Steve Ortega - the Original Zinger

This is one of my favourite skate photos from an era of massive change in skateboarding.

The other thing I like about it is the word "zinging" - we adopted this term for 360 flips, now commonly known as the tre, but still a Zinger to me. A long time before Zip Zingers etc.

It's Steve Ortega (watch the old H-Street videos if you don't know) "zinging an amazing 360 varial ollie kickflip" - Micki Vuckovich pic - classic Transworld steez. Surprisingly they've called it a varial, which I'm sure technically (and pedantically) is incorrect as we all know a Varial uses hands. Don't we? Remember the Varibots?

It actually looks a bit mob now, but at the time it was the new, unbelievable trick. I've got a feeling this could be the first ever published (street) photo of a tre / Zinger? It was invented / popularized / taken to the streets by Jason Lee and/or Ed Templeton, but I expect Rodney did it first!



Photo credit: Micki Vuckovich, via the Kicktokill.blogspot.com via the Chromeball.

Bucky Lasek Impossible Tailgrab Nose-slapper, Bath 1991

I've uploaded one trick from the 1991 Powell Peralta demo in Bath.

Hopefully at some point I'll have time to upload some more!

The demo featured Bucky Lasek, Tony Hawk, Curtis McCann, Mike Manzoori and Nicky Guerrero skating both a temporary vert ramp* and the classic Bath mini/midi.

Maybe one day I'll find the footage of Jeff Phillips, Reese Simpson and Monty Nolder skating Bath from around the same era. (Oz-cabs, have you got that tape?) Plus another Powell demo from a year or 2 before with Hawk and Lance.

*This was before the permanent vert ramp, which went up in about 1994 or 1995?