Art of Rolling Issue 5

Issue 5 - September 2009

A Glimpse into NYC’s

Art of Rolling Extended Old School Issue

Featuring :

Kelly Matthews Joe Dedentro Rawlinson Rivera Ray Mendez Ron Hunter Jose Disla

Exclusives:

Chris Haffey Let’s Roll Sessions Summer Heat Competition

Issue 5

Introduction

Rolling has been around for longer than many people know. From its rough beginnings with make-shift skates to nowadays with specialty skates, aggressive rolling has surely come a long way in such a short time.

Nonetheless, it is important to know who the founders of skating are and what they are up to in order to bring the future together.

When it boils down to it, skaters and our scene are merely products of what already was and what has already happened. Being that our sport is so new, we do not have a “textbook” informing people of the history of rolling. That, along with the progression of media and technology, has left a lot of the new school skaters in the dark. A lot of new comers, as well as some of the old ones, have not been exposed to the history of rolling. With knowledge of the past, skaters are then able to appreciate where the sport has traveled thus far, and are able to appreciate what rolling truly is. There is never a moment that should be forgotten or a person to go unknown. Back when rolling was in it’s infancy, everyone who had skates on their feet played a key role in the progression of skates, tricks and it’s scene.

Does this sound familiar? This is the exact same way the scene functions nowadays: on the productivity of skaters themselves. Every skater still continues to play a key roll in skating and in the progression of the scene today. It is important to know who came before us because if we neglect to inform ourselves of the past, then people outside of skating will not be able to appreciate who we are. There are times where people tend to think that they’re better off than others and have done things that have never been done; but just like the tricks and trends of today, we are reflections of what was yesterday. Therefore, this issue of Art of Rolling Magazine is dedicated to the past and those who have paved the way for our skate culture.

Contents Featured Old School Skaters Kelly Matthews p.7 Ron Hunter p.14 Jose Disla p.31 Ray Mendez p. 41 Marc Cotal p. 61 Joe Dedentro p. 63 Rawlinson Rivera p. 71 Eddie Mejias p. 91 Lord Brian “Perry” p. 95

Featured Current Skaters Chris Haffey p.11 Chris Santiago p.19 Javier Torres p. 35 iMAGYNE That Team p. 45

Lonnie Pearson p. 46

Tim Franken p. 53 Sean Grossman p. 57

Jason Pina p. 76

NYC Events

Summer Heat Competition p.23 Let’s Roll Skate Sessions p. 79 Stuyvesant Rail Challenge p. 6

Special Features

Franco Cammayo p. 39 Fresh Froot Skate Wax p. 59 Cover: Joe Dedentro 180 Mute Grab Photo: Angelo Ferrer

Art of Rolling Magazine New York City’s Very Own Skate Mag.

Presenting to you- NYC’S skate scene.

We feature the Big Apple’s talented rollerbladers and the events that influence our skate scene. From the Old School Legends and current pros, to the new school and amateur skaters, we are here to present rolling in it’s purest form.

PDFs available at www.angloferrer.com/artofrolling.Contact nyrolling@yahoo.com for more information on up and coming issues or submissions for future issues. We love to cover skating so don’t be shy and submit your work to have it alongside our exclusive content!

The Stuyvesant Rail

Challenge Ten of New York’s top skaters have agreed to compete in an exclusive one-spot competition: The Stuyvesant Rail Challenge. These skaters are ready to test their skills on New York City’s most legendary and difficult spot.

Competitors:

Jesus Medina Trevor Johnson

Chauncy Jenkens

Tim Franken

Evan Grimball

Kevin Cintron

Anthony Soto

John Stephens

Damien Michalski

Greg Sturino

Be sure to check Art of Rolling Issue sixe for the results and coverage of this competition.

Coverage can also be seen on IROLLNY. com days after the event. The Stuyvesant Rail competition will be a “black cat” contest with skaters and those covering the event in attendance. YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE! Visit www.angeloferrer.com/artofrolling for more details.

Kelly

‘‘Buttaz’’

Matthews

What do you represent?

I represent Joe Dedentro, Ray Mendaz, Ryan Jacklone and Jon Ortiz. Those are the boros I was based on, like New York. I grew up skating New Jersey too and my NJ friends got to meet my NY friends.

What got you into skating?

I wanted to get out the house when I was like 12 or 13 years old. My parents were driving me nuts so I was always very different from other kids in school. I was like one of the only white girls in a whole black and Spanish everything. I wanted to do something different so I put recreational skates on and went to play hockey.

In Hoboken there’s this one spot called La quanna, and I saw people grinding on this little fountain thing. I saw that and said, “I want to do that; that’s so crazy.’’ I was just over with softball; it just wasn’t doing it for me. I wanted to shine on my own so I started getting into skating. After I started, there was this skate trip to Hoboken where we all came together and decided to go to NY to street skate. That’s how I got into the mix.

Did you have any influences?

I knew this kid and he made me watch Mad Beef and Mr. Mooseknuckles.

Then they had the N.I.S.S. in Central Park around 1993. I got to see other people skating and competing so that got me hooked.

7 Kelly Matthews

What sponsors did you have back then?

The skate shop Surf and Turf and City Skate. They took the inner city youth off the streets. I remember it was kids like Mike Johnson and Boshi Pope. There was this guy named Dave Smith who was like a kind of father who tried to show us the ropes and what not to do. Ha ha, none of us wanted to hear it though.; we just wanted to skate and that was cool.

We would go from town to town and do demos and get gear. There were little BS sponsors here and there and then I was on Salomon. They never really sent me anywhere; they just sent skates and tshirts. After I won the world championship I was like, “Screw you guys! I definitely deserve to travel!” I rode for K2 and they were great. Matt Lacross was one of the coolest team managers ever and the year that I joined, around 1999, was the last time they went to Japan. Sadly I didn’t get to go to Japan, but I got to go to many other places. We loved to shred our hotel rooms and just have a blast.

What role have you played in skating?

I wanted to show people that if a girl could do it, anyone could. If there was a guy who saw me do a trick, they would want to do it too and they would progress that way. I would help anyone and sort of like trade tricks. We would teach each other how to do stuff and when we saw each other do a trick it was sweet.

Goodwill Games 1997 Fabiola, Robin Miller (back), Me, Michelle, & Jenny curry Were there any skate days that stood out for you?

The Brooklyn banks was the first time I met Joe D, Jon Ortiz, Ray and Ron. That day I just went crazy. That was when it started; we all grew on each other.

Did you ever have a prototype skate?

I had 4 pairs of skates from K2. I don’t remember what they said, but I had a pair that was red, silver, shiny and white. I had another that was royal blue and another that was all cream and black. They were so hot and that was my favorite part, to be able to order a skate that no one would ever have. FR was another sponsor. Nick Hartmen, Ron Hunter, the Disla brothers; we had a great time. I was pretty young back then so whatever they wanted to skate I wanted to do too. They treated me like a sister even to this day.

What have you achieved in skating or in life in general?

I was part of the Woman Sports Foundations, the top 50 woman greatest athletes, and that was with all the great woman athletes. I’m actually in a book of the Woman’s Sports Foundation book and its 100 greatest woman athletes. I think that’s awesome and I love that feeling. I’m in another book called Gutsy Girls and I was in the first issue of Teen People Magazine. I also made it into Playboy, but it wasn’t that type of spread, haha. I love telling people that to see their faces and then water it down. It was great to have children look up to me like that and as much as a play animal I am, when it comes to the younger group I feel like I can look into their eyes and feel I have to show them the way.

Kelly Matthews 8

, What slowed you down in skating?

Definetly having Amelie. I party in doses now- haha. Being a mom, I had to take out time from skating so that I could be with my daughter. I also got a job at Chelsea and got to bring her there. It was awesome though because all my life I had to take care of myself, but now I have to take care of her. I got to skate like 3 times a month but I definetly got it in. I also started going back to school which is taking me in a direction where I’m going to be financially stable and be able to help people. My daughter is also going to be able to see how hard a worker I am. I mean I’m her favorite person, but then when she realizes that her mom was extra cool, then she’ll be happy.

Where does your extreme tendencies go nowadays?

Well, I snowboard and do kick boxing. I just love it; it’s great. I don’t compete or anything but the way that you feel after you beat the hell out of a bag is crazy. It makes my body stronger and it makes me feel confident Now I know I have the skills to kick someone’s butt, haha.

What would you say to the new school skaters today?

I would say that you just have to keep it real because when the mainstream is not having our sport you just have to keep the street skating going. Just continue doing the thing that you love doing, organize contests to push others and keep skating alive. In the end that pretty much is the best we can do. I speak to a lot of old school skaters who quit skating when, back then, it was their life. Nowadays some of them feel like they would never be as happy as they used to be because they are missing that element of their lives, and it’s not their fault- life just kind of catches up to you. That’s why I try my best to get it in as much as I can. Skating will forever be a part of me and who I am. I understand that people have to quit because of their responsibilities in life, but if you keep it real and get it in whenever possible, you’ll be happy and skating will always be a part of your life.

SHOUT OUTS! My parents, my daughter Amelie who has the coolest mom, my soon-to-be husband Alex, Irate: find them on myspace, my New Jersey N.C. skate crew, my NYC brothers, I love you- you know who you all are, and all my girl skaters, u know who u are too! Shout outs to Camp Woodward, Pa and FR, K2, SB skateboard shop, NY, NJ, college, tattoos, Obama and everyone who stayed true to the baggy pants!

9 Kelly Matthews

Chris Haffey Interview

0n Skating

What inspired you to start skating?

I started when I was real young and did it just for fun. It was strictly about fun and that’s what still keeps me going now. If skating was not fun, all this would be worth nothing. I used to Ice Hockey and some of my friends skated so that’s where it all started.

Over the course of your skating career, have you seen skaters come and go?

I’m older now; I’m 24 and a lot of my friends are the same age. This is around the time when you gotta figure out what you’re going to do with your life. A lot of my friends had to take the life path to find a new job and stuff because rollerblading is so small; it can’t support that many people. I wouldn’t say that all my friends stopped skating because all my friends still skate. I’m just the one who has the most time to do it. The friends I have been skating with for the past few years have continuously been there though.

Would you like to elaborate on the fun aspect of skating?

Fun is landing a big a** trick, the scariest you’ve ever landed; it’s just the best feeling ever. Learning a new trick and skating with your friends on the ledge is also fun. Fun can be a lot of good things but, at the end of the day, if you’re not having fun it’s really not worth it.

If I stop having fun with skating, I would stop being a pro.

I have been taking a lot of tours and stuff for skating and at the end of the day if it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth it. I would be miserable if skating wasn’t fun for me. I’ll be gone for weeks at a time, just hanging and skating with friends, and at the end of the day if it wasn’t fun, it’s really not worth it. I could be doing something else that isn’t fun and working on other things in my life instead.

In terms of the scariest stunt you’ve ever done: Do you ever think that this one stunt can end everything for you?

One thing I stay true to is if I think I can’t do something, I really can’t do it. I don’t go in without the confidence. You have to have confidence. I know that with my skill level I can do the trick; it’s getting the confidence to try it that’s hard. When I try something it’s full commitment “I’m doing the trick, it’s whatever” and, I know how to fall now because I’ve been skating so long. It’s not that I’m never gonna get hurt, it’s just that certain things I know I can save myself on.

Would you say the falling aspect in skating takes more talent than doing the trick?

Yeah. I’ve been taking up skiing in the winter and the thing that scares me about that is that the falling instinct isn’t the same. If I lose control on my skies that’s it, I’m out of control. In skating it’s like second nature and every split second you have to maintain control. Very rarely do I lose control on my skates.

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13 Chris Haffey: On Skating

Is there anything that hypes you up to do a huge stunt?

There are so many different cases that equal the same feeling. Sometimes it’s like “f***, this is really scary,” but when I’m feeling the spot or I really want a clip, I’ll be super pumped. Other times I’ll get pumped if I’m skating by myself with a lot of skate boarders and see a transfer I’ve never seen before. I’ll just wanna do something new and get pumped off of that. I rarely don’t skate hard.

Once I start skating, even if I’m just messing around at the end of the session, I just end up getting pumped and start skating hard. Sometimes I’m by myself and I figure something that I want to do and sometimes it’s a song that could get me pumped too.

Growing up skating, what have you heard about NYC’s skating scene?

When I think of NYC the first person that comes to mind now a days is Fish. I don’t follow it as much anymore or as close as I used to, but I knew about NYC from the time I started skating. One of the first videos I had was FR Forever and that was straight NYC: Dave Ortega, Ryan Jackalone, Gil Vasquez. I’ve always been impressed with things that come out of NY. I haven’t been following any skate scenes that much because I’ve been traveling and spending so much time on the road.

I’ve never had a real job , I’m 24 years old, I pay my bills every month, I’m not in dept, and I’ve seen the world. What more could I ask for? I’m in no place to ask for anything. I’ve been blessed with the life I have. I mean it would be nice if skating blows up and I get more, but as of right now I’ve been blessed. Up until now I have had more life experience than many people I know who are older than me. No one can take that away.

For younger skaters who aspire to be pros, what direction should they take?

Whatever you do, at the end of the day, have fun.

If you’re not out there getting that clip and you’re not having fun, F*** it! I’m not gonna even say I’m having fun every single time I put on my skates, but if I’m filming for something and I’m not having fun or I’m getting frustrated, it’s not worth it; I’ll take my skates off and walk away. If you’re never having fun then it’s not worth it. The thing about today is that if you wanna be noticed the internet is this new way to get as much exposure as you want.

“If I stop having fun with skating, I would stop being a pro.”

At some places there is a rise in skating, and other places there is a decline in skating. With that, people debate between the decline and rise of skating. Do you think that if we continue to say that skating is rising to new heights, it would continue to do so?

I think the problem is that people compare it to skateboarding. Right now skateboarding is a corporate monster and has risen to be a million dollar industry. That’s the problem, compared to skateboarding, we are a little smaller. Are we dead? No, far from it. I’ve been all over the world and I’ve seen different scenes and the numbers are low, but that doesn’t matter. Energy-wise you can feel that it’s rising. When you have that kind of energetic session somewhere when everybody is skating hard, you can see that skating is not dead. The energy is in that session and it always will be. It’s never gonna stop; it might be smaller than other things, but that’s all.

You can self promote the sh** outta yourself on the internet. If you think you have what it takes to be a pro or to be sponsored, and you put stuff online in the right places, the right people are going to see it. When I first started skating Brian Bell found out about me through a friend who happened to be skating by us randomly. I was friends with some of his friends, so they gave him my phone number and I eventually hooked up with him and started filming.

Everybody gets on the internet. I watch edits all the time, there is no other way to self promote. You can put yourself wherever you want, but at the end of the day you have to be having fun. If you skate to get better and to get known, you are not gonna get as good as you want to be. If you wanna be the best and you’re not having fun, you’re never gonna be the best. There is something else besides skill that comes along with skating. If you watch an AM contest and a PRO contest there is an obvious skill level difference in skating. But there is also a huge difference between the people who are not having fun and the people who are; if you’re not having fun there’s something missing. You really have to enjoy what you do or you’re never gonna get the flow you want when skating. If you put yourself in the right spot to be seen -it will happen, but don’t force it too hard.

Do you feel like you got everything you deserve from skating?

Any extra comments?

I think nothing can be handed to me. I can say that Big up to New York and much respect. Keep doing your I am very happy for what skating has given me. I’ve been thing and I’ll see you at the Last Man Standing contest. handed the best life I can ask for.

Ron Hunter

15 Ron Hunter

When did you first start skating?

I started skating like 1988 or 1989, a long time ago. I remember like the first aggressive skates that came out had a two part thing going on. Your wheels went in the center of the frame and it was designed like a draw bridge so you closed it on your skates. It was like a lock, you would put the bolts in so it wouldn’t fall apart.

This was before there was a one piece frame; before that, kids used to skate with a 4 piece frame that came out in like 1988 or 1989.

What was one of the craziest things you skated back then?

I remember there was this rail in Central Park that went around and curved. It was perfect, it wasn’t steep or anything, but the only thing was that it lead right into the water. There were rats in the water and if you fell into the water you would have to get out and do it quick or you could probably get a disease. I was one of those people who never fell into the water, Thank God, but I do remember that Calvin Sayles, Rawlinson Rivera, Brian Smith and a heck of a lot of other old school skaters did.

Do you remember how you started skating?

Well, I got into skating because I was getting into too much trouble in the streets. I eventually saw kids jumping over garbage cans one day and I thought “I’m better than him!”

That’s when the aggressive part came in, I felt that what they were doing was sick and that I could do it too.

What role did skating play in your life?

Skating created a family for me. There is no discrimination when it comes to skating. It is not the same color; it’s Black, Puerto Rican, White, etc. and I would still call skaters my family. I mean I went on tours mad times with these people and fought over stupid things like spilled cereal. These are the people that when I look at pictures, till this day, I’m like “damn!” those are the kids I grew up with.

What motivates you nowadays?

My kids, I got a little boy and a baby girl.

Who were your sponsors back then?

970, K2, and FR.

Ron Hunter 16

What competitions have you competed in?

From the beginning, I was in the first N.I.S.S. ever. It was the Ten Man qualifications at Laguna Beach in 1994.

What place did you rank at the N.I.S.S.?

To be honest, back then if you were Black and competed, no matter how good you were, you weren’t going to get much shine.

Like an example of that would be Eric Shriwn who did the best trick (a 360 to front side on the death box) but he did not even place! The rail was stupid high and he didn’t even qualify to compete. At the time I didn’t understand it, it was just political and wack.

When did you low down with skating?

To be honest with you, I always tried to stay away from the political side of skating because if you fall into that trap you become lost. So since I was basically out of the political circle of skating, I didn’t get that much coverage. I still try to skate now and then.

What did it mean to be an FR member?

How do you feel about NYC’s skate scene nowadays as compared to back then?

I look at skating now and see that there is a lot of good stuff going on but really no direction for it to go.

So everyone is basically trying to come up with their own thing but there’s no actual path to follow. Now when I look at skating in NYC, I would use Ramelle as a point and then break it down from there. Back then you had FR which was the point as well. You had Ryan who was the spinner and Dave who was like the aggressive dude; they were the start points of the team. Then you had Eitan who was the air and vert dude; after him you would head down stream and that’s how skating was. I feel that skating is meant to follow that way. I would say that nowadays you have Billy O’Neil who is technical, Franco who does hammers and Ramelle who is like a bit of them both. In terms of the industry, it’s not big enough to expose all of their talents, so they are separated. At the same time, that’s what hurts their chances of developing within the industry. We need a company like yours to set that path so people could understand who people are and where they came from so that they would appreciate how the sport has developed. After that then they would appreciate where the skaters nowadays come from.

It was dope because people would look up to me because I was on that team. Being on FR meant you were one of NY’s top skaters.

17 Ron Hunter

Are there any skaters that you feel killed it back then and never got the exposure they deserved?

What would a normal day of skating consist of back then?

I remember when me and Victor Callendar skated until the sun came out. I would never forget this but there was a point when I thought Victor Callender was homeless, haha. I would come outside, I lived on 14st in Manhattan, and I would see Victor skating street. The funny thing was that it didn’t matter if it was 12 am or 4 am, I would see him skating Union Square. Sometimes I would go home to eat and then come back out and hang out with him all night. We would literally break night skating. We would go to the banks, then go to Central Park, then everywhere else.

I remember when I met ANI the DJ from “the grooves in the house” and “the groupie delight”, and he pushed the envelope. I remember him saying “Yo, imagine if you can spin to a trick!” It was the craziest thought because no one was doing that at the time. I remember this one time when we first learned how to do 270 half cabs, 270 soul grinds and 270 half cab top soul, we went to Xgames the first year it started and they had this steep rail. Ani looks at it and says “F*** it” and throws a 270 topsoul. People didn’t even know what the hell happened; I remember Arlolooking at us, “WHAT?!” I had seen Arlo do it before that, but he was calling it a farside. Ani took it to the next level and did a 270 half cab farside and did it at the X-games. Nobody knew what to call it, nobody had ever seen anyone do that before.

The P.I team; they were the best. I don’t care what people say about FR; if you saw the first Video Groove you knew that these guys just killed it. It was because they were never given the respect that they quit skating, but these guys were better to me on some future of skating status.

If you could change one thing about skating back then, what would it be?

I would change the politics. I’ve seen and witnessed incidents that occurred just because of the basic politics in skating. Just going on tour with some of the top skaters in the industry meant that you weren’t going to shine because the industry basically was driven on those few faces. I mean to be honest, if you have thousands of dollars riding on one person and that person doesn’t win, then what happens? So yeah, I would change that because I’ve seen so many people fall between the cracks, talented people, and they quit skating because of it.

Any words of encouragement for the youth?

Pay attention to what you do because sometimes you do things the wrong way. You need a big brother to correct you sometimes so listen to those who know what they are talking about, because you would only realize your mistakes when it’s too late.

I Chris

Santiago

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In our search for the future of NYC skating we came across a new generation skater: Christopher Santiago. Although he has only been skating for 2 years, Chris has the skill and potential to shine in the rolling industry.

How did you begin skating?

I used to skateboard but I always rolled when I was young; you know jus cruising around. I first got interested into aggressive skating when I saw Myspace edits of kids skating. I thought it was amazing so I decided to try it out.

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Do you think the internet played a big part in getting you into skating?

Definitely, around my way you don’t really see a lot of skaters so I saw everything and learned a lot from the internet.

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What are some of your goals in skating?

I just want to learn tricks and be able to do them without any problems. When I first got into it, I met people who were experienced and got to learn a lot from them. The way I see it is that I have a lot ahead of me in skating, so I’m just going to bear with it.

Chris Santiago 20

Do you think you would be skating for the long run?

Rolling is something that I want to stick to. I’ve been doing it for a little while and plan on sticking to it. I like it because I learn something new every time I go out and skate. I love that feeling!

What were the first pair of skates that you had?

My first skates were the K2 recreational skates which I turned into trick skates. For me skates were very expensive and I didn’t understand why, but then I saw that aggressive skates are pretty durable and worth every penny.

What is it like to be a NYC skater?

It’s good because it’s hard to get your name out there among all the skills but it’s nice to have ranks to get up .

What do you think would keep you in skating despite what life hits you with?

I think that the fun that I have skating, even the falls, is going to keep me going. If all else fails and I don’t get sponsored, it’s ok, as long as I’m skating and having fun.

What injuries have you obtained through skating so far?

I fractured my right ankle, dislocated both my wrists and got a concussion.

Do you feel that skating has barriers if you’re black, white, rich or poor?

I think that just like anything in life there will always be haters. I would say to feel free and do what you love. If you feel that skating is for you, just don’t quit; but if you’re not having fun, even if you’re landing tricks, then it’s not for you. Do something else.

21 Chris Santiago

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Summer Heat

Competition Aler ton Skatepark Bronx New York

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1st place in the beginner contest Eric Macoy

s advertised in last issue, the Flatline skate shop organized a Summer Heat rolling competition that took place on July 11 at the Alerton Skatepark in the Bronx, NY. Amazingly enough this contest turned out to be a high profiled event with some big names in the industry attending to show their support for the new school skaters who competed. In the crowd Mike Johnson, Wake Shepman, Ramelle Knight, Alex Nunez, and more showed their support for the sport as well as the NYC skate scene. In addition, for the first time ever, Flatline skate shop managed to appeal to politicians in NYC and gain their support. With this, city counsel woman Naomi Rivera sponsored the entire event with food tables, drinks, press and prizes. The Summer Heat competition consisted of beginner, intermediate, and advance contests to allow an opportunity for the up-and-comers to shine and show their skills.

1st place in the advanced contest Jose Henriquez

Although the skate park itself had limited space, it did not stop a huge crowd from attending. Spectators and skaters occupied all the seats and stood around the skate park for the entire competition. With such a great atmosphere the vibe around the whole competition was positive, fun and just pure skating. The Summer Heat competition was an outstanding representation of the NYC skate scene and the awesome vibe that we constantly have among skaters.

Thanks Flatline Skateshop for such a great event!

Best Trick: Alex Nunez- Negative Acid

Rob Boggie: Host

Wake Shepman/ Hector Rodriguez

Unknown- Misty Flip

“ While walking around and taking photos of the competition I heard everyone suddenly let out an enormous cheer. That’s when I saw that Wake was attempting to gap over the railing of the quarter pipe. I also noticed his father looking over him as he landed the trick.

I singled out this photo because Wake’s father drove him all the way to New York City in order to show support for this competition. He never took his eyes off his son the whole time.” - Angelo Ferrer

How did you first get into skating?

When I first got into skating I used to skate quads. It was big back in the day to go into skate rinks like USA RINK, Laces on Long Island, Skate Key in the Bronx and Roxy in Manhattan. Back in the early 80’s, roller skating was still pretty big and I used to go and skate a lot with my brothers. I went to skate one day and saw a Rollerblade event where some guys were doing back flips over taxis. I thought I was good on quads but when I saw them I had to rethink everything i was doing, and try to step it up.

What got you into the aggressive side of skating?

Actually, after I saw that show I got me a pair of TRSs and started to skate the Roman Rink in Central Park. I also liked Flushing Meadows Park, but nobody was really rolling out there. I used to go out to Central Park to see what the new moves were. There was nothing really, just people riding stairs and jumping garbage cans, until one day there was a skate competition called the Flushing Bodega Skate Competition. Ryan Jaklone, Chris Henry and Harold Hunter were there. Harold actually won that comp, but Ryan and Chris were grinding the bottom stair at Flushing kink. I asked them, “What are you guys doing? You’re messing up your skates!” Back then I was clean with my skates -haha. Ryan had big 31 Jose Disla

360 mute

“Back then I had a 72mm flat setup so I almost gaped into the pool�

Fish stall

Jose Disla 32

“The future doesn’t know what NYC skating was like back then, but nowadays its getting back into the same thing: huge sessions and just thriving.” boneless knee pads and was like, “What are you talking about? This is the next big thing in skating.” You had to get them little wheels back then when FR didn’t even exist. This was like 1992 and I was doing little jumps. I tried to gap the Flushing Meadows stairs because Ryan and Chris were trying it. I landed on the last step. I was thinking that nobody should take me out at my own park so I tried again, but this time I started all the way back by the Globe. Back then I had a 72mm flat setup so I almost gapped into the pool on the other side of the stairs. I jumped and barely landed when I had to jump into the pool. That was when Ryan was like, “You guys gotta meet up with us at The Banks in the city.” That’s when I got down with them.

In 1995 at the NISS, my brother Harry got down and placed 2nd out of everyone. Nick from FR came up to him and Ryan told him he knew us.

He was put on FR a couple months later, then came Rob and then me. As far as the D-clan (the Disla Brothers) we all used to skate together and we used 33 Jose Disla

to ride quads to funk music at the skate rink with our father. But after the transition into the aggressive side, Harry jumped on a rail because the three of us were always competing with one another. We kind of pushed each other to get good at it and fed off of each other. We all started at the same time but the sponsors came to us in age order.

What did it mean to be an NYC skater back then?

I was proud of it, especially being a part of FR. It was one of the bigger teams coming out of NYC and it was loyalty all the way. There was no way I would leave the team for anything else. It was a big thing to ride for them.

What was the most memorable moment for you in terms of skating back then?

A memorable moment back then would be the Classic G13 trip that we took in a Winnebago, it was insane. It was like the entire FR team with

Ray Mendez, John Ortiz, Sammy Lopez and jus everyone. Haha, Herbert was there too and it was like 18 of us.

What slowed you down in rollerblading?

Well, I’d have to say work! It’s just hard. You have to start taking responsibility and pay rent and bills. You can’t afford to juggle your personal life, relationships,

work, family and skating. It just becomes too much.

As long as you can find time to do what you love, then you can achieve that balance. I would never give up skating. I stopped once for a year and a half, but never again. It’s always important to keep rolling. You gotta keep those legs moving because it only helps-other wise when you get old it will get hard. I try to stay healthy, eat right, run, and keep my body healthily so I can keep skating. I’m getting old; I’m 32 so I’m not a spring chicken anymore- ha ha. I try to keep being able to roll by maintaining my health.

Anyone you want to shout out?

Joe Dedentro, Ariel Suren, and Herbert. Those guys are amazing and are still skating to this day. I think they’ve always deserved respect and probably have been doing it longer then I have.

I want to give a shout out to Eulogy Wheels for being one of my last sponsors, Adam Kilgore and those guys still help me out. Chris Edwards is a big role model to me and he still holds it down for skating and puts every breath and energy into the sport. Having somebody like him to this day who still believes in it inspires me. I especially want to thank my brothers for keeping me on my toes and always keeping me rolling.

“I’m 32 so I’m not a spring chicken anymore.”

Bank to 180 stale grab

Javieraka Torres

Booge

35 Javier Torres

er

Javier Torres, known to his friends as Booger, is a local Queens skater who skates street spots in the Ridgewood/ Bushwick area of New York City. He explained to us that he first began skating six years ago after watching the orange VHS tape of the Hoax video. “After that, I just fell in love it.” When asking Booger what it means to him to be an NYC skater, he told Art of Rolling that he aspires to one day become Pro. “Well to me, a lot of people don’t make it out of the NYC skate scene. I mean you see some pros like Billy O’neil, Mike Murda, and a bunch of others that you really don’t hear about. When I become pro I want it to be known that I came out of NYC and that I am a NYC skater.”

Javier Torres 36

Look a i g whe on my f Not only can i st i can BIGG stunts tha

at me got eels feet ! tand on them, but n do GER an you...

NYC’s finest

Franco Cam

39 Franco Cammayo

mayo

Raymon If you chip away at the profound history of New York’s rolling culture you’ll find preserved heroes and talented individuals who are sometimes forgotten in place of the new generation. When unfolded what we find is a true historical gem; an individual who has endured everything the sport had to throw at him from the beginning, when skates were not meant to grind till now, when skates are made especially to grind. Hidden beneath the foundation of New York City’s rolling culture is Raymond Mendez. In his youth, Ray placed in the top 3 of every rolling competition and skated hard to gain recognition in the flourishing scene. His ever loyal commitment to skating had kept him within the industry where he has played a key role in the growth of NYC’s skate scene. While always spreading the message of rolling, he has branched off into different hobbies which allow him to bring rollerblading together with documentation and coverage in hopes to preserve who we are. Ray Mendez has continued to support rolling from its rough upbringings to its present flourishing state, and will continue to do so for a long time.

41 Ray Mendez

M

nd

Interview

Mendez

How long have you been skating ?

16, almost 17 years What got you into skating?

I knew Andrew Pedro and he would skate to work. I saw him skating around and said, “Oh sh**! That’s fresh.” From then on I got into skating and learned that you could also skate aggressively. I also used to ice-skate at the ice rink at Mullaly Park, and then they made it into a skate park so I skated there too. It’s funny how my parents actually met at Mually’s ice skate rink. Knuf Nagi grew up with me and to me he was one of the best skaters in NYC. He was a great park skater.

What is it about rolling that kept you from doing other extreme sports?

Well, I first used to BMX. I even tried skateboarding and roller-skating, but I sucked at that. I’ve also tried basketball and rugby, but something about skating intrigued me. I just visually loved it. At highschool people showed up on rollerblades and I thought that it was ill. You know people zooming around past you and skating fast. I wasn’t a big fan of walking places so rollerblading was it.

What does it mean to be a NYC skater?

Well to me, it means skating everywhere.

I skate everyday just to get around.

How do you feel you’ve contributed to the NYC’s skate scene?

I guess I’ve helped just by being there and being an advocate or an ambassador for rolling.

You know, I do as much as I can; it’s a challenge because people like Victor Callender and myself don’t make a living doing this stuff. We have to think with reason. I have a family and other obligations, but I really love doing this thing that I’m passionate about, but what reason am I giving to my family to justify me doing this. I’m wagering stability and all these other things. It’s like gambling, but it’s just something that I’m passionate about. It’s what I know and what I enjoy. I believe we all should do that and realize that it’s not a luxury to actually make a living doing something 43 Ray Mendez

you love, it is a gift. I love filming, and by being a skater I honed certain crafts like filmmaking and photography by trying to bring that all together with skating. By doing that, I try to bridge the gap and bring together skating and exposure.

What are some of your favorite memories from back then?

I guess in general I’d have to say that I feel blessed in that very few people find something that they’re very passionate about and get to do it for a long time. I certainly don’t think I’m the best skater ever, but I was able to do it, have fun and am still able to continue to have fun nowadays doing what I love. I enjoy our culture and all the things that come along with it because we encompass a lot of things now as a community. The ability to have fun and be productive has conducted a thriving industry from products to events that come directly from

the skaters within the industry. It’s good that the skaters within the industry are now what makes up the industry.

Are there any skaters that you think took the cake back then but have not been blessed with the spotlight in skating?

Kenuf Nagi. He set a lot of presidents in terms of being an ill skater in NYC. But someone like Boshi Pope who is on the record was potentially one of our best athletes that you don’t get to see blossom in NYC. What do you think NYC can do to better accommodate the skaters?

I’d like to develop a body of work, something like a media kit in order to solicit a place to secure a hub for rolling. It would be like a place for everyone to meet up so that skaters can get

together. Nowadays, with all the things that are coming together and becoming more organized, we’re all on the same page; with that we’re on the right track. We just need to unite in order to step it up on the skate scene and we’re probably the biggest metropolis that can have a facility like that which would thrive.

What were some of your favorite skate brands back then?

I loved G13 and FR which has been the brand up until this day. I think Courtney an Chris are doing a great job with B-Unique; they have put in tons of work. We just have to usewhat they have done as a foundation to build a truly strong NYC skate scene. Fortunately we are in the process of doing so and are currently succeeding in that.

imagyne that

“iMagyne being able to fly without wings or a purpose.�

That was a quote developed long ago with the inten,tions of overdoing the concept that we call iMagyneThat. iMagyneThat is a growing media group dedicated to introducing the freestlye rolling concept in a unique but straight-to-the-point type of style of rollerblading. Like many of the new companies that are stepping foot into the rolling industry, iMagyne That Continues to work through all the struggles to make their edits enjoyable and fulfilling.

45 iMagyne That

So why did you decide to make your own Media Group?

I just wanted to get credit for my work through creating all my edits and filming myself. I think you can get alot more done doing so.

What Made you choose the name iMagyneThat to represent your company title?

So tell me Joe, what made you interested in skating and editing?

Well, it’s sorta my way of saying “Where there’s a will there’s a way” and “anything can happen”. What I mean to say is I want to create edits of skaters and locations that entertain and also have a few “What the F***’s” in it. iMagyne That is structured on showing skaters rollerblading without overdoing the eye candy. I want people to go out and roll after seeing my edits.

Well, it all started about 8 years ago when I first met Navin Hardyal in high school. We started skating in our rollerblading gym class and quickly became interested in aggressive inline skating.

We made a team of local skaters and a few very low budget videos. We went through a heck of a lot of names before we decided to name it Skeptic Media. I learned to film and edit with Navin from our first two skeptic videos- “Passive Aggression” and “Believe.”

Wait, you guys had a rollerblading class in High school?

Doesn’t everyone? I mean we even built two quarter pipes three weeks before getting kicked out of class with my boy Brandon.

Are you solely focused on online edits?

Nope. I’ve been Filming on and off for almost two years for our upcoming video, “Extra Credit.”

iMagyne That 46

Is this a New York Video?

Well, let’s say that New York is Definitely the star of the movie but the co-stars are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, North Carolina, California, etc.

What do you wish to gain from the release of your video?

Well, first im gonna breathe in and out and scream “Finally” haha then I’m going to hope to gain acceptance and provide entertainment to those who see it. I just want people to look for us to film and want to be in our

upcoming videos. I want everyone to see that we are trying to support Rolling as much as possible.

Do you film all your edits alone?

No, no, no! Please, I have a great group of cinematographers like Sean Grossman, Ryan Many, Pat Irwin, and Jason Staine. J. Staine has started his own media company called Rolling Film Media and is currently filming for his current dvd titled “Signature” featuring profiles on Jeff Dalnes, Mark Wojda and Tim Franken. Signature will be release

by Winter 9/10 and iMagyne’s “Extra Credit” will be released Late August ,2009.

Joey Zatelli Fish 47 iMagyne That

Interview with...

Lonnie

What is your full name ?

Who are your sponsors ?

Well, I have a middle name that I’m not too fond of so Lonnie Pearson will do.

How did you start skating ?

Skating in general started from my Mother taking me to this roller rink called Skate Key, or “The Key” as it’s better known as. As for what we did, many years later my friend Brandon convinced me to buy a pair of aggressive skates and from my 1st grind I was hooked.

Imagyne That

How do you feel you progressed as a skater from the beginning to the present ?

Aside from my confidence in myself and my tricks getting better I think my mentality has progressed just as much.

How long have you been skating ?

6 to 7 years

How do you get yourself pumped to skate ?

My music and sometimes insulting myself, haha.

What genre of music doyou listen to ?

I listen to a bit of everything. When I skate I mostly listen to R&B, but you may be surprised to hear the songs I’m singing along to.

iMagyne That 48

How so ?

In the beginning it was all about the fun but as my will to get better grew, I had a bit of a competitive streak. At one of my highest peeks in skating I broke my ankle .Nine months out of the skate game helps you put things in prospective-Haha. From there its been back to the fun and setting a good example for the new kids and for Rolling in general.

What is it like to be a NYC skater ?

Fast paced like the rest of the city , but sometimes we can get the city to slow down and watch some skating even if it’s for half a minute.

How do you feel imagynethat.com is helping your growth into the industry as well as others ?

Imagyne is an opportunity for me to showcase my skills as a skater and also helps remind the industry there is no right or wrong way to do this- iMagyne That !

49

iMagyne That

180 Joey Zatelli iMagyne That 50

51 iMagyne That

Joey Zatelli

iMagyne That 52

Interview with...

Tim Franken

How long have you been skating?

I’ve been skating for like 8 years now.

Have you ever been in a video before now?

Yeah, actually I had my first video section last summer (June of 08’) in a video called A THRU Z. You guys can check it out on youtube.

Do you skate for fun or fame?

Do I skate for the fun or the fame? Is this a serious question?........ Na, I’m just playing.. honestly this is 100% for the fun. I skate for me.win Top Soul Basically what I’m saying is that whether I become pro or not, it’s not going to change my love for the sport.

How has skating changed your life?

Skating has changed my life all round. To be able to build your ability to think something through before you do it then lace, whether skating or real life situations, only makes your life smoother. It also changed my life socially.

53 iMagyne That

Huge sessions, all type of people (race and age), and traveling the country allows you learn how to handle yourself in all situations. Rollerblading has allowed me to come across so many solid contacts it’s ridiculous.

You have two upcoming sections in two different videos, right?

Yes sir, right now in the next month when the video drops, I got a new section in the IMAGINETHAT.COM’s first video called Extra Credit.

This video is featuring Lonnie Pearson and Pat Irwin- def got to check this one out. The second film I’m working on will be presented by ROLLING FILM MEDIA. It’s called Signature, and it’s going to be out in the winter of 09/10. This video is going to be hi-def and filled with quality clips.

Mark Wojda and Jeff Dalnas are also ripping sections in this one.

Are either of the videos almost done?

For “Signature,”I just start ed filming recently due to just getting over a high ankle sprain.

As for Extra Credit, I’m finished fully. Its def a good feeling to accomplish the second one for me mentally knowing that I busted my ass and completed it in a decent amount of time. There’s a ton of good spots that we went to in the past year which was great for my own progression. You guys should definitely enjoy the end result of this video.

From the time you have been sponsored by imagynethat. com, have you been presented to the industry?

Yea definitely. For the last couple year, I have steadily been presenting to the industry by going to events. I got to say, I spend at least one weekend a month all year round attending comps and events. I’ve also been supporting my local shop SPOILED BRATT SKATESHOP. They are my shop sponsor. My other sponsor that allows me to present to the industry is Identity Clothing.

So what do you expect to accomplish in the next year or so?

In the next year, I plan to accomplish blowing my Shop sponsor up. In the shop, they have a bunch of custom skates …… the vibe you get in the shop is good. Overall good people.

First time buyers get 5% off orders over $199 …just mention my name. I also want to make my section in this new video Signature the best section I’ve had so far. I would also like to win one of these events in the city……that would def be a great year for me.

iMagyne That 54

Pat Irwin- Top soul

Joey Zitelli- 180 5 5 iMagyne That

Terrance Huggins Jr. 540

Pat Irwin 180

Terrance Huggins Jr. 180

iMagyne That 56

Interview with...

Sean Grossman How Long have you been Skating?

I’ve been rollerblading for about 6 years now. I started in 7th grade because my best friend Jarret at the time skateboarded with me. He eventually got some trs rollerblade skates for his birthday and he asked me to try them out and I was hooked since. My grandma bought me my first skates for my birthday at Modell’s which were the K2 250 cc’s (red white and blue jams).

What about Rollerblading makes the sport essential to your everyday life?

What makes rollerblading essential to my everyday life is that it makes me feel great no matter how down in the dumps I can be at the moment. To me skating is not only a way to keep in shape. The main reason I skate is the enjoyment it gives to me. I can be skating with all my friends, traveling to cool places, meeting new people, seeing old friends, landing new tricks, busting my ass, etc. To me it’s all about fun and if you’re not having fun skating don’t do it. Nothing even comes close to the feeling I get when I put my skates on.

I heard you are making a video, tell us about it.

I am currently working on an online video based on the New York scene (mainly Long Island) named Primo. It will have sections on Trevor Johnson, Dan Bradham, Shawn Gradilone, Ben Guarino, Me, and maybe someone else. I’ve been filming for this video forever and have hundreds of clips.I just got to finish it already and it’s been hard to do this summer because 57 iMagyne That

nobody wants to sit around and edit in 80 degree weather.. No release date yet but expect many New York skaters to be featured like Anthony Soto, Bobby Reichel, Joey Graziano, Ryan Smith, Angelo Ferrer, Alex Nunez, and many others. Stay tuned, that’s all I have to say.

How did you get sponsored by imagynethat.com?

Well one day my friend Pat Irwin who was already on the team at the time asked me to come out by him and skate because Lonnie Pearson and Joe Perez of Imagyne Clothing came out to Long Island to film Pat for his section in the Imagyne team video. Me and Pat skated all day basically and I ripped my hip slamming it on a stupid rail. I guess I was getting a few clips for Joe and before he left he asked me for my screen name and number. I guess you get the rest of the story.

Do you have any profiles of yourself?

I do have some old profiles of myself on my youtube and vimeo pages. Just search Sean Grossman on either site and stuff will pop up. I’m in alot of online edits with more recent clips but that’s about all I can think of.

Anyone you want to give a shout out to?

I’d like to give many shout outs. First to my friend Jarret who got me into skating but moved to Georgia. Next my best friend for years Steve Rama who brought me to my first real street spot (Wantagh Park). Followed by Pat Irwin, Ryan Smith, Andrew Still, Dave Fitz, Shawn Gradilone, Emo Nick, John Runac, James Mandato, Trevor Johnson, Nick Orena, Dan Bradham, Bobby Reichel, Joey G, Danny Villanueva, Ben Guarino, Josh Burnham, Joe Torres and all of my other L.I. skaters. Next of course Joe Perez, Lonnie Pearson, Tim Franken, Danny from NJ, and everyone else I skate with. But most of all I’d like to thank my family for supporting me all these years. iMagyne That 58

We first heard Fresh Froot Wax was awesome a couple of months ago and decided contact them to see what all this hype was about. They were nice enough to give us an insight on some of their goods and also helped us understand the importance of quality skate wax.

What we learned was that when skaters come together to create something especially for skaters, the outcome is amazing. Not only is their wax super fast and long lasting, but it’s also compactible and tremulously convenient. If you ever thought that wax was just wax then you were wrong! Fresh Froot Wax took our everyday essential tool and made it into something unique and pefecfected.

59 Fresh Froot

So...

WHAT GAVE YOU THE IDEA TO RUN WITH THIS COMPANY? I was tired of having to run to the corner store to buy a candle and go through the process of breaking the glass and getting the wax out.

WHY SCENTED? To play off the name of Fresh Froot – but also it really helps when you have a tube of our wax in your skate bag, it off-sets the odor from sweaty skates and pads…lol.

A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW BUT WAXING A CURB IS ILLEGAL, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOUR WAX DOESN’T STAIN THE LEDGE AND YET IT SLIDES SO WELL? It’s all in the blended ingredients we use in our products, when using plain hard wax a ledge requires many coats and so it builds up…this build up is what traps the dirt and gives a ledge that stained look.

HOW LONG WOULD YOU ESTIMATE A STICK OF WAX WOULD LAST? That’s a hard question to answer, see it pretty much depends on the roller and what he/she is rolling. If it’s ledges, and the ledges are new (never been waxed before) then the wax will go quickly, but if it’s rails and parks, one tube is gonna last you awhile, cuz you only need one coat.

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOUR PRODUCTS? Right now you can find our product on Myspace by logging on to our URL at www.freshfrootwax.com WHY SHOULD WE BUY YOUR WAX INSTEAD OF OTHERS? First and foremost by supporting a rollerblader everyone is essentially supporting our industry. Together we can build each other up and grow stronger.

But also because our wax is easy to use and it comes in a sealed container so it prevents messes on hands or in a bag/pocket. There is also the smell factor… it does smell great, but even better is that our company is eco-friendly…if you mail back your empty tube, Fresh Froot Wax will refill it for half the price.

SOME OF THE BEST SKATERS NOW PREFER YOUR WAX OVER CANDLE WAX, CAN U GIVE US INSIGHT WHY U THINK THAT IS? I would probably say because they don’t have to spend so much time re-waxing, coping and other spots…instead they can just focus on having fun skating and filming.

WILL THERE EVER BE A FRESH FROOT SKATE TEAM? IF SO, ANY RIDER EDITION WAXES? We will definitely have a skate team very soon. In fact we are already looking at some skaters, and not just the big names. As for rider editions, sure, although it depends on where the company goes…all I know is that the possibilities are endless.

Mark Cotal

When aggressive rolling took off there were skaters ev-

erywhere, but one skater who stood out and made a good name for himself was Mark Cocal. He had every inspiration and the drive he needed to gain the “pro� label. He threw down hard at every session but, due to rough family situations, he ended up playing the role that life threaded out for him. He was forced to put skating aside and pursue a new life path in order to take care of his responsibilities. Unexpectedly bumping into him at Camp Woodward in Pennsylvania, Marc expressed to Art of Rolling Mag that he always wanted to attend Camp Woodward but never had the chance to until that day. The following photos are from a few hours after his arrival when we got to sit down and recap with what was going on with him since his disappearance from the NYC rolling culture.

61 Marc Cotal

How long have you been skating?

I’ve been skating since I was 10 yrs old and now I’m 26.

Have you been consistently skating over the past few years?

There was a time when I stopped skating around the time after my mom was in a motorcycle accident. I had to take care of my brother, he was autistic, and it was just hard for me to skate. I had to get a regular job to support myself. My brother’s dad was a druggie so my grandparents eventually took my brother; then I was able to get back to life and skate again.

What were you best known for in skating?

I was known for doing crazy tricks back in the day. I did a 900 on the big kicker at the N.I.S.S. What does it mean to be NYC skater?

It means a lot because when you’re from NYC or Cali, it’s like people tend to pay more attention to you.

What were some crazy spots you hit back then?

I did death rails; I did Stuyvesant, I did chess and checker house rail at Central Park too. I did rails in California, Las Vegas and practically all over the world.

Who were some of the skaters that were overlooked back then?

Ozzie and Nene Tejada Growing up, who were some of your idols in the skate scene?

I looked up to Arlo; he was nuts and I also looked up to Chris Edwards. I looked up to Matty Mants who rolled on the same team with me. I looked up to Calvin Sayles too. He got me into skating and showed me how to do it.

We lived literally next door from each other and I saw him with a pair of Streets from Woolworth for like $50. My mom got me a pair of Brookfields skates and that’s how we started skating.

We actually did a rail on those skates, we did front side; we just knocked the wheels out the middle and did front sides on them.

Marc Cotal 62

Joe D

s the y a s d ne meo d legen o s n r d is t of ind whe the wo n o l a r re a me to m lthough is olde res the a e o A Ther e who co gend�. l wh lso captu somea u e l d l i peop s “NYC a indiv ore, it a areer of uth. m c d e yo egh wor reflects me any l skate t u for ri YC l .

N often their p successf e way rue n h ntly not i sity of a paved t tro, a t onsiste as c h n n inte ho has oe Dede his life ,Joe D. is w J in th ing one is case oken t until tt r a b k s e a a h In t as kept ries ar tunts th r even n a h o s o cati end, e bound ks and atched i d e d r is ic en m ormous carry h Whe own tr e b t d s n laid have no to his e nages to he goe e a , e day ted. Du ll m erywher mmuni i t s e o p tem ting, Jo runk ev skate c sit and t a e to sk s in his k to th able to ough c e e en skat ives ba were w as nice f his g o and ot only but he w e chest on , sur less a ty. N ith Joe a e r s u et w talk en up th nd lend a p to o career y. e or skat ate hist k on s Joe D. 64

What part of NYC are you from?

North-Eastern Queens.

How did you get into rollerblading?

I have a history that goes way back into hockey. I started in Long Island in a rink called Laces. They played that kind of music that gets your roller-boogie on. They had guys, girls, and couples skate only sessions; I had the time of my life back then. You used to wear your jacket hanging off your elbows, haha. I started that at four or five years old, which I believe goes hand in hand with skiing.

I also did that from when I was four to twelve years old. I also snowboard, so I’ve been snowboarding up until now. As for aggressive skating, at around 1994 or 1995 there was this whole mess of Asian cats that were like 13 yrs old with TRS skates. I had seen them when I was about and hanging out with some corny gang. Seeing skating brought me back to when I was young and how much I loved it. I love skating even nowadays; it’s therapeutic.

Describe how skating was back in the 90’s.

It was the best time of my life. We don’t have enough space in this mag to describe how it really was. For starters, one of the wildest things was traveling around the world with the Ringling Brothers Circus. We traveled all over the country having a blast and making damn good money doing it. We performed at Madison Square Garden and I was in the ad for the circus that was posted all on billboards. I used to have a big part in front of the whole stadium full of people. I remember wearing a flossy green shirt with my name on it. I was like twenty-something years old. We got to skate clear ramps made of fiber glass with pyrotechnics hooked up to it.

“

I love skating even nowadays; it’s therapeutic.

“ How have you given back to skating?

Well, I used to hook up a lot of skaters with some of the stuff that my sponsors would send me. Nowadays I still like to hook them up. You know nowadays you have to order your skates online so if you don’t like them you’re basically screwed. But like recently I came down to these young dudes and gave away a bunch of wheels and my old skates. Whenever kids have looked up to me, I give them kind words and tell them to stay dedicated.

Joe D.

66

So how do you occupy yourself nowadays?

Well, I work for the Department of Education. I’m in a union and I got my dental, so you know it’s a good thing. I just finished an 18-month class once a week for 7 hours every Saturday, and at the end I earned my license. The school I’m in now is cool, I’m getting to know the people there. One of the teachers heard that I was a pro-skater and she wanted me to do a show for the kids.

How important do you think it is for kids to know the history of skating?

I think a lot of kids lack the fundamentals in skating nowadays. You can buy a pair of skates nowadays and they practically do it for you. I think kids should enhance their style by learning how to skate in generalnot just grinding, but actually skating around with style.

“

“

If you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know where you’re going.

Also, if you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know where you’re going. At the same time, I like that the kids that I skate with don’t know who I am. There’s no expectations, we’re just skating,you know. You know how people think that I’m a living legend, I don’t see it like that.

Who were some of your sponsors back then?

Triple8 helped me out a lot; Cozmo and Hardline supported me but half of the stuff I got would go to hooking other skaters up.

What were some of the spots that you skated back then?

The Oakland Lake rail; Jonathan Ortiz named it the eternal battle rail, haha. I went on for months doing each little section of that rail never completing the whole thing. It took me so long, but when I got it, I mastered it. Seeing it on footage I knew it was dangerous but I

came to realize that it was more of a balance act back then. You would see my skates at the end of it, I was pulling dirt and twigs out of them. I’ve also done the Stuyvesant kink rail, the 59th street rail and the Time Square green rail. Back in the days you would roll up to rails just creeping; no speed, just enough to get right in front of it and jump. The next step would be to sit on your trick enjoying the ride.

Who inspired you in skating?

There was this guy, I think he’s a lawyer now. His name was Paul Lynn. Before I even put skates on I saw him doing rails. Besides him, when I saw my first videos I was older than Dave and Ryan, but I thought what they did was awesome. So I guess I got inspired by them as well.

What does it mean to be an NYC skater?

Where I’m from, the part of Queens I’m from, looks more like Long Island and it means everything to me. I wouldn’t want to be from anywhere else. Besides from being one of the best places to skate, it’s just a great place to live. It’s like the epicenter of the world, you know.

69 Joe D.

“

“

Back in the days you would roll up to rails just creeping; no speed, just enough to get right in front of it and jump.

Do you have any words of encouragement for the new generation of skaters who are coming up?

Even though we’re in the midst of a recession, keep skating. We used to skate from 11 o’clock in the morning to 11 o’clock at night, if not later. Every day we lived for it and nothing else mattered. In that era back in skating we were in our skates more than our sneakers. It’s just like anything you know, you have to do it all the time and not listen to the nay-sayers; even if they are your parents. Even though it never brought me riches, it was an important part of my life and I loved it.

Rawlinson R 71 Rawlison Rivera

If yo u do n River a is t ’t know wh he brush up on n you de o Rawlin fi For t hose your rolle nitely nee son wh rb d glad t o pre o know w lading his to se to sive i nsigh nt to you ho he is, w ry. a t legen e dary into one o rare and e ’re xc ico fr up to nowa ns and w ollerbladi luh d n the p ast an ays. Take at he has g’s b a d hea end h r wha step back een as to say ab t i days. out ro this NYC nto lling b l ack in egthe

Rivera

What are some of your current interests in life?

Well let’s see, my current interests in life are technology, my hot girlfriend, and learning how to play the piano.

Where is the extreme part of your personality directed to nowadays?

Well, I don’t know if I ever had an extreme part in my personality, but the aggressive side of me, or the competitive side, is focused on my current job and in the virtualization technology space. That is what I’ve been working on for the past few years. To me it brings a similar feeling of the golden skating days because it’s very challenging, and things just keep changing everyday.

What made you stop skating?

I guess what made me stop skating was time, things changed, life changed you know. It wasn’t something that I planned for or wanted to do; it just happened. I remember thinking that I was going to skate forever, to the point that I could not see a day without skating. The vibe in skating also changed, the core of our skating world got pushed aside by time, the industry and other things. Skating in a way lost a bit of its identity.

What changes would you have made to the rollerblading industry back then that would have allowed it to flourish nowadays?

Life was so good back then; it was just plain amazing. The stuff that we were able to do at that time was life-altering.

I don’t know if I would change anything.

What happened to our industry was a normal thing I guess, it happened to skateboarding too. One of the things that was a bit different with us is that none of the key characters are around like they used to be anymore. Arlo is still around, Jon Julio is there too; but we’re missing Brooke, Brian Smith, and some of the others who left an impact. They are not here to help get it back to where it needs to be, so it will just take more time and hard work for things to flourish again, but we’re still here.

Rawlison Rivera 72

Have you ever felt an east coast versus west coast rivalry in skating? If so, have you ever seen this tension in person?

The east coast & west coast rivalry did exist at one point, though I don’t know if it still does. That whole thing started with me, FR and Senate. Ryan always has this punk attitude about California , something that he still does to this day. I guess it was because he is a “true” New Yorker. So Ryan started to create this whole thing about East and West that was continuously fueled because all the exposure in magazines and videos was always out there. He talked a lot of junk, as usual, and skaters that followed them started to jump on the bandwagon. Brooke, being really good at what he did and an owner of Senate back then, decided to make something out of it for fun; nothing was ever that serious with the Senate guys. I got a lot of heat for leaving NY and pretty much established myself as a west coast skater. I didn’t skate for FR, not even in the point where they wanted me to. I skated for the Senate related companies 976, Senate Jeans, and anything that they wanted me for. I was in a bunch of videos and started to get into magazines. But this was all because I lived in California. I have a place in NY still and when I would come to hang I can hear people hating and calling me a sellout. I never took it too personal; I just knew it was jealousy. But I did stop doing things in NY and just stayed based in California most of the time.

What are some highlights to living in the east coast?

Living on the east coast was great; it’s where it all started for me. We had access to an entire city to skate and do all types of things that were not available anywhere else. The vibe was great being able to just hit the streets and find gaps, rails, stairs, buses, cabs- you name it.

What did you love best about being a New York City skater?

Everything. Even though I was based in California for a while I was always announced all around the world as Rawlinson from NYC. We have our own swagger, style, identity, and originality that we get from being from the best city in the world.

What were some of the hardest skate spots in NYC back in the day?

I don’t know what hardest means really because nothing was really hard, but I can tell you what I had the hardest time with: the Stuyvesant rail. After I split my shin open on that b****, I went back to handle my business and it wasn’t easy to come out of there victorious.

What involvement have you had in the rollerblading scene?

To be honest, not much. I thought I could make an impact and help revive the scene after being out for a while so I started a wheel company with my boy Joe Navran and Project Blow.

We had the best team of skaters, it was insane, but the industry was so far gone that it was just too expensive for us to keep making the wheels that we were. I used my connections from Hyper

73 Rawlison Rivera

and got some ridiculous formula for our wheels. In the end it was very expensive to keep up with no real return. We shipped once, sold out and then stopped. Other than that, I’ve been out cold and away from the industry because of my line of work. But if I’m ever needed for anything, I will be there.

Someone just has to let me know where to go and have some B.I.G. playing for me when I get there.

Were there any skaters that you feel truly deserved the spotlight back then but never got the recognition like they deserved?

No, if you deserved it and didn’t get it, then you really didn’t deserve it. You see, in skating you make yourself, ether doing something completely amazing or something stupid with consistency.

There were so many outlets to get things done, the biggest thing was videos. We would go around the world every summer looking for new talent or funny sh**. We would fly them out to places and film them. In skating it all about how you present yourself and how far you want to go. If you do it correctly people will recognize your skills, or whatever it was they were making a ruckus about.

What videos have you been in throughout your entire skate career?

Too many to count. I’ve been in the Hoaxes from 2 through 7, and many more.

Rawlison Rivera 74

Who were some of your influences in rollerblading?

My influence came from lots of people in bits and pieces. They go from Chris Edward, Arlo, TJ Webber, Ryan Jacklone, Brooke HowardSmith, and many others.

What is it going to take to get you back into rollerblading 110%?

I’m still 110% into rollerblading, I’m just in the background now; not seen at all. I used to be everywhere, every comp, every video, TV, magazines and all that. Just because I’m not in the public eye doesn’t mean I’m not into it 110%.

What tricks have you invented?

Well, lets see... I can honestly say not many.

All I can recall doing first was Blind Cabs to Rails (at the BK Banks), Parallel fishbrains, and the misty flips on flat grown over steps. Thats all.

Did rollerblading get you women?

Are you serious? You better f***ing believe it. In every place in the world that I ever went, always. Plenty of girls in NY and LA, I killed it. I’m not going to lie about that, everyone knows I used to be the ladies’ man LOL. What is your opinion on skate crews in NYC?

From the last thing I heard they were pretty cool man. The whole B-UNIQUE thing and the Diplomats stuff that was going down was great man. NYC is competitive, everyone wants to shine under the bright lights, and everyone just goes for theirs. They keep it real!!! I love that.

So rumor has it that you are a computer genius?

Where can we find your work online?

I’m not a computer genius at all. I just got some computer skills and got to work for some really amazing companies like Microsoft and my current employer VMware. I’ve always liked technology, learning about it and all that stuff. I spent a great deal of my rollerblading riches buying computers and stuff; everyone knows that. I’ve dedicated a lot of time to it and have been able to make something of myself. I specialized on a few things here and there, I’ve written a few books that you can find on Amazon. Just simply do an author search with my whole name and you can see it. I work with government institutions now like the Navy, Army, Air Force, NASA, Spawar, training them about virtualization technology and stuff.

Rollerblading changed my life and gave me the opportunity to see the world in ways not everyone can say. It introduced me to friends and people that I would never have been able to meet otherwise. My best friends in the world are rollerbladers. What we all shared during the golden days was remarkable; memories that will last a lifetime. The bonds we created are truly unbreakable. This is why I say I’m still in 110%. I’m reminded of those times everyday.

I live next door to Brian Smith, I talk to Arlo just about every other day, I see Joe online, I see Mike Opalek and I stay with Ryan every time I got to NY. When and if ever rollerblading needs me for anything I’ll be there to support whatever.

75 Rawlison Rivera

What big companies have you worked for?

Microsoft, and VMware: two of the biggest and most influential software companies in the world.

What is it like to be Rawlinson in the outside world as supposed to being Rawlinson in the skate world?

Well, I can tell you that I’m the same person now that I was when I was skating, but just not as retarded, more conscious about things and much simpler than I ever was when I was skating.

I can say that it’s still good to be me.

Jason Pina Jason Pina is a new skater who has been skating for 6-7 months and basically represents the newest generation of NYC skaters. We gave Jason the opportunity to express to us what skating means to him.

We found you skating in a skatepark that was mostly dominated by skateboarding. Do you feel any pressure becase of that?

No, because I know they’re doing their thing, and I’m doing my thing.

Have you ever felt hate from them?

Yeah, they tell me I’m a “fruit booter” and to get out of the park.

How did that make you feel?

It felt like a racist thing because it’s not really a big deal. It’s just a sport. I didn’t feel comfortable and it made me feel kind of out of place.

What’s your goal in rollerblading?

I want to hopefully get sponsored by Blades or maybe a bigger company.

What do you think a sponsorship can do for you?

I think it can make me travel around the world and see different places while rolling everyday.

How does it feel to be part of the NYC skate scene?

It feels pretty cool and different. It’s not popular like skateboarding; that’s why I like rolling.

A blast into the past Nickel n dime 1 - 2 vhs tapes from blizzard prod..

Anthony Soto

Let’s R NYC F

or the past two months Victor Callender has organized a weekly session in the spirit of unity among NYC skaters. His initiative to organize a “Let’s Roll” session every week sprouted from the idea that New York City skaters should travel out of their boroughs and meet other skaters in order to maintain a general sense of community for the NYC skate scene. Fortunately, the “Let’s Roll” sessions are scheduled for 5:00pm every Wednesday so that skaters are allowed the time to go on with their daily responsibilities, then come to wind down and skate. With no ties to the mentality of competition, the “Let’s Roll” sessions have served as a medium where skaters are able to meet one another, develop valuable relationships and get the chance to see different types of skating. With weekly announcements of this event on IROLLNY.com, NYC skaters are all able to keep posted on the progress of the sessions and their turnouts. In the event that a session is not able to take place on a certain day due to weather conditions, there has conveniently been a “make-up” day organized on the Saturday after a scheduled session. “The benefit of linking up every week is that everyone is on the same page with what NYC is trying to do as a whole, and gaining the respect that NYC deserves in the skating scene” comments John Stephens, a frequent participant and supporter for the “Let’s Roll” sessions.

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Roll C

From the first session that took place in Hunts Point in the Bronx with only a handful of skaters, attendance at the next session more than doubled. As the sessions continued, the number of skaters continued to double and even triple. At its current state, the Let’s Roll sessions are a big success with more than 50 skaters attending every time.

Adonis Taylor explains that “A major benefit of these sessions is to let the younger kids know the scene is growing rapidly and very much alive. You might skate with 3 or 4 people and think it’s dead but when you see that 40 skaters are meeting up to skate, the scene is revived again.” New York City’s Let’s Roll sessions has proved to unite NYC’s skate scene and provided a moment where young, old, known and unknown skaters can all share a great time in a unified atmosphere of pure skating.

Testimonial

“These sessions are developing on their own over time.

It’s beginning to make it to the point where there is not one skater organizing a session every week, but it’s beginning to be a kind of tradition that happens naturally.

It also gives a chance for the skaters to get clips and exposure. What’s good about it is that major events are now starting to develop and more things are going on in NYC. You can tell there is a sense of unity going around for the NYC skaters now.” -Adonis Taylor

Testimonial “It gives me a chance to get footage, coverage, pictures and link up with everyone I really don’t get to link up with otherwise. Everyone is on a different page and these sessions bring us back on the same page for at least one day. I like to see the new faces and the younger generation coming out and getting their roll on, because without them the sport is going to die.

We can’t all skate forever.” – John Stephens

Let’s Roll 80

Lets Roll Session one Hunts Point, BX

Testimonial “With the help of Victor Callender and the NYC skaters themselves, we are putting an end to the segregation and we are bringing back the togetherness. We are converging by the masses every single Wednesday evening to take over the streets of NYC, and send the entire world one important message: We are still here, and we are not going anywhere. Not now, not ever!!!� –Jonathan Ortiz

Testimonial “As cold winter months go by, most people go into hibernation; skating their own neighborhoods. The Spring rolled up and Victor decided to organize Let’s Roll NY: great sessions that continue to grow as the weeks go by. So many skaters with so many unique styles come to attendence leadng the social networking era to explode.” -Maximos G.

Let’s Tw

Harle

Roll wo

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Let’s Roll Three The Pit Washington Heights

Let’s Roll Four

Flushing Medows Park, Queens

Let’s Roll Seven Staten Island

Eddie Mejias

91 Eddie Mejias

How long have you been skating?

I’ve been skating since1992.

What are some injuries that you sustained during skating?

When I broke my ankle that was all I could think about. The doctor said that I wasn’t going to be able to skate after my surgery. But then the surgeon came up to me after the surgery when I was watching a skate video and said that I have a bionic leg now. He said that as long as I gave it the proper therapy it would be 200% better than it ever was.

I was relieved because I love skating, it kept me out of a lot of trouble. You know I’m 32 and I don’t have a criminal record.

Where in NYC do you represent?

Brooklyn and red-laced team push members.

How did you start skating?

When I started skating it was a growing trend. I used to ride on my boy’s mini that he had in his backyard in Poughkeepsie. When I came to Brooklyn I saw a dude skating at a telephone company that had these square hand rails on the side. Now it’s all blocked off but we used to skate it.

So I saw them skating and couldn’t believe what they were doing. I was like “Oh man! You can do that?” After that it just stuck with me and ever since then that was all I did.

Who were some of your sponsors in skating?

I’ve skated for Ultra Wheels for years and then I got on Rollerblade. My first skates were the TRS lightings, from there I went to Fattys and stood on them. I loved them! Then I rocked Oxgyens and then I got on Sabotage skates. I rode the Article 15 skates as a tester for the company. I was part of their tester team where I would give them feedback. Then Rollerblade needed people for their stunt team on the East Coast so I joined that as well. I still have knee pads from them, the old school Chris Edwards joints. They were the best pads ever made until mine come out in the future, haha.

How would you describe a typical day of skating back then?

We would be on the street by 10 o’clock with 3 or 4 socks in our bags. We would fuel ourselves on cookies and 50 cent juices, splitting them between all of us. That’s how we did it. That’s how we stood so lean because we ate nothing but sugar and skated like animals!

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What were some memorable days out skating?

I remember the back of BMCC had a big staircase and I misty flipped off both of them. I’ve done far side sidewalk and to misty off the 13 step rail at the banks. It was in the video Poetry in Motion; it was the first clip and it went down as unknown but that was me!

Did any crews play a big part in your skating?

TEAM PUSH had its founders and I stepped up to the line when everyone died down. I was like “I will not let this team die!” But big shout outs to Nate, Miguel and Watson who were the three people who started TEAM PUSH in Williamsbug, Brooklyn during the early ‘90s. The team goes on: Noel, Victor, Jesus, Ricky and a steady pace of no less than 20 people riding in one day. I’m not even exaggerating. We had guys coming from 93 Eddie Mejias

Knickerbocker, Emilio from team No Fear and the list goes on. Back then we were like the Yankees:

I remember that Richie Velasquez was an original Team Push rider from Brooklyn. He started with us doing things out here. But the only thing was that none of us could get down like Richie did.

He was willing to travel miles to skate parks but some of us were just poor. We had to split 50 cent packs of cookies and lookout for each other. None of us could hardly conjure up the money to get on the train and go to Manhattan. He went for his and made it his businesses to get that extra money and roll with Ray Mendaz and the Dislas. He did his thing everywhere he went. He was a beast! If you see him skate in person, he’s a beast. I remember seeing him in ‘06 at Woodward. He was beasting and he now owns the AIL!!! He’s New York’s secret weapon.

W t

t o f w h w o

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What was it like to be a New York City skater back then?

In ‘96 I started going hard with skating. By that time I was already mistying off of stuff with TRS skates on. I think Team Push originated in 1992 – 1994. The founders wanted a team that was immeasurable. We would go to spots and skate representing our team hard. We also built a skate park under the BQE which we kept clean and maintained it for skaters. It was like our safe haven.

We would skate launch ramps into cushions, do Mysties and do five minute long Baranies. I remember I used to Mysty over people with their arms high over their heads! Juneto did the Ringling Brothers Circus thing back then too. Anyway at our little skatepark we had 16tf ft wide extensions, 5ft spines and official real

deal slider bars that were welded by our next door neighbor. He gave us places to skate by his job and wooden ramps. He helped us build it all.

We used to go to construction sites and take their wood. We would look like a wooden train coming back with mad wood. We had like 50 kids with wood just skating down blocks; it was awesome. We also shimmied the wires on the light poles and use the electricity to power our tools. That’s how we built those ramps and everything else we had to skate. We had such a dope spot that we made sure to keep it neat; even the sanitation department helped us out with garbage pails. Unfortunately one day the city took it all away. All our ramps and hard work was thrown out; it was so horrible.

Eddie Mejias 94

Lord Brian Hear it from...

My name is Brian Perry but throughout the rolling industry and messageboards abroad I am known mostly by my nickname, “Lord Brian”. No, I didn’t get “Knighted”, it is a nickname that was given to me by a friend of mine during High School ( Art & Design ) and it has stuck with me ever since.

I am currently 31 years of age and I have been a part of this rolling culture for 14 years & counting.

Boy, does time fly when you are having fun. I remember first putting on skates like it was yesterday. I used to think rollerblading sucked but once I tried it out I was hooked! ( Thank You MIKE URENA for introducing me to rolling! ) The borough that I represent to the fullest is BROOKLYN ( East New York ) but at the moment I am enjoying the eternal sunshine of Long Beach, California where it never freaking rains so there are always

95 Brian Perry

water shortages. I miss my NYC multi-day rainfalls!

My move to California came about relatively easy since my wifey Denean is originally from the city of Long Beach and we were both tired of doing the long distance relationship thing. So, at first Denean was living with me for a couple of months in Rego Park, Queens but during her pregnancy I decided to move out West for a bit since she had great insurance coverage over there which is highly important; especially when bringing a child into this world. And the fact that there was a concrete skatepark ( Houghton Skatepark ) 1 block away from her house made the decision to move even easier. To top it off, with me being a skater I just had to check out the rolling mecca of California for myself. The spots here are great!

Giving back to the NYC rolling scene that groomed me is of high importance to me which is why you all probably have seen me at just about every comp, event and big session going on throughout the 5 boros. Within my years of rolling I have given back tremendously to the NYC scene since rolling has given me more than I could have ever imagined after I buckled my 1st pair of skates. I have taught Aggressive In-Line lessons to a lot of the future skaters at skateparks throughout NYC. Grooming the younger skaters is important because they are the building blocks for our scene’s future. I have also judged & helped organize comps such as: King Of The Street, Last Man Standing, East Coast True Street, A.S.A., N.I.S.S. & I.S.S. Not to mention product hook-ups that I have given out to skaters ( clothes, bearings, wheels, skates & cash for comp admissions ). And when I found some time, I organized tour stops at Chelsea Piers Skatepark for companies such as USD, Deshi, K2, Senate & Rollerblade.

My rolling memories are priceless and if written down would produce volumes upon volumes of rolling nostalgia. I have so many good rolling memories that it is tough to just pinpoint a few but here are some that popped up into my mind immediately.

The 1st memory is when I attended my 1st N.I.S.S. contest which was held at South Street Seaport & me being in awe of seeing skaters from the biblical Hoax 2 movie. I met Jon Ortiz, Ryan Jacklone, Dave Ortega, Calvin Sayles & the N.Y.P.I. crew as well. A 2nd memory is of me skating by myself with just me and my earphones on when my crew stopped rolling.

I skated the handrails and ledges of Highland Park at night so if I fell I wouldn’t have the whole park

laughing at me. Another memorable moment is me doing a grabbed backslide on a rail at Chelsea Piers skatepark and Jon Ortiz gave me props saying that my backslide looked controlled and very smooth. I was ecstatic since Jon Ortiz is the backslide KING! A cool memory that I also have is of Gil Vasquez letting me skate his Fila skates months before they briefly came out. Ok 1 more memory! I remember playing a game of skate with Mike Johnson at Chelsea Piers on a set-up rail. He beat me but I did give him letters since I knew some of his weaknesses at the time!

Now that I reside on the “Left Coast” I feel as if I am on the outside looking in. But to be honest, the NYC rolling scene taking place right now is at the best that it has ever been. The unity between the skaters is amazing and the birth of new media outlets to showcase the scene to the masses is incredible. NYC is taking over the scene once again!

I have been influenced by many skaters but not the usual Chris Farmer, Chris Haffey or Franky Morales. Much love and respect to those 3 by the way! But my influences were more those skaters who contributed to rolling even after they have taken their skates off for the day. Anybody can do a decent trick but what have you done to leave a lasting impression on this sport? Victor Callender is like a big brother figure to me. He has taught me a lot and I appreciate all that he has done for me. His love for this sport is shown in all that he has done for the NYC scene. He definitelty gave me the knowledge about judging & organizing comps/events. The man is a powerhouse for our rolling culture! Jon Julio is another influence.

The man does so much for rolling that he should claim it on his taxes for a big refund. His drive is what motivates me. Tee Tirado from Spoil’d Bratt Skateshop is family. To me she is one of the most hardest working women in our sport and she does more for her riders than most other companies out there. Trust me on that. And I can’t forget about my bro Lance Westmoreland. He basically opened a lot of doors for me in the industry and I highly appreciate that.

A lot of my rolling memories also come from my 10 years of employment at Chelsea Piers skatepark. I started out as a Skate Guard for about a day and I worked my way up to Head In-Line Instructor!

Along the way I gave many private skate

lessons to skaters of all ages, teaching them all the fundamentals of skating starting from proper balance to skating mini- ramps. The kids that I taught are now carrying the torch for the future of rolling in NYC and I am proud to have contributed to that! I have to thank Mark “Turtle” Rich for teaching me the skills that I still carry with me today. Without his knowledge I wouldn’t know anything about putting a skate park together.

Nowadays, I am a Father to a beautiful 1 ½ year old boy who is my Jr. and I am a Husband to my beautiful Wife, Denean. When I have time for myself I still skate all over California so don’t think for a second that I fell off! This old dog has a lot of new tricks! When I am not rolling I am either working out at 24 Hour Fitness or watching MMA which I follow closely & practice as well. I still browse the message boards but not as much since the drama gets boring after awhile. And unfortunately I fell victim to the new phenomena that is Twitter haha. So when I am bored I promote rolling on there as well.

I’ve been able to keep up my rolling habit all of these years with the support of many of rollerbladings’ top companies. Even though many of these companies aren’t here anymore I owe a lot to them all for hooking me up throughout the years. The following companies helped me out a lot! OSBEE, ROLLERBLADE, OXYGEN, K2, SALOMON, SENATE, TRIPLE 8, FR, TRANSPACK & CITY SK8. But at the moment my current rolling habit is supported by these real companies…VALO, SPOIL’D BRATT SKATESHOP, ROCKSTAR BEARINGS & |B| UNIQUE & COMPANY. We all need to work together, not just everybody in NYC but all skaters across the world. We need to start a positive movement that will showcase our sport respectively to the masses so that they can we all know that we are still here starting strong. And it starts with YOU. EACH ONE, TEACH ONE is the motto. Every skater counts so let’s build this up until it spills over into the public so that they can know that skateboarding isn’t the only extreme sport out there that deserves coverage.

Brian Perry 96

Rafael Herrera Team Rider

We carry Razor, Remz, Deshi, USD, Valo, Nimh and Xsjado skates and accessories. We have a large variety of wheels: Street Artist, M1, Eulogy, Genre, 4x4 and Undercover. We also offer the industry’s leading liners by: Jug & Trust. Come check out our exclusive selection of frames by 50/50, Ground Control, Mook, Kizer and Able. In addition we also carry Jug and Razor bags, and all the protective gear you will need for an awesome session. Last but not least, don’t miss our large selection of clothing by Franco Shade, Gost, Street Artist, Denial and an exclusive selection of skate videos. http://www.myspace.com/flatlineskateshop

Contributors Layouts

Angelo Ferrer

and Layla Quinones

www.angeloferrer.com/artofrolling

Writers

Angelo Ferrer

and Layla Quinones

www.angeloferrer.com/artofrolling

Brian Perry “Lord Brian” Johnithan Ortiz Maximos G. Joeseph Perez

Photography by: Angelo Ferrer

www.angeloferrer.com www.angeloferrer.com/artofrolling www.flickr.com/photos/ newyorkskating nyrolling@yahoo.com

Next Issue...

For the past five Issues Art of Rolling Magazine has never came short on content and Issue 6 will not be an exception. Keep posted on Art of Rolling because next issue we will have features on Victor Callender, Victor Mercado, Ozzie Tejada, Gil Vasquez, and more in-depth profiles on some other prodominant NYC skaters. Check out what we are up to on our Twitter at www.twitter. com/artofrolling.

We would like to give a tremendous thanks to those who have helped us along the way. In order to bring you a high quality display of content we reached far and wide for help. A few people came through for us and made it possible to present to you New York City’s skate scene. Without them, this issue would not haven been possible. For those of you who has helped us, we thank you for your help, enthusiasm, dedication and contributions.

To the skaters, we thank them as well for putting their bodies on

Joe Dedentro Joeseph Perez Kelly Matthews Eddie Mejias Rawlinson Rivera Brian Perry Victor Callender

Editors

Angelo Ferrer Jacqueline Ferrer Layla Quinones A rt

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R olling | 82

Art oF Rolling