What got you into skateboarding?
I got into skateboarding seeing my little brothers skate. It looked pretty interesting and when I was going through a hard time and decided to pick up a skateboard and just skate. I immediately was hooked.
What is your skate scene like in your city?
Our skate has grown over the couple of years and there are new people picking up skateboarding during the pandemic. It’s pretty awesome. Gallup isn’t too small but not big at all, and there are some fun street spots here if you go out and look. There are also gnarly spots out here that only a few have skated. Since the 2020 pandemic hit our skate park has been closed which is a big bummer, but I always have fun skating the streets so that helps. We all got to find that balance in life and skateboarding does help during these crazy times.
What is you to go trick to start your sesh?
My go to flat ground trick would be a kickflip and My go to trick to start a sesh would be a fakie 5050 on a ledge but if I’m at a skate park I like to get a nice cruise in and ollie the Euro gap and make my way to the pyramid and go from there.
Do you feel skateboarding has changed your life? How?
Yes I do feel that skateboarding has changed my life, because before I picked up skateboarding I was going through a traumatic incident that was effecting me and I needed an outlet to focus. That’s when I picked up skateboarding and put everything I had into it because I felt like I had nothing. Skateboarding was there for me in a way no person could be. It opened my eyes to know what I thought wasn’t possible was possible. I was able to get more creative with my mind and learn new things that scared me. I do not think I would be here if it wasn’t for Skateboarding and I honestly can’t imagine life without it. I’m grateful.
What pro skater inspires your skateboarding?
The first pro skater I feel that inspired me would be Chad Tim Tim from his part “Good times gone Chad” from 411vm. That’s when true inspiration hit. Another pro skater that inspires me would be Alexis Sablone, she an amazing inspiration on and off of the board.
Do you prefer watching skate videos on social media or buying it? Why?
I prefer all ways in viewing skate videos but I will always feel that buying a DVD is more special. It’s easier to get to if the internet goes out. Also there is more work that goes into a DVD and you get to see and feel the art put into the whole project.
What is the gnarliest trick you have ever done? How did you feel when you landed it?
The gnarliest trick I’ve ever done would be a nollie 360 flip on a pyramid. I was extremely stoked to have gotten that trick because I’m not good at regular 360 flips. The feeling of landing and rolling away from any trick is the best!. Just looking back to when I first learned my kickflip to busting nollie 360 flips. I’m grateful.
Tell us little bit about your local skate shop & what they do for skateboard scene?
Our local skate shop is called Enchantment Skate Shop and before we were a shop we started out as a community page that reached out to others to meet up to skate and film. We also shared videos and local events that were going on. Until one day we saw in the local newspaper that they were going to have a city meeting and one of the topics were “should we build a new skate park”. Some friends and I immediately took advantage of this call out and went to the meeting and expressed how we felt about having a new skate park and the benefits it would have. From there we became the skate park advocates and helped raise money by holding events and selling painted skateboards painted by us locals. At this time the shop crew came together and built a diy spot in Gallup so that we could have a place to skate while our new park was being build. The skate park before was bad and torn down almost immediately after the approval of the new skate park. It was an amazing experience and glad we had gotten to work with our friend Terry Valley’s who had did the hard work on designing the Gallup Skate Park and making it something we wanted. During the process of working on the design and raising funds we had talked with the city about our dream of getting a local skate shop going and had worked out a deal. We got everything we needed to get our shop going, so when the park was finished we had let the city know and they helped us out with a spot right next to the skate park. When the grand opening happened we had a huge grand opening skate jam and contest it was awesome. From there the shop hosted many cookouts and street session meet ups and small contest for the community. Our local shop also has a shop team of 10 riders that we help. Right now we are currently collecting used and new skate goods to give to other skate communities on the Navajo reservation. Jeremy is the other co-owner of the skate shop and he came up with this plan to help build diy spots on the Reservation. So hopefully soon we get the ball rolling on that and get a gofund me page going.
What is your daily routine before you go shred?
The first thing I like to do is get up and do some 10 minute stretching and after that toss in a quick at home workout by bully juice, Followed by some breakfast, coffee and water.
Any inspiring words you want to tell the next generation of skaters?
No matter how bad life seems just pick up your skateboard and keep shredding. Give 100% in everything you do with passion and everything will fall into place. Never forget the process and where you came from.
