Category: freestyle skateboarding

Some skating…

Yesterday I had my 4th freestyle practice. As noted earlier, it has been a long time since I’ve done this stuff. Thinking about it, really, it has been at least 4 years. Of course I’ve been skating a lot on longboard, so it isn’t like I’ve not been skating. Still feeling a little clumsy on the small freestyle board, but overall I think it is going well.

Video is a great learning tool. For example, this video brought a couple of things to my attention:

  1. On my 360 shove-its, when I hang my rear foot over the edge less during take-off, I get a much better landing — better style – with my foot really on the board nicely, rather than on the heel with my toes hanging off.
  2. I remembered that on fingerflips, if I keep my knees together and pointed slightly forward, it not only looks better, but improves the trick by getting both less functioning in better unison.
So I think if I can keep up these practices for a couple of months I’ll be doing pretty well. All the skills should be back. 
Oh, the crazy electronic music is mine too. Downloadable here.

More Skate History

While researching old board shapes for my Small School prototype, I came upon this old tracker ad featuring Torger Johnson. I was struck by the grace and style of this nose wheelie. (pic is from CalStreets.com)

While there is some footage of Torger when he was a little guy, back in the very very early days of skateboarding before the urethane wheel, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any footage from this part of his skate career in the 1970s. Bummer. Torger died in the 1980s in a car accident. I read a quote by Tony Alva regarding Torger’s induction into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame. Tony was very complimentary of Johnson’s style and ability, and noted him as a heavy influence.

There’s just so much great skateboarding from those early days that most of us will never get to see.

Here’s a page about him on the Logan Earth Ski website — including that letter by Tony Alva. Check out some of these pics — seriously – downhill nose wheelies at high speed. Rad!

Forward into the Past

Powell Peralta General Issue,
on the left. Thanks to the
original poster for this image.

As you can tell from some of my previous posts, skate-wise I have been thinking about the ancient history of the late 1970s a lot lately. I am working on a prototype for a Small School deck that is intended to give an all-around ride similar to the old FibreFlex Teamrider and Powell-Peralta General Issue boards. In fact, the shape is essentially the same as the General Issue, pictured here on the left (next to the smaller Street Issue), but with a slightly longer nose.

These boards came out just about the time in 1978/79 when a lot of the skateparks were closing. Stacy Peralta, being the visionary that he was (and is) could probably see even at that point that street skating was the future. I’ve seen some pics of Stacy entering flatground freestyle contests on the General Issue, as well as skating banks and street riding.

The wheels on these boards are one of the variations of the Bones Mini-Cubic.  Man, these wheels really rolled well.

I believe the original General Issue had a slight rocker, which my board will not have. The new board will have a modern concave and upturned nose.

The board on the right, the Street Issue, came out a year or two earlier. Obviously it is quite a bit smaller — seems like about 28″ x 7.23″.  They did a reissue of this model a few years ago. Well, today I was at a local skatepark and had a chance to try out the board below — the “cruiser” shape from a local skateshop, with ACE trucks and some 59mm 78a Penny cruiser wheels. The guy had the trucks really loose, but I have to say it didn’t feel too bad! This is about the size of the first good boards I had as a kid, only better. What really surprised me was how good the board felt for doing Space Walks. Really good. I think sometimes modern boards go a little to far trying to be light for high ollies. For some moves and skate styles, a little heft feels good and is desireable.  So I can’t wait for my General Issue clone. I’m putting some Rat Bones on it, so it will have the same “heft” that I like for wheelie tricks and fast, smooth rolling.

So, finally, here are the trucks and wheels that await my General Issue clone — man — I can’t wait to try it out.

School is in Session

I mentioned a few posts ago that the Small School Cooperation is returning. Well, we have 3 boards being prototyped right now — all freestyle boards but my model is a hybrid that harkens back to the days of 1978. More as things develop. Can’t wait to get my prototype!

For now…

My Small School “Sarge” model. Back in production soon.