I started skateboarding in earnest my freshman year of high school, starting on the pink GT Spoiler that my parents had gotten us at the Twin Fair back in Buffalo in '76.  When my ma realized I was earnest, tacking little circles in the garage over and over, she bought me a real 10" x 30" skateboard, a Variflex Vectra, bless her heart.  I'm still so thankful that she got me a real one instead of the $29.95 Gemco special.  Way to go, Ma!  (My mother's the best, and don't you forget it!)

So, with a real stick, the whole world opened up.  My best friend, Steve Manley, and I would skate up and down the sidewalks, trying to get the board off the ground with any of the cracks, and marvel at how smooth some of the other guys were.

Eventually we got better, but that's expected when you skate before school, skate to school, think about where you're going to skate during school, skate home from school, skate after school, skate after dinner, and repeat everyday, skipping the school part on the weekends.

Skating was my savior at UCSB.  It's rather a party school, and that's not really my thing.  I was quite unhappy there until I found good friends who also liked to skate.  Santa Barbara is home to quite a few skate dieties.  It's the home of Powell Peralta (now just Powell), the company that sponsored some of the best skateboarders in the world, and perhaps more importantly, pioneered the skate video with the Bones Brigade series.  These videos never ceased to amaze with new levels of skating and video quality.

Unfortunately, once I moved off campus, my circle of skating friends were further away, and it wasn't as easy to go skate the campus at 3am anymore.  I really haven't skated much since '90.  Pity.

Anyway, there's some photos if you're interested.