Jeff Pang #5.

Thunder & lighting.

Jeff is from NYC. He rode for Shut, Underworld Element, Cream, and Zoo York. In addition to being pro for Zoo, he also served as their team manager. Later on Jeff would work at DC Shoes in the same capacity. He was working as an electrician and not skateboarding as much when Andy Howell offered him a spot on Underworld Element. There was also a chance Jeff might have gotten on Blind in the early days, but he politely declined out of loyalty to Shut.

It was warm and sunny yesterday with the always present high winds. I gave driveway skateboarding a go after work. I wasn't really landing much and was worn out, but I wanted to get outside since the weather looks cold and wet going forward.

Thrasher - September 1992 Volume 12 Number 9

Moses Itkonen #4.

We rule the school.

Moses skips the roll-in ramp and does a crooked grind to noseslide to revert on the ledge at Wallenberg. This Thunder ad looks much like a Real ad, which makes sense, but they usually try to separate the companies a little with the graphic design. John Shanahan had a cool photo doing an ollie over a fence and into the bank at the school recently. It's neat to see tricks at a long time spot that don't involve a different flip down a giant set of stairs.

It warmed up for the weekend. Due to a little rain and high winds, I only skateboarded on the ledges I have in my driveway. I was thinking about visiting an indoor park until I decided I was too out of sync from the stupid clock change. I probably made the right choice to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Thrasher - November 1992 Volume 12 Number 11

Peter Smolik #3.

Lord Pillage.

Pete rolls the dice on a backside kickflip over a roof gap. This trick would have been during his prime in the Shorty's and Osiris era. I haven't scanned a lot of his ads over the years. Pete falls into the category of being well documented already. One of the goals when I started this site was to focus on the more obscure skaters and companies. I've basically achieved that goal so that gives me the space to revisit stuff I might have skipped over earlier.

I remember how big a deal his shoe was back at the end of the 1990s. Pete also had a pair of signature jeans from Osiris. The gimmick was that the jeans had a velcro tab on the inside of the cuff that paired with a matching tab on the shoes. It would keep your pants from getting frayed by preventing the cuffs from touching the ground. I believe his shoe was synthetic. Funny thing is that I doubt Pete was overly picky about such a thing. My vegan friend had a pair and I know he wouldn't have bought them if the shoes used suede or leather. He had the jeans, too. I thought it was a little odd to attach your pants to your shoes, but Osiris found a market niche to occupy with an innovative product.

The weather has been alternating between dry days and rain. I've gotten in some driveway skateboarding this week and it will probably be good for today once the fog clears out. The weekend looks warmer, but with a chance of thunderstorms. I need to set up a new board with some fresh wheels. I've only skated my current board 25 times due to winter and yet it is looking worn out. Most of those times weren't very long and it's not like I'm doing anything gnarly so it feels too soon to set up a new ride. Hope everybody has a good weekend.

Slap - January 2000 Volume 9 Number 1

Tim Upson #8.

"JJ Rogers. I used to get stoked to see pictures of that guy, he was burly."

The Updog floats a heelflip over a jersey barrier for Spitfire. He's from Connecticut. Tim rode for Black Label and Anti-Hero. He was doing Hard Times Manufacturing with Brian Seber in the 2010s. I'm not sure if they are still in business. I kept flipping by this ad thinking I had scanned it already, but I never did. Tim is one of those underground rippers with that aura of mystery that makes him cool.

For the quote: Thrasher - April 1996 Volume 16 Number 4

Slap - November 1999 Volume 8 Number 11

Kris Markovich #26.

Burning up the 90s.

I don't think it would be an absurd claim to make that Kris was probably the best street skateboarder of the 1990s. Based on his body of work, few others had as many top tier video parts, photos, interviews, and overall coverage for the ten year span. I'm not flat out saying he was the best or that we even need to declare a best, but Kris was out there skating as hard as possible year in and year out. His trick selection was spot on and he avoided the pitfalls of following the trends too closely. The pundits always ding him on the sponsorship changes, which mostly happened in the early 1990s when the industry was in a state of flux. It's important to note that Kris never stopped ripping regardless of what company's board he was riding.

Slap - September 1999 Volume 8 Number 9

Reese Forbes #11.

Blinding sunlight.

Like Scott Johnston, Reese also took the Maryland to DC to California route for skateboarding. He rode for Goodtimes, turned pro for Element, and was part of Rasa Libre with Matt Field and Nate Jones. Brad Staba added him as the first professional for Skate Mental when the company went beyond making ping pong paddles and beer koozies. For shoe sponsors, I think he might have ridden for Emerica before landing on Vita and then the relaunched Nike skateboarding program. Reese was featured prominently in Dan Wolfe's Eastern Exposure video series.

I don't really have too much to say about Reese since I'm a fan of his skating and followed along with his career over the years. He didn't have a lot of interviews so there wasn't a lot of background to dig up. I'm beginning to write these profiles for people who might be stumbling on this site for the first time or if somebody skated and then stepped away for whatever reason. I'm trying to avoid writing stuff that could easily be churned out by a machine, too. That's a new creative approach that we didn't have to deal with a few years ago.

Slap - August 1999 Volume 8 Number 8

Scott Johnston #8.

Crispy clean.

Scott burns a noseblunt slide across a handrail. He's from Maryland and skated in DC a lot before getting on Think and moving out to San Francisco. Scott would turn pro for Think, switch over to Mad Circle, and end his career on Chocolate. He rode for DC Shoes and got in on the ground floor at Lakai. Scott has since moved on to being a shoe designer. During his time in SF, he used to skate vert at Max Schaaf's ramp with Max and Bob Burnquist.

It was mostly dry, although a tad on the chilly side for the weekend. I stuck with skateboarding in the driveway. I was thinking about going to an indoor park, but decided to stay home instead. I've been kind of worn out lately. I need to check the local park to see if all the snow has melted away. I figure there are probably a few drifts left. This week's warmer temperatures and rain should take care of that. I probably need to set up a new board with new wheels soon. I probably need new shoes, too.

Slap - July 1999 Volume 8 Number 7