Angry BMX riders mix it with self-publicists from Banbury and a wide scattering of foreign coverage in this strange letters page. Even the downhill racers get a look in. Gavin kept his comments to a minimum this month. Also of note: a letter from David Foldvari, who has cropped up more recently in these parts, and one of the sporadic appearances of our original email address on Telecom Gold (we used to publish it sometimes, but I think we only ever received one email from a reader).

Letters
R.A.D Magazine
Bowling Green Lane
London EC1R 0NE Fax: 01 833 3199

Email: Telecom Gold

72:MAG90459

IN PRINT IN ONE

Dear R.A.D

Start lively, makes joke, states point of letter, sums up. Yours (witty insertion)
Ricky of the DHSS
PS Witty comment

FISH

Firstly can you print the two pictures of the two sk8ers I’ve enclosed…
(repeat ad nauseam)

Richard Sutton
Banbury
Who works at the skate shop in Lords in Banbury and is so desperate for fame that he deluges us with letters and pictures. Sutton claims he’s the one on the left. We’ll spare you the jump ramp.

MIRROR, MIRROR

I’m beginning to think you’re just there to make profits off of hype- crazed skaters. Who cares about the friggin picture of the caged monkey and the caption by it? If scoots were taking over the country let’s face it your pages would be filled with silly scoot photos and captions. It’s got real good photos, they’re getting worse though.

I’m not into this 2-3 bike pages compared with all the skate stuff. Let’s face it you’re neglecting your bandits who have been faithfully gettin’ this mag for 8 odd years, but are now wasting their money — inc. me

Dave Slade is true and loyal with the right attitude and his stories motivate you and me (bikers), but it’s hardly a lot compared to the skating. I hope I’m getting the point through. OK? Ta, chuck.
Blair Cumming
Moray
PS I’ll always ride through lines of clueless skaters who will never understand the rad/hardcore thing. OK

That’s alright then. You’re harder, purer, BETTER than them, aren’t you? Now we’ve just made your day with an issue which has taken the bike stuff off its museum pedestal and let it rough it out with, say, street or freestyle skate coverage. This month there’s none. Next month who knows? Even bikes aren’t sacred.

VIA M ZONE

My name is Jeff Jones and I live in the USA. I am 13 years old and I recently seen your advertisement in R.A.D magazine. It’s the best ad in R”.A”.D magazine.

Me and my friends go to skateboard competitions all over our state and other states too. I would like to write to some skateboarders in England near my age (10 to 101 years old!), well, not that old, but near my age. Skateboarders from England and other countries can write me and I will try to answer every letter. I would especially like to trade photos of competitions at skateboard parks!

I hope you could ask some skateboarders to write me. Thanks.

Jeff Jones
7430 Antebellum Fort Wayne

CALLING BIN BRIGSTOCK

Please, please please could you give me the address of that RAD girl skater who wrote in issue 81? I am also a girl skater, but I have just started so I am looking for some RAD tips on skating.
Katy Paul Hounlsow
Lost it I’m afraid. Bin, if you write to us again we’ll forward your letter.

FAST FAX

Yes, Simon Levine managed to eek out the competition at Virginia Beach. But out of respect for Simon and his sponsors, and respect for myself and my sponsor, I remain fast (if not fastest) as I managed the fastest time of the day (albeit during practice).

The bottom line: Simon is a cool bloke and he ~iis~r fast, but you haven’t heard the last of me yet.
Paul Andrew Dunn (racer since 76; 2nd place VA Beach)
Santa Ana PS The real men are: Smith, Hester, Beau Brown, Roskopp, Denike and Sherman. Korten doesn’t count!

STICKERS

Why when I subscribed to you did I get this month’s R.A.D magazine with a R.A.D sticker and all my friends who bought it from the shops got the new Speed Wheels sticker? I am very puzzled.

Mark Vranic Redditch
Because you were lucky.

HUNGARY

Thank you very much for the Czech coverage. I don’t know if you’ll do a report on Hungary or not. I’m a Hungarian who lives in England… I’ve seen the British scene and the Hungarian scene.

Two years ago there were about 20 skaters in Hungary. Out of this lot only two had decent boards a completely mashed Jinx (from one of his western relatives), and ancient Grosso. Everyone else was riding crap Taiwanese things. And they had more fun than any British skater buying the latest ‘super-hell-concave-steep tail-plastic-epoxy-blacktop’ deck every two months.

This is because lots of skaters here are missing the point. Real skating is about individuality and creativity while most people seem to think it’s just ‘learning all the new tricks, have really good high Ollies and making a kick-flip that looks good’. If you forget that you are yourself, and imitate another ‘top pro’, you might as well read Just Seventeen and masturbate over Matt Goss.

Don’t get me wrong: just because I’m Hungarian doesn’t mean I’m great. In fact those skaters would much rather be where you are. Example: they’ve worked hard for years just to collect the money for enough wood for a mini and for a building permission of some sort. Winging to the council is not enough, the government has better things to do than build half- pipes.

Last summer I went to Hungary: there were more than 1000 skaters. It might seem pathetic to you, but it surprised me. Skating has started to develop out there. Now they have a team (sort of) with 5 people in it (Zoli, Zsott, Gabor, Melitta and me). We’ve done a video, but it’s pretty lame.

Anyway: be yourself, don’t try to be Ron Allen, realise you’re not good enough, get depressed and give up. That’s it for now. I’ll see you around.
David Foldvari
Chislehurst