Reconnecting with the existing collection

I realized that I can’t remember every deck I have in my collection already.  Is that a function of getting old or the simple disposability of a deck?  Fuckin scary. There are a handful that are skated beyond recognition of the graphics and others that I have hung on the wall grip tape facing out simply to make the collection more interesting (to me) visually.  A couple of the ones facing away are total mysteries now because they have been that way for years.

I peeled the grip back on one with the aid of a heat gun to reveal a Plan B Rodney Mullen.  It was the one with little kid drawings and writing.  I knew I had ridden some Plan B decks, but it was killing me yesterday trying to remember which ones. There are not many decks from the early Plan B era listed in “Disposable” or on graphic collecting websites, so my brain was on overdrive trying to remember with no visual aids. 

It’s funy to me that I would forget this deck because I believe I was riding it when I met my wife to be and there were a few flip tricks I was able to do way more consistently with it-hardflips and nollie 360 flips immediately come to mind. I also suddenly remember falling down doing a hardflip  in front of the wife either right before or after I met her. You get used to falling down in front of people, but it’s never cool falling in front of a chick on a flatground trick. Doesnt matter how hard it is because that goes completely over her head.

The attempt to remember process has bene going something like this working from board to board in chronological order:

1) Where was I doing most of my skating at the time

2) What tricks were popular

3) Who was I skating with

4) What videos was I watching

This seemed to be the most logical way to go about it, but it isnt working out that well. Outside of the boards with awesome graphics, I really tuned out on this aspect and focused on the skating itself. After all, the 90′s were the time where I was healthy and really trying to progress.

So, with the list stuck at 19, I am left with 2 tactics

1) Take the boards off the wall for close inspection

2) Peel the grip off the top if necessary

3) Pull out the old Thrashers.  I saved several boxes of Thrasher magazines from the 90′s, and even though some were pilfered by friends over the years, I have a ton of magazines to go through searching for forgotten graphics or pros.

It just occurred to me that there are probably whole companies that I have forgotten about due to their short life span. It’s going to be scary realizing how many things I have forgotten.

Trying to do the impossible

Just because I’m an amazing person, my wife gave me a copy of Sean Cliver’s “The Disposable Skateboard Bible” last week. Could turn out to be the biggest mistake she has made in a long time.

I have always been nostalgic when it comes to skateboarding despite a severe lack of nostalgia or emotional attachment to just about everything else.  I have original Star Wars toys and collectables from when I was a kid- but wouldnt freak out if they were lost in a fire. I spent over $10,000 working on a 1988 Ford Mustang Notchback 5.0, hand building a dreamcar – but was over it in a week after it was stolen.  I do love hoops, and am a crack addict of a Golden State Warriors fan – but we all expect them to suck these days, so minor, internalized fits of rage are all I can muster anymore. Worst of all, I can barely remember my only son’s first words, first steps, or first trip to the ER for stitches.

If I lost all my skateboarding shit I would have an emotional breakdown.

This is hard for people to accept, but before I had a kid, met my wife, lost my virginity, or really developed a personality, I was skateboarding.  More to come on the  emotional stuff some other time, but suffice it to say, I developed a stronger bond with this sport than with any other thing I have ever come in contct with.

Over the years I have held onto a number of things that had value to me for various reasons.  Decks, wheels, clothes, stickers, etc. that reminded me of something significant went into a box or drawer regardless of condition or value to the outside world because they had value to me. Low and behold 20 years later, a lot of these things have an incredible amount of value to other people who feel the same way.  This didnt catch me by surprise, but a moment just occurred looking back where I wanted to do something significant in rememberance of my experiences. 

I have decided to attempt to remember every single skateboard deck I have ever owned and determine the potential to collect everything that I am currently missing. The whole experience will be chronicled right here, and it should be significant.  It took me 30 minutes to remember just 12 decks and pinpoint the year, make and model of each with the help of the internet. There are at least 50 more to go and some of them are not necessarily worth remembering. I  also have a hard time believing anyone would hold onto a 1996 Consolodated deck with forgetable  graphics, for example, so once I have the whole history figured out there may be no where to go.

My single saving grace is likely to be the fact that I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. The entire bay area has always been a hotbed of skateboarding activity.  Even when the sport was dead in the 90′s, there were thousands of skaters spread out across the area keeping the sport alive.  San Francisco was the cultural center of our world with iconic locations like EMB and Hubba Hideout; big contests in the fountain at city hall; and companies like Independent, Spitfire, and FTC keeping the products alive.  Santa Cruz and San Jose were also cities that many companies and pro riders called home. Just about anywhere you went in the Bay, you were surrounded by serious, dedicated skateboarders.  I am anticipating a lot of garage sale/swapmeet/word-of-mouth finds.