I bought this video mail order, not long after moving to San Jose, California, in August of 1985. I think it cost $30 plus shipping, for a 28 minute video.
I watched this video 7 times the day it came in the mail, two of those times I balanced on my Skyway T/A, in the living room, through the whole video. It just seemed more hardcore to do watch it that way. The second time I put a small couch pillow on my handlebar to sit on, since it hurt my ass the first time I sat on the end of my bar for half an hour. Flatland in full uniforms? Hell yeah! Bob Haro, McGoo, and John Ker actually talking? Hell yeah! Actual video footage of Pipeline Skatepark, which I'd only seen in photos? Freakin' amazing. Mike Buff's Blue Whale backyard ramp? You can do that in your backyard? Whoa!
That was 38 years ago. Watching this video happened right around the time that I started an ugly little zine called San Jose Stylin'. That zine ending up changing the entire course of my life for the better. This video was hardcore inspiration in 1985, and it was the first produced video I ever saw of the top freestylers of the day. The primary riders in the video are Martin Aparijo, Brian Scura, Robert Peterson, Scott Freeman, Mike Buff, Ron Wilkerson, Brian Blyther, Rich Sigur, Tony Murray, Mark McGlynn, and Steve McCloud. A whole bunch of other riders are featured in the contest footage from San Diego and Del Mar Skatepark.
"You can't get good by sitting around thinking about it, it's something you have to physically get out and do."
-Brian Scura
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