When did you start skating?
I started skating in the mid 80’s. I saw my cousin skating and thought it was super cool so I ended up getting a skateboard for Christmas the next year.
What was your first skateboard?
Nash Nightmare. It was yellow with yellow wheels and it glowed in the dark.
When did you stop or slow down significantly?
I stopped in middle school when all my neighborhood skate friends moved away. Then I was really into Mountain Biking throughout middle school then started skating again at the end of 8th grade when a new skater moved into the neighborhood. Since becoming an adult with a full time job I only get to skate once or twice a week now. I still try to skate hard. I ollied my first bump to bar at age 33, so I wouldn’t say I’ve slowed down yet.
What do you do for a living?
I am an Audio/Visual Specialist at a hospital and I blog and write for The Skateboard Mag.
When you are not skating, how often do you think about skateboarding?
Almost constantly.
How did skateboarding affect the direction of your life?
Almost every aspect of my life has been effected by skateboarding. I wouldn’t know the same people or be into the same music or art. I always thought I’d be like my dad and wear a suit and carry a brief case to work every day. I think skateboarding showed me that there are other ways to make a living. Sometimes I think skateboarding ruined my life because I can’t be satisfied spending my Sunday sitting on the couch watching “the game” or whatever normal people do. Every free moment I have I want to go skate, so I have not pursued other interests
What is the connection between skateboarding and creativity?
I think skateboarding is more art than sport. You are given a skateboard and a place and you interpret that space however you see fit. You have to be creative. It forces you to see past an object’s intended purpose. There is also so much art in skateboarding. In sports, the whole team gets one logo and set of colors and that’s it pretty much forever. In skateboarding you have the team logo then the pro graphics. Those change all the time so you are constantly looking at new art and seeing what resonates with you. In a way the skateshop is like an art museum.
More from Templeton Elliott
The Skateboard Mag, Mostly Skateboarding, Mostly Skateboarding Podcast, Complex Magazine
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