away from the sun

Tom Sims passed away recently. There were a barrage of internet tributes and then silence fell quickly. I understand. What more can be said? It is a tragedy. Tom Sims was an early pioneer of long boards, skateboarding itself and snowboarding. His seat at the banquet table of heroes is undeniable. He was on the forefront of great things time and time again. Well, the other day I was at Ray Zimmerman’s house. In the garage, he pulled out a Sims Taperkick in mint condition. I remarked to Ray that it would be cool to take  it somewhere and have some fun carving it around. He tucked it under his arm and we decided to give it a try. Today, we rode with Jake Reuter at his pool. It was fun. I took one run on my board and then decided to ride the Sims board. It was strange at first. I struggled briefly and then got it together. Jake just dropped in and ripped. He pulled a tailtap and I immediately was inspired to get busy. We wanted to give Tom Sims a fitting tribute and I think we accomplished exactly that. Tom has moved away from the sun. He left us too early. He also left us an amazing legacy. Sims skateboards and snowboards. He was a pioneer and he will be missed. Thanks to Jake Reuter and MRZ. Skate- Ozzie