éS Footwear

2002: P.J. and Mikey!

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P.J. Ladd and Mike Taylor join the éS team. A close friend of P-Rod and new acquaintance of Eric Koston, Taylor quickly becomes noted for the multiple combinations of tricks he’s capable of in both regular and switch stances. P.J. literally comes out of nowhere to absolutely amaze the skateboarding public. Not since Tom Penny has anyone so relatively anonymous come into the scene and single-handedly changed it forever.

Bob Burnquist becomes the first-ever skater to air across an upside-down gap in a loop, winning the King Of Skate contest (shown on pay-per-view TV) and $25,000 in the process. Bob also casually nabs 1st place in the vert event at the Oceanside Triple Crown.

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The entire éS team comes together for the first time in several years for a very successful three-city Germany Tour of demos. Later in the year, éS produces a special giveaway DVD featuring footage from this tour.

P.J. Ladd’s Wonderful, Horrible Life video and DVD, produced by Coliseum skate shop, catches the stair / handrail world off guard with its mind-blowing technical flatground and ledge skating.

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The éS Spring line adds Bob Burnquist’s second pro model skate shoe, the Burnquist 2, and Arto Saari’s first-ever, the Arto, along with the Convex, the Omega and the Oarb. The Fall line adds Rick McCrank’s second pro model skate shoe, the McCrank 2, and Eric Koston’s fourth, the K4.

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Photos, top to bottom: P.J. Ladd, Tom Penny, Tom Penny, éS Team, P-Rod and Rick McCrank.

2002 Headlines

• U.S. President George W. Bush faints after choking on a pretzel.
• Kmart becomes the largest retailer in American history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
• The 2002 Winter Olympics occur in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Andrea Yates is found guilty of drowning her five children and is later sentenced to life in prison.
• The funeral of Queen Elizabeth takes place in Westminster Abbey, London.
• The first official version of Mozilla is released.
• Terrorists detonate massive bombs in two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202 and injuring over 300.
• The Beltway Snipers go on an East Coast shooting rampage.
• U.S. President George Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947.
• Laci Peterson of Modesto, California is reported missing.

Timeline, Eric Koston, PJ Ladd, Rick McCrank, Rodrigo Tx, Tom Penny.