Waiting for Lightning Page #2

---

the beginning

of Danny Way.

There has

to be some sort of visual

that captivates you

in such a way

that you just

fall in love with it

so that nothing will get

in the way of you

wanting to get on your board

and create,

play, and have fun

and outdo your own limitations,

and I think that moment

that captivated Danny Way

was that Del Mar moment.

I remember

my brother and I, like,

seeing it from the freeway

and seeing guys

flying out of pools and stuff,

and we were freaking out.

My dad turned around

and took us straight there

and got us memberships.

I was too young,

so we had to lie about my age.

When the park started

in 1978,

it was the full-on boom

of skateboarding.

We had, like, six people

working at a time.

You know,

I think of those days...

I'd wake up

at 8:
00 in the morning

and go to Denny's,

get breakfast,

come to the park, be the

first one in there skating.

It was sheer passion.

Soon as I hit

that park, padded up,

paid my money,

and, like, skated in there,

I just knew I wanted

to be part of that scene.

I still remember

my initial experience

at the park.

To hear the sound

of the wheels

and the bearings

on the concrete,

just, like,

that was it.

There was no turning back,

completely hooked.

All the best skateboarders

skated at Del Mar.

If you want to get better

and make a name

for yourself, it's there.

Del Mar definitely

defined my personality.

It gave me

a sense of identity.

It gave me a community,

a group that I really

enjoyed hanging out with,

and it set me apart

from the normal high school kid.

The first time I went to Del Mar

skate park, it was a done deal.

Like, I was addicted so fast

that it's the only thing

I could think about

from that point on.

Our stepfather, Tim, he

would take us to the skate park

when Danny was, you know, six years

old, and I was eight years old.

He'd go down and pay for them

to hang out there all day.

It was almost, for me,

like a baby-sitting program.

Some people spent

every waking hour at that park.

They came when it opened

at 9:
00 in the morning

till 11:
00 at night.

When I

first saw Danny,

he was just

a little kid from Vista

trying to come into this scene

that was Del Mar,

and, like, we were always

kind of tough on him.

Unfortunately

he was the little kid,

and we were

the big 14-year-olds,

so, you know,

picking on him,

hiding his board...

I was always smaller

than most my friends,

so I was in a position

where I had to earn respect,

and I always was trying

to prove myself.

We could tell Danny to do anything,

and he would do it.

We'd hang out with

our neighborhood friends then,

and we'd be like, "Hey, Danny,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes