That Image Is Embedded in My Brain... - by Steve Douglas

The word "Legend" in skateboarding is thrown around too easily in my opinion, but Stevie Caballero is a true skateboarding legend. That, I know everyone would agree with.

Growing up in London in the late 70's, Stevie was on my wall in an ad, and he was wearing rector elbow pads on his knees. That image is embedded in my brain.

Just a few years later I was lucky enough to session with him and Mike McGill at Crystal Palace in the early 80's, when those guys came to town on the way to the Swedish skate camp. That was an amazing experience for us skaters, and it gave us a massive boost.

Much later when I moved to Northern California, I found myself skating in Stevie's back yard in San Jose and regularly skating in the same sessions and later entering contests together. I never placed close to Stevie, except for the Raging Waters lip trick contest where I finished in 4th right behind him.

I remember watching the Joe Lopes Ramp Jam (RIP Joe) and in the video of that contest Stevie was doing so many groundbreaking tricks. He was on another level, Frontside and backside boneless, Les Twists, Miller Flips over the channel as I recall and going so high on that small ramp.

The crazy thing is after being around him for so many years is that I still have the same feeling, like, 'That is Stevie!" It's, in a way, awkward, because I spent so much time looking at him in the mags and his photo being on my wall... and here I am in his presence. It's just the massive influence he had on us all from that era.

Stevie is a true professional on and off his board, and for him to do this Collab with New Deal is incredible.

Thank you, Stevie, for being you...

~ Steve Douglas

Steve Douglas - Half cab to feeble fakie, raging Waters, Photo: O