Interview and Photos by Bryan O’Neill

So you just got engaged…
Yeah man! Surprised my lady down at the beach. Pretty sick you and I both got engaged this year.

You just got a dog, how’s that going?
Dude it’s awesome. My fiancé Anna works at a children’s hospital and our dog “Bata” is a working dog and gets to go with her every day and work with children. We got pretty damn lucky getting a highly trained dog as our first.

What’s it like growing up skating the Baltimore area?
It’s amazing man, Baltimore isn’t that big so I feel like everyone who grew up in the general area knows each other. Been skating with so many homies for probably 15+ years. For the longest time it seemed like Baltimore would get skipped over with Philly and DC being so close but lately, it’s been cool seeing random teams making trips here.

Kickflips into handrails, you’ve got some of my favorites. Who is an inspiration to you in that department?
Definitely Chris Wimer and Ed Duff. They have been flipping into rails long before I started doing anything like that. The flick lords right there.

In that same thread, your skating is a well-rounded mix of tech and buck. Is there any inspiration behind the tech manuals you’ve been doing?
I don’t know honestly. I’ve always been into trying to skate any obstacle to my fullest, and for some reason manuals are super satisfying to me. I always hear how much people hate doing manuals but I have always enjoyed putting the pieces together. Ridge may have had something to do with it. So many good pads and everyone was always going crazy on them.

Work life mix? How do you balance the two in regards to skating? 
Working in a trade has made it harder to skate as much I used to but I find it more rewarding. Working 40+ hours a week and still being able to learn and film new tricks is the best feeling. It was a hard pill to swallow when I decided to go to trade school, but I’m so happy I did it.

Most underrated skaters to come out of the Baltimore area?
I think you and I know this list will be long. Chris Mentlik, Ian Smith, Jeff Sheridan, Sean Powderly, Jim Loebach, John Boretzky, Eric Kunmann, Allen Beers, Jason Bundy, Spencer Brown, Ronnie Clark, I could go on for days.

What does it mean to be “core” in skateboarding nowadays? The other day everyone on the sesh was wearing New Balance, Nike, or Cons. Is there still a place for “core” shoe brands in the market?
Sadly it seems like that ship is sailing. I hope these remaining core brands can stay afloat because it is sad to see your favorite brands slowly crumble. Hyped to see Ipath is back and that gives me hope for the future.

For a while now you’ve been working both sides of the camera. What got you to start filming, and why VX1000?
I’ve always had a love for filming, growing up with the handy cams. There was a point in time that all our homies who filmed were working more and weren’t available all the time so I decided to buy a VX. Years later Ian and I were filming everyone and made a full length.

Favorite filmers?
Colin Read, Jeff Sheridan, Fath0g, Don Luong, Gustav Tonnesen, John Evans, Nnamdi Ihekwoaba.

Are the Ravens going to the Super Bowl?
Hell no. I wish.

Fishing is a lot like skateboarding?
I like to think it is. Always looking for a new fishing spot and casting for hours hoping to catch something whether it’s big or small, it’s always rewarding. You and Ian have been crushing the largemouths lately.

What makes a skate trip great?
Homies, good tunes, spots, pins to spots, cold beers, cold beers in the van, charged VX batteries, tapes, Mexican food, pool table at the Airbnb.

How long is too long to spend at The Wire spot?
Depends if there’s beers or not.