kick flip on vert

  the first person i saw ever do a kick flip on a vert ramp was mic-e reyes...... it was about halfway
up the ramp. That was the late 80's maybe almost 90. It was a typical friday night session at the widow maker ramp, one that jake had let a handful of the SF street skaters come for the session. Lot's of amping during those sessions. Mostly grinds, ollie, disasters, some backside airs. I don't think Mic-e rolled into the ramp to get to skate, but from time to time Jake would turn a blind eye.  He hopped one the ramp, did a few turns and then BAM did a quick kickflip halfway up, then took a seat.
  I was really tripping on it, for weeks I thought WHAT IF? you cold do that at the top, or even out.
So i tried it every so often, sometimes it would flip so perfect and be on my feet but I'd kick it away thinking it was too good to be true. Then I had heard rumors of others trying it and i really wanted to stick it. When you haven't seen something done, you put this mystique around it, its less tangible, but seeing mic-e do that one halfway up kinda made more real, that thought lingering in my subconscious.
  I'm not saying I was the first to do it, but one of the early few. I always thought the division between street and very should be more grey. I guess more like they are in modern times.

So here's one years after those ones when i was a little more comfortable with the flip. Over the channel and into the woods. Gabe took the photo and it was still film, Im sure there was a pile
of 400 speed black and white film of bails laying next to his camera bag.