Circle-A
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| Internet Links | |
|---|---|
| Links |
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| Company | |
| Short Name | Circle-A |
| Long Name | Circle-A Skateboards Inc |
| Products and Services | |
| Products Manufactured | Decks |
| Decks | Circle-A Decks |
| Freestyle Team | |
| Freestyle Team Riders | Bob Schmelzer |
| Other Information | |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Bob Schmelzer |
| Owner | Bob Schmelzer |
| City | San Jose |
| State | CA |
| Country |
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Circle-A History by Bob Schmelzer
Circle-A started in 1985 in a time of change and uncertainty. Freestyle was on its way out, streetstyle was on its way in and vert was the shit (Still is - deal with it!). Our team ripped all three, and had Circle-A’s parent company not died we would have made pro model decks for Justin Girard, Ross Goodman, Jeremy Remey and maybe even Mark Waters. One of the boards we did produce was for a skateboarder of already legendary status. The importance of his involvement with Circle-A could never be outdone, and although Punk Rock was already over by 85, Duane Peters skateboarding for the A was like a stamp of approval to our whole package. The uncontrolled actions, speed and style of each skater now somehow seemed complete. All Circle-A needed was just a little more time. Time to turn the younger blood Pro. Time to show what happens next. The Ross Goodman sweeper reverts, The Bill Weiss naked 540’s, the Justin Girard high speed front side lip slides and so on. It was the energy and style that made it great. It was Ricky Winsors high speed 720 slides and a personality that along with Texas Todd Prince and then amateur JJ Rodgers that layed the ground work for acts like Bam, Knoxville and Carnie. Yes, skateboarding has always been about more than just skating. It’s the style, the friendships, the art (by John Lucero, Kevin Marberg, Roy Gonzales, Robert Williams) and the music.
Circle-A always had and will have a love for relevant music. One of the bands that we skated to and with was D.I., and damn immature we were. In fact the whole industry was pretty damn immature at the time and maybe it still is (but who cares). The connection for us with music was the energy as well as the message and unfortunately the message has not seemed to change much. Politics are still fucked up, our culture is being sold out and sociality is at an all time low.
No complaints though, we’re still skatebording! Right!
Bob Schmelzer - 2008