Name: Josh Elder
Hometown: Lynchburg, Virginia
Age: 23
Sponsors: Shipyard Skates, Scene3 Board Shop.
What set-up are you riding right now?
8.6 Shipyard Moto Devil Board, Indy 159’s, Bones 60 mm SPF.
What’s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
Lost Bowl, Richmond, Virginia.
Have you ever built something to skate?
My friends and I would make really poorly built wooden mini ramps in our my parents backyard when we were kids. Never over 5 feet tall, plywood tops, and more “character” than I’d like to admit. Still a blast to think about, those definitely sparked our creativity as kids.
Who do you like to skate with these days?
Since moving to a new city, mostly old guys. Some rip, some just cruise, but all of them are still having a blast every time they step on a board.
Best skate graphic you have seen lately?
Shipyard Skates Darren Navarrette guest board.
Best thing you’ve skated in a skatepark?
These weird rock trannies Team Pain put into their park in Layette, CO.
Favorite skateboarders of all time?
Lance Mountain, Chris Haslam, Grant Taylor and Jake Hilbish.
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
With the constant innovation from companies like Grindline, Team Pain, and Artisan, it’s hard to think of something that has yet to be built. I’m sure they’re going to keep pushing the level of design in skateparks to come, but for now I’m just stoked to be skating what they have to offer.
Best road trip you ever took?
Driving from Lynchburg, VA, to Kona for Florida Bowlriders. Stopping and skating random parks on the way, and then camping at Kona for two nights of skating, beers, midnight snake runs and fireworks.
Any skate-related charities you support?
I have donated to the A-Skate foundation for raffles when organizing contests before. Good people doing good things in skateboarding.
What music have you been listening to?
Red Fang, Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden and Eagles of Death Metal.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
To keep skating fun. Contests, video parts, whatever your forte’ is. I love watching video parts, contest highlights, whatever it is and getting stoked to skate.
Which skate shops do you support?
Any shops that carry Shipyard! Local shops, none of that mall crap.
Favorite skate photo of all time?
This is probably a cliche’ answer, but the iconic black and white push photo of Tod Swank by J Grant Brittain. The feeling of pushing down the street as hard as you can is pretty hard to replicate.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
No different than my take on dudes skateboarding. It’s rad that anyone can hop into skating and fall in love with it.
What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
Jake Hilbish first pro model is on my wall. That dude rips and deserves every bit of what he gets. He just got married, so that’s really cool too.
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
Everyone. From all of the kids that skate like it’s their job, to the old guys that build ramps and do nothing but slash grinds. Everyone has a role in the skate scene, and it wouldn’t be unique without them.
Top three favorite skate tricks?
Backside Smith grind, crail slide, Grant Taylor airs.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
Not particularly, but it seems to be heading that way. If it promotes skateboarding and helps grow the culture, that’s definitely a plus. I think it’s going to turn it into more of a competitive sport though. Not the kind of competitive that already exists, but the kind of competitive you get from people forgetting why it is they started doing what they do in the first place.
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
Being part of the Shipyard crew for sure. It’s awesome to be involved in this great group of rippers and get to see the company get bigger and bigger everyday. It gives you a real awesome feeling to know other people are into and support the same thing you do, whether it be your skating, style, attitude or general board graphics and shapes.
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…
