Paul Rodriguez Explains Why Social Media Made Skating Progress EXPLODE | DSH #1804

Summary

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Digital Social Hour | Paul Rodriguez Explains Why Social Media Made Skating Progress EXPLODE

Episode #1804, February 2, 2026
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Paul Rodriguez ("P-Rod")

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Episode Overview

In this vibrant and candid episode, pro skateboarder Paul Rodriguez—one of the most influential figures in street skating—joins host Sean Kelly in Los Angeles to discuss how social media has rapidly accelerated the evolution of skateboarding, the business realities for pros, the nuances of competition, and the ever-adaptive spirit of skate culture. The conversation is packed with personal anecdotes, thoughts on innovation and resilience, and reflections on skateboarding’s place in today’s culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sneaker Launch and Skate Business (00:35 – 02:49)

• Paul's New Sneaker Release:
  Paul details the re-release of his iconic P Rod 1 Nike SB sneaker, originally launched in 2005, sharing behind-the-scenes challenges:

  • Nike discards shoe molds after 5 years, so the team had to reverse-engineer the design from an old pair he’d saved.
    • “For them, it was actually harder to remake this shoe again than it was just to make a shoe from scratch.” (01:55, Paul Rodriguez)

• Making a Living in Skateboarding:

  • Rodriguez highlights that most skaters rely on sponsorships, apparel, and product collaborations, as contest payouts are limited.
    • “...In our world, that's really where we make our living.” (02:12, Paul Rodriguez)
    • “These are definitely like passion sports for sure...The industry isn't big enough to support as many people.” (04:53, Paul Rodriguez)

2. The Subjectivity and Challenges of Skateboarding as a Spectator Sport (05:12 – 09:05)

• Understanding Skateboarding’s Mass Appeal and Limitations:

  • Skateboarding attracts a massive young audience but suffers as a spectator sport due to its complexity and subjectivity.
    • "With skateboarding, it's hard to tell because it's subjective. You can see a trick, you might not understand why it was difficult..." (05:39, Paul Rodriguez)

• Scoring and Competition Innovations:

  • Discussion of new competition formats (like the PSL) to make skateboarding more digestible by using ‘horse’ or baseball-inspired innings, shifting toward skills-matching between contestants.
    • “...One guy has to do a trick and then the guy on the other team has to do that exact same trick...it's like a strike, three strikes and they switch over...after three or four rounds, then you find out who has the most points.” (07:13–08:01, Paul Rodriguez)

• Should Finesse Matter in Scoring?

  • Rodriguez thinks making tough tricks look easy is a sign of mastery and should be factored into judging.
    • “I think the best people in any field...are the people who can make something very difficult look easy...that shows they've really reached a level of mastery.” (08:36, Paul Rodriguez)

3. AI Judging & The “Sport-Art Hybrid” (10:25 – 11:53)

• Paul is curious about AI’s potential for nuanced skate judging, noting that skateboarding is as much art as sport.
  • “In skateboarding...it's more relatable to music than it would be to sports, in my opinion. It takes athleticism, but it's really an art.” (10:25, Paul Rodriguez)
• Compares differing yet masterful styles to Jimi Hendrix vs. Mozart—subjective but equally valid.

4. Cultural Impact and Icons (12:49 – 14:16)

• Acknowledges Tony Hawk as a mainstream icon who changed public perception, even if he personally skates a different style.
  • “He's the reason why a lot of us have careers today...there is no, in my opinion, there's no right or wrong answer. Tony's your favorite. Tony's your favorite.” (12:59, Paul Rodriguez)

5. The Mentality of a Lifelong Skater (14:19 – 16:23)

• Obsessive Passion:
  • Even today, Rodriguez habitually scouts potential skate spots.
    • “...when I walk up any set of stairs, I count them. It's just like a habit...” (14:19, Paul Rodriguez)
• Shares story of clearing a 15-stair set with a 360 flip, emphasizing both physical thrill and the perception of time while performing big tricks.

6. Acceleration of Skill: The Social Media Effect (16:23 – 18:11)

• How Social Media Exploded Skate Progression:
  • Social feeds expose skaters to new tricks daily, quickening the learning curve and sense of what’s possible.
    • “Now social media, every single day a brand new video is dropping...so every day these kids now are seeing something new...so I think they're processing...on hyperspeed.” (17:10, Paul Rodriguez)
    • “By the time you wake up tomorrow, what the level was yesterday is now a little bit higher.” (17:50, Paul Rodriguez)

7. Constant Adaptation: No “Standard Court” (18:17 – 20:16)

• Unlike traditional sports, skateboarding courses (especially in street skating) constantly change, requiring intricate adaptation to surfaces, textures, and environments.

8. Life Lessons from Skating (22:43 – 24:25)

• Resilience and Grittiness:
  • Skateboarding is an education in falling and getting back up—an analogy for perseverance in life.
    • “...you have to fall and get up, you have to fail over and over and over until you succeed.” (23:40, Paul Rodriguez)
• Even at his level, mistakes outnumber successes:
  • “Even no matter what level you're on, most likely you mess up way more every day than you land.” (23:57, Paul Rodriguez)
  • “If you're not messing up more than you're succeeding, then you're not challenging yourself enough.” (24:10, Paul Rodriguez)

9. Still Getting Better, Always Pushing (25:14 – 25:42)

• Despite age, Rodriguez feels he’s continually improving technically.
  • “I really do. In different ways...I'm definitely pushing myself in different ways. Technically.” (25:15, Paul Rodriguez)

10. Hardest Challenge: The Five-Year Trick (25:46 – 27:12)

• Nollie Front Foot Flip Crooked Grind:
  • Took him around five years of intermittent effort to land and film this pioneering move.
    • “I was the first one to do that one.” (27:08, Paul Rodriguez)
    • “That was a great feeling...and I never did it again.” (27:12, Paul Rodriguez)

11. Innovation and the Modern Scene (27:34 – 28:18)

• New tricks now emerge as fresh combinations or applications—“reiterations” on classic moves.

12. Staying Inspired and Motivated (28:21 – 29:56)

• Surrounds himself with younger, ambitious skaters to keep motivated and evolving. Admits to natural waves of burnout but has learned to ride them out.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “For them, it was actually harder to remake this shoe again than it was just to make a shoe from scratch.”
  (01:55, Paul Rodriguez)
• “With skateboarding, it's hard to tell because it's subjective...It's kind of a language that you have to learn.”
  (05:39, Paul Rodriguez)
• “I think the best people in any field...are the people who can make something very difficult look easy.”
  (08:36, Paul Rodriguez)
• “In skateboarding...it’s more relatable to music than it would be to sports...There’s no right or wrong.”
  (10:25, Paul Rodriguez)
• “Now social media, every single day a brand new video is dropping...these kids now are seeing something new that hasn’t been done happen every single day.”
  (17:10, Paul Rodriguez)
• “You have to fall and get up, you have to fail over and over and over until you succeed.”
  (23:40, Paul Rodriguez)
• “Even no matter what level you’re on, most likely you mess up way more every day than you land.”
  (23:57, Paul Rodriguez)

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Other Highlights & Timestamps

• On the Evolution of Skateboarding and Its Perception: (21:40 – 22:43)
  The stigma surrounding skating has faded, with skateboarding now as common as traditional sports, especially in California.

• The Mental and Physical Demands of the Sport: (23:40 – 24:25)
  Falling—and learning from those falls—is an essential part of becoming a great skater.

• Paul’s Lifelong Focus: (30:12 – 31:19)
  Despite having other interests (like boxing and Muay Thai), Paul stays devoted to skating, knowing his one-track dedication drives his excellence.

• Brief Boxing Tangent: (31:19 – 36:22)
  Paul discusses his fandom of boxing, thoughts on Canelo vs. Crawford, and the growing spectacle of influencer fights—demonstrating his passion for high-level athleticism in general.

• Where to Find Paul's Products and Support Him: (36:27 – 36:57)
  “You can find my shoes at any local skate shop...and online at Nike...You can check out my brand, Primitive Skateboards and Apparel at any local skate shop as well.”

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Conclusion

Paul Rodriguez delivers a wealth of insight into the lived reality of modern professional skateboarding, explaining how social media has exploded progression, how scoring and competition may evolve, why resilience is so critical, and how ongoing adaptation is part of the skater’s ethos. His energy and devotion are contagious, and the episode offers rare, grounded wisdom for enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

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Transcript

[A]

When I started skating, it was pre social media and a skateboard video would come out and we would live off that skateboard video for like a year or two until the next big skateboard video came out. So content wasn't dropping as fast. So we would sit with these videos that we had for a year or so and study them, rewind them, pause, slow mo, Try to learn all the tricks that your favorite pros are doing.

[B]

Okay, guys, got Paul out here in Los Angeles on the show. Great to meet you, my man.

[A]

Great to meet you too. Thanks for having me.

[B]

Yeah. What's new in your world right now?

[A]

Just actually my new sneaker just dropped two days ago on the 13th.

[B]

Oh, nice.

[A]

And so I guess that's the newest. Yeah, my P Rod 1 Nike SB Retro release.

[B]

Dude, those are sick.

[A]

Thank you. Yes.

[B]

I'm gonna definitely rock those.

[A]

I'll come for sure.

[B]

They're online or.

[A]

Yeah, online. Well, actually on the 16th they dropped like all over online, all the stores on the 13th they just dropped in selected skate shops.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

And so tomorrow they'll drop, like full drop.

[B]

Dude, that's awesome. What goes into launching a sneaker? I'm sure a lot of. A lot of work. Right?

[A]

Well, this was good because it's a. It's a retro shoe. This is my first shoe and this came out in 2005. So we just re released it now for the 20 year anniversary. So it wasn't as much, at least not for me. For the designers, it was a lot of work because I did not know this, but Nike doesn't keep their shoe molds after five years. Like if they stop making a shoe, they get rid of it after five years. Because these molds are huge and they're heavy. And with all the shoes that Nike makes, they would have nowhere to store all these molds.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So after five years, they get rid of them. So the designers didn't have the mold, so they couldn't just make them on demand. So we had to take. Luckily I had some pairs saved in storage and they had to take them, cut them open, and like reverse engineer them and recreate the sh.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

Yeah, so for them, it was actually harder to make. Remake this shoe again than it was just to make a shoe from scratch. Yeah. So for me, it wasn't work for them. Shout out to those guys because they worked hard and made it happen. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I'm sure that's a big part of the business, right? Apparel.

[A]

Yeah, Sneakers, apparel, You know, product. Yeah, yeah. In our world, that's really that's really where we make our living.

[B]

Yeah, because the money is not in the competitions, right?

[A]

Not really. Now competition money these days are, it's, it's pretty low. There was a period there where it was like, you know, you could win 100, 150 grand in the street league contest, but I just think they couldn't sustain that kind of level payout. Yeah, they couldn't sustain it. So I think it's down back to like 20, 25 grand which is of course a nice little payday for the day. But just for your everyday bills.

[B]

Yeah, because you got to travel, you got to train, all those costs, the food.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's just, it's, it's, it's too hard to do it just off contest. But if you, if you're winning contests consistently, you'll get sponsors. So that, that's where all the skaters, you know, make their, make their money because so you get a sneaker sponsor, clothing sponsor, so you're just helping to push product.

[B]

And when did that start happening for you? Was it after that first X Games win or was it before that?

[A]

No, it was early for me. I was very lucky. My career, I turned pro at 17 and I was like, you know, back then skateboarding wasn't as big as it is now. I mean there was the X Games, it wasn't as big a deal as it later became, but it was just kind of like a small core industry. And we had like our few brands that were just basically like our few sneaker brands that weren't like mainstream clothing brands, board brands. So at the time I was with this company called S. A lot of people might know it as es. And that was like my first big sponsor. And then I got sponsored by a couple of different board brands, but the biggest one was like Girl Skateboards. And then later on, once I won X Games and started getting known in that world, that's when I got sponsors like Mountain Dew and Target at and T. Yeah, those came along after that. So. But I was fortunate enough to where like I was doing pretty well sponsor wise before I started doing contests.

[B]

Wow. Yeah, and that was a pretty new lane at the time. Right? Like that wasn't really a lip, considered a living.

[A]

Yeah, I mean it still is hard, the skate industry is hard to make a living. It's like, you know, you have your hand full of guys that do very well. Yeah. And then you have your majority of guys who are like just doing good enough to get by and then you have a whole bunch of Them who are like, you know, still have jobs, get some money from skating, but still work and are figuring out other ways.

[B]

You see that in a lot of solo sports. Like in tennis, I heard the same. Like, if you're not in the top 10, you're not making millions. And then if you're not in the top, like I think 300, you're not even making six figures.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's definitely. These are definitely like passion sports for sure. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure all sports are. It just happens to be that skateboarding, for some reason, just the industry isn't big enough to support as many people who are trying to get into it.

[B]

That's interesting because there's definitely a big audience.

[A]

It's a huge audience. And it's crazy because it's like the fastest growing sport among kids from like, you know, 6 to 12.

[B]

Oh, even right now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. And so my theory is that it's just, it's hard to understand from a general viewer. Like, I can watch a football game and not really know the, like, specific rules, but I know that like, once they get into the touchdown zone, they scored.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or I could watch a basketball game and not understand the technicalities, but I know it's a two pointer and then pass the line, it's a three pointer and you know, when it goes in, they score. But with skateboarding, it's hard to tell because it's subjective. You can see a trick, you might not understand why it was difficult. You don't know if it was switch or nollie or fakie. Some people might notice, like, if it's just big and dangerous, they're like, wow, that guy went high in the sky. That must be really good. Or that guy did a big rail. That must be really good. But it's kind of a language that you have to learn. You have to like, know what stance a guy is and like, kind of like the name of the trick. So the average viewer, if they don't understand the language of the trick, they probably won't get drawn into it unless they're an enthusiast.

[B]

That's such a good point, dude. Because I think people love sports because they can relate to it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like in basketball and soccer, whatever. People played that growing up.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They can relate to the difficulty of what they're seeing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But with skateboarding, I never skateboarded. So when I see someone do a trick, it's like, oh, that's sick. But I can't kind of relate.

[A]

Yeah, you actually don't know exactly what's being done. Yeah, right. You know, so like, you might see a guy do a technical trick, say on a ledge, right. Which doesn't look dangerous, but it's probably a lot more difficult to do consistently than it might be to see a guy jump a big set of stairs.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, but the big set of stairs are more flashy and potentially more dangerous because you could fall harder and get hurt. So that might be the thing that draw draws you. But if you're a real skateboarder, you might be like, well, this guy's trick was probably a lot harder than that, guys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that I think the code hasn't been cracked, but I actually think it's about to be cracked. A good friend of mine is starting a new skateboard league called the psl. And, and he's kind of basing it off the format, like almost like baseball doing innings, where it's like, it's just one obstacle. One guy has to do a trick and then the guy on the other team has to do that exact same trick that the guy did. So even if you don't know what the trick is or why it's difficult, you do know as a viewer, like, well, this guy landed it, so this guy has to do that same thing and land it again. And if he misses it, it's like a strike, three strikes and they switch over to the next people. Kind of like horse and kind of like, like has innings. So like after three mess ups, switches over to the other team to start it. And then after like three or four rounds, then you find out who has the most points.

[B]

That's more digestible because right now when I see like Nigel Houston compete and then he gets to score, I'm like, how do they come up with that score?

[A]

Right.

[B]

And it feels kind of subjective, right?

[A]

It's. There is some subjectiveness to it because, like two guys could do the same very hard trick, but one guy might just make it look a little more graceful.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And like, if you're a judge and you know what you're watching, you'll be like, well, they both did do the same trick, but this guy did it with more finesse and made it look more masterful. So you got to factor that in. So, yeah, it's subjective though.

[B]

Are you a fan of that style? Like, that finesse style? Like, do you think that should impact the score at all?

[A]

I think so, yeah. Because I think for me personally, I think, I think the best people in any field are this. Are the people who can make something very difficult look easy, you know, so I'm always been a fan of somebody because to me, that shows like they're. They've really reached a level of mastery right now. Somebody else might be able to do that same feat, but looks like they struggled more to do it, and that shows that they're not quite at that masterful level yet.

[B]

That makes sense.

[A]

Yeah. So, yeah, for me, yeah.

[B]

And that's a good segue into, like, sports are starting to use AI judging, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

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[A]

I'm just curious. I'm curious to see if AI will factor all that stuff in, like the, the nuances of it, the style, the technicalities. I'm just really curious. I'm sure at first it'll probably have a lot of, you know, bugs, but as it collects more data and the more times it does it, I'm sure it'll get smarter and be better. So I would imagine at some point it'll be like, really good. But it's just. Skateboarding is a thing. Like, I call it a sport art hybrid because it really is subjective. It's more relatable to music than it would be to sports, in my opinion. It takes athleticism, but it's really an art. Like, there's no rules. You can do whatever trick your mind can imagine if you can imagine it, and then you Try it long enough and you try to learn it. And you can do it, you can do it, but there's no right or wrong. Like in music. It's like, how do you compare Jimi Hendrix to, you know, Mozart? They're both like masterful musicians, but completely different. So, same thing. In skateboarding, there might be, you know, your Nyjah Houston, who's an amazing, awesome skateboarder, but then you might have a guy like a Brian Peacock who not many people know, but he's so technical, he's so smooth, he's so ambidextrous. You can have a preference like I might be more of a fan of this guy than this guy or vice versa, but there's actually no real answer to he's better or he's better.

[B]

Right. It's not like basketball where there's stats.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Like in basketball, it doesn't matter. You can have a funny looking jump shot, but if he goes in and you score a lot of points, you're getting some. Somebody wants you on their team or if you are a good defender, but you just have a, like you're not smooth like a, like how AI was or whatever. It doesn't matter. You know what I mean? Like matters outside of basketball because like a guy like maybe Allen Iverson or LeBron or Kobe or Jordan, they got the big endorsement deals outside of basketball because they were phenomenal with their stats and they like made basketball look effortless and smooth and good and, and they became more of a marketable kind of athlete and they transcended it. But within basketball you could have your run of the mill guy who's not so famous, but he's just effective at whatever the coach needs him to do. Doesn't have to be particularly flashy or anything like that. And you know, he'll have a hundred million dollar contract, you know, and he's chilling.

[B]

That's such a great point you bring up though, because you could ask the average person who the greatest skateboarder of all time is and they're going to say Tony Hawk, right?

[A]

Yeah, for sure.

[B]

But when it comes to skill, that's a different conversation.

[A]

Yeah. And, and again, it's like they're not wrong if they feel that way because, you know, Tony is a pioneer. He was, he's invented many things and also he's opened the door for the rest of us to have careers. He made it mainstream. He made it like something that, that the, the public, general public paid attention to. So he's a big kind of pioneer in that way as well, so you can factor all those things into, like, he's the reason why a lot of us have careers today. And while we've been able to, you know, get bigger sponsors and have more TV time. So, again, it's. There is no, in my opinion, there's no right or wrong answer. Tony's your favorite. Tony's your favorite. If you know Mark Johnson's your favorite. Mark Johnson your favorite. I can't, I can't tell you. You're wrong. You know, for sure.

[B]

Was Tony someone you kind of looked up to when you were just starting out?

[A]

I admire Tony, but we, we skate completely different. He's a vert. SK Skater, you know, skates vert. And he, he did dabble in the street in the early 90s, for sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I grew up as a street skater. I, I, I jump stairs, I do handrails, I skate ledges, I skate in the school yards. I skate behind, you know, alleyways, whatever. I find architecture on the street if I see it, and I think I could skate it. Yeah, I'm. That's what I'm into.

[B]

Is that your first thought when you see a. Yeah.

[A]

It's a habit to this day, no matter what. Even when I, like when I walk up any set of stairs, I count them. It's just like a habit. I have to count the stairs or, like, I'll be driving, especially when I was a little kid with my mom would drive and I'll, I'll be with her, whatever, and I'll look out the window, like, oh, I'll see a handrail. I'll be like, mom, what are the, what are the streets? Can you help me remember the streets? Like, so I can help before gps, you know, like, so I can remember. Like, try to come back and look at a spot or something. Yeah.

[B]

You were very passionate at a young age.

[A]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I was, like, psychotically obsessed.

[B]

I mean, that's how you got to where you're at, man.

[A]

Yeah, it's. I mean, I'm so grateful.

[B]

Yeah, that's dope. How many set of stairs can you clear?

[A]

My biggest set would be a 360 flip to 15 stairs.

[B]

Holy crap.

[A]

That's my biggest. But that's not even the biggest. People have done stuff down. 20, 18, 17.

[B]

You're in the air for, like, five plus seconds.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Probably like more like two and a half to three. But it feels like an eternity. It feels like a long time when you're, when you're doing it, but, like, it's crazy how like these tricks are like a second or two, but so much happens. Yeah. When you're in it, it's like almost go slow mo and then you go back and you watch it on footage and you see it on the timeline. It's like second and a half and.

[B]

You'Re like, that is fascinating how the brain works, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Even like I had a basketball game last night and we were tied up and this kid took a jump shot. It felt like he was in the air for like six, seven seconds.

[A]

Yeah. Like when you watch like sports movies and you see them slow mo that last and the ball's going, you see it's about to go in. Like it feels like that sometimes. Yeah.

[B]

You could picture it frame by frame almost, right?

[A]

Yeah. So in the moment.

[B]

Yeah. That is fascinating. Wow. 15 set of stairs. That is crazy.

[A]

Yeah. And that, that was, that was a while back. I mean, you know, I'm 40 now, so I, I, I don't think I'll be, I have the desire to jump that big these days. I'll still skate a good 1012 stairs.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

But, but that was my peak of jumping. And so that was a while back. But I never consider myself being like one of the guys who was known for like doing big, dangerous stuff. I think maybe more, I'm more known for being a little more technical.

[B]

I feel like. Do you think social media has amplified that dangerous kind of aspect of it or.

[A]

I don't know that it's directly the social media that's amplified it. I think what social media is responsible for is the, is the progress, how fast skaters are progressing. Like when I started skating, it was pre social media and a skateboard video would come out and we would live off that skateboard video for like a year or two until the next big skateboard video came out. So content wasn't dropping as fast. So we would sit with these videos that we had for a year or so and study them, rewind them, pause slow mo. Try to learn all the tricks that your favorite pros are doing. And you would take that time and then by the time the next video comes out, you're like, okay, now we need to learn this. But now social media, every single day a brand new video is dropping. Whether it's like a full blown video part, say on Thrasher or just you have, you know, a kid from middle of, you know, in the Midwest, just unknown kid doing a trick at his local skate park and it goes viral and you're like, holy, like I never seen this before. Like, so every Day these kids now are seeing something new that hasn't been done happen every single day. So I think they're processing and that their understanding of how fast they got a progress is just on hyperspeed.

[B]

Yeah, you see that in every sport now. Yeah, everyone's just so much more talented. It's way harder to make the NBA or the NFL these days 100. Because the access to information is just so easy.

[A]

It's just nonstop. By the time you wake up tomorrow, what the level was yesterday is now a little bit higher. You know what I mean?

[B]

So like skill gap is just. Yeah, it's crazy.

[A]

It's growing. So I guess as a byproduct, yes, guys are going bigger and doing more dangerous things just because they're seeing where the levels at. So, yeah, I guess it can be responsible for that.

[B]

There's always pros and cons.

[A]

Yeah. But I think it's just mainly responsible just for like the speed of the progress.

[B]

Yeah, like, I'm sure if you go to the Spot Skate park now, everyone's just way better than when you were a kid, right?

[A]

Yeah, there's a lot more talent out there. And plus skateboarding when I started was still a very young sport and still relatively a young sport compared to a lot of other mainstream sports. So like, it just has so much room to progress, so much room to grow. And also we don't have a standard court or course. You know, like every contest is a different course. Different obstacles, different dimensions, different everything. So you can't really prepare. Like, you know, basketball, it's the same court, same dimensions, everything. It's just what they do athletically that changes. Same thing with any baseball, football, whatever, maybe golf. There's different courses every time that could be different, so that's maybe more comparable. So we just have to kind of prepare for anything and everything and. And kind of have to be able to innovate in the moment and adjust in the moment.

[B]

That is super interesting. I never thought of that. But yeah, each course is different. So you kind of have to be well versed in many different obstacles, right?

[A]

Yeah, you definitely do. I mean, a lot of skate parks, you have similar type of obstacles, but the dimensions are always different. Yeah, I guess as skaters, it just becomes natural that you have to adapt. Especially as a street skater, you don't control the environment. Like, you know, if I want to go, say, skate a set of stairs, you know, I don't control what kind of concrete they have. Is it. Is it real gritty, is it smooth? What kind of material Is it polished concrete? Is it, like, more rugged concrete? Do they have big cracks before the stairs? Like, these are things skateboarders notice. We notice textures of building materials. Like, you know, this ground's kind of wavy and lumpy. I don't know if I feel comfortable, you know, like, I might have done this trick in the skate park, but, you know, in the skate park, we make it a perfect environment. Perfect. Set it smooth concrete. Everything's perfect the way you want it. But once you get in the streets, you have to adapt with the way it was built.

[B]

Yeah. So I'm sure you got the building owners mad at you sometimes, too, right?

[A]

Yeah, that happens quite often. Yeah.

[B]

Because they don't want an injury, and then they get sued.

[A]

Yeah, they. I wonder how often that actually happens. I really don't think that happens often. I don't know anybody who's gotten hurt out in the streets and suddenly sued anybody that I know of. Well, I'm sure it's happened, but I don't know.

[B]

On the sidewalk, it's probably not even their property, right?

[A]

No, on the sidewalk's not the property. And I don't know if it's true, but I remember a long time ago hearing that, like, California passed the law that skateboarding was a inherently dangerous sport. And so it was. It's not really. You can't really sue people if you get hurt doing it anywhere, public property or their property. But I don't know if that's fact or not. That was just, like, what?

[B]

Wouldn't surprise me. But you guys. You guys know the risk. It's not like you're just.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. So I think it's mainly, like, property owners getting mad, feeling like maybe we might damage their property, or we're just like. If it's, like, at a business, like, we're interrupting business, that makes sense. We learned to kind of, like, either go after hours or on the weekends or find when places are closed, I think skateboarders would, by default, be decent burglars.

[B]

That's okay. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, it's. It's interesting, man. I. I don't mind them, to be honest, but I know growing up there, where I lived, at least there was, like, a negative stigma.

[A]

Yeah, it happened. I think nowadays it's probably a little less like, it used to be the big thing. Like, skateboarding is not a crime. We used to, like, you know, that used to be our mantra, but I feel like now it's, like, a lot more accepted with things like the Olympics and X Games and stuff like that. So I don't feel like it's as bad. And I think, you know, it's. It's much more common for a kid to start skateboarding these days, as opposed to, like, when I was growing up, it was way more common. A kid goes into, like, little league baseball or plays basketball or, you know, traditional sports. But I feel like skateboarding now, especially, at least in California, is just as common as a kid might pick up a skateboard instead of a basketball or baseball. I feel like it's just as much in the mix.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's widely accepted because guys who grew up skating who are my age are now old enough where they have families, they have kids, and they have fond memories of skateboarding. And so if they have a son or even a daughter and, you know, they probably introduce them to a skateboard early on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, so I'm seeing a lot of that kind of happening now.

[B]

It's a good skill to have to have that balance and that body awareness.

[A]

It's really good balance. It's. It also. It toughens you up, too. Like, when I was a real little kid, before I started skating, I did, like, karate, I did gymnastics, I played baseball, but I was kind of soft. Like, I remember playing baseball after I got out of t ball into farm. I was, like, afraid when they were pitching because I didn't want to get hit by the ball. And like, kids at that age don't have really good control, so you were likely to get hit. So I would be all afraid.

[B]

And.

[A]

And like, when I went to karate, I did a couple karate tournaments, did all right. And then one of them, we did it without protection. I got kicked right in the gut, got my wind knocked out of me for the first time. I was crying. I was like, nine years old, I was crying, and I was like, I.

[B]

Don'T want to do this anymore.

[A]

But once I started skating and falling all the time and getting up, falling all the time and getting up, I started, like, getting tougher. A little more grit, little more, like, mental strength, a little more physical, like, durability.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so I think skateboarding is good for, like, life lessons because you have to fall and get up, you have to fail over and over and over until you succeed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I think you can do that with a lot of things in life.

[B]

No, that's facts. I didn't even think about the mental side of it. But you're right. It teaches you to be resilient, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because you're going to Fail a lot at skateboarding 100.

[A]

I mean, even no matter what level you're on, most likely you mess up way more every day than you land.

[B]

Which is crazy right now. Your level to say that is probably like hard to fathom for people, right?

[A]

Yeah. I think if you're not meshing up more than you're succeeding, then you're not challenging yourself enough. You're not pushing yourself enough.

[B]

Yeah, that's crazy because you're an eight times, you know, medalist winner, you've accomplished a lot and you're still saying you mess up more than you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Crazy.

[A]

Yeah. Way more.

[B]

Wow. So you. Do you feel like you're constantly just challenging yourself even to this day?

[A]

Yeah. I feel like it's a. Skateboarding is a game that never ends. You can never learn every trick, you can never do everything. So, like, I feel like as long as my body will allow me and as long as I have passion for it, I'm going to always be trying to chase new tricks, trying to learn new things, trying to do new combinations, skate new obstacles. That's just what I'm drawn to. That's just what I love. You know, maybe when I get like older, older, and I'm not like doing it at a pro level anymore, might not be pushing myself as much and I'll kind of just be sticking to the tricks that I know I have. Very consistent to like, avoid injury. Because when you're retired and you know, you're not doing at a professional level, why risk getting injured for no reason?

[B]

Right. You know, do you still feel like you're getting better to this day?

[A]

I do.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I really do. In different ways. Like, I'm not getting better at like bigger obstacles. Like I said, I'm not jumping 15 stairs anymore. Yeah. But I'm definitely pushing myself in. In different ways. Technically. Like with ledge skating, my balance is probably a lot better over the years. My board control is a lot better nowadays. So those are things that I'm just trying to continue to improve where I physically still can.

[B]

What was the hardest trick for you? How long did it take to land it?

[A]

So I would say out of all the tricks I've ever filmed in my video parts, I did a video part back in 2010. It was called Me, Myself and I. And it was back when, like, streaming was just becoming a thing. Tip. Typically before then we would drop full length video parts, which is like if you have a skate team, it's all your teammates. Everybody has maybe a three to five minute part. So it's like an hour long video with everybody. But then we started dropping just one person parts once like streaming was available like on itunes. So I dropped, I think it was the first skate video ever be dropped on iTunes.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

In 2010. And my last trick in that was, it's called a nollie front foot flip crooked grind. And I was trying that trick on and off for maybe. What year was that? 2010. Since. For about five years, since 2005 to 2010. I was dabbling with that trick, trying to figure it out, trying to. I had it in my mind, I had it in my vision of like wanting to do it. And I would just try like maybe you know, a few hours here, a few hours there, take off a couple months from trying it because I'd be like frustrated from. And then come back to it. So I was like on and off doing that process till finally I got it for that video part in 2010.

[B]

Holy shit.

[A]

Yeah. So it was probably. I couldn't even tell you how many hours went into finally getting that.

[B]

And you were the first one to land that kind of trick.

[A]

Yeah, I was the first one to do that.

[B]

That one. Wow, that must be amazing feeling.

[A]

That was a great feeling. Especially after that long and like getting disheartened and then like going away from it then like getting re motivated to do it again and then finally doing it. Yeah. And I've only done it just that one time, thank God film. And I never did it again.

[B]

Are people, because it's 2025 now, are people still inventing new tricks or is everything pretty much been. Yeah, at this point.

[A]

I would say at this point it's not necessarily that a completely new trick is getting invented, but just new combinations are being invented. Like, you know, pretty much all the grinds, all the slides have all kind of been done, but now people are, you know, flipping into it, flipping out of it, doing it on bigger obstacles. Like the obstacles always change. Bigger rails, hub of ledges on tables. Like some people have so much pop and they can do it on a tabletop, you know what I mean? And other guys might just do it on a regular ledge, maybe lower than this couch. So there's a lot of never been done tricks happening, but I wouldn't call them just pure inventions. They're just new combinations.

[B]

Like a reiteration almost.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you still get shocked by anything you see?

[A]

Oh yeah, all the time. All the time. I'm definitely spoiled. I don't watch as many skate videos these days. It's just so hard for me to keep up with every video that's dropping every day. But I'm fortunate where I get to skate with some of the most elite skateboarders in the world in person almost daily.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So like I get to see these guys progress, especially the younger guys who are like teenagers and, and they're developing into their own and watching how they're progressing. I'm seeing them do new tricks almost daily.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

And pushing the limits. So I'm constantly getting impressed. But I love it because I keep myself skating with people who are maybe 10, 15 years younger than me because that keeps me pushing and motivated. A lot of guys who are closer to my age, with the exception of a couple, aren't really still pushing themselves. They're kind of just cruising and doing whatever and I like, I want to stay in that mindset of like feeling competitive and feeling like I'm trying to stay relevant.

[B]

Yeah, you haven't lost that fire because you see that when people get to a certain level. Right. They kind of lose that fire that got them there.

[A]

Yeah, it happens. I mean I've definitely gone through waves. After this long, I'll go through waves when I'm just like burnt out and kind of not feeling it. But then, you know, after a little bit I'll get. Something will inevitably spark me back up and I'll get on a big like lock in focus mode. So it happens. But I've learned not to panic. Early on, when it first happened to me I was like, why do I, why do I not feel motivated? This has never happened to me before. And I'll be panicky, like, am I over it? What's gonna happen then? Inevitably I went through it a couple times and now I know, like, it's alright, it's cool, it'll come back.

[B]

Like we all go through burnout, right? No matter what we're doing.

[A]

Yeah, you just push yourself to a certain limit and you just, your body, your mind is just like, just take a break, man. I'll come back, I'll be stronger.

[B]

Just like, let me be outside of skateboarding. Are you as passionate about anything else in life?

[A]

Not really. You know, I started when I was just shy of turning 12 and I'm, you know, it's been 28 going on 29 years of skateboarding. So yeah, so I, I've been doing it since I've been a pretty young child and all through my adulthood. So I haven't really spent any time looking into other hobbies. I have other interests, but I know myself, I'm a one track mind. If I let myself get too into it, then I'm going to stop focusing on skateboarding. So I'm gonna focus on skateboarding until I feel like, all right, I did it. I did everything I could. I put it all out there, and then, like, I'm super interested. I love boxing. I love Muay Thai. I like. I love training and doing that when I can, but I just don't do it consistently because if I add that into my. Add Muay Thai and all my workouts that I do and skateboarding, my body would just be fried all the time, and I wouldn't. It would take away from the quality of skating. So I'll sprinkle it in here and there just whenever I get a chance to. But maybe once I wind down, maybe I'll, you know, pick that up a little more. Makes often. Yeah.

[B]

Were you. Did you watch the Canelo fight? Of course I was there.

[A]

Yeah. I saw. I saw on your post, man, that.

[B]

Was the first boxing match I've ever been to.

[A]

Really.

[B]

And just the respect that I now have, seeing it that close for the way they were moving their bodies, I mean, it was unreal. And they didn't get tired.

[A]

Superb. Yeah. Their conditioning, I mean, that's top. Elite as it gets. You know, right now, 12 rounds, I. I had a feeling it was gonna go all the way. I. I'm a super fan of both of them. Yeah, I. I really couldn't. I really didn't know what was gonna happen. Like, I knew that Crawford had all the speed and the craftiness and, like, the intelligence to potentially pull it off. And I. But I also knew that Canelo is used to fighting bigger, stronger people. And I was curious how Crawford was going to handle it like everybody else, and I was curious if Canelo was gonna. His defense and his head movement was gonna. Was gonna be able to do it. So I just. I couldn't call it. I would lean to one side or the other. Yeah. But I was really pleased with that fight. It was intense, and, like, I really like how both of them are kind of real class acts. Yeah, they were real respectful on the lead up. Real respectful after the fact. They're just like. They were just, you know, class act kind of.

[B]

No, they were. Crawford gave all the belts back after.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is pretty crazy.

[A]

Well, yes, but that's how they do it, you know, in boxing. Like, you know, the boxers get to keep their belts. They're just gonna make Crawford new belts for him to have. Yeah, Crawford will have his belts, but that was just for the night to take photos of it after the fight.

[B]

So it's not like ufc.

[A]

Oh, I didn't know. Is UFC like that? Like, you literally don't get to keep.

[B]

Your belt beliefs, so I think you got to keep handing it off.

[A]

Yeah, I know that they. They have to pay for those belts too. They're like 100 grand or something like that. Yeah, they have to pay for the bells.

[B]

What?

[A]

Yeah, so, like, once they win it for whatever organization that makes that particular belts. But with these guys, it was all four of them because it was undisputed title. So, like, they'll have to pay for those holy. So that they can keep them. Yeah, it's just like, you know, it's like a thing. Like, even though Canelo right now is not currently the champion in those belts anymore, you know, but at one point he was. So it's like for him, when he retires, he can have it and know that, like, yeah, like, hey, I did it. You know, so. Same thing with Crawford. So, like, even though he's not physically holding that ranking, he'll still get to keep it like a trophy.

[B]

You gonna go to the Jake Paul Tank fight?

[A]

I would like to. Is it gonna be in Vegas?

[B]

I'm not sure, actually. It's in a couple months. They're saying Tank's the favorite by. By long shot.

[A]

You would think so for sure. But Jake Paul's massive, bro. Like, and Tank is smaller than me, you know? Yeah.

[B]

If Jake fights at a distance.

[A]

Right.

[B]

He has a shot.

[A]

Yeah. But I think. I think Tank is way faster, so it'll probably be really hard to hit him.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I think Tank obviously has way more experience, but I mean, if Jake somehow tags him, I mean, could. It could rock them, you know? But I think it's a. It's not like an official fight. Right. It's like. It's just an exhibition.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So, like, there won't be, like a real winner or loser. I mean, it'll be public opinion. I'm sure.

[B]

I don't. After seeing the Logan Paul. What was it Tyson fight or.

[A]

No, that was Jake and Tyson.

[B]

Oh, Jake and Tyson. No, Logan fought. Who did Logan fight? Years ago?

[A]

Mayweather.

[B]

Mayweather. So after seeing that exhibition fight, I no longer get excited. Excited for exhibition fights.

[A]

Yeah. Like, I do, but I always am disappointed.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. That's why I don't get excited.

[A]

Yeah. I get excited because it. This one might be the one. That would be exciting.

[B]

But then.

[A]

Then inevitably I'm like. I was kind of.

[B]

That's how they get you. And that's how they keep making tens of millions.

[A]

Yeah, it's. It's all literally like the marketing on the front end of it that gets you going.

[B]

I mean, these Canelo payouts were insane.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

150.

[A]

Yeah. Like that was like guaranteed, right?

[B]

Yeah. And then got 10.

[A]

I heard you got 50.

[B]

50.

[A]

Okay, but I don't. I mean, what do I really know? I just saw what I saw on Internet.

[B]

But Internet never lies, right?

[A]

But yeah, but I think probably they get back into like at the gay. I don't know, like whatever the, the deal. I'm sure they had a deal with Netflix where they also got great money for that. But yeah, I mean Canelo got paid and Crawford definitely got paid well, but I'm sure now he's going to be getting really paid.

[B]

He's to be getting paid paid. And now he's in the goat conversation too.

[A]

I mean, dude, yeah, for sure.

[B]

He's undefeated still.

[A]

He's still undefeated. And now he's fine. He beat the, the dawn of our era. Like the best and baddest dude of our era. Two weight classes higher than what he's normally.

[B]

And pretty convincingly in my opinion too. He did the last few rounds. Looked like it was one sided.

[A]

He. It really did. He really did, man. He outboxed him. And that's really saying something because Canelo's no slouch, man. It's. It's really saying something that he was able to, you know, make Canelo look confused.

[B]

Pretty crazy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Did you see that one hit? It's going viral.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The, the counter punching. And he looks back at him like.

[B]

He'S never been hit like that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Nuts. Yeah, I'll do. This have been awesome. Where can people find your shoes and support you and everything?

[A]

You can find my shoes at any local skate shop. Zoomies, Borders, I think Tilly's and. And online at nike, I think nike.com. i wish I knew their website better. I think it's nike.com [e-mail] and yeah, you can find those there. And you can check out my brand, Primitive Primitive Skateboards and Apparel at any local skate shop as well. Zoomies, Tilly's. We're all over the place.

[B]

Beautiful. Check them out, guys. See you next time. Peace.

[A]

Thank you all.

[B]

I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm. Thank you.