I’ll bet you a fresh pair of kicks and some ceramic bearings that a whole lot of you have completely forgotten the once legendary Santa Cruz Skateboard company..? Yeah, I knew it. Well, let’s just have a quick recall of the SCS history to show you ingrates where this landmark company is coming from, and where it is probably heading. Firstly, Santa Cruz ran things back in the day as one of the only viable competitors to Powell Peralta during the 80’s. They also invented Slick©, and if you were young enough to ride it you knew it was fun! Then, SCS suffered a sharp fall during the early 90’s, but then again so did the rest of the industry- Dark days… As new life was blown back into the market and SCS looked ready to start afresh, they lost a load of their team, and since then have slipped slowly but surely off the radar. You see, SCS is an all-American skate company that has tried and tested the whole “gimmick” aspect of the market, emerged out the other side and come to the conclusion that all skater’s really need and want is no-nonsense quality goods i.e. no fancy packaging, signature trinkets or jazzy names- Just good skating. Oh, and damn strong boards! So, back to the subject at hand: Guarte – the latest video from SCS with a great line-up, cool skating, a fine storyline and a real “Who’s who?” of cameos. I’ll take this moment to shed light on the storyline that winds it’s way through this video. Think ‘Las Nueves Vidas de Paco’ from chocolate, and you’re pretty much there. Sprinkle the lot with loads of famous and not so famous skaters from the past and present and Bob’s your uncle!
Anyway, back to the skating… The SCS amateur roster will leave a few companies envious because between Damian Smith who runs the streets like Ricky Oyola except switch, and the best kept secret Nestor Judkins stylin’ it up for miles, you’re served with some sweet viewing. On a side note, the last time I saw Nestor was in a TWS amateur issue and the kid was tiny but already turning heads: Expect more from this young man… A true feeling of different generations can be felt throughout Guarte be it with the Veteran Division section full of powerslides and slash grinds thanks to Tom Knox and Eric Dressen, or the powerhouse parts from Mike Frazier or Stacy Lowery. SCS takes care of it’s riders.
Finally, the highlights of this video: Alex Moul and Emmanual Guzman. Right, we all know what Alex is capable of and he doesn’t disappoint. The cheeky humour is there, the late shove-its, impossibles etc. and more are all in there. In fact, watching his section had me thinking back to the early 90’s when crazy flip tricks looked crap done 3cm in the air. Back then I told myself this kind of bastardized skating would look a lot better if some serious pop was applied. Well, Alex has done just that! Next to Alex stands Emmanual Guzman- the SCS all-terrain vehicle that combines power and style to the sweet melodies of Metallica. This kid has got some serious balls on him and reminds me of a modern day Jason Jessee. I’m not entirely sure why, but hey…
So, there you have it: Guarte is well worth your hard earned currency and SCS deserve a pat on the back for holding on so long to finally put out a quality video that does themselves and skateboarding justice. I liked this video.