Feel free to introduce yourself here.
Chris, from Southport in Mersyside, England.
Started skating around about 1976 until 1980 Then again from'85 - 90. Then a looooooooooooong 14 year gap until the combination of a snowboarding trip (and trying to ride a half-pipe!) and watching Dogtown and Z-Boys with another old Southport skater turned us onto skating again in March 2004.
After finding the www.middle-age-shred.com site here in England, we got to hook up with a bunch of other older skaters and found the suppport and advice we needed. Now I don't think we'll ever stop again.
1979
http://uk.geocities.com/surfpunkmetalfan@btinternet.com/image68.jpg
2004
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/Surfpunk2000/994e8d47.jpg
Welcome aboard Flattop,
It's good to have another El Gato fan in here. I used to skate the Colton Ranch skatepark and just by meeting Eddie & watching his effortless talent as a skater inspired me to keep skating and then purchase his complete Variflex El Gato deck from the pro shop. It was my favorite deck until I snapped it in half doing a fs to disaster. but, someday I will find that deck again.
Please post a pic of it if you can.
Here are a couple of the only shots I have of it.
Peace...
There are 2 other pix on the Misc. Randy tab.
Chris, I live in Ventura county. I started skating in the 70's and stopped in the 90s. I started skating again around 4 months ago. Here are some then and now pictures.
Then
http://discussion.socalskateparks.com/photopost/data/500/myramp.jpg
Now
http://discussion.socalskateparks.com/photopost/data/500/glendale.jpg
Here is a shot of me on my El-Gato with Variflex connection trucks. The cat rules!
http://discussion.socalskateparks.com/photopost/data/500/Flowmotion.jpg
kool shot... what skatepark was that?
Here is the other Colton Ranch photos of my El Gato deck...
Board ride in the middle of the snake run
Monster Bowl after closure, you can kinda see the bottom of the deck. sorry for the buttshot.
I think there is footage of Eddie rippin it up in this bowl on "Rebirth of Skateparks".
Hey Sean,
Welcome aboard.
I just responded to your other post.
there are ton's of great ditches in your area.
you should hook up with www.sflongboarding.com
Most of the NorCal pix I have on my site are from them.
Plus a lot of them look like cool spot's you shouldn't have problems with the cops.
Take pix & send 'em in when you get back.
-Peace
I'm Brandon, 35yo, I been living in ABQ for about 2 years now. I'm originally from western PA (Washington PA area), but grew up mostly in Riverside, CA and Sterling Heights, MI. I've also lived in Las Cruces, NM; Bedford UK, and a few other shitty places. I started skating again about a year and a half ago. I moved here to Albuquerque and couldn't resist the urge after driving around and seeing the hundreds (maybe more) skateable ditches here. My first ever "skate-spot" was the Wedge in Riverside, so ditches hold some special memories for me. I actually tried to start skating again maybe 3-4 years ago, but was really discouraged by the changes in equipment (popsicle sticks and hard/small wheels). This was in Las Cruces NM - shitty park, a few ditches, but since I've been up here, I have discovered that I can skate how and what I want, and can get pretty much anything I need online (I'm loving the Tsu's Randy). I finally got a new camera, so I'll post some pics when I get the chance. I'm riding the "San Antonio" ditch alot lately. Smooth as ***, not as steep as Indian School, and easily accessable (I park in the Cracker Barrel parking lot and skate about a quarter mile uphill to my "starting point"). I plan to check out more ditches this summer - my 13yo son is going to be visiting, and I got him into ditches over Christmas break, so I'll have a skate partner.