The real truck driver at Ermico.
OSCAR REYES "I was hired as a grinder."
Oscar Reyes is the foreman over at Ermico.
While his name and the company might not
ring a bell, for the last eighteen years Ermico
Are you also the guy that puts the kingpins
and all that stuff in?
Yeah, I do that.
has made the most popular skateboard trucks How long have you worked at Ermico?
in the world. This short Q and A pries a little
of the lid back and lets you see what goes on
behind the scenes.
-Bryce Kanights
How did you get involved in the production
of skateboard trucks?
Well, I was hired as a grinder and then I start
ed designing the trucks.
Did you have a background of that prior to
working at Ermico, like working with metals?
Yeah.
And then you learned on the job, as well?
Right.
So, what's your role now?
Right now I'm just basically a foundry man,
and I'm kind of supervising the metal.
Like the pouring of it?
Yeah, pouring, like making sure it's the right
stuff, right temperatures, to make sure that the
metal will be right at the point to be poured.
So, you oversee pretty much the whole
foundry operation?
Yeah.
And then they have someone else for the
machine shop?
Right.
Thirteen years.
Have you ever skated?
I tried it once, but I almost broke my butt, so
I decided not to.
What are the procedures of making a skate-
board truck from start to finish?
Count the parts, and then we have to temper
and then we have to polish them, drill them,
or heat the parts, the pouring them from row,
press the axle thing and put them together
with the cushions, then box them up, and
they're ready to go.
How long does it take from the time you
pour the metal to the time it's got nuts and
washers on it?
At least two working days.
They don't have to cure?
No, metal is just metal.
What's the most critical point of the process
of making trucks?
Melting the metal, molding.
And those molds are slightly larger, because
it shrinks?
Right, they're a little bit bigger so that when
the metal shrinks, it will be the right size.
Are you involved in designing those, or is
that someone else?
Actually, I do, but once we make the plate,
every time it's going to be the same, so basic-
ally the pattern maker will give tolerance, and
that's whoever works on the patterns.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I really enjoy everything from the start to the
end. It's fun. You learn a lot of things. Every day
it's different because the skateboard industry is
changing, so it's a non-stop deal.
Do you ever see some kids skating and
notice they have Ventures and Indys?
Oh yeah. When I go to Embarcadero or the
Mission District, I see a lot of kids riding
Ventures, Indys or Thunders. Sometimes I get
to see some guys and tell them, "Oh, I work
for that company."
Do you ever check out skate magazines?
A few times.
What's your age, Oscar?
I'm thirty-two.
And where are you from, originally?
I'm from El Salvador.
Did you come straight to San Francisco?
Yeah.
Is there anything else you want to add?
Just to tell the kids to keep skating so we can
continue providing the best.
KARINA
MORISHIGE
Most girlfriends of pro skaters
will readily agree that juggling
time spent together between
skating, demos, contests and
road trips is no picnic. Karina
Morishige shares her views on
going out with Tim Brauch.
-Bryce Kanights
How did you first meet Tim?
Through his friend Todd. I was
sixteen and he was fourteen.
Wasn't there a problem at first
with his parents?
Yeah, they thought I was a bad
influence on him, and they even
told me at one point not to come
around their house. But then they
apologized to me a year later,
and everything's been okay since.
Were you interested in skate-
boarding before you met Tim?
Yeah, but I wasn't trying to find
a skater boyfriend or anything.
Do you share similar interests?
Yeah, we're best friends, pretty
much, and he always talks to me
Tim Brouch, wheelchair
access nosegrind.
about his career, and I talk to him
about whatever I want to do
regarding the future. The thing
that is the best about it is that we
can both snowboard together.
Do you ever get frustrated with
the amount of time that Tim
spends skateboarding?
Yeah, sometimes I do because
if we have plans to go out to din-
ner or something, and then he
went to a ramp and he says he'll
be back at seven to get me and
he doesn't come until like ten,
that's when I get frustrated. But I
know that it's his job and he has
to do it, but still.
What are the benefits and
detriments of going out with
a pro skater?
The benefits are all the places I
get to go and people I meet and
the free stuff, and the bad thing
is that he's away a lot travelling.
and that's about it. I don't care
about the girls or anything. I'm
not worried.
60 THRASHER
1
Karina and Tim,
horsing around.
61