Grosso's Loveletters to Skateboarding - Sadlands

An obscure and hard to ride old skate spot that looks like a moonscape. Grosso visits the location and peels back another layer of skate history.

[@Psymon1471]

those inverts on such a small transition!

[@ocdeadboy4432]

Hey this is Jonna Hayes. Many of you original Sadlanders will remember me. I was a first gen Sadlander with no skills so I always had tunes in the park.. so I was better at playn ball and smokin weed that I was boardin. But i sure do miss all the fun and friensdhips we shared. I'm sorry I keep missin Sadland reunions. anyway those were great, carefree times. Sadlands Forever! Jonna

[@JosephDelgado687]

I’m pretty sure I remember you. Yeah it was great times

[@BattleBornBrandon]

I'm so stoked that Grosso made this series for us to enjoy, and I miss the shit outta him. Thanks for everything Grosso!!!

[@coreygolpheneee]

My dad was a little little kid skating with you guys here, showing him this fucking blew his mind to the core, he didn't realize that ducking around at this weird park by your house would eventually be a part of history, I've heard nothing but stories of the Lester kasai shoot

[@jonathanwoods9843]

Sadlands was a great place. Just a fun vibe, never saw a cop... First visited in 1988, moved to CA in ‘89 and skated it on and off for while. Came there one day and was so bummed that every decent thing to skate had been torn out.

[@ejdotw1]

Hilarious - I grew up with and knew every one of these guys. Killer post

[@fattyslapscurbs]

There are a group of guys working on getting the city to rebuild sadlands. The skatepark they replaced is trashed now, really need an update.

[@thatslifebro.]

Dude that was my childhood. I miss those days so much. I remember when my best friend broke his ankle at Sadlands. He snapped his Neil Blender board there as well. I also relive these days by doing old school skateboard review videos. It was such a great time to be a kid. 🛹🔥

[@sonoman00ify]

We skated here all the time in 1984-87. Killer. Thanks for uploading it!!!

[@MsDubsclan]

Lester was the shit. So approable and cool as hell. He was the guy how taught me to drop in on the big side (right side if you were coming down the hill) he was also giving us younger kids his wheels all the time. We lived across the street at park view apt. Loved that place. Also learned how to table top going up the rock walls in the basketball court. Memories...

[@LordJHouse]

I use to go there almost every morning. I miss that place.

[@obscuritystunt]

We did a road trip to Sadlands, and yeah when we got there we were like, this is it? Then we skated for hours. There was a fountain at Central City Mall in San Bernardino that was shaped like that which we skated to death. I also feel lucky to have skated Pipeline and the Nude Bowl.

[@polobubblevest]

appreciate they took the time to get a sad historian to come through with an interview, respect.

[@MovingHawaii]

This brought tears to my eyes...I was 3rd gen, I grew up watching Lester kill it every day. I remember the day I went and they covered the crater

[@3DEditor]

Thank you Lynn Cooper for providing the old video footage for this episode, who was also featured in this episode wearing the Vision Street Wear T-shirt. Lynn Cooper was my brother in-law for a few years. I first met Lynn around 1987 -1988 at CASL freestyle contests; my oldest brother Terry Trimble introduced me to a lot of other freestyle skateboarders that also rode pool, ramp and street back in the day. I skated and competed mostly freestyle and street, passing a lot of them up in competition. I don't care so much about that, as all of them always inspired me in many ways throughout my career. Generous, caring, strong willed people like Lynn truly are great examples of the kind of people I look up to, great person that should always be respected.

[@thomassterrett1905]

The last story teller was hilarious.

[@JosephDelgado687]

Sal still hangs around Orange County

[@CtrlAltPhreak]

I grew up skating that shit. Also, The V in Fullerton. Those were the days.

[@puggzdeathmarch8967]

this is the place I found skateboarding in 1985, I'm 36 now. I miss this place.

[@frazerrhughess]

puggz deathmarch you found skateboarding when you were 2 years old?

[@frazerrhughess]

Actually that would make you negative one when you found it..........

[@kohinoir7202]

@@frazerrhughess holy shit, learn how to do maths, you're an embarrassment.

[@EagleSmoke44]

That is cool to know the history of that place I've been there when i was younger, recognizing that place on this video made me stoked! \M/

[@collinnelson1240]

Hi Jonna. I just want to say thank you. Even though you weren't a huge part of the riding going on, you were still a part of a movement, or better yet a unique angle on skateboarding. I have insurmountable respect for you, everyone that considers themselves a Sadlander, and everyone that contributed to skateboarding in a way that gave me the ability to ride today. A huge thank you to anyone who was a rider back then, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have the same passion I do for riding.

[@xjesusmercyx]

Sadlands Rules! also the bowl in the brookhurst skatepark.

[@mathewharmer478]

Sad lands looks like a lovely skate park thanks

[@AtilioEscobar]

One of my favorite loveletters.

[@leek619]

'Nother great vid! Keep it up Grosso!

[@tulumize]

5:42 kevin bradley douse the same sort of summersault in "cherry" i need 2 lurn dat !!!!

[@Jamieclarkisokay]

Gonz....... is that you?

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

@@Jamieclarkisokay that's really him.

[@KCCole-xj5hq]

Yeah Chavo! 👍

[@sinebass808]

I was lucky enough to have skated that place Back in the day. I remember taking the bus out there all the way from Riverside a few times.

[@powerswish]

Thank you Sadlands for giving us Lester!

[@dealt]

When I was a little kid in the mid 80s there was this older dude in my neighborhood who skated with my big brother. He was the first guy that I ever heard talk about Sadlands. It was like this mythical place to me. I never got to skate there until '98 when all the best shit was gone. Still fun to cruise thru the snake run tho. Buena Park, CA represent

[@gulgulostost]

Another wicked episode, love it! Thanks a bunch for this. Seen'em all and I do hope you have something on downhill and hillbombing coming - that would be ALSO be the shit, hehe. Keep up the awesomeness

[@endthedrugwartoday]

This is one of those where you watch it and go, if those guys can ride like that on that, then I have no excuses.

[@barnaclebrian107]

Whoa! Grosso and Jim Gray sitting next to each other!

[@toynazi]

Wish it was still there. Be crazy to see what dudes could do on it now.

[@DAWIII]

Great spot! Skated there numerous times. Texas had the FTW planters, same design(Moonscape?) Nice video, cool to see Terrence!

[@RNicolasRuvalcaba]

These planters definitely weren't designed for skateboarding but how cool is it that this spot and that crater/volcano design would end up influencing so many skate park designers all over the world. Learn your skate history kids..

[@lesterhalfjr]

Turtles was the Boston equivalent of this: a weirdly designed park that unbeknownst to the designers was super fun to skate.

[@sydburners]

keep these coming dude

[@johnr2630]

Grossos doing God’s work

[@nalveyna]

5:18 Neils front tail block/scrape such a simple trick executed perfectly balanced looks so fn sick the way Blender does em

[@cron205]

what about the embocombo you never even did a piece on the EMB that has the gonz gap and it was featured in curb dogs i grew up watching curb dogs i had a copy on vhs

[@sonoman00ify]

Hell yeah, our crew skated there in 85-86. Rifght on.

[@reggiepalmer6157]

My generation was the first generation of skateboarders at that Park In those days in the mid-70s. Our crew was only about 5 people Max. BMX bikes and skateboards Danny and David We're all a couple years younger than me. I used to smoke cigarettes get stoned in sixth and seventh grade writing that Park. Rip up Moraga. On my 250 Suzuki tear up the railroad tracks I looked at neighborhood on fire. Everybody hated me.

[@bungieflute]

hated in the nation, me too

[@MrCtjsneller]

Gotta come to blob lands in England! Similar stuff

[@CptCool-xt8ht]

Lester was such a gnarly ripper.

[@0429bigmac]

Love the letters

[@tomf4087]

Neil blender was so good. Ahead of his time. I had a Lester kasai board, skated to death. I so bad wanted to skate there after seeing Neil skate there on video.

[@Mordorer]

That closer was fucking funny!

[@delmanglar]

Sadlands lives... in Puerto Rico. The Mayagüez skateplaza looks like a replica of that, but with more stuff.

[@rasquatch]

wtf, these shows are really getting good

[@homunculusSZN]

Why didn't they show any of blenders part in speed freaks? He's shredding in that video

[@emolnar20012]

My cousin is in this video. That is badass. Him and his brother showed me pics and told me all about this spot when I was 12 and we met up in New York at our Grandma's house in East Meadow. I think they may have called it, "Moon Park" or something like that? Anyway, it was cool to see my cousin in this one.

[@johnbobincheck4645]

+Erik Molnar Yeah, your cousin is right it was also called Moon Park or Brookhurst Park.

[@emolnar20012]

John Bobincheck I wasn't sure if I remembered correctly since I was 11 when Ronnie and Donnie told me. I guess I could have asked Ronnie since I talk to him ever few weeks. He now lives in Vegas but I think they just had a Sadlands reunion. I saw pics on his FB page the other day.

[@steveturner5519]

Also crater park was what we called it down the road at Disney elementary

[@2.7petabytes]

I always thought Grubville Missouri was called the Sadlands, since that’s where I grew up. I had a backwater 2 lane highway,a dirt road and a hillbilly bar that I could skate on/at... 😬🤪😉

[@tflo3482]

That intro was fuckin genius!

[@coreygolpheneee]

3:10 thousand percent right, thats an FA type ad today

[@kimrice394]

Lester Kasai !!! Cool! Do a video on Lester!

[@danielbenfreeman]

I was a regular at Brookhurst in 75. Then the Concrete Wave opened.

[@nobodysreview6137]

Kids dont realize back then skating was illegal everywhere u went but every group of skaters always had that one spot they could go.

[@ohfrickitsphil]

That looked like f*ckin' rad spot!

[@condensermike]

.."it's even better." Truth

[@louiejordan7625]

RIP the KING

[@EuanLynn]

Anyone know what the first song is?

[@benaberry]

just about to mention blender then I say your comment---damn.

[@manmelt4037]

Neil Blender skating that place is still no Gnarly now. He so naturally talented. Guy was so ahead of his time.

[@leehazlewoodism]

I guess the Sadplant named the Meloncholie (or however it used to be spelled) and then anything melon related. Funny how trick names start and then evolve.

[@yavorstoianov2353]

Anyone know the song at 4:58?

[@bugglemagnum6213]

2:27 that invert photo is sick as fuck

[@sk8_bort]

What's the origin of the melancholy (melon) grab? We call it sad here in the north of Spain...

[@stevenimeson902]

Damn!!!

[@lanceuppercutsr.3740]

Grosso said moves! gigglefuck

[@SECRETCINEMALOSANGELES]

86 WAS MY FIRST YEAR . PSYCHO DAVE WITH NO SHOES ON LONG BOARD CRUZIN CARVING - SMOKING A BIG JOINT AND BLAST OFF

[@brendanbouldering]

i started skatinging a weird bad skat lab park that people had torn apart

[@rik_rule]

Yes Lester Kasai

[@cjt823]

do a hill bombing one! these are sick

[@SlickRick4EVER]

How about a loveletters on Blender! How rad is that!?!?!

[@peacetree5000]

Gonz would smash this.

[@big3ye378]

Totally bro

[@ThaARossBoss]

Brookhurst park what up!

[@philliph.p.1985]

Oh I've gotten so fuckin wasted at those benches so much crazy shit and I'm pretty sure sal was born with those sunglasses on fuckin indigent!

[@joeferry12]

So fucking smoooottthhhhh

[@0429bigmac]

Heavy Duty

[@12345656012]

So the local government just decided to roughen all the crater shaped surfaces one day? why? The place reminds me of the Five Dock bowls/Snakerun in Sydney Australia, was a 70s park with a snake run in to a hell deep bowl, parts of the snake run and deep bowl (rough surface no coping) still exist but it was refurbished in to a great modern spot.

[@CULTCOLLECTIVE]

fuck i use to play football at that park and had no idea

[@Chilimane]

This is in thps2

[@nobodysreview6137]

Rebuild it the exact same.

[@travisguide4516]

so what he is saying is that it's not skate able? anymore hmmm not even one crater!

[@johnkirker]

What about the Sea Breeze man?

[@ChrisCiborowski]

Awesome. Brings back the memories of youth and skating in SoCal.

[@cron205]

Chris Ciborowski i only skated riverside california the street that parts of suburbia was filmed on

[@LSDOvideos]

I wanna skate sadlands real bad. Someone should try to replicate it at a legit skatepark somewhere.

[@damnedlock2956]

Why the hell would they jack hammer this place?..oh yeah because people were having fun.

[@timothymstern]

one other skateboarder that came back from hell on earth...got clean when people were writtten off. have some grosso street burners and they are super sick wheels; anyone who made it through that shit some of these chaps did i.e. grosso, peters, hosoi, adams, alva, etc. are rock stars. anyone who was there back in the early 80's and put up with all that shit are survivors and deserve to be on top because anyone who bitches about ego, probably can't even do a fucking ollie over a 1 ft. gap

[@absentmortuus]

more 'letters grossman!!!! nowww

[@josesoberal2578]

Yo Grosso's do a video on pig skateboard.

[@Dbody1993]

3:54 oh fuck! lol

[@Satans_Financial_Advisor]

No one that loves skateboarding would give a thumbs down to any Love letter video. I honestly don't know how you get to these videos if you're the kind of person to possibly give a thumbs down.

[@chalupacabra1727]

RIP

[@vomitlandscapes]

niel was the man

[@katchafiah]

how the hell are a bunch of kids from cali doing crazy shit at a random park in the 70s influence the living shit out of me. skateboarding man...........

[@suicidesnowman14]

stockton skatepark is just like this shit

[@JacobDeeSkates]

I literally live 2min from here, its rad but ghetto

[@gabecameron9910]

how so?

[@elnino4306]

This is where skateboarding began forming like the white stuff accumulating on the side of grosso's mouth 😂

[@islandlifeisbawss4681]

fun fact : neil blender is mentioned in every loveletter video :D

[@ryanguardalabene7849]

Jeff you still smoke

[@bealz3130]

mothafuckin neil blender... yiss