GEOFF ROWLEY LOOKS BACK ON HIS GARGANTUAN STAPLES CENTER HUBBA NBD 20 YEARS LATER
Back in 1999, Geoff Rowley brought legendary photographer Daniel Harold Sturt (and a super secret cameraman) to the newly built Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The 50-50 on the king-sized hubba appeared in Flip’s Sorry! full-length from 2002, and in a Vans print ad. (If you were skating during this time, the image would be burned in your mind, cementing Rowley’s legacy as one of the most daring pros we’ve ever seen.)
In addition to his steel-reinforced balls, Rowley is a great storyteller—balls of steel, tongue of silver. His recollection of this moment in skate history, presented in the latest episode of Vans’ “Classic Tales” featuring animation by Jay Howell, has the feel of a campfire yarn. We could listen to this guy all day. Remembering the size of those Staples Center rails, Rowley offers, “”They were massive. I wouldn’t even call them handrails; they were neckrails.”
We’ve been fortunate enough to work with Rowley over the years, and he’s every bit as epic as you’d expect him to be:
Two legends…
