ACE and friends.

A few months ago, my phone rang and Ray Zimmerman mentioned something about some of the ACE Trucks crew all coming together for a pool mission. Could something be arranged?  ”You know me…” I answered. Anytime that I can gather together some of skateboardings mega-talent and have a backyard pool session is a good day for me. “I’ll get it handled.” I told him. I drained a really old pool called ‘Mousetrap’. Salba had taken me there in the mid 1990’s. It was a staple of ours for a few years back then. Ripperside Shawn, Brandon Wong and I bucketed a few years worth of filth out of the ‘Mousetrap’ and were a bit disappointed in the condition of the surface. It had clearly deteriorated over the last ten years of abandonment.

The next day, Oscar Navarro, Brad McClain, Willy Lara, Charlie Blair, Al Brunelle, Robbie Russo and Mighty all met up at Ridiculous. Ray Zimmerman was already at the house and we immediately left in a caravan. We drove past a few pools and did a recon of some old favorites. Salba had a unique way of approaching a day of pool riding. He would start at the steepest, most difficult pool first and then work his way back toward the best pool and save it for last. He would try and put down his lines at every pool. By the last pool, it would feel like a skatepark in comparison. We tried his approach. We stopped at the ‘Mousetrap’. It received its name because in its early days, they would prop the diving board up, out of the way, with a board so they could skate the facewall. One session, the board gave way and snapped down on top of Dave Reul while he was skating. It slapped him down like a mousetrap… or so I’ve been told. Either way, it was rough and steep. The crew dug into her…

After taking what cheese we could from the ‘Mousetrap’, we drove over to a tiny kidney from the fires of 2003. It was a personal favorite of mine. I simply like the way it looks…  it is tiny and aesthetically pleasing. The light, deathbox and clam shell stairs, along with the pale blue tiles make it a perfect little gem. The crew became acquainted with it.

We left and bought drinks and snacks. Next stop? Permission pool. It was a favorite of ours. Mellow deep end and steep shallow. Things could really go down in this little nugget. I’d had previously seen things I couldn’t believe… It would be interesting to watch these guys handle business. They didn’t disappoint.

In the end, we drove back to Ridiculous. BBQ, good music, good friends…  perfection. The crew lit into the walls of Ridiculous and we finished out the day exactly the way it began. Stoked. Thanks to the Ace Trucks crew and friends. Thank you to MRZ for the images. Skate- Ozzie