After watching Chemi Rosado Seijo’s work with community activism and skateboarding, it made me think of the original skaters of Dogtown and their zephyr skateboard team.
Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams and Tony Alva made up the core that represented Venice and Santa Monica, nicknamed dogtown, skateboarding in the 1970s. They were a group of teenagers who surfed on their time off from school and work, and when the waves weren’t good enough, they translated their skills to the streets. They revolutionized the way people skated, and brought their surf flare to the world of skateboarding.
Before the z boys, skateboarding was limited to freestyle street moves like the ollie and kickback . Half pipes and catching air weren’t as common, and that is where the z boys thrived. Thanks to the droughts of southern california, many pools were emptied by residents, and they took this opportunity to shred the cement like waves. They brought their creativity to the world of skateboarding, and they gained so much popularity that Jay Alvarez and Stacy Peralta eventually went pro. Jay is still sponsered by vans today
Many of the Zephyr skate team is still alive and skating in the parks of california on their time off today.