From: dfx@nuchat.sccsi.com (dFx International Digest)
Subject: Re: re:hello
Organization: /etc/organization
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 08:29:00 GMT

In article <12133@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> ez006882@rocky.ucdavis.edu writes:
>Its really strange how skating is not as fun nowadays. I look
>all around and all I see are kids (and men) trying to do all these technical
>flatland tricks and just getting really pissed off. The emphasis today is
>too much on "keeping up with the Jonses," so to speak. 

 Maybe you should of said street skating there. It's as fun for me as it was
 ten years ago (even though the abscence of concrete parks and snake runs 
 kinda takes away something), if not better. It's like every week there's
 something else to add on to a trick you've already wired, whether it be 
 taking the trick farther or throwing something new into the package. Given
 exaple would be tonight, I learned frontside shove-it to tail stong. That 
 trick started out a long time ago as just a frontside shove-it. Then, I 
 added a mute grab, and after that, went for the tail strong. As soon as I
 hit that, I was thinking of revert, or tail strong varial. Something to 
 look forward to for the next session.

 As far as street, and "keeping up with the Jonses"... I agree, even though
 I'm out there doing it. I've always kept a sense of reality with it though,
 unlike alot of the people I see, and skate with. There can be a big group
 of us at any given local street spot, generally trying the trick of the 
 week (pressure flip to kickflip this week).. and I'll just bust out the 
 90mph frontside smith thrust grind to piss everyone off. It's actually 
 pretty hilarious, because they do take it seriously and they do get mad.
 Then I'll go land their trick and watch them get even more pissed. 


>Another thing I'm sure you may be aware of is that most of the street tricks
>today are old freestyle tricks. I wont go into specifics, but it is safe to
>say that I have yet to see a street flatground trick that I didnt already see
>three years ago. Honestly. you really would be surprised.

 Actually, there are a few that I never saw done freestyle wise. If you 
 want me to go into trick specifics, I will, but the riders would be Laban,
 Markovich, and Armando Barajas.
 
>Jeremy Ramey, Sean Coons, Daryl Grogan, me, Mike Kinney,
>Andres Comacho, Robert Rodrigues, Tim Waldusky, Matt Wood. Are any of these
>names familiar? I thought not. Its too bad, but I dont even think any of
>these people skate anymore. Their sponsors all dropped them, they got
>jobs or went to school, or they just got burned out from skating alone
>and getting no credit or enthusiasm from other skaters.

 Hey now... Andres is a good friend of mine, and I've skated with both Daryl
 and Matt. Andre has always been one of my favourite skaters. In fact, we
 were watching some footage of him from almost exactly a year ago tonight
 where he was doing 540 impossibles, super spins, 360 pressure flips, half
 pressure flip to reverse kick flip (whatever the fuck you want to call it,
 but it's rad as hell), pressure flip to manual to big spin off, bs shove-it
 to fs shove-it to quickspin, etc etc etc.. on and on. When Andre switched 
 from Walker to Life, he had to quit skating actual freestyle decks, and start
 cutting street decks down to his own personal size (about 7 - 8 inches wide).
 Eventually, last year, he completely quit doing that and started riding full
 size decks (although he did get first or second at some freestyle contest 
 last August). Well... I was talking to my friend William, who skates for 
 Shine now, and who also lives right near Andres in Austin (Andres is from 
 Houston but goes to UT in Austin), and he told me that Andres got pretty mad
 when everyone started learning his trick.. pressure flip (even though it
 really wasn't his), and kinda quit for the most part. Around here, pressure
 flips were Andres' trademark.. and now.. well, I don't know what now. It's
 a drag too... he could of easily been pro.. flatland at least.

 Daryl Grogan went full size too, and skated for Ground Effect for a while. 
 He now skates for World Industries.. if I'm not confusing him with another
 ex Ground Effect skater (alot of whom were ex freestyle). Matt Wood also 
 skated for WI, and may still, I'm not sure. Matt also ate the worm and puked
 in "Rubbish Heap".


 I accidentally deleted it, but that Tony Hawk comment (from Transworld)
 was the STUPIDEST thing I've heard in a long time.