Sexagenarian skateboarder hits the bowls in Ocean Beach

You may know him, you may not. You may have heard about him, but if you haven’t, let me introduce the man, who is not a myth, but he is definitely a legend in San Diego. He would prefer not to disclose his birth name, but his friends know him as “Pops,” “Skater,” “Skateboard Eddie,” or just “Skateboard.”

“The good Lord has gifted me with the ability to sidewalk surf,” says Skater, “and I started skateboarding in 1956, on a little red skateboard with metal wheels.”

Skater, at 64 years old, is still an avid skateboarder. He says he got his first board while at his grandparents’ home in Orange County.

After watching Skater on his board, I was amazed at his footwork and his stance: he appears to be surfing. The way his whole body moves with the skateboard and the smooth motion is quite beautiful.

I decided that I should take him to the skateboard park in Ocean Beach, to see his reaction to the younger generation’s version of skateboarding. Well, at 64 years of age, you would think that he would have some kind of fear of hurting himself if he tried one of those fancy tricks; he had no fear, just didn’t want to look “silly” trying some of the tricks. Although he tried some of the bowls, you could see he appeared to be uncomfortable.

After returning home, Skater got on his board and showed me once again how the street was his domain. He did turns and fancy foot tricks on the street without ramps or bowls.