Got letters? E-mail us at skatemag@twsnet.com or snail mail us at TransWorld SKATEboarding, 353 Airport road, Oceanside, California 92054.
GRECS IS THE DEVIL I just read my sons TransWorld SKATEboarding and I am shocked! The interview with Jim Greco is appalling and is not suitable for any child to read whatsoever. He is clearly just a drunken deviant intent on self-destruction and trying to corrupt other young people to follow his beliefs. What's the point of sharing his fascination with the Mafia and promoting a band called the Baby Killers? Why can't an influential magazine such as TransWorld focus on people who affect skateboarding in a positive light? I will be canceling my son's subscription, and if this Jim Greco truly represents the current state of skateboarding, I am seriously thinking about curtailing his skateboarding hobby altogether.¿Carla Singleton, Austin, Texas
Last time I checked Skateboarders not only had the ability to think for themselves, they could also buy TransWorld at the store if their parents cancel their subscription.
GRECS! I just wanted to tell you guys that the Jim Greco Spotlight was sick! It's about time we see some real skateboarders with real interviews that don't pull any punches. In this new age of candy-coated X-Game sell-outs it's good to see that you can still count on TransWorld to get it right. Next up you guys need to do an interview with Dustin Dollin! Late.¿Chris Feller via e-mail
NAME GAME I believe it's time to make this official. Is it a varial heelflip, shove-it heelflip, heelflip varial, or heelflip shove-it? I've seen the same trick called all four different things in this magazine. Every time I see a kid do the trick, it's called one of the above. I've had arguments on what it should be called. I say to my friend, "It should be called a varial heelflip, that's what it says right here." But then he answers right back by showing me a picture of the same trick called something else. So which is it? It can't be all of them, can it? It has to be one of them, so let's give the trick its official name right now. I personally think varial heelflip flows the best, but that's just me.¿Matt Wiebe, Winnipeg, Canada
You forgot outward heelflip. Trick names just evolve, don't stress about it.
REDNECKS, JOCKS, AND FRAT BOYS My friends and I were skating our "park," if you call of bunch of weathered and rotten quarters and boxes a park, while a local Little-League football team was having practice and a barbecue. The whole team lined up on the outside of the fence, all dressed in their pads and whatnot, and ate their food and watched us skate and talked their little-boy shit to us. About the time I was walking around the fence to kick some shit and whip some ass, one the kids asked me, "What are you guys practicing for? Who's gonna win?" None of these kids could understand that no one was here to win, and this wasn't practice. They couldn't believe we were out there just having fun and hanging out with friends.
Ten years I've been doing this! Ten years of wear and tear on my knees and ankles, ten years of scabs, bruises, tweaks and sprains. Ten years of running from cops, security, and trucks full of frat f¿ks, rednecks, and white trash. Ten years of catching all kinds of hell for skateboarding, and I have never won a thing for it! There is no trophy or check that is worth all the fun I've had skating.¿Rob from Georgia
TOM DIGITAL After watching the éS video, I came up with this theory. I believe that Tom Penny never really existed. He's just a special effect digitally engineered by companies. How else can you explain the fact that he has had no new footage in five years and is somehow still a pro skateboarder? Wait, I can think of one word that explains it perfectly¿bullshit.¿Jeremy, Ohio
STYLE At 24 years old I cannot help but have "favorite skaters." Deep down, I think just about every one of us does. Now why is it that in any pro interview you'll see the name Mark Gonzales listed as most influential, and Brian Wenning's name is nowhere to be seen? No doubt the kid has talent, but what separates him from the ranks of "favorite skaters?"
Skateboarding is fast evolving, and what once was a sport is now most definitely an art. It's technique, it's form, and it's what looks good. Chances are you won't see Koston piecing together the most technically advanced lines seen on video, but there's a good chance his footage will bring a tear to your eye. Koston is at the top, leading the progression of skateboarding, and there is a reason people like Wenning are not.
We all know skateboarding is different from all other "sports." I suppose an X-up may be difficult, but the fact is it just looks silly. For all I know, Rollerblading is far more difficult than skating, but it looks absolutely ridiculous. Skateboarding is beautiful. No joke. That's what separates skating from Rollerblading, and that's what separates Wenning from Koston. Make no mistake, Koston could do Wenning's entire video part¿just check out the old 101 videos. But Koston is steering the entire nature of skateboarding in its new direction. Being mechanically solid is not contributing to the art of skating. If you find yourself deliberately changing your skating, chances are it's not very attractive. The people who've mastered effortless style are the ones who will be legends¿Koston, Gonzales, Burnquist, and in my opinion, Montesi.
So get as technical as you want, but you're just revisiting the past. If you try to manufacture a style by slumping over, dangling your arms, or pointing one finger at the ground, you're just another goofball. Stop thinking about how you intend to skate and just skate, you might find yourself a legend.
P.S. No offense, Brian. Judging by your video part alone, you're one of the most talented skaters I've seen in a long time.¿Via e-mail
SKATE HISTORY Recently I noticed something about the new wave of skaters coming up. While skating at the local bank on a Sunday afternoon, about five middle-school kids came up. We talked and skated for a while, then we got into a conversation about who's the best. "Who's got the best style? Smolik or Reynolds?" they asked me.
"Well, I think the Gonz or Marc Johnson has the best style."
They gave me this look like I was speaking German. "Gonz, who's that? Mark Gonzales? Oh yeah, doesn't he ride for Real or something." I was utterly shocked. I asked them if they knew who Jason Lee was. "No, sorry."
"Haven't you seen Video Days?" I asked.
"Nope." We talked some more and it turns out all five of them never even heard of most videos I get inspired from. It sort of bums me out how the new kids today aren't embracing the past of skating. When I started, all I wanted to do was find old videos of my favorite pros when they were my age. Now videos come out so fast kids don't have the time to watch the "classics," which sucks. So all you kids who want to truly enjoy skating and get a feel for what is was like, go dub your brothers' old tapes or buy them off eBay.¿Robb via e-mail
