Podcast Episode 18: Skateboarding Is A Crime bloftin2.blog
@bloftin2 I have a subscription to Thrasher. It has a different tone w/o Phelps, and that's a good thing, IMHO. Is it a pillar of civics and public saftey? No. But nothing that is youth-culture drivren ever was, or will be. My biggest beef with Thrasher is how they have dissuaded pads and helmets over the years. Skateboarding has literally gone the opposite direction of science/the world. In the ‘80s you saw a lot more helmets/pads (in skating) than you do now, and no one in the rest of the world had them, esp. helmets. Today, very few people in skateboarding have helmets, and the rest of the world has widely adopted them (bikes, skiing, hockey, etc.). Meanwhile, skating’s risk level has skyrocketed (esp. street skating). Everyone is free to make their own decisions about what they do, but problem is Thrasher moving the needle about wearing that stuff because it is simply “more gnarly” wihout it, as the risk factor is higher.
@TheLoneSentry @bloftin2 I wonder if that was a regional thing. During the 80s I don’t think I saw anyone wearing pads or helmets in Boston. Thrasher was the zine to read. They introduced me to Samhain. And I miss my neon orange sweatshirt with its neon blue Thrasher logo.
@josephaleo I run an instragm feed that posts only non-pro pics from the 1980s. I've posted thousands of photos on the feed. Launch ramps, pools, ramps, ditches, etc. Pads are all over the place. I've even posted pics of people skating a Metals, Turtles, and Government Center with them (not to mention C-Bowl, ZTs, and assorted MA backyard ramps).
@josephaleo Even using Thrasher as the only source material. Look at how many photos of ramps/pools/etc. you see with people wearing gear, compared to any in the magazing today. Huge difference. Phelps even said at one point he would never run a cover shot with anyone wearing pads.
@TheLoneSentry Joseph, a big differene these days it even in vert skating, on MASSIVE terrain, people are skating with no safety gear. I pick Thrasher up at the book store from time to time and look through it.