Central Arizona Project

Arizona Republic / 1976

Central Arizona Project

In the late nineteen sixties, Arizona’s leaders knew the state’s future depended on a water supply that was secure, stable and renewable. They pursued that vision; the result was Central Arizona Project (CAP), a three hundred-mile system that brings Colorado River water to central and southern Arizona, delivers the state’s single largest renewable water supply and serves eighty percent of the state’s population. So it began… Planning started in nineteen seventy three and the first sections of pipe were being made in nineteen seventy six and thereafter. The pipeline starts by Parker Dam in the Colorado River. It flows east through a long waterway, crosses various pumping stations, washes and goes through Ameron built tunnels. Destination: Phoenix and Tucson.

CAP Article / Arizona Republic / Jan 1977

Ameron Pipemobile Keychain

According to Steve Pingleton AKA ‘Ping’, Lake Pleasant was the first section that the Arizona skaters found. It was built north of Phoenix and was the first and largest section built by Ameron Pipe. One section was under the Aqua Fria River and the other under New River. Many of the California pro skaters started showing up here. It wasn’t unusual to arrive at the pipes and see carloads of heavies skating. Ping stated, “One day I was there and Doug Schneider was going so high in the downhill section. He was way up there. When he’d bail, it was like a fifteen foot run out…” Ping went on to say that once they started putting pipes in the ground, some were on downhill grades. Skaters would generate so much speed, it was hard to hold on. Ping stated, “The three inch seams between the pipes were a problem. You really had to hit them when you were weightless.” Several skaters caught the seams going too fast and lost their boards into the blackness below.

John Pingleton / Centennial / Image: Ping

Doug Schneider / Lake Pleasant / Image: Robert Smith

David Hackett / Lake Pleasant / Image: Wm Sharp

Arthur Viecco / Lake Pleasant / Image: Wm Sharp

Jerry Valdez / BBC Shoot / Lake Pleasant / Image: Wm Sharp

Tony Alva / Lake Pleasant / Image: Wm Sharp

Ping stated that security was pretty non-existent in the beginning but it became worse as more people made the pilgrimage. Sometimes, security would tell the skaters to leave and other times they’d be ticketed. Some were even arrested. I spoke with many of the California pros that rode the pipes. Seldom were they hassled, if at all. Jerry Valdez and Kent Senatore were allowed to go during a documentary filming. They were accompanied by Ameron officials. Tony Alva also flew in with a Sports Illustrated photographer once. Ameron officials met them at the office and took them to the pipes in Ameron vehicles. They shot photos and flew home.

“… they still go out there with their booze and pot and girlfriends.” – Deputy Buck Connor / Tucson Citizen / August 1977

CAP

Ameron Pipemobile / Image: Ping

Doug Schneider / Image: Cassimus

James Cassimus and Doug Schneider went out there pretty early on. James father had designed the machine that made the rebar for the pipe sections Ameron was making. They had inside knowledge as James father came home with a photograph from a prototype section Ameron had made. “Ameron is going to build a whole bunch of these in Arizona.” As soon as building started, James, Doug and their friends were out there almost every weekend.

Ameron On Site Factory

CAP / Pipe looks small until you see below image of workers on pipes

CAP / See workers on top of pipe sections

CAP

Placing Sections CAP

Shogo Kubo RIP / Hassayampa / Image: Wm Sharp

Gregg Ayres / Hassayampa / Image: Wm Sharp

Hassayampa was started in about 1978. According to Ping, many of the California pipe riders showed up here and put some time in. These are the pipes frequently referred to when people speak of the long drive out. They were fifty miles outside of Phoenix and twenty of those miles were on dirt roads. There was absolutely nothing around. Security was never a problem in the beginning but tightened up after a few months.

Steve Pingleton / Hassayampa

Tony Alva / Hassayampa / Image: Wm Sharp

John Pingleton / Hassayampa / Image: Ping

Hassayampa Ameron Factory / Image: Ping

In the long years since, the pipes remain buried. At the moment of this writing, millions of gallons of water blast through the pipes enroute to Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. Stress tests are completed on the pipes and some flaws and weaknesses have been repaired. A section resurfaced under a lonely highway off ramp a few years ago. I’m unsure whether it was an old remnant from the projects or a similar pipe buried long ago. Tony Hawk and a few guys took some turns in it. Josh Borden went out there with Rhino and he had the opportunity few of us will ever have. The skaters that rode these perfectly smooth, monstrous pipes will always remember them. We can only look on and dream.

Uncovered / Image: Rhino

Image: Rhino

Josh Borden / Image: Rhino

Thank you to Wm Sharp, James Cassimus, Bobbo Smith and special thank you to Steve Pingleton for the images, memories and words. – Ozzie

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Drop Holstered

Bruce Brown

Bruce Brown was scratched into the concrete deck. This nugget of joy lasted two weekends… It was one of those pools that you could really get into right away. Perfect transitions were on every wall. It had a foot of vertical, bullnose coping and was an obstacle paradise. I took a crew there. Greg Hunt, Zach Miller, Guy Mariano and others… the police came and gave us a hard time. I spoke for the group and we left pretty quickly. We never went back. When a police officer tells you, “You can leave. Don’t let me see you again.” while holding his hand on his sidearm, you disappear.

Drop holstered and ready to fuck me up. That elbow though…

I have good memories from this day. If you do this long enough, sometimes the pools blend into one another. I see photographs and I’m like “Huh?!” I barely recall the session or the people there. In this case, I remember it well. Vividly. All I have are these two photographs and the clip below. Thank you Rialto PD for not running me in. Love you guys – Ozzie

Thanks to Greg Hunt and Radballs

Doug Schneider / SHOF

Doug Schneider / Lake Pleasant / Image: Cassimus

Doug Schneider / Skateboarding Hall of Fame

I grew up in San Pedro. My first pool was in Long Beach. It was a long time ago. We started riding pools early. We always hung out in my garage. It was James Cassimus, Bobbo Smith, his younger brother Billy and Chuck Rios. We went up to Long Beach to this pool we heard about and I couldn’t believe what I saw. Waldo did kickturns… this was like nineteen seventy five. It was something. Up until then, we were carving around. While we were there, some kid came running into the yard saying, “Get out! Here come the Crips!” They all take off. We are standing in the pool and they just come in and watch us for a minute. They were like, “Yeah, you guys are good.” They left us alone.

We always rode pools and pipes after that. Primary focus. Never ending. Looking for pools. Looking for information about pools. Looking for their pools. It was all we wanted to do. I would go to LA and the San Fernando Valley, but not that often. I rode the Fishbowl / Pink Motel. It was big and open. We liked that one. But I mostly stayed in the South Bay. We had a ton of big pools anyway. There was no real need to venture out too much…

Doug Schneider / YMCA Pool / Image: Cassimus

Doug Schneider / Fruit Bowl / Image: Bobbo Smith

James Cassimus and I go way back. He was one of the first guys to get me out to pools and stuff. It helped immensely. He was shooting photos and skating with Gregg Ayres, Worm and Waldo. We were all underground, for the first few years. Baldy pipe. The Upland area. There were a bunch of good pools in the Badlands. We also rode Fruit Bowl in the Westminster area. There were a bunch of good guys back then. All over. The Worm was shredding… He really stood out.

Doug Schneider / Mt Baldy / Image: Bobbo Smith

We rode pools and pipes and we heard about the new parks being built but we didn’t think much of them. We didn’t like them. Except Upland. We liked Pipeline. I heard a rumor about Pipeline and away we went. We had to check it out. We got there. No fences. Under construction. We got a run into the spillway and Stan Hoffman was like , “No! No! Hold on!” He stopped us and asked, “What do you guys think?” We laughed. “It is true!” This thing exists!” You built it!” He said, “Come back once we get the fences up.” We rode there all the time. Upland became my second home.

Doug Schneider / Lake Pleasant / Image: Bobbo Smith

We weren’t riding the Arizona pipes yet. They occurred around the same time though. James Cassimus dad got us into San Onofre nuclear plant to ride the pipes there. His dad invented the welding machine that made the framework for the giant pipes. He had some clout and got us in there. Cooling tubes. We rode them first. We would jump pipe to pipe. They were lined up in a row. Shortly after that, we drove to the Arizona pipes and they were really insane. They were in the middle of nowhere. It was really hot out there. No shade. There was an underground section of pipes that they’d put into the ground already. It was shady but they were on a downhill slope. You’d just go so fast…

I rode the first Hester Series in Spring Valley. I made the cut as I did a roll-in. I did it during qualifiers but during the finals of the contest, I couldn’t do it. Henry Hester had pushed the hay bales against the lip so there was no room to get out and back in. No one had done the roll-in yet. I was the first to do roll-ins…

Doug Schneider / OG Roll-In / McBee Pool / Images: Joe Castle

Doug Schneider / OG Roll-In / McBee Pool / Images: Joe Castle

Doug Schneider / OG Roll-In / McBee Pool / Images: Joe Castle

Doug Schneider / OG Roll-In / McBee Pool / Images: Joe Castle

I moved away from skateboarding after a time. At least the physical act of it. I always watched skateboarding and where it was going though. It evolved as all things will. The things people are doing today are mind blowing. I like that they just put skateboarding in the Olympics. I’m very happy that I was an early part of its discovery and progression. – Doug Schneider

Doug Schneider / LA Pipe Truck / Image: Cassimus

Thank you to Doug Schneider, Bobbo Smith, Joe Castle and King James Cassimus. Skate- Ozzie

Darkwater

Darkwater

I squinted into the sun. Hot. San Fernando Valley. It is a merciless place at times and an empty pool is always hotter when you’re down inside. I moved the umbrella over me and mixed the Ardex. I was skim coating the shallow end and couldn’t believe the amount of surface I still needed to cover. The pool was a beautiful old right hand kidney and — strangely enough — I rarely find them. The owner said that I could do what I wanted with the pool. Once we drained it, it was fun to carve through as the transitions were pretty great. The plaster was no longer there. Time had scarred her face. I knew that I’d be into it for several hundred dollars if I refurbished her. But, I had to. It’s how I am. I’ll go back tomorrow and finish the deep end. Next week, we paint it. Brand new, fast and fun. What did you do today? – Ozzie

Doug Schneider

I sat down with Doug Schneider and James Cassimus yesterday. We had a long talk about the Arizona Pipe CAP. I’m putting together something special for you all. Doug showed me some amazing photographs taken by his friend Bobbo Smith. The CAP pipes were a once in a lifetime event and the images are astounding. Doug Schneider is being inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame this May. I’ll be posting a story about this amazing early vert / over vert pioneer. Thank you for reading – Ozzie

Image: Bobbo Smith

Box of Rocks / Revisited

Box of Rocks / Image: Arto

There’s no real limit to what I’ll go through to get a decent permission pool going. I’m talking about physical work. I do draw the line at money sometimes. I don’t mind paying people for a video shoot or something, but I’ve found that if you start the ‘relationship’ with money, that’s what they’ll always want. Rarely does it go the other way…  The owner had a big family. He had a bunch of young kids so we loaded them up with skateboards, shoes, clothing. It was Christmas Day for them. The top of the pool was — quite obviously — counter productive for what we wanted. It was a jagged mess of pain and fear. The pool itself was a perfect hourglass shape. The transitions were spectacular through and through. As we were riding, we could go faster than we needed, but then there was that problem… the top edge. It looked like a giant stone saw blade as you approached the lip.

Lance Mountain / Stone Saw Blade / Image: Arto

It was very limiting and quite bloody at times. We knew that with a decent lip, the pool could be unbelievable. It already was! The owner was watching us one day and asked about it. “Don’t the rocks mess this up for you?” I took the immediate opportunity to discuss further refurbishments. Lance and Ray and I had talked at length about it. We knew that we could probably cut it back a bit. We could make it more ‘user friendly’. The owner agreed. We spent several bone burning, back crunching days, hammering, chiseling and sawing it out on the face wall. It was supposed to be a trial run. “Let’s see how it works.”

Removing the ‘Meat Lovers’ topping for a more ‘Vegan’ option. Image: MRZ

We went on to finish the face wall and it worked out pretty well. The Volcom crew came in and filmed. They had supplied us with the necessary product to give the family. I’ve included a highlights video below.

We went back one or two other times. It was a fun stop on a Sunday pool day… One day, I text the owner. “Can a few of us stop by for an hour this Sunday?” His reply? “What’s in it for me?” I had just given him money (video shoot), clothing, shoes and skateboards, all in a period of a month. So it goes… We didn’t have the chance to ride it again. But it certainly lives on.

For more on the Box of Rocks :

Box Of Rocks

Box of Rocks II

Cakeless / Ladder

Me / Cakeless Ladder / Image: MRZ

Some things are very difficult for me. I often beat myself up in trying… I’d probably be better off making it third try and slamming, than knee sliding for an hour — getting closer — until I’m comfortable enough to stomp it. It’s the way I learn I suppose. I watched Lance do a backside ollie over this thing like it was nothing. I thought, “Let me try…” A few hours later, I was rewarded with the roll away. I was fifty-five years old when I made this… I guess it took me that long just to ‘sack up’ and try. Difficult day. Thank you Lance and MRZ for your patience – Ozzie

Lebanon, PA.

Me / Scott Kreiser September 1994 North West School / Lebanon PA

In the town where I live, a couple of older guys built a big ramp on a playground and we’d catch rides over there and skate together. Del Collins had moved from San Diego the summer before. He could rip. Airs, grinds and style. He had it. Scott Kreiser (SK) ripped as well and he exuded surf style too. They all surfed the east coast beach towns and all of them had cars. They’d disappear on the weekends and head to the Jersey Shore. In the winter, Del built a halfpipe in his attic and I’d eventually obtain that ramp as it had normal transitions from ‘Rad Ramps’. I built my first real half pipe from that. These two always had an influence on my life as they taught me to fakie and drop in on vert. I recently sent them both a copy of the book I wrote with William Sharp and an Alva / Blue Tile Obsession complete. They were stoked. These articles were in the local newspaper back then… I recently found them. We all come from somewhere. Remember where you’re from. Respect it. Respect others.

Daily News July 1978

The school has since put pillars in on the banks so they really can’t be ridden but we went by there in 1994. SK did a handstand down the line and Andy Mac and I cruised around. I think Steve Bailey was with us too.

Daily News / 1978

I’ll never forget this demo. Mike Weed was there and he nodded at me and handed me a sticker. I stood there like a corn cob… slack jawed. “Mike Weed just nodded at me…” Mind blown. He was the first Pro I ever saw up until then. They ripped the ramp and Foghat played on a loop of nauseating bell-bottom, big-haired frizziness.

Me / Handplant / Del’s modified ramp

I’ll always remember how hard it was to be a skateboarder in Pennsylvania. There were hardly any skaters, barely any decent ramps, and almost no skateparks. Winter was a nightmare of snow, ice and rain. All I could do was read the magazines and dream. Dream of California. Dream of pools. I guess I’m still dreaming… Thanks to Del Collins and SK. I love you my brothers – Ozzie

Hard Drive

 

Hard Drive. It’s funny the things you find. You don’t even know you lost it because you never knew it existed. I saw these clips and remembered the sessions… it brought back the fun and good vibes. It is the only reason to actually skateboard. In these clips, you’ll see Cakeless pool and Ladyfingers pool. Both are gone and done. You’ll see me, Lance Mountain, Brad McClain, Alex Perelson and Shaun Ross. Keep the fire lit. I am… – Ozzie

Thanks Peacock for the video.

 

Ladyfingers

Cold Front

Origins / Paddock Pools

I recently decided to do an ‘Origins’ series. There are so many pool companies and I continually find ones I’ve never heard of before. I’ve read that twenty five thousand pools were built in Los Angeles in nineteen-sixty alone. Another five thousand a year were built during the nineteen sixties. One can do the simple math and realize that we have much more skating to do. Pool building giants, Paddock Pools, Blue Haven Pools and Anthony Pools used intense marketing campaigns in Los Angeles and the west in general. They built huge pool ‘showrooms’ and offered ten year warranties, extra equipment (heaters and self cleaners)  and often next-to-nothing financing. Each of these companies expanded to other states. These ‘Origins’ posts are not complete. I put together what I could find as an informative and interesting pool history lesson. I added skate photographs of my friends and I riding each type. I hope you like them and learn more about swimming pool history here in Los Angeles. – Ozzie

Origins / Paddock Pools

LA Times April 1960

In other blog posts, I’ve gone into detail about the impact Pascal Paddock had on the pool building industry. He was really an innovator. He started building pools very early on. I read that he built his first public pool in Lancaster, California in nineteen twenty four. With that success, he was offered to build more public pools. His business then grew into Paddock Pools. It would be several decades, but he was the first to really develop the ‘inverted dome’ approach to backyard swimming pools. One of the ‘famous’ pools in skateboarding history was the Dog Bowl in Santa Monica. It was a Paddock Pool. I’ve ridden a number of Paddock Pools and they are usually really good. The surfaces hold up, the coping is good and they are generally amazing and round.

Paddock Pools / Los Angeles

Paddock Pools / Los Angeles

Paddock Pools / Los Angeles

Paddock Pools / Los Angeles

Me / TA / Flowerpot / Paddock Pool / Coldwater Canyon

TA / Flowerpot / Paddock Pool / Image: MRZ

Desert Gem / Paddock Pool

 

Desert Gem / Paddock Pool / Ripperside Shawn / Me / Image: MRZ

Bucky Lasek / Desert Gem / Paddock Pool / Image: Fick

Ripperside Shawn / Desert Gem / Paddock Pool / Image: MRZ

Tony Alva / Dog Bowl / Paddock Pool / Image: Wm Sharp

Shogo Kubo RIP / Dog Bowl / Paddock Pool / Image: Glen E. Friedman

Thank you for reading – Ozzie