'Ridiculous' pool.

[caption id=“attachment_697” align=“aligncenter” width=“450” caption=“Salba-bs box”]

Periodically, something comes into your life that changes you and everything around you, forever. You may not fully realize it at the moment but a gnawing in your gut tells you…“this is it.” Maybe, it’s a  girl you meet, a moment at your skate spot, deja vu…..Later when you reflect on that precise thing, you realize its impact.

The home foreclosure mess of the last few years has had a rippling effect throughout the greater Los Angeles region. At one time, we could drive the grid on a pool search, finding very few vacant properties…..lately though, it seems virtually every street has an abandoned home. Salba & Billy located one of the greatest backyard pools ever to be found.

On a hot summer day, they were driving the grid -and looking to their left- saw a brown trimmed old 1950’s ranch home which appeared empty. It had that un-lived in look peculiar to the area. The house squatted there, devoid of life; wilted plants and  trees sagging in the hot sun. Salba & Billy glanced at each other, grinned and pulled over to scope it.  That decision and morning drive made history. It changed all of us for the better.

The backyard was burnt by the hot desert sun, and the pool was tiles-deep in black water. The shape was a right-hand kidney with a slightly interesting bend to the pool…it was sort-of curved….off center. They drained it & couldn’t believe the transitions. With a perfect face -wall , all the way around, and a super-mellow shallow, the pool seemed too good to be true. It had bullnose coping and the obstacles were perfectly situated for intense challenge.

They barged it for a few months keeping it on the DL. One day they were sessioning and Salba peered over at everyone on the stairs. He had just taken an epic Salba run, going over every obstacle in the pool and killing it flawlessly. He turned and spat to hide his grin of self-satisfaction.“This pool is ridiculous!“  he quipped.The moniker stuck.

Shortly afterward, the house fell into the hands of a realtor and Peter King felt it was time to act. Most people are like a drum. Empty inside and loud when beaten. Their mouth can always get the talking part done! When it comes to action, most fail. Monuments to ineptitude. Peter King is NOT one of these. He put his money where his mouth is, bought the house and a bunch of us pool pals moved in.

The sessions have been epic. We keep it pretty private but on weekends there are rad sessions with cool people from everywhere. “Ridiculous’ has definantly advanced everyones riding abilities and raised the bar on what is possible in pool skating. It has brought people together and helped to create a friendly place without ego and ‘pool-itics’. (most of the time). Thanks PK for changing things for the better. Skate Strong-Ozzie (special thanks to Peter King & Brandon Wong for the amazing photographs!)

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