August 1st, 1990

On the night of my 11th birthday, I went to the grocery store with my brother. I begged him to buy me my first copy of Thrasher. It was the back to school issue. That's all it took, I was hooked. I stared at that magazine every night, scheming on ways to get a nice set-up. I saved up enough cash to throw down on a vision deck, and persuaded my parents to hook up the wheels and trucks.

A few years have passed since then, but I can honestly say skateboarding changed my life. It gave me something to identify with. I was a puny kid and not much of a "team player". None of that mattered in skateboarding. Through skateboarding I was introduced into a whole sub-culture that would have a profound effect on my life. 

It might be hard to remember when skate culture wasn't in the mainstream like it is now. It's pretty crazy that people are making literally billions of dollars off of this sport and culture. Nevertheless, I'm sure there is a puny 11-year-old kid out there pouring over his cherished thrasher magazine.

Here are some photos of my homie Chucky. I shot these on Veteran's day. Chucky rips.