346: The Wooden Wave II Alexandria VA 1979

WOODEN WAVE II Richmond VA 1979 Dave Alexander

These photos are Dave Alexander, skating a ramp which was dubbed “the wooden wave II”.  The pictures were probably taken by Dave’s brother, Mike.  Dave, Mike, and I  built this very sketchy but huge ramp out of mostly scrap wood next to the Telegraph Road / Duke Street overpass probably around 1979. Dave and Mike, and I lived on the same street growing up in Alexandria, and this was about a mile from where we lived.  We had built a previous wooden wave in the parking lot of an office building which lasted a week or so before we were ordered to tear it down.  This second incarnation was built right across a public sidewalk which served as the run-up.  The ramp was a total piece of crap, it shook when you hit the transition on the way up, but it was definitely fun to ride.  The thing was sixteen feet tall and the top piece of plywood was just barely over vertical (probably by accident).  This one lasted a few weeks until one day we showed up and it had been burned down.  Being built on public property right across a sidewalk, we knew it wouldn’t last long, but we figured the public works guys from the city would tear it down.  As it turns out, it served as a bon fire for someone instead, but it was fun while it lasted.  We built a series of these things all over Alexandria.  I know most skaters from back in the day did the same thing.  Good times…