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Featured 12 Eric Wortner 20 Brandon Johnson 26 Adrian Quintana 36 Circa 40 Felix Leon 50 Youth Daze Video Premier 3
Editorial: The Dew Tour takes over Brooklyn, New York for two days. September 20‐21st on Frank‐ lin street changing into on giant BMX/Skateboard oasis. Pro BMX and pro skateboarders from all over the world gather to compete in street and street cycle compe ons. The local New York City skate shops also sent their AM to compete in the indoor street com‐ pe on against each other. The weather was a bit muggy and warm for a late September but that didn’t get in the way of the compe tors bringing out there best and pu ng on a performance for us New York City na ves. This was the third stop for the Dew Tour with their final des na‐ on being Breckenridge, Colorado in December. Lori George
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It’s t o Tim e Ro c k!
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“Pull out those skateboards and show off your raddest skateboard tricks!”
Photo: Louie Alfaro
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LB Johnson Skate Park San Antonio, Tx 9
Dillan Rodriguez
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How long have you been ska ng? I’ve been ska ng since 1986. That’s a long me. Have you always used the same board?
No, I grew up using the 80’s board. They were 10inch by 30inch. They had no concave and no nose. That’s what I use! [Laughs] I grew up in an era where everything was changing. They started pu ng noses and concave on boards. They started making football shape boards and be er wheels. I was in the middle of it all. Where you on a skate team? I skated with the same group of guys for about 6 years. I wasn’t an official team. They were just neighborhood friends. Have you always lived in El Paso? Yeah, born and raised. I’ve lived here a long me. Do you like ska ng streets or parks? I grew up ska ng streets. However, today, I like ska ng the parks. It’s a li le easier on my old body. Does that make sense? Yes. Hi guys (Gabe Lawler, OG Crew )! Can I add something? Sure! The streets and the parks are two different elements. One thing that we all can agree on is that the skate parks have spoiled us (The OG Crew). Before they started building the parks, all we ever skated was the streets. In the streets, we had to deal with cracks, broken bo les, nails, gaps and all other sorts of obstacles. It was a lot harder than the parks. Con nued on page 15 12
OG SKATE CREW
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So, the parks have changed everything?
Do you think we need an indoor skate park?
Yeah, they sure have. I don’t have to go as big. [Laughs]
An indoor skate park would be great. El Paso is known for it’s 50 mile per hour winds.
The streets were great. I loved them when I was younger. Today, I don’t know if I could skate them like the parks.
Do you think we need more skate shops?
Well, I do and I don’t.
No, I don’t think we need more skate shops.
There are parts of the park that I like a lot and there is stuff that I don’t really care for.
What do you think of today’s skate scene? Man, today, the kids are sick! It’s different than the way we grew up. They are learning a lot more technical tricks. The flips that we considered hard in our day are now basic tricks. I didn’t start doing that stuff un l I was a teenager. So, Rodney Mullen changed everything? Well, I was ska ng with kids that were taking Rodney Mullen’s tricks to the streets. Freestyle was star ng to change and becoming more complex.
When I was a li le kid, the first skate shop that I went to was Skate City. My friend would say “Don’t go to Gadzooks because that’s where all the posers go”. [Laughs] Today, I s ll support our local skate shops. The other day, I saw you at the Plaza. Do you like the park? It’s my favorite park. We skate the Plaza (Sunland Park, NM) almost every Tuesday. We don’t have to drive around and look for a skate spot. The facility has everything you need. It reminds of when we used to skate the schools. It’s a great Street Park.
Have you ever visited the Northeast Skate Park? Yeah Do you like it?
Have you heard about the new park that they are building on the Eastside? Have you been to any of the public mee ngs? No. The OG Crew should a end these mee ng. I’ll talk to the guys about it. I think that since we are adults, we would have a stronger voice in the development of the park. I know that Crooks is working on building an indoor skate park. Yeah, I heard that they were working on it. I can’t wait! Con nued on page 16
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Have you ever a ended any of the events at the Sandbox? It’s an indoor park that was put together by Snake2Skate. No, I have not been to that park. They a ract a lot of skaters. Well, that’s really cool! I’m glad you told me because I like to avoid crowds. [Laughs] When I was young, I liked to go to places like that but today, it’s different. I’m not as consistent as I used to be and I get frustrated when I can’t land a trick. [Laughs] Thanks for your me bro!
Photo by Louie Alfaro 16
Impossible Photo by Louie Alfaro 17
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Gab e La wler
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Brandon Bailey Johnson Well, here we are the Pizza Joint in downtown El Paso, Tx. I look around and I see Mr. Brandon Bailey Johnson sitting on the stage. What are we doing here? This is not skateboarding. On the contrary my friends, Brandon is a skateboarder and most importantly, a great musician. We are here to support the release of Brandon’s new album called “The Journey”. This music prodigy sang, played (All instruments), wrote, produced and arranged all of the songs on his debut album. For someone his age, 12 years old, it’s amazing. As a musician, I can tell you that this is not an easy task. In addition, he not only looks like a rock star, he is a rock star. We believe that he is the next big talent coming out of El Paso. Oh, one more thing, his is in the Guinness Book of World Records for "Youngest Professional Music Producer”. Rock On Brandon! 21
y h ot n m i o T rs e t Pe
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ADRIOG SKATE CREW How long have you been ska ng? I’ve been ska ng for about 34 years. My body is red! [Laughs] Where did you guys skate back them? Since there were no skate parks, we were on the streets or anywhere we could find a spot. Some mes, we would find an empty pool . Were there any skate shops? Yes, in those days (80’s) we had Skate City, Boardwalk and Gadzooks. Were you part of a skate team? I skated with my friends but, we were not on a team. However, Skate City did have a team but I was not part of it. When did you start learning tricks? You see, back then, all we ever did was cruise the neighborhood streets. It wasn’t un l I was 11 years old that I started to learn tricks. Well, that’s pre y interes ng? As a kid, we had a lot of fun! However, we only had two op ons. It was either ride a bike or skateboard. In the end, the skateboard won. Back in the day, how were the decks? Are they be er now? Oh, hell yea! The new decks are much be er today. The old skateboards were ok. I learned to ride on an old 70’s banana board. You know which ones I’m talking about. They were li le thin plas c orange boards. Crooks Skate Shop (El Paso, Tx) has one. The only difference was that my board did not have a tail. [Laughs]
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What do you think of the El Paso Skate scene? Is it be er?
Yes, that is true.
Yes, it is much be er today.
They get hurt and it was because they were trying something very technical. These types of injuries can be avoided. I’m not saying that they all can be avoided. If they just focus on what they are trying to do and work out an exit strategy, then, they can avoid ge ng hurt. Also, they have a be er chance of landing the trick.
In the 90’s, skateboarding started to die out. Most of my friends had either stopped ska ng or moved away. There were not that many skaters. I usually ended up ska ng alone. Today, I see a lot of young skaters but not many old skaters. Yes, however, I think that people are star ng to skate a lot longer. It’s becoming more acceptable and as you know, skateboarding is unique. Also, you can see that everyone is star ng to do their own thing and it’s everywhere. Kids are always coming up with new tricks and that makes it exci ng. Even the pros are coming up with unique tricks. In the 80’s and 90’s you were cri cized if you tried something new. If you did not s ck with the standard tricks, you were not accepted. Today, kids are no longer made fun of when they try something new. They are the norm and not the excep on. It’s good for everyone!
They need to see how they can do the trick and not go at it blind‐ ly. Yes. Have you ever been hurt? I’ve never go en seriously hurt. However, I did break my wrist. I fell on top of it while doing a trick. I’ve had some ankle sprain and I’ve pulled some ligaments. However, that’s about it. Have you always lived in El Paso? Yes, I’ve lived here all my life. How old are you?
Also, the skateboarders s gma is going away.
I’m 40 years old.
I agree.
That’s pre y good! And s ll ska ng!
As old skaters, we try to set a good example for the kids. You don’t have to be high or drunk to be a good skater. You can actually do be er if you stay away from that stuff. Also, take off those ear bugs and hear yourself skate! [Laughs]
Yeah! I’m happy. I can’t imagine myself not ska ng. It hurts and you get sore but it’s so much fun.
Also, I’ve seen some serious skaters out there and it’s very rare that you hear bad things about them. In the old days, were you ever sponsored by a skate shops or oth‐ er companies? No. I was not interested in that kind of stuff and I did not want to be part of that. I hate to say it but some of the team skaters were jerks. I did not want to be around these guys. Also, it was all about egos. If you were a good skater, you usually had a big ego. When I was 15 years old, my friends wouldn’t even talk to me because of my bad a tude. Luckily, they kept me grounded and they would tell me thing s like “You’re being an Asshole”. [Laughs] That usually fixed the problem. Some mes, I see that type of a tude at the skate parks. The way I see it, eventually they will mature and it’ll go away. It’s a learn‐ ing process. Unfortunately, some mes it takes a serious accident to bring them down to earth. Yes, but they also see it as a badge of honor.
In the past, I had problems with drugs and alcohol. When I finally kicked it, I started ska ng and it helped me deal with the stress. It helped me push through it. Its’ been my salva on. I hang around a lot of skate parks and I’ve seen kids smoking Spice. I tell them to stop smoking that garbage. It has only one serious side effect. You can live or you can die. It’s some bad stuff. I’ve paid for my mistakes and I don’t want these kids to do the same thing. I don’t condone taking any drugs but some mes, what are you going to do? If there is an op on, I tell them to smoke the real stuff and stop smoking the ar ficial crap. You know they are not going to stop but I would rather that they smoke something that won’t kill them. How long have you been ska ng with the OG Crew? I’ve been ska ng with the OG guys for about 3 years. However, I’ve known these guys for a very long me. For example, I’ve known Felix Leon since I was 7 years old. As kids, we used to play together in the same apartment complex. Even though he lives is Dallas, we s ll skate together when he is in town. It’s great. Who mo vates you to skate? The OG guys are always pushing me to get be er. For many years, I was stuck doing the same tricks. However, with these guys, I’m inspired and I try harder. Well, that’s it Adrian. Thank You. 28
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Kareem Alfaro
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h p://elephantbrandskateboards.com Elephant Skateboards, 1751 Placenta Ave., Costa Mesa, Ca 92627, Ph: 949-515-6209, Fx: 949-515-6290 33
Leo Carrillo
Miguel Varela
Backside Lipslide 34
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The Sandbox 5352 Doniphan Photos by Louie Alfaro
El Paso, Tx 79925 Laser Flip 35
The CIRCA Team visits El Paso, Tx. Crooks skate shop does it again! This time, they brought Circa to El Paso. Thank You Crooks! 36
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Gabriel Vasquez Birthday: March 8, 1996 Birthplace: El Paso, Texas Skate Stance: Goofy Skate Type: Vert Can be Seen at: Carolina Favorite Pros Past & Present: John Cardiel & Omar Hassan Bio: When Gabriel was 12, his brother skated frequently. He took up the sport and loved it. Even a er his brother quit. His first board was a Speed Demon from Zumiez. The first trick he accomplished was the kick flip. The craziest thing he ever tried was a Miller Flip frontside 360 handflip. Amazingly, he landed it, but at the last second, lost the board. Once, he broke his collar bone by trying to ollie up the box. He didn't know how to get off, froze up and fell flat. Gabriel is friendly to all and is encouraged and supported by everyone that meets him. He is a great skater with a great a tude.
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How long have you been ska ng?
Do you think that you will ever re re from skateboarding?
Forever! I started when I was 8 years old.
Well, I’m ge ng surgery on my ankle next month. I tore a couple of liga ments. So, it’s a day to do day thing.
That’s a long me.
And you are ska ng!
How long have you known Adrian Quintana (OG Skate Crew)?
Yeah, I’ll skate and then, limp for about three to four days.
I met him when I was in kindergarten. He is like my big brother. We grew up in the same apartments.
My Achilles is all messed up.
How old are you now?
The Dr’s are pu ng it back together!.
I’m 39. Too old!
At least, I hope they do. A er surgery, I’ll have to see how it turns out.
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Crooked Grind I’ve seen a lot of injuries and skaters seem to always make a comeback.
I lived in California when I was a li le kid. However, when my parents divorced, we moved to El Paso. I grew up here.
It’s harder to heal when you are older and I don’t want to be an old man with a cane.
Now, I live in Dallas.
Yeah, that’s not cool. I’ve read about old guys in their 60’s learning how to skate. They don’t hit the parks but they use it as a form of transporta on. So I guess, you are never too old.
What do you think of our skate parks? Man, if we had these parks when I was a kid, who knows what would have happened. It’s great for the kids. It is a safe place for them to skate. However, I enjoy watching kids skate the streets. It reminds me of the old days.
Were you born in El Paso? No, I was born in Germany.
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I always see kids skateboarding at local malls or at the grocery stores. They don’t bother anyone and people let them do it. Yeah, they find a lighted place and use it. That’s good. I can’t believe how far El Paso has come in regards to skateboarding. I remember when I was kid. It was not cool to skateboard and people hated you. You used to get beat up. Nowadays, everybody likes skateboarding.
Recently, my friend Eric Wortner called me and stated that he wanted to start filming. So, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. I show up and who do I see, Adrian Quintana. I can’t believe it. I had not seen him in a long me. He is just a good now as when he was a li le kid. I learned a lot from just watching him skate. Who do you skate with in Dallas?
Have you visited the new Northeast skate park?
I skate with a crew of older guys. We skate mostly during the weekends. When it rains, we skate in a private facility. I s ll try to skate on weeknights. However, I get sore and I don’t like going to work in that condi on. Ska ng puts a lot of strain on my body but I just have to do it.
Yes. I was there a few days a er it opened.
I’ve tried qui ng but, it doesn’t last. [Laughs]
I like the Diana skate park a lot. It’s small but fun to skate.
It’s like an addic on.
Did you know that they are working on building a new park on the Eastside?
Yes. I just have to pick up a board.
Yes, the culture is changing. The s gma of “skateboarder kids are bad” is going away.
Nice, that’s crazy! They are currently working on the design of the park. However, it appears that they are not ge ng a lot of feedback from local skaters. I was talking to Eric Wortner (OG Crew) and he is plan‐ ning on going to the next public mee ng. They just need to develop a park that has a good flow. Back in the day, which skate shops did you visit? Skate City. Peter and Terry owned Skate City. I used to go there every day. Whatever happened to the shop? I don’t know. I moved away before the shop closed. Where did you move too? I moved to Dallas. Were you on a team? No. I didn’t care about the skate scene or being a part of the skate scene. I just wanted to skate. What happened to your friends? As I got older, my friends quit and started their own families. I went to college, worked full me and skated every day. Also, since I didn’t have a car, I used to skate to class.
When I Die, that’s when I’ll stop ska ng. I don’t drink and I don’t have any bad habits. So, I guess skateboarding in my only crutch. It’s a good thing! What do you think of the kids today? I can see that this genera on of kids is different. Back home, I know a group of 14 year old kids that have all of the style and all of the tricks. They are amazing! Also, I’ve seen 19 and 21 year old skaters that are just ridiculously good! I’ve been watching these kids since they were 12 years old. Some of them have go en married; have had drug problems and now, have their own kids. However, they all come back to skateboarding. Every me I come to El Paso, Tx., I always get to see someone that is great. With all of these skate parks, you have no choice but to get good. All of these kids’ just prac ce, prac ce, and prac ce. When we were kids, it was all about the compe on. You skated with your friends but it was about who could do the best trick. It was the Eastside vs the Westside. Today, skateboarding is cool. It’ll die off! People will get red of it and pick it up something else. It’s kind of like the yoyo. It’ll be cool for a minute, then, it’ll stop. In the last few years, I've seen it slowly grow.
So, the skateboard was transporta on? Right!
Now that the older skaters are part of the local tax base, they have the power to vote and they know the benefits of skateboarding. They have replaced the last genera on of local officials that put up the “No Skateboarding” signs. Today, they are passing revenue bonds and building skate parks for the community. Now, that’s sick! 42
Photo by Crooks Skateshop 43
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Tristan Marru fo
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n March 6th, 2015, Youth Daze (Ryan Maddox) released the most-anticipated, most buzzed-about skater video on the planet! The large group of people gathered to watch the video premiere of Wide Open Eyes. In attendance where the who’s who of the skateboarding business and of course, the best skaters in the world. It was great event! And get this: we got to see the actual video -- not just snips, clips or blips, not just sneak peeks. We're talking full-on, start-to-finish video, and we've got 'em before you'll see 'em anywhere else -- legally. Keep up the good work Ryan! Skate On!
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