Name: Brett Roper
Hometown: Katy, Texas
Age: 42
Sponsors: Cockfight Skateboards, Speedlab Wheels.
What set-up are you riding right now?
Cockfight Hairy Palm – Shaggy Palmer, Indy Trucks Lance Mountain Specials.
What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
The new Evergreen skatepark in Fredericksburg, TX, is a good one.
Have you ever built something to skate?
Yes, I’ve built lots of things. I used to work with RampTech a.k.a. Mike Mapp. I put some sweat into this great ramp in Austin called “The Banana Farm”.
Who do you like to skate with these days?
I just moved back to Texas, so it is real nice to be riding with my good ole friends: Mike Niemann, Adam Young, Wes Hunter, Cary Jackson, Scott Garlington, Michael Sieben and William LeMater.
Best skate graphic you have seen lately?
I really like the Tres Amigos series Cockfight just put out. Those three kids kill it!
Best thing you’ve skated in a skatepark?
The skateparks with pool coping.
Favorite skateboarders of all time?
Neil Blender, Lance Mountain, Jeff Grosso, Peter Hewitt, Bryan Pennington, all my Houston homies and Ben Raybourn. There are so many that I like watching these days.
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
Yeah. I would like something built in my backyard!
What’s one of the best road trips you ever took?
So many! I was fortunate enough to take a couple of one/two day trips with Jeff Phillips and Dan Wilkes riding pools and ditches. I’ve gone on some good Outer Bank trips too. The best road trip might be the Chinook Trip: William LeMaster, Travis Burke, Cary Jackson, and myself packed into a Chinook for three weeks and headed west from Texas to Cali and all around. That was a good one!
What music have you been listening to?
The Dicks, The Big Boys, Geto Boys, Rites of Spring, The Spits, The Sword, a lot of old Blues and country, Thee Oh Sees, and probably way too much indie/emo shit.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
To keep skateboarding out of the Olympics. No. It’s just to skate for the love and fun. Build shit. Wreck shit and then build more shit.
Which skate shops do you support and go to the most?
Back on the East Coast, I liked this shop Pure in MD. Here in Austin, I go to Apparition and
No-Comply.
Favorite skate photo of all time?
Not sure, but it is of Jeff Phillips.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
More power to them! They are ripping.
What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
Old photos, memories and friends all make up my skateboard stoke. There’s a t-shirt that Bryan Pennington gave me that makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I come across it. I always enjoy coming across the picture on the inter-web of Jeff Grosso wearing a t-shirt that reads “I Love Brett Roper” on it.
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
The skateboarders.
Top three favorite skate tricks?
Frontside ollie, Monty grinds, frontside boneless.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
Oh, definitely… not.
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
I am really proud to be a part of The Cockfight Movement and all that Mike Niemann does. Oh, and there is that Jeff Grosso t-shirt thing.
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…
