Exclusive Online Interview with Tiffany Twisted, founder of Twisted Skateboards.
Interview by Dan Levy
Where are you from and and where did you grow up?
I was born in Dallas, Texas, but grew up in a small town outside of Lubbock, TX, called Acuff, TX. I now reside in Lubbock.
When did you start skating and why do you skate?
I started cruising and trying to learn skating when I was around 10 years old. My dreams of learning were cut short when my parents saw me skating in our backyard. They were not happy that I was engaging in things that were “for boys.” In adulthood, I bought a complete board. Sadly, shortly after that I was involved in a six rollover accident. Now I’m taking my cruising to another level and trying to learn tricks for the first time. My daughter actually got me back into skateboarding and has me wanting to practice more with her. It is a wonderful bonding experience with her and I am really glad she asked me for a skateboard.
What was your first skateboard – wheels, bearings, trucks, griptape, board size and shape – and what are you riding now?
My first board, I honestly don’t know much about. It was handed down to me. I’m not sure what grip was on it, but it was a hammerhead board with green wheels and green rails on it. It had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on it, which I loved watching growing up. It was very old and not in the best shape. Now, I ride Twisted Skateboards. Getting back into riding, I realized I was having a hard time with the size, so now I ride an 8.25 bamboo hand-wrapped Twisted board. It’s a minimal logo design – simple – not a lot of flash. My griptape is Trophy Griptape and my wheels are Vibronic Hemp Wheels. I’m trying out different trucks, but I like Independent.
What is your favorite place to skate and who do you like to skate with?
After meeting some of the local shredders and our Local Skate Ministry, Carmel Tones, I felt more comfortable being around other people at our local skate park. Now I skate on Saturday mornings with my daughter and a local dad and his daughter. The local father and I talked skating the whole time and decided we should do lessons for the youth and get loaner boards and used pads and stuff for the kids. I am slowly learning with my daughter, as well as trying to provide loaners for our community to get as many kids into skating as possible.
What was the motivating moment that got you inspired to start Twisted Skateboards and what are some of your goals?
Well, I have been customizing skateboards for family and friends for a couple of years. I customized my daughter’s first board for her 7th birthday. I bought a blank and she wanted all of her favorite cartoons on it. At that moment, I loved everything I was doing. Painting a deck feels so much better than canvas painting and it lifted my mood and encouraged me to do more. It got attention on social media and I sent out a few free skateboards to kids in other countries that don’t have any. During quarantine time, is when I decided to hit the gas pedal. I knew I wanted a skate brand and I just wanted to be unique and different with everything.
How do you encourage someone to try skateboarding for the first time?
I go skate and tell others about all of the people that I have met of all different ages, and try to show that, “Okay, you’re 45 and want to learn to skate for the first time? That’s awesome!” A lot of people have expressed feelings like they lost their shot to learn to skateboard due to their age or they give up if they never learned how to ollie or do a trick. To me, skateboarding isn’t all about skill. It’s a sense of a new family for anyone having a hard time or for someone that feels like they aren’t close to their home family. Guess what? You have a new family now that will help you up when you fall – literally and emotionally. You will meet other skateboarders that give you advice and try to help you instead of tear you down. If I see a new skater at the park, I say welcome home to my new brother or sister.
What is your favorite part about being a Mom?
I love being a Mom. Becoming a parent to my awesome little girl, it saved my life. I definitely enjoy the time we get to spend together. Being a single parent, I get to experience these things X2 positively speaking. It has its challenges for sure, but I wouldn’t give up being a mom for anything in the world. My kid is cool, I must say.
What charities do you support?
We support Hashtag For Foster Care of Ohio, World Skateboarding Federation, Texas Association Against Sexual Assault Inc., Black Lives Matter Foundation and The LGBT Equality Alliance.
When you’re creating art for skateboards, what inspires you?
The kids do. With my skate art, what I do when someone is interested in a custom, is I ask them about themselves – fact things, favorite color, any favorite toons or music artists. For my screen print art, I have just been experimenting. The last series doesn’t go together at all. I was just playing around. I used some old art and new art. I often have hidden puns in my art or something someone can look at and smile or laugh about. I hope to get better at this with practice. I am not a computer person, and I still write everything down. I’m trying to learn to be more technology savvy and then, hopefully, I can come up with something great. Something that will get my brand recognized and loved by many.
What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in skateboarding and in life?
My biggest achievement in life is probably this brand and rising from ashes several times. I feel like I’m in a better place literally. Every year I keep trying to be in a better place for my daughter. Working full time and running the brand is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do and I’m proud that I am keeping up with it. My biggest skateboarding accomplishment has been going out to skateparks and meeting others. I have really bad anxiety and it is very hard for me to talk to people in person. I talk really fast or get nervous, so I am fighting through that as well as getting help with my anxiety. I have lived in Lubbock for years and never gone out and met other people, so meeting new people is an accomplishment. I’ve learned so much more about skating and I hope I can become a better skater. Since the accident, I have had a lot of trouble with balance, but I’m trying to learn skating in my new body, and the community is helping me with that.
Top five songs or records in your playlist?
I can never go wrong with Tool. When I’m just cruising around, I enjoy Gorillaz, Puscifer, Wax Tailor, M83, Massive Attack or instrumental (piano, acoustic guitar) and ’90s alternative rock. When I’m skating at the park, I listen to Tool, APC, Otep, Joyner Lucas, Logic, Xxxtentacion, Lacuna Coil, old A7X and old Paparoach, etc. I have a wide variety of music I love.
What gets you the most hyped to skate?
Seeing others skate and seeing their progress or seeing a tutorial. Seeing and thinking, “I can do that too or maybe someday I can do that too.”
How do you give back to your local skateboarding community?
For locals, I provided different pricing at my Local Ski, Wake and Skateshop because most of the skate community can’t afford the regular prices of a board. Post COVID-19, I want to host monthly contests at the parks with giveaways and prizes. My big goal is to have a new skatepark built in East Lubbock. It is the poorest part of Lubbock. The crime there is high, but I think if the kids had something new and nice and somewhere they could learn and enjoy, the crime rate would go down. East Lubbock needs to know that some of us out there care. I met a kid who grew up with the worst parents, in East Lubbock. I asked him how he felt about that and he responded, “My parents are junkies, but not me! I’m just worried about getting my next trick down.” Skateboarding is an outlet for him. Also being peer pressured to use by other youth in the area, he turned to skating and it shaped him. He is such a good kid, and I would love for other kids to have the same positive attitude and prefer skating over crime.
What is your message to the youth?
Don’t give up on this. Skating isn’t just for pros. It’s healing, and it helps in so many ways. It’s fun. Get on deck and welcome home.
Is there anyone you want to thank?
I want to thank Troy’s Ski Supply of Lubbock for supporting my brand and selling my boards and merch in the shop, as well as giving me a chance. Thanks to Carmel Tones Skate Ministry for welcoming my daughter and I with open arms. I want to thank IDoSk8brds Hardware & Bearings for supporting me and helping me out with projects and partnering with me, as well as helping me become a better skater and person. Thanks to locals, Ryan Watkins and Tristan Nall for teaching me the ropes and introducing me to the skate community of Lubbock, as well as local skate crew Lou Krew for the continuous love & support.
Learn more about Twisted Skateboards at:
IG: @twistedskateboards
Twitter: @twistedskateco
