Derby Park skater Damon Hahn catches air. AT THE FAR WEST END of Santa Cruz there is a small skate park called Derby. Shaped like a laboratory beaker on its side, Derby has been home for two generations of Santa Cruz skaters, and Alan Petersen knows the place well. He comes fast down the graffiti-painted concrete bowl, soars eight feet into the air, his skateboard spinning beneath his feet.
Young skaters look on in devoted awe at the pro in their midst, in the air.
Like the quiet that permeates a golf game or tennis match, they watch in silence, and when Petersen lands, they let out a small whistle, then a whoop comes out of their preteen voices. As it turns out, this trick is a real-life embodiment of a Vans advertisement. Shot at Derby with Petersen, the ad is for a line of the quintessential skate shoe named the Alan Petersen signature series. On this day, he's out at Derby with his wife, Lorrie, for the fun and the annual Derby-Que. I'm on the road for eight months out the year.