The Great Vista Blow Out
If you’re familiar with the world of backyard pool skating, you most likely understand the rules. If the pool is a barge (property has inhabitants but pool is empty, house is vacant and either for sale or abandoned) than abiding by the rules is definitely in your best interest if you want it to last or don’t want to end up getting fined for trespassing or arrested. Rules are simple on barges that are in neighborhoods where the chance a nosey neighbor might take notice of your crew climbing the fence and having a party session. Bring as few people as possible, get inside quick and quietly, skate and get out ASAP. Simple.
Back in 2010, my good friend Neal Mims found this abandoned house with a pool in Vista, California. From the looks of it, the folks living there probably had the bank foreclose on them and they just took their necessary belongings and got the fuck out because the yard was littered with junk that the owners obviously didn’t want. Besides junk taking up space in the backyard, there was a beauty of an empty pool just waiting to get sessioned.
The first time I went there with Neal we took the rules to heart and had a quick session and got the fuck out. Pool was good and I could see any of the ripping pool skaters of the day tear this thing to shreds. Oh, Neal wasn’t too shabby either and we ended up getting some pretty sick shots during the time this pool lasted.
Because this pool was so near my home, I felt that the opportunity to get as many sessions going with rippers who were down was at hand. I mean, it was a bank owned property—meaning it would take some doing for the police to get anyone to press charges for trespassing and they would most likely just let you go rather than deal with all the paperwork to give tickets to a bunch of skaters just having fun. That being said, it was on until it wasn’t. I think in total, we got three weeks in this thing before it was obvious the bank was paying attention and getting ready to list the property.
Seeing guys like Nolan Johnson, Brandon Perelson, Pat Duffy, Rune Glifberg, Jesse Fritsch, Jake Brown, Darren Navarrette, Josh Stafford, Ben Raybourn and Tony Hawk skate this will be etched in my memory forever. I heard rumours of underground pool skaters saying I was blowing it out by shooting there on the regular but nothing had been put on the internet or printed in a magazine before the house was sold and the pool was officially done. I was just making memories and getting some grind in myself. No harm, no foul and I have the images to prove it. Enjoy this step back into January of 2010.—Dave Swift
