Last November, the Palisadian-Post published a freelance submission that provided a first-hand account of skateboarding’s evolution out of Pacific Palisades in the 1960s. Hoping to insert themselves into the sport’s timeline — a decade before the famed Dogtown Z Boys made their mark — the author provided an incredible account of the first Palisades High School skateboarding team. His piece was an incredibly engaging look at the “way back when” of skateboarding’s first wave.
Recently, I joined 10 original members of the 1960s skateboarding team for a reunion at their alma matter. A half-century after they were building their own skateboards out of metal wheels nailed to two-by-fours, the seasoned skaters gathered to tell their story. Teammate and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer, Don Burgess, rallied a crew to shoot footage of the team skating together one more time.
Not only had it been decades since the crew had been together, for many it had been equally as long since they had been on a board. Now in their 60s, the former teammates were uninhibited by time or age. The fearless crew gave credence to the adages that age ain’t nothing but a number.
Pick up a copy of the July 31 issue of the Post to read the full story.
To read Keller’s full story (I recommend you do), click here.
— SIERRA SHAFER
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