Name: Jen O’Brien
Hometown: Temecula, California
Sponsors: Indy, 187, Nixon, Etnies, Urban Decay.
What set-up are you riding right now?
Hoopla 8.0, Bones Grind For Life 60’s, Indy’s 139’s and Mob grip.
What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
I’d say the old classic pools that are being dug out and resurrected .
Have you ever built something to skate?
I’ve helped nail some nails, but not really.
Who do you like to skate with these days?
CB and Mimi Knoop. I’ve skated with Shaun Ross a few places lately. He always kills it and with a smile on his face.
Best skate graphic you have seen lately?
I like Hoopla’s Wise Tiger graphic a lot.
Best thing you’ve ever skated in a skatepark and what skatepark was it?
I love the Kapolei amoeba pool in Hawaii or the little back section at Florence in Oregon was a blast, and Lincoln City too. There’s so much good stuff to skate now.
Favorite skateboarders of all time?
Salba, Danny Way, Rune Glifberg, Peter Hewitt, Cara-Beth Burnside, Mimi Knoop, Vanessa Torres and Julz Lynn.
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
Not really. The boys are pretty much holding it down in that department.
Best road trip you ever took?
There have been so many good ones that it’s hard to pick, but I’d say Colorado a couple summers ago. Hanging and skating with Jimmy Leaphart and Jodi Grind, camping, hot springs, organic gardens of food and medicine. Lol.
Any skate-related charities you support?
I work with the Poseidon Foundation. The main focus is to go into areas that have underprivileged kids like orphanages and foster homes. We talk to them about following their dreams and we throw little contests at the local parks and hook them up with swag and skate stuff. It’s really rewarding.
What music have you been listening to?
I mostly listen to Pandora, Slightly Stoopid radio, any of the Marley’s, Hank 3, Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Hank Williams Jr., ‘90s rap, Fugazi, Circle Jerks… It just depends.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
Definitely get your photos and footage in, product input, contests (or not) road trips and representing.
Which skate shops do you support?
Fallbrook’s Recon or Oceanside’s Grandure.
Favorite skate photo of all time?
Peters frontside invert at Quito.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
It’s growing in great ways.
What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
Probably my Thrasher hoodie that I got on my first trip to Cali or my 100% Skateboarder patch I got from Jay Adams. RIP.
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
Lately, my friend Rodney’s been digging out and fixing all the old classic pools for everyone’s enjoyment. There is Roger Harrell pushing for the Avocado bowl in Fallbrook, and Foz Hernandez, also in Fallbrook, does a lot for helping the kids over there.
Top three favorite skate tricks?
Backside and frontside ollies and slob airs.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
If it does happen, I guess, as long as the skaters have the control. I don’t know.
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
Jake Phelps asked me something similar once. He said, “Jen, what’s your biggest accomplishment in life?” After a minute, he said, “No. It’s not Lotus.” I was confused at that point. Then he says “You know what your biggest life’s accomplishment is? Frontside grinding the Kong Bowl! That’s your biggest life’s accomplishment.” Lol. So there you go… It was probably winning the World Cup, the year after having my daughter, and my High Times cover.
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…
