Sensational new money maker!
I’ve scoured the web for more examples of Skateball (or Skate-Ball – they can’t make up their mind). The only thing that turns up besides our previous post is another actual pinball game. (More on that later.) Jeff Hottle had this old low-res image of a Skate-Ball flyer he got off the web ages ago, but the original source remains shrouded in mystery.
A full retail business including skateboarding accessories, roller skating and other youth oriented products. Skateball is made up of 4 different ramps, bowls, runs and moguls each with their own scoreboard and timing device. Can be located in strip stores, shopping centers and free standing buildings. Minimum cash investment $25,000.
You can see the whole flyer after the jump. UPDATE 2021: 14 years later… Secured a high-res scan in the Vintage Adverts gallery.
Skate-ball flyer
The Florida based company who made these contraptions was called International Sports & Recreation Corporation (ISR). I would have guessed California for sure. They don’t seem to be around today. I can’t imagine why they aren’t still in business with such rock solid ideas as Skate Ball. We know of at least two, possibly three Skate Ball setups that were sold. I did find a mention of them on a web site belonging 70’s legend Russ Howell. He sells CD’s filled with scans of old Skateboarder mags. Yes, it’s true. ISR had an ad for prefab fiberglass skateparks in the February 1978 (Vol.4, No.7) issue of Skateboarder. Conahan, start sifting through your collection.
The MSN group VintageFlordaSkateboard had some additional info;
VintageFlordaSkateboard
Hmmm, this is all starting to look eerily familiar. I have no memory of the Skate-ball ad, but in the late 70’s, there was a blue fiberglass skatepark in Newington, NH with a bowl and mogul strip that looked just like the one in the ad. Also had a full pipe, what is now known as a mini, and a larger half-pipe. Very ride-able stuff (if a bit slippery) in an era of some really, really bad parks. Must have been the same company, and the Newington owners(wisely?) opted out of the Skate-ball package. I remember a guy named Joe Spier (sp?) absolutely killing the place. Why he didn’t go on to 70’s mega-skate stardom is beyond me. Never saw anyone smoother or more creative while doing really hard stuff. Anyone else ever see him skate?
BINGO! Thanks Livmo I just joined the group. I’m going to try and get some larger scans.
Mac Yeah I’ve seen pics of blue fiberglass ramps before, and there can’t have been that many manufacturers.
Thrasher Land park in AZ. Hard to find pics on the web. The official site is down. This is from sk8parklist.com
Link
Ahhh,Thrasherland, only 2 miles from all surrounding landfills in west phoenix,AZ. I remember ditching-I mean going on field trips there in high school,bunch of teeanage drunkards, happy as hell to pick up trash there for 20 min to earn a day of schralping on their crappy ass fiberglass ramps,ie snake run,spined mini into 6ft.Hoffa’s final resting place,no shit.
Ah, yes. Those ramps are from the same company as Newington’s. Man, between Mike Weed, Chris Yandall, and blue fiberglass, today’s been a series of pretty good flashbacks. That Vintage Florida site has some cool, old stuff as well. Cherry Hill, NJ, yeah, that place ruled.
Hey, Jakeferranti, speaking of New Jersey, I thought Hoffa was buried under The Meadowlands. Arizona, at a skatepark? Haven’t heard that one. Fascinating.
Yeah, the Hoffa reference aluded that Thrasherland’s obscurity was always due in part to the fact it’s located in the middle of all the landfills in phx,az. In fact, when I was in high school, a kid from my previous middle school got murded and thrown in the trash. Subsequently his body was lost at 1 of those landfills. After the kid who did it confessed,police spent about 3 weeks combing the landfills for the evidence of his remains. Never found him. So Hoffa always comes to mind when thinking of Thrasherland. From my understanding that was really one of the 1st parks in az, now it probably looks like another landfill compared to the nearest park in Goodyear,AZ.
Great flyer Kilwag.Its definitely SKATE BALL,not SKATEBALL.I have the scoreboard in my living room,looking at it right now.It came from the Clown Ramp in Dallas.I found it in the garbage behind Jeff (Zorlac) Newtons parents house.Craig Johnson was with me when i found it.I skated that shitty ramp almost every single day,for years(Groovy Times).When it arrived from Chicago we attached it to 2 existing Blue Ramp sections.Same dimensions,different mold.The round scoring sensors shown on your flyer were sketchy to roll over.First we used Duct Tape,then Tin w/Shoe Goo,JB Weld,finally fiberglass/misc.mix to cover sensors.It was still very humpy and slumpy,it was an obstacle course of seams,cracks and holes.The fiberglass was very thin,and things did poke through sometimes (wheels,body parts,etc).The corners of my two front teeth are still embedded in the Blue Ramp from a couple of faceplants when it was in front of Donnel sk8 dist.(circa 81′)Richardson Tx.Pre-Skate Time,Bachman Lake.When it was 100+ it(clown ramp) was very slick,and in the evening when it cooled down it would start sweating.But we would sk8 all day and all night.Lights would go out at midnight,time to wear down some car batteries.Im sending pic of score/time board,and more history of these fiberglass ramps and parks.Blue and what we(Dallasites)called Clown Ramp. So Long, washed up skater from Dallas
what’s up dave.. we worked together at the glass shop in austin summer of 93 before you went off with RHH.. also bought that old station wagon from the friend of mine in south austin. anyway came across this and saw your name, knew it had to be you.. if you get this give me a shout.
Ben, What’s up man. The Bong factory, Trip to Big Bend with Pam. I’m leaving my email hope you get it. Still in Austin ?
http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze8f4tt/oldschoolskater/
Check out my website for pictures of Biddle’s in Milwuakee and Olympic Arena in Illinois.
Stoked to find your posts on the skate ball ramps. Back in the Netherlands this was the first ramp i ever set foot on. (and got addicted to skateboarding) round 1985 me and my friends discovered a pile of polyester parts that were te remains of what used to be the biggest skatepark in the Netherlands round 1978 (see link below lower part of the page) We were able to reassemble the pinball machine, and that’s were it all started for me.. LINK