All for one, one for all.

First off let me say Thrasher is the only skate magazine worth the paper it's printed on. A truer representation of the independent spirit is just not easy to find in our corporate-run, homogenized, boring little world. My first exposure to "real" skating came from the dune 1985 Thrasher, which was brought to my attention by a friend at a high school party. I have been hooked since. I am now 37, married, and a proud father of a four-year-old boy. I don't get out to skate as much as I used to but I still have to do it, and that is the beauty of skating: you can put it down but you can't put it away. Obviously my son has been exposed to skating and is curious. He does great balancing on his own, rolling down our driveway. It's a big kick for him and when I hear him laugh, and say, "I'm doing it," it is an equally big kick for me. To get to the point: the last three Skater of the Year mags, which feature the T-Eddy awards, have included a category for Trend That Won't Catch On. While I do generally enjoy the humor in Thrasher and it has been especially delightful and acerbic with Phelps at the helm. Paired with Burnett's clever, pointed observations, it has elevated the magazine to its current status. I eagerly await the last Friday of every month for the mailman's arrival. I, however, must call you on the use of the term "midget" in these aforementioned articles. My son has a condition called achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism that affects the long bones of the body (arms and legs). And I assure you it is not a trend for him to have this condition nor has it been a treat for him to endure multiple operations and life threatening experiences. My son is a beautiful, intelligent boy with everything else going for him and everything to live for, even skating if he desires. Unless there is a person who has special needs or considerations in your life, it can be difficult to understand what impact language has, particularly on the young, developing mind. Dwarf, or little person, might have been a more appropriate term; although I must say, their very inclusion in said category is still baffling and altogether not funny. This is even more surprising if you consider there are two talented, higher profile skaters of short stature. Skateboards just don't discriminate--there is no height requirement to use one; granted, your legs have to work Ever try and find a tricycle a little person can fide? Or most "off the rack" items for that matter? I'm not asking Thrasher to become a bastion for correctness, but you are in a position of influence. I see the skate world as inclusive, inhabited by creative, open-minded individuals unencumbered by prejudices. The dictionary defines semantics as "the study or science of the meaning in language, especially with regard to historical change." Notice how a skater like Darrell Stanton is not in your category for Negro Most Likely to Get Skater of the Year award. Midget, like negro, perpetuates a stereotype and also marginalizes a segment of society--bog girl, person, skater. What else do we need? Please leave the ignorance like this to your advertisers and out of your actual content. Cheers, Thrasher. Here's to another 300 issues.

David Stromdahl

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Bushwick Bill: size ain't shit. --T-ed