TONY ALVA REVISITS THE GONZALES POOL WORDS BY OZZIE AUSBAND PHOTOS BY RHINO “So few people live life by their own rules. People get stuck in the stagnant pool of complacency and call that living. Armchair warriors always fail.” Gonzales pool aka Gonzo’s. Anyone that remembers Skateboarder before Action Now, remembers Caballero when he wore Rector elbow pads on his knees as a young am, remembers Inouye Pool Service Caster boards, remembers that-arguably-the best wheels came in a colorful cardboard cylinder and they were red, green or blue. Those were the days of Gonzo’s, a time when the Z-boys/Dogtowners were the measuring stick to what everyone else had to stand up against. A time of rivalries; Badlands, Vals, Dogtown, San Diego. Yeah, that shit was rad and I’m glad I lived to witness it. Vert prevailed, pool riding was the norm and in the coveted, tiny backyard of an ex-Hollywood actor somewhere in Santa Monica, a right-hand kidney would prove to be one of the ultimate skate spots for the Z-boys through the late 1970’s, Gonzo’s! It was strange when I met Tony Alva. I mean, after all—he lit the proverbial fuse—and shit was never the same thereafter. Photos of TA adorned every available space in my bedroom back in the day and I—like many, many others—wanted to skate pools just like TA. I’d already skated 24+ years before I finally met TA, so I was very stoked to be able to ride with him. It just so happened it … Continue reading GONZO’S POOL REVISITED