My pro encounters from the 90's... Never a "fan out" situation, usually just skating the same park/spot.
Nice guys:
Ray Barbee - nicest guy ever. Counselled at the same skatecamp a couple times, '98 and '01.
Shawn Mandoli - as above, '98. He had just gotten off Real and was still ripping.
Mike Crum - when he lived in Vancouver briefly... '95 or so... "yeah'd" my line at The Clubhouse. It's cool when pros give props to kids. Zero effort on the pro's part, makes the kid feel good.
Tas Pappas - bought a Mad Circle shirt off him at Slam City Jam '95 so he could buy lunch, talked to him on the way to the concession. Struck me as nice.
Chris Senn - skated the Powell skatezone with him in '94. He encouraged me to keep trying a trick that he had seen me trying earlier. Landed it in front of him, got the "yeah". Saw him at the first Slam City Jam a month or so later, he remembered me. Stuff like that means you aren't a dick in my book. Just talking and being cool to random kids. I entered SCJ in '98, and Chris was flying around the course like a madman. He bailed something and slid face-first into some kid (who had snuck past security)'s board. Cut his nose, bled pretty good. Didn't yell at the kid, who looked ready to crap his pants. Templeton was cool about it, too (Chris was on Toy Machine then. Ed applied t-shirt-to-the-nose first aid).
Jake Stewart - I saw him entertain a group of kids gathered around him.
Andy MacDonald - I'm sure he's a celebrity on these boards! Anaheim Vans park in '99. I was 3-flipping a hip, he was doing melons over it. I said I couldn't grab backside, he told me my trick was harder.
Ronnie Creager - Same day as above, I thought he was funny cause he had a two-man posse. Both dudes were rocking all Ronnie's sponsors' gear. Then the trio "yeah'd" my tailslide bigspin. Why do I clearly remember the trick? Pros make impressions, I guess.
Rick McCrank - I was semi-sponsored and going to Vancouver more often around the time that he was just about to blow up. Skated around him a few times. Very mellow, cool guy.
I was on the same small board company as Arron Johnson when he was 14. Didn't see him for a few years, then he came through the local park on a demo tour all grown up and absolutely ripping, around '02. I didn't recognise him until he came up to me and said what's up. He's humble even though he's skate-gifted.
Skated lots with Keegan Sauder when he was on Real and lived in my town. We never hit it off as homies, but he's definitely cool. Total natural.
Guy who's so weird he's cool: Lennie Kirk. What an enigma; I couldn't figure him out in the week I was around him. I heard he may be coming back...
There's some not-so-nice pros I've been around, too, but not enough to really know if they're dicks. Well, maybe Moses...
Topic: pros/ams that are dicks (Read 65107 times)