pop. catch. release.

dusty. carwash. wintertime. 2008. pop shove it.

dickson.

1. where are you from? tell me about growing up and skateboarding there? I'm from a south west suburb of Chicago called Romeoville. Growing up skating there was probably pretty much the same as anywhere in the Midwest. There were basically 6 of us skateboarding every little bit of blacktop and concrete we could find. The funeral home parking lot was the meet up spot. Most of the time, we'd just end up staying there to skate. I remember ordering pizzas to be delivered to the parking lot. It was pretty rad for sure. We'd take the train into the city to skate as often as we could. And then eventually we got old enough to drive and starting hitting up all the suburbs and driving to Rotation Station in Rockford. 2. whats your earliest skateboarding memory? My mom and dad both worked, so I'd basically be with my grandmother most of the time when I was younger. My grandmother use to go to garage sales all the time. She had a sticker in the back window of her car that literally said "This Car Stops at All Garage Sales". And she bought me a little blue plastic skateboard one day. It was probably a dollar, and I was probably 10 at the time. That was a dollar well spent.I used to cruise around the neighborhood on that thing like crazy. Everyone else in the neighborhood had BMX bikes, but I didn't have a bike, so it was skateboarding for me.That blue skateboard got left in the shed at my parent's house when I moved to California, and I guess my dad just threw it away at some point. I went back to get it years later, but it was gone. I hope some other little dude got his hands on it and is shredding it up somewhere. 3. what did you think you were going to be when you grew up? did you actually think that you were going to be working in skateboarding? I was actually 100% convinced that I was going to be a sponsored skateboarder. Strangely, I never thought I'd be pro. I only wanted to be am. Being am always seemed way cooler than being pro to me. Still does actually. But I was never actually good enough to get sponsored, so just by being around skateboarding in California it turned itself into working in the industry. And it's been rad for sure, but I'm still holding out for that am slot on a team somewhere. HaHa 4. for those that dont know explain what it is that you do for a living ? . My "official" title is Brand Manager for Zero and Mystery. Which pretty much means I do a bit of almost everything. Mainly, I handle product development, marketing, ad buys, and general scheduling for anything that has to do with the 2 brands. I personally think it's on one of the raddest jobs you can get your hands on. Kinda feels like I get to help steer skateboarding in the direction I think it should go. Obviously it's not all me doing it, and I'm only able to affect Zero and Mystery, but I think it's important for skateboarders to guard the integrity of skateboarding as a whole. I just mean we need to keep skateboarding in the hands of real skateboarders. No fringe bullshit. 5. whats the one thing in skateboarding that you are most proud of ? Wow, that's a heavy one. Honestly, I never looked at like that. Pride never really enters my mind when I think of skateboarding. So I don't really think I have an answer for that. Sorry. 6. whats the one thing outside of skateboarding that you are most proud of ? Damn, pride again? Still not sure. Maybe pride just isn't in my vocabulary. Gonna pass on this one too. I will say that there is no "outside of skateboarding" for me though. Everything I do is about skateboarding somehow. 7. what does skateboarding mean to you and do you love it? I definitely love it. I also hate it sometimes. But it means everything to me. Can't even put it into words. And I wouldn't want to explain it even if I could. I know that I couldn't live without it, and I think about it 24 hours a day. I'm hopelessly addicted and I wouldn't have it any other way. 8. you recently told me that your favorite video part is pj ladds in wonderful horrible life. can you explain why that part does it for you ? Ok, I take this shit real serious. Straight up, not only is that my favorite video part, but it's the best video part ever by a fucking long shot. Nothing even comes close. The skating itself is insane. PJ's style in that video is how a real skateboarder skates. The trick selection couldn't be better. The music starts slow and builds throughout the part. PJ came out of nowhere at the time. He was still an am. And it's a shop video for Christ's sake. That part could have been the last part in the Lakai video. Plus it's the kind of skateboarding that you can relate to. It's real skateboarding. If anyone doesn't think that's the best part ever, you should have your head checked. Hands down, that's how skateboarding should be. 9. do you have any other favorite skateboarders ? Ya, I like the dudes that make it look right. Stefan Janoski, Lucas Puig, Anthony Pappalardo, Busenitz, Reynolds, Silas, Mike Mo and of course Hensley is still all time. Obviously he's not relevant today, but he's the rawest street skater ever. 10. any words of advice or words of wisdom ? Nope, no words of advice. My guess is that if you're smart enough and lucky enough to know Jay Croft and you're reading this blog, you've pretty much already got your shit going in the right direction. Skate or die.

skateboarding is very unselfish.

what has skateboarding given you?

I'll tell you what its given me. My life.If there's one thing I would tell all of the people who told me that I would never go anywhere in life because of skateboarding I would tell them how I wouldn't have gone anywhere without it. I don't even know if I could make it this far just keeping on not having one thing that was always there. One more kick, one more ollie, one more grind. One more session with my friends and one more round of smiles on a cold autumn day.I'm 35 and I still skateboard. This might be embarrassing for some, but for me, I'm honoured to be still doing it, or at least still trying to do it. I've lived in a lot of places, and right now, living in my third country and have gone through more cities and languages than most people and the one thing that has kept me grounded, that has kept me low to the ground and always striving is skateboarding. Skateboarding is who and how I am, which is something that I've only realised this past year. Skateboarding has taught me to look at everything different and not to follow the rules. Skateboarding has taught me about friendship. Perhaps most importantly, skateboarding has given me the gift to keep on keeping on. To pick myself up, dust off my jeans and try it again. Without that much, I don't think I would be writing anyone right now. Without skateboarding I wouldn't have gone out and started to see the world, which means more than anything to me. Without skateboarding I just don't see me being who I've come to be okay with me being.
-jim kosem

I owe who I am to my Mother and Father and of course to the almighty seven ply vessel of complete freedom, as well as the countless number of amazing individuals I've met through the travels, and the trials, and all of the experience that skateboarding has given me. Maniacs, ruffians, rouges, and savages of a land in peril are we. In the early stages of it all things were super difficult, learning and slamming where the ropes to climb and getting beyond the pain was when it clicked for me, by harnessing the rage that slept inside me I was able to shape my outlook on the society that had no time for the likes of me. Skateboarding gave me a reason to seek life outside of the caged existence that all the kids seemed to dwell in, and by traveling and learning I became a warrior of freedom... Real freedom, not the fake kind our government tells us we have, (fuck all that phony swill they try to shove down our thirsty throats). To me now things are crazier than ever: Getting older and realizing that you can't really ride like you used to are the ropes to climb now, and it's great because when you get together with comrades and "session" It resembles an old group of jazz musicians or olde time fiddlers just feeding off the vibes of the jam. For example, where one fellow would be better at sax or upright bass or banjo someone here is doing frontside disasters better than everyone else or better smith grinds or tailslides or whatever... It is the same damned wavelength and that is why so many skateboarders go on the be artists and musicians and teachers. There is no stopping ever, we will carry on until it is time to lay down and die.
-josh weiss.

skateboarding has given me a home.it has given me and escape.it gave me open roads.long rides crammed into the back of a honda civic.my first taste of philly.and the realization that its just that easy.you can go anywhere.do anything.if you just try.it has shown me the harsh realities in this life.that people will judge you based solely on looks.that police aren't always there to protect.that this world is not a fair one.but all that has only made me stronger.it's given me friends and family.stories i will never forget.photographs and videos that i will have forever.it started in the midwest.with crappy skateshops and no idea of how huge skateboarding really was.it's taken me from coast to coast.sleeping on shitty floors and getting expensive hotels payed for.i've met the best and worst this world has to offer.it gave me the chance to help build a scene.be a part of one of the greatest skateshops ever.to see it grow and watch the kids grow.it gave me a sense of belonging to something greater.like i had a purpose.like i made a difference.and it ripped that all away.left to start over.but always still there.it won't leave you.good or bad.my skateboard is still there.from break-ups to knee surgeries.to new girls and ex girls.from friends to enemies.from being a part of the family to leaving it all behind.my skateboard is still there.in the end skateboarding has given me life.without it i wouldn't have seen any of what i have or any of what is to come.thank you skateboarding...
- andy kormos

these first three were my favorites. so they get the prints. the next few are also some of my favorites, it was so hard to choose. so i guess these are the Honorable mentions. i really appreciate everyone sending in there thoughts. it meant alot to me.
and with that i suppose i should answer my own question. my answer became pretty clear and obvious to me after reading all of the entrees. its pretty simple actually.
skateboarding has given me all of you and with that i say thanks. see you in the streets.

Honorable mentions.

I love a list. So here goes, from the non-skateboarder.
1. A lot of heartache
2. An empty house, unanswered phone calls. It's like being cheated on with a wooden toy.
3. Blood stains on every set of sheets from scraping the scabs off on concrete day after day
4. An appreciation for bromances, those weird friendships where dudes really don't know each other well but will sleep with dirty feet
in sweaty faces just to skate the next morning. fucking retarded.
5. A million excuses; countless ruined holidays, anniversaries and promises.
6. Sweet ideas for art and design projects.
7. Admiration for motivation and perseverance, although it generally turns into lunacy
8. razorblades forgotten in the bed or underfoot, from gripping a new board.
9. outstanding shoes and women's clothing lines cut for Ethiopian refugees.
10. yet another obstacle in overcoming the stereotypes of women projected on to humanity. In skateboarding, every girl is 17, thin, gorgeous, a coatrack and ready to hang with the boys and laugh at their stupid fart jokes. Then you get utility shut off notices and the real life girl isn't so fun anymore.
11. the lingering smell of funyons and kneebraces. it's like a one man indoor roadtrip waiting to happen.
12. muscles to squeeze, a hot body i dont think i'll ever get sick of. his not mine. obviously.
13. a couple friends.
14. awful slang infused in my vocabulary.
15. An appreciation for the many shades of boys.
16. A lot of heartache.

-meri ruble

What has skateboarding given me?

Skateboarding has given me the ability to look at the world in a different way. A way that no outsider will ever understand. Even at 35 im still looking, and am sure at 50 i will still pull behind the hotel with my family in the car on our way to thanksgiving dinner to see if they have an empty pool. While my wife rolls her eyes knowing that we will be late, because of this love. It has given me friendships that are far greater than those you get at any workplace or anywhere else for that matter. There is no other thing you can do where you drive to a city, and know no one, not sure where you are going to spend the night, and have a stranger (fellow skateboarder) walk up, and invite 6 skaters from another state to stay in his one room apartment. Thanks Eric.

But what skateboarding has given me most is a love that will never go away. To know that i can go out and push as fast as i can while everything else just disappears, and its only me and my childhood love. Skate forever!

Whats the one thing, if any, that you have taken away from skateboarding that's helped you better understand this thing we call life?

Enjoy life to the fullest. Live every waking moment doing what you believe is true, and do not be a person who says what if i would have done this in life? Live your dreams, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

-Brad Fishbaugh


Pushing down the street or the sidewalk or the alley, I think that's my favorite thing. You have to pay attention to all the cracks and ollie up curbs and push to keep momentum and maybe you'll find some thing to stop and dork around on for a few minutes before moving on. These days there's a lot of driving to a specific spot to perform specific stunts before getting in the car and arguing about what might be fun and what might be a kick out and eventually you've wasted a good portion of the day in traffic or in debate. Skating to a spot on some shitty asphalt is hard work but sometimes you hit a piece of newly paved street and you can get cruising with a couple good pushes and ollie a manhole cover. It's like comfort food.

-tim pigott

goosebumps - lee bender

forwardmotion.

there are days where all i want to do is go out and push. days where forward motion is the only thing that is acceptable. no tricks, no one else, just me and my push.

thanks to everyone that sent me answers on what skateboarding has given them. ill post up my favorites and announce the winners tomorrow once i go thru them.