE WHO'VE BACKED YOU OR HELPED YOU ALONG THE WAY?

Of course, definitely. There's always people who play a major influence in your life; they can steer you in the right direction or the wrong direction. I was fortunate to have a few top surfers in the old days really steer me in the right direction. Neil Norris [a top surfer] had a lot of influence on me. He turned me on to Mexico and the latest in surfboard design. Back in that period of time, there was a man who helped make surfing what it is today. Skip Frye took a handful of us P.B. area surf rats, or whatever you want to call 'em, and taught us. Through "Skipper," I met a man named Stevie Lis, a classic guy and a great shapero One of the main influences I've had is a man named Phil Castignola who owns and runs Select Surf Shop. Phil has been behind me since I was 11 years old. He helped me order my surfboards, he helped me enter contests . . . he's pretty close to a father to me because he's behind my surfing. Now Phil has turned his shop into a skateboard-surf shop and is doing it for kids in the P.B. area today. Well, enough of surfing. The people that influenced me in skateboarding probably the most has been. . . myself. I got into slalom racing by trying to do a totally different technique than anyone else had going. Basically, we had the ball and just took it and ran. It's kind of hard to say-people who were involved in that particular aspect of the slalom world at that point were people like Tommy Ryan, Conrad Miyoshi, Michael Williams and myself. We were skaters skating together. Michael and Tommy were surf style and Conrad and I were ski style. Yet, we'd race together and run the same courses. Those guys were sold on surf stance and I was sold on parallel stance. I think we helped each other by racing each other, by working with each other every day. When it comes to banks, Tom Inouye showed me a lot because he was the first guy that I've skated with in banks who's totally doing surf moves on banks. By that, I mean, going up and doing 6' slides in parks. I would have to say that Wally and Brad Strandland are probably the two guys who influenced me most in bank riding. The first time I was blown away was when I watched Tony ride a pool; then, right when I was flipping out, I saw Jay show up. Then I really blew my mind! At that point, I said, "I'm getting into this and I'm gonna do it." Since then, I've been influenced by Dennis Martinez quite a bit because he lives close to me-that's who I do a lot of my riding with right now-and Rodney Jesse, another team member; these guys are just totally radical. There's a lot of hot skaters, but to see 'em in live action, you just can't believe it. They do not give up. They've got so much juice going for 'em, it's unbelievable.

YOU WERE A COACH AT THE HEAD SKI RACING CAMP IN COLORADO. WHY DON'T YOU GO INTO THAT.

OK. Well, in ski racing today, they have these race camps which have the top coaches, which, in turn, teach the top skiers in the world. I got into it and coached by running the video-audio department for the race camp. The kids coming to these camps are the hottest skiers in the country. They come here because they're shooting for the Olympics and they want to work on their technique and stay on top of it. Now, these youngsters have total professional altitudes around the age of 12 or 13. At 12 and 13, they're so dedicated and so devoted to skiing, it's amazing. I didn’t realize how much so until I got involved in the kids' camp. We had skateboard riding activities. We'd have race camp up until 1 :00 where the kids would ski all morning. Between 1 :00 and 4:00, we'd have recreation, and I was in charge of recreation, so I had 3 activities going: Volleyball, horseback riding and skateboarding. I couldn't believe how enthused the kids were to skateboard. I had to cancel the horseback riding and double the skateboarding sessions because we had so many kids who wanted to skateboard it’s such a close line between the two! The kids that ski, the young skiers across the country, can get on a skateboard and be totally ripping within 2 or 3 days because they already have their balance points worked out. They have that balance going for them, and it's amazing the talent that these kids possess. They don't have a surfing background at all, they have a total skiing background; but they get on a skateboard and they're at home. After a couple of hours, they've got it wired and they're totally together.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE FOR SKIING AND SURFING?

In the ski world, there's so many good makes that it would be hard to pick a favorite. I try to ski in tight slalom with 205's (205 cm); for downhill, I use 222's, and in the bumps, I use a 200. Most skiers use the short skis in the bumps, but I'm into carving faster lines and I don't dig short boards. I use Salomon bindings, Nordica boots and Scott boots. In surfing, I use O'Neill wetsuits and I ride a new surfboard-which is definitely the most progressive surfboard made today-called the "Fish." By that, they allow you to travel into places on a wave that most boards won't even fit. Seeing is believing. The Fish is designed by Steve Lis, one of my closest friends, and that's why I'm lucky enough even to have one; they're definitely the most happening surfboard in California for small wave conditions. But, in larger waves (anything over 8'), which we don't really get too much around here-sometimes in Mexico – I ride a Sammy Hawk. Sammy shapes all my boards for larger waves. I have confidence in Sammy's surfboards; Sammy and I can relate. It's really important to be able to relate with whoever shapes your boards for you. Of course, we all know Brewer makes the best surboards and that's why Steve Lis shapes for Brewer now; and, of course, Sammy is Brewer.

LET'S GET INTO RACING. WHAT KIND OF PSYCH DO YOU EMPLOY?

I try to employ kind of what you might call the Quiet Ali By that, I mean I have myself so psyched up that I am the man to beat. That's not ego. I have myself, I've trained and worked out hard enough, I try to totally know that there's no one there that can touch me and that allows me to go for it 100%, it really does, because I'm not hung up on worrying about it, about anybody. Everything I employ goes into my own run, not their run.

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK PSYCH IS?

I think it makes it or breaks it, because if you can't psych somebody else out, their psych will usually get to you especially in head-to-head slalom, because in head-to-head slalom, psych is such an important part of it. It's head-to-head. man; you're talking and looking at each other, and you're looking face-to-face; I can look through my opponent like he's not even there. The reason I can do that is because I'm convinced I can beat 'em. The technique I use, the way I race and attack a course, you know, if I don't beat 'em, it's not because they beat me, it's because I made a mistake. I have myself convinced of that.

WHO DO YOU THINK ARE THE TOP RIDERS PSYCH WISE?

The top five psych guys? Definitely the number one psych was Henry Hester; I say Henry because he was probably the most perfect champion you'll ever get. He's an all-American boy, he surfs well and he's a heck of a nice guy. I mean that. Henry's got a good psych going for him because he really takes it seriously; he'll talk to you, but when it comes right down in the gate, he's like a bull, and he'll get to you. He'll try to make you come out strong when he's appearing to come out, but he'll hold off and let you make the first mistake. He's an opportunist, and he'll follow up on that. It's shown. He was the 1976 top winner in every top race he was in; I should know: I was number two in every race right behind him! That's a hard position to stay in. Another one definitely is Tommy Ryan because Tommy, on any given note, will attack and kill; he's known to be a hungry racer who will race anyone at any time for anything. of course, one of my closest friends right now, a guy that I've been really working with a lot, is Michael Williams. He's an intense racer. He's got intense psych going, definitely! Michael's a strong boy, a strong skater; he's got a strong pump, and he's hungry. He grunts through the course! You can hear him coming. If you ever have a chance to watch any of these guys race, you'll be totally stoked, cuz they're all really on top. I have myself pretty much psyched out before I enter the race. I make sure I get a good night's sleep the night before, stay away from the skate groupies-they're at every contest ready to latch on, and it's pretty hard being a top racer and staying away from them, especially me being single but if you can make it that far and get a good night's sleep, then you know the next day you can give it all to the course. That's what I try to do. I try to come out practicing; I practice really hard, eat a strong breakfast, and come back ready for the competition. My psych has been known to work for me in the past, and I guarantee it will be working in the future (all you racers out there)!

WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST UP~AND-COMING SLALOM GUY RIGHT NOW?

I would probably have to say it's either John Hutson or Conrad Miyoshi. Conrad's got a really clean style, a much prettier skater to watch, but John Hutson's hungry. He was on the Colorado circuit this winter, which I failed to make because I was doing these road shows. . . (I'm pretty much into skateboard shows right now, trying to take skateboarding into other cities in the United States and show them what slalom and ramp riding is all about. There's a lot of skaters out there who need to be tapped, and I think once we get it out there, then it'll take off from there) . . . back to John Hutson. He's probably the most up-and-coming racer.

BETWEEN GIANT SLALOM AND CONVENTIONAL SLALOM, WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

Well, g.s. is basically a longer course down the same steepness hill (a downhill course); an offset course like that basically, the courses are set off the fall line and you have to draw a much longer arc to make it through the course-it's more of a speed line. Tight slalom is what I dig, because in tight slalom, there is a lot happening. It's quickness, timing, rhythm. . . that's my main thing, cuz that's what I'm into. I put together a good act when I race tight slalom because I attack; I have a clean style and I'm ahead of myself and my timing's there. Tight slalom is basically 5' apart between cones in a straight line, offset maybe no more than l' to 1 W off the fall line (the fall line being the straightest part of the hill; a straight line down the fall line is a straight line down the hill). In tight slalom, you create much more of a rhythm, and in head-to-head competition, that rhythm is really intense because of the fast pace and action. You have to be so hungry and so quick, it's insane. It's a heavy thing, the agony of defeat, because if you lose when you're racing head-to-head, it's not like losing against the clock where you can't really tell: When you're racing man-to-man, it's who attacks the course the most.

WHAT’S YOUR ATTITUDE ON CONTESTS? WHICH ONES HAVE YOU BEEN IN, WHICH ONES DID YOU LIKE AND WHICH DID YOU DISLIKE?

I liked every contest I was ever in, whether I lost or placed third or placed first, simply because contests bring out the top competitors in the United States. It brings all the guys together under one roof to go for it, and I love seeing that because I'm a competitive person (as you can tell from my track record). The best contest had to be Catalina, strictly because all the elements were perfect. It was out on the island; it was a very soulful boat ride out there, which maybe I'll get into later. They had a good head-to-head course. Peter Camann, a man from the Colorado circuit, put on the race (for sponsor Alan Seymour) and it turned out hot. Those guys did a fantastic job. Everybody running the contest knew what they were doing, they didn't mess up on any of the times and they had a fantastic timing system. The contact timing system turned out really good, there were good times, the competition was head-to-head, and, besides . . . I won! It also had an excellent downhill course, and the media coverage was excellent. ABC Wide World of Sports covered both the events and they did a great job.

LET’S GET INTO SOME SPECIFICS FROM YOUR COMPETITION TRAINING PROGRAM.

Well, besides being a surfer, skater, etc., I keep in pretty good shape. I work out at Brull's Gym, which is the local gym-spa in our neighborhood. I'm usually joined by Jon Riddle and Stevie Lis. These guys are really keeping me in shape; I'm their boy, and they both surf for Brewer Surf Team, along with Michael Ho and Sammy Hawk. We all have an excellent working/training program together. [Greg] Albertini's captain of the Team, he's in charge of all of us. He keeps us all pretty much in line.

SINCE YOU'RE INTO SKATEPARK DESIGN, WHY DON'T YOU DO A RUNDOWN ON THE VARIOUS PARKS.

Well, there's a lot of parks being built in the United States right now. Some of the better parks I've seen are: Mission Valley, Skateboard Heaven, The Pipeline Park, and Sparks. My roommate, Tommy Ryan, is resident pro at Sparks, and he's got an excellent teaching program going there.

WHY DID YOU GET INTO SKATEPARK DESIGN?

Well, I built a couple of parks here in California, a couple back East, one in Texas; and, being around and seeing the kids who were skating, I just wanted to give them a place so they can go ride with their friends away from the street. basically, a place where their parents can see where the sport's going, you know; cuz skateboarding's definitely gonna stay. Skateboard parks are a place where skaters can get together and work out and it doesn't cost a whole lot of money. Most parks are having mothers' days and ladies' days to get a lot of females involved in the sport. I think it's great for mothers to take part in skateboarding. They can go with their kids, they can skate - Skateboarding's not only for kids it’s for mothers and fathers, too. I think with the skateboard park activity that's going around today, skateboarding is definitely up-and-coming in the near years. It has to be. It's too clean of a sport, too much fun; there's so many elements of skateboarding, between freestyle, slalom, skateboard park riding, pool riding, high jumps and barrel jumps. . . what other sport offers that many variations? It's incredible.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ANYONE WHO REALLY WANTS TO GET INTO SKATEBOARDING TODAY TO DO?

I think, basically, keep safety in mind. Skateboarding is a very safe, healthy sport, as long as you wear safety equipment. Safety equipment is probably one of the most important things happening in skateboarding today, because it allows you to learn how to skate and have fun without resulting in any accidents or abrasions or breaks. All the pros know it, and most of them wear safety equipment. I use Rector safety gear and use their new gloves and shorts with pads in the hips. I wear hip pads because I skate parks and I want a little hip protection when I roll and slide out and when I'm trying to do my 360 slides or whatever. Elbow pads and knee pads are vital. I feel that safety equipment is probably the most important thing to a young or old skateboarder who wants to get into the sport.

AFTER YOUR NUMEROUS AFFILIATIONS AND SPONSORSHIPS IN THE INDUSTRY, HOW DID YOU HAPPEN TO LOCATE WITH BREWER?

Well, Brewer is run by a man who has got a whole lot of pull in a number of areas. Brewer has got an excellent team going in the surfboard industry and I felt that with Rodney Jesse and Kenny Means they had a good opportunity, and with a good slalom racer they could take it a long way. They have a good product; they offered me one of the best models I've seen on the market today. Brewer's here to stay, and I'm here to stay; so I wanted to go with a strong team that was going to give me the backing I needed to go all the way. When you're racing, you need a strong sponsor behind you, cuz without sponsors, it's hard to travel, hard to get around and make all these contests, Then, once you make 'em, you have the confidence of a good team behind you to help you stay there. I feel I have that with Brewer.

WOULD YOU CARE TO ELABORATE ON THE STRANGE ALLIANCE BETWEEN YOU AND SOME OF DOGTOWN'S MOST NOTORIOUS FIGURES?

Well, all I can say to that is that I do have some relationships and ties with some bros up there, and I'll probably continue to keep 'em. The fact of the matter is, that's the way I like it.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK GOING AROUND CONCERNING THE BOAT RIDE BACK FROM CATALINA. WOULD YOU CARE TO CLARIFY THAT FOR OUR READERSHIP?

It was a nice ride. After the winner's circle, of course, we went back with the big victory, the first in a long time; and I was partying with the Turner Team-I usually don't party-but after a celebration like that, with ABC Wide World of Sports covering it and all, I was just feeling awfully loose that night, and it was a fantastic boat ride. The bathroom facilities weren't quite up to par, due to the number of people on that boat ride, especially friends of mine; but I just enjoyed the whole ride.

DO YOU HAVE ANY GENERAL ADVICE FOR OUR READERS?

Definitely: Skate, skate, skate!

DO YOU HAVE ANY CLOSING COMMENTS?

I owe it all to my Mom.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
Posts: 3279
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

John Hutson Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:51 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 8, March 1978

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
John Hutson

By Tom Cuthbertson

It has been a good year for Santa Cruz Team Pro, John Hutson. Out of 14 races he entered (in Ohio, Colorado and California), he won 11, took 2nd place in 2 and placed 3rd only once. With a performance record like that, it may seem surprising that you don't hear more about him; but both his personality and his location have led to John's unheralded rise to the top of the competitive scene. He got his start in skateboarding in the early '60's, on the flatlands of the Santa Clara Valley in Northern California. He moved over the hill with his surfboard and his skate when he got out of high school; he has been skateboarding and surfing around Santa Cruz ever since, far from the cameras, cliques and ingrown competition of the Southland. Hutson hasn't ever sought out the notoriety available through heated sessions with the elite skaters at their elite hidden spots and selected hot parks. He enjoys bank and pool riding, and likes to compete on vertical terrain; but from the start, his competitive spirit has developed in racing situations that weren't in the spotlight. . . but that were fun and challenging, nonetheless. He gave me some time for an interview one afternoon recently, between delivering a load of new wheels, going over a new park design, working out and taking care of his baby daughter, Joanne.

DID YOU START RIGHT OUT DOING DOWNHILL IN THE OLD CLAY-WHEEL DAYS?

Well, there weren't too many hills where I lived. We mostly fooled around on the sidewalks and driveways. There was one hill in a park near where I lived, this grass hill that was really steep, and we used to shoot it. Just rip right down, and try not to fall at the bottom.

WAS THAT ON THE CLASSIC TWOBY-FOUR BOARD?

No, we had ready-made ones. Thick wood things with teeny little trucks and those open-bearing wheels. We used to customize them: Sand 'em all down and paint competition stripes on 'em.

DID YOU RACE BACK THEN?

Yeah, we used to race in figure eights, like flat-track car racing, in this guy's driveway. It had 3 15' square sections, around these little garden boxes, and the middle section was sunken and tilted, so you had to drop as you came around your turn and went for the cross at the mid die. We'd get 3 or 4 kids racing around and around, and it would get pretty wild in the intersection at the bottom of that drop.

DID YOU DO ANY SLALOM BACK THEN?

Yeah, sort of. I used to take paint cans and make a course going out of the garage, down the driveway and around the corner onto the sidewalk, It was only about 10 gates or so, but I'd make it hard, so you couldn't even make it the first time. Then, the third time or so, you'd just make it. After a few more runs, you'd start to find a groove. I used to do it for hours. I'd see how much at a track I could put down, where the wheels were wearing off, you know; you could see where your groove was that way. But then, every once in a while, you'd see a mark way out beyond it where you blew the turn (Laughs).

DID YOU GET INTO ANY CONTESTS IN THAT ERA?

No, my first contest was only about 3Y, years ago, at Scott's Valley days. (Laughs) It was real funky, you know, the kind of thing with a pancake breakfast, a parade and a skateboard contest for the kicker.

YOU WERE ON BETTER WHEELS AND TRUCKS BY THEN, THOUGH, WEREN'T YOU?

Oh yeah; Trackers-and Road Rider Two's, I guess.

WASN'T IT ABOUT THAT TIME YOU STARTED SETTING UP SLALOM CONES IN ALL SORTS OF WEIRD PLACES?

Yeah. We used to set 'em up in the aid Los Gatos Reservoir, which had these big, banked walls; and at the Pit; and then there was this sidewalk going down the hill into Santa Cruz. It had all these bumps and dips for the driveways; we used to set up courses through all of that. It was great! You had to be quick, 'cause the different surfaces kept coming at you so fast.

YOU WERE STILL USING A SMALL, QUICK BOARD THEN, WEREN'T YOU?

Yeah. When the fiberglass tops came in, I was still skating on my little old board, so I got a 24" glass top. I stuck with that thing for a long time. I was into it because the longer boards seemed to lose traction mainly because I wouldn't stand in the right place on them, I guess. Also, I couldn't do a hard, quick pump at slower speeds on a long board (for acceleration). But then, part at the reason for that was the trucks. I was using the big Trackers then, and those things didn't pump so good for me. Since then, I've gotten into boards that are a little longer with Bennett Pro's or Halftrack's, which turn quicker and are lighter. The board and the trucks and the wheels, too, are all related: You change one, and it affects the others.

DO YOU USE DIFFERENT TRUCKS NOW?

No, I'm pretty much locked into Bennetts because of the light weight and because they have the best geometry for a tight turning radius.

DO YOU CHANGE WHEELS AROUND MUCH, OR DO YOU HAVE ONE SET
FOR ALL CONDITIONS?


Well, there are always Road Riders; but we do fiddle around with them, trying to tind something that's taster or something that's grippier.

HOW ABOUT WHEELS WITH DIFFERENT DESIGNS OR DIMENSIONS?

No, they're about set, although they're just a little bigger and a little wider than they used to be. You don't want them too big, you know, because they start changing the whole function of the trucks; they act like a gyroscope, and you have to fight them to turn.

YOU USE BIGGER WHEELS FOR THE STRAIGHT-OFF STUFF, THOUGH?

Well, it has more to do with speed. You get up to about 25, 30 miles per hour, and that's where all the slalom equipment leaves off and the downhill stutf comes in. Bigger wheels, real tight trucks, solid boards over 32" long.

YOU USE A SMALLER LAMINATED BOARD FOR SLALOM, THOUGH, DON'T YOU? ONE OF THOSE GRAPHITE.LOADED THINGS?

Yeah, the Santa Cruz Board. It has a 'A" thick core of maple and an epoxy skin with fiberglass cloth and pre-stressed, unidirectional fibers of graphite. I use either a 27y," or a 28" model with the trucks set near the ends. It's a stiffer board-only flexes about y," at the max and it has a really quick return.

THAT'S FOR THRUST, FOR ACCELERATlON, RIGHT?

No, you don't actually accelerate with the flex and return. You rely on your turning, on your twisting motion for that. The flex is good mainly for traction and control it. acts like a shock absorber, so there's a little forgiveness to make up for uneven surfaces and handling. If the board is completely rigid and you slip a little. . . fwoosh, it's gone! With some flex, you can control it.

HMM, THAT'S SOMETHING. THAT STRAIGHTENS OUT A MISCONCEPTION I'VE HAD FOR A LONG TIME. MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT THE FLEX COULD ACCELERATE, DIDN'T THEY?

Yeah, I've had a lot of arguments with manufacturers over designing equipment because of that. They still think the flex can propel you, but it can't. It's the tightening of the radius of your turn and then opening it up, the twist you do with your knees and ankles. The only thing the flex can do is change the turning geometry of the truck, and it only does that enough to make a difference on boards that really flex.

THOSE BOARDS DON'T PERFORM VERY WELL, EITHER. WHY IS THAT?

They're slow; they don't come back in time for the next turn-and they're spongy, like bad shocks on a car; they mush out, and you can't control them. What you want is responsiveness and control. A light board with slight flex and quick return comes out best, when it's coupled with light trucks that have a tight turning radius. A lot of riders use heavier equipment and it hurts them; it slows them down, just like those over-tlexy, mushy boards do.

I SEE: IT'S GOT TO BE LIGHT BUT RE. SPONSIVE. FOR DOWNHILL, THOUGH, YOU WANT A BIG BOARD, BIG WHEELS AND TIGHT TRUCKS TO KEEP THINGS FROM GETTING SQUIRRELY, RIGHT?

Exactly. But you don't want things to get too big; You go beyond a certain size and weight, and you start to lose control; the board just starts to do its own thing. I like to have complete control over the board, no matter how fast I'm going. I won't be using any downhill board that's much over 36" long, even at Signal Hill. That's for control and, well, for lots of other reasons.

LIKE.. .?

Getting off the top of the hill fast, for one.

THE TAKE OFF?

Yeah. It's really critical how fast you can get up to that terminal velocity at the start of a race. Lots of people don't realize how important that is.

WHAT ABOUT THE RACES WHERE THEY PUSH THE RIDERS OFF THE TOP?

They aren't really races. Like at Signal Hill, they just go for the highest speed, using any old way they want to get up to it. I don't think it's a race unless it runs from point "A" to point "B" and includes the skater pushing himself off the start.

THAT KIND OF RULES OUT THOSE LITTLE CARS, THOUGH, DOESN'T IT?

Yep. I think they ought to eliminate those things completely. They're like the funny cars of the sport, but they're not even funny. They have no place in skateboarding. They ought to put them in museums or something, or run them off their own hill somewhere; but they shouldn't even be at a skateboarding event. In fact, if I ever come up in an event where they're around again, I'm going to really hesitate and think it over before I even enter. That's how strongly I feel about them. They just cloud up everything; besides, the spectators don't like them much. In Akron, the crowd was chanting, "No more cars! No more cars!" after they'd watched about an hour of guys pushing those little plastic things over the hilltop. There's just so much to the standing race: There's the start, and then how quick you can get into your fairing position, getting set so the air comes off you really clean. It's not just your head and your shoulders; you have to learn to feel when the streamlining is right - all the way back to your hands. And it's hard to do, too. It isn't just standing there however's comfortable; in fact, the better your fairing stance, the harder it is to control the board.

HOW'S THAT?

Well, you have to stand with your feet in line, with almost no diagonal, so it's hard to even keep your balance. It makes steering weird, but I like it if there are curves in the course. Then it becomes a real race. You have to get into your fairing stance quickly for the chutes, then stand up and handle the board in the turns, then slip back into the fairing again; and it all has to be smooth. It takes much more skill, and it's more exciting for the spectators, too; they can really see something happening. This is what made Catalina so nice; the people really got into it, and the T.V. could make a good show out of it for a change. It's more like a downhill ski race.

THE CATALINA COURSE WAS YOUR FAVORITE DOWNHILL?

No, I liked the one in Aspen, Colorado, even more. It was over a mile long, and there were a bunch of good bends and 2 sharp turns. And it was steep; the speeds were up around 35-40 miles per hour. That isn't fast compared to the straightoff speeds those little cars get up to, but it doesn't matter. When you see it, with the curves and all, you know it's FAST.

WAS THE PAVEMENT GOOD AT ASPEN?

Yeah, it was real good. At Catalina it was good, too; there were a couple of twitches in it, but that was good, too-it made it hairy.

ISN'T THERE QUITE A DANGER OF WRECKS WHEN IT'S LIKE THAT?

No. You hardly ever have a wreck in a race like that. They run one at a time, for one thing. And the guys who are just fair-to-good riders will take it real conservatively and back off at the dangerous places. The top 3 or " skaters, who are going to be coming down way faster than the others, will take a lot of calculated risks; but then, they know how to. They don't make mistakes; They just can't afford to. I think it was Franz Klammer, the downhill ski racer, who said that he had fallen only once in a real heavy downhill, and he never wants to fall again. It's about the same in skateboarding. The speeds are much slower, but you're on asphalt. If you fall, you don't slide like on snow; You bounce and skip and dig in, and that tends to crush things and round off corners. You try to avoid that kind of thing. I've never fallen in a downhill.

DO YOU HAVE A MUCH MORE FULLON ATTACK IN THOSE TIGHT LITTLE SLALOMS?

Oh, sure. On those you can fall and not get hurt much; you're almost bound to fall now and then, because you're doing so much so fast. You slip sooner or later, and then you go down before you can do anything. But there's a difference between a full-on attack at a flat set of cones and going full on down a giant slalom, which is what I call real slalom. On a real slalom, you use much more technique. You have your feet set a little farther apart, you use compression as well as thrusting, and you use your whole body more.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU LEARNED THE MOST FROM, ON THAT LEVEL?

Well, I used to pick up stuff from other racers; but you get up to a certain point, especially on the giant slalom, and you just have to rely on what you've got yourseif. You get your own pattern, then you work and work and work it. I

NOTICE YOU CALLED THE GIANT SLALOM THE ONLY REAL SLALOM. THE LITTLE ONES AREN'T REAL?

No. A straight little slalom is not a slalom.

WHAT IS IT, THEN?

A drill; just a boring drill. Those straight courses don't incorporate all of the moves that a slalom racer really should have; the ability to break the fall line, go around a cone, use all his weight to compress in a turn and hold the traction, then open it up to the max as he comes out. Those tight little runs are just straight sets of cones; all you do is wiggle through 'em. It becomes a contest to see how quick you can wiggle. We call them "wiggle wongers." Now, I don't mind if they wind up a big slalom with a quick straight set of cones to maintain the momentum down on the level, but that shouldn't be the whole course. People have gotten locked into thinking that that's all there is to slalom. Contest organizers stick to it, too, because it's so simple for them; they don't have to take any chances; they can have their whole show in a neat little box.

IS THAT WHAT MAKES SO MANY CONTESTS A DRAG FROM THE RACER'S POINT OF VIEW?

Well, partly. It's more than that. There's this whole problem between the promoters and the competitors. Both are to blame. The promoters just don't know enough about what they're trying to promote. They aren't trying to rip off the skaters, but it seems like it. If they'd learn more about the sport and try to present good, challenging competition, they'd get off a lot better. The skaters are to blame, too. They won't ever just accept the challenge the promoters give them; they always want to run the contest their own way. You get to a contest and, even if the course is good, there's always a group of skaters who want to change it. Even if the course is so bizarre that everybody agrees it has to be changed, the skaters get into fights about how it should be changed. There needs to be a lot more give and take than there is now. It's just a matter ot time before a stable format for the competition gets set up.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THAT FORMAT?

Slalom courses set up where there is some terrain; instead of those flat, straight lines, there should be steep places, curves, bumps and even banks. I'd like to see more full-on downhill events like the one in Aspen, too. And I'd really like to see more cross-country, mass-start races like the one they had in Dillon, Colorado. That had all kinds of challenges in it. You even had to hop off your board at one place, carry it across this mud, scrape your feet of I, then jump back on, (laughs) Now that was an interesting race! It even rained right in the middle 01 it, so guys were sliding off the wet corners and everything, But there are other ways they could make more interesting courses, They could set them up in some of the terrain of the skate parks, for instance.

THEY HAVEN'T TRIED THAT YET, HAVE THEY?

No, they just set up a wiggle wonger on some nearly flat slope, I don't think there are many people who really have the vision of it.

HOW ABOUT THE DESIGN OF PARKS? DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GOING TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER?

I sure hope so, I've been working on a design for a park that will be built up in San Jose soon, and we think it'll be way better. It will be made to facilitate momentum better. It'll be made so you can skate and skate without having to get off the board and walk back to a starting point. Instead of the standard hill-chute-bowl that you can get stuck in, there will be outlets for each area so the whole thing is continuous. The bumps and walls and banks
will be placed so you could keep skating all day long without getting off your board, it you were in condition for it.

BUT WOULDN'T SOME AREAS GET CROWDED?

It would have to be carefully done. You'd have to have a certain flow to it, you know, and limit the number of people in there at one time. Then you'd have a couple 01 special corners where guys could get isolated if they want to.

WHAT ABOUT THE SURFACE? ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THAT SLIGHTLY BRUSHED ROUGHNESS INTO IT?

NO ! It's got to be smooth, much smoother than most 01 them are now. The smoother it is-unless it's polished cement, like in a garage-the more even the traction is. And the surface should start out extremely smooth because it'll get rougher as it weathers.

SO SOME OF THOSE GRITTYSURFACED PARKS ARE GOING TO GET REALLY GNARLY?

Yeah. When you fall on something like that. it's total disaster. If it's smooth, you just slip as you fall. Besides, the wheels roll noticeably faster on a smoother surface; you can keep your momentum up. There's a really smooth bowl at Upland, and it's the easiest one to gyrate in, I think.

SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A FAST SURFACE PARK WITH LOTS OF WALLS, BANKS, MOGULS AND BOWLS, WITH SKATERS CONSTANTLY ZOOMING ALL OVER IT? WON'T THAT SOUND RISKY TO BACKERS?

No, not necessarily. The idea is to make it move and to make it a challenge to those who are up to it, too. You'd have to work out the design really carefully. The depths of the drops, the steepness, the widths and the transitions would all have to be made for a median speed, so a new skater could just cruise through it; but all along the way, there should be things around that a real hot skater could work hard and make as interesting as he wanted. You'd have to wear safety gear, of course.

DO YOU ALWAYS WORK OUT WITH A HELMET, GLOVES AND PADS?

Pretty much, yeah. I'm also starting to think that those padded shorts, like the ones Rector makes, are really important. A lot of old hip injuries that skaters thought were a minor problem when they happened are turning into real permanent problems; they get calcium deposits in there, or something, and they're starting to cripple guys after a couple of years. As tar as requiring them in parks, I don't know. They help, but they aren't a total solution. There's always a danger of injury in skating; you have that in any action sport. Take skiing, for instance: A couple of people get killed and some others get paralyzed every year from spinal injuries. The same risk occurs in skating. That's part of it, and you can't stop it with required safety stuff. But anybody who's smart will try to limit the danger with the safety equipment that makes sense.

DO YOU THINK THE SORT OF FURIOUS AGGRESSIVENESS OF THE CULT HEROES MAKES IT MORE UNSAFE?

No, not necessarily. They know what they can do, and they're always pushing the limits; but just a bit. Besides, they're good for the sport. They pull more people into it, like the heroes do in any sport. Things might be nicer for some people if there weren't any hero worship, but I see it all as promotion of the sport, and I'm all for that. Even when I go to a park down South, where I'm not one of the big-name regulars, I can still get into the feeling of working a bowl with a couple of other skaters who are really good, and being pushed to try harder and harder stuff, You may not like the scene if you aren't into it, but if you're doing it, you get all fired up and try more than you ever would otherwise; that's when things get interesting.

HOW ABOUT ALL THIS RIVALRY BETWEEN AREAS? IS THAT O.K., TOO?

It can be played up as competition, and it might work to help the sport; but so much of it is silly now. I mean, the idea that some bunch of hard guys from one little area of town claim that they are the only great skaters, that's crazy! You travel around the country and you see guys popping up all over the place now. You're going to get situations at parks where one little So-Cal group is quibbling with another So-Cal group, and some kid from the backwoods of Pennsylvania or somewhere will drop in and just blow them all right out of the park. And they'll probably go right on quibbling! But that stuff will die out, I'm sure. The sport is getting too big for it.

YOU HAVE MADE SKATEBOARDING YOUR WHOLE LIFE'S WORK NOW. HOW DOES THAT REST WITH YOUR FAMILY?

Well, they share in it. My wife is into the whole effort I'm making. She knows I'm much better off now than back when I was a clerk in a department store. That was bad for both of us; there was nowhere to go with it. It would have come out in our daughter, too, even though she's just a baby. So my wife kept telling me to keep trying, even when I wasn't winning much. You know, you don't really lose unless you quit. You can lose a lot of races and still be o.k. if you're looking ahead to the next ones. Now that things have been breaking my way, it's all worth it. It's rewarding for all of us when I win; Jenny enjoys my success as much as I do. Besides. shoot (laughs). We're even making a decent living off it this year. Almost. But it's more than the bucks. Like, I remember at the last slalom in Dillon. Colorado; the main street had people lined up all along the sides, and we started up on this platform. I looked down just before my start, and there was Jenny standing down there along the side with Joanne asleep in her arms. And she was just smiling up at me, this big smile. I'll never forget that. It's like a really clear picture in my mind.

DID YOU WIN THE RACE?

Of course.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
Posts: 3279
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Davey Andrews Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:52 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 1o, May 1978.

WHO’S HOT!
Davey Andrews
26 years old, rides for Team Bahne

By Denis Shufeldt

Have you ever felt that you were witnessing something so purely natural that all you could sense was respectful awe with no chance for envy, just involuntary respect-like the impression Mama Nature leaves you with, even in the city? Well, I must confess that this was the feeling I wanted to relate to the team that Sunday morning when Davey and I showed up at the Bahne factory. like the few other existing skate ,teams at that time, we at Team Bahne were building. It had taken a long time during numerous P.B. surf sessions to convince Davey just to come to one of our practices. Believe it or not, he wasn't really interested in becoming a skate hero. In hindsight, I'm positive it wasn't self-doubt but rather an intentional self-centered desire not to further complicate an already satisfying lifestyle. I'm sure he finally agreed to join us not out of curiosity but as a favor.

We were building for the future-not just the future of our team, but also for the tenuous future of a nearly deceased sport that most people felt safe in putting down as being a fast-fading fad of yesteryear. I take a great deal of personal satisfaction that the following two years have proved that what the sport needed was individuals who accept the challenge to prove all the doom-sayers wrong. Now they're nothing more than unemployed "grave diggers. "

Davey arrived on our scene in the early winter of 1975. Remember, back then we were all dying on the vine. Frustration and competitive skateboarding were unruly bedfellows. Try as we did, it seemed as if we were just fooling ourselves about having any real future. It was during this time that Pappy came into our midst. In my opinion, this is why he chose to stay. It was readily obvious, even to a hard-core surf hippie, that the sport of skateboarding was smack dab in the middle of nowheresville. There was plenty of room for another social refugee without the problem of having to displace some old face to make room for the new one. And that defines the essence and simplistic beauty of our Mr. Andrews: Too much soul to lose control. There can't be much fun if you are plagued with hassles, especially when they belong to other people. Surfing was-and still is-his life's goal. If he can surf when he wants to, he knows he's still effectively coping with his life. Fortunately for all of us, he saw that skating could enhance his surfing experience. If you turn back a bit, you'll remember that that's exactly how our sport evolved-from something to have fun with when one's real love of life blewout or was too down.

Competitive experiences were to be a new feature for him. It probably even frightened him somewhat. Because of this, he felt it to be to his advantage to approach racing in a totally different manner than previous "up-and-coming" team riders: he wanted to remain an amateur. The present head trips of the pros could have easily driven him out of a sport he was becoming fond of. He wanted to pursue fun, not frustration. It is this selfish-but admirable-trait which enabled him immediately to fit into our abnormal team situation. We prided ourselves in the fact that we were different from the norm of the skating populace, and Davey must have felt he could help us in staying different.

Davey raced in all the major events from the Cow Palace to La Costa. In every outing, he managed to consistently place in the top three. Not many of his friends were able to understand his reluctance to turn pro. But the passage of time was the teacher, and Davey was left to flow with his sport. He let it grow while he remained where he wanted to be: Into himself and heavily into the building of his team (folks like Patrick Flanagan, Dennis Martinez, Bobby Boyden, Ellen Berryman and Rod Fukumoto). He was the main mover in events like that outrageous July Fourth Anaheim Beach Boys concert performance which involved skaters from all over California. Wherever he found himself, he impressed those who came for their initial encounter with skating as being an asset to all our efforts. He is definitely one of those magical people who doesn't even have to try to spread enjoyment. II just seems to radiate from natural pride In himself.

I guess it's just like a part out of an old movie script that during his dues-paying years our sport began to slowly evolve out of the dark ages in which we had allowed it to lose itself. Our pros began to awaken to the reality of the dire need for all of us to push the sport-because, if we didn't, we would find ourselves back in the old days again, maybe even to the point of having to cruise on the proverbial two-by-four nailed to an old roller skate.


To our folk hero, the thought of turning pro and whatever that could involve was more than just showing up for a race. He had become used to knowing his worth and enjoying his placings. Sure enough, a proper and worthwhile debut setting presented itself in the form of a full-on race rumored to be coming up in Akron, Ohio, a pre-Summer gig for those reputable enough to cop an invitation. Davey was invited to join that long list of veteran racers even though no one had any idea who he was: the older pros seemed more than happy to have a chance at spilling some new blood. There were only nine racers good enough to beat him and twice as many came all that way only to see his back.

Most of the same established racers had their second chance to experience his little-known talents at Long Beach later that fall. Different course, better results. When that episode was over, he had managed to walk away with sixth place. Davey who? Then, out of the clear blue, came an invitation for him to see what he could get away with on Santa Catalina Island. Competing with the largest racing roster in our sport's history, he skated into twelfth place. But even more personally satisfying than his short and thoroughly successful pro career was the amazing and totally unexpected fourth place by teammate Ellen Berryman. Pride in others surely enhances pride in ones' self.

If the handle, "up-and-coming," was Davey's in 1977, we Should now begin looking for another for 1978. In what will hopefully be fully appreciated by all us skate racers, our own Henry Hester set a precedent for our progressing sport. Leave it to the master to see what has iong been needed, namely a totally non-manufacturer's race. . . the first racer's race since Dei Mar. If Akron had seemed prime for Pappy, this one was fit to a tee. The course was pre-set more than a month in advance: No secrets, surprises or disappointments; if you want to race, be there; show what you know, take home what you deserve. Davey did his homework well. Anyone upset about coming in second to Skoldberg while beating John Hutson on any course is being purely foolish. . . which brings us to my basic point: Mrs. Andrews raised no fools.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
Posts: 3279
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Bob Skoldberg Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:53 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 4, No. 11, June 1978

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Bob Skoldberg

By Warren Bolster

It's unfortunate that this month's interview arrives so long after its subject's success, for certainly Bob Skoldberg is, and has been, more deserving of it for some time, However, in one way, it's a good time for the sport itself as, in the lasl few years, Bob Skoldberg has accomplished, witnessed and aided its expansion worldwide and his prospective provides the intelligent, responsible altitude that now needs to be heard more than ever if this growth is to continue. Actions do speak louder than words alone-but then Bob has never been lacking in either category, or in any category, for that matter. Having been present that first day at La Costa when Henry Hester brought Bob (his girlfriend's brother) up to race, I've had a chance to witness the emergence of one of the sport's truly remarkable dynasties, as Bob was instantly successful and, in retrospect, the slalom racing on Sundays changed shape from that day; Bob went on to become the most consistent of all racers, earning him the appropriate name-tag, "Mr. La Costa. " It should come as no surprise that Bob won the recent Hester Pro Giant Slalom race at La Costa against the best in the business. Further examination of all the people who have found success in the sport reveals Hester and Skoldberg to be two of an unfortunately small group of professionals who have actually given back more than they've gained. Their genuine interest in skateboarding's future cannot be doubted. It's to Henry's credit that he brought this smiling threat to La Costa and maintained the relationship, although he surely knew even then the threat Bob represented. So few have continued to stoke the fire by maintaining this original essential spirit. The sharing of wisdom and inspiration is its own reward-of course, the 75/25 percent split of the winner's purse as reported in the past didn't hurt, either. This interview only served to further support my own personal belief that doing what you think is right is the only real value worth your time. You can't explain it directly or pin a price tag on it, although you're likely to realize success as an indirect result, as anything rare is worth money-and such genuine human qualities are very rare. Our young readers may think it's a turn-off, but it's a truth and a quality Bob has that demands more than just a superficial comment The late arrival of this interview with Bob, one of the most all-around skaters in the sport, has undoubtedly caused him the comparatively low position in our recent reader Poll and created an unfortunate situation beyond his control, a situation contrary to that which he alone can control. Consider what he can and has done on 'his own; Bob has probably won, placed, earned, helped and, incidentally, smiled as much as anyone in the sport. And while I feel that the Poll chose an exceptionally amazing group and order (particularly concerning the top five), Bob's 49th rating shouldn't serve as an indication of his real importance. It was, after all, just a popularity poll. Undoubtedly, if our readers had had a chance to know Bob as well as an interview would allow-or as even a brief acquaintance would tell - things would have been a lot different. (Tough luck, Gramps, maybe next year.) This interview, the longest I've ever done, was distilled from 78 typed pages of tape transcriptions (of which less than one-fourth will be used), not to mention more pages of scribbled introduction (which prompted Mary Horowitz to comment inarguably that I "should have been a doctor. ") I'm only doing it because Bob, given a choice of those available requested it against my own recommendation. I knew it would be an extreme burden on a schedule that's already spread too thin, and a greater responsibility, still, to do him justice. I think that, in many ways, I've failed to achieve that justice as the aspect of Bob's personality revealed here is the rarely seen serious side, a stark contrast to the one you'd meet or even hang around with, as Skoldberg is a classic character, a guaranteed good time. You might say he's got an instinctive knack for dealing with every imaginable situation-a lot like Weaver, but more outgoing-sort of like the Mellow Cat who always seems to leave you smiling. Always a constant source of loose energy, Bob reflects an overwhelming confidence illustrated by the help that he'll offer-even to the competition. As competitive a person as you'll ever meet, Bob enjoys any challenge, and every opportunity, and any game usually ends with him begging for "just one more. " Heck, Bob would even bet on the time Ihat it would take an ant to travel from wall to wall! The interview took two weeks to conduct and over-the-table exchanges weren't all at the work variety-and the pool table and table tennis confrontations were witness to the same Skoldberg success. Frankly, I'm glad the interview didn't take any longer-I couldn't have afforded it! Now f know why he never seems to get upset about losing. . . he rarely does! The last taping was conducted at Bob's new house, in a quiet residential neighborhood, closer to work than his old La Jolla stomping grounds and tastefully, and comfortably, decorated by his girlfriend, Gloria, a talented artist and sculptor. (The sale of a recent piece of art resulted in a new guitar for 01' Skoldberg.) Arriving at Bob's house revealed its location to be at the intersection of the streets, Glorietta and Calle Granador, which, as he's quick to translate from Spanish, mean "Gloria" and, appropriately, "street of the champion."

LET'S START WITH A PERSONAL HISTORY.

I first got involved in skateboarding a long time ago. I was 14 years old and was riding an old wooden board, maybe the first original Hobie with clay wheels. To make a long story short, I kind of faded out of that and got more involved in surfing. When I was in high school I was still skating once in a while, just staying with it because I enjoyed going out on the sidewalk and messing around a little bit. Before I went to Sonoma State (near San Francisco). a friend of mine, Steve Menas (an avid surfer and skateboarder from La Jolla) made me my first custom fiberglass board. It was kind of like a pin gun type and I got into riding it up in Sonoma. Nobody was really into skateboarding up there, you know; everyone was into hiking boots and vegetable gardens, so it kind of blew them away. I was skateboarding all over campus and it just seemed out of place. Then, after I graduated from college-all this time, I'd known Henry Hester for 4 or 5 years-I said, "Henry, check out my new board." "No, I'm not into it," he'd say; I couldn't even get the guy to try a skateboard. Henry was probably much more into surfing than I was; he was darned good, ripping up the shores, and he'd been on a surf team. I can surf o.k. but I don't rip it up. Anyway, right after I graduated in '74, Steve (the guy who made the skateboard) and I took a trip abroad. I came back after 3 months and got blown away! Henry had been going with my sister all this time; and when I came back he said, "Bob, you won't believe this, but I'm really into skateboarding and I want you to come up to La Costa with me this weekend," Here he was, he had competed in one contest (Steve's South Bay) and he'd done really good, but a question in the timing or something had screwed him up and he didn't place. I said, "Hey, I don't have a good board," So I went right down to P.B. Surf Shop and bought a pultruded Bahne skateboard for half price from Chris Yandall. Henry said, "This is my friend, Bob, and he wants to come up to the weekend races," so I got the board for half price. The weekend comes and I go up to La Costa and here were all these guys
from the Logans on through the up-and-coming freestyle people of that time. But most of all, It was about 90% slalom and here were all these guys burning through cones. Henry says, "This is what I've been doing-slalom racing,"1 was amazed! "Henry,"1 said, "after all these years, I don't believe it. You'd never get on a board and now here you are getting into slalom! I'll show yal" It kind of fired up my competitive attitude; it was more of a personal thing with him than anything else. I was upset cuz I'd tried to talk him into it for a year or two and could never get him on a board. So I hopped on the course and everybody from Denis Shufeldt to Bruce and Brian Logan – everybody - was slalom skateboarding. Chris Yandall and all the original slalom racers, all the boys were up there racing. So I hopped on the course that day and everybody was slightly impressed. I didn't think too much of It, but I was burning through the cones on a Bahne; I think I got maybe third or so. But everybody went, "Hey, this guy's not bad," So I said, "Henry, how'd I do?' He said, "Not bad." I felt I had done pretty good; all my life I've been a pretty competitive guy when it comes to anything. I'm into all different sorts of sports, ping pong (laughter), skiing. . . I've been skiing since about '71 or '72. Henry and I ski together. I ski pretty good, nice and smooth, but I don't rip the bumps or anything like that. I'm not too bad- I hold my own on skis. My attitude is competitive whether it's skateboarding, softball, ping pong, skiing . . . I've organized a couple of first place softball teams in San Diego (I love softball). I'm just a fierce, no quit guy when it comes to competition. My endurance, thought and strength all come into play. It boils down to one thing: I hate to lose!

IT SEEMS YOU'RE A PRETTY HAPPYGO-LUCKY GUY, YET YOU TAKE YOUR SPORTS SO SERIOUSLY. STILL, IT DOESN'T COME OUT IN ANY NEGATIVE WAY. IT SEEMS TO BE A DIFFICULT CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

I know exactly what you mean. I'm a pretty amiable guy and I get along with most people, I make friends easily and I like most people. I try to keep my com petitive attitude where it has a place, like when I'm racing; that's where the attitude comes out. It sort of circumvents a lot of my other activities, like with friends, with women. All my life I've been a sort of competitive guy. I have a lot of casual friends and sometimes I get criticized for being overly competitive. I really try not to be that way, though I've had that strong competitive desire from when I was a little guy-I was real small in high school and it just got instilled in me somehow. I graduated high school at 5'2", 90 Ibs. The reason I was outgoing was because I had to be, I was always being picked on. Now, I'm 5'10", 1651bs.

DID THAT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT?

Pretty much. My first year in college, I grew about 7".

WERE YOU INTO HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE SPORTS?

Not too much because my size was limiting; but I was tough, I just didn't have the brawn and strength a lot of of her guys had. Now, I'm more of a man than I was in high school. When everybody else was 5'7", 5'8" and 150-160 Ibs., I was wrestling at 90 Ibs. in the twelfth grade. I had to sit on a little cushion to learn to drive. I played allstar little league, but I was the smallest guy. I played all-star pony league, too. But when it came to size and the ability to throw or hit the ball, I just didn't have the size. My dad was 6'4" but I turned out a little bit small. Somehow or another, that size thing stayed with me. Now that I've got the size and strength and endurance, I excel. Some things, like giant slalom, take a lot of strength and expertise; you don't just zip through cones and that's it. You combine a lot of endurance, strength, planning and so on. I try to stay in physical condition; I can go out and run a mile in 5 minutes and 20 seconds tomorrow, if I feel like it, cuz of my endurance and strength.

WHAT PART DOES STRENGTH PLAY IN GIANT SLALOM?

Starting out with the basics, in most of the giant slalom competitions we've had, it entails a lot; it's a complete activity. In of her words, from the practice runs on, you're skating down huge hills and walking up-for example, Akron, or
even La Costa (where I "cut my teeth"), it's a big hill. You've got to hoof it all day long, back and forth, back and forth. You get in shape a little bit that way! As far as actually riding the course, for me, whenever I get tired and feel a little bit weak, my legs are the first to go. You feel your knees get a little bit weak (as a lot of bowl riders find out these days); when you go from a field of 32 to 16 to 8 to 4, a lot has to do with endurance and strength. For example, when you push off a giant slalom (since the start is very important), you've got to muster every last bit of energy to book it from the start. If it's a push start, your legs come into play; if it's a gate start, you've got to yank yourself out of the gate. After a day goes by, you really feel, say, that night of partying or that you didn't swim or surf enough or do whatever you're into; you acutely feel your physical condition. When you look around you, these guys are going for the money, everybody's trying. When you get down to the semifinals or the finals, you just have to muster every little bit of strength you have. We saw it in bowl riding competition at Spring Valley-it blew me away, cuz I can slalom all day long; but after two runs in a pool, I'm dog tired! This comes into play in giant slalom as you move through the heats, even in the beginning. When you go through a course of 40 cones, you're pretty tired at the end, you're weighting, unweighting, driving, pumping, using your legs, flailing your arms; every physical attribute you have is working to get your ass from that start to that finish as fast as possible. When hundredths of a second make the difference between first, second, third and fourth, every little bit counts. You just put everything you have into it.

HOW MUCH DOES THE MENTAL ASPECT COUNT TO YOU PERSONALLY? IS THAT AS IMPORTANT TO YOU AS IT IS TO, SAY, HENRY?

Well, you know how important I think the physical is. I think the mental attitude is extremely important as well. Personally, I think my mental attitude is that I can win, I think positively-as does probably every racer around. You can never win if, somewhere deep down, you don't think you can win. I don't kid myself; I get myself psyched up. That's part of my mental conditioning. I go, "I'm going to win this race, I know I can beat those guys."

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN THIS CON. FIDENT OR IS THIS NEW-FOUND CONFIDENCE? WINNING ALWAYS REINFORCES ONE'S CONFIDENCE.

As far as my ability to win in slalom racing, downhill or cross-country, most of the time I can win (unless the race is geared for another racer). Over the years I haven't been too excellent in tight slalom; my specialties have always been giant slalom and downhill. My confidence or winning attitude has probably been more developed in skateboarding than anything else I do. Sometimes, when I play softball competitively, for example, I think our team can win; I think that I can get a hit when the pressure's on; I think I can volley in ping pong when the pressure's onyou know, I just think positively. All athletes do. But the real idea that I can win a certain competition comes out strongest in skateboarding because, for me, that's my profession. That's where the money is; that's where my prestige is; that's where my life is right now. Just after Henry and I started slalom skateboarding, we were driving to the Orange County Fairgrounds and Henry said, "I think you can get on the Gordon & Smith team." Unreal. "You'll get a free board, wheels, plus you can be on a hot team," he says. I just said, "No, I want to just casually skate." So, at the contest, I ripped the preliminaries, but I didn't have that confidence and expertise; I cracked under pressure in the finals. I wasn't on a team; and, back then, it was really something-maybe it still is-to be on a team. I didn't have that team camaraderie and support. Henry said, "Hey, you're gonna do really well and somebody's gonna want to pick you up; I want you to talk to me-stay loose before you take any offers." 50,1 zoomed through the preliminaries with everybody else on that funk-dog ramp. When I made the finals, I was really stoked. When I went in to the finals, the first draw I had was Chris Yandall! I froze! I knew I could do it, but I yanked out of the gate and fell right on my snoot! I was so bummed! Nobody said anything to me. A few days later, I went down with Henry to see Dave Mcintyre and, all of a sudden, I was on the G & 5 team. From that day forward, Henry and I dominated quite a lot of the competitions for about a year and a half. There were very few contests that paid money that Henry and I as a team came home from empty handed. Did I tell you about our deal? We were driving to the L.A. Sports Arena for the first Hang Ten. We were competing for $500 for first place. I said, "Somebody's gonna come home empty handed. We ought to cut a deal right now; we're going all the way up there, why should anybody come home with no money? In the future, if this skateboard thing stays alive, there's gonna be a lot of things that I'll win and a lot you'll win. Why don't we share the loot? Whoever wins this contest should give the of her guy 25%." Henry was just driving along through L.A. and he says, "Deal." And for the last three years, that deal has held fast. We figured it out-we're still doing it-and I've given him about $2,000 and he's given me about the same. It's worked out good for both of us. No matter what team you're on, you've got your best friend's support. Not only that, it helps in competition-you think, "I want to do this for my buddy." We went up to that contest and I think Henry got two firsts. He ripped. I fell using those ultra-slick Bozo wheels. That was the very first competition where Henry used Road Riders. He said, "Look at these wheels!" I said, "Oh, come on, Henry, I can't change." So I blew it on those slick wheels and he walked away with two first places! But I was stoked because I had a lot of pressure on me and I was skating with the best guys. I made the finals in the damn cross country through a tent, up a little ramp, around poles-and here I was riding a28" FibreFlex with Bozo slick wheels on it, competing with the likes of forger Johnson, Tony Alva and Jay Adams! They were heavy. I made the cut with these guys and said, "Shucks, I can do this. I can whale!" And I did whale; but I slipped, got up and kept going; I got fourth. If I hadn't fallen, I would have done a lot better. Anyway, I didn't get any money and Henry walked away the overall winner of that contest. I think he won $1,500 . . . and he gave me 25% of it. Ever since that day, he's given me money and I've given him money.

DID HE THINK AT FIRST THAT HE'D MADE A LOUSY DEAL WHEN YOU DIDN'T BRING HOME ANYTHING

I don't think so; he may have been a bit disappointed, but I think he knew he'd get it back someday. He was glad to give it to me. Who'd like to go home from a money contest with nothing? Not me! There's been only one time in racing when Henry and I went home with absolutely nothing between the two of us.

WHEN WAS THAT?

The second Long Beach competition, the most recent one where Hutson and Piercy had it out. They changed the distance of the cones and messed Henry up, and I was never really good at flatland pumping, plus they didn't have an indoor speed race (which I would have blazed at). I hope this year will see a difference in slalom courses in that we'll see giant slalom, banked slalom and slalom courses. Nobody minds a punch at the finish with maybe five or ten straight cones. But to take off from the beginning of a slalom course and go straight ahead down the fall line-or just maybe a foot or so off the fall line-just doesn't do it. I prefer giant slalom and regular, staggered, off-set slalom. I don't like the Long Beach-type straight slalom courses. I really respect John Hutson for winning several tight courses and then calling B.S. on the way they were set up. He dominated the Colorado circuit; then, looks back on it and says, "That wasn't really slalom." Those were barely slalom courses, and John picked a pretty good word for them: "Wiggle wongers."

IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, YOU EACH SPECIALIZE IN CERTAIN AREAS OF SLALOM.

Henry does much, much better at tight slalom. He's won a couple of those. I was never really good at it because tight slalom is very rhythmical and precise-I can do it, but I don't practice n. I was always up there in the finals but I never really got it together like Hank did at pumping. I think it came more from his surfing background. He put it together more in those situations.
As far as giant slalom, I'd won four or five times in the La Costa races but we were close every time. There are some people in skateboarding who have natural talent and of her people who develop talent through hard, grinding work. Mike Williams was one of the guys who was a really good surfer and had a little something at skateboarding; but, over a period of time, he developed into a good racer. Henry and I didn't take as much time to develop, and we didn't think it was too much hard work. We both hopped on a skateboard the very first time and ripped. Now is when we have to practice like mad, but in the beginning we just cruised. We used to laugh it up; we'd go to a contest and say, "Hey, we're only skateboarding once or twice a week-sometimes two weeks went by when we didn't skate-and we still win!" Bruce Logan in the early days didn't have to practice that much; when he got on a skateboard, there was some kind of magic and he blew people away with some of the first maneuvers-it just came natural to him. Most of these guys know that if they go for it, if it doesn't happen right after they go for it, they can think about it. If it doesn't happen for me, I think about where I went wrong, and it's better for me in the next race. Plus, I've got a slight advantage because I've been doing it for so long. The natural ability comes right through. There are naturals at everything. Some people can pick up a tennis racquet and play well; of hers can surf, ski or play music with a natural ability or flair, while some have to take lessons and practice to do something well. I love playing the guitar, but it took me a year just to learn how to tune it! I wouldn't say that I have any natural musical ability. But I could get on a skateboard and negotiate cones with no problem. There was no problem to push like a dog and ride banks; I really didn't have to think, "I wish I could figure out the right line because I'm off balance and don't quite have the coordination. " Everyone has a natural ability at something or of her-just fall into something and do it well. I size up a situation and think. I watch the lines, think about how things have to go, then, when I get back in the block, I know exactly what I have to do . . . and I know I can do it. After ten seconds of a forty second run, I know exactly whether or not I did what I wanted to do. I'm sure of myself and feel like I have the ability to go for it; and I look around me and see I'm more of a thinker than a lot of skateboarders. I watch people. I don't just go out and perform.

THATS WHAT'S SO AMAZING TO ME. TO WATCH YOU AT A RACE DAY, YOU'RE ALWAYS HAVING A GOOD TIME, TALKING IT UP. LOOKING LIKE YOU'RE ENJOYING YOURSELF. HELPING PEOPLE. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT YOU COULD BE THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING. SOMETHING MUST BE GOING ON THAT ISN'T APPARENT.

It's an asset. The extreme opposite of myself, Piercy, like at Catalina, gets into a frame of mind and he doesn't know anybody. He's just there to win. Hutson is another guy, he's the kind of guy you see at a competition and you know that man is serious. He's well practiced and he's serious. For myself, it's really Important to be relaxed in skating and I have that confidence to know I can go for it and I teel it makes me at ease. It I'm at a competition like Catalina, even though the whole thing's very upsetting, I can bear down. In the midst of competition, even between runs, I get really relaxed. People give me a little moral support, my mother, my girlfriend, so on. I'm not one of these guys who goes, "Hey, don't talk to me." At a competition, some of those guys walk around like they're in a trance. I don't because I dig competition, it's really fun. I got over that after the first time I raced Chris Yandall-I never get nervous. I just have that confidence. Now, I have more confidence than ever before because I've been doing a lot of road work.

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU LOSE? EVERYONE LOSES SOMETIME.

It gets me down because I had that positive attitude that I could do it. The first thing I try to do is rationalize In my own mind how I messed up-whether it was one of the penalties, the start, whether I didn't drive hard enough or drew the wrong competitor, whether I wasn't in shape, didn't practice, had the wrong board, bearing, wheel, whatever. I go through it and analyze it and figure out where I made my mistake. I've never yet developed that obsession with losing. I think I'm a ways from that. That gets back to natural talent. I think, if I work at it, I'm gonna be In there for another five years.

THE ONLY TIME I'VE SEEN YOU ON THE VERGE OF HAVING ANY KIND OF HINT OF A DOWNFALL WAS WHEN YOU LEFT YOUR FIRST TEAM. YOU WERE TOTALLY CAPABLE OF MAKING IT ON YOUR OWN, BUT YOU HAD SOMETHING TO PROVE; AT FIRST, I DON'T THINK YOU HAD TOTAL SUCCESS. DID YOU SEE THIS AS A PERSONAL CRISIS?

That was a decision I made in August of '76. Right before that period of time the year or two of competition when Henry and I were on the G & S teamwe overshadowed the main man of the team (Chris Yandall), not to mention everybody else. We had dominated the competitions for a long time. But there was something within me; Henry and I used to negotiate everything between us, every deal, every bit of money; we did it together with the company. Something in me got a little teeny bit competitive because of Henry and I working together to make a little money. We were getting Into skateboarding heavily and I was finding that I had to take off my normal job (painting) just to skateboard. Even though we didn't practice too much, I was having to go places, get things together, etc. I was a little bit overshadowed. I felt I was good, definitely an asset to the team; but there was Henry and, next to him, I felt I was definitely second or third best. There was no doubt in my mind that someday I would beat him; but he aced me out of a whole bunch of competitions where, if it wasn't for him, I would have been first.

HOW WOULD LEAVING CHANGE THAT?

All this time we were negotiating, sometimes it would stifle Henry and help me because he was the main man. We talked it over. I had a meeting with Pat Casey; he came down and asked me, told me he needed a slalom racer. It was really unique; there weren't many people like Henry and me who could be captain of a team and handle the team situation. Guys like Henry and I were five or six years older than anybody else. We started the whole trip. There aren't too many guys you can approach and ask that. Casey approached me, we talked a little business, talked about making money and stuff; at that time, not too many people were making salaries from skateboard companies. I wasn't either, though I was one of the few where, as far as competition went, everything was covered. it wasn't that bad, but Henry always got the best deal. I couldn't complain; but somewhere, deep down, I felt like I would Iike to get something, too. I talked It over with Henry, it was the heaviest decision I ever made, whether to go with the new or stay with the old. I joined Hobie and haven't regretted It for one minute In almost three years. I feel it was the right decision.

DO YOU SEE SKATEBOARDING AS A TRULY PROFESSIONAL SPORT?

I just returned from a contest that was nof very professional. We have been working toward more professionalism in terms of rules and procedures, put a lot of time In getting rules together for slalom and freestyle and working on contest organization. We have helped people run competitions, whether it be a Y.M.C.A. or a Hang Ten or a low-key local contest. Everybody needs to know how to go about it correctly. People are pretty satisfied with the rules and procedures we've set forth, but they aren't perfect. When it comes to professional skateboarding, I think we still have a way to go on really tightening up the rules at a competition. We've had a lot of bad vibes at a lot of contests between racers themselves because promoters have been involved In competitions-running them, making their own rules, even being event directors and so on. It really takes a professional skater's knowledge to make sure that rules are fair and laid down in advance. That's probably our biggest problem: Nobody knows what's happening until ten minutes before the event. For example, back In Florida at this contest we just finished up, Ci Cootson-who spent a lot of time and energy trying to get together a complete package of rules really had a hard time because she only had thirty days notice to get this contest together and she wasn't quite sure of the rules herself. She wasn't sure of things like event times, procedures, rules. . . so questions came up that put her on the spot. It's really so sad when the competitors don't know what's happening. There's been a couple of instances where people lay down steel trap rules at the last minute. An example would be a mandatory meeting called at the last minute. All these things should be in writing In advance so the racers know what's going on, so you know when your event is, when practice Is, so you're really familiar with the rules. Lack of information makes It really hard for racers who are serious to concentrate on winning and on performing. There should be a competitive package that the event director or contest manager can show people or post in a highly visible place so that everybody knows, It's really clear, cut-and-dried. That's professionalism. Nobody goes to the race at the Indy 500 and doesn't know when the warm-up is, when the trials are, how many laps, what the qualifying times are. . . these are essential Items I When nothing's in writing, people bend the rules. Then it's just up to one individual's say so and, unless that person is highly qualified, highly respected, they're gonna catch a lot of flack when they make a decision. I think It's really bad to see the pros get down on each of her; nobody likes that. If someone is gonna get something you don't think Is fair, the question should be referred to written rules and someone you can have faith In has to make the decision. So far, that hasn't happened.

IF YOU WATCH THE GUYS RUNNING THE CONTESTS, YOU SEE THEY'RE BEING CONSTANTLY HASSLED, TIED UP DURING THE CONTEST FENDING OFF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO CHANGE THINGS, ETC. THAT RUINS THE CONTEST.

I want to have In my hand at least thirty days prior to a competition the regulations and format to be followed. This isn't an impossible task and it should be done. of herwise, it puts you on edge when you've already got enough to worry about.

I KNOW THE I.S.A. HAS STANDARDIZED RULES; BUT, AS YET, IT SEEMS THAT EVERY CONTEST IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SITUATION. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE STANDARDIZED RULES AND WHAT SUCCESS HAVE YOU HAD WITH THEM?

We've been working on those rules for a long time, a good couple of years. It's been a long time coming because there are so many different opinions and developments in skateboarding, The I.S.A. has a tremendous burden trying to get pros together. There are certain professionals in skateboarding who are responsible and put a lot of energy into standardizing rules and trying to get competitions together. Finally, the I.S.A had them printed up and we now have a set of speed rules, slalom and some freestyle rules. I would think that because these rules are going to make competitions more professional, the I.S.A. pros should really stick together as a group; if a promoter doesn't accept the I.S.A. rules, some alternative action should be taken. Rules shouldn't be made right on the spot. If the I.S.A. has got a good set of rules (which I think they do), they should be uniformly adopted by everyone who's running a competition. We'll become familiar with them.

YOU HIT ON THE BIGGEST PROBLEM: YOU MENTION MONEY AND A BIG CONTEST AND EVERYONE JUMPS WITHOUT EVEN THINKING WHAT IT'S GOING TO MEAN FOR THE SPORT, FOR THEMSELVES, . . THEY'RE TOO QUICK TO JUMP. EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO HELP THE PROMOTERS ARE TOO QUICK TO JUMP. IF THE PROS ARE TO GET WHAT THEY WANT, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE FIRM AND REFUSE A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES. IN SKATEBOARDING, WE'VE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE COME AND GO ALREADY, I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME TO LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE AND BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CAUTIOUS IF THIS SPORT IS TO CONTINUE.

The reason for that display of enthusiasm (I'm even guilty of it myself) is people get excited about competitions, almost everyone gets really excited about competition. It's really important to the sport; it's built skateboarding into what it is today. People get excited because there aren't too many contests during the year. Sometimes, people offer pretty good prize money - it's going up all the time - but you wait and wait, then along comes a competition and competitors forget about the things like rules, validity, who's running it . . . they don't look into things like that, they just think about the chance to win some money. I think in the future we'll see a lot more reputable people getting into running competitions because it's really the pure form of skateboarding.

YOU SAID BEFORE THAT THE GUYS WHO DO THESE PROMOTIONS AREN'T REALLY ALL THAT GREAT. QUITE HONESTLY, WE DIDN'T COVER SOME EVENTS BECAUSE WE HAD OUR OWN DOUBTS (WHICH, INCIDENTALLY, HAVE SINCE PROVEN TRUE).

The only really fine contests have been run by some professional racers. Henry's run a good slalom contest and we tried our darndest on the first pool riding contest-we made a few mistakes and we're working hard to correct them and keep these guys happy and involved in competition. We made a mistake in judging but we're gonna improve it. Everybody's pretty much behind the Hester series. I've talked to John Hutson and we're gonna run our own slalom event, we're gonna run some of our own down hills; being pro riders, we can pick the hili and organize the contest right.

THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE MONEY AND CAN TOY WITH SKATE. BOARDING FOR A WHILE. AND IF IT DOESN'T GO FOR THEM (WHICH IT HASN'T IN A LOT OF CASES BE. CAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OR BIT OFF MORE THAN THEY COULD CHEW), MAYBE SKATEBOARDING ISN'T READY FOR THEM, MAYBE THEY SHOULD START SMALLER. WHAT HENRY HAS DONE HAS WORKED SO WELL THAT IT COULD GO REALLY BIG, I THINK THAT THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT THESE GUYS ARE JUST TOYING WITH THE SPORT; THEY'RE NOT REALLY DEDICATED.

They're not into professionalism. The thing that makes contests a success is the pure competition, the way the pros handle themselves. I think when you're out there performing, people can see how pure that part of the sport is. There's no politics, no hassles: You're just going for what you can do best. The least someone else can do is to run a good, clean, fair competition, Pros are gonna get heavily involved, I'm going to run my own slalom contest and so is John (Hutson). I'd like to see all the pros get behind their own competitions. . . we were all worried about it for awhile because it's a big argument about whether or not you can compete if you run the competition. And we all decided, "Yeah, bro!" If you're gonna put that much effort into it, everybody's got to do the same course, so why not? Henry could have competed in his own slalom competition and nobody would have said, "Boo."

WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE HESTER SERIES AND THINGS LIKE IT BECAUSE THE PROMOTERS (IN THAT CASE) ARE INVOLVED IN THE SPORT. THfS IS THE FUTURE OF SKATEBOARDING. PROS ARE NOT GOING TO BE TOP COMPETITORS, FOREVER AND EVEN THE ONES WHO ARE COMPETITIVE CAN STILL BEST USE THEIR TIME TO PROVIDE A SERVICE, ACTUALLY PROVIDE FOR THEIR OWN LIVING BY WORKING WITHIN THE SPORT. THAT IS BEGINNING TO HAPPEN, BUT IT'S A SHAME IT HAS TAKEN SO LONG.

That's why I like the idea of demonstrations and competitions. When people see today's pros, they are impressed because they can't believe what people are doing on skateboards. How many pros are seriously injured a year? Zero. A lot of kids, just like in any sport, don't think. That's what we're trying to impress upon them, that this is a sport which can be dangerous (like anything else) but wearing safety gear and going about it in a controlled way, by stages, is the right way and it can be quite safe. It's a shame for us, personally, because some of us older guys like Hut and myself, Henry, Mike, we're ail over 25 years old. You're right when you say our competitive days are numbered. When we step out of competition and get into organizing, it's going to be so much better for all these young upstarts; there are already 16-year-old kids beating us. We paved the way. As Bruce Logan would say, "We wrote the book."

IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR AREA WHICH INTERESTS YOU WHICH YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN INTO TOO MUCH YET?

Well, I'm kind of a beginner at bowl riding and almost everybody I run into (as far as pros are concerned) will give mea hand, give me tips. It's fun! I'd like to get into it and try riding vertical and carving in pools and riding banks, things like that. It's a challenge for me, personally, because I've never spent any time practicing it. of her than that, as I get older, maybe within the next three years, as I fade out of the competitive scene, I'd like to get behind something like Henry's doing and really help promote professional contests. In my travels around the U.S. and all over the world, doing exhibitions and contests, etc., I've seen the impact that pro skating has on people. It's phenomenal. They see things that someone would think was impossible to do, and it seems just regular to me (because I've seen it so much); but when I hear people comment on what they see, whether it's freestyle, blazing through cones, whatever, it's really impressive. I'd like to see skateboarding get a little bit more coverage as a professional sport. A lot of riders these days are picking themselves up, realizing that there's something more to skateboarding than kick-turning, you know, that it's a whole sport and it entails a professional attitude and commitment and some energy towards helping this sport really become acceptable worldwide. I think we've got a lot of work to do, and I'm gonna hang in there and contribute my best. And hopefully, now that new skaters are coming along all the time, they'll do the same.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Harvey Hawks Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:54 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 5, No. 2, September, 1978

WHO’S HOT!
Harvey Hawks
18 years old, rides for Powell Corporation

By Brian Gillogly

"We just had to make something out of the place."

Harvey Hawks is a born-and-raised Badlander who has already contributed more than his share to the high status and rich lore of the region - but not without paying some dues. It seems that 3 years ago Harvey and a friend were cruising down the 5-mile concrete channel below Mt. Baldy, a ritual locally known as "shooting the Line:" about halfway along, however, Harvey crossed the path of an unsuspecting rattlesnake who responded most inhospitably. Harvey was bitten twice in the thumb and, in turn, the serpent was thoroughly smitten with everything at hand. After trekking back to the top of the channel and flagging down a black and white for emergency transport to a nearby hospital. Harvey was treated with the conventional horse serum antidote. Fortunately, the remedy was a success, though the patient did suffer side effects - most notably, impaired vision.

Undiscouraged, Harvey was fitted with contact lenses and immediately back at it. More enthusiastic than ever before, he rode the Mt. Baldy Pipeline and the L-Pool in their heyday, slalomed Magnolia, speared Mountain Avenue, did berts at the 6th St. Wave and generally ripped the Pipeline Skate park with the best of them. Today, Harvey, who also freestyles competently, has earned a reputation as the most versatile skater the Badlands has yet produced. Characteristically low-key oft his skate, he accepts the honor with the following simplistic, if not somewhat ironic, comment: "You just have to open your eyes.. ."

In keeping with his wide-open perspective, Harvey has drawn freely from such close friends as slalomer, Steve Evans, and verticalist, Tay Hunt, ("He can flow and rip anywhere."). That experience translates into a light, fluid style which, coupled with his longish blonde hair, has him sometimes mistaken for Stacy Peralta. But since Harvey is as much an innovator as an assimilator (witness his quick, low "cessers"), and therefore has appeared often in recent SKATEBOARDERs, you might just as well mistake Stacy for Harvey Hawks.

Harvey finds that his free-and-easy approach to park riding is best complemented by Lazers or Midtracks and small Bones. His decks, manufactured by Badlands Boards and Ick Sticks, generally fall in the 30" x 7V2" range. One exception is the semi-enclosed Ick Stick kneeboard in which he did 55.93 m.p.h. (12th place, modified) at Signal Hill this year, his first competitive speed run. Curiously enough, Harvey is looking forward to entering the Signal Hill stand-up division instead next year, stating, "It's more fun. . . those (enclosed) things are just too dangerous'" Fresh from his 3rd place success at the Pepsi/Runway Pro, he is also excited about the Colorado Slalom races this summer.

To keep him busy in between, there will be sessions at The Pipeline ("It's copeless but it's great") and the much-praised Lakewood Skatepark. Such diversions as water skiing and hiking also figure prominently. Harvey explains: "Tay and I hike to the max . . . it clears out your head. You just can't beat it'" And then, continuing with his usual honest enthusiasm, "There's no end to the things you can do in this world!". . If your eyes are opened.
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Sun Sep 04, 2005 1:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wesley Tucker
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Curt Kimbel Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:55 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 5, No. 3, October, 1978

WHO’S HOT!
Curt Kimbel
21 years old, rides for Astral

By Brian Gillogly

Ontario's Curt Kimbel reduces his skating down to the simplest terms - words like "speed, action, gnarly, rad . . ." and so on. Some are well-worn cliches, but his riding certainly is not. Curt is unusually quick, onen critically precise on the coping or through the cones. It's like he's thinking, 'Yeah, this is hot. . . but bring on more!' His respectable competition showings at Spring Valley (10th), Upland (9th), Newark (2nd in one-wheelers, 1st with Wally Inouye in doubles), The Runway (5th) and the Big "0" (4th), plus numerous amateur wins, bear this out. Curt pushes himself. Despite the continually rising level of bowl and slalom competition, one gets the notion that this push is only just beginning.

Curt's roots run deep in Badland tradition. At age five, he was a stoked surfer-skater, like many of his peers. The following ten-year span, bringing him into the early '70's, did nothing to diminish that identification. "I never surted a whole lot but I always kind of surfed on my skateboard." In 1975 he happened upon the original lck Stick crew (Rick Howell, Steve Evans, Harpo et al.) at "The Wave" - a drainage ditch in Ontario - and his love affair with the sport commenced in earnest. A subsequent extended stay in Utah (Curt is reputedly an excellent skier) found him a bit surprised on his return - but pleasantly so. "When I came back I was still doing surf-style, while everyone else was into heavy kickturns (in the L-Pool). . . 5-minute-long runs, it seemed, hitling B5 walls; they were counting them! I decided it was time to learn kickturns."

Today, Curt has actually surpassed many of the original L-Poolers. He is intent upon learning "all the moves," while expressing a strong preference for working the edge. "I mostly try to rip the lip: edgers, airbornes and gnarly grinds. Once in a while, usually by accident, I do airborne edgers. . . do an airborne and come back doing an edger or a grind."

As one might expect, Curt's equipment is avant-garde. His typical deck is a super-light wood laminate Ick Stick in the 29Y2" by BY," range. Truck favorites include Gullwings and Lazers for parks and pools and Trackers for slalom. Wings and Astral wheels (which he is helping to develop) complete the combo. On the latler count he explains straightforwardly, "No company makes one wheel [which is perfect] for every situation. Especially when you compete, you have to use what's best for the situation at hand."

Aside from his association with Astral, Curt has been responsible for various product innovations, including the fiberglass Lip Slip. On the prospect of making a career of pro skating he comments, "I wouldn't mind making a respectable living out of it. It's worked out that it's just starting to payoff (financially)." But, perhaps because Curt is older than many of his contemporaries, he is inclined to think more deeply on that matter.

"I imagine someday I'll get done skateboarding and go back to school [he has already put in 2Y2 years of college] . . . but as far as a goal in the sport, I think I'd just like to do the best I can." Regardless of competitive outcomes and ~\pass assessments, Curt's attitude is unbeatable.

Wesley Tucker
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Charlie Ransom Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:56 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 5, No. 4, November 1978.

WHO’S HOT!
Charlie Ransom
18 years old, rides for Astral

By Don Hoffman

Charlie, also known as "Crazy Man," is settling down to serious competition this summer as he is participating in Another Roadside Attraction's Colorado racing circuit. Along with other noted Badlands racers, Steve Evans, Curt Kimble, and Harvey Hawks, he is being sponsored on the circuit by Astral Wheels. While staying in top contention, Charlie states: "The racers have greatly improved, which is making the competition intense, but that's how I like it. That's what makes it fun. The Colorado racers are really good and I hope they have a chance to come out here and compete."

One of the Badlands "originals," Charlie has now shown to the skating world his aggressive, attacking slalom racing prowess. Not as well known but just as intense are his pool and pipe riding capabilities. Often arrogant - or, as Charlie would say "self-confident," - he has been more than able to back up his words with his skating ability.

Magnolia Elementary School grounds in Upland is where Charlie learned to slalom along with his best friend, Steve Evans. "Steve taught me how to go fast. I call him 'Coach Speed'," Charlie laughs. For Charlie, like most of the other Badlands boys, the fabled "L-Pool" was his vertical awakening. "It was a great pool- free and laid back, but so intense it forced you to get aggressive." The Baldy Pipeline was his watering hole for pipe riding and he still craves the good old days, before the tar, when it was totally ripable. "Carving is my thing. I like to go fast. I know I have the work on air-bornes but I had a bad ankle and it slowed me down." When asked who most influenced him during those early days, Charlie doesn't hesitate: "ALVA! I like his style." . . . which brings us to the old controversy of which area has the best skaters. "I'm not down on skaters from other areas; we have so much in common that I feel a kind of brotherhood." However, Charlie feels that the juice is in the Badlands now and that we will be seeing hot skaters the likes of Mickey Alba following in the footsteps of the current rippers.

On the subject of equipment: "It's Ick Sticks all the way for slalom-racing!" Charlie affirms loudly. He thinks Tracker Trucks work the best for him, especially for pool riding. Speaking of pool riding, he says the Badlands/Pools and Casters are his present ripping sticks. "For slalom racing there are several variables-I use whatever works best for the course I'm riding. In pools Astral has me riding a proto-type wheel which I feel works as good as any wheel on the market." On the subject of the new wider boards Charlie comments, "I can see up to 9" maybe, but I prefer 8” to 8-1/2" widths they give me more control."

Charlie, being one of the better skaters in the area, was a natural to be consulted when the Pipeline Skatepark was in its formative stages. In fact, he worked on the actual construction of the park. After its completion he was heard to say, "Now that it is completed it is really rad, but I never want to see another rock or shovel again!"

In discussing how the changes of the past year have made a future in professional skateboarding possible, Charlie sobers somewhat from his usual ebullience and says, "I owe a tremendous amount to my girlfriend, Michele. She stuck with me through some pretty tough times, but I think we've pretty well got it together and things are starting to look good now." Charlie would like to add: "This time I hope they spell my name right. . . R-A-N-S-O-M!"

Wesley Tucker
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Randy Smith Who's Hot

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:57 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 5, No. 4, November 1978.

WHO’S HOT!
Randy Smith
27 Years Old, Rides for ACS/Turner/Kryptonics

By Brian Gillogly

"I like to go fast in skating and skiing. I like the motion. . . it's just a good feeling."

Colorado slalom racer, Randy Smith, does go fast. Third in last year's Catalina Classic, fourth overall in the '77 Another Roadside Attraction Pro Tour, he lead off this year's initial AR.A. race at Lakewood, placing third in both the giant and dual slalom events for an early advantage in total points. "I started off like a rocket!" Randy admits. Since then he has been hovering around fifth in the ARA standings, making him the top-rated Colorado racer in the series and, considering some of the undisputed giants who are competing again this year (Hutson, Skoldberg, Piercy, Hester, et al.), a lethal rocket at that. It's almost a modern-day David and Goliath story . . . except for the fact that Randy is a well-built six-footer and, if that isn't enough, his growing reputation is.

Originally from Virginia, Randy first latched on to skating there in the mid-60's. Curiously, it was freestyle which attracted him and continued to hold his interest over the next decade. "I kept on freestyling over the years, off and on. Then the urethane wheel happened about four years ago up here' [Colorado], and I thought freestyle was where it was at for me. But there was no way -I wasn't good enough." After putting in two years at Colorado State University in Fort Collins ("I did a lot of skating there. . . They had some nice concrete ramps around the stadium"), Randy moved to the more mountainous area of Ptarmigan, where he took up carpentry - and downhill skating. "Not until I moved up to the mountains did I start going fast. Like Loveland Pass, a favorite cruising ground; it's where we ski, too. . . you can skate for a good 12 miles downhill."

Last summer, this region also gave rise to the ARA and a lot of enthusiasm among competition-oriented skiers. For many, it was the perfect off-season complement. Randy, who had been ski racing NASTAR (amateur), immediately caught the skate-racing bug and surged ahead of the pack. "Just being on a board for a long time helped me to be good at it. So I kept going on it, kept working at it . . . I had to work a lot!”

Randy feels that the success of his technique has to do with his ski background, though he remains receptive to other approaches and adaptable to different courses. "Tight slalom is kind of related to skiing. . . Pretty much a parallel stance; my feet are generally off-set a little bit. I try to keep my upper body perpendicular to the fall line, and try to avoid too much arm movement ('cause I think it gets in the way). But when I get into more open courses, GS and such, I definitely open up, do more of a surf stance. Basically, it's different stances for different courses."

Likewise, Randy advises varying equipment according to terrain. For skiing he usually prefers Head Skis (190cm to 205cm) and, occasionally, Yahoos (180cm). His skating quiver consists of three similar foam-core and fiberglass Turners, differing only in the amount of tail and nose cutaway and in stiffness. "I like something stiff that pops back quickly. I get much more speed and rhythm out of it." Rounding out the unit are ACS Super Lites ("lightness helps") and Kryptos. "I usually use the fastest wheels I can on the front," he offers, "and, depending on the course, a stickier wheel in the back."

Now that Colorado is beginning to breed other fully committed and proficient racers - like Jim Whalen and Brent Kosick - in Randy's eyes the local future of skateboard slalom is generally bright. "I think it will keep going just as long as we keep the program [ARA] going. They're running a good show . . . the crowd likes it just as much as half-pipe and pool riding, I think. There's just not enough money in it right now."

Fortunately, Randy's future goals are flexible enough to handle whatever comes down. "I'd like to make something out of skating. If that's not possible, I'll turn to carpentry or something else. I just pretty much want to live comfortably and enjoy life." But no matter what happens, Randy has no intention of giving up skating.

"I like physical things, especially flow-motion sports like skating, skiing, surfing -I just picked that up last time I was out to California; I love it! But I do want to keep skating. I really dig the racing, the intense energy . . . If you can make a living from it, too, all the better."
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Sun Sep 04, 2005 1:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wesley Tucker
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Steve Evans And Charlie Ransom Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:59 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 5, No. 6, January 1979

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Steve Evans and Charlie Ransom

By Brian Gillogly

Steve Evans and Charlie Ransom. Among skaters, the names are often said in the same breath. . . especially in pro slalom circles and often with some apprehension. A ragtag duo from Upland, they stormed the La Costa Sunday races a few years ago and began slaying the established slalom giants - Hester, Skoldberg, Ryan, et aI. They left their marks in the city streets of the Catalina Classic, on the banks of the Runway Pro and, most recently, on the mountain roads of the ARA Colorado Circuit, where Evans took 2nd in the overall standings and Charlie, 4th. Despite their assertions that they remain "punks" philosophically ("we just want to have fun"), in terms of their slalom records, they are now firmly established within the inner core of the slalom elite. They may have taken a roundabout way to get there, but Steve and Charlie are a
new generation of slalom giants. Thus, while a major dual interview may set a significant precedent for this magazine, it is somehow appropriate in this case. Evans and Ransom certainly have set enough of their own. This article represents another first as well. Never before have we presented a feature interview with a skater - Steve - who had not first been profiled in our Who's Hot section. And yet, as ARA rookie of the year, Evans is obviously deserving.

"Steve is an innovator, out to do what he can. . . Charlie has always been a little nuts, but a darn good skater." - Muckus.

Although Steve and Charlie are longtime skate partners and otherwise closely associated, they are also distinct personalities. Evans, at 21 the older of the two, is more cerebral, even philosophical about life in general. ("Flow is the key to everything," he asserts.) By comparison, IS-year-old Ransom is boisterous and headstrong. (Uke Scott Dunlap, Charlie was once blackballed from the Pipeline Skatepark for "causing trouble. ") Steve's style is deliberate, efficient and subtle. Charlie's is spontaneous and powerful. And yet, in slalom at least, Evans and Ransom are pretty much an even match. But beyond everything else, this feature is significant in a very obvious sense. It is the first such interview to come out of the so - called" Badlands" area. And that is appropriate, too. Charlie and Steve were the first hot local boys to take their skating beyond the confines of the Pomona Valley. . . and turn heads. They continue to do so.

"Steve needs a little more strength . . . Charlie just needs to settle down a bit. . . They can go a long way still." - John Hutson

This interview took place in Upland at Steve's house, which is located right next door to Magnolia Elementary School. It was there on the asphalt banks of the playground that the pair got their start six years ago. In between races, sessions at The Pipeline and trips to other nearby parks ("we're freeway rats"), they can still be seen there, running cones and generally "having a good time." . . . Says Charlie, "We're Badlands all the way."

What originally got you Interested in skating?

(C) I rode my skateboard to school everyday and it was just neat. I heard about some guys over at Magnolia that skated on the banks, so I figured I'd try ~ out and got into that. Steve was one of the heavy rippers back then; doin' berts and all that stuff.

How long ago was that?

(C) Five years ago,
(S) Yeah, back when only about two issues of the magazine (SKATEBOARDER) had been out. . . a long time ago. And you two have been partners ever since?
(S) Yeah, we just skate together, party together, surf together. . . just go crazy.
So you were basically surf-skaters at the start?
(S) Yeah, these guys who skated at Magnolia before us were surfers and, like, there were only about live surfers in the whole school. We just watched them one time and started doin' it. Got out Moms to take us to Newport on the weekends to surf. . . and then we'd come back and just surf-skate on the banks, and just go as fast as we could and throw as many turns as we could.

Who influenced you the most back then?

(S) Well, just our surf buddy friends.
(C) When we first started learning how, it was a guy named Spiff (Hinky). He was one of the main influences for a while 'cause he had such a really clean surf style, We followed his style and then sort of just developed our own.
(S) He'd make like 2 turns on the whole bank, but he'd look so smooth, everyone would just go, "Wow, he's so ho!!" And, we'd be doin' twenty-five million turns and just gettin' really radical, . . And we go, "What about us?" . . . and so eventually we started gettin' really into hand styles and using your whole body; ya know, really smooth and fluid.
(C) Really fast cutbacks and stuff.
(S) But then we were younger and we wanted to be more aggressive so we used his style and got aggressive at the same time.

How did surf-skating lead to slalom skating?

(C) One day we saw ski racing on Wide World of Sports, and we said, "Let’s go up to Magnolia and set up a ski course." We just started playing with the slaloms. II was something new to do, ya know; we had been riding banks for a couple of years, so it was fun to do something else. Just set up cups and rocks and t-shirts . . . and just have fun. I guess the first issues of the magazine did have slalom in it, too
(S) Yeah, but we weren't even into the first mags. We were up here in our own little thing, and we knew our guys were really hot. We saw those guys in the mag and we knew we were better than a lot of them.
(C) The only pictures that really turned us on were the ones of TA He was the only one we thought was hot.

Charlie, were you also riding the L-pool at that time?

(C)I started out riding a pool called 25th 8t. or Euclid pool. It was an egg-shaped pool. How long after you started skating Magnolia did you ride there? About a year and a half maybe. We just carved the face wall and stuff. Then some friends, guys that lived around here, starting skating the l-pool. We went down there and learned how to do kick-turns there. We skated there for a long time. We put a door up on the 12-foot end and rode up on the door about 15 feet. We skated Baldy Pipeline a whole lot then, too.

And you were riding Magnolia at the same time with Steve and Rick Howell?

(C) Yeah, at times. We all rode it. They were riding it a little before I was, cause I was younger; but then I came along and just started hangin' around with 'em.
(S) And look how we trained him, totally rad (laughter)! You were saying you developed your styles from watching Spiff.

Did those styles turn out to be functional?

(S) Well, there's radical and then there's radical with style. like, in a bowl contest, I think style should be figured in the points. It looks so much better than someone just goin' crazy, just going for n. You can go for it the same amount, ya know; but with a little style, it's nice, clean and flowing.

Sometimes the way you hold your hands, aspects of your style will affect your riding, It will give you more composure , . .

(S) Yeah, it seems to help.
(C) Like, when you're just skating around, you can practice your style; just flow. (S) Don't think about the move but relax and think about your body, your arms and stuff. It's lots of fun. It's like surfin'.

Does a relaxed style give you an edge sometimes?

(S) In slalom, my arms don't even move; they just stay right there. They're just flowing with my body.
(C) Slalom's really precise; you have to be looking way ahead, be on the mark.

Where else did you skate during that early period before the Pipeline (skatepark) opened?

(S) Well, we had the L-pool and the Concrete Wave came about then.

So Charlie was riding the L-pool and you were riding the Wave more, Steve?

(S) I wasn't into crowds and the L-pool was always a zoo. But then at the end, I started riding it a lot and learning to do kick-turns. There and at Baldy Pipe.

You were talking about the Concrete Wave...

(S) We started hillin' there a lot. We'd skate there for free pretty much all the time.

Why was that?

(S) Guy Grundy worked there, and Rick would sell him slalom boards, cause they were really hot. . . We just had a good time there, and just terrorized the place. We went faster than anybody.
(C) Then we decided to go try our hand down at La Costa. We kept read in' about the La Costa boys racin' every weekend and so we went down to Carlsbad (skatepark) first, and they were having races there. None of the "names" were there, except maybe Marty Schaub and Steve Sherman, and we raced those guys and we beat' em . . . that was nothin' beating those guys at Carlsbad. Then we decided to go pro; we practiced up here and were really fast and just decided to go down there and try it. They asked us what we'd like to race, amateur or pro, and we said pro. We thought, "We might as well go pro. . . Shoot, we're here and there's money in it, might as well go for the moneyl"

Was this the Sunday races?

(C) The first one was a Saturday race at Carlsbad, a giant slalom. They set it up and we looked at it and we didn't even think we could make it. We thought, "Oh, man." But we just practiced it, they gave us like 20 minutes before the race, and we went out there and beat 'em. Then we came back up here and practiced some more and decided to go back down to La Costa and race. We went down there and we took first and second, beat out Tommy Ryan and all the hots back then.

Who took first and who took second?

(C) Who took first the very first race. . . you or me (to Steve)?
(S) I'm not even sure.

Anyway. . . who else was racing?

(C) Steve Sherman, Lance Smith, Gregg Taie, Marty Schaub. Some of the really old slalom racers were down there.
(S) We knew we were good, so we just went down there and raced and had fun with them. We just flowed with them and had a good time.

What was their response? How did they react to these two upstarts from the Pomona Valley coming down and beating them on their own course?

(S) They kind of dug it a lot, ya’ know. We just came out of nowhere and we were really good.
(C) The first race they really got into us, but they thought we could never do it again. And we went down there the next week and did the same exact thing (laughter). We did that for a couple of weeks. Then they beat us a couple of times, but we were never lower than 5th in the standings. And those guys were supposed to be like the hottest slalom racers at the time.

You never got any exposure from those races, did you?

(C) We got in National Skateboard Review; Di Dootson was really into us. She'd go, "Yeah, these guys are great." They were all trying to get us into the La Costa scene, get us in LCB shirts and stuff.

What's LCB?

(C) "La Costa Boys" - they made up these shirts, ya know. We used to go down in our cut-off T-shirts and "Badland" headbands. . . go down there with all these Jesus freaks and stuff...

You didn't quite fit in?

(C) Well, they sort of got on our case after awhile, so I ran their cones over in my girlriend's car. Some of those guys were just mouthin' off really bad one day. They just didn't want us there; this was like 6 months later or somethin', just before Catalina. We were down there racin', just blowin' 'em off, ya know; and they started mouthin' off. So I hopped into my girlfriend's Mercedes, drove around to the top of the hill and we looked down and all these guys looked up at us like, you know, "Oh wow, what are they goin' to do?" Then we just punched it and started out doin' slalom through the cones. Then it got too tight so we just started runnin' 'em over...
(S) They were down on us after that (laughter).

But now you're pretty tight with the old crew, Skoldberg and the boys. . .

(C) Oh yeah. Skoldberg's really a great guy. He's got a lot to go for it . . . he's got a lot of heart in his skateboarding. He likes to get in there and go for it. He's rad.
(S) They're all really good guys.

But you guys still seem to relate more to the Badlands than the top slalomers, traveling together this summer with Harvey (Hawks) and Curt (Kimbel).

(C) Yeah, we're Badlands all the way.

How far did the group of you drive this summer?

(S) We drove from here to Colorado, from Colorado to Akron, back to Colorado, back here for the Big "0" Pro that Charlie, Harvey and Curt went into . . . and then back to Colorado for like 2 more months. We drove like 12,000 miles or so. Had crazy times.

What's your opinion of the A.R.A. circuit?

(S) It was really hot in the way it was run. They needed more sponsors, though.
(C) Yeah, they needed more sponsors so they could have more money to do more. But it's better than any of the other races, I think. They ran it twice as good as Long Beach was run, and Long Beach had 3 times more money than the A.R.A. had altogether.

Which Long Beach contest?

(C) The FreeFormer one at the Long Beach Auditorium. It was pretty bad compared to the A.R.A. And the people back there (Colorado) have really good attitudes; they love racing.
(S) So do we, so we got along great.
(C) Peter Camann is a really good guy.

A lot of the racers seem to be upset with him for not getting their prize money at the last A.R.A, race.

(S) We lived up there with him for months and did everything with him. We
helped him build a really insane ramp. He's really a good guy. At the end, he just didn't have any money to pay us; but we still raced, you know. A race is a race; the money may be there, but when I'm racin', I'm just trying to go fastest. If there's money, great; but I don't go any faster because of the money. . . I'm trying to go fast just to beat the guy I'm racin'. But the A.R.A., man, that's the way a circuit should be: about 3 months of racin', not just one race. One race doesn't really prove much; but when you race 12 races and you win 3, that proves something.
(C) Plus, if you go to every one of them, that proves you are really dedicated to racing and skateboarding. Some guys race one race and then come back here to California and go surfin', and they're supposed to be pro skaters. . . and then go back there after a couple of weeks for a different race. . . they miss, like, 2 races and come back and say, "Oh, how's it goin'?" and take 5th or something. They're good racers, but they just don't dedicate themselves. We were just back there practicing everyday. . . it's really a good thing.

You guys must have put out a lot of money last summer traveling around and living for months In Colorado. Was it a financial loss?

(C) We got paid a lot, actually. We had a condominium rented for us by Astral; they helped us out so much. Ned Edmonds, the owner, is a super guy. He gave us a chance to prove ourselves the best way possible, in a circuit.
(S) Our team blew away every other team up there. I got second overall; Charlie got 4th; Harvey got 5th and Curt, 8th. And this other guy, Carl (Kamooa), that we got up there got a 9th.
(C) Yeah, I took 4th and didn't even race the last 3 races. I got hit by a car . . . I mean I hit one.

Wasn't that a problem of the course?

(S) Well, it was barricaded off and well policed. It had signs and everything, but some guy just drove through and up the course and Charlie came down. . .
(C) Yeah, he pulled out in front of me and I was in a speed tuck and had my head down and couldn't see the car. When I stood up the car was like 20 feet away. There was an opening about 5 feet wide in front of the car that I was gonna try to go for, cause I didn't want to jump off my board going 35 miles an hour; and then the guy pulled in front of me and I just hit him broadside. You aren't bitter because of that?
(C) No.

Was that a fault of the promoters?

(C) No, the guy came on the road, and we thought he'd driven all the way down. He shouldn't even have come on the road, but we said, "Go ahead and go down." Sp we stopped skating and waited about 5 minutes, and he should have been gone already; but he decided he'd turn around, go back up, and leave the way he came. So Curt went and I was following him . . . Curt just missed the car and I didn't even see it until like I was too close to do anything about it.

How badly were you injured?

(C) Oh, I got a few stitches in my leg and got really bruised up a lot. I got knocked out when I hit; I didn't know what was happening.

How was it living in Colorado most of the summer?

(S) The people up there are really friendly, have good attitudes. They get along with anyone. We had a good time.
(C) The people in Colorado wave to you when you walk by; they're not like Californians, who usually turn their noses up at you.

You were saying earlier that the reason you did so well at La Costa was because you had a positive attitude. You knew you could race well. How Important is attitude?

(C) It's real important.

In racing especially?

(C) Yeah, in anything. In racing you really have to have your head together. You really have to be thinking a lot. You have to just have confidence. You gotta say, "Yeah, I can do this . . . I'm good, I'm a good racer, I practice all the time . . . I do this all the time." You gotta go out there and keep calm. You can't be really nervous. You do get a little nervous sometimes in big races. . .
(S) Right at the gate. . .
(C) When you're in the gates and the guy is startin' his count-down, you start shakin' a little bit and then as soon as they open those gates, you're gone. You're not even thinkin' about it no more. . . it's just like you're practicing.

Do you psych up?

(S) No, not really. I just race and have fun; go as fast as I can and try to beat the guy I'm racin'.

How do both you guys feel about stimulants and depressants and racing?

(S) In racing I really don't feel it's the way. You should probably go for it straight.

You seem to take your racing seriously. Do you train on a regular basis?

(S) Well, we do take our racing really seriously. No real diets or anything, we just practice a lot.
(C) When we practice we usually put our hands on our heads and slalom without using our arms. That gets our legs and lower body movin' a lot. It's an exercise to keep your head straight and your body above your board.

Do you feel that you have a conventional slalom technique, or is it somewhat unusual?

(S) No, it's basically the same as all the other guys. We do a little more surf stance than anyone else, that's all. But for racing, I don't really know if surf stance is the best answer. I change my stance sometimes.

Do you gear your stance to the particular course?

(S) We just try all different ways and find which one works best, but we practice all of 'em. Like, a one-footed slalom. . . we just try everything and make up our own variations. We try to be in tune with all the techniques and make them into one style and just go as fast as we can.

I was talking to Randy Smith in Colorado, and he said he uses ski stance for tight and surf for giant slalom. Is that pretty true for you?

(C) Well, yeah, for most people. But we use surf stance more. In tight, it's a surf stance, but it's a tight surf stance; it's almost parallel but not quite. Some of the Colorado guys skate parallel; toes even, right on the nose of their board. Most of them don't even use the boing in the board. They have the camber there and they don't even use it; they just use the front of the board, almost like they're pulling it along.

How important is equipment? What were you guys riding this past year?

(C) Ick Sticks and Tracker Trucks and any wheel that worked.

The best wheel for the particular course?

(C) Yep! If you're gonna race, you gona be able to use any wheel that's gonna work. If you want to be a professional slalom racer, you can't go out and sign a contract with someone that says you have to use only their wheel, because you're not going to win very often, unless they are a company like Kryptonics that makes a big variety of slalom wheels. You can't join some company like Astral, or whatever, and 'I' say, "Yeah, I'm gonna ride your wheels in every race as long as you pay me." You're gonna go to some place and he's got a wheel that's maybe a little too hard, and the ground's a little too rocky and you'll slide out too much.

So Hobie doesn't Insist that you ride their wheels exclusively? Do they make a slalom wheel?

(C) Well, if they do demand that, I'm afraid that's a little too bad. . . But, they won't because I raced for them in the Runway Contest and they didn't demand it. Hobie's really good people.

What was your favorite race? Your favorite course?

(C) Runway.
(S) Yeah, that was a good one.

More like Magnolia?

(C) Yeah, well, Steve and I learned on banks. So we figured, "No one can beat us there; it's banks." We practice hard there. Practiced everyday for a week, then after a week I knew there was no one who could beat me.
(S) Except me!
(C) Except Steve, maybe. We were practicing too hard for it. We just went out there and practiced and practiced . . . that was a great race. Bank slaloms are really fun.
(S) The whole contest went really well.
(C) Probably the best slalom contest that's ever been run.
(S) It ran really smooth and that makes a good contest.

Did Sandy Saemann (manager of the Runway) run the race?

(S) Well, Sandy Saemann put on the race and he had his guys out there keepin' everyone out of the way and actually running it. I would say the real plus factor was the racers. Everyone really kept their shit together. You go to a bowl contest and the skaters tend to get out of hand. Slalom races don't get really as out of hand as bowl contests. But the racers really ran that race a lot and Chrondike had a lot to do with it because of their timing system. They had a Christmas tree light and it worked great.

Can you have a good slalom race In a park with a conventional slalom run, or, do you need at least a run as big as Upland's?

(S) Upland is fairly short and slippery but you can run contests there. Timing is the thing that's most important.
(C) You can run a good contest there. It's just how hard you work at it.

The Runway is kind of an exception in that they have that long Vermont-drop type run.

(C) I guess it's one of the best places to run a bank slalom contest right now. A few other parks should build them and have bank slalom races like that. It's a really fun race, and bowl riders like to race them, too, cause it's not the usual slalom race.
(S) Like most of the top 6 or 8 finishers were pool riders. The slalomers were trying to do flatland slalom through the cones and no way would it work. You had to sort of surf the course.

Is bank slalom really that different from street slalom?

(C) Yeah, cause it's not on flat and if you're tryin' to use a slalom stance on a bank, you hit the transition and you're gonna fall, or it's gonna slow you down and you're not gonna know how to tuck right on the walls or pump the transitions. If you're a bowl rider, you know how to pump the transitions really well and you can get a lot of speed up pumpin' transitions. For Steve and I it was a really great race; it was the easiest race for us to win because we both know how to ride transitions and banks really well and we're both slalom racers, so we know how to pick the fast clean lines.
(S) Like in practice, everyone was following our lines.

Do you think that slalom can be creative other than in developing new techniques? Can the on-going day-to-day running of cones be creative, or is it more mechanical?

(S) It's precision, ya know; it's just a line that's fastest and who can pump it fastest and who has the fastest equipment.

If It's too repetitive, It must get boring.

(S) It can, but we'll usually run cones for like an hour or so, and then go skate bowls. It's just another aspect of skating.
(C) The races are exciting, and to make an exciting race, you gotta practice hard. Practices sometimes get boring but sometimes they're not; sometimes they're pretty exciting.
(S) Practice is like work; it's your job. If you don't practice you may do good but you won't have that extra edge. Every bit helps.

Who are the best slalom racers now?

(S) Hutson and Piercy. But as for upcoming racers, Charlie and I are right in there. Next year we're taking it.

What about other racers that aren't that well known?

(S) Like, everyone bowl rides; that's all they do. Hardly anyone slaloms by comparison, so I don't really know. There's probably some hot guys around somewhere that are just gonna blow our doors next year, just like we did for some of the older slalomers. The only reason Hutson beat us as often was because he had independent suspension trucks. If he didn't have those, he wouldn't have beat us.
(S) His trucks are hot!

Where do you think slalom racing is going and how much improvement is possible? Will most of the improvement be in technique or equipment?

(S) Equipment, totally. Like, those suspension trucks, they're just outrageous. It's not even fair racin' guys that have those trucks; it's like racin' a go-cart 'against a Porsche. The tires are stayin' on the ground and so you can run a really fast wheel. The wheel that they ran in Colorado are like twice as hard as the wheels we run, so we had to make up for ~ in pump and technique. They just sit on ~ and go fast.

And yet you were pretty close to them in a couple of races?

(S) Yeah, really close -I beat Hutson once, and he had the suspension trucks.
(C) And I tied him once, but I hit a cone so he beat me (laughing). That was at Aspen. So you think technique can't go much further, or can it?
(S) Piercy just goes by technique, he's just fast, period.
(C) He's got fast legs. . .
(S) But he's definitely beatable.
(C) We both proved it.

Who are your favorite slalomers and bowl riders?

(C) My favorite slalom rider would have to be Steve. And my favorite bowl rider . . . it's pretty hard to say really, there's a lot of hot ones. I think right now I'd have to go with Steve Alba cause he's like a little machine (laughter). He just goes out and rips. He's got the spirit of the Badlands; he just wants to get in there. And I'd have to say Micke Alba too. I'd probably have to say Micke Alba is my most favorite.

Yeah, he's a spunky little kid.

(C) The kid just gets down and rips. And, he's got a lot of years ahead of him. He's had some hard falls, too (laughter).
(S) But he keeps goin'.

And what about you, Steve?

(S) I don't really favor anyone, ya know; they're all just really good guys, and they're all fast. Just on a particular day, someone's faster. But I don't really have a favorite slalom rider.

What about bowl riders?

(S) It would have to be just any of the hot Badland riders; they just rip. . . like Steve Alba just terrorizes. He's so hot; he just progressed so fast, and now he's right up there, number two (Hester Pro standings).

Who are the most influential people in the sport today?

(C) The people that get out and skate everyday and that work hard at their skateboarding. It's not really a question of who's the most influential in the sport world over. Like, we went back to Arizona, and there's people out there that can just rip, ya know; and they're influential out there. And, there's people in Florida, there's people in Colorado, and there's a whole lot of people in California that influence the sport.

Do you think it's more the skaters who are influential than the manufacturers or organizers?

(C) Oh, definitely. The skateboarder himself is the one who is influencing the sport, that's making the sport progress. But if it wasn't for the sponsors and the equipment, it couldn't happen either.

Yeah, they have to have a mutual relationship.

(C) But, I'd have to say one of the biggest areas for the influence is probably the Badlands. . . I won't even say probably, I'll say is, right now anyway. . . and we're gonna try to hold it for a long time too (laughter)!

Why do you think it is that the Badlands have come into the spotlight?

(S) Cause we rip . . . that's the only reason.

Yes, but why are there so many hot skaters In this area? Because there's a lot of frustrated surfers up here and a good park?

(C) We had a lot of good skate areas, lots of rad ones. We had the Mt. Baldy Pipeline, and the L-pool which had a lot of flat wall. We had a bunch of other pools, like 25th St. Pool and the Egg Bowl. And the Dogtown thing helped. At first, we were sort of into the Dogtown image; those guys ripped. Then we just figured, "We want to be better than those guys," and we just skated really, really hard every single day, ya know, tryin' to be better. And then, eventually, it just happened.

You guys did pretty well at Catalina (5th and 6th In the slalom). I guess that shows how political the skate media was then. You guys were doing well; and yet you weren't getting recognition.

(C) It was really political then.
(S) And like that article in SKATEBOARDER, we didn't even have a picture in there of ourselves. I mean, we came out of nowhere and we were right in there. But, we said, "Oh, well, no biggy. We'll just keep skatin' and have fun." We just kept goin' for it.

What do you guys have planned for the Immediate future? I know you just signed up with Hobie.

(C) A lot of practicing, bowl and slalom-wise. Hopefully they'll get some contests goin', and they'll be better this year. And the Runway Contest is comin' up again. I'll go out and win that again.
(S) (Laughing) don't count on it!

What about you, Steve?

(S) My goals are just mainly to skate and have fun, and try to make somethin' out of professional skateboardin'. Like, we're right in there with pro football players, and they get paid million dollar contracts every year. We're workin' as hard as they are

But they're on TV a couple times a week, sometimes.

(S)Yeah, it's just a matter of gettin' the sponsors.
Which have been your most memorable races?

(S) The first one, Catalina; that was the best one.

Why?

(S) Goin' over to Catalina, it was our first pro race. I remember takin' the boat over there and just partyin' and carryin' on with all the skaters. . . it was a fun time. It was like a Grand Prix race. It was our first pro race and we felt we had finally arrived. When the boat was pullin' away I said, "We made it; we're finally here."
(C) And we almost didn't make it. Rick Howell ran through one of those gates in the parking lot that you put 50¢ in and the gate opens. A car went in and under it, and Rick Howell tried to go in underneath it at the same time, and it came down on top of his van and broke the bar. Then, these two black guys who worked there came over and grabbed Rick and said, "Hey, come with us." They made him fill out an insurance form, I think, and we got on the boat just in time.
(S) But they never charged him for it or anything, so it worked out pretty good. Free parking!

What's your favorite park now?

(S) The most radical park is Upland, I'd have to say. The way rt's designed, it works really good. It needs coping really bad. but they're supposed to be building a pool there. One ofthese days they'll have it, and the pool will be really hot. That's about the best park around that I have ever ridden. design and everything considered. . . it's really rideable.

What else are you Into other than skating?

(S) Anything active, tennis, skiing. . . In Colorado, we had tennis courts and we would play every other day at least. Swimming, diving, hiking. . .
(C) Gettin' into all different kinds of flips off the divin' board, tryin' to do twisters and stuff. I was gettin' hurt worse in the pool than we were on the cement.
(S) No way, not you!
(C) Well, I think I won the Captain Beefheart award in Colorado. I took some pretty bad wipeouts. . .
(S) Like a 25 ft. backslide with no pads and no shirt. . .
(C) Ouch!

What maneuvers are you guys working on now?

(C) Rock 'n Rolls. I've been tryin' those quite a bit lately. I got speared in the heel doing one, and was supposed to go get stitches, sat in the hospital for about an hour and finally said, "Oh, well," and left. We just hopped on our skateboards, and rode 'em through the hospital. The nurses were yellin', "Hey, come back here. Get off those boards." I was bleedin' all over.

What about you, Steve?

(S) I'm just tryin' to get rid in' the lip in bowls wired, that kind of stuff. Cause I'm not really hot in pools yet, but I'm workin' on it. Slalom's about my main bag right now.

What kind of equipment are you guys riding now?

(S) I ride Tracker Trucks. I use them for slalom, pools, everything. And, like as for slalom boards, I use Ick Sticks, and a Turner board for straight cones. And for pools, anything I can get, cause they all work pretty well. But, like, I prefer wider boards now. Hobie Claw wheels are really good; fast and they look really nice.

You were saying earlier that you couldn't get the new independent suspension trucks. . .

(S) They only make them for the guys on Santa Cruz and maybe only two other guys. Like, we can't even buy 'em. . .
(C) We're willing to pay for them, but they just don't want to sell 'em. If they were available, we'd have one or two sets each right now, cause we'd buy 'em for $200 a set. I can make us a lot more money having a set, ya know.

What are your long-range plans and goals?

(S) Oh, just find a nice lady, make some money and buy a house; just kick back and have a good time. And then maybe go back to school. But just basically enjoy life. That's my main goal . . . life is just a great thing!

Does music relate to your skating?

(C) Yep.

In what way?

(S) I play guitar. . . and music's music. I don't like one thing the best, I like it all. Any music; it's total rhythm and flow, and flow is the key to everything. It's a good word; just learn to flow. Have a good time and try to make the best of it.
(C) Music can set the mood for a lot of situations. If you are feeling a little rowdy and uppity, you got to put on a little rock 'n roll or somethin'. It can help you skate better. Or, if you're with your girlfriend or feeling mellow, you can throw on some nice jazz music. Or, if you're down, you can listen to some down music.
(S) I listen to music all the time; I have my little Astral Tune, just ride on the bicycle and listen to tunes. There's all these cars goin' by and dogs barkin' and stuff, and you can just kick back and listen to the music, cause music is just so nice. I dig it! I've been getting into punk rock lately. Punk rock is just like us; we're all punks. All the skaters are just punks, ya know; we just want to have fun. We're not high off any money or anything, we just go out and have fun . . . that's the key! Have fun, enjoy.
(C) Enjoy me while you're young.
(S) Life is life, but when you can run around and do crazy things, that makes II even better. I'll get a job when I'm older and go to school or whatever.

What Is the Badlands?

(S) It's a little valley with full-on smog, total heat and II gets totally cold and totally crazy. It's just a bunch of good bro's who're altogether into each other, having fun and skating rad!
(C) You've got the rich, snobby people at the top, and the poor people at the bottom. The rowdies in the middle. . .
(S) We see it all. It's a crazy little place.
(C) If you can survive here, you could survive anywhere.
(S) It's like "nowhere" land, but everyone knows where it is now.

What do you think about the future of slalom racing?

(S) It's a really hot sport. For television II would be really good. It's like ski racing, just like it; but no one wants to put the money into it, and money is what will kill it or make it. Like, Catalina was cancelled. For a racer, that's just "Oh, no." I mean we practice, practice, practice and . . . racers now put together races themselves to get things going; it's not much money, but it's still a race. But then, the money doesn't make you go any faster. When it's there, I want it, but when I'm racin' I don't think about, "Well, if I get second, I'll get $600, and, if I win, I'll get $1 ,000...
(C) Second place is nowhere. First is the only thing.
(S) Second place is somewhere, if you try as hard as you can.

Any general comments?

(C) Well . . . skate "rad," have a lot of fun, and try not1o get hurt.
(S) My comment is just have fun. Skate rad when you want to, or when you need to, but have fun. Just "flow" man, and have a good time.

Do you guys leel kind of like brothers? Do you have that kind of relationship?

(S) I don't know, everyone in the Badlands are kinda like bro's, you know; we're all close.
(C) We're all like brothers. We fight like brothers, party like brothers, skate like brothers. We have a good time.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
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Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Steve Olson Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 1:03 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 5, No. 12, July 1979

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Steve Olson

By Benito Schwartz

Last fall, a 16-year old skater from Rossmore, California named Steve “Bulky” Olson, became the overall winner of the Hester Pro Bowl Series, the most prestigious competition yet in the history of skateboarding.

About a half-year later, Steve at 17 was voted the reader’s choice for top make skater of 1978 in a poll conducted by this magazine.

A few weeks thereafter, that same skater was forcibly removed from the Cukoo’s Nest, a sometime –New-Wave night club in Costa Mesa, California for “pogoing too hard.”

Somehow we figured an interview was in order.

This conversation took place just prior to the 1979 Hester-Winchester Contest, Where Bulky seemed to be pulling out of a “three-contest-slump,” as he put it. If Steve didn’t always know what he wanted to say, he assuredly knew what he didn’t, preferring to keep the talk to skating rather than his atypical lifestyle.

Even so, there is much to read between the lines.

Have you come down from the Banquet yet?

Oh yeah.

Immediately thereafter?

Right after.

At the Banquet you acted as though you weren't really that impressed; like when they were taking pictures you stuck your finger in your nose.

True.

Then afterwards you said you were stoked.

Oh yeah, I was stoked. I was just playing incognito. (laughter)

Why?

I don't know, that's just the way I am.

Do you consider yourself shy or reserved?

Yeah, until you get to know me.

Is your skating basically a way of expressing yourself?

Not really, I see my skating style just as a result of the way I've learned to skate.

Do you feel like you need to skate?

I still skate for fun. I'm not out there for the business end of it. If I had to, I could take it in that way, like some of the older guys. But all the old-timers really discourage the younger guys, like 20 and under.

Do you see your attitude toward skating changing when you get older?

No, not at all. But I might not be in it then. Who knows? . . . I think I still will be. I'll still be havin' fun doing it. Maybe if I break my neck I'll stop, but I'm not going to stop just because of little minor injuries. There's nothing out there that's going to stop me. I hear all this stuff about these older guys and how pissed off they are because the younger kids sit there and destroy hotels and stuff. I'd like to have seen those guys when they were our age and seen the way they acted. They don't think back that way; they just think of how they feel about things now.

They don't take into consideration the age difference?

No, not at all.

The younger crew are professionals, in that they compete for money, but they're still young kids.

Yeah, exactly. They're professional athletes, but they're not going to let that bother them; they're going to be themselves. I don't think you should try to be something you're not. [/b]

A lot of kids respect you for your skating. Do you feel a responsibility to them to present a certain social image since they emulate you? They really watch what you do, not only your skating, but how you act socially.

Yeah, I know that too. And I'm not that bad of a guy. I'll just skateboard and do what I normally do outside of skateboarding.

Do you feel that that Is your private life?

It's my private life but I don't care if anyone else knows about it. It's not going to upset me at all. It doesn't bother me. I just do what I want to do. I'm not going to try to follow anyone or copy anyone's lifestyle, Another thing I'd like to say is thanks to all those kids out there who voted for me, Even though I don't know what it really means; there's so much talk about who should have won. Everyone's after you when you're on top. So you've just got to fight 'em off, They're always trying to scalp ya'.

Who's trying to scalp you?

There's so many people out there. There are some that know what's happening and just sit back and laugh about it.

Have you had offers to ride for other people?

Yeah. There's been one good offer I liked, but no names mentioned.

You'll still ride for Santa Cruz then?

Yeah. I straightened things out with them.

You were having problems with them?

Yeah, Like, I have a temper and I've wanted to quit every other day for about a month straight. I was always on the verge of quitting.

What did you do, have a talk with them?

I've never rapped with them. I just keep this to myself. But I like the people up in Santa Cruz, like Rich [Novak] and his friends. I look at them as friends as well as my sponsors.

I know that they've gotten some bad feedback from the Banquet. Do they put any pressure on you at all?

No. They know I do my own thing, and that's my business. I don't think they should interfere. I didn't want to say anything when I accepted my award, I passed up the guy who had my trophy and I was going towards the microphone, then I missed my trophy and went back and got it. I felt so foolish, I just went off the stage. I don't think anyone really picked up on it. There's a lot of pressure up there, too. We're younger than any of those older guys. They just can't understand why we're different from them, but the age does make a big difference.

You used to swim too, didn't you?

Yeah, I used to be a heavy swimmer.

Have you always been compelled to do well at whatever you're involved in?

Oh yeah. All the athletic things I used to do I used to do pretty well, in swimming I really did well. It was like I was always the best player on the team in baseball or whatever. I guess thats my goal.

Do you consciously set goals or do you just feel a drive to excel?

It’s a drive in me.

There were quite a few other skaters that came out of your area. They were basically surf-skaters, but they never received as much acclaim as you. They never did as well In contests. Why do you think that is?

Well, we talked about basic drive. I guess I was more motivated to winning than they were. I don't know, maybe the experience in competition I've had with all the swimming and all the other things I've been involved with has helped. I was never really nervous; maybe a little, in the first contest.

The first Hester Contest?

Yeah. Not really then either. I feel like I got ripped off in a couple. I got ripped off in three contests really bad, as a matter of fact.

You were saying earlier that you were experiencing a slump right now in your skating.

Yeah, I've been in a bad slump for the last three contests. Right now I hope I'm pulling out of it. It feels like I am. Why was that? I don't really want to say. Some people could figure it out.

It might be that it's hard to top your performance in the Hester Series since it was the most important bowl riding series to date. How do you top something like that?

I don't know, but I don't think that affected me. I think the SKATEBOARDER Poll was another good goal to reach.

Was that a goal?

No. That was just a popularity thing. I don't try to go out there and be a jerk to all those kids. These other pros who accuse me of that just really irritate me sometimes.

Anybody in particular?

No names. I don't want to get down on anybody's case about this but they know who they are. Cause they know they've been talking about me behind my back.

Does that bother you?

It doesn't bother me. I'd rather have them come and say it to my face. Then I could punch them! (laughter)

Does your brother Bucky still skate?

No.

Is he the one who got you skating in the first place?

Basically. I used to surf and skating was the takeoff from surfing.

How long have you surf-skated?

I was skating when I was five down hills on metal wheels - it was pretty crazy.

In Rossmore?

No, in San Francisco. It was really nuts. My brother ate it once - one of the worst falls; even worse than Signal Hill. He took a dive head-first.

Ah, a face slide!

Yeah! It's funny now to think about it.

When did you move down to Southern California?

I was born in Long Beach and then I moved back to Minnesota, from Minnesota to Belmont (up by San Francisco), then from there over to Pinole on the other side of the bay by Oakland, and from there down to Rossmore.

When did you start skating heavily?

Well, when my brother started working at the Concrete Wave.

What was your brother doing there?

He was just an employee. Just working the gates and different things. Then I would just go with him and hang out at the skateboard park.

Who were you skating with at the time?

My brother Buck has been a big influence on things I've done. Maybe I shouldn't do some of the things he influences me to, but those are the breaks! Anyway, Dennis Ward and a couple of friends around my house from the surfboard shops, we'd just go and have a gas at the park and then come home.

Has anybody else influenced your skating style along the way?

I don't know. I liked the way a lot of those guys skated. I looked up to 'em and watched what they did. I never really followed any of them. I just basically skated all the time, progressed. Then the contests came along (the amateur contests) and I was ready for those. In every one of those amateur contests I'd win the overalls. That was the one goal I'd always shoot for. And I always did it, too. The USASA ones; you've heard of them, they're a big thing now. It's the only thing the amateurs have.

How long ago was that?

A year-and-a-half ago.

You went right from there to Spring Valley?

From the Upland amateur contest I went to Spring Valley Pro and did well (3rd Bowlriding). From there on it's history.

Are you still surfing a lot?

Oh yeah.

As much as you skate?

Yeah. Surfing's a gas but you can't do it all the time if you're going to be skating.

Why?

It just interferes if you want to go skating and you're all burnt out from surfing in the morning. You can do it if you really want to do it, but I don't think it's worth it. I can surf as good as ever now, if not better.

As a result of skating?

Yeah. Skating helps my surfing a lot. But I don't think this is the right time to talk about surfing. I'd just rather keep it to skating.

Do you train?

I used to. I used to go to school and take weight-lifting classes. I guess you can call that training. I worked out every day. Right now I'm starting a new program, but I don't want to mention anything about that. You have to be in training if you want to be on the top. You can't be a slob and be competitive at all. In any sport the top guys are always the more or less straight ones that work out and keep in shape; you can't afford to slip. I was starting to do that.

Do you watch your diet?

Nah. Not at all. I eat so much junk food that it's not funny. I try to stay thin. I get all these stomachaches and I tell myself, "No more junk food, you're going to have to eat just regular good food." Next day I'm down at Taco Bell, the liquor store or somewhere.

You're pretty much a creature of your times, You're Into junk food and New Wave/punk rock.

That's my own gig.

Does the music relate to skating In any way?

I don't know, it can if you really want to get down into it. It gets you really energized. That's the only thing I know that you can relate to it. The energy is there in both things, both spheres. There is so much energy involved in both of them it's unbelievable.

Who are your favorite music groups?

They're too many out there.

Is it strictly New Wave?

Oh yeah, basically. I like Levi and the Rockettes, they're a rockabillie group; a lot different from other groups. And Robert Gourd, but he's also rockabillie, not New Wave. Rockabillie will take over soon. That's what my group will be if it's a group. Or we'll play surf music.

Do you think surf music is coming back?

Oh yeah. I like "Wipe-out" and "Pipeline," they're some of the hottest songs I've ever heard.

Dick Dale and the Deltones?

Yeah. I have a couple of their albums.

How critical is equipment?

I think equipment is critical. I've had lousy equipment and it lowers your skating ability about 30%. Back in New Jersey, when I was back there skating,l had no boards I liked, and I suffered.

At Cherry Hili?

Yeah.

How long ago was this?

It was back in April sometime. It was when the Clash was in town.

Were you riding Santa Cruz boards?

No.

You weren't riding for Santa Cruz then?

Oh yeah, I was, but I didn't have any of my own models. I took some out and broke 'em, so I had nothing to skate on.

Do you want to say that you broke one of your own models?

Well, boards break all the time. Unless it's a Kryptonic board. But I've broken those, too!

What are you riding now?

The products I endorse.

Which are?

My own model, Alligator wheels and Independent trucks.

How wide are your boards and what's the construction?

My board is 30-1/2 x 10-1/2. I just made up some shape I thought was really functional. It has some good curves in it. As for the construction, I'm having them use a surfboard manufacturer to make them. I think the craftsmen down at the surfboard factories make the best type of skateboards. They put their mind to it instead of just thinking about the money. You can ship them off to Canada, and it's just a big wood mill and these guys are just pressing out all sorts of skateboards. They don't even care.

Will these models that will be made by the surfboard people be marketed to the general public?

Yeah, they will be soon. They will be by the time this interview gets out, and I think everyone should own one.

What Is It made out of?

I don't even know what kind of wood.

A laminate?

Oh yeah.

With fiberglass?

No fiberglass at all; just a wood laminate. We will eventually be coming out with some different kinds of boards, but I don't want to get into that because I'll be letting out secrets. There's been some talk about much lighter and stronger boards coming out. Have you ridden any 01 the lighter boards? No. Have you heard anything about them? I've heard some things, but like I say, I want to keep that tight under my hat. The one thing, though, is it costs so much for the materials for the ones these other manufacturers are making, that it's going to jack the price up for the people who would buy them. You could buy three wood boards to the price of one of them. They will last pretty long but I don't think it's worth it until you can find materials that are cheap enough and until the price is down.

Do you think that the light boards that are being proposed, the graphltes and honeycomb boards, may be priced out 01 the market?

Yeah I think so.

Where do you think skate equipment Is going II you don't think It's necessarily going toward light equipment?

I think it's going to a lighter equipment, but I think it's going more or less where the ski industry went. I think the P-tex type trip on the bottom and top 01 the board win help the board last a lot longer than having it just all wood. I talked to a couple of these ski people and they agreed.

Where do you ride these days?

All over. I hate to stay in one park. That's stupid. I'd rather be able to go into any park and do really good.

What did you think of Cherry Hill?

I like Cherry Hill. I also like Marina del Rey. I like just about all the skateparks. There's always one run there that's always fun. But some of these contests that they hold, like Oasis, I think are foolish.

Why Is that?

To hold a contest with the most money so far in a pool that's made for a 13 year old. But still, I think anyone should be able to adapt to it. I should have been able to but. . .

What exactly happened?

I don't know. I was still in my slump. I don't want to have any excuses; it was my fault.

You were saying you sprained your finger.

Yeah, but still, I can skate now with it, so I should have been able to there. I just think I'm in a slump. Slumps do happen; it's nothing unusual for me. It doesn't shock or depress me.

I heard that Burt Lamar, the guy that won, skated really well.

I guess so. I didn't watch; I went surfing. I didn't really want to stick around. The atmosphere out there was very cool. I guess it was an alright contest; I didn't stick around, like I said. I couldn't really tell you anything about it.

What's your biggest high?

I don't know. There's so many out there in the world. I guess I couldn't even say; there's too many . . . I like going and seeing some really good gigs. Then a real put-down are bad gigs; jerks that get up there and pretend they are what they aren't.

Who turned you on to New Wave/punk music?

Mercy and my brother.

Who's Mercy?

Just a friend from Hollywood.

How did you meet her?

Just met her.

Is there anything about skating that really turns you on?

I like to think up new tricks and stuff. There's so many tricks that you could think up that I don't think skating is ever going to get boring. You can always be thinking of new things. Make up one trick out of another one. It's really easy.
[/b]

Who do you think is really ripping now?

I don't know. There's a lot of guys ripping out there. The younger kids are ripping; a lot of the kids that go to skateparks. But I'm not going to say any names; I might leave out someone and hurt their feelings. I think Alba is really good for his consistency in contests, but that's about it. I like the way Shogo skates.

What about kids like Micke Alba and Burt Lamar who will be the top contenders In the near future?

These are the kids you'll be lighting 011. I don't think I'll be fighting them off; maybe the other guys will. I'm not going to let it bother me. It's foolish to let it bother me.

What are your goals now?

I don't know. There's a lot of them. I don't really want to say. You'll see when they happen.

I understand you're going to go to night school.

I'm going to finish [high] school. That was another thing I wanted to talk about. I dropped out of school for skateboarding, and that was a mistake. I think you should stay in school for sure and get an education; at least a high school education, even though I generally hate school. It is fun to go and terrorize.

How do you feel about female skaters?

There's a few females that are really hot, as hot as the guys. I don't think females will ever be as good as guys.

There's also quite a few that are into the sport because they idolize a certain skater.

The whole groupie trip. I don't know if that's true. I'm not up on the groupie scene. If groupies are out there I'm not going to tell them to leave. There's only a couple girls that I think skate good and that's Teri Lawrence and Vickie Vickers. I think chicks are lame.

Generally?

Oh yeah. I don't care, you can put that in there, too. I have a girl friend that I can get along with.

Girls are lame at skating or just in general?

I think girls are really stupid outside of skating. They're a hassle; they're in your way all the time. But if we didn't have them, where would we be? So they serve a purpose, I like 'em. But when they're in your way, they're really a drag.

Do you let them get in your way? Can't you always say no and just walk away?

Yeah, well do that, but constantly it's happening. Girls should just do their own thing.

You think there's a basic difference between males and females other than the obvious?

Oh yeah, for sure.

A genetic difference or is It just the way they're brought up?

There's some that are brought up just like a dude, and then there's others that are brought up like chicks. Those that are brought up like dudes -too bad they weren't born men!

Have you been getting any other criticism about your social habits or dress?

I think people should mind their own business. I can do whatever I want; it's a free world. I don't care what they say, they're just jealous. That's how I see it - jealousy. Maybe some look at the way I act as being stupid but it's my own life and I'm going to live it the way I want to.

Do you think the Poll's a measure of anything other than popularity?

Maybe it shows there's people out there that have respect for you. That's about it.

Respect for skating?

Yeah. Exactly. Maybe my personality too. Who knows, they might think I'm a unique person.

I understand you went to Texas last year. Have you had any interesting episodes In your travels?

Oh yeah. I've had a lot interesting things happen. I don't know. I've done some alright things with Sanders and Alva in Upland, and they know what I'm talking about.

In Upland?

Yeah at the Upland [Hester] Contest. I don't want to get into It. Anyway, I just like to go traveling for the experience. I think traveling is the best teacher in the world. That's what I've been told and I agree with it now after some of these experiences. I couldn't have learned anything in school that I have when I've gone traveling.

You always seem, at least on the outside, like you're very calm, except for maybe when you're pogolng; when you're getting thrown out of the Cuckoo's Nest.

True. That was wild. Did you see that?

I saw you pogoing; I didn't see you get thrown out.

Then I had to sneak in again. I

But you are usually pretty calm on the outside.

There's no need to be all radical. Unless the situation calls for it.

But every once in awhile your temperature rises?

Oh yeah, it’s true I've got a bad temper. And I'm not going to hold it in. Then, like I said, if the atmosphere's right I'll be swinging. I don't think you should hold your temper back at all if you're mad. You should let people know that you're pissed.

Anything else?

I'd just like to say one more thing about the Banquet and Poll. The right person won. And it was more or less a social type thing so you could do more or less whatever you wanted. You didn't have to come there like a skater. The way I acted there was just the way I was that night- and the way I am every other night.

You acted the way you felt?

The Poll means a lot to a lot of people and it's really neat that I won It. I hope I win it again, too. I'm stoked I won it 'cause it gives me more opporlunlties that I didn't have. And it's not like Alva and myself are bad representatives of the sport. We aren't. All we do is go out and skate. I don't think I'm a bad representative. When I go skating I look like a skateboarder. What I do outside of skating really doesn't matter but when I go skateboarding alii want to do is go skateboarding and have a good time.

Another problem Is that the outside media may find in your behavior a way to attack the sport.

Sure. I agree.

You may have to watch yourself.

For sure. But sometimes you slip. There's no need to get upset about that.
Last edited by Wesley Tucker on Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
Posts: 3279
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Curt Kimbel Interview

Post by Wesley Tucker » Sun Sep 04, 2005 1:04 am

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 6, No. 1, August 1979

SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW
Curt Kimbel

By Benito Schwartz


Curt Kimbel has the distinction of being among the most successful, multifaceted competitors in recent skateboard history. Placing eighth overall in two of the most credible series to date, The 1978 Hester Series and the Colorado ARA races, Curt has shown beyond a doubt that he is one of the fiercest contestants in any contest, any terrain. What's more, Curt openly savors that distinction. A true competitor in spirit ("It's hard to just 'play - I want to win"), Curt seems to find in competition a useful direction in which to channel enormous energies and test well-developed skills. One might even suggest that this drive is usually a full-on compulsion, although a healthy one. . Curt Kimbel has a lust for life. The game plan includes not only skating, but surfing, skiing, motorbike riding, pinball and just about anything else he comes across. Curt realizes that he went against the grain, dropping out of college a year ago to skate "professionally, " especially since the rewards aren't the kind that accumulate in a bank account. Bright, articulate and self-confident, he could be making a good living doing any number of things. But Curt prefers to ride. . . because of the fun and because of the challenge. And for such an insane skater, what could be more sane? What have you been up to? Well, I surfed all morning. It was great!
How long have you been into surfing? Not long, three or four years, maybe. I kneeboarded for awhile and then I've been surfing a lot for a year. I want to surf a lot more.

Were you surfing when you were living in Upland?

Mostly on my skateboard. In the eighth grade I bought a surfboard and I'd go surf once in a great while. We'd go to the waves on Sixth Street and be Gerry Lopez. Shorts and no shoes.

Was that the Rick Howell school of thought?

That was before I knew Rick Howell. Just my neighbors, guys you never heard of. We'd do head dips in the bushes. We were just imitating surfers-boards with swallow tails. There were no skateboard magazines out then, just surfing magazines. We knew who all the hot surfers were. We just surfed on our skateboards.

Was that the late '60s?

Yeah. I surfed up and down my sidewalk and to the store. We knew every bump in town. That sort of thing. We rode Magnolia School every once in a while, that was like "the big wave." Six footer. Then I met Rick Howell and we got these boards just like surfboards (32 inches long with small swallow tails, and good trucks). They flexed. They were fiberglass.

Did you kickturn them at all?

A little bit, but it was a blast. I rode those boards for a long time. You could pump them. We watched [Steve] Evans do it and then two years later some kids on the street by me had tin cans lined up and I just ripped through them so fast, they couldn't hardly believe their eyes. I said, "Oh I must be slow." But I started doing it more and more.

Were you skiing at that time?

Yeah, a little bit. I also skied on my skateboard. I started skiing when I was 14.

You lived In Utah for a while didn't you?

Yeah. We went to Utah and I skied my brains out. That was three years ago, the drought year. Right before the Pipeline opened. Like I came home from Utah and my dad, who worked wilh Mr. Hoffman for 25 years, said, "Some guy at work is building a skatepark here." So he told me where it was and I went up there and sure enough they were. I told Mr. Hoffman who I was and asked him if I could apply for a job and he gave me a job. So that's how I really got into skateboarding. I did it for fun and skated there every single day. We were addicts. We never had to pay a cent. We started wearing our pads more and then we started seeing the pros who came there. We'd see all the moves they were doing and that would make us skate even harder.

Who do you remember in particular?

Strople and Wally. There'd be a whole bunch of camera people. Wally would be flying out of the pipe and Strople mostly did edgers and slides and stuff-that was before aerials.

By that time, were you starting to relate to skating as its own unique thing rather than as part of surfing?

A couple of my friends, Spif and Harpo, were pure surf all the way. They really didn't progress at all and do tricks. They just flowed cause that's what we did at Sixth Street. We all surfed it, even at the L-pool and Mt. Baldy pipe. When parks started happening it was pure surf skating for a long time. A lot of carves and stuff. Then all the pros started coming and doing neat tricks, like frontside grinders. And we started doing board slides and stuff like that on vertical. That was the first thing that I got attention for in skateboarding. Cassimus saw me one time and thought that was pretty hot. We could do a lot of moves just as good as anyone else but they usually didn't take pictures of us 'cause we had tom-up pants and worn-out gloves. We were just skateboard junkies all the way. You progressed quickly.

Why was that?

'Cause I was skating every day, all day. I was really jealous of the people that were getting all the coverage. Wally and Strople-they'd take 50 pictures of them and one picture of me. And I was ripping and tearing up. Greg Weaver would come; he'd hardly ride the pool and they'd take rolls and rolls of him.


Do you feel Upland is still a major energy center?

You bet. You can watch [Steve] Alba skate there. He rips. Alba's making them look so bad that a lot of pros don't even want to skate there. If you're not on top of it that day, he'll rip you so bad you'll be disgusted.

What about Micke?

That kid's great. He's going to be really good. Not that he isn't already. But Steve is head and shoulders above anyone who skateboards. He's injured right now but if you happened to see him the day before he got hurt at Winchester, everyone was just shaking their heads sayin', "Man. . .! He can do anybody's trick better than the person who invented it." There's nothing he can't do. He does it with power and speed and just rips it. I'm really impressed with Steve. Micke just plugs away and keeps practicing every day. When he gets big and strong like Steve. he's going to be a shredder too.

Who else impresses you?

Strople. I really like watching Strople skate.

Do you ever emulate anyone's style?

No. I did for awhile but I don't anymore. I think that I really can't concentrate on style. I have to concentrate on balance. You can't worry about what your fingertips are doing. You don't have time to think unless you're doing a back-side kickturn on a front-side grind or something like that. As far as just really hauling into a gnarly carve or doing an aerial edger, you can't think about anything except making it back into that pool and not hurting yourself.

It seems like there's a relationship between style and balance. People who came from surfing or early bank riding, they have that style ingrained in them. They'll show it whether they're skating real fast or not and not think about it.

I think one thing that really helps your skateboarding is crouching. People that can just tuck up in a ball have an advantage. I've seen them pull off unbelievable things that people who are standing upright on top of their boards never could. You have a lower center of gravity, you can get closer to the wall and hit harder. This one kid in particular, Kent Schiffman, is my favorite guy to watch skateboarding. He lives in Dana Point now. He's an amateur. He came in third in the air contest at the Marina. He crouches, tucks up into a ball and does all sorts of wild stuff. He pulls off unexpected things. Most of the raddest are pulled off accidentally.

You think that's how progress is often made in skating?

People get into an awkward position and develop it Into something? I think most progress is made when you think about it beforehand. You've got to think out a trick. Very few people think up their own tricks. They just copy others. Alba does it great. Bert LaMar has a lot of tricks. No original tricks but he can do all the tricks. David Andrecht is the same way. Maybe once in awhile they think of a trick.

Who are the originators?

You can't say because everyone originates something. Orton originated air. That's unreal. He opened a whole new way to skateboard. He opened the biggest door in skateboarding I see in recent past because, by him pulling off air he's showing ail of us, "Hey, it's possible. You don't die every time you go up into the air out of the pool." In fact you can do it easily and not even get hurt. I've originated quite a few tricks just recently. Stuff like the L-drop. I can do these one-footed carves where I drag my foot on the coping or on the ground. It's easy to do but no one ever taught me. There's a billion more tricks to do. Each variation has ten different variations.

Where do you think skateboarding's going in terms of maneuvers?

More tricks-that's the only way for it to go. It would be a bummer if it slowed down-stopped at your last trick. Everything's got to be open to progress. It's going to go In a lot of different directions? Slalom's what really needs a boost. It's reaily fine point, it's not ragged and jagged (and poolriding is definitely ragged). What people want to see is the ragged edge. They want to see you going out there and hanging It out. When a guy is risking his life, people are hanging on the edge of their seat.

Slalom and downhill get pretty Intense, too.

Yeah. And racing is something everyone can do. Everyone has a driveway, a street. If it's the first time, it's kind of tricky to do. A beginner skier can't ski race. And a beginner skateboarder can't slalom. It just takes time.

You raced slalom a lot last summer, didn't you?

Yeah, Merritt Edmunds of Astral saw me slalom at the Runway Contest and he figured I could do slalom really good. Then I went over to the Hester at Newark for him and Wally and I won the doubles and came in second in the one-wheelers. I got Ranson, Hawks and Evans together for him and we competed in the Colorado races and at Akron last summer. Drove all over the country and he paid us for it. He's a nice guy, I really liked him. That experience really opened up a big thing for me because now I like slalom as much as I like poolriding. Half and half. I'll go up one day at La Costa four or five hours and then maybe the next day I'll go to Del Mar Skate Ranch and skate a few runs. This week I've done slalom all week because there's a race coming up. That's going to be a great race; dual slalom, two people at the same time downhill.

What's your biggest rush?

Well, sometimes you barely make something. Your back foot will come off and hang you up and you'll lean over so far 'cause you're getting pitched and somehow you get your weight back, and somehow you pull it off, Like when you're going down somewhere like Signal Hill and you get a bad speed wobble and you somehow make it. You get a rush for about five minutes straight, a high. You just stand there at the bottom of the hill, tingling. I've done some downhill runs on my skis before straight on down, At the bottom I feel totally exhausted, and-weird! My whole body gets tingly, I felt like those bubbles in champagne. I want to do it again, even if I'm so tired I can't.

You mentioned earlier how hard it is to make a living as a pro skater. Are you struggling now?

I'm really not struggling. I'm doing as good as I can but no skateboarders are doing well. Or very few. You have to be heavily associated with a company. I try to do my part for the company I'm working for. I help them in research and development, I help organize the team, I try to make sure the team members act respectably. I help them out in any way I can. Shape, design, I'll test anything, I even helpsell the product. If I see a pro shop that doesn't have the stuff, I ask them to think about it and I get a couple of local kids to try it. Then they go buy it. And that's really the bottom line, the kid that can do everything.

So your reward in skateboarding isn't really monetary?

No, It's the satisfaction that you can do something well. Most people can't even stand up on a skateboard; they're scared to death of them. I can get on a board and ride so well that I can get paid for it, enter competition and ride in the upper few percent. How many people in their lifetime ever get to be a professional athlete? This is something I'll be able to tell my kids. Very few are able to be a professional skateboarder. I imagine some day I'll probably get tired of it. Right now I'm really not patterning the rest of my life at all.

What else are you up to these days?

I just got a hang glider a little while ago. I've got to do everything in my life, Not just one thing. I raced motorcycles and go-carts, and I surf lots. I even raced slot cars. I get off on them once in awhile. I think what I'd like to do is race cars sometime, As far as poolriding, it's not a fine-art sport. There's no fine line. But in racing there is. You race against the clock, the competition and the codes. Really it's racing with yourself; you've got to do your personal best on that course and that's all that counts. Nothing else counts. As long as you concentrate and do the best you can, you're in there.

The only competition is with yourself?

Yeah. And they don't say, this guy's hands were looking a little better and I liked his style and that guy rides for that team so I'll give him a few more points. They don't do that stuff. The guy goes down the course, the electronic timer flashes and you see how many cones he hits; it's cut and dry. No matter who he rides for, who the judges are, it doesn't matter.

Do you think bowlriding can be judged fairly?

Super hard. In order to judge poolriding you've got to find people who aren't associated with companies. I'm not saying that these guys are bad or anything, but I have seen judges who I know judge their product or teammate higher. If his teammate wins they can use him in advertising. If he wins, the kids will think their product is great. It's an unreal plus for your company when you make your living off of it. I heard Tim Marting was a good judge at Marina Del Rey 'cause the kid can see what's actually happening.

Why wasn't he skating in the contest?

I'm not sure. Anyway, it's really hard to know what it's like to do a super high aerial or a super high-speed carve. You don't even have any idea 'till you do it and you fall. That's when you really get respect for it. As far as these rules about counting points for falling, how can you say that? One guy goes up and does a backside kickturn and falls. . , three points off, right? The next guy does a carve, grinds it a couple 01 times, one foot comes off, he wobbles and gets back on going 50 mph and then he falls off. What do you do? When I'm judging, I sometimes even give them high points because of the unreal try. At Winchester I saw Kevin Reed make some unreal tries and I gave him high scores. I couldn't believe how hard the tricks were that he was doing. And the other judges had no idea how hard the tricks were. Every maneuver he did was totally unique.

But weren't there problems with the running of the contest, too?

There were definitely problems as far as organization and money involved. A poolriding contest can really take the. fun out of riding pools. You go to this contest and there are 50 kids all smarting off. If they get their picture in the magazine they think they're good - dirty little kids you've never seen in your life, who are so cool that you just can't hardly stand it, man. When I can go down to Del Mar [Skate Ranch] and skate with my good friend Strople, it's mellow. We can skate all night with no hassles, have a great time.

Who do you ride for these days?

Hobie. They take me to contests, help me out on my rent. They're treating me real well. They're a good company to represent. Their Claw wheels are really fast and their wrist braces are excellent. Still, it's hard to make much money. Why should they pay me a lot? For every person like me, there are 500 amateur rippers, every day beating themselves to death and they'li do it for a skateboard. "Oh yeah, I'll skate twice as much now and twice as hard." And you ask them if they are getting a good deal and they say, "You bet, I got a set of wheels today and a set of pads." And everyone at their school thinks they're really big dudes 'cause they're on a team. It's really important to be on a team. It doesn't matter if they can skate that well or not. They are proud they are on a team. But the best team to be on is a team with your own peers. They accept and respect you and that's when it's the funnest, when you are respected not so much by the companies, as by the skateboarders. It's more important than anything else in skateboarding.

What else is important to you?

Well, this interview means that you guys think something of me over and above the ordinary skater. Maybe it's ego or something, 'cause you don't get paid that much, at least I don't-some pros might. You get to travel, there's other benefits. But the biggest benefit is being proud of what you're doing. If I didn't have fun skateboarding there's no way in the world I'd be doing it every day. I'd do something else; I'm strong and have a lot of get up and go. I could do a million things. This was something I happened to slide into and I'm having a good time; I'm staying. I'm not trapped, not stuck.

What about equipment? You're pretty enthusiastic about your speed boards.

Yeah, I've got some good speed boards. Rick Howell's making me this really nice one. I don't know if it's going to work, but boy, it's going to look neat. And then I have a Skitch Hitchcock. It weighs about 50 Ibs. It's 6 ft. long with free axles and I hope it hauls, too. Whichever one goes fastest, that's the one I'm going to use.

What about for tight slalom?

Right now I use a Turner for tight slalom. I use an Ick Stick for giant and bank slalom and wherever else I can use it. I had the greatest Ick Stick tight slalom board and I let Dunlap get on it. He was jumping up and down and he stretched it out and that's why I use a Turner now. It takes a real long time to get an Ick Stick. But I should have about three more by the time this interview comes out.

What type of construction?

Fiberglass, foam, and variations in the lay-up. Rick's really into testing and development and design.

What about pool boards? [/b]

Hobie is making me a hot 10'\'4" deck, a good lamination. They've got me on a good program now.

What about trucks and wheels?

Tracker ExTracks. They turn great. I use Copers, too. I like the Tracker people; they back you up. The Independent trucks are also good trucks, no doubt abou1 it. I'd really like to have some Independent suspension trucks. But as far as everyday - those magnesium Tracker trucks.

Does the weight of the truck make that big a difference?

I think it probably does on aerials. Like when your board hits the ground. I think the lesser weight helps your board to last longer' cause when it falls the truck won't be apt to cause it to split quite as bad.

Which wheels do you ride?

I have flex wheels, hard ones, fat ones, skinny ones. I cruise around town on Kryptonic wheels, those are the best. Red Kryptonics are probably the best wheels there are for all-around riding. Skateboarding can be a good way to get around the gas problem. Those big red Kryptonics can go through dirt, across railroad tracks. I can even carve a dirt bank sometimes, if the dirt's kind of hard. They've always been real fair, very nice people.

Where do you like to ride?

Peter Camaan's ramp in Colorado is probably my favorite; with those mountains, big barbeque, all those mountain people going nuts. They all get up and try. It's such a fun thing. Gary Riche and Peter Camaan built that ramp at a total loss, moved it up to the mountains right in the middle of a pine forest. There was no one out there snaking you or hassling. I also go to the Arizona pipes with Harvey. As far as skateparks go, Del Mar is my favorite, my local park. I like it. But I'd much rather go skate a backyard pool. I like skating the Egg Bowl in Pomona; that's a great pool. Most people hate ~ but I love it. I like skating the bowl at Skate-In-The-Shade skatepark in Tempe, Arizona. It's the greatest pool, the best.
What about the pools in Northern California? Those pools are the same; no square comers, no death boxes, no steps. There's so much in skating skateparks that's just boring-all the same, regular keyholes.

You mentioned about possibly going back to school. How far did you go?

Two-and-a-hall years of business in college. I guess I quit to skateboard. When I came back from Colorado last year I quit going to school; I didn't really have a direction in going to school. The opportunity to go skateboarding was there, and if you're on top, you're on top that day. You've got to go lor it that day. You can't put it off or it won't be there.

Opportunity knocks . . .

Exactly. I didn't want to risk it. I had a good time, met so many people, got to travel. I really like competition. I always have. I've been in every type 01 organized sport-baseball and basketball. I play so hard-chess, monopoly. It's hard to just "play"-I want to win.

What about pin ball?

I'm a pin-ball addict. That's part of warming up, you know. II you rip at pin ball, you're going to rip at skating.

Are you concerned about diet?

Yeah, my mom's in nutrition, She teaches. She's a nutritionist, a dietician and a gourmet cook. I always try to keep my meals fully rounded. And I can't see people like Charlie Ransom who exist on Dr. Pepper and candy bars. We went to Colorado and with $40 for food, Charlie would get two jugs of chocolate milk, cookies, sugar, a big pack of candy bars. I guess his body can tolerate it; mine can't. I eat good. I stay skinny all the time but I never miss a meal. I’m active all the time. I get antsy If I'm not active; I feel like I'm wasting time. I have a whole lot of things to do.

What about drugs?

I skate totally sober.

You think skateboarding is still fragile enough to where you have to project a certain image?

You bet. Skateboarding is 13 and 14 year olds. That's the heart of skateboarding - when most start to skateboard at the parks and that's when they start buying products. II these kids stay home, they'll have a skateboard for five years and never even notice that there are wider boards made or better wheels. They won't know the difference. But skatepark kids are addicts and they put money into skateboarding and that's what backs the whole thing. If we turn them off skateboarding, there won't be any skateboarding. There are a lot of other sports kids can do. All my friends skateboard. I do it 'cause I'm just happy doing it and have respect for what I do and it's worth it.

There must be a lot of other hot skaters out there doing it solely for the personal satisfaction.

There's millions of kids out there, who knows where, riding the worst conditions ever. They look in the magazine every month and try all those new tricks and practice and they are starting so far under. Like Dale Acer in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Rick Fike from Washington and five of his friends went to the ARA races in the back of a Datsun truck, paid all their entry lees, raced their butts off in these downhill races. They didn't say nothing. They didn't complain when everyone else did. Nicest people you ever want to meet. They just hopped back in their truck and went back to Washington. They haven't even been mentioned in the magazine. Someone like Fike tries so hard, and he stays with it. There's a million more like him.

Do you think that "success" spoils people?

Skateboarding doesn't make a person. If he can do a high aerial, a super whatever, that does not make him a person. These guys think they're so cool and better than others 'cause they can skate better. Some dense guy can ride a skateboard but as far as being a total person, fun to be around, enjoyable, it means nothing.

There's more to life than skateboarding?

Way more. Enjoy yourself, try to be friends to everyone, have a good time. To me it's a section 01 my life. It's going to give me good memories forever. I've gotten so much into it that practically all my friends are skateboarders. And you guys are showing me respect lor what I do, which I've worked so hard to do. Like, this is a big reward. That means more to me than the money! Forever in my lile I can tell all my kids I was more than just an average skateboarder. Not just another kid who could go out and do a kicktum. My kids will say I did something with my life.

Wesley Tucker
1961-2013 (RIP)
1961-2013 (RIP)
Posts: 3279
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:00 am

Post by Wesley Tucker » Wed May 21, 2008 5:54 am

Hey, hey! I found another one. I knew I read somewhere how "quiet" upper body motion works so much better than flailing around for TIGHT slalom. The other stuff is a different matter. (Don't argue with me. Take it up with Evans. He wrote it.)

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE, Volume 6 No. 8, March 1980

Tight Slalom Or The Stylized Art Of Wiggling

by Steve Evans

Tight slalom is a very exciting and mentally rewarding discipline. I was introduced to this aggressive sport about five years ago by a few friends who travel to ski camps all over the world learning the techniques of modern ski racing. Soon I was practicing everyday with these friends and having them coach me on the finer points of slalom skiing, which proved adaptable to skateboard slalom.

How is tight slalom done? Good question. I've been at it for five years and I'm still learning. There are so many different techniques that I'd have to write a book to explain them all, so I'll just give you the basics which could help anyone learn how to wiggle right.

First, you'll need at least ten slalom cones. (We've used everything from beer cans to Slurpee cups - anything that we could skate around and wouldn't stop us if we hit them).

Second, go into your room and dig out your old Road Rider Fours and put them on your board because you have to have wheels that grip. Kryptonics is about the only manufacturer that still makes slalom wheels for us old diehards.

Third, find a nice little hill with a mellow slope and no traffic. Set the cones in a straight line about seven feet apart to start. When you get fast you can make the cones tighter and off-set to make it harder.

Fourth, develop a stance that best suits your instincts. Basically there are two styles: surf and ski. Surf stance is how you stand on your pool board, a real wide stable stance. Ski stance is also known as "parallel," because your feet are side by side and parallel with your rails. For tight slalom I use a little wider variation of the ski stance.

Fifth - and this is the nitty-gritty of slalom - learn to look ahead. This allows you to be setting up for a turn two or three cones ahead of the one you're going by. I usually try to look at least three cones ahead when I'm racing.

Sixth, try to keep your knees together because it makes your lower body act as a single unit, which creates tighter lines.

Seventh, keep your upper body quiet and your hands out in front of you. In other words, don't throw your arms around wildly, because it's wasted energy. Keeping your hands out in front of you will make your lines better. If an arm falls behind, it will twist your upper body and draw you off your line.

Eighth, don't bend at the waist, bend at the knees. The preferred posture is a more upright position because it allows you to throw a lot more hip into your turn which creates more speed. Really try and wiggle your hips because that's the essence of tight slalom.

Ninth, a good deck and trucks make a big difference. I ride a board made by Ick Sticks, which is specially designed for slalom. These boards flex quite a bit and have the fastest response for my way of attacking a course. Slalom boards are also a lot narrower than pool boards so they can change edge faster. For trucks, I ride Trackers because they're the best ones I've found as far as strength and response. Independent makes a truck that has four-wheel independent suspension, which lets you run faster wheels and still have traction.

Tenth, take adequate precautions. Slaloming is relatively safe, but you should still wear safety gear because road rash is an ever-present danger. If you slalom in the street by very careful because cars are a lot bigger than you and drivers usually won't be expecting you. Find a street that doesn't have any traffic and you'll be okay. Clean the surface of sand and gravel because there's nothing worse than Iosing traction and slamming the pavement.

To sum it all up, slaloming is a great deal of fun. You can do it almost anywhere and you don't need a pool or a skatepark card. All that you really need is a board and a spirited mental attitude. The best "tip" that I can give anyone is to practice. Practicing and racing slalom is satisfying on its own and a perfect adjunct to anyone's skating. Do it and enjoy!
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Eric Brammer
Posts: 324
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 4:48 am

Re: SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE Slalom Skaters Interviews (vintage

Post by Eric Brammer » Wed May 27, 2015 6:05 am

I don't know how, nor when, I missed this, but, damn, Wes had done some great research, and the riders here were On It!

Consider this little factoid; Slalom Skateboarders, in a T.S. course, are getting past four cones per second at the Pro Level races, with cones in/around the 2 meter spacing!!
This is WAY faster in rate-of-turn than slalom skiing, and is as fast as roller-blades can go (though, they cannot do this on a steep pitch!), so,, A Slalom Skateboard ends up being the most nimble turner, in a given ,set of traction/gravity parameters! Simply put, WE OWN IT!, but have yet to be recognized as such by the 'other' sports that run Slalom events, regardless of equipment/medium.

Slalom on a Skateboard is a World Class event, and as such, deserves recognition for it's skill level! Wes caught a glimpse of the level already in place, even as things like bearings, wheels, trucks, decks and courses were evolving; The Racer's were there, and Ready... I wasn't quite ready, then, but tried anyhow, and got better over time, even without anyone to race against. By the time of the Millenium Bulge, I was almost ready to race, and better able to Coach. My racing, by and large, sucked, but it had some high points. Most of those 'high points' go back to the 'Old School' clan who were always there, with a warm handshake, and in Wes's case, a few unique boards to sample!
Thanks to all of you, and I do hope you know whom you are!! The History here is rich, and should not be left behind; It teaches us still to be competitors, but to have open arms to those who want to join in, and for us all to keep the Stoke Level on High!

Peace, and outa here..

PSR
"Surfin' these Old Hills since back in The Day"

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