Thrasher Magazine

A new board brand? In this economy?! Silence, haters! Leo Baker's got a brand new outfit with all fresh faces. Still you may be wondering what happened to Glue. Why start another company? Where did he find all these kids? And how many boards can they ollie? We get into all of it with this extra-packed feature of interviews from everyone in the Joy Factory.


Are they clownin' around or gettin' down to business? Find out with Leo and the gang's first video offering for Tacky

Photo: McGuire

Hey, Leo! How’s it goin’?
It’s chill. I just got acupuncture yesterday. I was really sore, but I feel good today, surprisingly.

Sick! After 30, PT is like a part-time job. So you got a new company and a new promo that just dropped. You’ve always been a pro, but after Glue was over, why did you decide to stay in the board-making game as opposed to just getting a sponsor as a pro?
Well, there was a lot of fulfilling parts of doing Glue, and then there was also some shitty structural, internal stuff. It wasn’t really built on a strong foundation. I've always wanted to start a board brand since I was super young. I was like, I'll go to school for graphic design, and eventually when I can't skate as much, then I'll start a board brand and use my graphic design skills. So that is all coming to fruition right now. After Glue, I was pretty fucking heartbroken about that situation, because I put so much into it, and it was just really sad to have to let it go. You look at all these board brands, right? And everybody looks like they're like a family. And in my experience, I feel like I've always been kind of an outsider. When I used to skate for Element, I was never in the van going on trips—maybe because I was young. But I was just like, Why don't I get included in shit? Then I feel like with Glue there was some similar stuff. We did go on trips, but I didn't really feel like I was a part of that crew. I felt like I was kind of an outsider in that situation. So it was for the greater good of my mental health, and just everything, that I was like, I'm just gonna walk away from that, despite having put up the funding. I was like, Damn, I took the L on that shit, but whatever. After, I was debating like, Man, should I just get a board sponsor so I don't have to fuck with anything chaotic like that ever again? But in my gut, I was like, There's just so much stuff that I want to do and that I want to make. I really sat with it for a while and then let my intuition guide me on that. My gut was just like, Fucking do it.

Up the escalator and into the bike lane, front nose to fakie    Photo: McGuire

That’s a solid reason.
I know it's not really a lucrative business or anything, but I have really enjoyed all these parts of skating over the years. And I wish that I had experience, being a part of a team where we all are super tight. So I want to facilitate that, and then also just feel appreciated. Like, I don't remember getting that many thank-you's from people at Glue.

Yeah, you don’t just wanna be a financier, but also wanna be part of the day-to-day and the fun stuff.
Yeah, and because now I own it solely, I don't have to worry about compromising any decision making, or spending money that I don't want to spend. You know, I was just kind of dishing out money at some point with Glue. And I'm like, This is kind of fucking stupid, actually. So now with Tacky, me and the team are friends, and we talk and we're homies, and we all have each other's backs. It's just a nice, refreshing situation to be in.

I just interviewed Cookie and he had a great point about how working with your friends actually sounds amazing, but if you've never done that before, there's all these sorts of situations that you've never had to encounter from a friendship, and it actually ends up not being everything it’s cracked up to be.
It’s hell. I met my former business partner in New York. We weren't, like, that tight forever, but I think we just both had a similar vision at the time. So in good faith, I was like, Alright, let's fucking do it. And there was a really magical moment with Glue. That was obviously reflected; people loved the company, and a lot of cool shit came out of it. But then, as things continued, it just got fucking weird. So now I have Alex White in my corner. When I started Tacky, I was like, Okay, no new friends. I just wanted it to feel like a homecoming. Vanessa is helping doing shipping. I’ve known Vanessa and Alex since I was 11, and I’m working with people like Anthony from Pawn Shop that I've known my whole life where it's not going to get weird, I don't think. Plus me and Alex are operating two different parts of the brand—I'm doing all creative stuff, and then she's helping me with logistics and other necessary shit.

Yeah, I was going to ask. When you made the decision for Tacky, how soon did you get Alex involved?
At one point, I was pretty certain that I'd be able to do a buyout and keep Glue, and that I was gonna need help running it. I was like, If this works out, are you down to help me run Glue? I thought that would be perfect. But it didn’t go down like that. So I tell her I’m just gonna start a new brand and she’s was like, I’m super down. So we just got cracking: weekly meetings, to-do lists, milestone calendars and all this shit. I just have all the head-in-the-cloud creative ideas, and then she's like the rock. It’s such a good situation.


Goin' up in Midtown, crooked grind     Photo: Hutsenpiller

Every company has that someone behind the scenes. And you have been focusing on the creative side. You took on the music and editing beyond just skating in the new vid, right?
Definitely. This is my first time editing a video, so I got Premiere. And then I've been practicing music recording and production for years, so I had a bunch of tracks. There was part of me that was like, It could be a huge flop, and that would be super embarrassing. Part of it was also budget restrictions. So I did end up doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but it's super fulfilling. In my mind, it was so daunting to cut together a skate video. But then once I started doing it, I was like, Oh, that was it? So I was just like, I'm just gonna do my best and let it be what it is. I don't need it to be super precious. It's a fucking skate video. It's not that serious. I'm just trying to have a good time despite the world being in fucking shambles and scary to live in. I'm just gonna make a fucking shitty track and use it for my part. Like, who cares?

That’s awesome. Just getting a clip can be a fucking nightmare. How do you manage your split duties without getting fried?
I definitely am fried right now. But especially with the help of Alex, she helps me to get the priorities straight. Sometimes I’ll have clips, but then there's other shit that's more important. So it's like, Okay, in a couple weeks, I'll come around to putting the clips on the computer then put ’em in the timeline and stuff. Once I got the hang of that, I'm like, Oh, it's super easy. Then I’d get really excited. Like, I’ll say bye to RB. Then I'm going home, and immediately the clip is in the timeline and I'm exporting it because I'm just so excited to see it. But honestly, dude, I take so many naps. I’m in the sauna all the time, and I just do what I can. And if I'm too tired, then I'll just take a break. I have run myself into the ground over and over in the past, and I’m more mindful of it these days.

Around the bend on the Upper East Side, Back Smith back 180

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. How did you go about assembling a new team? They’re all fresh faces! Were you scouring Instagram?
The day my gut instinct told me to do Tacky, I called Rocco like, Glue’s done. Do you wanna skate for my new brand? I think it’s going to be called Tacky. It was just an idea in my head, and he was down. That was fuckin’ sick because I love that kid. He’s a ripper and just a good kid with good energy. Then I met Tristan at skate camp. It takes a certain type of person to do camp counselor shit. I’m like, This is a good fuckin’ dude. Then when I met Nora, I was like, Dude, I’m fucking ride-or-die for Nora. So it's just people that I want to be around and I also have the desire to share the stuff I've learned over the years—stuff that I've learned mostly on my own.

Yeah, with a new group, you can also help guide them.
Yeah, there's been some key heads in my story that have really helped shape my path, but a lot of what I've done is different or new. Living as L**** Baker for all those years and not really having a place to exist, and then transitioning, I'm like, Fuck, I'm gonna lose everything again! And, whatever, it ended up working out, thank God.

Shout out, Nike.
Shout out, Nike! But it was a lot of figuring out on my own. So now I'm trying to create a situation where I'm like, What would I have wanted from a board brand? What would I have wanted from a team manager? Ultimately, I just want someone who cares about me. That’s what we all want. So I really give a fuck about these kids. I’ve been where they are. They probably haven’t had that many ankle sprains yet. But I know everything there is to know about taking care of my body at this point. And I can share anything with them, and I will make sure they’re taken care of to the best of my ability.

That’s awesome. Do you ever feel like the old head around them?
Oh my God, they’re always like, Have you seen this? And I’m just like No, dude.

I asked them about their first videos. What were yours?
The VHS tape in my garage, I thrived off that. It had Sorry, then right after that it had Yeah Right! and then Shorty’s Guilty. It was just bootlegged onto one tape. I would watch it on this 13-inch VHS-player TV that was in my garage, and then I would learn to skate flat out there.

Back 5-0 back 180 down the block    Photo: Hutsenpiller

That’s such a good comp. Do you feel a chip on your shoulder that you had to spend so much of your career in the contest world to make any money, and that after your first big part, it was obvious to everyone you shoulda just been doing that the whole time?
I always joke about that. I'm like, Now my career is peaking as I'm a fucking elderly skater. I was always filming parts behind the scenes there. It's just the only way to fucking make it was to skate the X-Games. It sucked. I was miserable, dude. I was reflecting this morning on the My World part, just how I was working full time and I told my boss at my job, “I skate in contests to make money, but, I'm just hoping that we can work that out.” And she was like, Yeah, you can go do contests, whatever, you just won’t get paid for those days you take off. And I was just like, Please don't tell anybody, because I just hated it. And that was the year that I won X-Games in 2014. I came back to the office and everyone was like, Who are you?!

That’s amazing. What was your job at the time?
I was a graphic designer at a lighting company.

Holy shit. Did you go to college?
Yeah, I went to school for graphic design. When the industry shifted back in the day—Rodney Johnson left Billabong and Ryan Dewitt left Element—I skated for Billabong and Element then and got a small paycheck. But when Billabong cut its program, I was like, I have to get a job. I had the foresight when I was younger that I was like, I'm not gonna be able to skate forever; I need a fallback plan. So I went to school immediately after high school.

And doing the contests at the same time?!
I was talking to Bobier when there was that whole influx of gender diverse skaters getting on shoe brands. Bobier was super impressed by the work ethic, and it was like, Girl, ’cause we been out here self-sufficient our whole lives for like a third of the support. No shade, but it’s intense what we had to do to get recognition.

Photo: McGuire

What still gets you stoked on skating?
Just the opportunities to be creative. I grew up skating the streets of Covina, just skating around finding stuff. I didn’t skate parks ’til I was a teenager. I remember putting soap on my curb, being like, Oh, that doesn’t work. So just finding stuff, using what you have to figure it out, I love that. With skating, with painting, with music, I’m just in love with the process.

What is missing from the culture that Tacky has to offer?
An outsider may have a better perspective. I just feel like more and more, obviously with AI and all this shit, it's so easy to make so much shit. But I also feel like you can really tell when there's like a human intelligence. I just really value making stuff. I’m a graphic designer, but after doing so much on the computer, now I’m just like, I want to make something with my hands. I want to paint something and let it dry and know it exists as a tactile object.

Yeah. At the premiere for the first drop you displayed the actual paintings that went on the graphics. I know this first run centered around a circus theme. What about the next run?
If you ever walk through a flea market and you see old dolls or old, weird clown shit, I'm just obsessed with that. One of my Glue graphics was a bunch of doll heads that I photographed at a flea market. For this specific drop it was almost like it happened in reverse. I was like, Oh, I think it'd be so sick to have a video and do the paintings for the boards, and then do a video premiere and an art show. I just was getting into a wormhole of looking at creepy, old circus clown videos. The “Disturbed” graphic—the baby with the film coming out—is a nod to the next drop. The art in this drop is related to the nervous system and and living in a world where it feels like we’re all constantly on edge. Drop two is called "Disregulated." So with each drop, you’ll have nods to past graphics and, after a few years, there will be a connective thread.

Across the iconic Flushing grate, Leo holds front nose    Photo: Hutsenpiller

The grotesque images and body-horror stuff leads me to think about this scary, terrible world we live in. I don’t know if you need to be a role model, but how are you managing in an oddly dark time?
It's a crazy dichotomy. Because I feel like it's more pertinent than ever to have a company called the Joy Factory. I’m like, Let’s just do whatever we can to produce joy. Despite the fucking horrors, this is like a thing to remind us that we can still have fun, skate and, you know, just be good people. Alex and I were laughing because I'm like, This is the trajectory of a skate brand: You start a company; you put a video out; a bunch of people talk shit about it on the internet; people talk shit about you, and then you do it again. But regardless, I'm just doing it to have a good time. This is where I find joy. I'm gonna keep doing it, and people are gonna be fucking haters. I know it. I'm like, Come forth. I'm giving you purpose, too.

That’s so good. Well you’re doing something cool for many people. Sometimes they aren’t the most vocal, but they’re out there.
I appreciate it. I get it. There's so much fucking talent in the world. I grew up in Covina. There's a skate scene there, and there has been for a while, but it's like a shitty little suburb in fucking California, you know? It's like, If we don't elevate it, then nobody else will. And it's just sick to see people who are just fucking weirdo skaters. Every person is like their own fucking universe, and it's just cool to be around and see their progression and get to know them as people.

Well, you’ve thrived despite every fuckin’ barrier. Thanks for takin’ the time to talk with us.
Hell yeah. Thanks.

Noselide to back lip, this shit's got levels to it




Photo: McGuire

Yo, Rocco! How you doing?
I'm doing pretty good. I'm just kind of recovering. I fucked myself up pretty bad on a slam when I was in New York. But other than that, I'm chilling. Gonna go to work in a little bit.

Where do you work?
I work at this bar like five minutes from my house in Lakeway, Texas. I'm a barback. I'm only 17 right now, so I'm training to become a bartender.




You’re pretty young. Who was the first skater or video that got you hooked?
I pretty much was born into skating. My dad was pretty big into skating. He got me into it. For my fourth birthday, he built me a mini-ramp in my backyard. Right around that time, my dad had me watching Search for Animal Chin. I was obsessed with that movie, and it kind of just spiked from there. I'd honestly say, like, Steve Cab and Tony Hawk and the dudes from a Search for Animal Chin.

What does your YouTube search look like now?
Honestly, 99-percent skate videos. I’m really into the Limosine stuff. I’m really into the five-minute videos. Then and a lot of goofy style, shorter, less-buttoned-up videos like that. I also just watch random stuff on Thrasher, of course.

Thank you for your service. If you’re from Lakeway, how do you build a friendship with certified star Leo Baker?
It's actually a crazy story. I was in New York with my whole family: my mom, my dad and my brother Roman. We were just going to Cooper one day and I see him skating on the side of the road. I'm like, Holy shit, that's fucking Leo Baker! We get to the skatepark, and a minute later he shows up. We skated for a little bit, and it was just super chill, like, my parents talked to him. We just kind of hit it off, then a couple days later he just texted me on Instagram like, Yo, I want to send you some Glue boards. That was kind of the whole beginning of the story.

That’s sick. I think a lot of this is built out of actual personal interaction. So you get flow and then pretty soon Glue ends, and there’s a new company in the works. What was your first reaction?
I thought that was fucking awesome. He called me and he was just like, Yo, so I think I want to start a new company, and I think I want to call it Tacky. And I was like, Hell yeah, dude, that sounds fucking dope. I thought it was sick as fuck.

On some Ellington shit, young Rocco puts on the pressure

That’s awesome. Sounds like you were just down for Leo. Here’s a random one: What’s on the Spotify playlist?
Right now I got like three different genres. I listen to a little bit of underground SoundCloud rap, early-2000s party music and a lot of older rock; I love the Ramones and the Clash and stuff.

Your brother is your partner in crime. Is that right?
Yeah! So Roman’s my filmer, and just my partner in skating. He helps me find spots, helps me with all of it, which is honestly the best part. He’s always been into the photography and filming thing. He had a GoPro we’d film lines on. When Tacky came about, Leo was like, Do you know of a filmer in your Austin area? I was like, Well Roman's pretty good at filming, and he's always wanted to get into it. And then Leo was like, I have a camera y’all can buy. We were like, Fuck yeah! So Roman got the camera, and it's pretty much just been filming all the time since then.

How did the second New York trip go? Were you shell shocked to see your name on the screen? There were some pretty heavy hitters in the audience.
I was really nervous, to be honest. I didn't know what to expect, and it ended up being really casual. I was just sitting in the back smirking the whole time. It was just so crazy to think that I'm in this position. I feel really honored. I've met Brian and Alexis in the past, but obviously it's still crazy when you see Brian Anderson and Alexis Sablone at any time. Beatrice was there too. It was sick to talk to her and stuff. It was a big honor.

Lofty kicky in the Big Apple     Photo: McGuire

That’s awesome. When you envision Rocco Marsh the skater, what do you want that career to look like?
I really want to make some kind of impact on skateboarding, whether it’s being that one guy who skates that one way or becoming an inspiration for other people, that would be a dream. I want to make skateboarding my life.

Do you have a back-up plan?
I'm trying to figure that part out. I’ve been into fashion design. I have a sewing machine. I do a lot of creating my own stuff, fixing my own clothes. But I also really want to get a trade in welding, because I know that that's a great skill to have.

Fuck yeah, AI can’t weld shit. Alright, this is a sixth-grade question: How many boards can you ollie?
I’d say four, maybe five.

Nice! That’s an honorable sum. Thanks, for doin’ this, man.
Awesome, thank you.


Photo: Huff

Hey, Nora! Let's start it easy: How old are you and where are you from?
I’m 21 and I'm from Fort Collins, Colorado.

Your name’s Nora Baker. What's your relation to Leo?
At Slow Impact, we were telling people that he adopted me.

So no relation, or maybe insanely distant cousins. Got it. What's the scene like in Fort Collins? Do you have a good gang?
I have a pretty cool crew. I would say I'm like the only consistent female skater, though.

What’s the hub of the community?
We normally meet at the Northside skatepark. Sometimes we'll meet at the skateshop Market.

What were the first skaters that got you hooked on the scene?
Everybody in my family skates, so that solidified it.

Wrapped and sealed, Nora stays off the phone and in the streets with her mean impossible

Do you guys skate together as a family?
Not as often as I like, but I still skate with my brother Emet. We’re actually gonna go film today.

What’s your screen time like?
Last week was like a total of ten hours.

That’s fuckin’ impressive! What’s in the search bar on YouTube?
I think it’s a Minecraft video.

That’s sick. Do you work?
Yeah, I work at Old Navy. It’s cool. When I'm frustrated with life, I go skateboard, like I'm guessing anybody else. But then when I'm frustrated with skating, it's nice to have work, because then I can just talk to old people and help them find clothes.

That’s awesome. I think it helps you stay normal. Who’s your favorite skater right now?
I've been watching a lot of old Marisa Dal Santo and Elissa Steamer videos. There’s also Dylan Rieder; I like that guy a lot.

How did you get linked up with Leo if you’re from Fort Collins?
I’ve been in contact with Alex White for a little bit, and I met her at WOF 12. She was like, Yo, Leo has to talk to you. I was like, Ah, what did I do? Because he just started following me on Instagram too. So I hear that and I’m all scared. So then it's Saturday, and we're hanging out all day. It's me, Alex, Leo and couple other people. And he doesn't say a word to me. He might have said hi and how's it going to. Then the third day after my run, I went and sat down and he sat right next to me. He was like, So you want to ride for my new company, or what? I’m just like, Yeah! That’s so sick!

How good was that run?!
It went good. I mean, I've definitely had worse ones.


Do you feel a lot of pressure of expectations as the only girl on the team? Or maybe that you’re like new and need to impress Leo?
A lot of it is just pressure I put on myself. Everybody is so nice. I could literally be crying at the spot and I’ll talk to Leo and he’ll say, “It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world.” But I definitely want to keep up. If the guys are putting out bangers, I want to be putting out bangers. I want them to push me, too. I think they do. I don't want to be doing something and my foot’s on the ground, and they're like, That was sick! I want them to be like, Dude, you didn't actually land it. You got to redo that. Don't leave me hanging when you know I could do better.

How did it feel to see yourself on the big screen in New York?
Oh, I wanted to throw up. It was really cool. I really liked it, but it was just excitement and nerves. I don’t care if I’m everybody’s favorite, but it’s still like, I hope people like this.

How does Tacky stack up to your other experiences with sponsors?
I think Tacky’s like the first company that I've been on that I don't necessarily feel like a pebble or that I’m getting pushed under the rug. One company, I felt like a token and with another I was just a pebble. So with Tacky, I feel like I'm being seen and heard for my opinions and it’s just a better, different environment.

Nice. How does it feel to build something from the ground up?
I'm hyped on it, honestly. My older brother is always like, You know everything started from nothing, like Baker and Birdhouse, everything. I'm just happy to be one of the first people a part of that. Leo's giving us all a voice and a name, which I think is really cool.

If you could envision this career, what do you hope to get out of it?
I want to travel the world. But ever since I was little, I just wanted to have a name so female skaters like me could look up to somebody. I was the only female skater at my park for the longest time. I just wanna be that for everybody else. I’m honestly just happy to be on a team that cares so much.

Remember, you're not the only one—unless you're Nora's front foot    Photo: Huff

Who do you think people are gonna be stoked on when they see the video?
I can’t pick. I think everybody.

Very diplomatic. How about some sixth-grade shit: How many kickflips can you do in a row?
I don’t even know. I haven’t tried that many since I was like 13. But I think I could do 15 in a row.

Solid. What does the future of skating look like? Is everyone an influencer, a podcaster? Are we still making parts?
I hope it's still just filming video parts and getting it out, posting sick things to Instagram. The podcasts are cool though.

You have more optimism than me. Got any advice for any young women rippers or rippers of any kind that feel like they’re the only one of something at the park?
You got this. You're never alone. And your skate buddies, female or male, that's your family for life.


Photo: McGuire

Hey, Tristan, how's it going?
I’m doing great. I'm catching up on some jet lag.

Sick. Starting off, where are you from?
I grew up in Berkeley, California, very close to the home of Thrasher. I grew up kind of just knowing it was right there.

Who were the first skaters that got you stoked to get into the culture?
I started skating in like 2014-2015. The first skater that really got me hyped was Shane O’Neill. That was right around when he dropped Shane Goes. Just seeing the level of skating he was at at that time was insane.

Do you own any skate DVDs?
I don’t. It’s crazy. I’m having to do catch-up. Pretty soon into skating I watched Fully Flared, because I worked at the skatepark in Berkeley. They do a summer camp there and they had it on VHS and we’d watch it at lunch. Being friends with some older skaters, it’s funny to hear their reactions when they’re like, What?! You’ve never seen Baker2G? It is important for me to see where skateboarding comes from.

What's your screen time like?
I definitely spend more time on my phone than I would like to.

What takes up the bulk of it?
I’d say YouTube and Instagram. I'll be on there watching skate clips all the time. Then other stuff my algorithm knows I’ll like—maybe video-game related stuff. I’ve definitely been more mindful, because I’ve seen studies on how much dopamine we get from looking at our phones, and it robs you of the satisfaction of completing a task.

Do you work?
I do. I'm working as a handyman. I'm doing an apprenticeship. My dad owns a small business here in Berkeley, doing handyman work. He's kind of taken me under his wing here, and he's showing me how that all works.

How did you get tapped in with Leo?
I met Leo at YMCA Skate Camp this last summer in 2024. I've worked there the last two summers as a counselor. Towards the end of the summer, Skate Like A Girl rents out the space to host their own camps. One of the weeks, they had a big industry week and invited a ton of pros up, and Leo was up there. After that session, Leo and I just kept skating, because Leo stayed longer than all the other pros. There was no one else, just the staff and Leo and Jaime Reyes. We’d just skate all day and got to know each other. And at the bar we performed a mean “In the End” by Linkin Park at karaoke. Eventually Leo was like, I'm down to start sending you Tacky boards and instantly I was down. I just wasn't expecting it, but it was sick.

Photo: McGuire

Yeah, it seems like it’s pretty organic. What’s on the Spotify?
Even today, I was biking to Trader Joe’s and I was playing fully Linkin Park. I’d say top song contenders: “One Step Closer,” “In the End” and “Lying from You.” I just have a lot of nostalgia for them, ’cause I listened to them in my angsty teen years.

How was the NYC trip?
If you had asked me even eight or nine months ago if I thought I would be doing any of this, I would have said you're crazy. I was at a point where I was like, Oh, skating's a lot of fun, but I don't know if I want to try to get sponsored or any of that. But I'm super comfortable here and like it just feels natural. It’s also just surreal, because it's like, Holy shit, I just went to New York to premiere a video. I was overwhelmed with how positive everyone was.

Linkin-Park-powered back tail kickflip out. Chester would be proud

Who do you think people are gonna be surprised to see in the video?
I think people are gonna be surprised with Nora. Nora is really smooth and she just has some crazy tricks that stick out. She does that switch blunt to nosepick stuff, and she just has such sick style where she can pull off stuff like that.

Yeah, that’s Max Palmer’s super power—pulling off stuff you don’t normally think would work and then the style just makes it amazing.
Exactly, he can’t make anything look bad.

Who brings the vibes to the team sessions?
I think Rocco. Rocco and Roman are really outgoing and talkative so they break the tension. And Leo’s always checking in and bringing up spots. So that combination keeps the morale high.


What’s missing in skating that Tacky brings to the table?
I think just not taking ourselves very seriously. When we’re out filming, it’s not like, Oh, I need to kill myself trying the hardest thing imaginable.

You guys are embarking on a new thing. Do you feel inspired by having a sort of clean slate?
It feels good for me. It's kind of exactly where I personally want to be. I already find myself putting a lot of pressure on myself to get good clips and push my skating ability. I feel like that might only add to it, if I were riding for a bigger, more established company.

Front nose nollie heel out, Tristan's a natural

Are you trying to be a pro skater? What does the future look like?
I would love to be a pro skater. To just be able to make at least some amount of money off of skating, I would be super happy. That's something I've dreamed about since I was a kid. At my elementary school graduation, everyone was saying what they wanted to be when they grew up. And I said out loud on stage I wanted to be a pro skater. That was funny. I barely skated at the time.

Well, you got a good gang to make a go of it. Let’s close it out here: how high can you ollie?
From flat? I can probably ollie five boards.

Back tail    Photo: McGuire