72
Schmitt
From
answer, it's up to you to find it. And
I use that kind of philosophy in every
thing, not just ramp building. It gets
me going on a lot of stuff. Common
sense and logic will take you a long
way, if you know how to use it. It's a
matter of wanting to use it.
You're one of the few who have made
quite a transition from full-on skater
to manufacturer.
Yeah, I used to be right on the border
line, because my manufacturing end
was so small vs. my skating and I
had a little time there where
everyone would look at it and say,
wow, that's kind of neat. But it didn't
mean a whole lot.
When did you start Schmitt Stix?
Maybe 1978...it's been a long time.
I started with mainly rails and stuff,
then I started making boards to sell
in '83. I'd always made my own
boards and experimented with this
and that.....
Schmitt Stix were originally rails,
then you made the truck guard, your
second product. Short lived?
Yeah, people were too frustrated and
couldn't put them on....
Sure, too simple. Simplicity is the
essence.
It is. People don't realize it, but...
Back to this transition, how's that
been for you? You mentioned that
it's not as fun anymore, speaking
from a skater's point of view.
From a skater's point of view, well,
in Florida I had a lot more freedom
to skate. Even though I worked long
hours I had a ramp I could skate
without hassles. It was worth it to
travel to skate. The dudes and per-
sonalities are a lot different back
there. People are stoked to have you
there, whereas out here there's so
many people they go. "Well geez.
what are you doing here? Outta
here. You know? I don't blame them.
I tried to build a ramp in my backyard
and I had troubles here in California,
and I told myself when I was building
it, people aren't going to come to my
ramp, period, because I don't want
them to blow it for me. So I can
understand that attitude. It's just a
fact of the large and ever-growing
skate populous. Now I'm so tied up
in business I can't skate during the
day, involved in working on skate
products, etc. I'll go to the ramp and
test them, this and that. Mostly, I use
my team and my friends for input. A
couple of skaters that work for me
are very important on input for prod-
uct design.
Is that what it is for you, the research
and design sessions and friendships?
Or does the sound of the cash regis
ter really mean a lot to you?
When I was in Florida, my whole
business was making skateboards
'cause I wanted to make skateboards.
When I decided to move to California
and progress further, I had to take
the attitude that this is going to be
a business because this is how I'm
going to survive, In the last half a
year or so it's been very prosperous
IN THE CROWD
that way, still my motivation is that I
want better and radder stuff to skate.
I keep on trying and coming up with
more. I'm working on some stuff now
that people are going to freak out on.
Designs for ramps, or products?
Products. Various things that will be
revealed in the future."
Anything that's near enough to be
revealed... an inkling of an idea?
No, not really. I'm coming out with
wheels by the end of the summer.
You just re-designed your rail. Is that
from skater input?
Most of the ideas come from my gut
feeling. I'll get an opinion from them,
people will get stoked, you know, 1
like this or I don't like this.' My round
rail was always an extreme differ
ence from anything else, so instead
of stopping in the middle where
everyone else was I went from one
extreme to the next, and they're both
very functional. It's all personal pref-
erence. Everything is personal pref-
erence, whether it's your ramp, your
board or the street you're riding
down.
What's your personal preference for
terrain?
Ramps. Big ramps. By far. A foot and
a half of vert, eleven feet tall or so,
at least twenty feet wide, preferably
more. I like to work lines and skate
real carvy and go real fast. I'm not
a bio air guy or anything like that, I
just like to cruise. I like lip tricks the
most, that's what I have the most fun
with.
You're still skating competitively?
Yeah, every once in awhile. This con-
test I didn't skate because I twisted
my knee last weekend. The last con-
test i skated was the N.S.A. in Hous-
ton. I thought it would be better to
skate there than Del Mar, because
it was a ramp. I got there the night
before and that morning I got about
eight practice rides and skated the
contest. I had fun and that's what
counted to me. At Del Mar C.A.S.L.
about a month ago, I wasn't going
to go, and it was four o'clock and 1
thought, well, I'll just go down and
check it out. I got down there, took
two practice rides and skated the
contest. I didn't skate the contest
competitively enough to even hope
to place anywhere. I did so-so, but
I had fun. I released my energy, and
people were stoked about it. It's neat
to be out there and be appreciated
in that aspect. I feel like I have a real
special link to skating, in many as-
pects.
I think so, that's part of why I wanted
to do something with you as more
than just a skater. It's tough to inter-
view skaters these days, everybody
deserves and nobody deserves.
There's not a whole lot they can say,
compared to observers like yourself.
Well, a lot of the problem is the skat
er's attitudes and personalities.
These people have the full negative
attitude to everything and it's going
to get them nowhere in life. Why not
be happy, even if it's a lame situa-
tion? Rather than just being bummed
about it, just deal with it, period.
People like Gator just deal with it.
He doesn't let it bum him. He's always
around and always ripping. It's be-
cause of his personality. And we're
happy with a session at a contest or
at home on a ramp. Anybody would
be. It may be a jam session because
you get so much excitement out of it.
Paul, where'd you grow up?
I was born in Washington DC. When
I was four years old I moved to Wis-
consin. I lived there untill was twelve.
I got my first skateboard when I lived
in Wisconsin. An old Polyjammer, or
whatever, with the first urethane
wheels on it. My neighbors had one
with clay wheels from a flea market
that I'd ridden for a year or two. Then
all of a sudden skateboards started
to show up in the stores, and that's
how I got into it. I was always in-
trigued by it. Around '75 I moved to
Flonda, and lived there until just a
year ago.
Were you bred in the parks, or...
I was bred for quite awhile in the
parks. Rainbow Wave and Skate
Waves, in Tempe, Florida. I skated
in the parks until '82 before I became
a ramp rider. When the park closed
the only place to skate was John
Grigley's ramp in St. Petersburg. The
first time I went there I said, this
thing's all wrong. The ramp was all
bad, so I started hammering on it,
Those guys said, 'What's that dude
coming over here to nail on the ramp
for, why doesn't he skate? And I've
always been that type.
So that kind of started the ramp
thing?
Yeah, I always built quarter pipes
and little half pipes before, but noth-
ing serious. Before then it was all
parks.
Who were you bros back then, your
crew? Any names we'd recognize.
Me and McGill were local area, and
in the pits of skating, like '81-82, we
used to skate a lot together. We'd
call or go to the park. He lived like
35 miles away in one direction and
I lived ten miles away in the other
direction.
How soon after that was McGill doing
well?
Oh, he was already doing well then,
he was recognized. That was like...
Layback airs in Skateboarder.
After that, I knew McGill then, but I
didn't know him until 81, until we
skated together, really. Skating was
big and Mike was all over the place.
In the low times of skating we be-
came pros, for the most part, be-
cause we were the only ones who
knew how to skate.
How about some of the other crew,
Grigley?
Yeah, in the last years. In '821 started
skating with John and those guys,
and I knew them a little bit. John
Grigley and Bruce Whitesides were
the key people over there, and then
Monty up in Gainsville, and Billy
Beauregard in Winterhaven. I used
to go skate with those guys alot. And
it was neat, because everywhere
went to skate I was travelling. The
St. Pete ramp, which I consider my
I
ramp, was 35 miles away.
You've put in a lot of miles.
Yeah, a lot of miles that way. Every
weekend we used to go somewhere
to skate. Now it's not the same. There
isn't the same magic when I travel
and skate now. Which is a shame,
because that's where my true roots
are from.
What do you think the essence of
skating is?
A good internal feeling. That's fully
what it is. It's adventure, skating's a
big adventure. But it's mostly turning
that adventure into a good feeling.
a unique feeling to yourself. Some
people just look at it and go, Well,
why do they do that, spend their lives
rolling around on the little wheels,
what's it all about? So, I spend my
life playing with toys. But I have fun
and I like it and it makes me feel
good. And there's nothing wrong with
that. That's why everybody skates.
Not just because it's rad and it's fun.
It gives you an internal thrill. Or it
should at least, and if it doesn't,
maybe something's wrong. I don't
know.
Where do you think ramp design is
going? Do you feel that, no matter
what you're skating, you'll get tired
of it someday?
Yes and no. This morning I came
here and the lifts on this ramp weren't
up or anything. The pros had been
just blatantly saying, we're sick of
just going back and forth. So there
was an extension in one corner and
they were going to put the escalator
in a corner. I said, no, let's put it in
the middle. If they want variety
they're going to get it. And, I'll be
curious to see what input comes out
of it.
So, you redesigned the ramp this
morning...
To an extent, I mean not that much,
but...I don't know what they were
going to do. They didn't know what
they were going to do. I don't think
they were even going to bother to
put extensions up, because time was
running out. But the fact is, it would
have been just bunk, the same old
thing, if they didn't have them.
if you're going to do something do it
night
Yeah, to the extent I know I helped
pull it off. Usually a lot of the skaters
are negative and don't want to help.
The pros especially seem that way.
This morning I started working away
and I looked up and there was Micke
Alba up on the lip, nailing away. It
was like, yeah Micke. After Micke got
in there and nailed there was a pro
after him. A few people got in there,
not everybody. Micke doesn't say he
is a ramp builder or anything, but the
fact is he wanted to skate, he wanted
to put his part into it. That means a
lot. I feel. He had a big part in helping
us pull it all off. The local guys that
plotted it all out and everything did
it and it was just a matter of getting
it finished, but if it isn't finished it isn't
any good. So it's just as valuable
having the last people to finish it off
as it is to have the guys to start it.
AM'S IN ACTION
PURE
Schmitt
Stix
PERFORMANCE
Distributed by:
VISION SPORTS
1711 WHITTIER AVE
DEPT 212
COSTA MESA CA 92627
(714) 645-2644
Alan Midgett
Brian Beauchene
PHOTO: GRANT BRITTAIN