In the mid-1970s, a group of misfits from the wrong side of Santa Monica, Calif., began surfing the concrete waves of swimming pools that drought-induced state water limits had left empty around Southern California.
The pools' steep sides and smooth curves would become launching points for a skateboarding revolution. This new, aggressive, vertical riding placed more emphasis on style than on substance. Going big was great—going big and looking good was even better.
The Z-Boys, as they were known, would become stars of this new style. Names like Jay Adams, Tony Alva, and Stacy Peralta appeared in the pages of Skateboarder Magazine. The stories, now famously referred to as the Dogtown Articles, revealed an attitude and subculture that would have a profound impact on a generation of American kids. They featured incredible imagery that showed the skateboarders in full flight.