Circa 1970. I remember seeing two men riding wide pieces of wood, like a skim board, on the seafront pavement at Weston-Super-Mare, and had no concept of how they worked, but they sure looked like fun. I think they may have been on castors, as they had no directional control.
I wanted to keep watching, but was dragged away by my parents.
When I was about 13yrs old back in 1974 I started surfing in Cornwall, on a homemade spoon kneeboard inspired by the George Greenough film “Crystal Voyager”.
The board didn't work, which was a shame as my Father & I had gone to a demonstration of this new fibreglass and expanding foam stuff and were full of enthusiasm. However, our finished product was a metallic green colour and never did stop feeling “sticky” to the touch! The rocker was flat and the rail shape would have been better if it hadn't been upside down! Anyway, it gave us a good excuse to go to Newquay to look for a real board, which turned out to be a tear drop shape, sold to us by Ted Castula? in St.Ives. It cost £18 which was a saving against the board I had wanted in Newquay which would have been £25! (Both 2 nd hand).
I managed to purchase a small book about surfing while in Newquay with my parents. The back two pages showed skateboarders in California, which inspired me to make my own board – At the time no one had heard of skateboarding in Bristol.
So my treasured, rubber wheeled “Jaco Skates” (with steering) were secretly pulled apart and with the use of two thick blocks of wood (to avoid having to flatten the heel plates, were attached to a piece of chipboard shaped into a rocket shape with swallow tail and exhaust flutes!
The public were delighted with the spectacle of me using them for slalom practice as I rolled down the path in Vassell's Park I never had one complaint, as they were all bemused by this clever kid weaving in and out of them as they walked off their Sunday lunches.
I must have only just been ahead of the impending “craze” as I was soon able to buy a plywood decked “Flyer” skateboard from Woolworths, in Fishponds, Bristol. It too, was shod with rubber wheels, and while it was a lower deck than my homemade board, the trucks were rubbish – If you tried steering you ended up balancing on two wheels! And, the wheels were slower.
Luckily, next summer, back in St.Ives, and in my favorite surf shop “Inner Visions”, I was able to purchase a set of Chicago trucks and Cadilac wheels with loose bearings, which were hastily bolted onto my flyer deck, now sporting a fantastic paint job by myself. The wheels and trucks were amazing, and I was the luckiest kid in my area! Due to the increased performance of my board, I needed better foot to board adhesion, so a section of nylon carpeting was stuck over the paint job and did an admirable job – Even if it looked a bit frayed! I hadn't heard of grip tape at the time.
It was on this board that I first met some hardcore skaters in the centre of Bristol alongside the Docks who had built a ramp, which consisted of flat sections, not a curve and painted a cool black. I think it was the first skate shop up in Clifton who had made it.
I still remember blowing a few minds when I went part way up the ramp and pulled a 360 spin before coming back down. The other kids were on more up to date equipment than me – I think Logan Earth boards and Road Racer wheels with California Slalom trucks?
This is how I was exposed to the delights of the consumer society and went on to buy a “Gecko” deck – Yellow pre cambered fibreglass with a kick tail with a textured deck for grip. So my old trusty trucks and wheels were duly transferred, allowing my old “Flyer” deck to help out a pal less fortunate than myself.
I think it was on this set up that I first skated the Watergate bowl skatepark – Ahead of its time or what! I bet modern skaters would now olly the gap, designed to allow entry/exit, but at that time you were doing well to kick turn the top of it as close to the gap as you dared, and then lay down some lovely carving turns – Surfer style!
Red, Road Racer wheels were soon to follow which looked good with the yellow board and meant an end to carefully cleaning ball bearings and races of the Chicago wheels. I was now riding sealed bearings!
Next upgrade was to a “G&S Fibreflex” deck – A red and yellow beauty if a bit narrow. The wheels stuck outside the rails, but it was good when turning, as I could see the wheels steering.
It was on this board that I entered the “Nationwide” skate competition in Longleat Safari Park on an iffy weather day with wet slippery conditions. I managed to come second in the freestyle, probably due to the fancy bit of handstand riding and a failed attempt to jump a stick (held by my embarrassed mate at a ridiculously high level!), together with the slippery conditions stopping anyone do their normal stuff.
The slalom and down hill events were also “interesting” due to the weather.
Eventually I started making my own decks from laminated ply in the new wide deck style – 9” & 10” and even a long board, which blew a few minds in the Ashton Gate pool. The boards cost me £1.30 to make and I was selling them to fellow skaters for £10.50 under the name “CUSTOM”.
My deck was married to Tracker trucks and 60mm lime green Kryptonic wheels –The business.
Favorite skate haunts were;
• Underpass of M32 – A paved bank on an incline – Backside down the line carving and slides.
• Massive & steep red bank under a bridge – A careful line was needed to control instant speed and disaster, due to pillars and road at the bottom.
• Outside “Norwich Union” in Bristol – Top of Union Street, near Corn Exchange. Good paved banks.
• Locklease skate bowl and pair concrete quarter pipes.
• Dame Emelly-Smythe park in Bristol with snake run, shallow bowls (good for lip slides, especially on Yo-Yo's).
• Fibreglass reinforced modular bowl in Vassells Park – I was the first to skate it while the work men were still installing it. Finally laid to rest as result of vandals throwing boulders into it, smashing holes in it – Sad days. Really enjoyed lip riding around the rim with only half a wheel in.
• Slalom course on wide pavement at top of my road – Cassell Rd., Fishponds, Bristol.
• Skating to “The Cottage Bakery” Fishponds, at 0400hrs to work – No cars and smooth main road downhill.
• Home made sail – two pieces of carpet bamboo bolted together with cross boom and strong plastic sheet – Rested on front knee and really fast around the streets!
• Watergate skatepark – Cornwall – Overlooking Constantine Bay.
• Vassells Park – The lovely smooth path down a valley.
• Visited the Old Kent Road Mad Dog Bowl – But bottled out.
• Used to hang out at the skate shop in Broadmead roundabout in the underpass and wowed the “Crew” with thirteen 360's while shouting out the alphabet!
Skateboarding gave me a sense of identity and satisfied my surf cravings while locked inland away from the sea. But most of all, I just enjoyed the “glide” of sliding along a super smooth surface, and I still get that feeling now.
I am now 43yrs old and though no Tony Hawk, can still grind along a 6ft halfpipe coping with some style, and don't ache too bad for the next week!
I never did learn to olly or rail ride – well you can't do it all, but my son is coming on now and he's push shovit'ing in our local half pipe before he can even pump properly!
Keep on rollin!
Tim (EcoFly) Leary