{"id":29468,"date":"1999-07-01T16:20:01","date_gmt":"1999-07-01T21:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/?p=29468"},"modified":"2014-11-08T18:31:33","modified_gmt":"2014-11-09T02:31:33","slug":"team-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/team-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"TEAM MANAGERS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team Managers: Only the Strong Survive<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a new-found respect for team managers after our recent trip across country with seven skaters in one van and felt they deserved space in our mag.<\/p>\n

Name: <\/strong>George Nagai<\/strong>
\nCo: Shorty\u2019s<\/strong>
\nAge: 25<\/strong>
\nHome: Santa Barbara, CA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tell us a road trip horror story.<\/strong>
\nNow, don\u2019t get me wrong, I like the East Coast! But, we went through some serious shit on last year\u2019s East Coast tour. In Philadelphia, The Muska tweaked his ankle and had to fly home early. Sammy cussed out the maids at one of our hotels because he thought they jacked his CDs. I had to apologize to the hotel staff because they wanted to get little Sammy outside and whoop his ass. Mean-while, his CDs were tucked away in his bag the entire time.\u00a0 I also ran our van into a car in the tight streets of Philly and had to deal with an irate Asian lady while I tried to give her and her husband $200 for her troubles. In Boston, I sprained my ankle which took me out of skating for six months.\u00a0 But the butter on the toast took place in New York City where our van got broken into and we got jacked for $2000 cash, three video cameras and over half of our team\u2019s luggage. And that was on my birthday!
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What goes into planning a roadtrip for your team?<\/strong>
\nFirst, I have to figure out where we want to go and route what spots we are going to hit.\u00a0 Then I have to call everyone to see who can go, who wants to go, and what their personal schedules look like.\u00a0 I have to organize places to stay, per diem, promo product, transportation, photographers, filmers, demos, etc. Finally, I have to budget it all and then get an approval from the powers that be. If they don\u2019t like my proposal, then I have to go back and start over again. Dope!
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does your team get into a lot of fights?<\/strong>
\nNo. Our team has a lot of different personalities, but everyone gets along really well.<\/p>\n

Tell us a weird fetish or oddity you discovered about a team skater.<\/strong>
\nI just have to say that Steve Olson is the most unique and amazing person I\u2019ve ever had the opportunity to meet.\u00a0 Aside from being an amazing skateboarder, he has so many personal interests and hobbies that I find really interesting.\u00a0 He studies various religions; he\u2019s an artist and avid reader.\u00a0 He has so much knowledge lodged under his afro and glasses and his outlook on life gives him a God-like aura. The best is when he spits his knowledge on the mic.<\/p>\n

Have you ever done a kickflip to shit your pants?<\/strong>
\nWhat?!? No, I\u2019m pretty sure the last time I shit my pants, I didn\u2019t know how to do a kickflip yet.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the biggest bitch on your team? Why?<\/strong>
\nWe don\u2019t have any bitches on our team anymore. When the kids were younger they used to stir up some trouble, but now they\u2019ve all matured into fine young men.\u00a0 Do I sound enough like an old man now?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

How many hours of bitching do you deal with a day? What gripe do you hear most?<\/strong>
\nMy team riders have nothing to bitch about. I\u2019m a good poppa.\u00a0 No, actually there\u2019s a little bitching going around. It may not be from a team rider, though.<\/p>\n

How much money have you had to lay out for bail? Who\u2019s been arrested most?<\/strong>
\nI can proudly say that I\u2019ve never had to bail any of my riders out of jail, knock on wood.\u00a0 As far as being arrested, I think a personal record would either go to Smolik or The Muska when he was younger.<\/p>\n

How many cars have you\/your team wrecked?<\/strong>
\nErik Hatch (Shorty\u2019s filmer) has seen my sloppy driving techniques, but we\u2019ve only really wrecked one and never got caught for it.<\/p>\n

Do you feel you get paid well for the work you do?<\/strong>
\nWell, we\u2019re negotiating that right now. But actually there\u2019s no other job I would want right now.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What made you want to be a team manager? How did you get your job?<\/strong>
\nWell, this is kind of a long story. As far as wanting to be a team manager goes, I was a sponsored skater for over eight years. There was always a team manager there to take care of me and my skating career. I learned a lot about the industry and got to experience the life of a sponsored skater.\u00a0 I felt that because of this knowledge, I could make someone else\u2019s experience as a sponsored skater better.\u00a0 About three years ago, I was touring Japan doing some skating and I ran into an old friend of mine. Back when we used to hang out, he was a guy who used to rage all the time and got into his fair share of trouble. Seeing him in Japan, he had totally matured and was trying to get his life together and open up a restaurant. We went out skating one evening and got to talking about our lives and futures. He kept telling me how he was getting his shit together and that I should be doing the same soon. What he told me really stuck in my head because I didn\u2019t really expect to hear those things from him. I went back to America shortly after and knew I had to figure things out. I didn\u2019t really skate for about three months and instead went to the beach every day just to kick back, go skimboarding, and do some thinking. (Shorty\u2019s owner) Tony Buyalos would go with me a lot and he kept telling me he needed some help at his company. He was telling me I could do sales for Shorty\u2019s but I wasn\u2019t into doing sales and instead I wanted to be the team manager. After some time, he finally agreed that I could enter the company doing whatever, and when the Team Manager position opened up, I could take it.\u00a0 So I started working at Shorty\u2019s and was a shipper for two weeks, a sales rep for around nine months, and finally ended up as team manager.<\/p>\n

Top three things that piss you off about being a team manager.<\/strong>
\n1. I hate saying no to my riders. Sometimes there will be things they want to do, but as a company we just can\u2019t and it\u2019s my responsibility to tell them no. I hate that!
\n2. Now that I deal in the business world, I don\u2019t like dealing in bad business. If my shit is together, I expect those people who I work with to have their shit together as well. And if they don\u2019t, then fuck \u2018em.
\n3. Man, I\u2019ll let you in on a little secret. I\u2019m jealous of the talents of my riders. I take them skating and watch them do the craziest shit on their skateboards. Then when\u2008I go skating, I\u2019m restricted to doing 50\/50s and other basic shit. I wish I was as good as those guys.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the highlight of your career so far.<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t know if there has been any particular highlight, I was really proud of our team at the Transworld Readers\u2019 Awards where Shorty\u2019s won five different awards.\u00a0 What brings me the most happiness are the days we just go skate together. Like for example, I just went skating with The Muska last weekend. He took us to a sixteen-stair-handrail and when we watched him destroy it. To me, that\u2019s the equivalent of a motorcycle kid who gets to go ride with Evel Knievel on any given weekend and gets to watch him jump crazy shit. It\u2019s truly amazing.<\/p>\n

Top three things that stoke you out about being a team manager.<\/strong>
\n1. I like to see the success of my riders. Those guys are all super individuals and I\u2019m stoked to know I can contribute to their lives.
\n2. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to have met and worked with these guys. To me, they are not just Shorty\u2019s team riders; they are my friends and we are a family.
\n3. I have a job where I get to travel and skate with some of the best skaters in the world. I\u2019m a skater first, and a team manager second. So, I\u2019m really lucky to still have skateboarding as a major part of my life.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

At what hat angle is true dopeness achieved?<\/strong>
\nCouldn\u2019t tell you. You\u2019ll have to ask The Muska or Smolik. They seem to have it pretty good.<\/p>\n

Shoutouts.<\/strong>
\nMuch props goes out to the Shorty\u2019s posse. Thanks to Venture Trucks, Church of Skatan, and all my sponsors, both current and previous. What\u2019s up to Manabu, T2, Jake and all the homies. We\u2019ll be drinking soon. Thanks to Jun Kim for lecturing me in Japan and to Jen Rojas for balancing me out. Peace!<\/p>\n

Word ASSOCIATION<\/strong>
\nporn –<\/strong> played
\nhangovers<\/strong> – death
\nquantum physics<\/strong> – graduate school
\nyear 2000<\/strong> – just another year
\ntoilet paper<\/strong> – necessary
\nsex<\/strong> – in hallways
\ndrugs<\/strong> – \u2018shrooms
\njuice<\/strong> – cranberry
\nfame<\/strong> – stay level headed
\nhell<\/strong> – Church of Skatan
\nheaven<\/strong> – Laetitia Casta
\npublic restrooms<\/strong> – toilet soaps
\nairplanes<\/strong> – stewardesses
\nbatwing<\/strong> – black
\npro hos<\/strong> – jailbait
\nNew York<\/strong> – Giovanni Reda
\nLos Angeles<\/strong> – Guy Mariano
\nGator<\/strong> – frontside rocket airs
\ncops<\/strong> – fuck \u2018em
\nstreet<\/strong> – Chad Muska
\nvert<\/strong> – Phillips 66, please
\npolydipsic<\/strong> – copacetic<\/p>\n

Name:\u00a0 Abe Smith<\/strong>
\nCompany: Axion <\/strong>
\nAge:\u00a0 26<\/strong>
\nHometown:\u00a0 Long Beach (da\u2019 L.B.C. yo!!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tell us a road trip story.<\/strong>
\nCrossing the Canadian border with conviction records.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What goes into planning a roadtrip for your team?<\/strong>
\nComplete chaos.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does your team get into a lot of fights?<\/strong>
\nNaw, everyone\u2019s pretty mellow at this point in time.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hours a week do you spend on the phone?<\/strong>
\nI couldn\u2019t even make a guess at it.<\/p>\n

Tell us a weird fetish or oddity you discovered about a team skater.<\/strong>
\nNo comment.<\/p>\n

Have you ever done a kickflip to shit your pants?<\/strong>
\nSkating?! What\u2019s that?<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the biggest bitch on your team? Why?<\/strong>
\nNo comment.<\/p>\n

How many hours of bitching do you deal with daily?<\/strong>
\nI couldn\u2019t even make a guess at it.<\/p>\n

How much money have you had to lay out for bail?<\/strong>
\nNo comment.<\/p>\n

How many cars have you\/your team wrecked?<\/strong>
\nI couldn\u2019t even make a guess at it.<\/p>\n

Do you feel you get paid well for the work you do?<\/strong>
\nNo comment.<\/p>\n

What made you want to be a team manager? How did you get your job?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s something I always wanted to be as a kid.<\/p>\n

Top three things that piss you off about being a team manager?<\/strong>
\nAbsolutely nothing. It\u2018s allowed me to get in touch with my spiritual side; reach a more Zen way of life.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the highlight of your career so far.<\/strong>
\nSending out promo packages.<\/p>\n

Top three things that stoke you out about being a team manager.<\/strong>
\nLife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.<\/p>\n

At what hat angle is true dopeness achieved?<\/strong>
\nTo the side, yo, in full effect.<\/p>\n

Shoutouts.<\/strong>
\nKareem\u2008Campbell, Axion & City Star Riders, Amir, Tony the stress pony and all my brothas in lockdown for \u201899.<\/p>\n

Word ASSOCIATION<\/strong>
\nporn –<\/strong> Pamela Anderson
\nhangovers –<\/strong> Rum & Cokes
\nquantum physics<\/strong> -Master P
\nyear 2000<\/strong> – no more student loans
\ntoilet paper<\/strong> – quantum physics
\nsex<\/strong> – Y2K
\ndrugs<\/strong> – honestly . . .
\njuice<\/strong> – Dan, the man
\nfame<\/strong> – porn
\nhell<\/strong> – doesn\u2019t exist
\nheaven<\/strong> – doesn\u2019t exist
\npublic restrooms<\/strong> – George Michael
\nairplanes<\/strong> -mile high club
\nbatwing<\/strong> – Say, what?
\npro hos<\/strong> – gotta love \u2018em
\nNew York<\/strong> – the place to be
\nLos Angeles<\/strong> – my home
\nGator<\/strong> – no comment
\ncops<\/strong> – #@?!!$*!
\nstreet<\/strong> – Kareem
\nvert<\/strong> – Rune
\npolydipsic<\/strong> – public restrooms<\/p>\n

Name:\u00a0 Eric Dressen<\/strong>
\nCo.: Dogtown <\/strong>
\nAge: 32 going on 22<\/strong>
\nHometown: Venice, CA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tell us a road trip horror story.<\/strong>
\nNeil Heddings dog Joe farted about 60 times in the van in six hours drive.<\/p>\n

What goes into planning a roadtrip for your team?<\/strong>
\nMake sure we got enough weed and we\u2019ve got a floor to sleep on when we get there.<\/p>\n

Does your team get into a lot of fights?<\/strong>
\nYes, can\u2019t take em anywhere.<\/p>\n

How many hours a week do you spend on the phone?<\/strong>
\nA lot of pretending I\u2019m doing stuff.<\/p>\n

Tell us an oddity you discovered about a team skater?<\/strong>
\nWee Man shaves his pubes.<\/p>\n

Have you ever done a kickflip to shit your pants?<\/strong>
\nI hershey squirted once.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the biggest bitch on your team? Why?<\/strong>
\nMe bitchin\u2019 about how dumb my team is.<\/p>\n

How many hours of bitching do you deal with a day? What gripe do you hear most?<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t have any griptape, I don\u2019t have any coffee, I don\u2019t have any weed.<\/p>\n

How much money have you had to lay out for bail? Who\u2019s been arrested most?<\/strong>
\nI am saving up, now.<\/p>\n

How many cars have you\/your team wrecked?<\/strong>
\nSix rental town cars and one Ford Bronco.<\/p>\n

Do you feel you get paid well for the work you do?<\/strong>
\nI am stoked, I can eat all month now. I am priceless.<\/p>\n

What made you want to be a team manager? How did you get your job?<\/strong>
\nGot bored of sitting around, I wanted to put my years of experience in to someone else.<\/p>\n

Top three things that piss you off about being a team manager?<\/strong>
\nUnprepared to go skating; without grip tape, every weekend.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the highlight of your career, so far.<\/strong>
\nGetting Wee Man on the team. He\u2019s the biggest man in skateboarding.<\/p>\n

Top three things that stoke you out about being a team manager?<\/strong>
\nShowing up at skateparks, taking over like we own the place.<\/p>\n

At what hat angle is true dopeness achieved?<\/strong>
\nBackwards<\/p>\n

Shoutouts.<\/strong>
\nMy team managers from the past, Gavin O\u2019Brien, Zach and Jim Muir. Present day managers, Sean at pornstar, Joey at Indy, Jim Thiebaud at Deluxe.<\/p>\n

WORD ASSOCIATION<\/strong>
\nporn<\/strong> – star
\nhangovers<\/strong> – morning
\nquantum physics<\/strong> – Paul
\nyear 2000<\/strong> – boycott
\ntoilet paper<\/strong> – none
\nsex<\/strong> – addict
\ndrugs<\/strong> –\u00a0 addict
\njuice<\/strong> – got it
\nfame<\/strong> – Muska
\nhell<\/strong> – Bent for Leather
\nheaven<\/strong> – Japan
\nairplanes<\/strong> – stewardesses
\npro hos<\/strong> – cuties
\nNew York<\/strong> – Dolls
\nLos Angeles<\/strong> – X
\nGator<\/strong> – buddy
\ncops<\/strong> – avoid
\nstreet<\/strong> – hookers
\nvert<\/strong> – rules
\npolydipsic<\/strong> – ?<\/p>\n

Name:\u00a0 <\/strong>Steve Munson <\/strong>
\nCompany:\u00a0 <\/strong>Identity Boardshop<\/strong>
\nAge: 21<\/strong>
\nHome: Ana-crime, CA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tell us a road trip horror story.<\/strong>
\nBurt from Dank put hot sauce in my Pepsi and I drank it, then spit it all over the table, that dick.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

What goes into planning a roadtrip for your team?<\/strong>
\nMe driving where ever I feel like skating.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does your team get into a lot of fights?<\/strong>
\nNo, they\u2019re all pussies and I\u2019ll kill them.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

How many hours a week do you spend on the phone?<\/strong>
\nSince I also work at Identity, I spend like ten hours on the phone a week.<\/p>\n

Tell us a weird fetish or oddity you discovered about a team skater.<\/strong>
\nSteve Webber from Lethol rides his wheels three graphics in and one out for like a year on every board.<\/p>\n

Have you ever done a kickflip to shit your pants?<\/strong>
\nNo, but someone told me J.P. Jaded split a rail and shit his pants!<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s the biggest bitch on your team? Why?<\/strong>
\nEven though I love him as a skater, Jeremy Patton is the bitch of the team. He only rides green boards with Monkey Grip. But he\u2019s also a good friend and one of the best on the team.<\/p>\n

How many hours of bitching do you deal with a day? What gripe do you hear most?<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t put up with no bitching! I\u2019ll tell them they\u2019re more than welcome to ride for someone else.<\/p>\n

How much money have you had to lay out for bail? Who\u2019s been arrested most?<\/strong>
\nDo I count? Because I lead that category.<\/p>\n

How many cars have you\/your team wrecked?<\/strong>
\nNone! Knock on wood, quick give me my board!<\/p>\n

Do you feel you get paid well for the work you do?<\/strong>
\nFuck, no. I\u2019m underpaid and overworked just like everyone else in America!<\/p>\n

What made you want to be a team manager? How did you get your job?<\/strong>
\nI knew what these guys needed and wanted to give it to them.<\/p>\n

Top three things that piss you off about being a team manager.<\/strong>
\nNot being able to give my team the most, not being able to get a day off to skate and everyone wanting to be sponsored.<\/p>\n

Tell us about the highlight of your career so far.<\/strong>
\nShit, this mag interview is it!<\/p>\n

Top three things that stoke you out about being a team manager.<\/strong>
\nSeeing a team rider land a dope trick, bragging about my team and being paid to skate with my friends.<\/p>\n

At what hat angle is true dopeness achieved?<\/strong>
\nThe Muska and I believe that at 15 degrees to the right all of your dopeness will then be truly maximized.<\/p>\n

Shoutouts.<\/strong>
\nTo my sponsors, Globe, Grind King, Identity, Lethol:\u00a0 Thanks for hookin me up. Mario, Eli, Burt, Gary, Billy, the Cliza, the Webbers, Jeremy, Jason and everyone else who has helped me or been my friend. Especially Joe and Glen for giving me a job! Identity 4 Life!<\/p>\n

Word ASSOCIATION<\/strong>
\nporn –<\/strong> star for life
\nhangovers<\/strong> – suck
\nquantum physics<\/strong> – I do them every day.
\nyear 2000<\/strong> – End of the World.
\ntoilet paper<\/strong> – must be soft
\nsex<\/strong> – Every chance I catch a drunk girl.
\ndrugs<\/strong> – never
\njuice<\/strong> – mag. Thanks a ton.
\nfame<\/strong> – I\u2019ll never have it like the real Muska.
\nhell<\/strong> – on my way.
\nheaven<\/strong> – fake
\npublic restrooms<\/strong> – George Michael
\nairplanes<\/strong> – crash
\nbatwing<\/strong> – to the bat cave!
\npro hos<\/strong> – never get them.
\nNew York<\/strong> – East Coast, Josh Kalis
\nLos Angeles<\/strong> – Girl team
\nGator<\/strong> – Jail
\ncops<\/strong> – Doughnuts
\nstreet<\/strong> – Forever
\nvert<\/strong> – Some day.
\npolydipsic<\/strong> – Your Mom!<\/p>\n

TO ORDER JUICE MAGAZINE ISSUE #45, PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team Managers: Only the Strong Survive We have a new-found respect for team managers after our recent trip across country with seven skaters in one van and felt they deserved space in our mag. Name: George Nagai Co: Shorty\u2019s Age: 25 Home: Santa Barbara, CA Tell us a road trip horror story. Now, don\u2019t get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4028,4041],"tags":[10965,3954,11024,14255,14262,29,11025,11023],"class_list":["post-29468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-skate-2","tag-abe-smith","tag-eric-dressen","tag-george-nagai","tag-juice-magazine","tag-skate","tag-skateboarding","tag-steve-munson","tag-team-managers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/TEAMMANAGERS.png","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29468"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48673,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29468\/revisions\/48673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}