Name: Wyatt Wisenbaker
Hometown: Chesapeake, Virginia
Age: 14
Sponsors: Wave Riding Vehicles, Cockfight Skateboards, Ace Trucks, Speedlab Wheels, Burly Caps, Black Flys Eyewear, Globe shoes, S1 helmets, and Rockstar Bearings.
What set-up are you riding right now? Board, trucks, wheels, grip, hardware…
Adam Wiggins Cockfight Skateboard, Speedlab Vapor wheels, Ace trucks, Fly Paper Griptape, Randoms Alien hardware and Rockstar bearings.
What’s the most fun skater-built or renegade spot that you’ve skated lately?
Hands down WSVT.
Have you ever built something to skate?
Yes, a few years ago I built a mini ramp. It was about four feet tall and eight feet wide. Unfortunately, the city made us tear it down within the first two months of skating it.
Who do you like to skate with these days?
I like to skate with anyone who is skating and getting rad, but I prefer to skate with my mentors who skated in the ‘80s. They just bring the stoke and history to the session.
Best skate graphic you have seen lately?
The Eddie “Spaghetti” model by Cockfight skateboards. To me, this graphic embodies the essence of skateboarding. It is simple and it depicts the fun and best times in skateboarding. It goes back to the era of simply barging a pool and skating for fun.
Best thing you’ve skated in a skatepark?
Probably my favorite thing to skate in skateparks are snake runs. They have so many lines and are so unique. The best one I have ever skated is the one at Arvada, Colorado.
Favorite skateboarders of all time?
It is hard to narrow it down to a few. I look up to so many people who all have contributed to skateboarding. To narrow it down would almost be a crime. I try to blend many styles to make my own, but when I do bonelesses, I try to emulate Phillips and, when I do frontside inverts, I try to emulate Caballero, just to name a couple. For favorite skater of today, I would say Ben Raybourn because of how different he skates and how he blends the new tricks and styles with the old. Plus, he just looks like he is having a good time skating.
Is there anything that hasn’t been built to skate yet that you’d like to see built?
A nice concrete park built closer to me, with a snake run. Haha.
Best road trip you ever took?
That’s a hard one. I love skating in California, but Texas is a lot more relaxed and everything is not a contest. Texas was the most fun trip I have ever been on.
Any skate-related charities you support?
I wouldn’t say any charities, but I have supported a lot of causes in 2010. I went to an event in northern Virginia to support a skater who had just lost the fight against cancer. I also purchased the Dave Tuck memorial board to help with his fight against cancer as well as the recent Eddie “Spaghetti” board.
What music have you been listening to?
A lot of Agent Orange, the Descendents, Black Flag, Bad Brains, Black Sabbath, Dead Kennedys, the Adolescents and the Ramones.
What do you consider the responsibilities of a professional skateboarder?
The only thing that any skater should do is have fun and skate as much as you can.
Which skate shops do you support most?
Wave Riding Vehicles. They started out as a surf shop in 1967 and, in the late 70’s, they opened up a skate shop in the back. Everyone who works there knows what they are talking about and skates themselves.
Favorite skate photo of all time?
I am partial to the East Coast because that is where I’m from. I love looking through old skate mags and seeing pictures of Trashmore, which has so much history. I especially like this photo of Billy Ruff doing a frontside invert. The photo was taken by Mofo. I also really like a photo of Chris Miller at the Hawk estate. That photo was taken by Mofo. He is on the vert extension in a smith. Skate photos are extremely important to the history of skateboarding because they capture the style of the skater and preserve that split second in time forever.
What is your take on girls skateboarding?
I think anyone who wants to skate should do it.
What skateboarding memorabilia do you have that means the most to you?
I have a third place trophy for a contest called “Get Rad for Ray,” which helped the Ray Underhill foundation. That was a really rad day.
Who contributes the most to your local skate scene?
I think everyone contributes a little to the over all scene and that is what makes it rad.
Top three favorite skate tricks?
Front side invert, Smith grinds and boneless.
Do you think skateboarding should be in the Olympics?
I have the most fun at backyard events with no competition. I’ll just leave it at that.
What is your proudest moment in skateboarding so far?
I broke my leg this summer, at a contest in Colorado and was out most of summer. I was super proud to work through that and come back stronger than before.
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…
