{"id":94997,"date":"2023-06-05T15:25:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/?p=94997"},"modified":"2023-11-13T14:41:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T22:41:03","slug":"ronnie-sandoval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/ronnie-sandoval\/","title":{"rendered":"RONNIE SANDOVAL"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RONNIE SANDOVAL INTERVIEW BY CHRISTIAN HOSOI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY ACOSTA AND SAM MULLER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOSOI: Ronnie, I have my favorite skaters that I get inspired from and you\u2019re one of them. You\u2019re a humble cat and your style of skating and how you live your life is inspirational. It is truly an honor to do this interview with you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANDOVAL: Thank you. That means a lot, Christian. It really does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know a lot about you, but some people won\u2019t know where you grew up and how you got introduced to skateboarding.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Pedro as a little kid, I got my first board when my older brother, Chris, came across a board in this front yard and pretty much stole it. It had a stripper on the grip tape, and my stepdad, Mike, wasn\u2019t really feeling the grip tape because I was super young and he was trying to be like a dad figure like, \u201cNo. You don\u2019t need that on your grip tape.\u201d The board was kind of shot and trucks were rusted and the wheels weren\u2019t really spinning that well because the board had been left outside for a while, so my dad, Mike, took the board apart and WD 40ed the trucks and lubed up the bearings and cleaned off the wheels, and put it all back together. He ripped off the grip tape, and put on new grip tape, but it was crazy because when he ripped off the grip tape, he sliced his wrist super gnarly and had to get stitches. He went and got stitches and came home and finished the board for me and that was my first board. Then I was skating with a bunch of the homies around the neighborhood jumping off walls and bombing hills and learning how to ollie and kickflip. I was just going through that fun phase with some good people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where did you grow up around Pedro?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve moved around Pedro so much. I lived in the projects area of Pedro at one point. I lived up on 25th Street and then on 24th Street near Busy Bee sandwiches. I lived a town over in Wilmington for a while, with my parents, and then moved back to Pedro and then I lived in Carson with my biological dad, Felipe, for a year. Then I moved back to Pedro. We were always living in different spots and just getting by in life. My mom was always working and my stepdad was always working and my dad was always working, but that\u2019s what happens when prices go up in apartments and houses. We had to look for something a little cheaper or more flexible because there are a lot of kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you have brothers and sisters?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, I have six brothers and sisters. Ernie is the oldest and Chris is the second oldest. I\u2019ve got my brother, Frankie, my brother, Phillip, my brother, Andy, and my little brother, Daniel, and my sister, Amber, my sister, Haley, and my sister, Angelina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
FS TRUCK BASH, SAN PEDRO. PHOTO \u00a9 ACOSTA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wow. You\u2019ve got a huge family. That\u2019s amazing. I\u2019m an only child so, whenever I hung out with friends that had brothers and sisters, I lived vicariously through  them and I got a lot from those feelings of love, loyalty and commitment. I\u2019m sure your family has a tight-knit connection.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. It\u2019s sick because, even if you\u2019re pissed off at your brother or your sister, you\u2019re gonna be cool with each other because you\u2019re blood. You can\u2019t push them to the side. There are some people out there that push their relatives to the side and don\u2019t really talk to them that much. Sometimes they get busy and grow up and have their own lives. When you find that relationship in somebody that you\u2019re not related to, you get the feeling like, \u201cThis feels like a brother to me.\u201d They love you unconditionally and always have your back, even though you\u2019re wrong sometimes, but they will call you out on your shit when you\u2019re wrong. That\u2019s what it\u2019s like having siblings. I was the youngest at one point because Angie, Haley and Daniel didn\u2019t come until 10 years ago. I was the youngest of all my siblings, so I would get the tail end of some weird shenanigans getting brought up to be tough, with my brothers. I learned so much from my older brothers that, later on, when I came down to Channel, I hung around all older people. If you want to hang out with the older cats, you\u2019ve got to act and talk and be how we are. I grew up a little bit too fast when I was teenager, but it molded me into the person I am today and I wouldn\u2019t change a thing. Being on the streets and learning about the code of the streets, I feel like that\u2019s much needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have a lot in common because I also grew up quickly being in the culture of skateboarding. Older skaters become like your big brothers and they regulate you and teach you. I grew up in Venice and, when I went to the skatepark, Jay Adams and Shogo Kubos would heckle me. They raised me to get it right and it was mandatory that you have style and a good attitude and an aggressive attitude. It made me who I am today. Your mentors helped make you who you are too and you are an amazing success story.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up with Robbie and Oscar, I had humbling friends. If you\u2019re being a dick or you\u2019re acting big headed, you would get checked quickly. With my friends outside of the skatepark, hanging out with one of the gangs in Pedro, I was always skating and they knew me as a skater. Being a kid, getting into trouble sounded like fun. I feel like a lot has changed now when I see kids complaining about small fry stuff like iPhones and technology. I remember when the iPhone came out and it was nuts. My friends Jacob and Johnny and Joe and Fidel used to be in the 9th Street Nina boys crew and I learned a lot from them. I learned what to do, what not to do, what to say and what not to say. I was drinking and smoking weed and just waiting for something to happen. I would talk here and there, but I was pretty quiet most of the time, even at Channel when I was young. I was listening to older people talk. You stay quiet, when you\u2019re a young age, and you listen and embrace everything that\u2019s being said in front of you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful for everything that has ever been done for me in skateboarding. I can only keep moving forward and progressing on board and getting positive words out in the world telling the next generation that nothing is impossible.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
FS ROCK, SAN PEDRO. PHOTO \u00a9 ACOSTA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love how you paid attention when you were young, because I paid attention too. I wanted to honor the code and respect my elders. I had a father that told me to embrace those people and learn from them, but also push it to a whole other level with my own flavor and style and ideas and dreams. Now I want to be a stand-up man, like the veteranos who tell kids, \u201cYou can still be cool and ride a  motorcycle and get tattoos, but you don\u2019t have to participate in illegal activity.\u201d It\u2019s a hustler\u2019s life and it\u2019s hard to give it up. I got into it and I was thrill seeking for 10 years, running from cops, and I thought I was having a great time. That\u2019s the romance of criminal activity. Now I\u2019m a dad to four boys and I want them to dream dreams and succeed and not get peer pressured into living a hard life. My prison experience taught me respect. It\u2019s the code of dealing with the streets. The Nina boys raised you and that was kind of like a school for you and taught you a lot.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

100%. Growing up in Pedro, I remember one of the older homies telling me, \u201cFear will fade. You can\u2019t be hesitant.\u201d If you feel the need to do something at that very moment, do it. The minute you hesitate, and somebody sees that, it goes bad. When I was a young kid, there was really no hesitation in doing anything. Even now, there\u2019s no hesitation. If you hesitate doing something, other frictions happen. I catch myself telling my little brother, \u201cDon\u2019t be hesitant about doing something. That fear will fade as you get older. Just don\u2019t push it too fast. You\u2019re still a kid. Enjoy your life. You think school is the hardest thing in your life right now, but that is the easiest thing you have to do in your life. Listen to what mom and dad tell you and just have fun right now. Don\u2019t let this life slip through your fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. I grew up in a skatepark and that\u2019s where I got my friends and that propelled me. It\u2019s similar to you and the crew at Channel Street because there\u2019s so much pride and investment into a DIY. Now it\u2019s accepted by the city and it\u2019s amazing what you all have done to push it through with all of the hard work and dedication to your spot and community. That\u2019s a huge story not only for San Pedro. It\u2019s huge for all of skateboarding. Now you and I are teammates on Vans, so we get to travel together and I got to watch you grow up. I saw how you have approached competitions, sponsorships and your community. I noticed Robbie too and he\u2019s a cool kid and he\u2019s always respectful. One thing about Robbie is his style. It\u2019s so refreshing to see. I bet you got some of your style from Robbie Russo. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. My style and skating came from Oscar Navarro and Robbie Russo. I always liked skating pools and I\u2019ve always been a fan of Peter Hewitt and Pete the Ox too. I had a lot of dudes that I looked up to, but the way that Robbie flowed on his board and the way that Oscar flowed on his board and the way that Peter Hewitt and Pete the Ox rode their boards, it\u2019s nuts. It\u2019s so trippy. I think Channel Street creates different skateboarders. I believe, if you can skate Channel Street, you can skate literally anything. I\u2019ve seen some of the best skaters in the world come here and have a hard time skating this park. They don\u2019t know the lines, so it\u2019s hard to keep speed. Every wall is different and the coping is different. Watching Robbie\u2019s lines and the tricks that he does and how he flows through this park, it\u2019s really a blessing to the eye. It\u2019s the same thing with Oscar Navarro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy style and skating came from Oscar Navarro and Robbie Russo. I always liked skating pools and I\u2019ve always been a fan of Peter Hewitt and Pete the Ox too.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. We grew up going to backyard pools and riding shallow ends and gnarly coping and the challenge was who can rip. It was heckling and pushing each other to be able to ride the worst terrain. When we were down in Venice building quarter pipes to walls with eight or nine feet of vert, our deal was to try to get to the top. We grew up in a park where we had perfect pools and we were entering contests and we were skating vert ramps with perfect tranny. In between that, we were going to skate ditches and jacked up ramps. Those were the places we honed our skills and skated something difficult. I can totally relate to what you\u2019re saying. If you could skate Channel Street, you could skate anything. I remember us going into arenas where they had set up jump ramps and wal rides and then Gonz and Natas and Guerrero came in with street tricks and kickflips. Tom Knox did the kickflip wall ride and I was like, \u201cThis is the future.\u201d It was rad because it was a whole other way of skateboarding and it was a challenge. I may have won a lot of Streetstyle competitions but, I could see the innovation of the skaters coming up after us and bringing the future of street skating tricks to the streets. You\u2019re one of my favorite tranny skaters, but I watched a video where you said, \u201cEverybody thinks I\u2019m just a tranny skater.\u201d To me, that\u2019s the challenge. We push ourselves to go beyond what we can do. I see what you guys are doing at Channel Street, and I may not have the quick muscles that I used to have, but I want to go down there and try some lines and see what you guys do in person. Channel Street is gnarly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. I take my hat off to street skaters too. They are in a whole other world. I find myself pumping on the flat if I\u2019m about to boardslide a rail. I pump the flat right before I try to hop on a rail and that makes it much more comfortable for me, like I\u2019m skating tranny. It reminds me of getting ready to go for a trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I totally relate with that because I get connected with the board when I do that little quick turn into position. It\u2019s like I\u2019m getting ready to attack and I have to make sure my feet are in the right spot.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly. I\u2019ve skated some hard-to-skate parks. Washington Street is definitely not easy to skate and FDR is not easy to skate and Burnside is not easy to skate. The fact that I see some heavy hitter skaters coming down to Channel and having a hard time that actually makes me happy because we\u2019re falling into the category of DIY skateparks that are hard to skate. Once you get it down, you can find good lines. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s so unique about all of these DIY skate parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those places are proving grounds. Hats off to Red and Monk and all of the guys who paved the way. It is so inspiring what they\u2019ve done for skateboarding. It kept tranny skaters going and careers were revived because of guys like you and Tony Trujillo and all the hardcore tranny kids. It made transition skating really exciting, and kids and companies recognized that this is a category of skateboarding that we need to honor. Give it up for the DIYs that made a platform for you to express yourselves, and congrats to you all for pushing through and making it happen. Pedro Barros was a huge part of pushing transition skateboarding too with the no pads generation. That brought a whole different flavor of skateboarding. I\u2019m so stoked for Channel Street and its influences of Burnside, FDR and Washington Street, and the guys that built those DIYs and invested hard work. The guys at Channel Street put in work and poured the cement and did it for the love of what they love to do because I\u2019m sure there was not a big payday in it for them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. It was just a love for skateboarding. They just wanted to build their own spot where they can skate and do their own thing and be in their own element and invite people to join them as well. You get your kooks here and there, but kooks gotta skate too. I come across some crazy people under the bridge, and there are unique human beings in our domain, but that\u2019s what this atmosphere brings. It\u2019s like Grosso said, \u201cIt brings the freaks and geeks of the skateboarding world.\u201d It\u2019s rad that it brings people together. You see the hard work in these guys\u2019 eyes and in the words that they say and how they say it. Parents are bringing their kids under a bridge under the 110 Freeway to come and skate this park. When the skatepark wasn\u2019t here, it was just a parking lot and it was the last place you\u2019d ever want your kids to be. It was an illegal skatepark that has been made legitimate and now you see families down here having a good time and creating memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
CHANNEL STREET. PHOTO BY SAM MULLER \u00a9 COURTESY OF DICKIES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s where dreams are born and made. There came a point where you had a gnarly knee injury. When that happened, all I could think about is how calm you were. You said, \u201cIt\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019m good. Just call an ambulance.\u201d That clip resonates with me because of your tenacity of dealing with stuff. What were your thoughts when it happened and how did you overcome that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it happened, I thought I smacked my face. I was like, \u201cDamn. I really took a slam.\u201d When I tried to stand up, my knee kind of caved in and I\u2019m like, \u201cI\u2019ve never felt that before.\u201d That\u2019s when I rolled up my pants and saw my knee caved in and you can hear my buddy Alvin going, \u201cOh, no, no, no! I was like, \u201cDamn. I broke my kneecap.\u201d In my head, I was like, \u201cWell, there\u2019s nothing I can do about it right now. I\u2019m not gonna freak out. I\u2019m just gonna relax and let this day pan out and we\u2019ll just see what the doctor says. What popped into my head is that the same thing happened to Omar Salazar on a Spitfire trip years earlier. I remember seeing his reaction and he was in so much pain. He was screaming, \u201cMy career is over!\u201d When I did it to myself, I remember Robbie Russo coming up to me and I told him, \u201cHey, man, if this is the end for me, and I can never skate again, just know that I gave it my all. If I\u2019m going out, this is exactly the way I would want to be going out \u2013 doing a trick that I love.\u201d Little Rob shut me down 100%. He was like, \u201cBro, don\u2019t even talk like that. Don\u2019t trip. This is just a chapter that\u2019s beginning and you\u2019re gonna figure it out. You\u2019re gonna write your own path. You\u2019re going to be good.\u201d I was like, \u201cFuck it.\u201d Everybody was freaking out, but Robbie kept me calm. I\u2019m like, \u201cEveryone please just relax and chill out.\u201d The ambulance gets there and the paramedic guy falls down the quarter pipe trying to get down to me. I was like, \u201cSomebody call an ambulance for the paramedic too.\u201d Everyone started laughing and he got back up. He\u2019s like, \u201cNo. I\u2019m okay.\u201d He smacked his face and it was gnarly, but he got up and he was super calm. Then they got me on the gurney and took me to the hospital. The day before this I got in an argument with my lady and we didn\u2019t talk at all that day. When I was on the way to the hospital, I texted my mom, \u201cI broke my kneecap. I\u2019m on my way to the hospital and will explain more when we get there.\u201d So we get to the hospital and the two people that I see as we are pulling in are my mom and my girlfriend. I looked at my girlfriend and I was like, \u201cI\u2019m sorry about the argument that we had. I\u2019m so happy to see you. I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here for me and my mom too.\u201d Then the lady came in and I was like, \u201cWhat\u2019s up doctor? What are we looking at?\u201d She\u2019s like, \u201cWell, you broke your patella in a couple of places. You snapped it in half, and you have two more pieces that are broken in half and then you have a couple of little shatters around the kneecap, but those are going to be hard to put back together.\u201d I was like, \u201cAll right, well, that sounds horrible.\u201d She said, \u201cI think it\u2019s gonna take you about a year to heal.\u201d I was like, \u201cOh, that\u2019s not that bad.\u201d In my head. I\u2019m like, \u201cDamn.\u201d Then I was like, \u201cAll right, it is what it is. I can\u2019t change anything. I have to move forward and roll with the punches.\u201d So they got my leg straight and I went home and just sat there in silence. A bunch of my friends came over for an hour and then left. My lady was like, \u201cDo you need anything?\u201d I said, \u201cI\u2019m just going to sit here and think for a while and calm myself down.\u201d I sat there for probably three and a half hours in silence thinking. From there, the doctor was like, \u201cWe\u2019re going to do surgery in two days.\u201d So we did the surgery and the doctor was very good with my knee. She was like, \u201cWe\u2019re going to put some metal on your kneecap and run some bone tape as an x. We\u2019re going to lay it on your kneecap so that it holds it tight and we\u2019ll put it back together.\u201d After the surgery was over, we\u2019re heading home and I\u2019m like, \u201cWhen do I start physical therapy?\u201d They said, \u201cYou\u2019ll start in a month or two.\u201d Immediately after I messed my knee up, it was on social media, and everybody was calling me. Phelper called me and was like, \u201cHow are you doing? What\u2019s the doctor saying? How long is it gonna take to heal?\u201d I said, \u201cThey said a year.\u201d He goes, \u201cThat\u2019s not a year. Don\u2019t trip. You got this.\u201d I said, \u201cI\u2019m not worried. I\u2019m just looking forward.\u201d Then I completely changed my whole demeanor. I stopped drinking alcohol and quit smoking cigarettes two months prior to that. I was smoking weed and I stopped everything. I stopped eating bread and rice and  red meat. I completely cut off all these things. I was thinking of anything I could do to heal myself quicker. They gave me a year window to heal, but I came back in four and a half months. My lady would wake up before she went to work and make me a smoothie with all this crazy stuff in it like bone broth and greens and I would drink that every day. Omar Salazar said, \u201cTake glucosamine for your knee. Take BoneUp for your bones. Take fish oil to reduce swelling.\u201d I still take those to this day and I take Turmeric now. I changed my life completely. I remember, when I had first started to walk again, I sent Phelper a video and I was like, \u201cI\u2019m walking, old man.\u201d I had a brace around my knee, and the brace helped me with the degrees I could bend my knee and would stop me at a certain point. Jake was like, \u201cThat\u2019s right. Keep that strong mentality. Weak-minded men don\u2019t heal as quickly as strong-minded men. Keep your mind in a strong, positive mindset and you can overcome anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Channel Street creates different skateboarders. I believe, if you can skate Channel Street, you can skate literally anything.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The story of how you overcame your injury is powerful. I\u2019ve only broken one bone in my body and it was in 1983 on a Thrasher tour. I broke my arm and I healed quickly, but I had a pin in my arm. A year later, I went back to the same ramp to do that trick. I remember climbing up the ramp and my knees were shaking and I fought through it and did it first try. Then I threw my board and kicked the side of the ramp and said, \u201cTake that!\u201d Did you have that feeling when you did your first air on that wall? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started skating, the first thing that I did is I went to Peck Park and did that backside air that I fucked myself up on. I wasn\u2019t supposed to, but they said I could start rolling around and learn how to find my balance again. Immediately, I threw on a kneepad and went to Peck Park and did the backside air and then I skated home. My intentions were to go do this backside air and call it a day and go home and relax and watch some TV and that\u2019s what I did. I was so tired of being hurt. Before I went and did the backside air, I was watching Cardiel on Epicly Later\u2019d when he got hurt and what he had to go through. I would listen to the way that Cardiel spoke and I was putting myself in a totally different mindset. It\u2019s so hard to explain. I was a completely different person. I was not giving up. I had a Vans video part that I had to finish with Geoff Rowley and Pedro Barros and there were some comments on the Internet like, \u201cThis fool isn\u2019t going to finish his part. He\u2019s giving up. He\u2019s done.\u201d In my head, I\u2019m like, \u201cFuck that. I\u2019m not giving up on anything. I\u2019m not giving up on myself.\u201d I wanted to prove people wrong. I wanted to prove myself wrong. I wasn\u2019t gonna let this destroy me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naysayers fueled the fire for you to go and accomplish your goals. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turned me into a different person. I don\u2019t try to let pride blind my eyes because pride is like the hardest thing you could have and the hardest thing you could lose. I think it was more coming from my soul. I was like, \u201cFuck these negative comments. That is not going to change me!\u201d If it didn\u2019t change me before I got hurt, it\u2019s not going to change me after. I\u2019m going to show everybody that this is what I can do and I\u2019m going to do it 10 times better than I ever thought I could. That was the drive. There\u2019s a certain negativity that you drive off of and there\u2019s certain negativity that nobody likes to hear. When people talk about your abilities and what they think you can do, they don\u2019t know anything. They don\u2019t know what I go through on a day-to-day basis. They don\u2019t know my mindset, but I\u2019m going to show them what I\u2019m capable of doing after this injury. That was the whole drive that I put into that part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heckling that we would do with each other on the ramp or at the pool or at the skatepark always motivated us. Today, I look at skaters skating with each other and you don\u2019t see a lot of heckling because they think it\u2019s disrespectful. If I see somebody has something going and I can help them refine their ability to learn a trick, I\u2019ll interject. That kind of heckling can help. I grew up with that kind of push. It was encouragement in our day. That was how the fire was and it continually stoked our lives to not stop pushing it. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. I got that from little Rob and Oscar and Phelper too. Rob and Oscar would destroy me if I didn\u2019t land a trick that they landed. I\u2019m like, \u201cFuck that. I\u2019m going to show you that I can do it.\u201d I remember when I was trying to do this trick and Jake was like, \u201cWe\u2019re not in San Pedro anymore. Let\u2019s see what you got.\u201d I remember hearing him say that, I was like, \u201cFuck this. I\u2019m gonna land my trick.\u201d There\u2019s a gap to noseblunt that I was trying in Ecuador and Phelper was talking so much shit to me. He was like, \u201cWe had to drive two hours here for you not to make it and blow it.\u201d I was like, \u201cIf I land this, I\u2019m going to punch you in the face!\u201d That\u2019s the one that I made. We all know Phelper. Rest in peace to the master. He was trickling his way back to the van, and I saw him and he was like, \u201cWhat are you gonna do now? You gonna punch an old man in the face?\u201d I was like, \u201cOh, now you want to use your age as a cop out. Of course not, but thanks for being a dick and helping me out. I appreciate it.\u201d He goes, \u201cAlways, kid. You know what we live. You know what we do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
EGGPLANT AT CHANNEL ST. PHOTO BY SAM MULLER \u00a9 COURTESY OF DICKIES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the end of that video, Jake says, \u201cIt\u2019s about skating with your friends. If you don\u2019t have that, go to fuckin\u2019 Best Buy and shop for a shovel and go out there in the bushes and dig a hole and get in.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. He was such a heavy personality. Little Rob is the same way. I still heckle from time to time. I\u2019m not trying to psych my friends out, but I don\u2019t want my friends to punk out either because I know what my friends can do. It\u2019s amazing what skateboarders can do. Don\u2019t take it as disrespect. Take it as fuel for the fire. It\u2019s tough love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoke the fire. This is extraordinary stuff.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried to hug Phelper and the dude punched me in the chest. He\u2019s like, \u201cMen don\u2019t hug after you land a trick. That shit should not be happening.\u201d He punched me in the chest hard, and I was like, \u201cOkay.\u201d Years later, I landed a trick and he came up for a hug and I gave him a good shot to the gut. I was like, \u201cRemember grown men don\u2019t hug. Just pay respect and we\u2019ll move on.\u201d He was like, \u201cYeah, right. Kiss me.\u201d [laughs] I\u2019ve had so many altercations with Phelper like that since I was a young kid. A lot of dudes shied away from him. The Hell Ride crew was different. It was anarchy and that fire is still there. I was so young when I started coming around Phelper, Raney, Pat, Grant, John Alden, Preston and all those dudes. It was different and people shied away from Jake like, \u201cHe\u2019s being an asshole right now. He\u2019s always drunk these days.\u201d I would never push myself away from Jake. I would ask him questions and I was so curious and I wanted to know how he grew up and the things that he had to go through. He would tell me crazy stories and it was sick because Jakehad no filter. I loved that. He didn\u2019t care what he said or how he said it. One time, I remember, we were deep in a conversation and one of the sickest tranny skaters comes up and goes, \u201cWhat\u2019s up, Jake?\u201d Jake said, \u201cHey, man, I\u2019m talking to Ronnie. Go fuck yourself. Get out of here.\u201d It was like raw skateboarding back in the day where you could say and do whatever you wanted without repercussions. I\u2019m not saying that we were saying anything like hatred or putting people down or discriminating against anybody. It was just that raw skateboarding mentality and that tough love type deal. I\u2019ll give you your props when you earn your props. You let your skateboarding do the talking for you. That stuck with me, because that\u2019s how it is. If I meet a skateboarder and they rip and their style is insane and they do the gnarliest tricks, but they have bad morals or an ugly heart, I do not give a damn about how good they are. That\u2019s how Phelper was, even though he was such an asshole. He weeded out those people. It\u2019s funny. He had this crazy radar. Everything that he told me about how he viewed skateboarding and where we need to be and what we need to do has stuck with me. He didn\u2019t hold back and he had a vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one thing for sure. He loved skateboarding.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

100%. He loved it with a passion. He would never stop and he would never give up on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
LEFT PAGE: FS TRUCK BASH, SAN PEDRO. PHOTO \u00a9 ACOSTA. RIGHT PAGE: FS ROCK, SAN PEDRO. PHOTO \u00a9 ACOSTA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yes. Rest in peace, Jake. It was tough to deal with Jake\u2019s loss, and the loss of Grosso and Mark Hubbard and P-Stone. I watched the P-Stone Cup and I saw the love for those guys. You were skating for your fallen soldiers. When people pass on, we get together and love each other and that\u2019s what you guys did at Lower Bob\u2019s. That was special. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That event is always magical every year. My friends know me well and I will literally destroy myself for those who can\u2019t do it anymore. When you get put in that mindset, you\u2019re skating that park for Monk, and Jake and Preston and Hammeke. It\u2019s for all of our fallen soldiers. It\u2019s a session that you can never duplicate. You can only take it in as much as you can while you\u2019re there and watch the skating and then wait until next year for the magic to happen again. It\u2019s trippy and it\u2019s a totally different vibe. Whenever I go there, I\u2019m like, \u201cDamn, this person is here and this person is here and this person is here. It\u2019s about to go off today.\u201d I get super hyped and I can\u2019t wait to skate. Then you take your runs and you get tired, but the vibe of all these guys keeps your energy up and your blood pumping super gnarly. That\u2019s what hypes me up 100%. It doesn\u2019t even feel like a contest. It feels like one gnarly session. They\u2019ll call it at the end of the day, like this person got this and this person got that but, in my eyes, due to everybody there supporting Preston and his family and Jake and all of our fallen soldiers, it\u2019s more than just getting a trophy. It\u2019s all love and respect. I\u2019m hyped on the people that make the trophies too. The first time I went there I got first and I got a trash can trophy with a skateboard in it, wheels spinning. Pedro Barros got the Widowmaker and I believe Max Schaaf made that. I was like, \u201cI love my trophy, but I will trade you my trophy for that Widowmaker because it came from Max, and it was him and Phelper\u2019s ramp.\u201d I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s a one in a million piece. Don\u2019t ever lose that. Keep that close forever.\u201d I\u2019m a weirdo like that. Even skating pools, when a piece of tile flies off from a grind, it\u2019s a trophy I keep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. I feel sentimental about a lot of things. I\u2019ve kept so much stuff, like boards I\u2019ve ridden. I\u2019ve got tiles from Marina, and all the local spots that we cared about, and everything reminds me of moments that I never want to forget. It sparks memories, like seeing a photo. I\u2019m so glad we had photographers like Hammeke, rest in peace. He was an amazing guy. Mark Waters was another guy who took photos and supported skateboarding. Those guys are definitely included in the fallen soldiers. We loved Grosso too and miss him. I saw him loving guys like you and really fighting for the underdogs. At the end, he really did speak out to make things happen like the Vans Park Series. Tell me what you thought of Grosso. I know you guys had a tight relationship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. Grosso was a different type of human with his outlook on skating. We had great conversations skating together. I was thinking about that the other day too. He always fought for the underdog. He was always the one to say, \u201cThere\u2019s something special about this dude, and you guys need to take the time to figure out what that is.\u201d I was bummed when I heard about his passing and I know that his spirit lives on through his son. Oliver looks just like him and it\u2019s nuts hearing him talk. I feel like he\u2019s gonna grow into that voice that his father had. I\u2019m glad that the Love Letters are still around, because those will live on. Jeff and I would laugh about the stupidest things. I could be myself around Jeff and say anything with no judgment. He was always real about how he felt and how his life was. He\u2019s like, \u201cYou could do this, but the outcome is this. Do you want that outcome? Live through my mistakes and take my word into consideration.\u201d There was no holding back with him and I loved that about him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
LEFT PAGE: CHANNEL STREET. PHOTO BY SAM MULLER \u00a9 COURTESY OF DICKIES. RIGHT PAGE: EGGPLANT AT CHANNEL ST. PHOTO BY SAM MULLER \u00a9 COURTESY OF DICKIES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your My War video was an insane battle to see you go through. I always look at the tenacity that it takes to overcome battles. It\u2019s not just the landing of the trick. It\u2019s how you work to get to that moment. I loved when you said, \u201cIf I don\u2019t do this, I\u2019m gonna quit skateboarding.\u201d You went from level to level of confidence to never giving up. Watching that battle and then hearing comments from Roman Pabich and Geoff Rowley, it was icing on the cake. You\u2019ve been through so much and you\u2019re doing it. Phelper said, \u201cIf skating gets too scary for you, go do something else.\u201d You mentioned that and it says a lot about how you\u2019ve learned to dig deep.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. Honestly, I wasn\u2019t sleeping at all because I went and checked it out. I jumped down it and I was like, \u201cI really just fucked myself. This is nuts. I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m gonna do this.\u201d I was just dwelling on this trick. I told myself, \u201cIf I don\u2019t do this trick, I\u2019m gonna quit.\u201d I told Rye and he kind of laughed. I was like, \u201cNo. I\u2019m serious. If I can\u2019t get myself to do this trick and get past it and put it behind me and conquer it, I\u2019m honestly going to quit skating. I\u2019ll just get a regular job and figure it out.\u201d He was shocked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means you are making it because you\u2019re not quitting skateboarding.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. Being up there on that rooftop, I had so many different emotions, trying the trick and bailing and going back up there. I was like, \u201cWhat am I doing wrong? Should I ollie into it? Should I just do a boneless?\u201d I was having a mental breakdown on top of this rooftop on a church. I was like, \u201cWhat the hell did I get myself into? It was nuts. It was such a crazy feeling. I didn\u2019t want to quit skating, so there was only one way to get it over with and that was rolling away. Finally, after 20 some slams, I tightened my trucks a little more. I thought, \u201cMaybe this will help.\u201d Then I ran back up there. I remember telling them, \u201cYou guys, I\u2019m over it. I don\u2019t want to do this.\u201d I\u2019d heard that somebody else wanted to do it. I\u2019m like, \u201cThat guy can do it. I can\u2019t beat myself up anymore.\u201d I tightened my trucks and I ran back up there. I was standing up there like, \u201cThis one is for Phelper.\u201d I thought, \u201cI\u2019m going to give it my all and I\u2019m just not gonna fall off my board.\u201d It was heavy. It was a different mindset being in it. It\u2019s hard to explain when you\u2019re past the point of no return. All skateboarders know when you\u2019re at that point where it\u2019s all or nothing. It\u2019s a crazy feeling, I cried after that because there was so much emotion and I was in so much pain. Rye didn\u2019t put that in the video thank God because that moment was just for me and the people that were there. It was a full cry session after. There was so much air falling off that roof. Every time, rolling off that roof, it was like, \u201cI\u2019m on the bank now and I am coming towards the bottom. I\u2019m going so fast. Now I\u2019m on the floor, just sliding.\u201d You know what trips me out? What I felt after rolling away from that bank is that most people in this world will never feel that feeling. It\u2019s nuts. It was the best feeling I ever felt in my life at that time. It was insane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That should encourage people to seek that feeling, especially skateboarders that are gifted at skateboarding, but don\u2019t push through the battle. People can be great skaters, but never have that sheer determination and then accomplishment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. It\u2019s one in a million. Whatever feeling you get on your board battling a trick, once you land it, that reward is not getting the trick. It\u2019s that feeling after all this weight got lifted off your shoulders. You\u2019re like, \u201cOh my god, I\u2019m so glad that is over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved that moment. This interview has been awesome. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re proud of your community, and pushing through to get Channel Street legal. You also put in blood, sweat, tears and broken bones at Peck Park. Are there any words that you want to say about those spots and your family and friends and sponsors?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. Thank you to everybody that\u2019s ever supported me and thanks to Channel Street 100%. Thanks to my parents, my dad, Mike, my dad, Felipe, and my mom, Martha. Thanks to my brothers and sisters and all my friends. Thanks to my friends from the neighborhood on 9th Street. You looked out for me when I was younger and always had my back. It was the same thing with Oscar Navarro and Robbie Russo. They always looked out for me and always had my back. Thanks to my sponsors for believing in me and letting me travel the world with you, and showing me all this love and respect. I\u2019m grateful for everything that has ever been done for me in skateboarding, on and off the board. I can only keep moving forward and progressing on board and getting positive words out in the world telling the next generation that nothing is impossible. Don\u2019t give up on your dreams and don\u2019t let people tell you that you can\u2019t do something. Everybody has talent. You literally just have to dig, dig, dig and dig and dig until you find it. Sometimes people find their talents super easy and, for some people, it\u2019s a journey. Thanks to all my TMs too. I\u2019m super grateful for the life that I live. God bless them all and God bless the unfortunate too that are going through hard times. As much of a hardass as I come off as in person, I do have my moments, but I\u2019m hoping that everybody out there is thriving and moving forward and doing good by yourself and your family. Treat your body as a temple because you\u2019ve only got one body and you\u2019ve got to love yourself more than others love you. There are so many words that are unsaid nowadays. I don\u2019t want people to get soft, but I also don\u2019t want the love to die out because love is everything. Love, compassion, dedication, common courtesy, respect and loyalty is everything. Before I go to bed, and when I wake up, I thank God for the days that I get to live and the nights that I get to sleep. Thank you to everybody I\u2019ve ever had a good moment or a bad moment or a weird and awkward moment with. Thank you for giving me the time of day in this life. Thanks to all my sponsors too. Without them, I wouldn\u2019t be able to get these words out to the world and provide for my family. At 26, I\u2019ve seen places in the world and I\u2019ve done so many things and I wouldn\u2019t change anything. Just keep that fire lit. I don\u2019t ever want to miss out on anything. I\u2019m happy where I am today and who I am today with my daughter and my girlfriend and my family. I\u2019m happy to have all of it right in front of me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, ORDER ISSUE #79 AT THE JUICE SHOP\u2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RONNIE SANDOVAL INTERVIEW BY CHRISTIAN HOSOI PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY ACOSTA AND SAM MULLER HOSOI: Ronnie, I have my favorite skaters that I get inspired from and you\u2019re one of them. You\u2019re a humble cat and your style of skating and how you live your life is inspirational. It is truly an honor to do this interview […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95003,"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-94997","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\/2023\/09\/RonnieSandoval_FSRock_SanPedroCa_2021_Acosta.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94997","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=94997"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95418,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94997\/revisions\/95418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juicemagazine.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}