Dogtown and Z-Boys Can Go to Hell

Skateboarding began in the 1950s when we took the metal roller skates we had gotten for Christmas, cut them in half, and nailed them to the front and back of a two-by-four. When the waves were bad we'd skateboard up and down Hermosa's back alleys.

... In the early '60s, the best place to skateboard in the South Bay was the Shell Gas Station being built at the corner of Artesia and Aviation, down the street from Dick Mobley's Ski and Surf Shop. The concrete that flowed from the driveway entrance on Artesia Blvd. across the lot to the Aviation Blvd. exit drew 50 to 100 skateboarders every Friday and Saturday night. Dewey Weber would have his competition team there and so would Hap Jacobs. It was a skateboard park before they had skate parks. Skateboarding was banned from the gas station soon after it opened -- a sign of things to come.

... The South Bay-based Makaha team was the best skateboard team ever assembled -- way better in or out of the water than Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta and the rest of the Dogtown Z-Boys. The reason the Z-Boys got more recognition was because they were loud and obnoxious, while the Makaha Team just skated great and went on quietly winning contests.