Sometime near the end of the year in 1975, I was shooting for fun at the Ice Terrace at Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. My Olympus OM-1 was loaded with Kodachrome 64. Out of nowhere, this kid in an Oakland Raiders jacket skated to the rail, struck a pose, and a couple of seconds later, was gone. I seem to remember a second image with him and a gaggle of friends hamming it up for me, but that may be a figment of my imagination, softened over the years by tens of thousands of commercially-produced images and more than a couple adult beverages.
I've always wondered who this kid was. Was he visiting Kansas City, maybe even in town to see the Raiders play the Chiefs, or was he a local kid on Christmas break skating with friends?
It seems unlikely that I'll ever discover the truth behind this image, but it still drives me nuts - this guy would be in his mid-forties now - a lifetime has passed since that afternoon in Kansas City.
I would like for him to have a copy of this image, if he's interested. Other than that, I'm just interested in putting a final chapter on this story, and a name with the face.
