I was born a poor black child….no, just kidding. I was born in San Diego California in the spring of 1968 to Karla Kay. I was a true southern californian, I loved going to the beach and around my first years at pre-school, I witnessed my first bit of skateboarding. It was just the neighborhood kids, rolling down driveways on their asses. Only the brave ones would actually stand-up on the steel wheels. I distictivley remember when clay wheels were the item to have, it was my 4th or 5th birthday, and a person I can only refer to as my “dad” gave me my first skateboard. God I wish I still had that thing, its a true historic piece, well I was told that I had “the state of art wheels”- he explained the clay wheels to me. One thing I’ll never forget.

So that was my birth in skateboarding, just rolling down driveways, and mocking surfers I saw at the beach. No tricks, just rolling. Not until our family moved from sunny southern california to the northwest did I get a dose of reality. All around me were dirt roads in Welches, Oregon and when your faced with limited places, you make due. I found the Welches Elementry School my haven for many years- but I was introduced to DH skating by Kip O’Conner, Gary Reese, Steve Teplick, Darren Scouten and Wayne Grippy- they took me down the old Mt Hood Highway for many rides, we would hitch a ride back up to Ski Bowl and do it again. I believe I still hold the record with Darren O’Conner (Kip’s Younger Brother) for most decents in a single day with 12 top to bottom rides.

Enter John Hartung and Tom Nordwall, at this point I’m a young snowboarder sitting in the lodge at Timberline with Jay Jay Irwin. This man introduces himself and invites me to his skateshop in NW Portland, Rebel Skates. Those following months I’m introduced to the fathers of Portland skateboarding, Jay Smay, Danny Sargent, Adam Muzikant, Mike Kirchoff, Elliot Olsen, Tyrone, Keary Kase, Brian Zipper (Shop Mgr) and several others. I was then asked to join the Rebel Skates team and the rest is history. John Hartung was the guy that took me to ASR in 1986, that same year I take 9th at the World Championships of Snowboarding in Breckenridge CO after a nice lenghty career as a snow jock with skate style I fell into the cracks of modern day snowboarding- half the kids that are making big coin I taught how to ride. Now 20 years later, I’ve become a intergral part of the action sports machine.

Currently I live in Hood River, OR- I’m a dad, I work in an office 14 hours a day, and when I get outside I make sure I enjoy every second of it by either skating, biking, shooting pictures of my super hot wife, I’m just a sales rep for the entire NW region (ORE, WA, ID, MT & AK) for a few action sports brands. I also talent scout for the next big name in any sport. I got good eyes, and I have a crystal ball that let’s me see your future. And the scarey part, I have eyes all over the world that flow constant information my way. I do it all without a myspace too, imagine that.

Hope you enjoy my rants and raves from around the world…. …here we go.