{"id":57569,"date":"2016-10-18T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-10-18T16:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/?p=57569"},"modified":"2017-05-11T11:24:50","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T18:24:50","slug":"kevin-kowalski-juice-magazine-state-of-skate-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/kevin-kowalski-juice-magazine-state-of-skate-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Kowalski – Juice Magazine State of Skate Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Name: Kevin Kowalski<\/strong>
\n Hometown: Seal Rock, Oregon<\/strong>
\n Age: 23<\/strong>
\n Sponsors: Lifeblood, Independent, Bones Wheels and Bearings, Freedumb Airlines, Converse, Dakine, Plague Hardware, MOB Grip, Cal Skate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What set-up are you riding right now? <\/strong>
\n8.38 Lifeblood, 149 independent trucks, 54mm side cut STF Bones wheels, Bones Swiss bearings, MOB grip, Bones Bushings and Plague hardware.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most fun DIY, skater-built or renegade spot that you\u2019ve skated lately?<\/strong>
\nThe Lost Bowl in Richmond, Virginia was pretty sick!<\/p>\n

Have you ever built something to skate?<\/strong>
\nI worked on my backyard and a couple other local spots around here with Dreamland and it\u2019s hard work! It\u2019s a really gratifying feeling getting to ride something you built or helped build.<\/p>\n

Who do you like to skate with these days?<\/strong>
\nThe whole Lifeblood crew!<\/p>\n

Best skateboard graphic you have seen lately?<\/strong>
\nMark Scott\u2019s new pro model for Lifeblood. It\u2019s coming out soon. You\u2019ll see. It\u2019s going to be sick!<\/p>\n

Best thing you\u2019ve skated in a skatepark?<\/strong>
\nExposed aggregate coping anywhere is the best! It has all the pebbles and rock exposed to the surface of the coping and makes for some of the best feeling grinds.<\/p>\n

Favorite skateboarders of all time?<\/strong>
\nMark Scott, Cody Lockwood and Chris Russell.<\/p>\n

Is there anything that hasn\u2019t been built to skate yet that you\u2019d like to see built?<\/strong>
\nYeah. There are so many ideas I\u2019ve thought of in my head. I think builders like Dreamland and Grindline are making a lot of unthinkable things already and will continue to push the limits.<\/p>\n

Best road trip you ever took?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019d say the Independent Northwest tour was definitely up there. Even though I had already been to most of the spots, it feels good to just jump in the van and go on the road with a sick crew.<\/p>\n

Any skate-related charities you support?<\/strong>
\nI have been to Make A Wish and Rock The Cradle for Johnny Romano in Texas before. They were both really good events.<\/p>\n

What music have you been listening to?<\/strong>
\nClassic Rock, Country, Metal and Punk.<\/p>\n

What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?<\/strong>
\nYou have to be positive, inspiring, respectful, smart, nice, dedicated and responsible. There are a lot of eyes on you and a lot of people that look up to you. It\u2019s your responsibility as a professional skateboarder to be a positive influence to other skateboarders.<\/p>\n

Which skate shops do you support?<\/strong>
\nCore shops are what keep skateboarding going, so I support local core shops 100%. I ride for Cal Skate in downtown Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n

Favorite skate photo of all time?<\/strong>
\nBryce Kanights has the best collection of skate photos I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n

What is your take on girls skateboarding?<\/strong>
\nI think it\u2019s rad! I have a lot of friends that are girl skateboarders. They rip at skating and they\u2019re really nice people too.<\/p>\n

What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?<\/strong>
\nI have a few, but I think having Dreamland pour concrete in my backyard is probably the most memorable.<\/p>\n

Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?<\/strong>
\nMark Scott from Dreamland Skateparks. He pretty much made my local skate scene, so thanks a lot, Mark! You\u2019re the man!<\/p>\n

Top three favorite skate tricks?<\/strong>
\nFrontside grind, boneless and inverts.<\/p>\n

Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t know. That would be crazy.<\/p>\n

What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?<\/strong>
\nTurning pro for Lifeblood Skateboards and Bones Wheels. Thanks for all of the support guys!<\/p>\n

\"kevin_kowalski_bs_ollie_2015_kanights\"<\/a>
BIONIC BS OLLIE. KOWALSKI IS A TRUE RIPPING SKATER. ENOUGH SAID. DANFORTH APPROVED. PHOTO BY BRYCE KANIGHTS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

ABOUT THE JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n

JUICE MAGAZINE STATE OF SKATE <\/strong>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, <\/span>Lester Kasai, Glen Charnoski, Bryan Pennington, Peter Furnee, <\/span>Jeremiah Risk, Ryan Smith, Jason Jessee, Omar Hassan, Cam Dowse, Jen O\u2019Brien, Depth Leviathan Dweller, Brett Roper, Travis Beattie, Chris Gentry, <\/span>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, <\/span>Felipe Gouveia, Eric Santos, Kyle Smith, <\/span>Cameron Revier, Josh Stafford, Justin Grubbs, Etienne Eden Archila, Sanzio Piacentini, <\/span>Josh Elder, Eddie \u201cMighty\u201d Moreno, Kevin Kowalski, Otto Pflanz, Jeremy Smith, <\/span>Adam Wiggins, Jimmy Wilkins, Danny Gordon, Jake Hilbish, Corey Blanchette, Adam Legassie, <\/span>Nick Santos, Trey Rounds, Curren Caples, Justyce Tabor, Andy Anderson, Sarah Thompson, <\/span>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.<\/p>\n

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #74 BY CLICKING HERE…<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Name: Kevin Kowalski Hometown: Seal Rock, Oregon Age: 23 Sponsors: Lifeblood, Independent, Bones Wheels and Bearings, Freedumb Airlines, Converse, Dakine, Plague Hardware, MOB Grip, Cal Skate. What set-up are you riding right now? 8.38 Lifeblood, 149 independent trucks, 54mm side cut STF Bones wheels, Bones Swiss bearings, MOB grip, Bones Bushings and Plague hardware. What\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57570,"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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4027,4028,4041],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-interviews","category-skate-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/kevin_kowalski_bs_ollie_2015_kanights.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57569","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=57569"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62572,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57569\/revisions\/62572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}