Ollie Airs by Steve Grover

So I can’t remember how long I have been doing front and backside-ollies. But I do remember wanting to copy Adam Luxford’s ollies at Stone Edge in Florida circa 1990. That kid was doing them waist to chest high and covering four sheets no problem. I also copied this guy Larry from Virginia Beach. He would do huge B-side and F-side ollies. I know I learned the B-side ollie from Bill Fergueson around ’91. Modern Skate and Surf [of Michigan] did a 24hr skate benefit for the school of the blind. I remember sitting on the deck while the good guys were riding ( Tocco, O.P. Moore Mank, Scott Werner, Danforth) just to name a few, many more were in attendance. Fergueson had the B-side ollie wired. I saw his secret and stole it. Now I can do them.

A ollie is basically a giant kick turn. It is truly that simple. Here’s how the ollie air is done.

• Step 1: Approach the coping lifting front wheels by bending the knee so front wheels clear coping.
• Step 2: Bonk back wheels off coping by bending back knee. This puts you in a crouching, weightless position ready to land.
• Step 4: Sight your landing. The body should remain in front of the board until landing. At this time you should be centered over the board. Keep in mind, while the board is weightless, you will need to guide it with your front foot.

Here are some sequences of me doing b-side and f-side ollie airs:

• Backside Ollie – Deck View, Bowl View
• Frontside Ollie – Deck View, Bowl View

Also, this trick is easier on a Cold War skateboard. Peace Out – Grover