BEGINNING days
I first stood on a skateboard in 1967 but really caught the bug in 1973. Growing up in the suburbs of East Los Angeles, on the hills of Monterey Park. Our crew skated every kind of terrain from the street, hills, school yards, banks, drainage ditches, pipes and pools. We freestyles, Slalom, downhill, rode surf style and eventually rode vert. Through my sister I met Dale "The Sausage Man" Smith who got me into competing in all the comps of the mid seventies. He introduced me to skaters like Russ Howell, Skitch Hitchcock, Mike Weed, Ty Page, Tommy Ryan and James O'Mahoney. I soon met skaters like Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Waldo Autry, Kevin Anderson, Chris Strople, Brad Strandlund and Ed Economy in which skateboarding became my passion.
Skateboarding became my passion
Around 1974 all I could do was think about surfing and skating, if we couldn't get one of our parents to take us to the beach than all we did was surf skate the hills around my house. Down the street was Grandview public pool, the pool I learned how to swim. Well during the fall and winter the city would drain the pool because it could not compete with the pools that were heated. Grandview was an Olympic size 10 foot deep pool. Now pool riding ran through my blood so much so that Chris Strople and I formed IPS (Inouye's Pool Service) in 1976. It was a way for to enter your backyard and drain your pool. IPS developed a new urethane cleaning technique. Oh by the way their was a drought happening in Southern California. Enough said!
The GOLDEN years
In late 1976 Waldo took me to a photo shoot at the Anaheim Skatepark which was not opened yet. There was Stacey Peralta, Gregg Weaver, Rodney Jessie, Paul Hoffman, Mike Weed and Scott Williams all sporting their team jersey. Well I did not belong and soon after I was flown out. Waldo said "hey their a Sims jersey in my truck" so I grabbed it and threw it on and snuck back in. Gary Coccaro the keeper of the park caught me again but not before Warren "WB" Bolster snapped a picture of me (the one at the top of the page). The photo was featured in Skateboarder Magazine as the April 1977 centerspread. Soon after I found myself riding for Sims and traveling the US doing demo, grand openings and contest.
Skateboarder magazine was the bible to our industry and I was featured in all most every issue in the late seventies even getting back to back covers. At the time seemed like I was never home traveling everywhere to skate. While I was in Florida I met Hunter Joslin who for some reason took interest in my and helped me take IPS further along. We started printing stickers, t-shirts and hats all of which was distributed by the Hoffmans' out of the world famous Pipeline Skatepark in Upland, California. We surfed and skated all day - Life was Good.
Skateboarder magazine was the bible to our industry and I was featured in all most every issue in the late seventies even getting back to back covers. At the time seemed like I was never home traveling everywhere to skate. While I was in Florida I met Hunter Joslin who for some reason took interest in my and helped me take IPS further along. We started printing stickers, t-shirts and hats all of which was distributed by the Hoffmans' out of the world famous Pipeline Skatepark in Upland, California. We surfed and skated all day - Life was Good.
Present times
I moved to the Pacific Northwest in the town of Hood River this is where I found my passion for snowboarding. I moved with Kathryn to the Oregon Coast where I built ramps for the city of Seaside na d Nehalem, we started a family and have two beautiful girls Aspen and Autumn. Soon after we relocated back to Hood River where we opened a skate shop. Both my daughter passion was snowboarding, Aspen 2nd in halfpipe at the OISA State Championships in 2012. Autumn followed in her sisters footsteps and became OISA State Halfpipe Champ as a freshman in 20013 and followed that up with USSA National Halfpipe Champ in 2015.
Through the shop we ran both skateboard and snowboard/ski camps at the Hood River Skatepark and at Timberline Ski Area. We taught many of kids to do both and some have went on to do things in the industry.
Through the shop we ran both skateboard and snowboard/ski camps at the Hood River Skatepark and at Timberline Ski Area. We taught many of kids to do both and some have went on to do things in the industry.