Jason, what things do you think have changed
and what things have stayed the same?
Well, the thing that has stayed the same for me
is the fun of skateboarding. I had fun when I first
started, it was a good feeling when I was progress-
ing and learning how to become a better skate
boarder, more of a stable skateboarder. I still have
fun on my skateboard and feel good about what
I'm doing. I went through a period where I was
worrying about being old and worrying about
what people thought of me because skateboarding
was changing so fast and it seemed like there was
so much pressure on skateboarders as far as being
ahead of the next guy. The skaters doing all the
newer and more complicated tricks were getting
the most respect, so I would wonder if people lost
respect for me because I may not have done cer-
tain tricks that other skateboarders were doing. I
went through a whole stage where I was worried,
but then I forgot about that and realized why I
first started skating, because it was a fun thing to
do. The feeling was and still is good.
What are the differences between pros today
and the pros of three or four years ago?
It's totally different. Turning pro now is based
more on the tricks a person does and how good a
video part he can put out. The first question asked
by certain company owners would be, "Does he do
hard tricks This may be a generalization, but it's
true to a certain extent because it's a big part of
why skateboarding has changed so much,
So you mean these people don't even have to
prove themselves as skaters, they just have to
do a certain amount of tricks?
That, and obviously how new and difficult the
tricks are. Everyone has heard about the company
owners that were paying their skaters large sums
to do certain tricks for their videos. Or paying
skaters a lot of money to be on their team. They
want the craziest skaters, the craziest video, there-
fore they make the most money.
Yeah, skateboarding has been sped up to
where it's all come to videos.
It's true. It seems like the reason for
skateboarding these days is to have the
best video part. It makes you wonder if
people really feel good about what
they're doing. If skaters had more real
purposes of making skating more
enjoyable for themselves as individuals,
all the pressure, stress and worry
wouldn't be a burden. Skateboarding
would be more fun for people.
Do you think things can change for
the better in skateboarding?
It's definitely up to the companies,
because it's the companies that have the
teams, and make the products, and
make the videos, and the image. And if that partic-
ular image isn't positive, skateboarding as a whole
will go down slower and slower. I think companies
need to ask themselves why they're doing what
they're doing. Are they in business to use people
and do whatever it takes to make as much money
as they can? Or are they in business to help skate-
boarding and make something creative, interesting,
and positive of it? Same for skateboarders. Are
they pro because they feel comfortable and
confident as skateboarders? Or are they pro
50 Тилен
31