PHOTO: URI ARCHIVES
Summer 2025 Winners
Winning Captions
“When you major in physics and can’t afford gas.”
—Stephen Koch ’75
“Overcoming his fear of the water, Dudley also fills in as a lifeguard in the Student Union parking lot on alternate Thursdays.”
—Patricia Lynch, M.S. ’74
“Despite earning mediocre grades, during job interviews, Larry said that he sailed through his courses at URI.”
—Maddy Normandin and her dad, Marc Normandin ’03
Totally Tubular Quad Sesh!
We found this fun photo in the 1981 Renaissance yearbook. In 1981, Ronald Reagan was elected U.S. president, IBM introduced the first personal computers, and MTV made its debut on the airwaves. 1981 was also the year skateboarding magazine Thrasher was launched amid a thriving and evolving skate culture.
So, what’s going on in this photo? Windskating! The sport started in the 1970s, inspired by windsurfing.
An ad for the company WindSkate in the Nov. 1977 issue of Skateboard World read, “In an open parking lot with an average wind, you’ll be WindSkating before you remember that you didn’t know how to do it. The Down Wind Reach can accelerate you to twice the speed of the wind … WindSkating will turn you on to the slalom turns of a good ski run, the juicy feel of a powerful wave and the sailing techniques of a Hobie Cat. … Get A WindSkate, and Try and Catch the Wind, You won’t miss.” [sic]
Share your vintage URI Photos!
Would you consider sharing some of those vintage photos for the photo caption contest—or just for fun? If so, we’d love to consider sharing your photos in URI Magazine. Please scan or take a good-quality photo of your snapshot and mail to urimag@uri.edu.