Shortly after Jay Adams passed away a ceremonial paddle-out was held in his honor at Venice Beach. Hundreds gathered on a beautiful Saturday. I arrived heavy hearted with my surfboard and wetsuit, as did many others. The ceremony began and various eulogies were given, all heavily weighted with biblical references, some were beautiful and I know Jay found respite in his new found faith, but missing from the tributes were the great tales that represented the magic of Jay Adams. Jay was the manifestation of mischief, a 100 watt person with 10,000 watts coursing through him and yet little of his brilliance was being articulated. The speeches were then followed by a paddle-out. We grabbed our boards and paddled out to the end of the Venice Pier where we formed a circle. Just as all of us we’re about to grab hands, a loud voice shouted out from the top of the pier, “HEY!!” No one turned so the shout came louder, “HEY!!!!” Again no one turned. Then finally the loudest, “HEEEYYY!!!!” We all turned to see OG Venice skater Tim Jackson standing atop the pier. Tim looked down on all of us and at the top of his lungs shouted, “You’re all a bunch of fags!!” He then laughed his ass off as did the group. It was inappropriate, unexpected and so out of the blue and yet this is what Jay would’ve done, he would’ve thrown a mirth bomb into his own memorial service just to stir things up and make everyone laugh, it’s what he always did. That was the magic of Jay. I am certain to this day that Jay Adams came thru Tim Jackson at that very moment to assure us that his restless spirit was with us that day just as it always will be.
Shortly after Jay Adams passed away a ceremonial paddle-out was held in his honor at Venice Beach. Hundreds gathered on a beautiful Saturday. I arrived heavy hearted with my surfboard and wetsuit, as did many others. The ceremony began and various eulogies were given, all heavily weighted with biblical references, some were beautiful and I know Jay found respite in his new found faith, but missing from the tributes were the great tales that represented the magic of Jay Adams. Jay was the manifestation of mischief, a 100 watt person with 10,000 watts coursing through him and yet little of his brilliance was being articulated. The speeches were then followed by a paddle-out. We grabbed our boards and paddled out to the end of the Venice Pier where we formed a circle. Just as all of us we’re about to grab hands, a loud voice shouted out from the top of the pier, “HEY!!” No one turned so the shout came louder, “HEY!!!!” Again no one turned. Then finally the loudest, “HEEEYYY!!!!” We all turned to see OG Venice skater Tim Jackson standing atop the pier. Tim looked down on all of us and at the top of his lungs shouted, “You’re all a bunch of fags!!” He then laughed his ass off as did the group. It was inappropriate, unexpected and so out of the blue and yet this is what Jay would’ve done, he would’ve thrown a mirth bomb into his own memorial service just to stir things up and make everyone laugh, it’s what he always did. That was the magic of Jay. I am certain to this day that Jay Adams came thru Tim Jackson at that very moment to assure us that his restless spirit was with us that day just as it always will be.
Shortly after Jay Adams passed away a ceremonial paddle-out was held in his honor at Venice Beach. Hundreds gathered on a beautiful Saturday. I arrived heavy hearted with my surfboard and wetsuit, as did many others. The ceremony began and various eulogies were given, all heavily weighted with biblical references, some were beautiful and I know Jay found respite in his new found faith, but missing from the tributes were the great tales that represented the magic of Jay Adams. Jay was the manifestation of mischief, a 100 watt person with 10,000 watts coursing through him and yet little of his brilliance was being articulated. The speeches were then followed by a paddle-out. We grabbed our boards and paddled out to the end of the Venice Pier where we formed a circle. Just as all of us we’re about to grab hands, a loud voice shouted out from the top of the pier, “HEY!!” No one turned so the shout came louder, “HEY!!!!” Again no one turned. Then finally the loudest, “HEEEYYY!!!!” We all turned to see OG Venice skater Tim Jackson standing atop the pier. Tim looked down on all of us and at the top of his lungs shouted, “You’re all a bunch of fags!!” He then laughed his ass off as did the group. It was inappropriate, unexpected and so out of the blue and yet this is what Jay would’ve done, he would’ve thrown a mirth bomb into his own memorial service just to stir things up and make everyone laugh, it’s what he always did. That was the magic of Jay. I am certain to this day that Jay Adams came thru Tim Jackson at that very moment to assure us that his restless spirit was with us that day just as it always will be.
Another very rare board from my collection and the story behind it: Right after the collapse of the Zephyr team and months before getting sponsored by Gordon&Smith I was sponsor-less, as were many Z Boys at that time. Bob Biniak had just hooked up with Sims and said to me one day; “You need to get off your Zephyr board, you need a board with a kick-tail for the pools we’re riding. He then handed me a flat wooden Sims board and said; “Go home to your kitchen, boil a pot of water like you’re gonna make spaghetti, drop the tail in the pot and boil it over night. In the morning take the board into your garage, clamp it from the middle into a vice, tie a piece of rope around the tail, pull the rope as hard as you can until the tail bends and then tie the rope to a hook in the wall. Let it sit for a week. After that you’ll have a board with a kick-tail. I did exactly as Bob said; I dropped the board into a pot and boiled it overnight. Next I clamped it into a vice, pulled back the tail and tied it to a wall. A week later, I untied it, opened the vice and there it was, a board with, if not an actual angled kick-tail, a tail with a really strong and effective warp. I mounted it with Bennett Trucks and Sims Pure Juice Wheels. Later that day we got word of a new pool way out at the far end of the San Fernando Valley in an area of old farm houses and orange groves. We were told a 90 year old woman lived on the property but she was hard of hearing so sneaking in wasn’t a problem. Biniak, Alva and I drove out in my VW Squareback, found the place, hopped the fence and encountered what I still consider today to be the best backyard pool I’ve ever ridden. We called it the Devonshire Pool because it was the Devonshire exit off the 405 freeway. That Sims board rode incredibly well and was a huge step up from my Zephyr and the tail worked just as Biniak had said. Shortly thereafter Gordon&Smith came to me with a great offer. At my contract signing Larry Gordon asked me what I’d like to call my new skateboard model, to which I replied; “Why don’t we call it the Warptail?”
Another very rare board from my collection and the story behind it: Right after the collapse of the Zephyr team and months before getting sponsored by Gordon&Smith I was sponsor-less, as were many Z Boys at that time. Bob Biniak had just hooked up with Sims and said to me one day; “You need to get off your Zephyr board, you need a board with a kick-tail for the pools we’re riding. He then handed me a flat wooden Sims board and said; “Go home to your kitchen, boil a pot of water like you’re gonna make spaghetti, drop the tail in the pot and boil it over night. In the morning take the board into your garage, clamp it from the middle into a vice, tie a piece of rope around the tail, pull the rope as hard as you can until the tail bends and then tie the rope to a hook in the wall. Let it sit for a week. After that you’ll have a board with a kick-tail. I did exactly as Bob said; I dropped the board into a pot and boiled it overnight. Next I clamped it into a vice, pulled back the tail and tied it to a wall. A week later, I untied it, opened the vice and there it was, a board with, if not an actual angled kick-tail, a tail with a really strong and effective warp. I mounted it with Bennett Trucks and Sims Pure Juice Wheels. Later that day we got word of a new pool way out at the far end of the San Fernando Valley in an area of old farm houses and orange groves. We were told a 90 year old woman lived on the property but she was hard of hearing so sneaking in wasn’t a problem. Biniak, Alva and I drove out in my VW Squareback, found the place, hopped the fence and encountered what I still consider today to be the best backyard pool I’ve ever ridden. We called it the Devonshire Pool because it was the Devonshire exit off the 405 freeway. That Sims board rode incredibly well and was a huge step up from my Zephyr and the tail worked just as Biniak had said. Shortly thereafter Gordon&Smith came to me with a great offer. At my contract signing Larry Gordon asked me what I’d like to call my new skateboard model, to which I replied; “Why don’t we call it the Warptail?”
Another very rare board from my collection and the story behind it: Right after the collapse of the Zephyr team and months before getting sponsored by Gordon&Smith I was sponsor-less, as were many Z Boys at that time. Bob Biniak had just hooked up with Sims and said to me one day; “You need to get off your Zephyr board, you need a board with a kick-tail for the pools we’re riding. He then handed me a flat wooden Sims board and said; “Go home to your kitchen, boil a pot of water like you’re gonna make spaghetti, drop the tail in the pot and boil it over night. In the morning take the board into your garage, clamp it from the middle into a vice, tie a piece of rope around the tail, pull the rope as hard as you can until the tail bends and then tie the rope to a hook in the wall. Let it sit for a week. After that you’ll have a board with a kick-tail. I did exactly as Bob said; I dropped the board into a pot and boiled it overnight. Next I clamped it into a vice, pulled back the tail and tied it to a wall. A week later, I untied it, opened the vice and there it was, a board with, if not an actual angled kick-tail, a tail with a really strong and effective warp. I mounted it with Bennett Trucks and Sims Pure Juice Wheels. Later that day we got word of a new pool way out at the far end of the San Fernando Valley in an area of old farm houses and orange groves. We were told a 90 year old woman lived on the property but she was hard of hearing so sneaking in wasn’t a problem. Biniak, Alva and I drove out in my VW Squareback, found the place, hopped the fence and encountered what I still consider today to be the best backyard pool I’ve ever ridden. We called it the Devonshire Pool because it was the Devonshire exit off the 405 freeway. That Sims board rode incredibly well and was a huge step up from my Zephyr and the tail worked just as Biniak had said. Shortly thereafter Gordon&Smith came to me with a great offer. At my contract signing Larry Gordon asked me what I’d like to call my new skateboard model, to which I replied; “Why don’t we call it the Warptail?”
Another very rare board from my collection and the story behind it: Right after the collapse of the Zephyr team and months before getting sponsored by Gordon&Smith I was sponsor-less, as were many Z Boys at that time. Bob Biniak had just hooked up with Sims and said to me one day; “You need to get off your Zephyr board, you need a board with a kick-tail for the pools we’re riding. He then handed me a flat wooden Sims board and said; “Go home to your kitchen, boil a pot of water like you’re gonna make spaghetti, drop the tail in the pot and boil it over night. In the morning take the board into your garage, clamp it from the middle into a vice, tie a piece of rope around the tail, pull the rope as hard as you can until the tail bends and then tie the rope to a hook in the wall. Let it sit for a week. After that you’ll have a board with a kick-tail. I did exactly as Bob said; I dropped the board into a pot and boiled it overnight. Next I clamped it into a vice, pulled back the tail and tied it to a wall. A week later, I untied it, opened the vice and there it was, a board with, if not an actual angled kick-tail, a tail with a really strong and effective warp. I mounted it with Bennett Trucks and Sims Pure Juice Wheels. Later that day we got word of a new pool way out at the far end of the San Fernando Valley in an area of old farm houses and orange groves. We were told a 90 year old woman lived on the property but she was hard of hearing so sneaking in wasn’t a problem. Biniak, Alva and I drove out in my VW Squareback, found the place, hopped the fence and encountered what I still consider today to be the best backyard pool I’ve ever ridden. We called it the Devonshire Pool because it was the Devonshire exit off the 405 freeway. That Sims board rode incredibly well and was a huge step up from my Zephyr and the tail worked just as Biniak had said. Shortly thereafter Gordon&Smith came to me with a great offer. At my contract signing Larry Gordon asked me what I’d like to call my new skateboard model, to which I replied; “Why don’t we call it the Warptail?”
Another very rare board from my collection and the story behind it: Right after the collapse of the Zephyr team and months before getting sponsored by Gordon&Smith I was sponsor-less, as were many Z Boys at that time. Bob Biniak had just hooked up with Sims and said to me one day; “You need to get off your Zephyr board, you need a board with a kick-tail for the pools we’re riding. He then handed me a flat wooden Sims board and said; “Go home to your kitchen, boil a pot of water like you’re gonna make spaghetti, drop the tail in the pot and boil it over night. In the morning take the board into your garage, clamp it from the middle into a vice, tie a piece of rope around the tail, pull the rope as hard as you can until the tail bends and then tie the rope to a hook in the wall. Let it sit for a week. After that you’ll have a board with a kick-tail. I did exactly as Bob said; I dropped the board into a pot and boiled it overnight. Next I clamped it into a vice, pulled back the tail and tied it to a wall. A week later, I untied it, opened the vice and there it was, a board with, if not an actual angled kick-tail, a tail with a really strong and effective warp. I mounted it with Bennett Trucks and Sims Pure Juice Wheels. Later that day we got word of a new pool way out at the far end of the San Fernando Valley in an area of old farm houses and orange groves. We were told a 90 year old woman lived on the property but she was hard of hearing so sneaking in wasn’t a problem. Biniak, Alva and I drove out in my VW Squareback, found the place, hopped the fence and encountered what I still consider today to be the best backyard pool I’ve ever ridden. We called it the Devonshire Pool because it was the Devonshire exit off the 405 freeway. That Sims board rode incredibly well and was a huge step up from my Zephyr and the tail worked just as Biniak had said. Shortly thereafter Gordon&Smith came to me with a great offer. At my contract signing Larry Gordon asked me what I’d like to call my new skateboard model, to which I replied; “Why don’t we call it the Warptail?”
This story exceeded the number of words allowed so I tried something different, hope it’s accessible and hope you enjoy it.
This story exceeded the number of words allowed so I tried something different, hope it’s accessible and hope you enjoy it.
This story exceeded the number of words allowed so I tried something different, hope it’s accessible and hope you enjoy it.
This story exceeded the number of words allowed so I tried something different, hope it’s accessible and hope you enjoy it.
This story exceeded the number of words allowed so I tried something different, hope it’s accessible and hope you enjoy it.
This story exceeded the number of words allowed so I tried something different, hope it’s accessible and hope you enjoy it.
There is a character in literature and myth known as the TRICKSTER. The trickster represents disruption, mischief and paradox. He is both creator and destroyer, a divine fool who sets out to crush the status quo but his lack of reverence for the status quo makes him dangerous. I believe Craig Stecyk is skateboarding’s preeminent trickster. He came into this life armed with a photographic eye, an uncanny ability to communicate through writing and a giant chip on his shoulder. Craig grew up in Santa Monica and Venice which in the 70s was considered a dead-zone for surfing or skating talent. Craig felt otherwise and set out to prove it through his photographs, his writing and mostly through desire to instigate and stir things up. The first time I saw Craig he was sitting cross-legged on a stool behind the counter in the Zephyr shop drinking a tall can of Budweiser from a plastic straw. He already had a formidable reputation from his published writings and photos in Surfer Magazine. Rumor had it that his IQ was off the charts, that he had a photographic memory and that he was continually at odds with teachers and anyone else in authority. Supposedly he spent a great deal of time in school forced to sit in the corner with his face to the wall. When skating began to explode in 73/74, Craig was in the thick of it; hopping fences, running from cops, clicking away his camera and relishing all the problems he could foment through his writings and photos. He saw skateboarding as a rebellion led by creative disgruntled youth, as an anti-sport and as an art form that feasted on the leftovers of modern civilization. Alva, Adams, myself and all the other Z Boys are indebted to him for the incredibly brave and creative work he did on our behalf. There wouldn’t be a Dogtown if not for Craig. Craig discovered us, defined us and introduced us to ourselves. Big shout out to Craig Stecyk who is still causing problems……..Tony Friedkin photo.
My close friend Johnny Mac from San Francisco recently found himself sipping a latte at Dogtown Coffee, a business now residing in the former space once occupied by the Zephyr Shop. It spurred him to call and ask, “Is Dogtown a real place? And where’d the name come from?” This is what I know; From a young age Craig Stecyk was enthralled with Grafitti which was very prominent in SM, Venice and Culver City in the 70s, primarily the grafitti of the Hispanic gang culture. Each gang had its own distinct style, it’s own markings, and an exacting way in which they designed their lettering and applied that lettering with spray paint onto alley walls and old buildings. Many of these gangs gave their territories nicknames such as Frogtown, Fogtown, Ghostown etc… In ‘76 when I was having lunch with Stecyk and his girlfriend Lynn, a very talented painter, she said to me, “Craig looks at graffiti as an art form.” I nearly choked. Grafitti as art? I’d been led to believe it was paint-based litter. Craig looked at it as an artistic form of communication, kind of the way an anthropologist might look at primitive cave markings. Early on he began incorporating the west side graffiti style into his own art. He used the defunct Pacific Ocean Park Pier as his canvas and it’s where he developed his infamous pig and crossbones and rat and crossbones graffiti art. I also believe it’s where he came up with the name Dogtown. One of the very first uses of the name appears in my “Who’s Hot” article stating, Stacy Peralta is one of Dogtown’s finest. He would eventually turn the Dogtown articles into one of his most enduring art pieces. So whatever the truth is, it’s a mythology that began in the early 70s when Craig picked up his first can of spray paint and began applying it to the POP pier and then to the cinderblock walls that lined the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica’s boardwalk…..Anyone for another latte?
My close friend Johnny Mac from San Francisco recently found himself sipping a latte at Dogtown Coffee, a business now residing in the former space once occupied by the Zephyr Shop. It spurred him to call and ask, “Is Dogtown a real place? And where’d the name come from?” This is what I know; From a young age Craig Stecyk was enthralled with Grafitti which was very prominent in SM, Venice and Culver City in the 70s, primarily the grafitti of the Hispanic gang culture. Each gang had its own distinct style, it’s own markings, and an exacting way in which they designed their lettering and applied that lettering with spray paint onto alley walls and old buildings. Many of these gangs gave their territories nicknames such as Frogtown, Fogtown, Ghostown etc… In ‘76 when I was having lunch with Stecyk and his girlfriend Lynn, a very talented painter, she said to me, “Craig looks at graffiti as an art form.” I nearly choked. Grafitti as art? I’d been led to believe it was paint-based litter. Craig looked at it as an artistic form of communication, kind of the way an anthropologist might look at primitive cave markings. Early on he began incorporating the west side graffiti style into his own art. He used the defunct Pacific Ocean Park Pier as his canvas and it’s where he developed his infamous pig and crossbones and rat and crossbones graffiti art. I also believe it’s where he came up with the name Dogtown. One of the very first uses of the name appears in my “Who’s Hot” article stating, Stacy Peralta is one of Dogtown’s finest. He would eventually turn the Dogtown articles into one of his most enduring art pieces. So whatever the truth is, it’s a mythology that began in the early 70s when Craig picked up his first can of spray paint and began applying it to the POP pier and then to the cinderblock walls that lined the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica’s boardwalk…..Anyone for another latte?
My close friend Johnny Mac from San Francisco recently found himself sipping a latte at Dogtown Coffee, a business now residing in the former space once occupied by the Zephyr Shop. It spurred him to call and ask, “Is Dogtown a real place? And where’d the name come from?” This is what I know; From a young age Craig Stecyk was enthralled with Grafitti which was very prominent in SM, Venice and Culver City in the 70s, primarily the grafitti of the Hispanic gang culture. Each gang had its own distinct style, it’s own markings, and an exacting way in which they designed their lettering and applied that lettering with spray paint onto alley walls and old buildings. Many of these gangs gave their territories nicknames such as Frogtown, Fogtown, Ghostown etc… In ‘76 when I was having lunch with Stecyk and his girlfriend Lynn, a very talented painter, she said to me, “Craig looks at graffiti as an art form.” I nearly choked. Grafitti as art? I’d been led to believe it was paint-based litter. Craig looked at it as an artistic form of communication, kind of the way an anthropologist might look at primitive cave markings. Early on he began incorporating the west side graffiti style into his own art. He used the defunct Pacific Ocean Park Pier as his canvas and it’s where he developed his infamous pig and crossbones and rat and crossbones graffiti art. I also believe it’s where he came up with the name Dogtown. One of the very first uses of the name appears in my “Who’s Hot” article stating, Stacy Peralta is one of Dogtown’s finest. He would eventually turn the Dogtown articles into one of his most enduring art pieces. So whatever the truth is, it’s a mythology that began in the early 70s when Craig picked up his first can of spray paint and began applying it to the POP pier and then to the cinderblock walls that lined the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica’s boardwalk…..Anyone for another latte?
My close friend Johnny Mac from San Francisco recently found himself sipping a latte at Dogtown Coffee, a business now residing in the former space once occupied by the Zephyr Shop. It spurred him to call and ask, “Is Dogtown a real place? And where’d the name come from?” This is what I know; From a young age Craig Stecyk was enthralled with Grafitti which was very prominent in SM, Venice and Culver City in the 70s, primarily the grafitti of the Hispanic gang culture. Each gang had its own distinct style, it’s own markings, and an exacting way in which they designed their lettering and applied that lettering with spray paint onto alley walls and old buildings. Many of these gangs gave their territories nicknames such as Frogtown, Fogtown, Ghostown etc… In ‘76 when I was having lunch with Stecyk and his girlfriend Lynn, a very talented painter, she said to me, “Craig looks at graffiti as an art form.” I nearly choked. Grafitti as art? I’d been led to believe it was paint-based litter. Craig looked at it as an artistic form of communication, kind of the way an anthropologist might look at primitive cave markings. Early on he began incorporating the west side graffiti style into his own art. He used the defunct Pacific Ocean Park Pier as his canvas and it’s where he developed his infamous pig and crossbones and rat and crossbones graffiti art. I also believe it’s where he came up with the name Dogtown. One of the very first uses of the name appears in my “Who’s Hot” article stating, Stacy Peralta is one of Dogtown’s finest. He would eventually turn the Dogtown articles into one of his most enduring art pieces. So whatever the truth is, it’s a mythology that began in the early 70s when Craig picked up his first can of spray paint and began applying it to the POP pier and then to the cinderblock walls that lined the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica’s boardwalk…..Anyone for another latte?
My close friend Johnny Mac from San Francisco recently found himself sipping a latte at Dogtown Coffee, a business now residing in the former space once occupied by the Zephyr Shop. It spurred him to call and ask, “Is Dogtown a real place? And where’d the name come from?” This is what I know; From a young age Craig Stecyk was enthralled with Grafitti which was very prominent in SM, Venice and Culver City in the 70s, primarily the grafitti of the Hispanic gang culture. Each gang had its own distinct style, it’s own markings, and an exacting way in which they designed their lettering and applied that lettering with spray paint onto alley walls and old buildings. Many of these gangs gave their territories nicknames such as Frogtown, Fogtown, Ghostown etc… In ‘76 when I was having lunch with Stecyk and his girlfriend Lynn, a very talented painter, she said to me, “Craig looks at graffiti as an art form.” I nearly choked. Grafitti as art? I’d been led to believe it was paint-based litter. Craig looked at it as an artistic form of communication, kind of the way an anthropologist might look at primitive cave markings. Early on he began incorporating the west side graffiti style into his own art. He used the defunct Pacific Ocean Park Pier as his canvas and it’s where he developed his infamous pig and crossbones and rat and crossbones graffiti art. I also believe it’s where he came up with the name Dogtown. One of the very first uses of the name appears in my “Who’s Hot” article stating, Stacy Peralta is one of Dogtown’s finest. He would eventually turn the Dogtown articles into one of his most enduring art pieces. So whatever the truth is, it’s a mythology that began in the early 70s when Craig picked up his first can of spray paint and began applying it to the POP pier and then to the cinderblock walls that lined the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica’s boardwalk…..Anyone for another latte?
You’ll find this hard to believe but at one time we thought a frontside kickturn in a pool would be impossible. We thought we’d fall backwards and land on our backs. It was in the very early days of pool riding when Bob Biniak, Jim Muir and I were skating the Keyhole in Beverly Hills. Between runs, Biniak and I were standing in the shallow end, again debating the frontside kickturn. I thought it was possible but he didn’t. So he said to me; “If you think it’s possible, then do it.” I replied with a laugh; “I can’t, but you can.” He looked at me inquisitively. “Why do you think I can?” To which I stated; “I just know you can.” (Apparently the coach and mentor I would become with the Bones Brigade began showing early). I then got out of the shallow end, walked over to the top of the deep end and encouraged Bob to do a simple frontside kickturn halfway up the wall. So he did. He did a simple kickturn right at the transition mark and made it down safely. “Okay, now go to the three quarters mark.” He dropped in and did a frontside kickturn a foot below the tile. “Okay, now hit the tiles.” I challenged. He hesitated a moment, but then dropped in, did a sweeping carve on the opposing wall for added speed, came up the main wall and pulled a perfect frontside kickturn on the tiles. This was a huge deal for us and it happened that simply. In no time we were all doing frontside kickturns and ironically Biniak would go on to develop one of the greatest frontside attacks in skateboarding history as would Tony, Jay and Jim. We pushed each other relentlessly and competed fiercely. I was the first of us to do frontside forevers. In one memorable session I did the most frontside kickturns tile to tile I’d ever done. Coming back to the shallow end, Muir looked over at me and laughed; “Dude, you’re an asshole.” And that’s how it was. It was a simple time that was alive with great possibility and potential and out of it came so much.
You’ll find this hard to believe but at one time we thought a frontside kickturn in a pool would be impossible. We thought we’d fall backwards and land on our backs. It was in the very early days of pool riding when Bob Biniak, Jim Muir and I were skating the Keyhole in Beverly Hills. Between runs, Biniak and I were standing in the shallow end, again debating the frontside kickturn. I thought it was possible but he didn’t. So he said to me; “If you think it’s possible, then do it.” I replied with a laugh; “I can’t, but you can.” He looked at me inquisitively. “Why do you think I can?” To which I stated; “I just know you can.” (Apparently the coach and mentor I would become with the Bones Brigade began showing early). I then got out of the shallow end, walked over to the top of the deep end and encouraged Bob to do a simple frontside kickturn halfway up the wall. So he did. He did a simple kickturn right at the transition mark and made it down safely. “Okay, now go to the three quarters mark.” He dropped in and did a frontside kickturn a foot below the tile. “Okay, now hit the tiles.” I challenged. He hesitated a moment, but then dropped in, did a sweeping carve on the opposing wall for added speed, came up the main wall and pulled a perfect frontside kickturn on the tiles. This was a huge deal for us and it happened that simply. In no time we were all doing frontside kickturns and ironically Biniak would go on to develop one of the greatest frontside attacks in skateboarding history as would Tony, Jay and Jim. We pushed each other relentlessly and competed fiercely. I was the first of us to do frontside forevers. In one memorable session I did the most frontside kickturns tile to tile I’d ever done. Coming back to the shallow end, Muir looked over at me and laughed; “Dude, you’re an asshole.” And that’s how it was. It was a simple time that was alive with great possibility and potential and out of it came so much.
You’ll find this hard to believe but at one time we thought a frontside kickturn in a pool would be impossible. We thought we’d fall backwards and land on our backs. It was in the very early days of pool riding when Bob Biniak, Jim Muir and I were skating the Keyhole in Beverly Hills. Between runs, Biniak and I were standing in the shallow end, again debating the frontside kickturn. I thought it was possible but he didn’t. So he said to me; “If you think it’s possible, then do it.” I replied with a laugh; “I can’t, but you can.” He looked at me inquisitively. “Why do you think I can?” To which I stated; “I just know you can.” (Apparently the coach and mentor I would become with the Bones Brigade began showing early). I then got out of the shallow end, walked over to the top of the deep end and encouraged Bob to do a simple frontside kickturn halfway up the wall. So he did. He did a simple kickturn right at the transition mark and made it down safely. “Okay, now go to the three quarters mark.” He dropped in and did a frontside kickturn a foot below the tile. “Okay, now hit the tiles.” I challenged. He hesitated a moment, but then dropped in, did a sweeping carve on the opposing wall for added speed, came up the main wall and pulled a perfect frontside kickturn on the tiles. This was a huge deal for us and it happened that simply. In no time we were all doing frontside kickturns and ironically Biniak would go on to develop one of the greatest frontside attacks in skateboarding history as would Tony, Jay and Jim. We pushed each other relentlessly and competed fiercely. I was the first of us to do frontside forevers. In one memorable session I did the most frontside kickturns tile to tile I’d ever done. Coming back to the shallow end, Muir looked over at me and laughed; “Dude, you’re an asshole.” And that’s how it was. It was a simple time that was alive with great possibility and potential and out of it came so much.
