Hester Series / Newark / Rick Blackhart

Rick Blackhart

“Ah yes, Ride On Skatepark in Newark, California. It was the site of the third contest in the first Hester Series. The year was 1978 and skating was fucking hot! The Independent Truck had just come out and I was at the top of my game. I did the first frontside roll-in during this contest and should have won it but Bobby Valdez did a lame hand-plant and the judges couldnt decide who the winner was, me or him. They asked me if I wanted to tie for first place or let the judges pick a winner. I said “Fuck that! Pick a winner.” So, they picked Bobby. Little did I know that if I had settled for a first place tie, I would have won the entire Hester Series. Yikes. Huge mistake on my part. As it ended up, I took third overall in the series….  Here are a few memories about the bowl at Newark. That thing was a monster. It was a twelve foot deep keyhole and all cement. It had a rough broomed surface that would tear you up. There was no tiles in the pool and it had huge four inch coping that felt like hitting a parking block when we rode up on it. It was a burly no-nonsense bowl for sure. I hear its still there, just burried in dirt waiting to be dug out….  grab your shovels!” - Dr. Rick Blackhart

Thank you to Rick Blackhart for the memories and Glen E. Friedman for the image. Skate- Ozzie