It was the punk and new wave music era, with its do-it-yourself ethos.Īs with music, communication among the different scenes was maintained through grassroots events like the Florida Backyard Ramp Series and by enthusiastic, creative people who published their own magazines. He organized and promoted the contests for a few years, then documented them with photos and articles that appeared in Thrasher magazine. He also became active in the Florida Backyard Ramp Series. Pete locals rebuild John Grigley's ramp, which became the focal point for Florida skateboarding. It became clear that many skaters were creating their own backyard ramps in response to the skatepark closings. One popular topic of discussion at the annual Kona event was ramp construction. It gave these scattered and isolated skaters a chance to meet and find out what was happening with the sport. Kona held a pro contest each year that brought the California skate pros east and became an annual convention for every skater left on the east coast. In Florida, as elsewhere, the skateparks had all closed, except for Kona in Jacksonville. This was my foundation to go forward in many aspects of life."īy 1981, skateboarding had entered another slump - only the truly dedicated stayed with the sport. Recalls Paul, "My supervisor, Eric Falago, let me know that it was OK to think differently about a job that Eric had done for 20 years. It was also an important experience in terms of forming his business philosophy. This allowed him to learn many different manufacturing processes, including mold making and working with fiberglass. In high school, Paul had the opportunity to gain some real-life work experience building sailboats at a local factory. In 1981, Vision began to distribute his rails around the world.Īlthough rails were his main product, Paul had always liked building things and had long experimented with making his own boards. In 1980, Rax Works became Schmitt Stix's first California distributor.Īround this time, Paul started to have his rails extruded into a half-round, easy-to-grab, no-hang-up shape. He spread the word about Schmitt Stix rails along the way, and influential pros like Brad Bowman started to ride them. In 1979, Sims pro skater Mike Folmer took them with him on his cross-country road trips. Schmitt Stix rails soon became popular all over Florida and were sold at several retail stores and skateparks across the state. These rails were cut out at the woodshop at school, drilled at a hardware store/woodshop where Paul worked, and then packaged in his parents' living room. His rails were popular with local skaters, who dubbed them "Schmitt Stix." However, neither wood nor urethane rails slid well.Īt Alan Gelfand and Mike McGill's suggestion that rails should slide, Paul started making his rails out of a tough, durable plastic called UHMW polyethylene. In 1977, at age 14, Paul Schmitt made his rails out of wood and fiberglass, so they did not break. In California, Z-Flex made Grabair rails out of urethane. In Clearwater, Florida, Steve Fisher made wood rails called Fish Stix. Skateboards had become wider, and rails were put underneath the boards to help skaters achieve a better grip as they did aerials. In 1975, his family moved from Wisconsin to Tampa, Florida, where he skated in the streets until skateparks began to appear.īy 1977, skateparks had sprung up all over, and ramps and bowls were now the focus of the sport. Not long after, he made a visit to a local department store to invest $20 in his very own board with urethane wheels. Paul started skating in 1973 on a clay-wheeled skateboard his neighbors had picked up at a swap meet for $3. Paul's history of involvement with skateboarding epitomizes the enthusiasm and dedication that has kept the sport alive during its downswings in mainstream popularity. For nearly two decades, Paul "The Professor" Schmitt has provided skateboarders with innovative, high-quality products.
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