Robert Brink - Writer

Festivus: Damn Am Costa Mesa '09

January 7, 2010 | Skip To The Comments (1)

Festivus: Damn Am Costa Mesa ‘09
Words: Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, February 2009

On October 24, 2009, a landmark event occurred: the Skateboarding Hall of Fame was created.

Breathtaking.

Democracy reigned supreme and four dudes were inducted—one from each decade of skateboarding’s existence thus far. You might have heard of some of them… but we’re only gonna discuss one. His name is Tony Alva and he is the Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee for the 1970s. Congrats, Tony.

But this isn’t about the Skateboarding Hall of Fame or Tony Alva. It’s about something waaaaaay bigger. I simply told you that story so I could tell you this one: On October 25th, the 8th annual Damn Am contest was held at Volcom headquarters in Costa Mesa. As the finals commenced… some leathery-skinned dude in a red shirt and fedora, carrying a brand new Alva cruiser board, complete with colorful and authentic-looking Alva logo griptape, arose from the crowd.

He chugged from his liquor-filled sippy cup while weeble wobbling back and forth before belligerently “not giving a fuck” and stumbling onto the street course… all the while proudly waving his Alva board in the air… as if to say, “I’m here to let you know what elements of skateboarding’s history resonate with me! All hail Tony Alva! Inductee into the all-new Skateboarding Hall of Fame! King of 1970s skateboarding!”

Which got me to thinking, that Hall of Fame party in Orange, California the night before must have been pinnacle, because this guy just may have attended, pulled an all-night rager and somehow relocated his pickled self to Damn Am Costa Mesa (11.8 miles away according to Google Maps) and was still going strong at four in the afternoon at Damn Am. Impressive. This is the very stuff champions are made of.

But not nearly as impressive as Brian Schaefer’s nonchalant and almost-instinctual ability to let the Alva-crazed boozer have his moment of shine on the course before politely (and while donning full “Florida white trash” Halloween regalia) convincing him to head back to the sidelines so the contest could continue.

Schaefer’s foresight, which resulted in a five-minute-plus, “we’re not laughing with you, we’re laughing at you”-esque intermission for everyone in attendance, is a valuable life lesson.

This might not be news to you, but there’s so much more to skateboarding than skateboarding. Skateboarding is far too grand to ignore the peripherals, which are usually as entertaining as the skateboarding itself.

Whether it’s the hammered Alva dude lurking the course, the bloodbath of the best trick contest (just ask Dylan Perry, who lost a few pints and ended up with a grip of stitches in two fingers), Luan de Olivera qualifying first and then winning the whole shebang, or Clint Walker coming from out of Nowhere, Oklahoma and taking first in the best trick, second in the finals and the Zumiez Destroyer award.

The moral of the story is life is a quest for fun. Don’t deprive yourself, or others, the opportunity to fulfill that quest by kicking the sloshed Alva guy off the course too soon. Let him go for it. Savor his presence. Laugh a little. And be thankful skateboarding brought him there so you could smile one more time during the day.