Former Pro Scott Hostert Picks Up Skateboarding After 35 Years

My mom tipped me off to this article in the Los Angeles Times, which was buried way down inside the newspaper, at the Saturday wellness feature: "Middle-aged skateboarders defy family skeptics, and falls.

I laughed because my old skateboarding pals posted this picture of Scott Hostert on Facebook, at the Big O group page. I used to work at Big O Skatepark when I was in high school. Spent nearabouts every day at the park while it was open during its roughly three year run.

Hostert was on the Sims Skateboards pro team back in the day. That's me (at bottom left) just sitting, watching the action, next to the park's capsule pool, one of the greatest skatepark pools of that era.



Big O built a water slide sometime around 1981, and that was the beginning of the end for the park. The novelty wore off fast. And the water slide not only leaked all over the skateboarding pipes and pools, but it ended up being a death trap as well. See this old Los Angeles Times article, "Water Slide Victims Settle for More Than $300,000."

I would have been about 16 years old in the photograph, and going into my senior year in high school.

Not sure when, but I plan to get a new skateboard soon, and all the requisite safety gear, and head out to some of the great new skateparks that have opened up these days. I won't be looking to rekindle my former glory. Mostly, I just want to get some exercise and feel young again. I'll keep you posted.