etnies

Where are you originally from?
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

How and when did you start skating?
I started skating six years ago. My older brother kinda got me into it.

Do you remember what your first setup was?
A Variflex. Straight out of Toys 'R Us.

How about the first video you saw?
I think some 411 or Baker 2G or something.

Who were you skating with back then?
Just friends from Iowa, local dudes.

Were there any early influences on your skating?
Andrew Reynolds and all the Flip guys. People from around here that got me psyched to skate and stuff.

Do you enjoy skating in contests or is it more of just something you have to do?
Its fun sometimes if the course is good but it's just better to street skate.

How could contests be improved?
If they were more street-like. If they had more benches and stuff. Tampa is good. And the X Games one when they had that street course. That was good too but tha's just X Games.

What's something different about skating now that you are sponsored and going on tours and getting in mags that you maybe never thought would happen, or is different than you expected before you got involved with sponsors?
Yea, it just happened so fast. It's just crazy. Just traveling so much. I didn't think I was going to ever get to do this but it's cool.

What do you think of skate videos these days?
They just keep on getting better. Everything just keeps getting more gnarly and all that.

What one have you been watching lately?
Baker 3, the new TransWorld videos, the enjoi video.

What are your all-time favs?
Flip's Sorry, Sight Unseen, The Reason and Feedback.

How do you feel about filming?
It's alright sometimes, but sometimes when you can't land a trick it gets frustrating 'cuz you're just wasting time.

Do you skate small stuff like curbs and parking bumps much?
Yeah, all the time when I'm home.

What's you're favorite stuff to skate?
Ledges, rails everything basically.

What's a trick you want to learn but just can't figure out?
Switch 360 flips. They are impossible. So hard.

What's your favorite trick to do?
Hardflips or 360 flips.

How does it feel to be part of the etnies team? Is there anyone in particular you are stoked to be on the team with?
Arto, Ronnie, Ali, really everybody on the team.

How about Flip, you're part of one of the gnarliest teams ever. What do you think about that?
Yeah it's fucking rad being with all those guys. It's cool. A good crew.

What's your favorite shoe to skate?
The Arto.

Who do you skate with now?
Same friends I've been skating with since I started basically.

Who are your favorite skaters of all time?
Mariano, Arto and Appleyard.

Who do you think has influenced your skating the most?
I don't know. It's hard to think. Probably Paul Rodriguez.

What do you enjoy besides skating?
Chillin' out playing with video games, hanging with friends.

What are you working on currently? Any filming or anything?
The Flip video and a little etnies project and that's about it.

If you could tell the skateboard kids across the world one bit of advice, what would it be?
Keep skating, don't stop, don't mess up your life and do whatever you want to do.

What are your future goals in skating and even maybe far into the future once skating is over as a career?
To keep skating and travel as much as I can and make new friends. Then I'll take it from there.