HOT
as
Sixteen-year-old sensation Omar Hassan is a regular
student at Newport Harbor High and a regular ruler at both the
Chino and Vision ramps. A frontrunner in the rookie rad-race,
you can expect to see Omar dominating all surfaces for years
to come. Here's the tale he told K.T
Are you doing well in school?
I get a C average. I'm trying to get through
and go to college.
What's your daily routine like?
Surf in the morning if there are waves.
then call up John Hogan to see if I can ride
the ramp. Go skate for a while and then hang
out, see what girls are around.
Describe the Chrome Domers.
There are about eight of us, all our friends
who live around Orange County, like Remey,
Mike Sanders and Mark Cernicky. We ride a
metal ramp hidden somewhere in Santa
Barbara. It's called the Doc's. The Doc
doesn't let too many people ride the ramp, no
matter who or what you are. We stay the night
there in a little camper and eat canned beans.
How did you get into skateboarding?
My older brother used to skate. He built a
ramp. Steve Olson and a few other people
used to come and ride that. I just followed my
brother. I was in third or fourth grade, about
when Hosoi still rode for Sims. My brother quit
skateboarding but I just kept skating.
How do you set up your board?
I ride average 62 mm 97 durometer
wheels. My board has about a four-and-a-half
inch nose and a big seven-inch tail. I ride my
back truck loose and my front tight.
Who are your main influences?
My friends I hang out with-Mark Cernicky
and Jeff Ronnow. Chris Miller is rad. Mostly
local guys like Ben Schroeder. Jim Gray took
me to almost every ramp when I first started.
Name some hot young skaters.
Paul de Jesus is really strong. He reminds
me of Christian, Chris Cass has a rad style.
What's your favorite type of terrain?
Good pools are fun. I like vert ramps, like
OMAR
HASSAN
the ramps at Chino. Skating with Salba and all
those guys from Chino is rad. That's one of
my perfect ramps. I like a good lip, a foot and
a half of vert, eleven and a half feet high with
an eighteen foot flatbottom and extensions.
Best spot you've ever skated?
Probably Upland overall. I used to ride
Upland a long time ago. That was the first
transition I ever rode.
Favorite kind of session?
I like sessions where you have to fight. It
pushes you. It doesn't even matter who goes,
whoever gets in there.
Do you do anything special at contests?
I sit by myself and concentrate on what I'm
going to do. It gets a little bit heavy right
before the contest, so I try to ignore
everything. I just try to stay on, that's all I care
about. I get pissed when I fall.
Favorite trick?
One of my favorite tricks is Cab to
backside lipside. It's a three-quarter Cab all
the way around to backside disaster over the
spine and into the bowl.
Why do you skate?
I've done it for a long time so it's like
working in a way, but I have fun doing it.
What are you looking for in the future?
I want to keep doing well in contests and
skate with the same people I skate with now.
Favorite bands?
I like the Dead Kennedys. Fast music. I
like Reggae when I go to sleep.
Any non-skaters you admire and respect?
My older brother.
Do you have a message for other skaters?
Just keep skating. Don't worry about
competition or being sponsored before you're
ready for it
LIKE
SESSIONS
WHERE
YOU HAVE
TO FIGHT.
SHOES
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