I thought I would take a break from my normal blogging to share this amazing video. This is skater Natas Kaupas’ part in the 1987 Santa Cruz skateboarding video ‘Wheels of fire’. I saw this on the television when I was young and it blew my mind. I loved Kaupas’ laid back style and tried to emulate it. The only thing holding me back was my utter lack of co-ordination and inability to do anything more complicated than an ollie.

Kaupas was one of the originators of street skating along with Mark Gonzales. According to his Wikipedia page:

“Kaupas would utilize his surroundings preferring not to ride ramps or parks. At the time street skating was never considered by skateboard makers and riders.”

Keep an eye out for the ‘Natas Spin’, a 720 degree turn on top of a fire hydrant which I’m still convinced isn’t actually possible. Also remember that this was 20 years ago!

You can watch the full (I think) follow up video Streets On Fire on google Video.

Tagged: natas kaupas, skateboarding, sports, video