Name: Ace Pelka
Hometown: Oceanside, California
Age: 18
Sponsors: Speedlab Wheels, Assault skateboards, Independent trucks, Asylum skate shop and Converse cons.
What set-up are you riding right now?
8.5 Assault team logo board, 149 silver Independent trucks, 56mm Lightning Speedlab Wheels, Lucero RIP-tape, and plain black hardware.
What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
The new Chicano DIY park in San Diego has been a blast. It isn’t open to the public yet, but you can always hop the fence when no one is around!
Have you ever built something to skate?
I built a double sider parking block ledge with some friends once. The thing was awesome and all we did was throw some cinder blocks down and cement a couple of parking blocks on top. The city had it removed within a week.
Who do you like to skate with?
Anyone who is down to have fun and go skate, but mostly my buddies/team riders who live in the area.
Best skateboard graphic you have seen lately?
I just recently saw the Blockhead street style graphic and that thing is rad!
Best thing you’ve skated in a skatepark?
It wasn’t exactly a skatepark, but in Las Vegas we went to this BMX pump track. It was endless pumping through humps and different courses. It was awesome!
Favorite skateboarders?
Gonna have to start with Lance Mountain, Neil Blender, Eric Dressen, Sean Sheffey and Gonz for the older dudes. Then say Darren Navarrette, Peter Hewitt, Grant Taylor, Raven Tershy, Heath Kirchart, Ben Raybourn and Chris Russell. There’s way too many to name!
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
Can’t think of anything, but there’s a shit load of DIY spots that I’d love to skate.
Best road trip?
Maryland to California! East Coast to West Coast. I loved finding random skateparks or spots in the different towns.
Any skate-related charities you support?
The Exposure skate events hosted by Amelia Brodka and all of those girls seem pretty cool!
What music have you been listening to?
Lots of punk, and a fair amount of jazz for when I’m cruisin’ around in the work truck.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
I’ll start off with saying to not forget your roots and not let the money, fame or whatever get to your head. Always remember why you started skateboarding in the first place, which is because it rules. Other than that, I would say make sure to always stay busy, whether it’s filming, skating contests or even just learning new tricks at a skatepark. Getting coverage and creating a name for yourself is really important too.
Which skate shops do you support most?
Well, of course my skate shop sponsor, Asylum Skate Shop, and also my buddy, Mike’s shop in Vista that he just opened up, called The House. Both places are rad.
Favorite skate photo of all time?
The photo of the four in-sync handplants on the Animal Chin ramp shot by Grant Brittain. One ofthe most inspiring photos in skateboarding, in my opinion, along with many more.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
I think it’s super rad and definitely becoming more common day by day. People tend to forget that there’s no rules in skateboarding. If a girl wants to shred, let her!
What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
I have a fair amount of classic boards hanging up on the wall, but I’d have to say the board I have from the first skateboard contest I won. It’s a super old good wood deck with a Spider-Man graphic. It means a lot to me not only because I suck at contests, but it takes me back to the time where I really started progressing and becoming more confident with skating.
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
I have to say Kyle Berard and his fairly new company called Front Rock Concrete have been killing it in SD county! They’ve built the majority of all the local DIY’s in our area and they just keep going. Those guys rule.
Top three favorite skate tricks?
When we’re talkin’ pools, I’m going to have to say just a good ole frontside grind. In the streets, my favorite is the ollie impossible and probably forever will be! The last one would just be any slappy grind on a curb because curbs are the best.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
Ehh, not really. I know it’s good for skateboarding and Street League and all of those big contests are pushing it a lot, but I think skateboarding should never be judged like that. It’s not a sport and it’s not a competition. Everyone has their own unique style and bag of tricks. Contests like Street League are all about who can land the most tech, ridiculous trick and that just seems weird to me, especially how they score tricks using a point system. Also, why the heck should skateboarding be in the Olympics when it’s still illegal in the majority of cities?
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
It’d have to be the night I turned professional for Assault Skateboards. This company is the first and only board sponsor I’ve ever had. I love all of these dudes to death, and the owner, Ned, has had my back ever since he started hooking me up. It’s an honor to now ride professionally for the team and it’s great to see how much the team has progressed over the years with new riders as well. Gotta love skateboarding!
ABOUT THE JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE:
When we started Juice Magazine 22 years ago, you could count the number of skateparks on one hand and grindable pool coping was mostly a distant memory. Now there are thousands of skateparks all over the world, along with a vast quantity of DIY spots built to skate. In 1993, the majority of skateboarders listened to punk rock or hip hop exclusively. Now skateboarders listen to almost every kind of sound created. Two decades ago, skateboarding related charities were non-existent. Today, there are numerous non-profits giving back to skateboarding in many ways. One of the most important differences between now and then is that, 22 years ago, there was a clear division between old school and new school skateboarding. Now that wall of separation has followed the same path as the Berlin Wall, allowing for an unprecedented unification of skateboarders all over the globe. Great strides have been made for girls that skate as well as the acceptance of skate history and long overdue recognition for skateboarding’s pioneers and its artifacts. At the same time, the current generation of skateboarders is taking skateboarding to new heights, previously unimaginable. As the landscape of the skateboarding industry changes on a daily basis, and the topic of skateboarding in the Olympics rears its head once again, along with the disturbing subject of who controls skateboarding being tossed about by corporate entities, we decided it was time to take a good look at the State of Skate. We asked 20 questions to 100 skateboarders, ages 8 to 58, and found that skateboarding is as diverse as the skateboarders that are addicted to it, no one controls skateboarding except skateboarders, and the State of Skate is savage and strong. Now get out there and skate tough!
JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE features interviews with 100 skateboarders including: Tony Alva, Dave Hackett, Chris Strople, Duane Peters, Steve Olson, Dave Duncan, Steve Alba, Tony Magnusson, Pat Black, Jesse Martinez, Bill Danforth, Jim Murphy, Ric Widenor, Lester Kasai, Glen Charnoski, Bryan Pennington, Peter Furnee, Jeremiah Risk, Ryan Smith, Jason Jessee, Omar Hassan, Cam Dowse, Jen O’Brien, Depth Leviathan Dweller, Brett Roper, Travis Beattie, Chris Gentry, CW Dunn, Chris Albright, Charlie Wilkins, Cairo Foster, Pierre-Luc Gagnon, BJ Morrill, Dr. Lenore L.A. Sparks, Sid Melvin, Jesse Irish, Packy Fancher, Greg Lutzka, Jimmy Larsen, Adam Dyet, Luis Tolentino, Greg Harbour, Frank Faria, Ryan DeCenzo, Dave Bachinsky, Johnny Turgesen, Casey Meyer, Edward Sanchez, David Gravette, Ben Hatchell, Brian Geib, Felipe Gouveia, Eric Santos, Kyle Smith, Cameron Revier, Josh Stafford, Justin Grubbs, Etienne Eden Archila, Sanzio Piacentini, Josh Elder, Eddie “Mighty” Moreno, Kevin Kowalski, Otto Pflanz, Jeremy Smith, Adam Wiggins, Jimmy Wilkins, Danny Gordon, Jake Hilbish, Corey Blanchette, Adam Legassie, Nick Santos, Trey Rounds, Curren Caples, Justyce Tabor, Andy Anderson, Sarah Thompson, Coral Guerrero, Collin Graham, Derek Scott, Ace Pelka, Sonny Rodriguez, Jarren Duke, Mikayla Sheppard, CJ Titus, Noah Schott, Emily Earring, Julian Torres, Wyatt Wisenbaker, Josh Forsberg, Nathan Midgette, Roman Pabich, Yago Dominguez, Jack Winburn, Jonas Carlsson, Kiko Francisco, Bryce Ava Wettstein, Desmond Shepherd, Matty Jessee and Luke Kahler.
FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #74 BY CLICKING HERE…
