THESE PHOTOGRAPHS DOCUMENT SKATEBOARDING IN TACOMA FROM 1978 TO 1980.  THERE WAS SKATING BEFORE AND AFTER THIS PERIOD BUT THE PHOTOS ARE MISSING OR NEVER TAKEN. THESE IMAGES ARE JUST A SMALL SAMPLE OF THE APPROXIMATELY SIX-HUNDRED SKATE NEGATIVES I HAVE ON FILE.

MY FRIENDS AND I BEGAN SKATING IN 1975.  BUT PRIOR TO SKATEBOARDS, IN ABOUT 1972 OR 73,  WE BUILT THESE THINGS WE CALLED FART-CARTS.  THEY WERE MADE FROM WOOD AND WHATEVER WHEELS WE COULD FIND.  YOU DIDN'T RIDE THEM STANDING. THEY WERE TYPICALLY SAT ON.  OUR FAVORITE PLACE FOR RIDING THEM WAS ON SOUTH 40TH STREET BETWEEN TACOMA AVE AND SOUTH G STREET.  IT WAS A SLIGHT DOWNHILL GRADE ON THE CORNER OF THE BLOCK I LIVED ON AND IT WENT RIGHT IN FRONT OF MARK BADER'S GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE.

THE SERIOUS SKATING STARTED WITH MARK BADER'S CLAY-WHEELER.  WE ALL TOOK TURNS ON IT IN THE BADER'S BASEMENT. THEN WE GRADUATED TO PLASTIC BOARDS WITH URETHANE WHEELS.  MINE WAS A "SIDEWALK SURFER".  IT WAS A YELLOW PINTAIL FROM PAYLESS AT THE TACOMA MALL THAT COST ABOUT 12 BUCKS.

DISCOVERING "SKATEBOARD MAGAZINE" IN THE SPRING OF 1976 CHANGED EVERYTHING. WE LEARNED ABOUT THE PARKS AND POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. BUT MOST OF ALL WE LEARNED THAT THERE WAS SKATE TERRAIN EVERYWHERE, EVEN HERE. SO WE SCOURED EVERY INCH OF TACOMA AND FOUND HOT SPOTS EVERYWHERE. FAVORITE SPOTS WERE HOYT ELEMENTARY, LOWELL ELEMENTARY, THE MULTILEVEL COVERED PARKING DOWNTOWN, AND THE SOAP BOX DERBY TRACK. OCCASIONALLY WE WOULD SKATE THE BASEMENT OF UNION STATION, SNEAK INTO PIONEER BUSINESS FORMS, AND RIDE THE PRAIRIE MARKET LOADING DOCK BANK WITH THE PLYWOOD EXTENSION. WE WOULD EVEN GO TO PT DEFIANCE ON COLD WINTER NIGHTS AND SKATE THE FROZEN GRASS HILLS. THEN THERE WAS "THE WET NOODLE". "THE WET NOODLE" WAS A REAL FIND.  IT WAS A 12 FOOT DIAMETER FIBERGLASS PIPE OUT IN MIDLAND THAT WIGGLED WHEN YOU RODE IT.

BUT THE SPOT I THINK WE 'LL REMEMBER MOST IS "THE GAS PUMP". "THE GAS PUMP" WAS AN ABANDONED ENCO GAS STATION ON 38TH AND TACOMA AVE. IT ALL STARTED WITH A TRIP TO B & I IN THE SPRING OF 1977. WE BOUGHT ONE SHEET OF PLYWOOD,  TOOK IT TO MY PARENT'S HOUSE, BUILT A QUARTER PIPE THEN HAULED THE RAMP DOWN THE STREET TO THE SHUT DOWN GAS STATION.  A FEW WEEKS LATER MARK AND BUBBA SCHNEIDER BROUGHT THEIR RAMP TO THE GAS STATION. THEIRS WAS ABOUT 12 FEET HIGH. IT WAS CALLED"MISTER RAD". THEY PUT IT ON WHEELS AND PUSHED IT THE EIGHT BLOCK DISTANCE TO THE GAS STATION.  MORE RAMPS WERE BUILT,  AND "THE GAS PUMP" BECAME THE PLACE TO BE IN THE SUMMER OF 1977 FOR SKATERS AND NON SKATERS. THE GRAVEL RIDERS FROM SUMNER EVEN SNUCK INTO THE BIG CITY FOR MIDNIGHT RIDES AT THE GAS STATION.

MOST OF THE PLACES MENTIONED HAVE BEEN GONE FOR MANY YEARS BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THE PHOTOS SHOWN ARE OF OTHER FAVORITE SPOTS HERE IN TOWN. NORTH STAR BANKS WAS NAMED AFTER NORTH STAR GLOVE IN NALLEY VALLEY.  THE BANK WAS ACTUALLY AT AN AUTO PARTS WAREHOUSE NEXT DOOR TO THE GLOVE FACTORY.  LLOYD 'S RAMP (SUMMER 1978) WAS AN EIGHT FOOT WIDE HALF PIPE IN SOUTH TACOMA.  IT WAS ON ABOUT SOUTH 68TH,  A BLOCK OR TWO EAST OF OAKES STREET.  THE GUYS THAT BUILT THAT RAMP WERE ALL MOTORCYCLE RACERS THAT SKATED ALSO.  THE RAMP AT DARREN 'S HOUSE/ SOUTH 49TH BETWEEN PARK AVENUE AND SOUTH G STREET (WINTER 1978 / SPRING 1979) WAS A TEN FOOT TALL HALF PIPE WITH THE TOP FOUR FEET CUT OFF.  IT WAS ORIGINALLY AT BILL TITSWORTH 'S HOUSE OVER BY WAPATO LAKE. IT HAD TO BE MOVED SO IT WAS CUT INTO PIECES.  I THINK BILL LOADED THE PIECES INTO HIS PICKUP AND HAULED IT TO DARREN HERMSEN'S PARENT 'S HOUSE.  IT WAS REBUILT IN FRONT OF THE BASKETBALL HOOP OUT BY THE ALLEY. MARK 'S RAMP (SPRING /SUMMER 1980) WAS BUILT IN MY GRANDMA 'S BACKYARD AT SOUTH 45TH AND PUGET SOUND.  MY GRANDMA PASSED AWAY IN 1977 AND MY MOM HAD RENTED THE HOUSE OUT TO MARK BADER. WE GOT THE O.K. AND MARK BUILT THE PERFECT RAMP.  (pictured above) IT WAS A TWENTY FOOT DIAMETER HALF PIPE WITH PLENTY OF FLAT AND ABOUT TWELVE FEET WIDE WITH REAL POOL COPING.

I HAVEN'T SKATED MUCH IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS, BUT IT'S LEFT A MARK ON ME THAT WILL NEVER LEAVE. ONCE A SKATER, ALWAYS A SKATER.