Since 1976

About Us

Fifty years of finding backyard pools, draining them and skating them. IPS carries that spirit on everything we make.

1976

2026

Fifty years of Inouye's Pool Service

Pools first. Skateboards always.

Chris Strople and Tom Inouye formed Inouye's Pool Service (IPS) in 1976 as a way to access backyard pools to drain and skate the empty pool.

Today IPS carries that story on tees, stickers, hats, boards and more, made for the people who ride.

The founders

Co-founder

Tom “Wally” Inouye

Born: Los Angeles, 1959
Turned pro: 1976
Hall of Fame: Class of 2019

Wally started skating around 1967 on a homemade board built from his sister's old roller skates. He earned his nickname around 1973 when he invented the wall ride, and went on to become one of the most prominent pros of the late '70s, riding for Caster, Sims, Tracker and Gyro.

He scored four classic Skateboarder covers, including the October 1977 issue with his jump out of the Upland full pipe. In 1976 he and Chris started Inouye's Pool Service together, and Wally sold the very first IPS tees and stickers to his fans.

Today Wally calls Hood River, Oregon home. He still skates in spring and summer, snowboards Mt. Hood in winter, and cooks up a storm as The Skateboarding Chef.

Wally at Spring Valley. Photo: Jim Goodrich.

Wally at Nike, still carving photo: bryce kanights.

Co-founder

Chris Strople

Born: Pasadena, 1960
Turned pro: 1975
Hall of Fame: Class of 2020

Chris started skating in 1966 on a neighbor's borrowed board, and became a vert skater for life the first time he carved over the light in an abandoned motel pool. He turned pro for Sims in 1977 and stayed pro all the way until 1993.

One of the top vert skaters of the late '70s, he invented the alley-oop and the rock 'n' roll boardslide and helped pioneer bionic aerials. In February 1981 he became the first person ever to appear on the cover of Thrasher.

Chris co-founded Inouye's Pool Service with Wally in 1976, and he still skates today from his home in the hills of Monrovia, California.