You see, the things that happened in Dogtown ten years ago—innovations in skateboarding, surfing, and style—paved the way for what we see all over the world today. If it weren't for people like Jay Adams, Natas Kaupas, and Christian Hosoi, skateboarding would've never reached such success. The same goes for surfing, with the McClure brothers doing airs and Spun Louies, now known as reverses. Those guys laid down the foundation of style in board sports that will never be surpassed. Ever.

The only requirement to be a part of Dogtown was to live on the west side of L.A. in one of two ever-battling cities—Venice and Santa Monica. I grew up on the south side of Santa Monica, and ventured down to Venice to skate and mingle with the freaks. Never to surf, though. The old days were more aggressive, and the VBWL was quite intimidating; the two cities have had rival gangs for years, and this filtered all the way down to the beaches we surfed. But nevertheless, the open-mindedness it took to be an innovator or creator usually pushed most neighborhood nonsense to the side. It's what allowed the Dogtown crew to create what's now the cutting edge of board sports.

Many people don't know about Dogtown, and will never understand what it's all about. But even though most people don't get it, I feel good knowing that what I represented as a youth, with my peers, will be seen for the rest of my life. Only those in the Dogtown will be able to appreciate the huge accomplishments that remain undetected by the rest of the world. So to the world, from Dogtown: You're very fuckin' welcome!