Name: Nathan Midgette
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Age: 14
Sponsors: Embassy Skateboards, Ace Trucks, Skeleton Key Manufacturing, Type-S Wheels, Coastal Edge Surf/ Skate Shop, Launch Mode Rails.
What set-up are you riding right now? Board, trucks, wheels, grip, hardware…
Embassy Skateboards John “Tex” Gibson 8.25, Ace Trucks 149’s, Type-S Wheels 57mm, Mob Grip, Shorty’s hardware, Bone Swiss REDs, and some Skeleton Key Copers, if I’m skating a curb.
What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
I skated FDR recently. It’s a really rad skatepark because it’s skater made and it’s super gnarly.
Have you ever built something to skate?
Nope…but, my Dad built a mini ramp for me and I’m stoked to skate it as much as I can!
Who do you like to skate with the most these days?
I like to skate with Collin Graham, Dylan O’Neal, Ronnie O’Neal, Kyle Drumwright, my Dad, and the rest of the Fork Crew.
Coolest skateboard graphic you have seen lately?
I like Collin Graham’s new graphic that recently came out for Embassy Skateboards. It’s such a sick graphic!
Best thing you’ve ever skated in a skatepark and what skatepark was it?
The Snake run at Kona Skatepark is really sick!
Favorite skateboarders of all time?
My favorite skateboarders of all time are Collin Graham, Dylan O’Neal, Ronnie O’Neal, Ben Raybourn, Peter Hewitt, Darren Navarrette, my Dad (Allen Midgette), Jeff Grosso, Lance Mountain and Henry Gutierrez. There’s a whole lot I forgot to mention.
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
Not that I can think of. No.
What’s one of the best road trips you ever took?
The farthest I’ve been from Virginia, and that’s been Jacksonville, Florida, to Kona Skatepark for the Kona Bowl Riders fun trip! I met Lee Leal for the first time and met so many rad people!
Are there any skate-related charities that you support?
Pushing for Pink just happened recently, but other than that I don’t know any other ones.
What music have you been listening to lately?
The Shrine. The Shrine is super sick because they are skateboarders that do their own thing. Iron Maiden, Agent Orange and Slayer.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
Having fun and not taking skateboarding too serious.
Which skate shops do you support and go to the most?
Coastal Edge Surf/Skate Shop!
What is your favorite skate photo of all time?
Allen Losi doing his trick on the cover of Thrasher. Any photo of Darren Navarrette or Neil Blender is a rad photo.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
Girl skaters are rad! I know some girls that skate in Virginia Beach and they all rip!
What piece of skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
Dropping in for the first time at Mount Trashmore vert ramp. I had to use my dad’s elbow pads! Ha!
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
Ronan Livingston! He rules. He’s at the skatepark every day! He’s ripping!
Top three favorite skate tricks?
Invert, backside air, and frontside grind.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
No. It’s gone too mainstream when that happens. Skateboarding is a crime. Keep it a crime!
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
Dropping in at Trashmore!
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…
