Focus Skateboard Magazine

(Words: Mazur, Photos: Howard Tarpey)

Well, I know nothing about you except that Justin has been harassing me to get this interview done. Where you from?

I’m from Chesapeake Virginia, aka the sticks.

Yeah, and how old are you and all that other stuff?

Well, I just had a birthday in August and turned 20. And people are now saying I finally grew into my HEAD.

Wait, so you had a big head? Like a bobble head?

Well, this really cool guy Shawn called me big head since I was like 14 because I was super short and had a pretty large dome. But I grew into it now, I think?

Did having a big bobble head make it harder for you to skateboard? Did you have tough times on manuals and stuff?

Shit, always have tough times doing manuals. But yea this head has been threw many hard smacks in the past years.

I’m going to call you Bobble Head from now on… so how did skating come about for you out in the sticks?

All right! That’s easy. My uncles skated when they were kids and, me and my Uncle Beau are super close. He showed me the way, basically!

The way? Was he a Jedi skater or something?

Super Jedi! When I was like eight years old, he would ollie over me and like 5 of my friends laying down. It was amazing!

He ever clip you when trying this daring feat?

No Way! He would always put me in the front, just incase he did mess up he land on one of the other kids. He did flip me in a go-cart once.

Did you hit your bobble head during this event?

Yeah I actually think so, but that was just a minor head hit. I’ve had some pretty bad ones!

Any concussions?

Last month, out with Howard Tarpey and Shawn Owens. Skating this rail… Shawn had to rush me to the hospital. THE WORST THING OUT!

What happened?

I was trying to get a photo with Howard at this weird rail. I tried to convince myself I could Front Feeble it. All of a sudden I got tricked real hard. I tried to drive to work, couldn’t see, ran into Shawn’s car. It was awful man.

Did the doctors tell you to chill for a bit?

Yeah, said I had a severe concussion. They said to hold off and come back a week later.

How is it now?

I’m back in action, and my eyes are working fine. It’s been good.

Now does a freak accident like that scare you at all? Would you go back to that rail?

It shook me up. But I think if I had a good board to get on this high rail and Howard behind the lens again, we could make it happen.

So what else does one do out in the woods besides skate? I lived in the woods once too, so I know how it gets.

Man, I have a cabin in Columbia, North Carolina. A bunch of my friends and I go up there a lot, drink some beers, fish and shoot guns all day long.

Do you shoot at each other?

No way! just cans and trees. Stuff like that.

That’s no fun… you gotta live a little!

Yeah man its no fun unless you’re shooting at each other right?

Duh, who doesn’t shoot at each other? So you ever do any real redneck things?

That’s what I’m saying. Next time I’m there I’m going to remember you and might give it a whirl. What do you mean REDNECK THINGS EXACTLY?

Whoa Caps! I mean, like build contraptions to have fun with. Potato guns, blow stuff up, rope swings into lakes, etc?

Ha. Nah man. Maybe when I was a kid? There is this huge bridge thing we jump off from time to time, but I don’t see that being to redneckish?

Do you have a job?

Yes sir, I work at the Skate Supply like every day. Help out running the store and buying at the moment.

How about school? You doing that at all?

Nah man. No school for me, but maybe I should go back, huh?

Honestly, I learned more outta school then in it. School was for messing around.

That’s what I am saying, Hopefully I’ll start building some good knowledge up now that I have been out for two years.

Do you have any future goals you’d like to reach?

Not working some boring job that I hate going to everyday. See my mom retire would be amazing. Get my own place soon?

Where would you like to be living?

I am going to California next week for a few months, but I’d love to live in Richmond, DC, Philly, NYC… Anywhere tight on the “Right Coast” basically.

Good answer. Well, let’s wrap this up. Any last words?

Thanks to You and Justin for the interview and everyone who’s had my back in the past to now. And thanks to Dolliver at Expedition, Crew, Maxwell at Silver and FKD, Pang at DC. And next time I’m in Philly, lets get up and play with some guns.

Ok gangsta’!