Dontcom

“Two hundred years of american technology has unwittingly created a massive cement playground of unlimited potential. But it was the minds of 11 year olds what could see that potential.”

Craig Stecyk, 1975

Craig Stecyk is an artist, photographer and journalist.

Back in the 70’s while painting surfboards and running the infamous Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, Craig Stecyk also took to documenting the antics of a gang of young surfer/skaters called the Z-Boys.

During the same time a massive drought hit California which resulted in many empty backyard swimming pools. To most people, these pools were nothing but a waste of space and water — to those young skateboarders it was the beginning of something groundbreaking. Those delinquent skaters are the ones responsible for modern vert skating and the crazy skate culture we have today.

This video echos those early days of pool skating. This time round it’s not the water that has dried up, but the money. Foreclosures and bad credit have lead to a glut of abandoned houses most of which have backyard pools just begging to be shredded. This short film — much like Dog Town and Z-Boys — manages to capture that awesome pool skating ethos and aesthetic. Take the time to watch this film and witness the true beauty of urban decay.