Skate legend Pep Williams is looking for am skaters to ride for his clothing company, PepStar. If interested call this number 424-270-1759. If you have any problems, email me at this address reggie at illtema dot com.
Skatemafia out of San Diego, California is the shit because their team is sick and they film every Saturday and actually share it with us right away. Here’s some footage from late November. Click on the logo to watch them in action.
Lem and Theotis at the Brooklyn Banks. Photo by Gu.
How old are you?
17
Where are you from?
Los Angeles, California
How long have you been skating?
6 Years.
How did you first get sponsored?
I was skating at my local skate park and Andrew Reynolds came in and said “yeah your’e pretty good, want me to hook you up with something?”
Who sponsors you?
Baker, Altamont, Active, Spitfire, Nike, Thunder and Vitamin Water.
So how does it feel to skate with Andrew Reynolds?
Great. It’s like a blessing. Out skating with the boss, trying to progress and make it happen.
So what are you doing in New York today?
I came to watch everyone like kill at Back to the Brooklyn Banks. This is my first time. I missed it last year.
Right now who do you think is really killing it in skateboarding?
Honestly I would say Andrew Potts, he just kills it every contest.
So have you been filming anything lately?
Yeah, the Baker video.
Really, what is it called?
We haven’t thought about a name yet.
What’s your favorite spot?
Favorite spot umm… I like L.A. High.
Street or Park?
Street.
So any other projects you’re working on for the future?
Trying to do something for this Nike Am video that they got going. I’m only flow but they want to give me some footage in it. That will be cool
Malcolm Watson and Gu at the Brooklyn Banks. Photo by Lem Dunnigan.
Who do you skate for?p>
I skate for World Industries, Audobon Wheels, Independent Trucks and Steez Energy Drink.
How long have you been skating?
I’ve been skating for about 21 years. We’ll say 20 years.
Ok. Of those 20 years how long have you been sponsored?
Since ‘92.
So how did you get your first sponsor and who were they?
I skated for Gullwing Trucks; I went to a contest, they used to have contests at the Powell. People don’t know but Powell Peralta was a big company back in the day and they had a big skate park in the factory–a huge skate park kind of like maybe 4 times the size of the Skate Park of Tampa. They used to have contests a couple times a year. I went and skated one and I didn’t even win, I got second place. Steve and Ray Underhill came up to me and approached me about riding for their truck company. They just started running it at the time and that was it. The rest was history.
Ok. So you have been skating for sometime now so what does it take to have longevity in the skate industry?
Overall for the longevity end of it maybe network with the right heads. Hopefully you can get in the right space to where you can do it as long as you want to do it and not have to quit because no companies will pick you up and you have to get a regular job. But it changes from person to person. A lot of people should be sponsored but for some reason they’re not, then there are other guys who aren’t doing much of anything and they’re fully taken care of. Got a shoe, got a board and so on. So the game is wild.
So have you had any major injuries that have side lined you?
It happens. Skateboarding after so long will give you a permanent injury–to where your whole body starts to hurt. Ankles, wrists, and knees. But it all goes with a lot of other things. Gotta take care of yourself, try and stretch continuously every day. Eat the right food, the right type of diet and that will hopefully hold off the pain a little bit to where you can stay in a little longer.
You’re a little older than a lot of the skaters out right now…
NAW! I’m young. I’m younger than Koston and all them dudes. Yeah I’m only 25. Just kidding I’m 30 now. A lot of guys you look at even on the Girl team, nearly half of the team–their roster is like 34-35.
Speaking for that generation how do you balance being an adult and skating? Is it a battle?
Not at all, it’s a battle more within the media, like the magazines and a lot of companies tend to now want little kids and its all-young guys on the team. Then when you watch a video or go to a skate park they’re all doing the same thing not one thing stands out because they’re just emulating what they see an Andrew Reynolds doing. You know what I mean? The older guys who for the most part laid a foundation and established themselves to where you know who they are.
Of the younger guys who do you think is paving their own way right now?
David Gonzales for sure. I really cant think of too many it’s not a lot of stand-outs for me. Mike Mo he did it with that Lakai [Fully Flared] part. Keith Hernandez and him have been around for a while but he didn’t have anybody behind him to get him to where people know who he is on that other level. Well I think David Gonzales is the biggest right now.
Do you have any projects or big plans coming in the future?
Just keep traveling. Right now I’m moving around every three months so I try and get footy every where. Try and put a tape together of some P.J. Ladd type of skating. Just a full three minutes of stuff you’ve never seen before.
Well what type of things do you like to skate?
Mainly low-maintenance stuff like ledges, manny pads and transitions. Skatepark-wise mostly anything on that level. Not too much handrails at all.
What’s your stance?
Goofy-footed.
Are you Skating Manny Mania tomorrow?
It’s going down tomorrow. I’m in it to win it and hoping for the best.
Well as a Black man in skating have you seen any differences in things you had to do?
Well the game is wild on that aspect. You see what Darrell [Stanton] and Antwuan [Dixon] do. They be hucking, jumping down sum crazy stuff. It sets them apart straight from the gate from a lot of other am’s who look alike doing the same stuff whereas these dudes are at the forefront of what they’re doing and looking good doing it.
Yeah, there is lot of good black skaters coming up.
Right, thanks to Andrew Reynolds and a few other people. If it wasn’t for Reynolds we wouldn’t even know who Antwuan is, Theotis, and TK [Terry Kennedy]. He put all of them on the map and they probably been trying to get on other companies for years but it took Reynolds to finally believe in people and give them a shot. I seen Theotis as a little kid, I don’t know how old he was probably ten or something, skating a skate park back in L.A., Hawthorne. He was there every day and you could tell as a kid that he had it, he had full control on the board. I’m like this kid is gonna make it if he can just get some clean product and stay on the board, stay skating. Next thing you know a year later Reynolds saw him at the same skate park and hunted him down. Went to skateparks in the area like “Who is this kid, where is he?” and the rest is history
Who knows you could be the next big talent scout?
Yeah man I got that eye.
Well big shout out to Reynolds.
Yeah man.
Well any last words or anyone you want to shout out?
Skateboarders everywhere.
Did you know Figgy was born on 4/20? I shit you not. Here he is standing with Gu, the swiss army intern. Photo by Lem Dunnigan.
Who do you skate for?
Baker, Emerica, Altamont and Active.
So how do you feel? You’ve been huckin yourself at everything today.
Oh, I’m sore as hell man.
How long have you been skating?
Like 5 years. No, 6. No, 7. Haha 7 years.
How did you get your first sponsor?
This guy named Deville saw a photo of me [and] got me on Powell [Peralta] then I went to Birdhouse and then Baker.
So how’s it feel to be on Baker?
The best. Reynolds is the shit, the best ever.
You skate for a pretty tight team. On your team, who is your favorite skater?
Umm, Reynolds for sure.
So do you have anything big planned?
Film for “Stay Gold,” [I] cant wait for that. That’s the main thing.
What’s your favorite thing to skate?
Anything, just rolling around is fun.
What’s your stance?
Goofy
