Lester Kasai on Tracker
This Tracker skateboards ad with Lester Kasai is really clever. It’s a two page spread (see below) displayed with a couple of regular pages in between the first and second. The concept being, Lester was so bio (That’s Extreme!™ for you kids today) that his air couldn’t be contained on just one page. It’s great ad. They tell you to send a buck (for stickers you have to assume) but don’t tell you where to send it. You’ve got to look for another Tracker advert to get the address. This campaign should have won an award.
This ad was shot (by who? there’s no photo credit) at a huge pro demo held near the St Louis arch that was sponsored by an old company called Zeltzer Seltzer and a now defunct midwest chain called Island Sports.
If you squint at the front row of bystanders you can see the then editorial staff of Skate and Annoy!
- Kilwag – Co-Editor, Art Director
- Mike Poor ( Known associate )
- Mike “Swiv” Timble. – Editor of Skate and Annoy Update a one sheet newsletter/calendar listing of skate contests in the Midwest.
- Neil McDougall – Co-Editor at the time, currently writes Ebay Watch on Skate and Annoy
Company/Brand: Tracker
Product Type: Skateboards
Decade: 80's
Year: 1986
Rider: Lester Kasai
Magazine: Transworld
Issue: Transworld: December 1986
Country: USA
Agreed, clever ad. A couple of details to add:
The uncredited photographer was almost certainly Grant Brittain.
The 1986 demos (where this pic was shot) were sponsored only by Island Water Sports. Zeltzer Seltzer didn’t co-sponsor anything that year, as the brand hadn’t really launched yet.
Zeltzer did sponsor skating at STL’s VP Fair in 1987. But in ’87 there were no real demos, just a pro contest–which Tony Hawk won on a somewhat soggy ramp after a long rain delay.
Also, IWS was a Florida chain, not a Midwest one. (The STL-area store was just a franchise.)
Not that anyone asked, but:
Both Zeltzer Seltzer and Island Water Sports flourished briefly in that mid-’80s hothouse but eventually disappeared. Well, Zeltzer disappeared, but IWS just changed.
Island Water Sports started as a single surf shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The shop made so much money selling “surf” clothing (remember Jams?) that the owner decided to offer franchises to capitalize on the trend. That’s how even some decidedly nonsurfy areas like St. Louis ended up getting one.
The mid-’80s skating bubble burst, and the STL-area store only lasted a couple of years at most. Eventually the franchising deal with other locations also died. The original IWS store still operates in Deerfield Beach, and other shops called Island Water Sports still exist, but they’re independent businesses, not franchises.
Zeltzer Seltzer was a trendy “premium” soda that started in early 1987 and offered then-unusual flavors like black cherry, blueberry, raspberry and peach. (I found it quite tasty myself.) It was made by Anheuser-Busch, hence the STL connection and the deep pockets to sponsor the ’87 contest – although for a giant like A-B, the outlay for the event was probably the equivalent of pocket change.
Problem was, A-B seems to have ripped off the whole idea from a small startup called Soho Natural Soda, and even went so far as to use a checkerboard logo that looked very similar to Soho’s. Soho sued A-B, and the court forced A-B to change the Zeltzer label. By the end of 1987 A-B just discontinued the brand entirely.
The definitive history. Nobody asked, but somebody cares! Thanks for filling in the details.
If you care to know the details from the sponsor, I was one of the two proprietors of the St. Louis IWS, which started out as a franchise (store #22) but which became an independent entity a year after opening. We closed after only 3 years of operation because the skate industry had gone mainstream: Target, Walmart, etc. I can share more if you have any questions about this event. Lester Kasai was amazing. The weather did suck, causing a lengthy rain delay in the middle of the contest. Hawk won but Hosoi would have, had he not fallen in his last run. And Grant probably did take the photo.
I came here on a google search for IWS/st. louis/ skateboarding. I don’t know who you are but IWS was my friend and mine’s first shop sponsor. You guys had a contest with a demo Christian Hosoi (who also judged the contest?) and the top placing people of each age group got on your skate team. As a 11 or 12 year old just getting into skating this was a dream like surreal thing for me..and my friend. We wore the IWS shirts you gave us literally everyday until those things were destroyed. I still have a trophy from that day. I’ll never forget Christain Hosoi ollieng a bunch of boards on flat length wise. A showman for sure. And then being on the roof hanging with the hot twins. Anyway, a now old man sharing my 12 year old memories. You guys were awesome! You took me to a contest in Rolla and I remember feeling like I’d let the team down. Oh well. Fond memories. Thank you!!
Hi, JBH. It’s Pillow, and everything you said is correct.
In 1987 there was a NSA contest on same location, on 4th July weekend where in ’86 was an open Jam.