When did skateboarding change your life?
Skateboarding changed my life around the age of 9. I saw my older brother Ryan and his friends killing it, filming videos on his Flip Camera and having the time of their lives… I was eager to join in and see what the hype was about, so that Christmas, the first thing on my list was a new skateboard. The second I picked it up and learned to skate around my driveway I was in love, I wanted to learn new tricks and do it every day of the week so that’s exactly what I did.
What is your favorite trick and why?
My favorite trick would either be back 360s or backside flips. It’s very hard to pick between the two, mainly because of the way they both feel when you do them right. Scooping a back 3, feeling that front foot come off and then stomping it and rolling away is one of the most rewarding feelings ever; and the same could be said for backside flips. Backside flips are the kind of trick I feel comfortable hucking down anything I can get myself to ollie, they just feel extremely natural and look amazing every time, especially when you get the front foot flick down and feel that back foot catch the board.
With skateboarding in the Olympics, do you think skateboarding can prostitute itself or to lose the true essence?
Skateboarding going into the Olympics in 2020 is a controversial subject, especially when you consider the way it started and its origins being strictly in the streets. One of the main things that make certain people get into skating is the feeling of being rebellious. Running from cops, being kicked out of spots, or having the average pedestrian walking by you and your friends filming a trick in a public park misconceive you as juveniles because they don’t understand the creative/artistic aspect behind it. These are all examples of things that make skaters feel misunderstood, which gives most a sense of independence or uniqueness. So, putting street skating in an extremely mainstream event like the Olympics makes most street skaters fear it’s going to lose its true essence, a fear I sympathize with and understand, but completely disagree with… You can’t keep something as unique and skillful as skating underground forever. People get so hung up on the idea of being low-key and badass they forget how important necessary growth is. Not only will the Olympics make skateboarding something more and more people decide to pick up, which will make outsiders more tolerant and understanding of it, but It’ll give the pros that work very hard opportunities to make a valid living off of their talent and make an even bigger name for themselves.
When was the first time you won a skateboard contest & how did you feel?
It must have been 2013 or 2014, I think I was 12 or 13 at the time, a local company called Wampum which was run out of Bridgehampton threw a contest at Montauk Skatepark, this was around the time when almost everyone I knew skated. My brother was in the older division which I believe he won, and all my close friends that skated at the time were in my division… most of them stopped skating and got into other things as they grew up. Montauk park is about 45 minutes from where I live and the skatepark is designed for people who skate tranny. For a street skater like myself all of the tricks I had planned out were on the long box, square rail, death drop, and the pyramid with a box on top of it (which was pretty tall for someone my age to lock into a grind on so that was sort of a last resort) It also smacks in the middle of the tranny section… so it was considered part of the tranny/vert aspect of the contest. They had the older guys go first, and then after that, it was time for my division to go. First, they did the “street section” which was on the box, drop, rail, etc. I was very prideful and full of myself at the time being what most considered a prodigy, so when I blew it in that part of the contest, my only option was to step up to the pyramid box thing for the tranny section. Luckily enough while everyone was skating the tranny the way it’s supposed to be skated, I was landing every trick I could think of on the pyramid box, closing the contest out with young Patrick’s signature move, the ol’ back 5050 360 pop shuvit out. From what I can remember, I felt damn good. Especially because I was a street skater and had just won the tranny section.
Skateboarding and music are very connected to each other, what do you like to listen to while skateboarding?
I have a pretty diverse taste in music. The song I put on while skating all depends on my mood that day, where I’m skating, or what kind of trick I’m trying. Usually, if I’m skating around my local park just flowing, I’ll put on some Mac Demarco, Beach House, or Pink Floyd… anything slow and vibey. If I’m pissed off, stressed out, or trying a trick over and over, I’ll usually put on some heavy trap music. Preferably Lil Baby and Young Thug… or I’ll bump actual rap like Gang Starr and Flatbush Zombies, even metal sometimes. It honestly all depends, sometimes I want to amp myself up and keep the energy high, sometimes I want to calm my nerves and flow around or center my focus. It depends, and I have specific playlists for, however, I feel that day.
Do you prefer to shred in the streets or in skateparks? Why?
It depends on where I am. If I could skate street in NYC every day, I would probably never step foot in a skatepark ever again. The feeling you get grinding a street handrail vs. a skatepark handrail can’t be compared, street skating will always be superior in my eyes. But I’ve lived in Sag Harbor my whole life, which is on the East End of Long Island, there’s only so many spots out here… even if you consider the neighboring towns like East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Southampton, etc. I filmed a full part in Sag Harbor back in 2016 and 2017 with my bro Patrick Rice, and I genuinely think we touched every single spot in that town. It may look like a lot, but it’s not much. It does force you to get creative and skate weird things you wouldn’t normally skate, which is definitely a lot of fun, but when I’m local I prefer just going to skate my local park SYS in Southampton, I’ve grown up skating that park. It’s slightly run-down and whatnot but it’s one of my favorite places to spend time. If I’m with a Filmer or a group of skaters sometimes we mob Southampton town afterward and hit the few spots it has to offer.
Have you ever thought about giving up skateboarding? Why?
I wish I could say no to this one, but recently there was a period of 6 months where I only skated about 3 times. I wanted to give up and basically did. The few times I did skate I would go to SYS, miss the first two tricks, snap my board then head out… and these are just small examples of everything that was going on at that time. I lost all motivation. There’s no doubt in my mind that I was heading down the wrong path for years prior to this, and I’d say the reason it came to me almost giving up on skating was because all those poor decisions piled up, turned into some real-life shit, and put me in a pretty dark place from late February to late August/early September. It was around that time some close friends of mine who saw I wasn’t in a good situation sat me down and reminded me of my potential. They took me in with hopes of helping me get back to 100 and putting everything in the past and as time went by, I slowly started feeling like my old self again. I rebuilt some bridges I had burnt down, hopped back on the board, and things started to fall back into place… If I could go back and change a thing, I wouldn’t, inside the darkness, there were a million different life lessons. I became a more humble, genuine person and realized how much I needed skating to help me get through life’s bullshit.
What inspires you to shred and evolve every day? fame or just fun?
Skating slowly became a backbone in my life as I got more and more into it. It’s something I go outside and do every time I’m stressed, or things aren’t going the way I want them to. There are a million different reasons I go out and skate every day, but I’d say some of the main reasons are the fact that it takes me away from all the pressures building up in life as I get older, the extreme focus and determination it takes to progress in skating (which can be applied to pretty much every aspect of life), the high you get after landing a trick you’ve been beating yourself up on and trying over and over again for hours, the mindset you end up in where it’s the only thing you’re thinking about, the people you meet through it, and of course the fact that it’s the most fun thing I’ve ever taken part in. Fame and all that is cool I guess, but it really shouldn’t be what defines people and the way they skate. Having fun and progressing should come first, fame and Instagram numbers should be an afterthought.
What is your daily routine before you go shred?
It depends on what day of the week or what time of the year it is. If it’s a weekend or a summer day off from work, I’ll usually start the day by going to Bagel Buoy, a local breakfast spot in Sag Harbor. I get myself a sausage egg and cheese on a roll, a large iced coffee, then walks across the street and munch at Marine Park, this grassy area on the bay in Sag with picnic tables and all that good stuff. Then I figure out if I’m going to skate street or SYS and hit up the homies. If it’s an after school sesh, I usually gun it to SYS as soon as I’m home, meet up with the locals, and skate until it’s too dark to keep going.
Any inspiring words you want to tell the next generation of skaters?
Don’t follow the crowd… I hope the next generation of skaters doesn’t fall victim to trends and obsessing over Instagram views like mine, but if they do, or there’s some other sort of wave everyone’s riding, be the one that stands out. If you think about half the things modern skaters do, it always comes down to worrying about what people think, and I can’t say I haven’t been guilty of doing so myself. For example, if you feel like wearing a helmet is the right thing to do, wear a helmet. Be the one that started the trend instead of being the one that followed it, as cliché as it might sound, it’s true. 10 years from now, no one’s going to give a shit about your Louis Vittoun grip tape, dance moves, or that time your homie zoomed in on you doing a little hair-flip before you popped your trick; they’re going to care about that skater that wasn’t afraid to be themselves and focused on the tricks and the fun, rather than the clout and the views. It took me a while to realize this, and you may not get that instant gratification of your phone blowing up with likes or become an overnight insta-sensation, but at the end of the day what is real will prosper.
