A little of everything. I get kind of sick of
hip-hop, because that's all my roommates
play at my house all day. But classic rock,
metal, and stuff like Sebadoh is good.
So, you're pro now. How did this happen?
I moved out here, busted my ass as
much as I could, then a spot opened up on
Maple. I got 1st at a CASL contest at Missile
Park, and it was pretty much my turn at
Maple, I guess.
Do you come up with your own shapes
and graphics?
Yeah, everyone designs their own boards.
You've got some obstacle skills. Has
that helped you a lot in contests?
It totally helps, but lately I get too nervous
and can't really go out and skate and get
a good run.
Some pros I've talked to seem to feel that
no matter what the terrain of a contest is
like, you should only stick to real street
tricks. Like even if you could early grab a
360° over a huge table, you should
abstain in order to keep it real. What's
your opinion on all that?
What they should do is call it an obstacle
course so you're free to do that stuff. Don't
call it a street course if it's got a snowboard
jump like in Vancouver. But they should have
street contests, too, with benches and
stuff. I just go for big stuff, because that's
what I'm better at. It's a lot more fun.
I realize you're just a rookie, but where
do you see yourself in 10 years?
I get injured a lot so maybe I don't have a
super-long time. I'm going to be a business
major, so hopefully I'll get to start my own
company through Watson, the company that
does Maple, somewhere down the road. But
it won't be for a while.
Has the trick ceiling been reached?
The way you can flip your board is maxed out.
What about grabs?
That was done a long time ago. Now
they're coming out with terrible ones. I
thought that ledges were done about a year
ago, but lately I've been watching Mayhew
and Peter Smolik skate them, and they do
new stuff that's just amazing.
How fast do you go through gear?
After two or three times of skating, I set up
a new board. I jump down stairs, and it
gets kind of mushy.
What about shoes?
I get two pairs of Dukes a month, so it's
not really a problem.
But then you don't got one to chill in.
You're right, but I wear my skate shoes
everywhere I go, so it doesn't really matter.
When do you think the whole pop factor
of the board became an issue, because
Mullen is the pop originator, and he used to
skate with a plastic skidplate on his tail.
It originally wasn't an issue, because people were
just trying to do the tricks, but now they're trying to
do them a lot better, so a new board totally helps. I
don't know. I don't know much about pop.
What's the smallest set-up you've ever ridden?
I had some Toxic 39s.
I've been to some demos and contests, and the 18-
and-over crew is pretty slim pickins. Does being a pro
skateboarder help you get chicks?
I try to avoid girls who know anything about skate-
boarding. I don't want a girl who likes you because you're
a pro skateboarder. That's retarded.
Go down your daily TV watching schedule.
Wake up about 9:00, eat breakfast, watch Price is
Right, go to the gym for an hour, watch Kids In The
Hall, usually go skateboarding, then 6:00 is The
Simpsons, and Jeopardy's at 7:30. I try not to watch
too much, but those shows are pretty good.
Do you ever read books or eat salads?
Yeah, I eat really well.
Salads?
Yeah, I eat a lot of spaghetti, too.
Books?
I try, but I have a real short attention span.
Well, we'd better wrap things up. What's some advice
for the kids?
Persistence. That's what it's all about.
Who are your boys?
I'd like to say hi to my roommates, Larry, Shane,
Josh Holt and Dave Coyne. And I really need to thank
Ken Bucholz from Sunsports, Ed Dominic, Steve
Benson at Maple, my parents for supporting me, Ray
Underhill at Gullwing, Josh Beagle at Pig Wheels,
Jeremy Wray at Dukes, Jeff Taylor at Shorty's, Jake
and Carl Hyndman at Edward Sebastian, and Steve
Celentani for filming me when I came out here and
was just some stupid kid from Ohio. And hi to Jason
Carney, Donger, Jerry Hsu and Dave.
You know how Rob Roskopp was called the
Bio Ohioan?
Yeah?
Well, he's gone now, so I was wondering if you
I would like to be called the Bio Ohioan.
That sounds good.
OK. That's your nickname from now on.
Thanks, Mike.
Pre
Previous spread:
Chad was bummed out about the
interview until he landed this
frontside bluntslide.
Clockwise from top left:
Switch pop shove-it in the deserted
downtown of Mike Watt's city.
Traditional ollie over average gap.
Air to fakie.
Nosegrind to backside 180° out at
the Phoenix skatepark. Not bad
for a park skater.
84 THRASHER
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