By Rich Henrich
Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley are home to numerous legendary characters from golf pros to movie stars and rock stars but one legend you may not be aware of is Palm Desert resident and Professional Skateboard legend Eddie“El Gato” Elguera. An early innovator of vertical skateboarding throughout the late 70’s and 80’s, Eddie is a two-time world champion, was named Skateboarder of the year in 1979, and in1980, became the overall winner of the Gold Cup Series of Skateboarding. This weekend he will gather the pioneers of skateboarding for his second annual El Gato Skateboard Classic, a unique event that unites skateboarders across all generations. This year’s event will feature Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Mike McGill and of course, Eddie “El Gato” Elguera along with many legends of the board. Proceeds will benefit local non-profits and the Tony Hawk Foundation.
“Legends’ events have been increasing in popularity as new skaters are learning about and paying respect to the “founding fathers” of the sport,” says pioneer of the sport Eddie Elguera. He became involved in a few Legends Contests and recognized how difficult they were to get in, the criteria was a barrier for a lot of guys. So, an idea was born and all the legends and pioneers of the past, the founding fathers of wood and wheels would be welcomed even if they no longer had the knees or backs to ride. Eddie began to share his vision for the event and the reception was exceptional with fans and industry pros alike. Tony Hawk, clearly the largest name in skateboarding today, caught wind of the event and immediately signed on. This year, he will be Community Grand Marshall and will be joined by other legendary skaters and punk rocking faithful, Agent Orange, for this historic and monumental event.
Eddie’s goal is simple- honor the past, champion the future. “I don’t want people to forget where skating started. Tony Hawk always mentions me as a guy he learned from. He always remembers his past and I’m honored by that,” says the event founder. Many people are aware of Dogtown and Z-Boys, the award-winning documentary by Stacey Peralta that explores the pioneering of the Zephyr skateboard team in the 1970s, a story of a group of teenagers that influenced the history of skateboarding. The story most people fail to realize is the guys that came before them, the true pioneers of the sport, Eddie “El Gato” Elguera and his boys.
“We didn’t have social media, there weren’t corporate sponsors back then. We looked to a couple of magazines for new tricks and that would take like three months between issues sometimes just to get a photo of a trick! So, we were inventing all kinds of stuff but no one was around to document it,” says the inventor of “Elguerial.” Noting how skateboarding has influenced culture, art, music, fashion and punk rock, Eddie says he learned a lot from the sport, especially to not give up, to push the limits, lessons he applies to his life. The message carries through the El Gato Classic, sharing the passion with the Tony Hawk Foundation.
“We try to help with funding and resources for public parks,” says Community Grand Marshall, Tony Hawk of his foundations mission. “Kids are challenged and disenfranchised in a lot of communities because they don’t have the support if they want to ride their skateboards. So far, in thirteen years, we’ve been able to raise funds for over 500 skate parks. It’s been a blast!” Tony was the first one to jump onboard to help Eddie realize his vision. He started skating at nine years old and looked at the magazines for tricks. “Back then, it was all about your style and your look. Eddie was all about new tricks. He had a huge influence on me. I didn’t have the body type to look agro, I was a skinny kid, I couldn’t look gnarly!” He laughs. “But I wasn’t afraid to try tricks. Eddie was a big part of my evolution. I’m honored to be here with him and all the guys that helped make this sport what it is,” says Hawk, now a successful entrepreneur with video games, clothing lines and a brand known across the globe.
Mike Palm, front man for the punk rock force known as Agent Orange (who’s hit Bloodstains is used in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4) is thrilled to be a part of this year’s Classic. “We were supposed to play last year but were in Seattle. This is special. We’re really looking forward to playing and seeing a lot of the guys I grew up seeing in magazines. Some guys I remember from way back at the Fruit Bowl in Garden Grove. Dogtown guys, people from all over. I was pretty focused on music so missed a lot of contests but still followed (skateboarding). I’ll be seeing a lot of these guys for the first time. That’s cool!” says the man who helped tie punk rock to skateboarding. In the early days, everyone was pushing the energy levels and Agent Orange was at the core. “It’s hard to have a serious skate session listening to Elton John. Aggression and intensity equals punk rock. It’s a perfect fit for skateboarding, sets the mood and tone, like a soundtrack for a movie,” waxes the musical entrepreneur. “Did you see Hawk pull off the Horizontal Loop? Amazing! This weekend is really about the Golden Era of skateboarding and Palm Springs is the place to do it,” adds the man that lives by the philosophy of “it’s all about having fun!”
Palm has always been a musician involved in the skate world. While he does skate and grew up in the culture, he focused more on the music, creating what he calls the “soundtrack for the scene.” He’s been playing music and skating since he was a kid and says it’s a good situation to be in because he’s not in competition with anyone so he really gets to enjoy the whole scene. He met Eddie years ago and recalled running into Eddie at the Vans Pool Party. “Eddie talked about his plan back then for this Classic. He’s looking to make it better than last year. The cool thing about skateboarding,” he adds, “is it’s not separated like other sports, everyone’s approachable.” What a wonderful group to approach this weekend! Legends of street, ramp, pool, photography, music and art all coming together to honor and champion a sport and a cause that has made such a tremendous impact on culture not just on the West Coast but across the country and around the entire globe. Eddie’s vision is beginning to blossom with the help of seriously talented friends.
These days, Eddie is known as Pastor Eddie and uses skateboarding as an outreach for his church, The Rock Church, a name that suits the legend and his mission to bring people to Christ. It’s a mission he and skate pal, Christian Hosoi, “the Michael Jordan of skateboarding,” share. Hosoi found faith in God while serving time in prison. “We were at the top finding fulfillment in other things and honestly weren’t fulfilled,” says the youth pastor. “I was at the top of my game in ‘79-80 and a lot of promises were not kept, the expectations and high pressure to continue accomplishing goals become a dead end. There was an emptiness in my life and I turned to drugs and drinking for a few years. In 1983, I gave my life to Christ and found the fulfillment I had been looking for. I was finally fulfilled!” exclaims the man behind the grand vision for the El Gato Classic. The congregation will get to see their Pastor in a very different role this weekend, as he dons the title of skate legend, recently returning from a Generations Contest in Brazil with a 2nd Place win.
“My wife and family are so supportive. This event would not happen with out her,” beams the skateboarding husband. His wife, Dawn, adds, “The Legends of Skateboarding see Palm Springs as such an iconic location that they want to bring their celebration to this community. We love our community and are grateful to all the volunteers, participants and sponsors,” she says with sincere gratitude. The event, like skateboard culture itself, encapsulates art, music, fashion and even a tree lighting ceremony in connection with the Rotary Club. “The first part of the event is geared more towards the adult fans. They will get to see guys they saw for the first time, and live out their childhood once again. The guys they only saw pictures of will be here in Palm Springs!” says the Peter Pan man. Saturday will feature a Block Party that will also include legend Steve Alba and his band along with Agent Orange and others. Craig Stecyk, the famous photographer that captured much of the Z-Boy era as well as Neil Blender, Jeff Ho, Dave Hackett, Mike McGill (Mr. McTwist) and many others will be on hand throughout the weekend. There will be a Vert ramp demo with pros, featuring Tony Hawk and amateurs as well. “It’s important to showcase the talent that is coming up and seeing how the sport continues to evolve. It’s a great way to connect the generations…honoring the past and championing the future,” cheers the Pastor Eddie.
“He’s the real deal. He does this altruistically. He truly wants to give these guys their due credit,” states Tony Hawk on Eddie Elguera and his vision for the El Gato Skateboard Classic. “I look forward to being a part of this and of course, skating with Eddie, Stave Cab, Alba, Duane Peters and Steve Olson. These guys really are pioneers. Christian (Hosoi) had a huge influence in the 80’s and he still has that style!” exclaims Hawk who claims he can hold his own at his video game but is better in real life. Now an incredibly successful entrepreneur, Tony offers his advice to the next generation. “Believe in yourself. Do what you love regardless of if it’s cool or if there’s a paycheck attached. At least, you’ll love going to work!”
Hawk says he isn’t surprised by the popularity of skateboarding now but is more surprised by why it wasn’t embraced early on. “To do an event like this years ago, it wouldn’t have been appreciated. No one was appreciating what these guys were doing for skateboarding. This type of event can thrive and we need to honor those who revolutionized the sport,” he professes. He looks forward to the vert ramp demo where the idea is that a foundation has been laid so this generation, with support from the previous, can attain new heights and go even further with the sport and culture.
One of the goals of the event is to raise funds to create a documentary. While Dogtown and Z-Boys told one part of the history, Eddie “El Gato” Elguera would like to tell the story of those who came before. Tony Hawk adds that there are a few gaps in the historical timeline, especially the transition between the 70s-80s. “The guys who were most innovative and influential, didn’t have anyone around to appreciate what they were doing. The audience wasn’t there like it is now. In the 90s, street skating was evolving but no one was making a living from it. It was a revolution of limits,” says the man who recently released Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 this fall.
Sponsors for the event include Palm Springs Resorts, Spa Resort Casino, Palm Springs Skate Park, Buzz Factory, Vans Shoes, Juice It Up, TG Tattoo, S1 Helmets, Rhythm Skate Shop and CV Weekly. For complete up to date information, please check out the website at www.elgatoclassic.com
For more information on the work of the Tony Hawk Foundation, one of the beneficiaries of the event, go to www.tonyhawkfoundation.org
