dc skate scene... then and now

Dave Tobin Skating the Crest!
hounddog sent me this link to the
HOUSE OF STEAM blog

which is interesting as John Falls of Arlington Skate Blog had mentioned an online skateboard purchasing place that sounded like House of Steam

DC Punk Rock Royalty at their local skate ramp

legend has it that Dave Tobin was getting his named tattooed on the inside of his lip by his friend and fellow ripper Fred Smith
not fred smith of beefeater... the skating fred smith

when done tobin took a look
seems Fred took artistic license and tattooed SKETCHY instead of TOBIN on the inner lip

I was not that hectically involved in skating
my conservative family life had me living with a foot inside the conventional
while my friends skated at Lymbrook Elementary school I was trying out for high school soccer team
while my friends were cutting class to skate the White Flint ditch I was attending class, but not really paying much attention
while my friends were excelling on their skateboards I was hacking away at JV soccer, varisty coed volleyball, and winter track
I skated... but nothing like the boys in b-town; jason farrell, marcus wilcoxin, fernando carr, lawrence mcdonald... the list goes on

I skated street and ditches with a giggle and a scream
while these guys skated massive vert ramps with a grunt and a roar
while they competed for the highest air at Cedar Crest Country Club
I was riding with my buddy Rob Hardesty in the parking lots of downtown bethesda
working sloppy slides and goofy catamarans

looking back I understand the misconception
people did not realize that the unconventional is as vital as the conventional
it is not what you do... but rather the intensity that you do it
a kid playing punk rock guitar well is much more vital than a kid struggling to please his parents at violin practice
a kid working up a sweat focusing on sticking a trick on the skateboard is just as vital as a kid trying out for varsity football
I would say that being a talented skateboarder is above and beyond being a quarterback on a high school football team
as far as a lineman goes... well... that does not come anywhere near comparing

jasonfarrelldesign.com
bells of myspace

Spike Jonez got his humble beginnings in this same circle that I walked the peripheral of
there was also Jackass producer Jeff Tremaine
Terrence Stukey had the Rayburn ramp that linked the B-CC skaters with the Walt Whitman skaters
Terrence is a rocket scientist... but worked for years doing photo stuff and video game reviews
go figure!

enough on this for now...
you can chase these tangents all day

I think Hounddog has a different blog page now

the source of that Tobin Photo
sports.webshots.com