Dumb things you thought about skateboarding when you were a kid

[Christmas Complete]

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The injection molded plastic chairs had a P logo similar to the Powell Peralta logo and I assume Powell made chairs.

[close]

They should do that for real. Sell decks too. “Guys come check out my new porch- Powell flight deck bro. These chairs are rat bone reissues“

They absolutely do, and have since the late 80's






https://www.skateone.com/powell-hot-rod-flames-chair

[benboardbreaker]

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The injection molded plastic chairs had a P logo similar to the Powell Peralta logo and I assume Powell made chairs.

[close]

They should do that for real. Sell decks too. “Guys come check out my new porch- Powell flight deck bro. These chairs are rat bone reissues“

[close]

They absolutely do, and have since the late 80's

I am so tired of skateboard art. People making sculptures etc. from old boards has been so overly done. Shit is boring and not very original. Move on, next.






https://www.skateone.com/powell-hot-rod-flames-chair

[Watson]

I started skating in '94 and skated for probably a year before making any friends who skated and switchstance seemed so impossible to me that I thought only pros or people as good as pros could skate switch. Went to pick up someone to go skate one day and he walked out the front door, threw his board down and did a massive nollie flip in the driveway on the way to the car and it blew my fucking mind.

[happenstance]

I started skating in '94 and skated for probably a year before making any friends who skated and switchstance seemed so impossible to me that I thought only pros or people as good as pros could skate switch. Went to pick up someone to go skate one day and he walked out the front door, threw his board down and did a massive nollie flip in the driveway on the way to the car and it blew my fucking mind.

Somewhere in the mid 90s, an older guy told me "don't skate switch until you've mastered regular skating." Awful advice I listened to that stunted my switch growth.

[MOE SYZLAK]

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I started skating in '94 and skated for probably a year before making any friends who skated and switchstance seemed so impossible to me that I thought only pros or people as good as pros could skate switch. Went to pick up someone to go skate one day and he walked out the front door, threw his board down and did a massive nollie flip in the driveway on the way to the car and it blew my fucking mind.

[close]

Somewhere in the mid 90s, an older guy told me "don't skate switch until you've mastered regular skating." Awful advice I listened to that stunted my switch growth.

When I was a kid I noticed a guy at the park skating both ways. I asked him if he was regular or goofy ( I had no idea what switch was) he said “I don’t limit myself to one way of skating”… I thought he was so cool… now I know he was just a douche…

[Banned from the room]

I remember joining some skate related messageboard and reading a thread on what the "best trick ever done" was and posting saying that it might be a trick I'd seen Scott Pazelt do in a Logic video

Gtoat

Guy Switch big flip

Second place Paul Switch big flip

3rd is recent. Switch imp fakie Manny.

I believe rn

[Plan9Customs]

I didn’t know sponsor me tapes existed until the mid 90s. Always thought it was just skate and sooner or later someone would see you if you ripped and you’d get picked up.

[FatGuy92]

As a little kid, I didn't know street skating existed. I only saw Tony Hawk and Bob B skating huge ramps and completely wrote it off as something impossible to do. It wasn't until I was in high school and saw Almost Round 3 that I saw this completely other different side of skating and it took me a years after to even seriously learn tricks

[Taraval]

Surprised no one else said this but as a dumbass kid I didnt really understand a skater doing a trick twice for filming
 i.e a long lens angle with no filmer in sight followed by a fisheye angle
In my mind it was just the same trick and the second angle was just out of thin air

And to second everyone else I just assumed an average pro skater just made bank. Like if you got a cover you just got paid six figures every time.

[Chavo]

The first time I read a Transworld I thought the Last Words section meant they died. I was so impressed at how thorough their research was in finding out what Mike Carroll's last album, regret, or movie was.

I always skipped the pretentious articles, so I thought Brain Floss was the artistic musings of a guy named Brian Floss. This went well into my late 20s.

[radcunt]

I was thinking about how me and my brother were arguing what the Alva logo said. He was like “ it’s Alva” I was like “no dude it’s Awa, look at it”. Anyone else have some dumb stories of childish ignorance?

Lol, a worldwide argument in the 80s.  I remember we all went to an Alva demo at Manly and they threw out those long strip logo stickers and stuff and we couldn't figure out if it was Alva or Awa.

[pedro_mayn]

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I started skating in '94 and skated for probably a year before making any friends who skated and switchstance seemed so impossible to me that I thought only pros or people as good as pros could skate switch. Went to pick up someone to go skate one day and he walked out the front door, threw his board down and did a massive nollie flip in the driveway on the way to the car and it blew my fucking mind.

[close]

Somewhere in the mid 90s, an older guy told me "don't skate switch until you've mastered regular skating." Awful advice I listened to that stunted my switch growth.

[close]

When I was a kid I noticed a guy at the park skating both ways. I asked him if he was regular or goofy ( I had no idea what switch was) he said “I don’t limit myself to one way of skating”… I thought he was so cool… now I know he was just a douche…

When I was younger and would go down to my local, there was this one guy that used to be pretty good on 'ye old whizz plank. I later found out that he had, to my friend's words 'switched stances' as everyone skated regular and he felt left out. So basically as we know it, he was just really good at switch. I don't think I ever saw him doing anything in his normal stance.

[A Not At All Naughty Chemist]

I thought the sound of a camera shooting a sequence was someones bearings, after chris coles walleberg tre footy

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

I was thinking about how me and my brother were arguing what the Alva logo said. He was like “ it’s Alva” I was like “no dude it’s Awa, look at it”. Anyone else have some dumb stories of childish ignorance?

"Power Parella"

[lurker_and_poster]

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I thought that flipping the two nose bolts would help my ollies. We called them "suicide bolts"

[close]

I also fell victim to this myth and ruined at least two pairs of shoes, but on the flipside I did improve my technique before turning them them back to normal it was 1988.

Haha - I already thought 1988 what a stupid trend.
Everyone flipped the bolts - nobody coud do better Ollies + nobody coud ride properly the Miniramp anymore…
I was 11 years old and it was pretty obviously plain stupid…

[lurker_and_poster]

I think I was the most stupid.

Watching the new videos 1990 I thought I am just 6 month behind the new kids in the video…. saw myself being the next Am…. just a matter of time - I had this idea from watching Carrol and Danny Way.

1988 I thought I invent the frontside pop shovit regular and switch - have nobody seen them doing before…

Around the same Time I though nollie tailgrab one foot is a cool combi - and decide to make it my Signatur trick at any spot.
Don’t know how manny people thought I am an idiot- doing a nollie tailgrab on foot down the 4 stairs…. Instead of doing my brand new fronside pop shovit.

Since nobody ever given me props for the trick or even give it a try - I understood - I waste  summer 88 nollie one foot Ollie tailgrabing.

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

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The injection molded plastic chairs had a P logo similar to the Powell Peralta logo and I assume Powell made chairs.

[close]

They should do that for real. Sell decks too. “Guys come check out my new porch- Powell flight deck bro. These chairs are rat bone reissues“

[close]

They absolutely do, and have since the late 80's


https://www.skateone.com/powell-hot-rod-flames-chair

This was the chair in my classroom. Guy Fieri was the teacher.

[OldieButFrenchie]

My 12 year old self (and all my buddies at the time) thought California, and by extension the US, was heaven on earth....They have CocaCola! Mac Donalds! Professional skateboarders! Rap music! Star Wars! Only after staying in the US for a few months and making the skater's pilgrimage to California in the 90's did I realize it's like anywhere else: some good, some bad.

Also: I remember dudes doing the upside down bolts thing in France too!! I wonder how that trend traveled back in the day, way before the internet.....good thread!   

[OwlGreen]

1992, sixth grade. A friend asked another friend if he "could pressure flip". Guy then proceeds to half flip the board about 50 times, always landing on the graphic. I thought that this was therefore a pressure flip. That you were supposed to land on the graphic.

[SatanicPanic]

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The injection molded plastic chairs had a P logo similar to the Powell Peralta logo and I assume Powell made chairs.

[close]

They should do that for real. Sell decks too. “Guys come check out my new porch- Powell flight deck bro. These chairs are rat bone reissues“

[close]

They absolutely do, and have since the late 80's


https://www.skateone.com/powell-hot-rod-flames-chair

[close]

This was the chair in my classroom. Guy Fieri was the teacher.

I guarantee Guy Fieri has an 80s skate deck on a wall in one of his houses. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say it might be something other than Powell. Maybe

[ok boomer]

Feel like he would have a Rob Roskopp

[lurker_and_poster]

My 12 year old self (and all my buddies at the time) thought California, and by extension the US, was heaven on earth....They have CocaCola! Mac Donalds! Professional skateboarders! Rap music! Star Wars! Only after staying in the US for a few months and making the skater's pilgrimage to California in the 90's did I realize it's like anywhere else: some good, some bad.

Also: I remember dudes doing the upside down bolts thing in France too!! I wonder how that trend traveled back in the day, way before the internet.....good thread!   

Yeah - we all thought USA is Dreamland. We where total brain washed. Took me little longer to realize what me and my friends have done as kids in Euro - for the same in California we woud go straight to jail - and back then 3 times to life.... so majority of my friends woud be in jail for 25 years within the age of 17.

upside down bolts -  in my memory this is connected with Mark Heintzmann - back at GS - I think before New Deal - I had some cover or advertisement in my head - but have no evidence - may my old brain tricks me once again....

[OldieButFrenchie]

Expand Quote

My 12 year old self (and all my buddies at the time) thought California, and by extension the US, was heaven on earth....They have CocaCola! Mac Donalds! Professional skateboarders! Rap music! Star Wars! Only after staying in the US for a few months and making the skater's pilgrimage to California in the 90's did I realize it's like anywhere else: some good, some bad.

Also: I remember dudes doing the upside down bolts thing in France too!! I wonder how that trend traveled back in the day, way before the internet.....good thread!   

[close]

Yeah - we all thought USA is Dreamland. We where total brain washed. Took me little longer to realize what me and my friends have done as kids in Euro - for the same in California we woud go straight to jail - and back then 3 times to life.... so majority of my friends woud be in jail for 25 years within the age of 17.

upside down bolts -  in my memory this is connected with Mark Heintzmann - back at GS - I think before New Deal - I had some cover or advertisement in my head - but have no evidence - may my old brain tricks me once again....

oh man.... my first interactions with american cops/security did not go well at all on that subject! actually ended up handcuffed in the back of cop car, just for skating on campus! My dumb French ass thought giving a fake name would get me out of trouble but the cop immediately checked somehow and I was like: the fuck! French cops aren't like that AT ALL haha.....in the end I just had to pay a fine and show up to court, but I learned my lesson. Actually I think any foreigner that has to go through american customs is kinda freaked out!

[GAY]

I think I was the most stupid.

Watching the new videos 1990 I thought I am just 6 month behind the new kids in the video…. saw myself being the next Am…. just a matter of time - I had this idea from watching Carrol and Danny Way.

1988 I thought I invent the frontside pop shovit regular and switch - have nobody seen them doing before…

Around the same Time I though nollie tailgrab one foot is a cool combi - and decide to make it my Signatur trick at any spot.
Don’t know how manny people thought I am an idiot- doing a nollie tailgrab on foot down the 4 stairs…. Instead of doing my brand new fronside pop shovit.

Since nobody ever given me props for the trick or even give it a try - I understood - I waste  summer 88 nollie one foot Ollie tailgrabing.

Haha this one is pretty relatable. That's one of the things I kind-of hate about skate videos now...the tricks in videos are mostly makes and depending on whos part you're watching, make everything look so simple. I remember watching Ray Barbee's "Ban This" part and being so excited to learn no-complys...he made them look as simple as strolling down the street. Boy was I in for some disappointment and self-loathing.

[Pooh Drunx]

i used to think lipslides were just hard boardslides and thought they were called overboards, which i still think is a cool name for a lipslide. but when i first started and didnt know all the trick names.

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

I think I was the most stupid.

Watching the new videos 1990 I thought I am just 6 month behind the new kids in the video…. saw myself being the next Am…. just a matter of time - I had this idea from watching Carrol and Danny Way.

1988 I thought I invent the frontside pop shovit regular and switch - have nobody seen them doing before…

Around the same Time I though nollie tailgrab one foot is a cool combi - and decide to make it my Signatur trick at any spot.
Don’t know how manny people thought I am an idiot- doing a nollie tailgrab on foot down the 4 stairs…. Instead of doing my brand new fronside pop shovit.

Since nobody ever given me props for the trick or even give it a try - I understood - I waste  summer 88 nollie one foot Ollie tailgrabing.

[close]

Haha this one is pretty relatable. That's one of the things I kind-of hate about skate videos now...the tricks in videos are mostly makes and depending on whos part you're watching, make everything look so simple. I remember watching Ray Barbee's "Ban This" part and being so excited to learn no-complys...he made them look as simple as strolling down the street. Boy was I in for some disappointment and self-loathing.

In "Public Domain" he effortlessly no-complys between two parking blocks set like ~4' apart. I figure all I had to do was to find two parking blocks of the same distance and I could do that. The school by my house eventually got parking blocks in the lot, and my friends and I dragged them out so we could skate them. Imagine my surprise!

[Watson]

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I started skating in '94 and skated for probably a year before making any friends who skated and switchstance seemed so impossible to me that I thought only pros or people as good as pros could skate switch. Went to pick up someone to go skate one day and he walked out the front door, threw his board down and did a massive nollie flip in the driveway on the way to the car and it blew my fucking mind.

[close]

Somewhere in the mid 90s, an older guy told me "don't skate switch until you've mastered regular skating." Awful advice I listened to that stunted my switch growth.

Maybe not altogether terrible advice. I wish I worked on basics instead of just trying whatever felt right. I still have a weird bag of tricks because I gave up too easy on basics because maybe something else was easier or funner. Legitimately can't backside 180. Could do one switch before regular. Essentially I can't do manuals. I can maybe do one on a short pad but nothing in or out. Have never nose manualed. I can't do any tricks on my front foot. Noseslides, crooked grinds, nosegrinds, nothing. But switch noseslide is the easiest trick in the world for me. I've never done a regular crooked grind but I have done them switch.

Definitely wish I concentrated more on the basics.

[vinithebr]

I had a kicker ramp and thought you could just go really fast and fly off it. I didn't know you actually had to ollie off of it

When I was like 10 yo I went full speed towards a 2 feet drop in my yard having no idea what an ollie or any technique was, I don't remember eating shit and it's funny how it meant nothing to me at the time, I only got into skating much later. I was using my older brother's board.

Thanks for making me remember that btw.

[Stevezahn]

We thought titan ti-lites were the best trucks because they were “the lightest”

I can’t explain why really but for years my crew didn’t believe Kirchart was a real person.  Maybe due to lack of portraits in his ads?
 
We also thought locked 50/50s didn’t count and you had to be balanced over both kingpins while grinding

[fs1/2cab]

I thought being a pro was a joke. It was rare I had a skate bud so I felt like too street for everyone on earth. That was foolish.


More foolish child thought...

I thought It was over after I almost died. I was in a wheelchair for most of a year. My family took me down to the new skate park in amesbury in a wheelchair. I kinda lost my shit and acted like a dick head.
When I escaped the hospital I ran away to California and got shipped back a few months later. I skated once. Didn't even have a board. Mostly I looked for drugs in Laguna and Irvine. Heroin wasn't popping in 97 I guess. I was pretty trapped there. I hung around with my cousin from kc. He was a gangster too. Being forced into the navy.

I got back did my time and went to a halfway house. Skating Copley every day. I tried to get a sponsor but it was unrealistic. No one wanted to be around me fresh of drugs talking SAY FAGGOT AGAIN MOTHER FUCKER!

People was scared.
I joined a band got kicked out and my best friend died. I tried to keep it going. Back on drugs back in jail.

I got out and didn't skate much.
Then right after my brother got killed. Then I lost all feeling but pain in one leg for several years. I started skating again but with a cane so I could get around. Again I thought It was over for sure. I was so fucked up I could barely fuck my partner.

My home got invaded and I had to use lethal force. My home got raided two days later for writing.
Over time I got used to the pain and I could push. I skated all the time but didn't do tricks.  Soft wheels and methadone probation etc.

I moved back to Boston. I skated for transportation every day.

In 2016 I was old and shit. Fresh off methadone after 14 years on.
I ran into someone who recognized me from my best days. He got me to skate benches. Then he got me to go to orchard bowl. I was back. We went to the new skate park and I tore my ACL but I wouldn't let it be over.

I bought a new set up. 56mm spits 8" trucks 8"board Stoked AF.
My physical therapy was trying to skate every day. That was foolish AF but i'm still going. It's never going to be over. Idk why I stopped before. I was amazing AF and Skating is the only pure thing in my existence.


Never say it's over because when you're old you'll want it back. I'm lucky AF I can still get it.

The benefit of being a crash test dummy most of my life. It's all I want for myself. To skate forever. Never go back to drugs

Thanks for your openness Flea.

I am proud of you and stoked that you beat the drugs and chose skating. Keep the PMA homie.