the promise

Her hair was piled up silky & dark. It spilled over her shoulders. Her red lips curled like flame & her mouth hinted at the promise of more than words. I glanced at her eyes. They were like wet jewels. Her walk was a mockery itself… I looked away lest I succumb to her charms. I pushed hard & my skateboard moved me past her on the sidewalk & rapidly away from my weakness. Further down the street, a boarded-up house greeted my roving eyes.  The sun-baked, curling edge of a pool slide jutted above the concrete edge of the property. It was a beacon. Salvation found within. I hopped the wall. It was perfection. It glittered like a thieves dreams. It was a Blue Haven. It offered up endless possibilities & promise. The Blue Haven lady would take only what I could give & never concerned herself with trivialities & nonsense. Decision. I hesitated not one moment. I plunged right in. A perfect marriage. Thanks to Brandon Wong for everything. Skate- Ozzie

Tom Groholski and ‘Love Letters To Skateboarding’

About a week ago, Buddy Nichols & Rick Charnoski came by Ridiculous. I had the unique opportunity to see the upcoming — Love Letters To Skateboarding — episode for Tom Groholski. It is insanely good. It will be released on Monday. I thought I would re-post my Tom Groholski story and then post the ‘Love Letters’ link next week when it is available. Tom Groholski is one of the great east coast influences for so many skateboarders. Please check it out. Thank you to Arto Saari for the portrait. Skate- Ozzie

Tom Groholski

Even though we both skated Cherry Hill Skate Park during its heyday, Tom & I didn’t really ride together until one cold winter day in 1984. I was home in Pennsylvania –on leave–from the military. Jim Howell & I were drinking beers at a pool hall late one Friday night. He looked out at the snow & windblown streets & tossed back his fourth Heineken. Placing the bottle on the table, Jim lit a cigarette & blew a bluish cloud of smoke toward the ceiling.

He glanced over at me and stated, “We are going to drive to the ‘Kanes’ barn ramp in Basking Ridge.” I shrugged, finished my brew & we grabbed our coats. That is how Jim & I did things back then. We stopped at his house, grabbed a few blankets, our skate gear & some sweaters, then drove the three hours to Basking Ridge, NJ.

We arrived at about 2am. We crept inside the barn & with a flashlight, found a piece of plastic tarp. We duct taped the blankets & plastic to the flat bottom of the ramp & crawled inside.One side of the half pipe had steel coping & the other… pool coping. There were ‘Zorlac- Shut Up & Skate’ & ‘Vision Street Wear’ stickers everywhere. Spray paint was on the walls. Fortified by man-beverages, we fell asleep, completely stoked!

When we awoke, snow had fallen & drifted through the roof shingles covering us in a thin layer. We climbed out & went to a 7-11 for coffee & a ‘whores bath’ in the public restroom. Later, back at the barn, ‘Backwards’ Bernie O’Dowd & Tom Groholski showed up. We all rode together.Tom pulled some of the raddest grinds & crail slides the entire lip of the ramp at warp speed. I was dumbfounded at his lip tricks & board control. We made contact recently & I asked him to write a bit about his history. What Tom wrote, stands alone as a perfect description of how things were & where he came from. Thanks to Chicken at Pocket Pistols & to Tom Groholski for taking the time to do this. Skate- Ozzie

“Like most kids I started skateboarding in my single digit years for fun and transportation. Skateboarding felt better than riding a bike, I think what captured me was the the glide. The act of standing and leaning and turning with the wind in my face really resonated with me. When I’m on my board, it really takes me away. It’s as if I’m in my own world.

Once I discovered the heavier side (vertical bowlriding) I really got sucked in. I was fascinated by what I saw in the early ‘Skateboarder’ magazine. How did he get there? What did he look like in motion? Thankfully, there were a couple of sequences that helped me to understand what was going on. Coming from suburban New Jersey, it wasn’t like there were a whole lot of skateboarders around.

Grom Tom

A friends brother did have a Fibreflex with Bennetts and Roadrider fours. I thought that board was the coolest thing. He was the one who had the ‘Skateboarder’ magazine. I toyed around with various Roller Derby’s and Grentec’s trying to keep a board together. It was on a cold December day that I went with my mom to ‘Grog’s Surf Palace’ to pick out an early Christmas gift. Grog himself set me up with a Sims Taperkick with Tracker mids and some Parkrider fours. Grog also gave us directions to the first skateboard park that I’ve ever seen in person.

The park was called “Monster Bowl” and with good reason. Seeing the park from the road was sort-of scary; it was steep, deep and covered in snow. Since the park was at the beach, mom said that we’d return when it thawed in the spring. Up until this point, a couple of neighborhood kids and I, only had a quarter pipe and some hills to get radical on. The first skatepark that I actually got to ride was called ‘Fybre Ryder’.

‘Fybre Ryder’ consisted of blue modular transitions of varying heights and configurations. The sections were set up to make different runs. Mostly halfpipes, a fullpipe and a couple of dishes. The park was indoor/outdoor and was a whole lot better than our quarter pipe! New Jersey did have a few concrete parks that were commonly found near the shore. The first concrete park that I rode was “Off the Wall” which was probably named after the infamous shoe, since it’s design did not lend itself to any type of surf-style skating.

Off the Wall (we called it “Often Fall”) was a series of lumps bumps and humps with a few pockets that bowled it all together. The park was fun since I didn’t know any better. It was where I made my first attempts at catching some air. I would roll down a bank toward a mogul and bunny-hop my way– to freedom– over a block of foam from an old couch. The sky was the limit! My parents have always been more than cool about me skateboarding.

Sweeper- Groholski family ramp NJ- photo- R. Groholski

One day my dad showed up at home with a bunch of wooden arches on top of his work van. He was driving past an old restaurant that was getting demolished when he spotted the arches.

Tom w sis & half pipe in his yard

Apparently the arches were an overhang that he envisioned turning into a skateboard ramp. Little did he know that he’d be turning our backyard into a skatepark for the next fifteen years. While away at a friends house, dad and mom, (yes I said mom!) assembled the restaurant overhang into a perfect halfpipe. The ramp was eight feet wide and eight feet high right to vert. It was the first version of four ramps to take over the yard. Once I had that ramp, I spent every waking hour –when not in school– trying to learn how to deal with the art of riding a skateboard.
Back to the steep and deep inclines of Monster Bowl. I would love to go back and ride that park now. Monster Bowl was a maze of steep runs that backed up to each other and had green and red mesh fencing separating them. The novice area had two small bowls connected by a rollover. The bowl was four feet at it’s deepest and tipped out at vert.

This was a bowl where a little kid could catch their first grind. Older surfers probably in their mid to late teens ruled the rest of the place. They would show us the way and kept us young ‘uns in line. Picture seventies style rippage—edgers, carve grinds, lipslides, airs, tailblocks, and a favorite of mine to see and later do was an early version of a frontside disaster. We called this version a “slap air”, and when done properly was
audible across the park.

There was a strong buzz going around Monster Bowl of a new “mega-park” being built in south Jersey across the river from Philadelphia. Vague details and rumors were circulating about the new ‘Cherry Hill Skatepark’. The year was nineteen seventy nine and Cherry Hill was a dream come true. Four pools and a halfpipe with an over vert three quarter pipe into a bowl and a couple of bank runs. It was all indoors. This was the east coast version of what was already out west.

Cherry Hill-egg bowl- photo- R. Groholski

For opening day at Cherry Hill, pros came from all over to celebrate and to break in the park properly. For all who witnessed the skating that day, and had partaken in what the park had to offer…for the next three short years, could not have been more profoundly affected. It was a chapter in skateboarding’s history that bridged the coasts of America. Cherry Hill changed countless lives– including my own– and continues to remain a high point in many skaters memories.

BS Air- Groholski family ramp. photo- R. Groholski

Through the seventies to the present, I feel extremely grateful to have seen something that I love so much evolve and grow, I have to thank my family and my friends for all of their sacrifice, love, and support. It truly has been a priceless experience.
–Tom Groholski

FS 5-0 Ralphs pool, MD– photo- D. Kane

‘Combi’ tail block on the finger. photo- Geoff Graham

‘lien air’ while Jeff Phillips watches. Arlington Tx. photo- Allen Guimond

BS Air Pier 62 -photo-Squindo

World Cup Amateur Combi Pool Party

Heimana Reynolds

I drove over to Vans tonight so I could watch the practice of the Ams as they prepared for the contest. It is an amazing thing to me. When the Combi opened in November of 1998, there weren’t any four foot tall humans doing head high airs and running amok in the pool. The Combi was heavily ridden by men over 35 years of age. Now, 14 years later and thousands of new skate parks into this revolution… ripping young kids are commonplace. I watched tonight as several skaters threw down some heavy lines and trick combinations. It was inspiring. I watched the old ways die hard…  2011 WCS Amateur Bowl Champion- Heimana Reynolds was absolutely ruling it tonight. He and his father are funny, super nice and I rather enjoyed their company. Now that I’ve seen most of the riders and their lines, I will be posted up on the deck Saturday. Remember little dudes… no half-pipe stuff. Stomp twelve or fourteen bangin walls and get out. That’s how Miller wins… Good luck this weekend. Thanks to Matt Reynolds for the image. Skate- Ozzie

For more information check out the World Cup link: World Cup

Classic Favorites – Idyllwild

Dave Shaggy Palmer

February. 1998. Stopping in Oceanside, I met up with Shaggy and we drove out into the Badlands. We drank beer and skated. We explored the endless grid. Concrete. Dead lawns. Boarded up windows. Forgotten families and the futility of it all. The sun was high over head when we found this little gem. We took one look into the pool and knew that we would roll in it …  simple as that. Our eyes shone. Happiness. Alcohol-fueled fun. We drove home through the dwindling afternoon. The sky burned and trees etched themselves black. Desolate. Solemn. It was winter still. I breathed deep and contemplated my evening. A glittering gathering with strangers? My fickle feelings hidden underneath the liquors dull embrace. Evening will fall as the sun lends itself to the other side of our world. My street. A sullen house. An asphalt driveway. One lone light yellowing the window. I put my skateboard on the floor. I knock back another bitter pill. A storm descends on the city. The wind picks up. Moaning. Branches outside wave to me from trees that were old when I was young. I wonder what they’d say to me… “We know exactly what you are!” A street light winks as if I’m involved in its secret conspiracies. Time ticks. The storm diminishes and it all becomes as still as the truth. Thank you to Rhino for the image of Shaggy. Skate- Ozzie

February 19, 1998

Teddi Dean Bennett

Teddi Bennett - Whittier

Teddi Bennett is a part of the Bones Brigade legacy. Many skateboarders remember him as the long blonde haired sidekick of David Z in the old Powell Peralta advertisements. They may also recall his head high BS airs, flowing style and big ollies. Teddi grew up a surf rat in Huntington Beach. His mom raised him but as Teddi recalls – “I was raised on the beach. I grew up surfing and skating around town.” Teddi told me that he quickly found the Sidewalk Surf skate park in Fountain Valley and just as quickly found himself riding for a local skate shop & Vans shoes. “Everett Rosecrans was the manager and I rode in demos with his sons. We did demos up and down the state. We also performed demos at Knott’s Berry Farm & Magic Mountain all through my Junior High school years around 1976 and 1977.” Teddi was skating at Skatopia weekly and competing in contests. Towards the end of the Hester Series, he found himself competing at the Upland skate park. It was a Pro-Am contest and Teddi remembers receiving 6th place.

Shortly after that contest, Stacy phoned him up. Teddi recalls – “I knew that Stacy seemed to choose guys in pairs. On Powell Peralta, he had Foss and Caballero, McGill and Gelfand, Godfrey and Jesiolowski…  he invited me and David Z to come stay with him in Los Angeles before the next contest. We went and stayed at Stacy’s house and then drove to the Colton keyhole contest together. I received 3rd place at the contest. David Z fell–i think–as he was just going bio! We both skated like that. We never skated conservatively. We tried really hard.”

David Z and Teddi B - Upland

Shortly after that contest, Teddi found himself on the Bones Brigade. He doesn’t really recall the specifics. He told me off-handedly that one day he just realized that he was on. Teddi told me that the team traveled together to contests. He has awesome memories of the Bones Brigade showing up at a park or a contest — in Stacy’s Volvo — and going in to shred. “Being in the Bones Brigade, I felt validated. I felt like I belonged. They were a big part of my extended family. Stacy was so positive and optimistic. He always said that we had to look at the bright side of things.”

Teddi- tail tap at Big-O

Powell Peralta made some pretty neat advertisements for the Bones Brigade. C.R. Stecyk III was a visionary and played a huge part in the aesthetic…  he is a master at deceiving the eye. He makes you want to see the story behind the story. The Bones Brigade ads were unique because many of them had nothing what-so-ever to do with skateboarding at all. Teddi spoke of an early one that he was involved with.  ”I recall that we drove pretty far one day. We went to an old military base that Stecyk knew about. We drove through the afternoon and pulled up next to a huge fence. There were big airplanes and bombers on the tarmac and we saw a hole in the fence. We walked through and Stecyk started shooting photographs. It was Tim Scroggs, Scott Foss, Stacy and Caballero and me. After awhile, this guy cruises up in a golf cart and he asked- “How did you guys get in here? What are you doing?” Stacy answered and the guy then calmly pointed to a nearby line on the asphalt and stated tersely  ”Good thing you didn’t cross that line. You could have been shot!” We were like….  damn!”

Peralta, Caballero, Bennett, Foss and Scroggs

Teddi told me of Bones Brigade contest trips. He related a story about going to Del Mar to stay with Kevin Staab. “The team was pretty much complete. Stacy went to a Swedish skate camp but had put Jay Smith in charge, mostly because he had a car & could drive us all. We went to San Diego for the Oasis contest in Jay’s Malibu. It had our surfboards on top. It was myself, David Z, Foss, Caballero, McGill and Godfrey…  we were all crammed in, sitting on top of each other. Jay had neon-blue hair and we kept getting pulled over…  chaos! Jay always made Stacy and the rest of us laugh. He was pretty crazy! ” Teddi laughed at the memories.

I asked him to talk more about the contests. Teddi told me that at the time, the Gold Cup contests were going on. He also remembered that they had to do compulsory runs. He said – “Although I was too young to really understand the way contests were run, I always thought it was strange that guys like Steve Olson and Steve Alba had to do compulsory runs. I mean, Steve Alba won the first pool contest ever, had lines in the Combi that nobody else could even do….  and someone wasn’t going to let him compete because he might not be able to pull an invert in  his compulsory run!? That just never felt right to me at all…. “

Bionic sequence at Big-O - early 1982

Then came the down turn. Like so many others from that golden era, Teddi found himself witnessing the closings of parks, friends disappearing from skateboarding and the general demise of a once-wonderful thing. He sadly related that – “At one time, I would be competing against twenty riders and I soon found myself against maybe eight skaters. Parks were closing. It was sad. After Marina closed, I started having to go to Whittier to practice. It was difficult to get there sometimes. My last contest was actually at Whittier. It was a Turkey Shoot contest. It was only a few Ams like- Blender, Lance, me and some others. The parks were finished, contest participation was dwindling and the industry was going down hill. One night I drove to the Whittier skate park. I arrived after dark and padded up. It was virtually empty and I carved around a bit. I went up and did a tail tap and my tail slid out. I slammed and found myself laying on the bottom of the bowl looking up at the night sky. I recall wondering what I was doing. The scene was done and the energy was gone. I took my pads off and went home.”

Teddi Bennett barely rode for the next few years. Being a surfer from an early age, he began surfing competitively and watched skateboarding from afar. Periodically, he would see Ray Bones Rodriguez or Steve Olson in the water and they would talk about skating. It was always the same. No skate parks, scattered backyard ramps and an industry virtually no-existent. Teddi moved on.

skyclimber at Marina - early 1982

Teddi Bennett - San Francisco 2011

Teddi eventually went to college and studied biology. He moved to northern California to further his education at Berkeley and finished his studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. He studied film there and has completed some feature film work and has participated at film festivals in the U.S. and Europe. He has led a varied and introspective life… unencumbered by possessions, his past or a worry about his place in the grand scheme of things. He currently delves deeply into Buddhism and maintains physical fitness and tranquility with yoga. He resides in San Francisco.

Thank you to Teddi Dean Bennett for the images and the memories. Skate- Ozzie

Classic Favorites – Bruce Brown

Rune Glifberg

before...

after...

Bruce Brown

I still think of Bruce Brown. I lament his passing. R.I.P. Bruce Brown. You were one of the best pools ever! Thanks to Brian Fick for the image of Rune & Mark Phillips for the overview. Skate- Ozzie

Rodney Mullen and Stacy Peralta

Rodney Mullen & Stacy Peralta - Sundance

Sundance Film Festival is going off! Stacy Peralta and The Bones Brigade documentary are proving to be the critics darlings…  Although he is known as the iconic freestyle master, Rodney Mullen actually rode vertical when he could. I have been sitting on this image for about three years. Jim Goodrich told me that Rodney made him swear not to publish it at the time. His parents didn’t want Rodney ripping the round wall. I think that the moment is perfect to post it up. The other image is an old one from Upland before the Combi pool was put in. Stacy was one of the first riders to pull lipslides in the bowl. His lapper can be seen in the photograph. They are up in Utah and I am sending them some positive vibes and love. Thanks to Lance Mountain & Jim Goodrich for the images. Skate- Ozzie

Rodney Mullen - FS grind at Gainesville -1979

Stacy Peralta at Upland - 1977

Lizzie Armanto

Lizzie- FS lipslide - Lance's pool

Lizzie Armanto rips! It’s her birthday on Thursday and I thought I would send her some birthday wishes. She is a writer as well and I always try to encourage people with their endeavors. Writing is becoming a lost art…. it seems. I read all the time & sometimes shake my tired head in wonder. People cannot express themselves any longer. Lizzie started writing a bit on her own and I applaud that. I recently asked her about this past years Protec contest and her state of mind leading up to it. She said she wasn’t sure that she was really ready….  I checked her blog today and saw that she had written up a post about that day. It is awesome. Please check it out. Happy Birthday Lizzie. Keep it up…. Thanks to MRZ for the image. Skate- Ozzie

Lizzie  Armanto :Lizzie’s post

Lance from Sundance

Sundance Bones Brigade

I have been bringing you updates on the Bones Brigade documentary for the past year. The film made it into the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah this weekend. All the guys were flying up there and I am excited for them all. I have been lucky enough to see the film and it is truly epic…  It is an “I love skateboarding” film, rather than a skateboarding film. When you see it–which you will–you’ll understand.

arrival in Park City Utah- Sundance

"Anything happening?" "Nothing yet."

probably hard to get used to....

Yesterday before he left for Utah, I asked Lance if he would send me little updates or images from the evening. During the day, he sent me various images from the trip up and at the Bones Brigade Sundance showing. Here is what we have. Congratulations to the guys….  so stoked! Thank you to Lance Mountain & Powell Peralta. Skate- Ozzie

Tommy Guerrero with Mike McGill

Stacy - in front of the camera for once

Guerrero, McGill, Lance, Caballero, Stacy and Mullen

Golden Ticket

Stacy introducing film

For a review of the Bones Brigade Documentary : Powell Peralta tumblr

The Gold Cup Series

Steve Caballero- Marina Del Rey

History. Skateboarding. A certain person at a certain magazine told me something one day that really left me disappointed. I was speaking with a group of people about the 1970′s  era skateboarders and he said – “I couldn’t tell you the first thing about Alva or Valdez….  those guys were long gone when I started riding. Besides, kids don’t care these days…..” I stood there and seethed. This is a guy from a major magazine! I simply said – “Kids will care when you care!” It is up to the people in the media to present all the history and our past so young skateboarders understand where they came from. We can still respect tradition yet not be bound to it! In the current magazines, there is a bit too much pandering to the paying advertisers … All that aside, this did get me to thinking and I decided to start writing about the history of skateboarding a bit more often. I did the Hester Series post and others. Recently, Glen E. Friedman provided me with a few great Gold Cup images that I asked him for. I called up Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain & Duane Peters. I asked them about the Gold Cup series. This is what they had to say. History. Skateboarding.- Ozzie

Steve Caballero

“The Gold Cup series was my year to turn pro as a rookie. Basically, it went like this. The Gold Cup series consisted of five contests. Oasis, Big O, Colton, Marina and finally Upland. The Gold Cup series was the first time that they made every rider do a compulsory run.  Each rider had to do like a FS carve, FS air, BS carve, BS air and so forth. Each was judged on style, aggression, etc. The photograph of me is at Marina. What was unique about that contest was that I wanted to introduce the Caballerial during my runs.  I fell in my run & didn’t get to pull out my new trick.

Over the next month, I perfected it a bit more & at the Upland contest, I pulled one in the round pool & ended up winning that contest. During the previous years Hester series, I had Eddie Elguera as my inspiration. He was always bringing something new to every contest & I tried to do the same thing in the Gold Cup. Once I had learned all his tricks, I tried inventing new ones myself. Another thing about the Gold Cup series is that they made us  wear number bibs as well. We all had a number attached to our shirts. I still have mine somewhere. Number 25. I was nervous at Oasis and fell. I ended up with an 11th place there. I got 3rd at Big O, 1st at Colton, I fell and ended 15th at Marina but put it together at the final in Upland. I finished the Gold Cup series in 3rd overall.” – Stevie Caballero

Duane Peters - Upland

Duane Peters

“The photograph above is from a time when corner airs were brand new. I think I started doing them after Malba, Salba and probably Chris Miller (amateur). They were doing corner airs at the beginning of practice week. I knew that I better learn them because I really wanted to win this fucker! I used the corner air in my secondary run because I had other stuff that I was pounding out in this super-vert ‘pool from heaven’ in the middle of the Badlands.  Okay Ozzie, let me set you up here. First, I cannot be politically correct for this so let me go back into the old dark and dusty mind of mine…”

“Upland. This was the last contest of the Gold Cup series. It was the fifth contest in as many months. Previously, at the first contest–which was Oasis–I had not taken this new non-Hester contest series too seriously. Come on! Action Now was the new Skateboarder magazine?! Yes! It bugged the Hell out of me!  It was the fact that we skateboarders had to share with all these lame coattail-riding  ’Action Sports’. They were sucking off of us by trying to copy our tricks… I went to Oasis and got hammered the night before the contest. I remember three or four Vari-bots (Variflex team riders) walking by me and a chick wrapped up in a blanket on the hood of a car. They were laughing at us. The next day, I tossed a can at them in the parking lot. They were still chuckling at us like the queers they were as they walked up in line with all their pads on. Eddie Elguera was there -top Vari-bot right in front!”

“I have regretted that day at Oasis ever since. I had received a drunken 13th place and had decided that I wasn’t going to compete anymore in these false Gold Cup contests. Later Lames! Then I woke up the next day after Oasis… so pissed off as a loser. Two years earlier, I had given Eddie his first set of Hobie Claws and were team mates.  As far as I was concerned–he was the epitome of the square athlete. He must have won Oasis. I decided that I was coming after him point blank! After Oasis, I won Big O and then got second at Colton. I think that I came in 2nd at Marina. I really fucked up at Oasis, because if I would’ve just received 12th, the ‘Gay Cup’ series would’ve been mine! Ha!  Remember now… I’m known as the ‘Bad Guy’ and I’m well aware of it. It aint easy taking bullets all day for the way you look, much less having to skate with all these new tech goons coming onto the contest circuit like Steve Caballero. He quietly worshipped Eddie Elguera, copied his tricks and then took them a step further… like the Caballerial. At Upland, it came down to the wire. In order for me to take this whole Gold Cup thing for the overall points, I knew that Eddie Elguera needed to end up no higher than 5th place and I must win the Upland contest!”

“Well,  I could barely believe it when Eddie”The Cat” Elguera came out of the ‘Top Eight’ cut in 5th place. He wouldn’t be in the ‘Top Four’ finals! I thought to myself- Are you kidding me!?  The planets have all aligned up in my favor! This was thee most intense final I had ever been in.  You could not talk to me as we waited! It was Salba, Malba, Caballero and me.  I knew then, that if I didn’t win this Upland contest, the Gold Cup series wouldn’t be mine. I stepped on the gas…. full throttle.  I ended with top scores in the 92′s and 93′s.  The crowd was going nuts ! It’s over ! I thought- This is mine!   But it wasn’t over at all….  OH -MAN DID CAB EVER TURN ON THE GAS !  I’m telling you , every trick he had,  he turned it up three notches and kept making everything !  It was getting worse and the crowd was going completely bonkers over this awesome little grommet.   Caballero’s run: last trick…… he is going for his Caballerial and it was about 2 feet out. He landed with his back truck on coping and totally pulled it. He completely took the contest that day ! Caballero had won Upland fair and square ! His run was insanely great.  I always thought that was a nice thing he did for his hero Eddie Elguera. On the podium, they were very happy.  Life goes on and the lesson’s continue !”

All the best,
Duane Peters M.O.D.

Lance Mountain - Colton

Lance Mountain

Lance- same shot taken from the stands by his father

“First of all, I should explain something. The contest series went like this:  Hester I, Hester II, Gold Cup and then the Rusty Harris contests. These were followed later by the NSA contest series. However, the time span of the Hester I through the Gold Cup was like four entire generations of skateboarding. Things were changing & tricks were developing so fast, that riders from Hester I were being left behind a year later in Hester II. This continued into the Gold Cup series. Some of our heroes from the Hester series were unable –or were uninterested–in keeping up with the contest progression and faded away.  It was sad. It seemed like back then, 25 years of skateboarding progression were condensed into only four years.”

“In the Gold Cup, we (amateurs) were called Semi-Pro’s. My group: Blender, Gibson, Hawk, Ruff, Gator, Hosoi, etc. were very trick- oriented skateboarders, as were the leading Pro’s at the time. The Gold Cup series showcased these new tricks and this group of riders sort-of inadvertently pushed out the older Hester series riders. The Gold Cup series was very progressive and trick-based in its makeup.”

“In the ASPO series leading up to the Gold Cup, I had four wins and one second place finish. At the Oasis contest in Gold Cup, I received a 5th place finish. The magazine then wrote that -”Something has happened to Lance. He seems to lack concentration. With some serious coaching and some different routines, he might do better.”  In the Gold Cup series, it ended up being, Billy Ruff in 1st place, John Gibson in 2nd place & I followed in 3rd overall. There are some interesting things that stand out in my mind when I think of the Gold Cup series. I recall Jay Smith not complying with the compulsory runs. He just dropped in and carved and did laybacks. We all were like – “This guy rules!”

“I remember that handplants had just been introduced and they took a bunch of guys out of the competitions as a rider had to do one in his compulsory run. Duane Peters and Salba did doubles. They cut themselves and wiped blood all over their number bibs just to be ‘punk’ and freak people out. Duane’s bib number was 6 so he made two more sixes on his bib written in blood…  666. I recall at Big-O, David Andrecht broke the four foot mark doing airs. He was doing airs higher than the 4 foot fence beside the pool. Others claim to have gone that high but he was the first that I saw. He went massive!  Brad Bowman switched from a Jay Adams Flyaway helmet to a purple Protec helmet  with the ear protection and we were all like- “We like you better in the Flyaway….” I also recollect that Micke Alba blew everyone away in the compulsory runs. He did different lines, used the channels and simply ruled it. I also remember that my trucks were on backwards.” – Lance Mountain

Lance Mountain's number bib from Gold Cup

I want to thank Glen E. Friedman for the images, the Lance Mountain archive for images and I want to thank Cab, Duane & Lance for their memories. Skate- Ozzie

For more of Glen E. Friedman : Burning Flags