words and photos by David Morico

For the record, state your full name, your current age, and how long you’ve been skating.
My name is Kingston Babb and I’m 16 years old. My dad got me my first board when I was like two. It was this small yellow Tunnel board with some cruiser wheels, and surfboard grip. I would cruise around from time to time until I got my first actual board when I was seven. It was a Ruin Skateshop x Girl collab board, but I didn’t like the graphic, so I got a Santa Cruz Slasher instead. I remember being super into Jim Phillips’s art at the time. Once I got that, I started trying to get better so I was learning how to ollie, drop in, grind ramps, and just go faster in general. That was nine-ish years ago and I’ve been skating pretty consistently since.

What type of skateboarder do you consider yourself? A street skater, transition skater, park skater, or are you just what we call a skateboarder?
I don’t really know, I try to skate everything even if I suck at it. I definitely gravitate towards ramps and wall rides and stuff like that the most, but I think it’s all fun. When I was younger I was really stoked on Animal Chin, Ban This, and old skate contests my dad had on VHS. I would watch those videos and wanted to skate like those guys. It looked so fun just hauling ass and seeing how high you could carve or how far you could ollie and shit like that. So, for the longest time I just liked riding my skateboard and messing around, I wasn’t super trick oriented at all. I didn’t care about skating ledges, stairs, or even doing flip tricks that much.

I’ve been around you and watched you grow over the years. And due to the fact that your dad is a legend here in Atlanta, who are some of your favorite skaters from Atlanta?
My all-time favorite skaters from Atlanta have got to be Eli Williams and obviously Grant Taylor. I grew up watching Grant a ton and he’s always been one of my favorites. He’s the coolest dude to watch skate and is insane to watch in person. At last year’s Thomas Taylor Memorial Skate Jam, we did doubles in the bowl. Little me would’ve been mind blown, it was so sick. Grant always says what’s up and we chat a little every time we see each other. It’s crazy talking and being friends with someone you’ve always idolized. Before the Hazard County Skatepark closed, my dad and I would go there occasionally. Eli was always there and was always supportive and super cool to me even though I was this stinky little kid. I remember throwing a birthday party when I was like nine and he pulled up. We were hanging out, skating, and eating cake. He’s always been super cool to me and I appreciate that a ton, we still try to skate if possible too.

What do you think about skateboarding down south? The reason I asked you this question is because skateboarding is truly divided by East and West. I would love your take on this because you’re the new generation. Do you think that you would have to leave Georgia to become a pro skateboarder or could you do it here?
I haven’t really thought about that before. I’d say that it’s definitely possible to build your name and even go pro here in the East. But, I think you’d eventually have to move to the West to have longevity and make a successful career out of it. The whole skate industry is pretty much in the West so that’s where you’d probably have to go at some point. Eli, Grant, J Brock, Plunkett, and Andy Howell all left Georgia at some point for pro skating so that’s what I’m basing it off of.

Are you doing any filming these days? And if so, do you have any video parts coming out?
I’m not filming for any video parts, but I have been working on putting together sponsor me tapes.

Are you sponsored by anyone? You receiving any flow from the skate industry?
Nah, I’ve sent out some sponsor me tapes and gotten some boxes before, but nothing consistent has come of that yet. I do ride for Stratosphere though. Thomas put me on a year or so before he passed, which is sick because he always looked out for me when I was really young. Strat was my favorite shop, I liked how they were a tight little community of dudes who just loved skating and hanging out. RIP TFT.

Who do you go skateboarding with? Who’s your crew?
Up until this last summer, I have pretty much always skated with my dad and tagged along with him. So, I was skating curbs and quarter pipes with the old heads a bunch. Those dudes have done a lot for me and it’s super fun skating with them still. I love talking shit with all of them and hearing the stories that they have. I just turned 16 a couple months ago and got my license. I’ve been driving around a lot and meeting and making friends with a lot of new people. Until now, I never really skated with kids my age before and they’ve all welcomed me into their crew. I’ve been skating with them recently and they’re all so good. I’ve been noticing that I’m starting to get better too. Just surrounding yourself with people that are better than you is definitely a motivator and gets me stoked to wanna try harder.

Who is your favorite pro skater? What’s your favorite skateboard video?
There are a few guys I’ve been really into recently. Some of my favorites are Gus Gordon, Emile Laurent, and Cyrus Bennett. They’re so unique and fun to watch. Cyrus has easily got the sickest kickflip of all time. Gus and Emile’s last parts were so good too, and the music was rad. They’re such characters and skate like their life depends on it. There are some videos that always get me fired up to skate. Tent City, John’s Vid, I Don’t Even Know How To F***ing Airwalk and Sounds Like You Guys Are Crushing It. Those are all so good and have good music in them too.

What are your favorite boards, trucks, and wheels? In fact, what is your current setup that you’re riding? These days skateboards are more expensive than they’ve ever been, so you’re either sponsored, getting flow, or you’re trying to come up with the money to buy what you wanna ride.
Right now I’m riding some Ace 55’s, Spitfire 56 Radial Full’s, and a Strat board. The shop boards are way cheaper so I’ve been getting those, or just riding other peoples boards they don’t want. I’ve been trying to save as much money as possible recently so I can afford gas and skate shit.

Do you see skateboarding as fun? Or is there pressure to be good and competitive in your generation because of social media?
I definitely skate primarily for fun but there’s obviously a desire to want to get better and keep up with kids my age. When I skate with people better than me it motivates me to try harder and fires me up. It doesn’t take the fun out of it at all. I’m not on instagram like that, I try not to compare myself to others too much, and do things in a way that I think is cool.

I’d like to speak about your dad. What’s it like skating with your dad knowing who he is to the Atlanta skate culture. He’s amazing. We all respect him. Does this help push your skateboarding?
I just skate with him like he’s my dad, I don’t view him as this huge legend. It’s funny when I introduce myself to people and they’re like “Oh you’re Jeremiah’s kid!” They usually go on this whole tangent where they talk about how they used to watch him when they were a kid and how big of a fan they are. I’ve heard it a thousand times. He’s just my dad, I don’t see him the way other people do I guess. It kinda pushes me, but I’m not trying to fill his shoes or anything. It’s the most motivating when we skate together. He’s getting older and broke his leg like a year and a half ago, yet he’s still out there and pushing himself. That gets me stoked more than anything.

From what I’ve seen, you are an amazing kid. We love watching you skate and grow and we can’t wait to see what you decide to do with it.
Thanks Fred, appreciate you a ton!