Andy and I had just flown into LAX the night before, the weather for the weekend looked bleak...a rarity in Southern California. So we knew despite our jet lag from our cross-country travel that we needed to get on it right away. We had already hit two pools that morning before the skies opened and rain ended our session.

We had taken cover and a much-needed food break at a nearby taco stand and planned our strategy for the following day. Ozzie, Rick, Andy, and I knew our only chance to avoid the rain on Saturday would be to head east into the desert. There was a chance it may storm out there as well as it seemed rain was inevitable for many parts of the Los Angeles area.   Although, we didn't really have any other real options since riding an indoor skatepark never seems like a good idea. In fact, it would be a bummer to fly to California to ride in a cage with a bunch of jocks working on their stunts, we could most certainly do that on the east coast. But that's not skateboarding...or at least the kind of skateboarding I'm interested in doing. So with that, it was decided pool mission in the desert and we were going to go for it! Saturday morning at first light our crew assembled to head east. Marlon had to bail on the pool mission since his wife had made plans to attend an all day rock concert (or something like that) leaving him on dad duty for the day. Corey and Ray rounded out our solid six man crew.

The skate gods smiled upon us that day as we didn’t see any threat of rain until dusk. We moved quickly and swiftly from pool to pool.  We looked at some and passed, we drained and cleaned others, and of course we skated as many as we could. Who did what, who ruled the pool, which pool was better, etc. These details are unimportant…what matters is that we all had a blast, skating, laughing, and sharing the stoke. It was beyond a rad day!  It was perfect!

Pool riding is all about finding perfection in the imperfection. Backyard pool skating was and will continue to be 100% pure skateboarding.  All day, everyone was stoked.  We were with friends riding backyard swimming pools that had never been intended to be ridden. How rad is that?

The feeling of riding a backyard pool is hard to describe (or at least for me it is difficult to put into words) but what I can say is that it is a feeling that I have never experienced riding in a skatepark and for that reason alone I will always be a pool skater. - Bulldog

Andy Neal

Skateboarding is fun.  The first time I stepped on the wooden toy was in 1984 and I was ten years old.  The feeling that I got from skating was pure joy and happiness.  Not much gives me this feeling other than my family, my daughter, and some of my friendships. In 1984, my terrain was the streets of Poolesville, MD and my grandmother’s long asphalt driveway. Eventually, the terrain progressed to ramps built by me and my skateboard family of that time.  I would look at my idols in Thrasher and Transworld and read every word in every issue.  I was always drawn to the images of skaters riding in backyard pools and all I wanted to do was ride them.  A few years later I rode my first pool in Poolesville.  Fast forward to 2016.

Skateboarding is still fun.  I can’t stop.  At 41, I still feel like that ten year old smiling from ear to ear from that pure joy and happiness that riding provides.  I go to California once or twice a year now to search for the plaster and to hang with the owner of this blog who has become one of my dearest friends and my personal SoCal meteorologist.  Pretty easy job, it hasn’t rained in LA since 1935 and it’s always 78 degrees, right?  Wrong!  ”And then the rains came.” But, we outsmarted old man Nino by heading into the desert to ride some sun parched plaster.  At first entry, not a word was spoken; every part was perfectly played out by those in the crew, who just, knew what to do.  A well-oiled machine.

We handled the situation in ten minutes. Pure Fun… Repeat.  Wheels rolled, stories were told, and the tacos were bold.  I am grateful for skateboarding and my pool pals, both old and new.  The day, put simply, was perfection.  If there is one thing that skateboarding has taught me, it is not to take things too seriously and just have fun.     - Andy Neal

Rick Stine