guest post: jeremy wray #4

Jeremy Wray Week concludes with Jeremy's favorite jumps. 

Big ollies have been a fun part of skateboarding ever since Natas and Gonz figured out how to apply them to real street situations and over the years, many people have pushed the limits of what was considered possible at the time. There's just something so pure about going as fast as humanly possible on your skateboard and ollieing off the biggest thing you can find. It really separates the men from the boys.

I've had my fair share of big ollies that ended up gracing the pages and even the cover of some of the biggest skateboard magazines in the world, but by no means was I alone in my passion for taking flight. What we have here is a solid compilation of some of my fellow thrill-seekers doing what they do best. Some you will know and some you may have never heard of, but they all deserve respect for having the guts to push faster than the rest of the pack, bend down, snap that tail and see what happens.

Fly on my friends. - Jeremy Wray

Can't thank Jeremy enough for doing all of this.

CBI will return on Monday with a special announcement.

guest post: jeremy wray #3

Jeremy Wray Week continues with a dedication to brother Jonas.

My brother Jonas exemplifies what it means to skate for all the right reasons. Nothing he does is ever forced or influenced by anything other than his own personal pursuit of a good time.

While we were growing up and skating together in the early years, he clearly had the more natural talent between the two of us. Things seemed to come so easy for him. He learned new tricks quickly and once he had it, he kept it.

We both skated for a solid 10 years before getting out first sponsors and Jonas actually got sponsored first. We skated in contests together and we usually both did pretty good, trading off first and second place finishes. I know for a fact that without having Jonas as my brother to skate with, hang out with and learn from, I would not have made it as far as I did or have become the same person that I am today. Even though he's a year younger than me, he grew up faster and taught me a lot about life and how to live it to the fullest.

The photos you are about to see are just a small glimpse back to an important time in skateboarding and a walk down memory lane with one of my favorite people on the planet. Enjoy.

Support the Wray Bros!  Website coming soon!

guest post: jeremy wray #2

Jeremy Wray Week continues with an ode to an old friend...
the fire hyrdrant. 

=O

As skateboarding progresses, it's only natural that the spots we skate change and evolve as well,  often leaving many the most heavily-sessioned obstacles from our childhood seemingly lost and forgotten. When was the last time you skated a parking block with a group of friends for a few hours straight? Or hit up that local double-sided curb... you know, the one that's perfect for your slappy feeble grinds?

Well, I've noticed over the years that there are less and less photos or footage of people skating fire hydrants. Ollieing a fire hydrant for the first time is one of those memorable milestones on your way to skateboarding greatness. Finding that perfectly positioned hydrant, just the right distance from a curb cut, was something that you would search for and dream about. Finding a good one was like striking gold or oil, whichever means more to you.

The best (and worst) part about skating a fire hydrant is that they aren't going anywhere. Unlike a trash can that will knock over if you don't clear it, the almighty hydrant will snatch your board right off your feet had you've misjudged your height or distance... if only by a matter of mere millimeters. It can be frustrating and even down right intimidating at times tangling with one of these heavy metal monsters. I honestly believe that they're painted yellow just to further humiliate you when you can't conquer them. They come in endless different shapes, sizes and configurations which is just another part of the fun in finding new ones.

The photos you're about to see are just a few fine examples of why fire hydrants will forever be a fun part of skateboarding and shouldn't be shunned and ignored when you are out skating down the sidewalk with your bros.

This is one of those unforgettable moments in skateboarding that sent shock waves worldwide. It's a great example of what makes street skating so damn fun. Find a spot, look at what is unique about it and figure out what is possible. Finding that hydrant with a pole close enough to it to be able to reach out and spin yourself around is a very rare find indeed. Having the mind creative enough to see that as a possibility and enough skill to pull it off is the stuff of legend in my book. Pure genius.

Natas, ever the innovator, was seriously inventing tricks faster than anyone that came before or after him. Just watch one of his early video parts. This fast plant is just a drop in his overflowing bucket, but what a beauty it is! Just look at how far from his starting point he actually lands and rolls away. Amazing.

As I look through these old photos, I'm constantly impressed by the photographic skill possessed by  Mr. Spike Jonze... although it probably doesn't hurt that he was photographing some of the most stylish and photogenic skaters to ever step foot on a board.

This one foot is one of my all time favorites. It's just a rad trick, done by an iconic dude, shot by a pioneer of image-capturing. A perfect time capsule for one of the funnest eras skateboarding has ever seen.

I liked this photo so much that I actually drew it in my high school art class. Such a tweaked out Japan! As grabs start to fade away in skateboarding, unfortunately so do the classic poses that accompany these all but forgotten maneuvers. Jason Lee had a great one.

I say we bring back the Japan in 2013. Who's with me?

Nose bonks are one of the funnest and most precise tricks from this lost era. A nose bonk backside 180 was, and still is, a rare and more difficult variation. Ed was killing it around this time and bringing a lot of new creative skating and artwork into the mix. Inspiring many generations of skateboarders to follow.

I always liked this little photo of Gonz. I never knew why they ran it so small, but in the end I'm just glad we were able to see it. It lived in my wallet in the clear photo slip where people usually put photos of their family members... it may still be in that old Velcro wallet if I can find it. Just classic.

Gonz will always be everybody's favorite. The Gonzfather. We all owe Gonz for his years of contributions, innovations and creativity both on-and-off his skateboard. Even portraits of this dude are able to express what a unique individual he is. Always inventing and playing around with new ways to have fun on a skateboard, this no comply over a fire hydrant is but the tiniest tip of the iceberg that is Mark Gonzales.

Salman Agah did more for pioneering switch skating than anyone else, period. When this switch ollie photo came out, it was well above and beyond the norm.

All hail Salabear! Go by Pizzanista to pay homage!

This photo stood out to me because you rarely see nollie tricks over hydrants... and tricks over them without a bump are infinitely more difficult. Paulo always had supernatural nollie and switch pop. His ultra loose style and unique approach to skateboarding made him really stand out from the rest of the cookie-cutter trick robots.

Not exactly a typical fire hydrant but in the family, I had this photo in a file marked "Favorite Skate Photos of All Time" so it definitely belongs in here. Reese Forbes is one of those skaters you just never get sick of seeing photos of. Always so powerful and stylish at the same time. One of the blessed few that stands over 6 feet tall but never appeared lanky or out of place on the street. He has one of the best high ollies in the business and for that, we thank you.

Jeremy Wray Week will continue on Thursday with another entry. 

guest post: jeremy wray #1

Jeremy couldn't decide on a concept for his guest post... 

so he did four.

Welcome to Jeremy Wray Week on the Chrome Ball Incident. 

"Debbie Does Chrome Ball"

First off is Jeremy's take on the traditional CBI Mash-Up.

=O

Let's begin with this classic pic of the one and only Mark Gonzales doing one of the most picturesque bonelesses ever shot. Let's all thank Grant Brittain for this one, too.

Everything about this image is a time capsule back to my childhood and earliest memories of skateboarding. From the wildly-patterned pants, the Chucks, and the yellow shirt to the small nose, square tail, risers, rails and big wide wheels. This photo actually makes me feel happy and makes me want to go skate the nearest bank with some old friends. It seems like you rarely get that kind of emotion when looking at current photos of skateboarding. This one has a soul and a life of it's own.

My other, and equally-favorite, inspirational figure from the early days is Natas Kaupas. This photo, also captured by Grant, gives off some really dynamic energy. Gotta love that paint pen grip, the super high tops, the ultra classic board shape and the balance between power and grace that only Natas and very few others are blessed with.

I can't even imagine how crazy these years must have been when literally every day Natas was doing something on a skateboard that had never been done before. Anything must have seemed possible and impossible at the same time. Natas and Gonz truly got to write the book on street skating and were unparalleled for many years to come.

This photo of Christian Hosoi and Scott Oster is pretty awesome. I love how symmetrical they are... Hosoi is blasting in this one, too!

Jonas and I used to skate the Venice boardwalk every now and then in the late 80's and stumbled upon this whole skate scene completely by accident. It must have been pretty close to the time this was shot because they were still running that raw plywood quarterpipe backed up to this same wall.

I remember us coming in on a jump ramp session that was in full effect. Probably the first time we ever saw skating of this caliber in person.

Jason Lee boosting a frontside Ollie at Beryl banks. Anyone who ever skated that spot knows how difficult it can be to do anything on. The bottom of that bank hits so hard both on the way up and on the way down.

Jason was always a big influence because of his natural style and trick selection. I loved that he could skate everything, too. Stereo was one of my favorite companies when they first came out. Their video A Visual Sound was a breath of fresh air at the time. The few times I got to see Jason skate in person around this time were a real treat... so fluid and in control. He also had the best backside flips and 360 flips hands-down.

The Swing Flip by Daniel Harold Sturt. This one really tripped me out the first time I saw it. If this is your first time laying eyes on it, don't just skim past it because it's tiny photos in a sequence. Take the time to appreciate how amazing this really is. Those dismount frames when he's flying through the air can stand on their own but you really need the rest to tell the complete story. One of my favorite sequences of all-time performed by one of my favorite photographers of all-time. In the next photo, you'll see why.

Matt Hensley, Frontside Ollie on the Cowbow Hat shot by Daniel Harold Sturt.

Like most of Sturt's photos, this one gets permanently engrained in your brain the moment you see it. Epic spot, legendary skater and Sturt behind the lens: always a recipe for success. I've never had the chance to skate or even see this spot in person. If it still exists, I just may have to put this on my to-do list.

Here's my brother Jonas doing a lofty shifty off a natural bump on the Salt Flats, shot by Jody Morris. He was actually riding Jody's board in this photo because the bigger wheels worked better on the rough salt.

When this cover dropped, everyone thought it was fake. No one could figure out how he was able to ollie on the snow so they figured it must be photoshopped or something. Jonas and Jody lived together around this time and they shot lots of photos over the span of those few years. Jonas never went out of his way to call up photographers or try to get coverage so after they moved out of that place and parted ways, it became increasingly rare to see photos of him.

We just recently linked back up with Jody and went on a skate/road trip... just like old times. Super fun!

Brian Lotti with a sweet yellow jumpsuit! This one always stood out to me. Lotti had lots of memorable photos... and video segments, too, for that matter. He is such a super creative and innovative skateboarder. Just an interesting person all around. I think that comes across in his coverage. Skateboarding needs more free thinkers like Brian. It keeps everything fresh and pushes skateboarding in new directions.

I do wish I could clip that one little branch out of the way of his face and make this the perfect photo but that's just the perfectionist in me.

Kris Markovich with the first flip trick ever to go down at the infamous Carlsbad gap. This gap was a beast, but then again so is Markovich. Skating faster, bigger, and further than anyone that came before him, he pushed the limits of what was considered possible and paved the way for all the next generation of skateboarding daredevils to follow (myself included).

He inspired so many and did it all for the love of skateboarding. One of street skating's true legends and pioneers. Respect your roots, little jumpers.

Geoff Rowley with huge pop shove off a launch ramp well after the jump ramp craze was over. This photo is pretty incredible. There is something about just plain going as big as you physically can. Geoff is definitely part of an elite crew that can push it that far and keep going at that level. His skateboarding commands respect and gets it. Any time I get to skate with Geoff is an inspiration and a reminder to keep pushing myself. Never give up, never give in, never say die.

***

I couldn't be more honored and humbled to have the legendary Jeremy Wray sitting in with us all week. Thanks once again, Jeremy.

And be sure to stay on the lookout for more Wray Bros goodness coming soon.

Respect your roots, little jumpers.