In 1976, southern California experienced a severe drought similar to the one currently crippling the state today. Residents were forced to cut back on their water usage by letting their lawns yellow, not washing their cars, and draining their pools. Little did anyone know that the last part would spark a skateboarding revolution. The Dogtown boys, led by skate legend Tony Alva, saw the empty pools as a new opportunity for the sport. They became obsessed with sneaking into backyards and discovering new walls of velvety concrete. Now, 40 years later, pool skating is still going strong. And the drought is, too.
Dust Bowl Disciples is a new advocacy group dedicated to water conservancy through the nostalgic shredding of emptied backyard pools. The Los Angeles Coalition for Water Conservation (LACWC) has assembled skate legends like Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Steve Olson, Christian Hosoi, Arto Saari and many more for the project. Their message? #ShredTheDrought. We’re onboard.
