The Turf Skatepark, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1989 Part 1 of 2

[@darksaga80]

Trying to explain to my son tonight how far ahead of the curve The Turf was. Just showed him the Streets of Fire video, but you get a much better idea from this video about how many locals legit ripped that place and knew all the good lines. Also shows how much of a community skaters were back then. It wasn't a scene like it is today, it was family, community, with life long bonds you made. Thanks for posting this man.

[@misterslats]

I remember the photo of Die Kreuzen playing in the clover bowl in Thrasher's first Skate Rock feature 1983.

[@MarkMelchior-lb6vv]

My band opened that show

[@misterslats]

@@MarkMelchior-lb6vv were you in the Oil Tasters or Mecht Mensch? I forget the other bands on the bill that night. Is the Turf still open?

[@misterslats]

​@@MarkMelchior-lb6vv...now I remember it was the Tar Babies not the Oil Tasters also on that bill.

[@MarkMelchior-lb6vv]

@@misterslats That was the Second event there. I was the singer of the Deliriants at the first one and the Oil Tasters played.

[@adamkinowski2354]

I remember buying my first real board there back in 1990-91: Ray Underhill Powell in black/purple with some Indy’s and G Bones. Thanks for the memories

[@danielpletcher3074]

Holyfuck I was there back in 89 I clearly remember Bob in the pro shop I was 14 years old I was skating a Corey O'Brien Santa Cruz my mom used to take me the weekends I would look forward to it all week I'm 43 now thanks for the Memories man thanks for posting

[@crazyralph6386]

“The capsule......insane!”.

[@rexbryson7083]

Oh my. I just saw a few friends I skated with, Heath and Seth Kelly. Not sure if baker was there. But man I remember all those trips up north!! Thank you for the memories

[@furiousstyles7998]

this is more important than 90% of everything else on the internet

[@mateof3552]

Such a great video to find. It's been 2+ years since this was posted, but I never bothered searching "turf skatepark" until today. I miss that clover bowl and loved seeing this video footage with so much of it filmed from within that pool. This footage almost feels like you are there again. Thanks for posting this Jim!

[@ratphour04]

Thanks for sharing Jim. Brings back all the memories of skating in the late 80's.

[@CJOMEDIA]

Reminds me more of a ski lodge than a skatepark I wish more places where like this

[@pizzaenthusiast69420]

Incredible

[@nickkalister6291]

great memories for me in this video . . had a membership @ turf for 4 years but I never felt like I really got the hang of the clover! I wasn't the best skater :)

[@tyroneolson6120]

I remember going to the Turf when I was a kid

[@jimjamgrayslide]

Glad you liked it Jon.... good memories for me too, and I l know all the guys in the video for sure. Figured many of those kids in the lobby and with short interviews etc.. are all in there mid 30's now and I hope somehow some of them find this and have an awesome memory of youth

[@BonyHawkDog]

Set ed3e43 wee7hug err hxxd! x3deddddsdd Rd dexxs Dr xsfnv6h

[@czaborny]

Jim Gray you gave me a skateboard after me and you sessioned an indoor mini ramp in Costa Mesa around 1997. Thank you!! My board was beat too shit. It was so cool to see the Gray Slide in person.

[@lorenzoramirez3063]

I had Steve Caballero board with Dragon on the bottom and had the Indie trucks, who remembers the Bones Brigade? My favorite skate movie was Propaganda. lol Mike McGill the Mctwist Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Lance Mountain, Natas.

[@CJOMEDIA]

A bunch of arcades and skateparks sounds like the best place ever

[@1224Peterson]

Thank you so much for this. When the Turf opened back up it was like a dream to me to be able to skate what I saw in magazines. We just didn't have anything like the Cali parks in Wisconsin lol. I learned how to skate bowls at the Turf and spent most of my high school years there until I graduated in '89 never to see it or skate it again. It makes me sad that it got filled up and will eventually be gone forever with the freeway project moving forward, these politicians have no clue what a park like this means to kids and the people that grew up skating them. Same thing going on with the Bro Bowl here in Tampa. I hoped of skating the Turf with my son some day but it looks like that will never happen.

[@Robebabu]

it's gonna happen!

[@papakernz]

Hope you're coming back!

[@ryckgarcia9297]

The very first time I walked in the turf, I looked straight ahead and there was jeff grosso playing the pinball, he looked over at me I think because the sunlight was let in and maybe blocked the vision of the pinball lol idk I was 13. I met Steve alba, and I think spidey, and Jason Jesse i believe. I bought the new corey Obrien that day and Steve signed it. Yeah, would love to know where that deck is now😢

[@ROAsXe]

Jim has always been extremely approachable. This video shows the power of his skating. If memory serves, Jim came in 8th overall in the gold cup amatuers. He has been good that long. Gray slide!

[@jgonz3542]

I was one of the ghetto kids that had the Turf in my backyard but couldn't afford to go, pay for pads, decks so when I did get the opportunity to skate a bowl instead of a rock filled parking lot I cherished it. This video really reminds me of that time and how Street skating took my mind off the B.S. going on around me. Thanks for sharing. The first shot of the billboard immediately reminded me of the funky smell in that place! How many years later and you can still smell that nasty teen oder!?!? Loved it - Seeing the Blockhead skaters was just icing on the cake. Thanks for posting. Glad I supported your skateboard sponsor now more then ever....but trackers still suck ;) Peace. JG

[@Tiger_Pumper]

I remember one dude behind them counter had a shirt that said "Fuck 'Em" in the Santa Cruz font.

[@paulkiepert6270]

Great videos, was able to show my kids where I used to skate.

[@lorenzoramirez3063]

I still have my green I.D with my picture on it that said Turf I got to find it, I was like 5 6 years old, we had a big crew I was youngest but we would ride our skateboards all the way from 30th and National all the way to loomis I think that’s a long ride anyway imagine being 5”6 trying keep up with the older kids. lol I was scared to drop in from the big key hole. lol

[@rnfr]

thanks Jim!!! you really are bringing back the memories! I remember Bob and that frickin crazy carpeting in the lobby. hahaaa! I'll always remember the clover due to the scar across my chin. Lein to tail straight to the bottom at about 14 years old. I did get some first aid from the cute Betty that worked there though so it was totally worth it! ;)

[@artao5]

We weren't able to go often, but we all LOVED it. We were from Markesan, which is near Ripon. ... I miss The Turf, that's for sure. The cloverleaf was always so full, my buddies and I generally skated the keyhole and capsule. The giant metal halfpipe must've been torn down by the time of this video, yeah? Or it hadn't been built yet. I remember how AWFUL EVIL hot that thing got in the direct sun. LOL

[@tulumize]

meeks got COOL flow ! kill kill off fince for eRic D @ 04:32 ! saw eric judin no joke mind blowing fluid speed lines

[@Robebabu]

Mark, are you gonna come skate when it opens back up next year?

[@mailboxmedia6655]

ayyyyye Greenfield bought the land for one dollar and their rebuilding it back to how it was, digging out the pesky gravel out of the bowls and it will be free to skate! heck yeah!!!

[@efjefe]

Oh my. My childhood copers required

[@traddad9172]

This is when we shredded- The *best* time in skateboarding

[@MarkMelchior-lb6vv]

Bob Peterson Rad

[@MrRookie41]

I love this vid and the others you have posted. Don't know where you live now, but they are building a clover bowl in Sturgeon Bay that is supposed to be a tribute to the Turf.

[@williamhanley7031]

This is priceless. Classis everything . All those classic heads on video. And that park,... Awesome

[@BlurnGanston]

great (skate) footage - thanks for sharing! DIG It Up!

[@BlurnGanston]

is there a part 2?

[@williamhanley7031]

Only thing,this waterfalls and fences kinda suck. Ruin your lines.

[@endthedrugwartoday]

WOW! A real park in America. That won't happen anymore.