Skate Reanimate

I stumbled across an eBay auction for a vintage Variflex “Joker” complete skateboard and had to post up the image here:

This happens to be the first skateboard that I owned. I had had my eye on this particular model for a long time, and it probably took two months or more of saving before I could call it my own. I still remember the sheer consumer joy I felt returning from the store with my mother, board in hand. I remember examining the copers, rail guards, thick wheels, and, best of all, the hardcore skull graphics.

I rode this board from 6th – 7th grade, when I “upgraded” to a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Face” deck:

Turned out it was actually a knock-off (as the other skaters in town were too quick to point out) with no concave–a serious setback, both physically and morally, for a young skater. Eventually I saved up enough for a real pro deck, a Santa Cruz Jason Jesse “Sungod” Small with matching orange grip and red Gullwing Super Pro III trucks and (I believe) black Powell G-Bones wheels.

This was skateboard fulfillment, and maybe it was because by then I had been skating for a couple of years on flat, bulky boards, or maybe it was because I finally had a board that I loved, but I do remember my skating improving significantly after this–just in time for my brother to build that classic half pipe in the backyard. More on that some other time…

The guys at Element decided my previous deck was indeed defective, and are sending a replacement in the size/shape I need.

It’s rare that I actually break a deck — I usually just wear them out, though I have fractured a couple tails after 2 or 3 months (gotta remember to move that front foot forward!) — and so I knew that there was something wrong when just 3 weeks in the nose of my Muska Love Kills deck began to delaminate:

But now all is good, and I get to anticipate whatever deck Element has decided to send my way.

The Element 8″ Muzka I’d picked up for ramps and parks began to delaminate, so I sent it back. In the meantime, I’ve set up a new Element 8″ Shape 16 Featherlight:

This time I picked the Element brand grip over the default cheap-o grip, and even just applying it I can tell it’s a better quality tape–thicker, denser grip that cut cleanly.

I picked up a new 8″ Element Muska deck today after checking prices and finding this on sale at the Vans store for $39 + free grip: