Wednesday, May 31

Notes from the Wilderness

By Mike Vallely

Ed Templeton

From the very first time I ever skated with Ed Templeton I knew he was going to make a name for himself in skateboarding. One night back in '88 Natas Kaupas and myself drove down from Santa Monica to Huntington Beach to skate with Mark Gonzales. We met Mark at a legendary spot in Santa Ana called Lloyd's Bank. This night would turn out to be one of the most epic night's and sessions in skateboard history for not only did Mark, Natas and myself skate together but we were joined by Neil Blender and Marty Jiminez as well as and his friend Jason Lee.

I'd never seen anything like Mark Gonzales and Neil Blender skating those banks, and I haven't seen anything like it to this day. If I ever get down on skating all that I have to do is think about that night and the creativity and passion of that session. But something else was happening that night in the adjacent parking lot. Ed Templeton and Jason Lee were skating. These guys had their own approach, their own tricks and it was apparent to me immediately that on this night the torch was being passed.

Check out this video clip of Ed Templeton feeble grinding the whoopty rail at Slam City Jam.

Up until that moment Mark, Natas and myself were considered the elite street skaters (or at least the best marketed), but there in a dimly lit Orange County parking lot in 1988 the titles were open for the taking. For me it was exciting, I wasn't really intimidated by these new faces, instead I was inspired to learn their tricks and borrow a bit from their approach and style. Skating with Ed and Jason just like skating with Mark and Natas automatically made me a better skater. But the night ended on a sour note. We ended up skating a handrail at the Santa Ana Courthouse. Natas was about to slide the rail to fakie when Ed Templeton snaked him and pulled it first -- bad move. Then a big stink was made by Ed and Jason about how long it took me to frontside boardslide the rail -- they reckoned that they could've pulled it sooner. Their ego's were soaring while Natas and myself dragged our broken spirits back to Santa Monica to lick our wounds.

Since that night a lot has obviously happened. Jason Lee has come, gone and moved on. Neil Blender is in seclusion somewhere in San Diego. Mark Gonzales has retired several times. Natas Kaupas basically disappeared into retirement for a very long time. But during all of this coming and going Ed Templeton and I became friends, toured together around the world, started a company together, and continued pushing forward in skateboarding. And it's through this process and over this period of time (11 years) that I have gained the utmost respect for Ed. I hold him up as a professional skateboarder, and all that it entails, on the highest of pedestals.

Ed Templeton cruising at Slam City Jam.

Ed Templeton is a heavyweight... this guy has never let up once. He's been there in the mix from the very start and he ain't going anywhere. Skaters come by the dozens, call themselves pro's and skaters go by the dozens and none of them can hold a candle to what Ed has done, is doing or who he is. Ed Templeton bleeds skateboarding in every town he visits, he gives of himself for skateboarding, because he believes in what he's doing and along the way he's made many other people believe as well as myself. For me, Ed is a reminder of why I skate, watching him skate is a constant inspiration to keep going.

At Slam City Jam just a few weeks ago Ed Templeton stole the show, of what was really a lackluster event. The finals were not very competitive and lacked any real excitement. Though Ed finished in the 20th spot, he still managed to bring the house down with his creativity and determination that saw him stick a fifty-fifty on a ledge to boardslide down a handrail. And, in the best trick competition, he took it a step further with a feeble down the same rail out of the fifty-fifty. It was something to see, something to be a part of and I'm glad I was there.

Ed and Mike.

And so it goes... there's all these guys standing around, posturing -looking the part, acting the part. Doing their frontside flips and switch stuff, counting stairs and sweating Guy or Koston: trying to be something they never can be. And then there's Ed and the small hand full of skaters like him, that just do it, that make skateboarding what it is and whose names will be synonymous with, and be alive in, skateboarding long after they're dead and gone.

Ed Templeton is one of the great ones.