Thrasher Magazine

Photo: Dominick

The Heated Wheel's got a vid hot off the press and two new pros to boot, so we hit up Jake Hill and Brayan Coria talk sacks, skinny boards and staying on pace with TM Tom Remillard.

Interviews by Ted Schmitz


Not another SD video, this crew keeps the hype running from Mexico City to the States with an all-killer first production

Photo: Dominick

The last time you talked to us, you said the only thing you wanted to do was to skate and travel. Have you been living up to that?
Yeah, I’ve definitely been able to skate a lot more. I've been doing smaller trips, which is always fun, but I’m finally gonna make it out to Europe in June. Super stoked for that and to have this opportunity to ride skateboards while doing it.

You also saw the open plains and ranges of Montana and Idaho, right?
That was rad. I’d never seen a bear in the wild before. I shot my first gun out there, too.

What did you shoot?
I don’t know much about guns.

Shootin' over and down into one sketchy ditch    Photo: Moyles

I mean what kind of object did you shoot?
I kind of shot into this hill. There wasn’t anyone we could hit and the people we were with said they would shoot over there all the time. I was kinda nervous when everyone else was shooting, but I was like, Damn, alright. Then this neighbor came over kinda mad. I think he was bummed it was like 40 shots in ten minutes. So that was a weird sort of highlight.

That’s awesome. So how’d you meet Neil Blender?
Just through Tom. I met him at Ocean Beach park. I'd see him rip the Polarizers around after Tom and Ed Dominick were telling me about this company they were doing. And when I heard about it, I was down.

He’s a bit before your time. Were you aware of who he was? Like were you thinkin’, Wow, this is the guy that invented the lien air?
I definitely was aware of Neil, of course. I wasn't intimidated or anything like that. He’s got a really cool personality and it’s really rad to see him rolling around. The dude skates like every morning.

Who's the best on the Polarizer boards, or what’s the most impressive thing you’ve seen on 'em?
Everyone’s a little different. Tom is super fast, but honestly I think it might be Lefty. He has all these tricks that are his—like Lefty’s leg scratch. I don’t know what he calls it. It’s like a fakie thruster but he puts the board on his calf and is in like a yoga position and then moves the board up and down like he’s scratchin’ his leg before dropping back in. I thought that was cool. They’re the funnest skateboards, though.

Let’s talk about pro skating. We see a huge range of different incomes for pro skaters—from millionaires with mansions to job-working pros barely making ends meet.  What do you think the minimum compensation should be for a pro?
I don’t know. It would be great to pay rent and only have to skateboard. But I think it’s cool whatever piece of the pie you get. Like if you want a bigger piece and you want to do those contests, then you deserve to have the mansions and all that shit. I’m just enjoying it for what it is, though.

Jake breaks off a piece of his own. Backside 50-50 transfer     Photo: Moyles

Speaking of those guys, I heard you’ve run into Sheckler a few times.
Definitely. I’m from San Clemente and he’s from there, too. I don’t necessarily have any crazy stories. I’d just see him skating. There’s been so many eras of Sheckler, and I’d still just see him at the park.

I think he said it was his favorite park once.
It’s mine, too!

Sometimes it's nice to have kind of a weird park that you have to figure out. You have to spend some time there to know what you’re doing.
Dude, it’s like a really good ditch. I actually love when people come and they’re like, This is the worst park ever. But then they keep going and meeting up with me and end up liking it. That happened to Collin. Sheckler is also fun to watch skate there.

Gap to lip with the California roll in      Photo: Moyles

Did you ever skate with Pat Burke?
Not that much, but I got to stay with him in Virginia. His flatground abilities are insane. He can do any trick.

So you went pro for the Heated Wheel along with one of Mexico’s best, Brayan Coria. What’s it like working with your teammate?
Oh, he’s the mellowest dude ever. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him complain. We could be anywhere and he’s chillin’. He was just at my house finishing the video and we skated every day.

He’s not pouty if you guys end up at some manual pad or little bank that isn’t gnarly enough?
Not at all, ‘cause he’s also the most cruisiest dude ever. And when we skate, we’re both trying to get out of our comfort zone, so if Tom and I are skating transition, then he’s trying to learn something with us.



Is he a stretch-and-warm-up kinda guy or straight to business?
I’ve seen both! But if you get to a spot he likes, it’s normally pretty fast and straight to the point. Like this last week, he sacked this 14-stair rail first try and just shook it off. And then he proceeded to get his trick. He’s gnarly.

That’s so sick. What’s it like having a TM that’s also a full-blown pro skater—Tom Remillard?
I’ve known Tom since I was nine years old, so it’s just like skating with a friend.

I wonder what it’s like having the TM be so good at skating. Like if you’re not feeling a spot, you know they might be able to get a better clip and that might be frustrating or something.
It’s not like that. If anything, he knows what it’s like being at the spot as a skater, so he’s never pressuring you or anything. Same thing with Foy at OJs—he rips as well and it’s sick!

Yes, he does. Fast forward 20 years, what’s your skate life look like?
I’d like to still be skating. Maybe being part of the company in some other way. Fuck, I would love to be a TM!

You and Tom could swap trips.
That’d be cool! Man, 20 years is hard to think about. I’d really just love to live the way Neil does—just skate and have the freedom to do what you want and have a cool company and crew to work with. In the meantime, we just wanna go on trips and make more shorter videos.

Well, you’re on a good path. You also got a killer back noseblunt, so keep doing those.
Dude, the one in my intro to The Heated Wheel took me five years. I punish myself with that trick, but it always feels worth it when I land it.

I cosign that feeling. Thanks for doing this, man. Congrats!
Absolutely, man. Thank you.

Dancing above the stars, Jake goes way up on a frontside wallride      Photo: Moyles


Photo: Dominick


What's up, Brayan?! Let’s start real basic: where are you from?
I’m from around Mexico City. It’s a big place, so it’s a little outside of it. I came from the favelas. It’s crazy because now I live in the downtown area.

I heard you had some heavy visitors this month. The GX crew was meeting up, right?
Oh yeah, it was super cool. Mexico City is such a good place for them and we were all hanging out.

Are they scary to watch?
What do you mean?

Because they skate so dangerous.
I go for the same feeling. It’s very scary, but it’s very good.

Who better to host the GX squad? Kickflip into the hill    Photo: Rhoades

What’s the scene like in Mexico City?
There’s kind of a lot of skaters, but we don’t have as much of a community. Everyone is kind of doing their shit on their own. We’re trying to make it so we’re doing it together, though. We want to make it so everyone who wants to skate hard at some point is with us.

Do you have a regular crew?
Yeah, we’re trying to make that shit. We got like ten people—trying to make it 12.

Want your crew to skate hard? Lead by example, like Brayan's frontside wallride     Photo: Cribbs

Who should people know about from down there?
Oh, his name is Diego Brown. He’s now in San Francisco. He’s the reason GX is here.

Were you in town when Skate Rock went to Mexico?
Yeah, I was around. I was a little too young for partying with everyone. I’m still upset about that. They left a mark on my life.

Were there pros you looked up to while getting into skating down there, either in Mexico or maybe from the States?
It’s weird because people from Mexico don’t give a shit about skating in the whole world. It’s kinda like just living in the Mexican skate scene. So I wanted to learn about all the skateboarding and discover it.

A chip off the green block, his brother's gotta love this back 5-0     Photo: Rhoades

Being from the favelas, it must’ve been hard to get good at skating. How did you get into it and get new gear?
My big brother skated. He’s five years older than me. So when he was in high school, I was in elementary school and he introduced it to me. I was in love.

And how did you get new stuff?
My brother was holding me up for like five years before my first sponsor. He believed in me.

That’s a good brother! 
Yeah, the best one! He works in an office now, but he’s still good.

When was the first time you heard about Neil Blender?
The first time I heard about him as a personality, it was from Tom two years ago. He was telling me about the brand and this guy. I was excited! The guy who created all these tricks is in? I’m down!


Have you gone on YouTube or Instagram and looked at old Neil blender footage?
I had a whole month with Tom and he’s a fuckin’ freak about skateboarding. So I know all the names from the contests in the ‘70s and ‘80s because of him. So I’m a big fan now. I like all the people from Oceanside. That guy Primo who used to freestyle with his girlfriend is my favorite.

Primo and Diane! They did a show at Sea World. You could see a whale and a freestyle show.
No way.

Kickflip front board from bump to rail. Primo could only dream of this     Photo: Rhoades

Yeah. When you went to stay with Tom, did they show you the Polarizer board?
Yeah, it was insane. I never had seen one of these. It was kind of like the first skate I’d ever seen. Now, I have the first one of these in Mexico! I’ve got a market opening here.

Yeah, you got much demand and no supply. What’s it like having a team manager like Tom. Is it intimidating that he can rip so hard?
No, because he knows this feeling of when you’re trying to film, so he’s mellow.

How about skating with your fellow pro, Jake Hill?
He’s the best. He helps me figure out what I’m trying to do in skating. I like meeting people like Jake who are my age, because we are the same way. You don’t feel like a freak.

You skate a lot of big rails. Who’s your favorite to skate with when you wanna go big?
Kevin Bækkel, he’s the best. He's got nuts.

Yes, he does. What are your goals for being pro?
I’m trying to skate hard like my homies. Those people are the reason I’m here and I want to get that feeling on my board. I’m just trying to learn.

Hell yeah. What do you wish people knew about Mexico City that haven’t been there?
I think people from the United States are seeing the wrong things. When I’m in the US, I’m seeing news that says everything about Mexico is bad. But people can live here and come here to visit. Mexico City is a good place to skate and a good place to meet people who want to skate. It’s just a three-hour flight away! We wanna show this place and share this feeling. I want homies to stay here. I have a house to help people stay in Mexico. It’s my gift to people who want to skate here.

That’s awesome. Anyone you wanna thank?
I wanna that The Heated Wheel. Tom, for sure. I learned so much about the skateboarding scene from him. Thank you, Thrasher for taking the time to interview me.

Our pleasure, man.

Back tail, reppin' the mag, seems like he's got it all figured out. Here's to a hell of a pro run for both of these guys     Photo: Moyles