Now back in the 80's i used to skate all the time me and my friends skated everywhere,now Gator was a big name back then and his Vision pro deck was hugely popular. But it wasn't until recently that i found out he had been in prison since 1992 for killing and ex girlfriends friend. Stoked is a documentary charting his success from an early age at big ramp skating and follows his life into his early twenties when vert skating started loosing out to street skating.How he also started a downward spiral with mental health problems right untill the time he Raped and Murdered this young woman who did nothing more than remind him of his ex. He was sentenced to 2 six year sentences for the attack and rape and 25 years to life for the murder he is now eligable for parole next year in 2010. Now i know this sounds like a downbeat thread but it's an interesting documentary maybe not as good as the Z-Boys one but still worth a watch if you remeber the sport from that decade,also there is good skating footage and interviews with other skaters from the day including Tony Hawk. There is also loads of footage of some very embarrising Vision streetwear clothing that i remember everyone having.
Posted by 80'sRocked (Member # 6979) on :
Very cool Mike....thanks for the info. I will buy this documentary immediately. I was big time into boarding back in the day and a huge fan of The Gator. I also had no idea of this life of crime he had. This will be very interesting to watch.
Posted by Mike. (Member # 7179) on :
It's also interesting to see how Pro's like Tony Hawk etc who were with Powell and Peralta skateboards at the time which seemed the most proffesional all have gone on to be fairly succesful and well adjusted.Where as some of the pro's who were with lesser teams still seem to be trying to cling on to the last bit of fame they had from back then.
