Eric I will miss you. I know Rich will deeply. You were always the quiet one of the foursome. I remember the first years of Indy when you and Fausto drove down in your little red truck on Friday's to NHS (When it was where the Boardroom is now). Jay and Rich would come down from their upstairs offices and stand around the truck and chat. You guys would always talk shit and grab a few trucks and look at them like pieces of jewelry. Their was always a great sense of pride and satisfaction for the weeks worth of hard work. You two would make them and Jay and Rich would sell them what a great combination sometimes Gwynn would come down when Fausto drove the vet but usually it was always just you two. We would skate on the bank sometimes Jay and Rich would as well. Jay in his two footed stance that looked sketchy but he always managed to make a good carve and make the little transition at the bottom.
I will always have the great memories of the first session with Indy's at Newark Skatepark. I remember Rick Blackhart ripping and grinding the trucks even with the swing arms. He would bitch about them and made suggestions which you guys listened too which led to the Indy truck we have today. Back then we had trucks that broke and were stiff and had no turning radius.
I will always be grateful that during my peak slalom and downhill racing years I was one of the few skaters that had the $200.00 a pair full suspension trucks. It was like having the Ferrari of skate trucks, they gave you so much traction that you could turn as hard as you wanted around the cones and never worried about sliding out.
Thank you for all of what you have given to us. I hope you are in a peaceful place.
For anyone who didn't know the history.
Read the "Built to Grind" book. It truly the real history of skateboarding. Their was so much skate politics back in the day. Skateboarder Magazine being in bed so to speak with LA brands and photographers. Photographers shot mostly Southern California skateboarders and never giving NorCal skaters, Santa Cruz or Independent Trucks any play that they came out with their own magazine. Thrasher which led to all the other publications.
Buy it from Thrasher not Amazon.
Skate history it's not what you might think.
News story today
New York Times
For the record for all the negative posts in regards to NHS and Independent Trucks not posting something. It hits them more deeply than you can imagine. They will get shit for if they do or don't post on their websites. Maybe they just want all the push to go to the Thrasher Magazine website or the SkateDaily.net think about it before you judge.
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