Since 1991

Kelly Bellmar helped save skateboarding, seriously. When there were no skateparks and/or private facilities like there are now, Kelly ‘s was the only real vert to skate. We’re talking 1990. Of course Chicken deserves some recognition also. But if you wanted gnar you went to Bellmar’s. After Pipeline closed and we lost our big ramp to some tweaker’s revenge Bellmars’ became our savior. Concrete commandos. Shit when it 1st started I couldn’t even skate due to my serious snowboard injury a broken tailbone. Chipped the tip right off. I watched with jealous envy of waiting my turn. It was a serious pool, Blue Haven manufactured under Kelly’s Bellmar’s consulting and watchful eye. One day after Kelly went to work and the pool all but finished Kelly returned home to freshly installed pool deck coping. Fucking clueless idiots he thought. It was promptly removed and replaced with Penrose coping block from the Valley. Kelly and Chicken did a lot of legwork which in turn directly helped influenced the Vans skatepark’s.

Kelly Bellmar
Getting the right coping was just part of the gig. Kelly’s was the 1st privately funded project and held many a heavy session in the early years. For the first 5 years it became a O.C. standard. It was the talk of the town and It made the L.A. Times. The pool that is. The public could not fathom it. But the skaters did. There was the Chicken’s crew for the mellow non-vert action and the Bellmar’s crew addicted to 8’ and 2’ which was the closet thing to Pipeline’s 8’ and 3’. Everybody who was anything in skating came to check out the spot. And those famous black and white tiles.
Inspired by checker board Vans and Spiccoli. Many an ad or video shoot occurred in the early days. Standard video fee was $3,000 dollars.
MTV and various news stations, cable T.V. and videos have been shot there .

Mandatory Salba roll in rule
So now it is Nov.27th,2010. 20 years deep. It was decided by the powers that be to hold a 20th Anniversary event aptly named Bellmar’s Bowl Bash. Attended by 40 people only, invite only Indy team only and Bellmar’s friends. Phone calls were made. E-mail was exchanged. Sponsored by Indy and Thrasher, all other media outlets were discouraged. What we do is secret.

We tried to be discreet. Though you can’t make everybody happy all of the time. Sometimes you got to be exclusive. We have all been through it. I know I have many times. N.H.S made us some special t-shorts for the event. Rhino somehow managed to get a membership card laminator so we all got Bellmar Skate Ranch memberships cards. Numbered, with mug shot and all. Those who showed up also enjoyed the cooking of Eddie Taco’s catering company called Taco Dudes. Carne asada, chicken, sausage tacos and queso’s. The bomb. Killer grinds.
Hewitt getting some grinds

Lucero was up in there also

Pabst Blue Ribbon supplied the beer.
Grosso played D.J. First run roll-ins was the rule. That was my suggestion. We did it for Blackhart.
Navs melted in the sun but burned up the place.

Navarrette corner air

Hitz rocked the guitar and lipslided the face wall.
Sam Hitz smith grind

Malba came alone, and told me to Fuck off when I told him he had to roll-in 1st run.
Pat Ngoho rock-n-roll slid the corner to fs disaster.
Ngoho boardslide thru corner

Lucero and Carge brought some Tequila plus E.T.

Partanen rode commanding as usual, Fuck I wish I was that good.
Parts frontside blaster

Stale over the channel

Omar annihilated with every kind of Omar combo and he had his hat on backwards which meant business.
He did a backsides alley-oop over the 6 ft. wide channel, he is incredible.
Omar lien air

Air to fakie over the channel

Omar Hassan madonna

Grosso just plain ripped her a good one, lien to tails, bs ollies, inverts and patented
50-50 over death thru the corner to fakie. He got 666 for his number on his membership card.
Jeff Grosso invert

Lien air photo muzzey

Josh Borden new jacked the bowl hard, really hard. This kid is the future of skateboarding.
Josh backside blaster

Tristan Renne blew minds as usual.
Kevin Rucks rocked a Logan Earth Ski Bob Biniak model with 101’s and white Sims
snakes. Plus he brought some Salisbury Vineyards wine complete with a skate inspired label.
Kevin Rucks invert

Cara Beth Burnside came and ripped it up. Then lost her keys. Love ya C.B.
Hosoi showed up late as usual but got some body jars and sick fs ollies over the gash, frontside corner airs and Indy airs.

Hosoi Indy air

Frontside ollie over the channel

Jay Alabamy showed some flair.
Lance and Eric Nash came in and did some fast plants and inverts, they make shit look so easy.
Lance Mountain invert photo muzzey

Eric Nash Indy air photo muzzey

I made the channel and nose grinded over the box.. Not bad for 47 bitches.
All in all a great time was had by all. Kind of wish some of the guys could of made it like Blackhart, Cab, Olson, Hackman, Remy, T.A., Bucky and Chris Miller.
We missed ya. Maybe next time.
Special thanks to Kelly Bellmar.
All hail Bellmar!!!!!!!! Never forget Fausto Vitello. Independent forever.
—- Salba

Membership cards were made

Salba ripping his Gretsch White Falcon guitar in the bowl