Pauly On The Pod
Pauly On The Pod
Skateboarding On Your Own Terms: Ryan King
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A skate career doesn’t always look like a sponsor check. Sometimes it looks like sleeping on floors, writing your first press release, herding a van full of strong personalities, and still showing up because you believe the scene matters. Ryan King is one of the behind the scenes builders who helped make Jacksonville skateboarding feel alive, starting with his jump from Pensacola to UNF and straight into the Flatline years. We talk about how a simple internship turns into real responsibility, what it took to pull off a sold out video premiere, and why local brands and local shops shape skaters more than any algorithm ever will.
Then the conversation turns personal. Ryan opens up about his son Sturgil’s juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a rare autoimmune disease that can hit out of nowhere and steal a kid’s ability to walk. We get into the fear of early misreads, the fight to find the right specialists, the reality of treatment, and what it means to ride the roller coaster of remission and flare ups. It’s heavy, but it’s also hopeful, especially when you hear how the skateboard community rallies and how skating becomes a source of strength for their whole family.
We also get into the stories that define an era: the legendary first Go Skateboarding Day in Jacksonville that went from positive news coverage to helicopters and chaos, plus tour life memories from New York to the Florida Keys. Finally, Ryan breaks down his move into action sports marketing at Red Bull as a field marketing manager and the process of pitching original events, including creating Red Bull Mind The Gap, a contest concept that’s still running years after he stepped away. If you care about skateboarding culture, community building, and doing creative work without losing the fun, this one’s for you.
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Cold Open And Meet Ryan King
SPEAKER_00This is Ryan Gane. You're listening to Polly and the Plato.
SPEAKER_01Everybody's your boy Paul. I got the one and only. Dr.
SPEAKER_02Jones, boy, boy.
SPEAKER_01And he's on the line with me. Of course he is because it's the Pauly on the Pod podcast. And we couldn't be more stoked to bring you this week's episode with the one and only Ryan King. One of my favorites again. AKA Ryan Kingaling, uh former TM for uh Flatline, for former TM for uh Square One. Um local filmmaker. Uh welcome to Wasserville. Hey man. Has been doing big things for a long time. Um super stoked to have him on. Uh good friend of the podcast, longtime homie of the doctor. Uh without further ado, uh here we go. The one and only Ryan King. All right, guys. Here, boy Polly. I got Hey, what's up, you Sky Wags? It's the Doctor. Hey, and we got Joey the Jalapino. Yo, what up? Newly upgraded to uh co-producer of the show. Okay, okay. Hey, Earnest Keep here and stepping his game up, and we got the man, the myth legend, the one and only.
SPEAKER_02Ryan King. Aka Ryan Kingling.
SPEAKER_00What's up, you guys? Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, man. Welcome to the show. Stoked to have you on, dude. It's uh we clearly have been running in the same circles for uh for a long time. For we've yet to meet, so it's a pleasure to finally meet. Likewise, yeah, yeah, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_02Uh Ryan, my name's Chris. I don't know if we've ever met before. Chris with the K, right? I think I heard something about that. Yeah, my mom wanted a daughter. Got pretty close, considering I have to sit down when I pee all the time now.
SPEAKER_01Oh man. Well, shit, man. Um, stoked to have you on. Um, you've obviously done so many things and had a pretty epic life up until this point. So we just want to uh get to know you a little better.
SPEAKER_02The epic news stopped as soon as children got involved. Yeah, dude.
SPEAKER_01That's honestly speaking as a father, that's where it all really begins. That's right. That's right. But no, let's uh let's let's talk about your uh life in skateboarding. When did it all start for you? Are you from Jacksonville originally? If so, where'd you go to school, etc. etc.
SPEAKER_00First board? So I am originally from Pensacola, Florida, and the panhandle. Um everybody in the neighborhood kind of had like the Veriflexes, the Nashes, so I think I had a couple of those around, you know, buttboarding down the driveway kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. What age do you think that came at? Uh young, you know, like 17.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, right. No, it's it's it's funny. I didn't really start trying till later, like probably around that age, but um probably six, seven years old, had the like little Christmas Walmart boards around, and but wasn't really taking it serious, was playing baseball. And there was actually a YMCA um adjacent to the baseball field that had like the sickiest, like 80s, like full-blown YMCA setup. Hell yeah. So I'd be in the outfield like watching everybody skate and like always been enamored by it, but I never really started skating and then um had like skateboard buddies in middle school, but was like kind of into surfing and sports and everything else. Word, word. Yeah, probably I was I was a late bloomer, man. Um, probably like high school, I started messing with it, but it was still like not really like going all the way in on it, still like scared to get hurt for surfing or whatever else. And then um, yeah, probably late high school, there was a uh Deep South skate park was built over there, a rad indoor park.
SPEAKER_02Um was it that's the one Mullen was talking about?
SPEAKER_00Mullen was I heard him talking about crown skateboards, so like he was saying
Pensacola Skate And Surf Beginnings
SPEAKER_00it was in that area in the panhandle at the time. So yeah, they did a bunch of contests over there, and I think Mullen and George and Joey and all those guys had actually come over for and Kendall had come over for some contests. So yeah, it had a it was a sick park, um, a huge part of building our scene back there because it's it's a small town, man. But um yeah, Pensacola is pretty small.
SPEAKER_01I worked in uh mobile for about two years.
SPEAKER_00That's like a hop, skip, and a jump. Yep, a lot of mobile dudes used to come over and skate that park, and the contest uh dudes would come from like Biloxi and New Orleans. Um yeah, Gulf Coast scene. So it was it was actually good at that time. Um, so that's kind of how I started getting into it. And as far as a first board, like real board, probably was like a shop deck from over there. Like uh the the two shops were it was kind of like how sunrise or something is here, um, surfslash skate shop. So cool, Interlight Skate Shop and Water Boys um over there. And yeah, I started working in the shop, and um kind of my deal was you know, I I love surfing, but like even to this day, I love it. But like it's so reliant on the tides, the wind. You have to time like 20 things up with skating, you just go skateboarding.
SPEAKER_01All of the planets have to align.
SPEAKER_00Exactly, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01That's honestly why I gravitated more towards skateboarding. Uh after moving here, being introduced to both. Like, my brother definitely gravitated more out of skating and was more of a surfer. Where I was like, Man, I can go to the park and the pool's 10 foot and peeling perfect every day as long as it's not raining, dude. I got no patience to sit out here and wait for a set or a storm in that mean.
SPEAKER_00Like, but so I yeah, I followed your path more. You know, I was I kind of surfed first and like fell into skating and realized like, whoa, skating, I can do this anytime. Like, I don't have to rely on anything. I mean, as long as it's not raining, you know. When did when did you uh move to Jacksonville? So UNF brought me over to Jacksonville. I did two years of uh the community college over there in Pensacola, and then last two years came over to UNF. Um, so it's probably like 2001-ish. Um never left, man. Been here a little more than half my life now, I guess. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's home. Yeah, same with me. I'm from Pittsburgh originally, but now I'm like, I would say I've got two homes, but I'm like, I mean, I've lived in Jacksonville for like 20 years now. Yeah. Same, same with me. I guess this is the home. Right, right. We got it somewhere in here, right? There we go, baby. There we go. I love it. Well, cool, man. When did you start surfing then? How old? Uh, so I mean, it's kind of hard on the golf there, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, see, that's that's a funny thing. You gotta wait for a storm. That's a funny thing, too. So, yeah, that was probably about um middle school. I had a buddy that actually this guy kind of got me into skating too. He um, middle school kid about two years older than me, so I looked up to him. You know, I was like sixth grade, he was eighth grade kind of thing, and um he was real into like all the good punk music and surf, skated, did the whole like 90s deal. And um, so started hanging with him. He I hitch rides to the beach and you know, skate the driveway with him. And yeah, he he was just that dude that was kind of in tune at that time to everything. He put me onto a bunch, sweet. Um, so yeah, that was kind of my start with surfing, and um, yeah, catch rides with him and his stepdad. And uh yeah, you're right, it's kind of funny like starting to surf somewhere like that because it's flat all the time.
SPEAKER_01All the time. It's like the uh you know, the antithesis when you think of someone who started surfing. So big ups to you because I've seen you post on your Instagram, man. You rip, you're just out in the wave pool recently, right? Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to bring that up actually. Fucking my guy's out here shredding. How old are you, Ryan? I am 40. I just turned 40 in December. Well, happy belated birthday. Thank you. Uh uh happy uh over the hill, I guess, if you will.
SPEAKER_09Yes, I feel like it's I'm 13.
SPEAKER_01So well, I'm closer to 38 now, so I'm like, you know? You're right here with me.
SPEAKER_00Life is getting better every day. Dude, I swear that's the thing, is like, I mean hold on.
SPEAKER_02Can we all play a game real quick and guess how old Joey is? Oh shit.
SPEAKER_00Oh man. I can't Joey, I can't tell, man. Like, I feel like I don't want to know what he can tell.
SPEAKER_01You might look younger than what you are. He might be 29, right?
SPEAKER_00He definitely looks young. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Got a youthful look.
SPEAKER_00You got a youthful look for sure.
SPEAKER_01That's good jeans. Good Jane's jeans. He's the missing link. Nobody knows what nationality is.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we'll we're gonna start doing this with all our guests, have them guess Joey's age, you won't tell my answer off air. Oh man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I didn't even throw a guess out there.
SPEAKER_02Take a number, dude. Pick a number. That's 22. All right, all right. Well, all right, we got we got our guess. We'll tell you afterwards. Okay, cool. We go on break because your dick's gonna be blown when you hear this shit.
SPEAKER_01All right, 84 years old. No, but anyway, man, uh so you know, surfing, grown up surfing, grown up skating. Um, clearly, you know, you you've had a pretty like involved life in skateboarding, right? I mean, you were team manager of uh of Flatline for a while. Yep. Um, those those boys are legends in this part of the town. For sure. You you ended up uh working in marketing with Red Bull, right?
SPEAKER_00That's right. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Interviewed or something with Vulcan, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So it all started Yeah, tell us tell us this journey. So it's it started with UNF, getting over at UNF, was in uh communications with like a marketing miner, um, and a a good buddy of mine, um, Sefton, a lot of people would know him from the surf world, um, was interning, doing his marketing internship with uh with Ryan and Joey for Flatline. Cool, cool. And um right after he's like, hey man, it's the those dudes are the best. Like you should totally you're more into skating than I am, you should definitely give these guys a shout about this internship. And around that time I had um I think right when I moved here, I kind of met George um because when I moved here, I I don't know if you guys know George Evans. George Evans, yeah. Shout out, shout out to George. Great shouts. Um we were living in that old beach um apartment complex, the Remington apart. A bunch of people probably know of it from the beach. Um George was living in there. I think Joey and Fink might have lived together in there at one time, but I kind of had met those dudes um just from there. And um so starting to like meet those guys a little bit, and then Sefton's like, dude, you gotta do this internship. Met Bo around that time, and so at the tail end of my internship, um, I helped with like my big project was putting together the flatline video premiere. So Bo was finishing the video, um, helped him with some of the music and co-producing stuff, like in a small capacity. But my big like end of semester project was that flatline video premiere putting it before it, yeah. Right, right. That's awesome. Yeah, so we did that, and it was uh it was a hit. It was at uh Freebird at the time and sold out, man. You guys remember how big the capacity on that place was, I think.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, were you were you there?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was there. Yeah, I wasn't there.
SPEAKER_02No, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_00I think we turned people away, man. It was like that big. Yeah, it was like it was it was big enough that I think it was so packed that people ended up being turned away. Like it was it was insane. Yeah, it was it was it was crowded. It was backwards.
SPEAKER_02Very mean fellow flicking me on my forehead.
SPEAKER_01I remember having that feeling of being like, God damn it, skateboarding is alive and well in this time, right?
SPEAKER_00It was awesome. Yeah, that was that was definitely a a high point. Um, so that went well, and I was super enthusiastic, and it was it was just great timing, you know. It was uh funny, you know, hearing Bo. Um, because he was kind of at the tail end, you know, he was having to work multiple jobs at the time, I think, and he was kind of in a position where he had to transition out. And here I am, this you know, green young college kid that uh you know doesn't have to get paid a ton or anything. And so it was just perfect timing, I think, for everybody.
UNF Move And Flatline Career Start
SPEAKER_00So I took over where Bo left off, and um, you know, Ryan and I just hit it off, I think.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah. Yeah, shout out to Ryan Cory.
SPEAKER_00Ryan Corey, man, one of the one of the best ever out of this town.
SPEAKER_01Solid good dude. Yeah, yeah, it was kind of funny because I was walking out of the gas station earlier and I seen a little old lady getting into her like little mid-size like hybrid SUV minivan thing. Right, with the auto line plate on the pile. That's right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they're everywhere. They're boys, they didn't shoot, they damn sure did. Good for me. Yeah, it was it was funny listening to uh Bo talk about the um, you know, the the first iteration of autoline, you know, the trailer. Um because he's exactly right. Like, you know, even after Bo was doing it, I moved into that little office and we had this little 10 by 10 closet with you know just boards and t-shirts, and I had like whatever old Dell uh desktop computer, and yeah, we were doing it on it. Dude got a Dell. Yeah, and then it then moved out.
SPEAKER_02Moved from out of Hey Joey, can you look up Dell on there real quick for us, please?
SPEAKER_00Moved out of the trailer and uh was working out of Ryan's house so I could spread out a little more. Um, and it was just me and his uh you guys probably remember his dog Otto, the Rottweiles. Oh, yeah, I remember that. Yeah, we had a board graphic with him on it. Yeah, that dog was the best, but um yeah, man, those are those were the the best times, and that was like kind of the launch pad for my career and not just skateboarding but marketing in general.
SPEAKER_01Hell yeah. Right on, right on. Um so after that, did you work for Volcum?
SPEAKER_00I never did, so we did a lot with uh Daniel Terry. Um, I'm sure a lot of people around town know him as well, just because he's worked with Volcum from like day one. He helped Mike Peterson a lot um in the early days.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he's got uh he's got the tattoo around his arm of like a necklace with like a shark tooth.
SPEAKER_00I I don't know what tattoos he has or doesn't have. I don't I don't recall him even having any tattoos, but he's um I sold him weed back in the day of the same guy. Putting him on black. But Daniel, yeah, he's a legend. He uh he was like a sponsored surfer coming up here um for Vulcan.
SPEAKER_02Oh that Daniel. Yeah, yeah, Daniel. Daniel Terry, yeah, he's he's been around.
SPEAKER_00Not not that guy. Yeah, not the other guy with the chat. But yeah, Daniel, um, he's been around forever, lifetime achievement kind of a guy from Volcum from day one. And um, I think he just saw some of the grassroots stuff I had helped us do with Flatline and you know took a chance on me and pushed for me for this um I think it was like an assistant skate brand manager job, and um it came down between me and one person and um doesn't work there anymore?
SPEAKER_02Probably not.
SPEAKER_00No, it's funny, but I I totally kooked it, man. I was working, so this was after Flatline. Like for nine months I went to sell radio ads at Clear Channel Radio, and you know, obviously it wasn't my favorite thing in the world. But um I called in sick like on a Thursday, they flew me out like on a Thursday, like to Sunday kind of deal to like got to stay at the Volcum house, interview, like skate the the old warehouse park they had before. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so it was a great experience, and um, I think I got pretty close, but yeah, I was just like nervous as hell and kind of totally kooked it. Like I just remember just being like shaking and like I forget the big wig, like everyone would know his name, um like the main Volcum dude, but just being so nervous and yeah, it probably it all works out for for no, it wouldn't. I I actually stayed with Remy's brother Steve because Remy was like the main like head like skate guy. It was like a guy above that, like all of Volcum, like over the whole thing, not just skate, but so Remy and Steve were who I was kind of um staying with, and then it was whoever wanted the main, like just over the whole company. Um but yeah, it was a great experience, other than totally blowing the interview.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, I mean, that's that's part of living and learning doing it. I remember so many interviews being in there as nervous, cooking it out, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was nervous as hell. It it takes a while before you're like comfortable. I just like my daughter actually asked my oldest Lucy was like, if you could be, you know, any age for the rest of your life, what would it be? And then my wife was like, Oh, well, right now, I'm a couple years older than her. She's 34, so I was like, Yeah, actually thinking about it physically, I'd go 30. Mentally, I'd go currently. Right. If I could be any age for the rest of my life, I'm like, I feel like that combination right there, you know. So I think uh it takes a little experience, you know, to get to the point where you can walk into a room full of strangers and be like, for sure, this is me. Take me or love me, you know, hate me, doesn't matter, whatever. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Joey can you do us a solid pull-up picture of Paul 30?
SPEAKER_01Uh yeah, the big beard and uh was managing Kona.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, if I was going any age, I'd be 21 again.
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, because you're currently 30 with the hips of a 90-year-old. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, you know
Rallying Support For Medical Bills
SPEAKER_02what? Different paths, man. Different paths.
SPEAKER_01Yep, yep, different paths, which we'll take this time real quick to just remind everybody out there that we do have a GoFundMe going for my guy right here. Hey, yo. Um, you can go on to the poly on the pod Instagram at poly on the pod, click the link in the bio and donate. My dude got dealt some bad news from the insurance company. So we need 10k to make this uh 10 racks, make this a reality. So anyway, we're gonna get there. We're gonna get we're gonna get there.
SPEAKER_02Okay, Ryan, thank you for donating, man. It was great.
SPEAKER_01We're gonna get there. That's what I was like, gosh. Part of helping, you know, the build for that uh Dattle Pepper Vert ramp down there in St. Augustine, and I'm like, dude, if we could raise four vert ramp, dude, we can we can raise 10 for your fucking head, dude.
SPEAKER_02All right, so now we've turned it to 15 grand. We're gonna raise 15 grand.
SPEAKER_01Now we're going up for sure.
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_00That's a new one. We got it, man. No, no, we got it. Like go ahead, continue. Yeah, the skateboard community is good about that stuff, man. I I could go off on a tangent about you know the stuff of my son, but um oh yeah, now you'd be surprised. Like, as broke as skateboarders can be, man, we rally around each other.
SPEAKER_01It's a community, it's a tribe, unlike anything I've ever experienced. Yeah, I've uh and I'm a man with a multitude of interests, right? So, and like when I dive into something, I'm not like pussy footing around. I'm right. I will know or have enough experience to be mediocre, at least, you know, middle of the road. I don't need to be the expert, but I will not be a greenhorn. And yeah, like, yeah, so my dude right here, we're gonna make a habit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, most definitely. We'll we'll do some events.
SPEAKER_02Like, I know you guys will I know there's a lot more coming from you guys, but uh we're working on like a uh music event and then like a skate park event thing.
SPEAKER_01Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_02Right now, which uh yeah, that those are gonna be rad.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, you just briefly brought up, you know, and I didn't want to necessarily bring it up, but everything you had going on with your child, I've heard special needs child.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, man. Do you mind expanding on that? Not at
Sturgil’s JDM Diagnosis And Treatment
SPEAKER_00all, man. We can bounce all over the place. Um so my son Sturgil, who um some people may know like loves skating, he's full-blown skate rat. He's a skate rat right now, but he um like he's six now, so I guess before he was three, like two and a half, he was diagnosed with a super rare autoimmune disease called JDM, juvenile dermatomyositis. It's like a mouthful. Yeah, we just call it. Yeah, and most people haven't. It's literally like I think every year, three in one million kids get it, so it's that rare. And usually like two of those three are girls. So as a boy, he's one in a million with this disease. Um so yeah, we first um just kind of out of the blue, man. This one afternoon, you know, he he's just like lying on the floor, he's like, Can't walk, can't get off the floor, like super upset, carry me upstairs, all this stuff, and um like what the hell is going on, you know. And my wife actually works as a nurse practitioner in the ER, so she's like pretty in tune with like knowing what's going on. I would be lost, man. But um Yeah, I can only imagine. Yeah, so long story short, he couldn't walk for a couple days. We're like, what the hell? Took him to the ER. They ran tests um at Wolfson's and weren't really getting anywhere, and actually were super devastated because the doctor at the time was like, I think he's got a form of um muscular dystrophy, which you know how how gnarly that can be. And I guess I didn't know there's like actually hundreds and even maybe thousands of um subtypes of muscular dystrophy, like the the one that most of us know about is called Duches, and that's the one that's more dramatic. But I guess there's some lesser versions, so they thought he had one of the lesser ones, and um so we went down this rabbit hole, but we didn't really get clear answers. So um, long story short, my wife just wasn't content. She's like, we need to go get some second opinions. So we did some research, and Boston's children's hospital was like kind of the experts because she had found just Googling one morning, you know, like a week after we had done our um hospital stay, she's like, I think I might have found a super rare thing that it could be. And um it was it was JDM, and sure enough, so we went to Orlando actually, because they didn't have uh the specialty is through rheumatology, they didn't have a pediatric rheumatologist up here in Jacksonville, right? Went to Orlando, supposedly like the best doctor. He got us diagnosed right away, that's what it was. Um and then we still felt like we needed a second opinion, so we went up to Boston, and that's what the um GoFundMe was for was for us to travel to Boston to get the the second opinion. Yeah, I remember that, man. Yeah, it was it was just like we said, the skateboard community, man. Like that's most of who funded it. Um, and I was just blown away by some of the support. I mean, I think we had like a pretty small, like literally just wanted to get like travel out of it, and I think we ended up like quadrupling the goal.
SPEAKER_02I mean, and sure, because it's a three year old kid, but um I yeah, I remember I remember when I was going on and everything and donating myself to that. So it's like, I mean, fucking. I've always been broke, but at the same time, like I I Well we all gotta band together, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it takes a village, right? It takes a village, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I remember when Sergio was first born and everything, and you were telling me about him. I was like, fuck yeah, right? Yeah. Because I already had my daughters and everything.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, you guys have been fathers.
SPEAKER_02So you guys are now feeling like you know what I mean? Yeah. So I was like stoked. And when that shit came out, I was like, fuck.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I could not imagine.
SPEAKER_01So how how's his condition these days? What's what's the treatment like?
SPEAKER_02Oh, just landed his first kickflip, that's how the condition's going.
SPEAKER_00Dude, yeah, it's it's I saw that. It's going beautifully, man. Um, it's been a little bit of a roller coaster, so we're we're super fortunate that right off the bat, like within the first few months, um, got his his treatment plan going. Um and medicines always seem to work for him. So he does a weekly methotrexate shot. So it's um they say a chemo drug. He does that every Friday night. And is that like an intra intravenous drug, or is that just like in the muscle?
SPEAKER_01Just in the muscles.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he does that once a week. Um, and then when he was in the peak of treatment, he takes steroids. You try to get them off of that as soon as possible because of the side effects. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then um he does these monthly IV infusions. Um, it's called IV IG. He does that once a month. And then so to give you a quick version, all that went really well within the first three to six months. He got strong. He did his treatment the initial time for I think it was about two years of treatment, went into remission about a year ago, everything was going perfect, off all medicines for like almost a full year, and then right in January after Christmas, out of nowhere, he flared. We like he went from skating great one day to like I can't walk again, Dad. So is that something normal?
SPEAKER_01Like within your knowledge of it, with that that if uh he was like doing good for a period of time, because I personally am bipolar and uh so a cycle. Right, right. My whole life has been that since I've been a teenager. Um, and I've been off my meds for a long time, but I honestly know it's you know only a matter of time before something a manic episode ever you know flares up. Is it something like that where he's gonna deal with this for the rest of his life kind of cycling, or is there an end?
SPEAKER_00I I think it's um I think it's likely it could be it. So the way the doctor first explained it to us is she broke everything into thirds. Said one third of kids will take treatment, do well, go into remission the rest of their life, never have a problem again. Wow. There's a middle third that I think he might be in where they live a great quality of life, medicine works well for him, but they will flare if they get off their medicine, so they'll probably have to be on and off of medicine. Yeah. And I think that's what he's gonna end up being based on this second time. And then um the last third, which I think is smaller than that, um, I'd like to be optimistic about it at least. Yeah, the last third is gotta keep the hope, dude. Yeah, right. It would be kids that don't respond to medicine and treatment well and have a pretty tough, tough time, you know, um being mobile and playing sports, and um, you know, some of them end up being, you know, like wheelchair bound and and things like that. But I think it's smaller than a third. I think it's a small percent.
SPEAKER_01We we got Joey over here pulling up the Instagram, so let's go ahead and see a video of the young man popping the kickflip here. We had a couple of good tries.
SPEAKER_02Dude, Sturge was ripping. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so how old is he again? He's six. Man, that's fucking awesome, bro. He just got out of kindergarten. Yeah, look, he's flicking him right. Yeah, that's great. Oh, look at it. Little little first little blunt.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a little blunt stall. Look at that smile, bro. Dude, that's what it's all about, right there. Yep. Yeah, I'm gonna do it. And I remember seeing that on the right. This is my favorite part.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, always always gotta look back to make sure I got it. Did I do it, Dad? Yeah, yeah. I think half the time it's like, because he he's funny, man. He he's like, he, like I was telling, he's such a skate rat. He holds himself, he's almost got like an adult mindset. But like the one he did to Blunt, he's like, Yeah, dad, that that wasn't it, man. Like, I gotta redo it. So even at six years old, he's like got like this high bar of like, nah, dude, that was shit. I gotta redo it.
unknownThat's right, dude.
SPEAKER_00Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_01Sturgile with a name like that, dude.
SPEAKER_00You know, you gotta be a little tough with a name like that, right? Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that that is awesome, dude. I can uh only compare that to like I remember seeing my oldest Lucy like helping her drop in. It was just a bank, yeah. But you know what I mean? Like putting the tail over. We like rode up and rode down banks, but it's like really the beginning of putting the tail at the edge and push forward. And every once in a while it'll pop up like a memory in my phone or something. Oh, it's so rad. It's the best. I'm standing right there and I have the hand out, and I'm like, it's just like every time, and I pull the hand away and she just does it. Yeah. And then she looks back at me and I'm like, dude, we did it!
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and then and like that's the building blocks, right? Like then it just clicks, and now I'm sure she's ripping, you know. Yeah, yeah, it's it's rad. Once they just get that confidence stuff, yeah. It just takes that like first little boost of confidence and and they run with it.
SPEAKER_02I never had a dad, so I had to figure that shit out of the dad.
SPEAKER_01You figure it out well, man. You figured it out. Yeah, my uh my dad was not a he surfed growing up, but he was more of a team sports guy. So I never really asked. Were you kind of introduced to surfing and skating because of your family or not at all, man?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but because of the times, and like I said, that neighbor buddy. My parents have always been supportive, but um, like I think a lot of us that grew up in the time, like we're near the same age, Paul. And um, I think you know, they they're all they've always been supportive, and I think they've grown to love it and appreciate it, especially seeing their grandson. Same, yeah. And they like they understand their skate parks now, and it's not like the um stigma that it used to have. But yeah, like my dad was a football player, and like they put me in baseball and soccer and all, and and I enjoyed that stuff. Um, I ran track actually in high school. Um, but yeah, man, I always like had a calling to the to this stuff, like that you could just do on your own terms, no rules.
SPEAKER_01A battle between you and what you were willing to put through.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. And Sturge was actually already like it makes me proud. It's like bittersweet because he's like a really good flag football player, too. And like all this summer in the past month, he's been like, Dad, I don't want to play any other sports, I just want to skate. So it makes me like smile so big in my heart. And then at the same time, like, oh dude, well, you're kind of young. Like, I kind of want you to like do other things and not burn out, like like do some other stuff. Like, yeah, yeah, and just be supportive of him as he as he ebbs and flows and grows, you know what I mean. That's it. That's what we're trying to do, is just let him do it. And even today, like he was at the park before we came here, and I was trying to um get him to carve over the uh the little bench on the on the bank and so sick.
SPEAKER_02I do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like have to push him a little bit, and as soon as he like gets pouty or he's not having fun, all right, dude, go take some laps. Like, I'm not even here
Helping Kids Build Skate Confidence
SPEAKER_00anymore. You go do your thing, whatever you want to do. And then if you do decide you want my encouragement or you want me to like help you, I'll help you. But like the second like I can tell it's like stressing him or stressing me, we're like, nah, take a lap, go have fun.
SPEAKER_01I'm not a coach, dad. Yeah, I'm not trying to. Like when Lucy first went to drop in on the mini ramp, it's funny, we just talked about this the other day. Um because my youngest Ophelia has been really kind of uh timid around the skateboard until recently. Yeah, yeah. Where now she's finally like jumping on it. She's been going going to Kona skate camp and freestyle and stuff like that. And Lucy was like, Man, it's crazy, Dad, because when you're not around, like she's just so willing to try stuff. Isn't that the truth? It really is. And I was like, had to remind her, I was like, Yeah, you remember the first time you ever dropped in on that bank, like I just talked about, like was with me. But the first time you dropped in on a quarter pipe or ramp was a little mini ramp. And I was trying to like same. I'm like trying to encourage her, trying to get her there, and then she hit that like little pouty, almost withdrawn moment. And I was like, All right, I'm gonna go up in the clubhouse and chill out. Yeah, dude, 10 minutes later, I had two of uh my young homies at the time that were camp counselors come running up and show me on video. Bro, as soon as she left, she dropped in. I'm like, yeah, every time. I knew it. Yeah, I just needed to remove myself from the equation. That's so good. Because unfortunately, like I wish I was there, there, yeah, but you know, uh I guess at times I remember when I was a kid, you know, your parents being there, even though they're being there supportively, nope. Can put a little extra uh pressure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01Which brings us to I'm sorry, Chris. You have such a sad child.
SPEAKER_02Which brings us to our newest segment
Is It A Sport Quickfire
SPEAKER_02that we've been working on here. It's called Is It a Sport. Oh, we don't even have the production ready for this, but go ahead and no I'll run I'll run off five of them and we'll a little test run. Just a little key bump, just a little key bump of it.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so my father growing up uh used to determine whether a you know what what was a sport and what was not a sport. If you could pull a groin muscle, if you if you could break a sweat, and if you could break a muscle. I've never thought about it in that criteria, but I kind of like where he's going with it. And and I feel like because he was never grew up playing golf, he was always like a full contact kind of it was always his response to all of his friends that played golf. Like, it's not a sport, it's a game. Can you pull a growing muscle? Can you break a sweat other than whether it's hot outside? Yeah, can you break a bone? Doesn't qualify. Noke, nope. You gotta hit all three. You can't hit two of the three. So with that in mind, uh we were working on a new little segment. So uh yeah. We'll run a couple off and we'll ask uh Ryan King, what do you think? Is it a sport? Oh man, I gotta think of this criteria now.
SPEAKER_02All right, well, uh we'll start with this one tightrope walking.
SPEAKER_00Ah, shit, man. That's gotta be a sport, right? Like that takes extreme coordination. I would definitely break a sweat. Could you break a bone if you fall? Definitely could break a bone. You could definitely strain a muscle, pull a muscle. That's a sport. I think that's sport. Tightrope walking. Who's next?
SPEAKER_02German shepherd training.
SPEAKER_00Very dangerous, I'm sure, but we're gonna go with not a sport.
SPEAKER_07We're gonna go with uh what do we got for number three?
SPEAKER_01Uh gator hunting.
SPEAKER_00Oh man, that's that's a sport. 100%.
SPEAKER_02All right. And for number five, we're gonna do it with uh my favorite on here. Is that number five or number four? Oh no, I think we're on four now. Oh, well shit, I can throw another one in there. You got two more. How about noodling?
SPEAKER_01Noodling, what do you mean? When they catch catfishing, oh it's the one. Are you gonna break a sweat? You're in the water. Can you break a sweat on the water?
SPEAKER_00On the gator and the noodling, are you really? I guess. Gator hunting, yeah. So I'm gonna go with no sport on the noodling. No sport on the noodling.
SPEAKER_01Sorry, wild man. I try, dude. I wanted to throw it in there for you. All right, and for the finale, is it a sport? We're gonna go with sex. That's yeah, sport, game, all of you.
SPEAKER_09Definitely, definitely a sport for sure.
SPEAKER_01Definitely throw a hip out. Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm pretty sure you can break your dick on that one. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That movie the new guy. I got a broke dick.
SPEAKER_00I always uh I always cramp up, man. You get fucking hamstring cramps from that shit. Oh, yeah, for sure. You gotta make sure you're drinking your water, but stretches. You've been skating all day, man. We can get a pull a hammy in there.
SPEAKER_01Watch out. But we've been talking for a few minutes. We're gonna take a uh quick break and then uh we'll be back in a few. So enjoy these tunes.
SPEAKER_06I'm gonna train lady, she made me nervous.
SPEAKER_01I want to get a little bit more
Flatline Lore And Kendall Stories
SPEAKER_01into the flatline stories, man. Because that was really like the heyday of me being in high school as a skateboarder, Flatline. Right. Um friends with Gus Cooper went to school. Yeah, Gus is a good friend. And like, man, just I I remember the first time I saw Hulk. I think the first time I saw that logo, right? I was working at Kona as a teenager. We had a split demo is right after the uh split. Yeah, remember split demo. I do, I do. I was a fan of that company.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, me too. They were a pulling company, correct? Yeah, they they they came with I had a pair of split jeans back in the day.
SPEAKER_01Yep, yeah, they're sick. They came with ESPN and uh they had uh Stevie Cab on that one was really the main skateboarder I remember coming, but uh X Today was hosted by Rick Thorne. So he's a character. It was a super full, you know, yeah, full throttle, fun event. They had the uh the spine, the six-foot spine with the vert wall. They had just opened the new street course down there, and uh it was it was very much closed to only the people in the demo and uh people local skaters with clout, if you will. Ah, okay. And I remember seeing a young Joey Corey, you know, dropping in, and then that that that fly box they had. Yes. And I just remember I was working, walking the park, picking up trash, keeping people back where they're supposed to be behind the you know, the the barricades and the banisters, if you will. And uh I just remember him coming up over the box, bailing, and then me picking up the board and handing it to him, and I'm like, we're like around the same age, yeah. But I remember seeing the bottom of his board was this huge weird sphere with these two things that jetted out, like pitchforks on us right on the bottom, and it said beast.
SPEAKER_00That was the very first time I was introduced. Do you guys know what the the logo is? Like like what it please tell us it's this right here. So, like arms going out with the horns. So it's like the double horns.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, I love it so much more. I had no idea. We're talking my whole life in skateboarding, essentially. Like, and I've had no idea.
SPEAKER_00I always thought it was like crab, like crab claws, like pinchers or some shit.
SPEAKER_01Like, yeah, it's like yeah, no, like it definitely always like, what is this weird like crab claw thing? Yeah, you know, but that is it now that you say that, it's per they here we go. My my guy Joey, co-producer, Joey Jalapino. Yo, yo yo, look at that with the sphere with the and it and that's exactly what it represents. When once you see it.
SPEAKER_00Once you see it, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I've never been told that before. That's yeah, that's the only only thing I got. Let me see. Down for life, only tat the flat line. Love it.
SPEAKER_02I got I got a Pringles tattoo.
SPEAKER_01Does that damn because once you pop, you just don't stop. Can't stop, don't stop. Man, that is fucking rad. That's crazy as shit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, unless you're mind blown. Yeah, yeah. I was too when someone told me that's what I was like, I gotta share it with these guys that they don't know because like I don't think a lot of people on here and tell us his bullshit.
SPEAKER_01Look, this is what you get when you tune into Polly on the pod. We've we've got the uh the deep stories, the deep cuts, everything you want to know, the origin stories, origin stories, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Straight from the mouth. Yeah. Like I said, we could do a whole we could do a whole flat line episode. Oh yeah, we gotta get all the boys back together.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, get the band back together. Yeah, the uh next live event we do, we need to schedule that. Like when we do a live event next and everybody's out and about and like coming to see something, yeah. We we gotta we gotta coordinate getting everybody like to pop in real quick, even if it's a quick, quick five to ten or fifteen.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that'd be sick. And everybody's around for the most part. Like, I think George is back here. He had uh had his first child recently, and I think they've since moved back. I thought they I thought he relocated out west. He was, and I think he still has his property out there, but um he's back here, like because they had the kids, so I think he wants to be near you know the grandparents. Um so he just got back in the last six months, and of course, Joey and Ryan are around. Um yeah, most most every the the core group that started back in the day, they're they're still around.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I heard Fink's supposed to be coming back.
SPEAKER_00Fink is I I heard the same as you. I heard you mention that on Bo's episode, and I've heard the same thing like August 1st, he's on the way or something.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, dude. Yeah, that's that was. Well, you already know.
SPEAKER_01Designation one, he's come home. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's a that's a must.
SPEAKER_02I'm pushing denim right now thinking about that episode.
SPEAKER_01Epic. Hey, so uh yo, about the flatline years. I mean, I know you got some juice, dude. I know, like from the events, fine years, wars, from everything that that went on. I know you got a I know you got some stories. Oh man, yeah, like you said I go through more.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Man, where where do you want to start?
SPEAKER_02Oh man, dude, first one that comes to mind, whatever you're thinking, man.
SPEAKER_00All right, drop some drop some just a random one. Um a decent Kindle story, man. So about this time of year. Now Chris is really really interested, right?
SPEAKER_02I've known Kindle for a long time. I did give him shout-outs because after I learned all the late flips, uh he seen me doing hard flips. He's like, You can you know you can put your foot on that and late flip it, right? Yeah, he kind of put you onto some stuff, didn't he? Yeah, that's your skate dad, huh? Yeah, yeah, that's skate daddy. Papa, pop up. Yeah, that's right, Joey. Papa Kendall's Kendo's uh yeah, because of him, I learned hard flip late flips and tray flip late flips and oh, and Joey has pulled up the uh flatline uh not even here clip.
SPEAKER_01Is that the Joey Corey? Yeah, right here. Yeah, play that while we talk about some stories. Go ahead, go ahead, Ryan. Drop a little bit, drop a little knowledge on the pulpit.
SPEAKER_00Kendall story about this time of year, it was like middle of July. George, Joey, and Kendall went to go skate this beach hub. I don't even think it's still there, it was a really good hubba, like pretty steep, long hub, but good. Like you just put plywood down and um it was actually pretty good setup. But, anyways, it was like the hottest part of the day, middle of July, and Joey and George are jumping on this thing right away. Like, you guys have probably seen the footage. I think George uh front-lipped it, Joey like back five-owned it. Yeah, it's a big beach hub. You can't miss it. They kind of went off on it, and so those two are getting right on it, like knocking stuff out, and Kendall just keeps rolling up, rolling up, rolling up, and like they were getting super frustrated with him, like you know, like shit or get off the pot kind of thing, and he's like getting frustrated, rolling up, and he just stops and stares off into space for like 30 seconds, just silent, then out of nowhere, just like breaks out like yells at the seagulls, like fucking birds, da-da-da-like, just loses it. But like he was just like, he just snapped, like fucking birds, you know. Like, and then after that, he ended up like jumping on it, but these dudes are like just getting after it right away, and he's like kind of just not posing, but like rolling up, stopping, rolling up. But yeah, man, it just took him uh getting distracted by the birds, and then he got down.
SPEAKER_02I'm quite positive that he crooked that thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, that's that sounds right. I was trying to think of what they all did. I'd like the one that stands out to me is John. That was the old eight to lake gap, wasn't that? That was I was actually background props in that clip. I'll tell you a funny story about that clip. So eight to late, when he kick flipped that, you can tell like how pulled back that angle was. Right. Ryan, his brother, was filming it and the camera was on like zero percent battery. So I think that's why it was all zoomed out, is he couldn't even use the zoom. Like that, that was probably like the last try before that thing died. Fuck yeah. Yeah, yeah. And then you can barely see like me running and hug him. But um, yeah, that was that was kind of cool about that, is like the camera was like gone.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I uh that one gap right there, go back to that hubba.
SPEAKER_00The tinsiltown hubba, I think was that it was uh um yeah, I think the avenues. I think they called it the tensiltown.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. That fucking thing. Remember we because we talked about Evan Mershell not long ago. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Roman's video subject change. Did he what did he do? Uh he did front one eighty down that one he was. Front one eighty?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he was like eight or nine, dude. Yeah, no, he was fucking tiny, and I I thought it was uh a kickflip, but Paul Hart tray flipped it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, man, that fucking thing is how beast is Joey's part, like Joey was going off back then. I mean, dude still does, but I mean just yeah, he skated so much power. Yeah, yeah. He went scared.
SPEAKER_01That that's the one thing about a lot of like Florida skateboarders, man. Um I think as an East Coast in general, like we could get a lot of a lot of guys that skate with real power.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know, um, I think maybe there it was, yeah. There it was. Zoom out. Um but even even the technical skaters for the most part. Part really, really skate with a lot of power. We talked about this a little, you know, in the past about you know uh Frasier and Peterson about you know just how fast and and how powerful they skate, right? Um it really is. I mean, just watching Joey Corey, it just kind of reiterates. I mean, it's a fucking Florida thing, dude. It's a charge uh charge it and barge it kind of fucking mentality.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, especially in that time and like me moving here and Joey being one of the first person people that I met. Like, I I'd never seen anyone skate. Like he skating.
SPEAKER_02That's that monument right there, that front board.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, that's down. Yeah, I know exactly where that is. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I played basketball in those courts.
SPEAKER_00It was a charge, yeah. All these dudes in this time were chargers. Like, I remember we would go to um they would do these Hannah Park. That's in Hannah, yeah. With Dolphin Plaza. Yeah, yeah. That was a good spot. That's a great spot. We'd go to um like those make-a-wish would do this uh make a wish foundation event in Houston at the Southside Skate Park. Did he try to do that? And these dudes would roll in at that time, like the early 2000s when skateboarding was like this, like hucking, and they would just drick shit, man. Like people are like, who the hell are these dudes from Jacksonville, Florida? You were team manager, correct? Yeah, yeah. That um I involved a lot of teams getting involved. Yeah, exactly. So when I was talking about the um make a wish stuff, I was probably still an intern and just like following um Ryan and Joey around. But shortly after that, I uh became team manager after Bo left and um was responsible for setting up like a lot of the tours and and videos and um this was the time like when promos like YouTube was starting to be a thing at the end of us doing this, so we were starting to do more content at the time. But one of my the big things that's memorable for me is we with um in conjunction with 904 skate, Julio of 904 Skate, Julio Gonzalez, and Yusuf, who had um skatejacks.com.
SPEAKER_02Yep, use I know Yusuf.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, those dudes were were doing awesome things. Yusuf M.
SPEAKER_02Uh Yusuf, uh he lived right over there by us in uh I can't even remember his yes exactly.
SPEAKER_00I was like, I can't even remember his last high school with that kid.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he was awesome. He ran 904 Skatejacks.
SPEAKER_01So he he was he was Skatejacks, so there was two of them. So this was the term to rage against the machine. Shout out Yusuf. Yes, yeah, he was the robot.
SPEAKER_02Shout out to his brother Ibrahim, dude.
SPEAKER_00But they had um they had, you know, that was when content was like internet content was becoming a thing, and they created these two blog sites. Uh Julio was 904 skate, Yusuf was skatejacks.com, and those were like kind of the first like local like skate sites. And us
Go Skateboarding Day Goes Off Rails
SPEAKER_00with Flatline collaborated with them to produce the first ever Go skateboard day. I think it was 2006.
SPEAKER_01Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so so that's a hell of a story. Yeah. I remember I remember that. I was there at the friendship park where it all started.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was on the news that day. Oh, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That that's what's that's what I was gonna get into. Is it's pretty funny. So that's like one of my first big events after becoming TM. Um, like uh S or America, whoever did it nationally, you know, we kind of looked into what they were doing. America did it first. We planned our own, and you know, that like it was like my first time writing a press release and like reaching out to the news media and all this stuff, and like came with all these talking points. Me, Paul Hart, Yusuf, and uh Julio were on the news, like news for jacks, like set it all up, set up this thing at friendship park. Like you said, Paul was out there, like had all these like positive talking points, how skateboarding is is good for the youth and good for the city. News story was awesome, it went super well. So then the like skate day event comes a few hours, and it was like basically we did a skate parade from friendship park across Main Street Bridge through Hemming, all over. But keep in mind, you know, besides like doing like a pretty good job on the press part of it, we didn't pull any permits, like we weren't doing anything by the book as far as like yeah, people like a lot of my homies got picked up by the phone.
SPEAKER_02Gnarly, yeah. One funny thing is uh us skating down this one street, this lady just pulls up into her car and she's like, What's up with all these skateboarders? Is Tony Hawk in town? Right.
SPEAKER_01It was Well, I mean, remember when Tony Hawk came in town? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It was it was just before that though, all right? No, this was insane. That like we could have never anticipated, like I I would dare, I was gonna say hundreds, I'd even dare to say pushing a thousand people showed up. We weren't prepared. So it turned into skate parade, but it was sick, but it was like, like I said, not permitted. So like everyone's whiling in the streets, just complete chaos. But next thing you know, that the law's starting to catch on every like block we go, the law's catching on. Dude, they bring out helicopters, bro. Yeah, they got I I shit you not, every resource. It was every cop within 50 miles of Jacksonville was out there. I mean, you would have thought like straight riot was going on.
SPEAKER_02Dude, uh Jim Grosser in his humidity video that he did. Yeah, he's got footage. Yeah, he's got a section of it. And ironically, I used to uh I rode for Agony Skateboards back then. Yep. My Geiger's company.
SPEAKER_00And uh like it's just like from hemming, because Paul Hart goes gnarly back when eighty's off hemming over the trash can, and I go right behind him and back when he it's like it was sick, it was the sickest day, but like at the same time, it was it was gnarly because kids like young kids were getting like arrested and like tickets and like kids were getting kind of like roughed up by yeah, it was kind of gnarly, and then so I turned on the news that night that goes from this great positive piece about skating in Jacksonville to like all hell breaks loose in the streets, like that completely flipped the story. Like and I mean, rightfully so, because of how it I mean, it was it was crazy. But all right, so cops went a little bit overboard, I'd say, with the helicopters and all the other stuff, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Anyway, I from uh all right, so the go play off that story. All right, so we're escaping all through the streets and shit, and we I we get back to the landing, and uh like with Nolan Lee, Joey, uh Kendall, and uh like a few other cats and shit. I I can't remember exactly who was all there, but I remember Kendall, Nolan, and uh Joey. And then we start like as soon as we get in there, like Nolan's just like, oh fuck it, they're after us anyways, and hops on a skateboard, and then we all just start skating all through the landing and shit.
SPEAKER_00I think it was stuff like that where like it was like they were antagonizing, and then you know how skaters are gonna be in return. Like it was just like one side pushing the other kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02Right, yeah. No, that was that was like one of those things, like uh that was a crazy, crazy day.
SPEAKER_00It was. It was the cra like one of the most memorable, crazy experiences I have in skateboarding in Jacksonville, Florida. Yeah, for sure. Hands down. I would never I'll never forget that shit as well. I remember every and you know what's funny is you guys probably know uh you know Eric Stanaford. Yep, he's out in California, he's been digging up a bunch of photos um from that time. Like he sent me some photos the other day of like us with the cops. Yeah, it was a trip, man. It was like a day I will never forget. Yeah, and ghost skateboarding was never the same after that.
SPEAKER_02At least not at all. Yeah, it was all he was on red alert for sure. You better had a permit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you better have a permit. Yeah, and then I think you know, um Marty started doing stuff with it like at the skate park, it started turning into more of a skate park thing after that. But yeah, that first one was a hell of a time, man. No, I was like playing amonium in the street.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, after that, yeah, Marty got involved. They did the uh the go skate day at Heming. We set up a little mini ramp there, right?
SPEAKER_00Right stuff like that. Yeah, yeah. Which all that stuff was still fun, but nothing like the first, right?
SPEAKER_01No, I remember I remember the first one, man. It was uh definitely lit. Yeah, yeah, lit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_00That's that's it, man. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I remember getting home that night and my grandma was watching the news and she had it paused because we had TVO back in the day. Don't don't you yeah, don't act like you're not in press. Tebo back then. And then she had it paused. Your grandmother? Your grandmother. Yeah, my my nana. Nana, yeah. Uh she had it paused, and it was just me bailing on a hard flip down the six-stair uh friendship, and my board's just straight up and down like I'm about to rack. And then like they like the news, she was like, So what happened after this? And she just plays it because they just cut it to something else.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Of course, that's what they use. That's what they use.
SPEAKER_01It's like, I literally landed it five times in front of the camera. Yeah, here let's get the credit card.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, dude. The first try one, dude, and I was like, I wasn't even, I mean, I was still doing hard I was doing hard flips before then, but still. Yeah, I was just like a one bad one.
SPEAKER_01You've you've always had a great hard flip, man. Yes, yes. The only way I could do hard flips uh back in the day was when I I did them front side flip. And then people would talk shit and tell me it wasn't a real frontside flip. I think that's a Kindle flip. Like the Kindle's the foldie front side flip, right? Well, the first time honestly, I saw him do one like on a mini ramp, and it was like, I it just that's the reason why I tried it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I dude, I won't do front side flips because of that, but that's a muska flip. It's technically one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, muska flip. Uh I call it a Muska or a Lutzka.
SPEAKER_02It's a no Lutzka.
SPEAKER_01No, but you know, last time we were talking about uh with Bo and we got mixed up Muska, Lutzka. Yeah, it's a callback, ladies and gentlemen. Yeah, tune in to previous episodes. Yeah, the bolly on we never forget for sure. So uh so tell us uh like look how many kind of tours he went on with like flatline, like whereabouts did you go? So I think what kind of shenanigans? How difficult was it keeping these these boys?
SPEAKER_00Oh man, yeah, that's that's the hardest part of it for sure. Because I love all those dudes like brothers, but they were a tough group, man. Like dysfunctional. It was like a dysfunctional family, man, in a lot of ways. Like, just the personalities, man. Like, and like again, they they were literally like brothers, so you have like just these strong personalities, and one person wants to do this, the other doesn't want to do this. Like, there was always some kind of little bit of like little drama, not even drama, but just like you know, brotherly type stuff, you know what I mean? Like, oh yeah, I remember going to Missouri, you know, and like for whatever reason, Nolan getting out of the fan uh the van because uh him and Fink were into it over something, and I I couldn't even tell you what the stuff was over, but somebody was like it was it was like literally some brothers. Too much time in the van. Too much time in the van and dude's strong personalities, like a couple stubborn dudes, like that rip, and you know, everybody had like a different background, like a lot of them came from like tough backgrounds and whatnot, so had strong personalities, but it was fun, man. But yeah, it was it was like wrangling cats sometimes for sure.
SPEAKER_01I can only imagine that like honestly, at times in my life I've thought I've been like, Man, it would have been a dream job to be a TM. Yeah, it also would have been a nightmare.
SPEAKER_00It was you know, it was definitely at that time in my life, like you were talking about the ages and like being like at that time it was a complete dream job, and like I owe Ryan and it everything for kind of being a a start to my career. And I think as far as me being involved in it, I think it was like a good like three to five year run. Um did a handful of yeah, every year we went on on tours, like um one of the memorable ones was going to see Fink. Um I know Bo had mentioned Fink had to to go back, had to go back to Missouri and serve some time. Right. So we went to see him on one of our trips was to Missouri, and um a lot of the friends, Fink's friends I keep in touch with to this day, um, like Jeremy Fullerton has become a good friend and he runs um shout-outs.
SPEAKER_01Shout out to Jeremy. He runs uh we we got Matt Fink footage rolling in the background. Yeah, yeah. This is this is epic.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I love this run because he does Nolly tray flip front board, then it goes fakie tray. The mirror mirror line. But yeah, we went out to Missouri and um they all were from a small town called Springfield, and you would not believe how sick of a skate town that place is. Like spots are good. Yeah, like really yes. Yeah, so we did a whole like tour out there to see him uh because he was like on, you know, had to stay close to home, you know, after he'd gotten out. So we went and filmed with him, just went to him, and then um, you know, Nolan pretty much the whole time I was involved with Flatline. Nolan was already living in New York, so we'd go stay
Tour Life From New York To Keys
SPEAKER_00with Nolan. I got a funny New York story for you, man. All right, drop it. First freaking time I went to New York with Ryan and Joey to stay with Nolan. Um, this was like people had cell phones, like Ryan definitely had a cell phone. I think I brought a cell phone, but it was like the kind of time, like flip phone, like I didn't want to bring it with me. Like we're going skating, like no one called me, there was no texting. I'm like, I'm leaving this shit at home. So we get on the subway, and Nolan's like, all right, get off here. So we're all getting off, and he's like, No, this is the wrong stop. So we're like in and out of the door, like in the middle of the door, everybody's in out at the last minute they go out the door. And this is at the time I didn't know like elevators, I didn't know if it was gonna chop my hands off if I put it in there. So I'm in the middle, the door just immediately shuts on me. The fucking train takes off, like zero to 60, like that. These dudes are out there like running. Nolan's like, yo, yo, yo, like get off of the next stop. Like, I have no wallet, no cell phone, no nothing. I so I get off of the next stop. I wait, wait, wait, like 30 minutes, they don't come. Maybe I went to two stops, I don't know, but could not get them to come to me. So, like after an hour, I'm like begging for change. Like, yo, I need to get to a pay fund. Call my mom to go in my room to look for like Ryan Corey's business card with his cell phone. Oh shit. Called them up and then think we were able to meet it. But that was like my first two hours in New York ever as a like like begging for change in the subway.
SPEAKER_01Hey, kids, kids. This is this is how we used to live. Yeah, this is how we as kids navigated these streets and these problems. And this wasn't even crazy long ago. Like my parents used to fucking yell at me weekly about the 1-800 collect bill that they would have for me. I was calling from my payphones left and right. I was like, yo, Ma, I'm here. Yo, Ma, I'm here. You know, I mean, yeah, this is like nowadays we're so far removed from that that like my children have no idea. Yeah, a lot of the kids that you know I taught now they're young adults, you know, in skate lessons, like they have no idea. Yeah, yeah. Which is which is crazy.
SPEAKER_00And this was like 15 years ago.
SPEAKER_01Right. And there's no way that child do that shit, and she's got a cell phone.
SPEAKER_00And she's got cell phones, so she'll get a hold of you at any time. Yeah, but yeah, it was and this was like, you know, like 15 years, it's not crazy long ago. It's like I said, I even had a phone, but at the time I didn't bring a backpack, so like I'm like, I don't want to bring all this stuff in my pockets. And um, luckily, Ryan, you know, being the businessman he already was, had his on him. But uh yeah, that was funny, man. Like, just like oh shit, I'm stuck in the train, I'm lost.
SPEAKER_01Like wild in the zoo, dude.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, it was that was a good one. And then as far as tours go, um, we always did the sick ones to the keys, man, to the Florida Keys. Really? Oh, shit, right. It was so sick because they had this. I'm sure the skate scene's grown, but at the time they had zero skate scene down there, there was like this half-ass skate park. And um, Ryan, somehow even be so sure that it's grown down there, man. That's like swinger and like Shermanville. Who knows? I'd like to think it's uh grown, but yeah, this park was like pretty bad, and um, I don't even know how Ryan had met them. Key wasn't on Marathon, marathon key pool, yeah. And so Ryan had met them, they had done a demo before me, but I was responsible for this second time around. But they loved like dude, rock stars down there. Like these guys, like this lady was like, We're gonna put you up. Like they took us on the boat snorkeling every day, like it was insane. Like they had paradise down there, dude. They thought it was like the zero team in that day coming through. It was just like like hooked, uh, like took care of us. Fuck yeah. Like, I don't know how many, how much skateboarding they've seen, but they loved Flatline so much, and yeah, they took us like just took care of us. But yeah, even before it got to that, speaking of like hairy cops situations, like cops down there are the worst. We got um, we were skating a spot, and I of course like had the rental van or whatever and was the one in charge. And the typical sit you down on the curb, everyone on the curb, get the lecture, all that. But dude, I've never, yeah, yeah. They they they did, they did like the car search, like yeah, yeah, they did all, and then of course they found some beer and whatever tiny amount of weed, and like it was gnarly. They they went as far with it as they could, like, impounded the car for two days. Like, luckily, the lady down there like loved us so much she like got us taken. But I think that was a big deal for them. It was a big deal. I I feel like uh they're all like oh show. They got us off the hook. We got those fucking mom girls. Dude, I think I think we were gonna have to go back to court, but because this lady was like kind of influential down there, she like got the got us taken care of in every way. But yeah, it was pretty ridiculous.
SPEAKER_01It was literally like two beers and like little did you know the skate park owner also was like the fucking magistrate like the fucking secretary or the treasurer. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00There's only so many people on the island. That that's it, man. That's not far-fetched, man. Like that's probably how the demo got set up, is like she was an official with the city. Like, it's it's that small down there.
SPEAKER_01I love it down there. I've been down there. I've been uh snorkeling out at Penny Camp State Park. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Dude, they they took care. Like they put us up in this sick house on a canal, and like I said, they put us in the boat the next day and took us snorking at that little lighthouse spot. But anyways, uh as far as tours go, those are like some of the um the super memorable ones. Tours are always the best.
SPEAKER_01Well, cool. Uh let's take another quick break, and then when we come back, we will uh talk about your time um with Red Bull.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that sounds good. Let's do it.
SPEAKER_04Hey yo I can't seem to face up through the facts. I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax I can't sleep cause my bed's on fire.
SPEAKER_03Don't touch me, I'm a real life wire. Psycho killer, custody, psycho killer, cut you see, better. Run run run run run run.
SPEAKER_01Doing doing the
Working Red Bull Field Marketing
SPEAKER_01hard work.
SPEAKER_00Yes, doing the work.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he's doing a great job. Great, great co-producers. Yeah, appreciate it. And and we got the guy Ryan King right here. We're gonna uh wrap it up, but we cannot wrap it up without talking about your uh your career uh working with Red Bull in the marketing department, correct?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I was uh so after Flatline, um Ryan kind of you know, I think Bo had mentioned this, Ryan focused heavily on on autoline. It was really starting to take off, and um some dudes were getting noticed and starting to get offers they couldn't refuse to ride for some of the bigger brands. Um so it kind of just faded out, and I was kind of at a point where I needed to take on my first, you know, get away from the dream job and you know start you know earning my keep a little more. You know, I'd been out of college for a couple years at this point. So Red Bull's not a dream job, also? No, it was too. No, I'll I'll get to that. So like I I think I mentioned earlier, I I briefly worked at Clear Channel Radio right after uh Flatline. Um and then at the time, I think I kind of like loosely was the team manager for Square One Skate Shop. Big shout out to Owen and Albert. Oh, yeah, yeah. Square one, dude. Yeah, and we were actually, I was like starting to film a little more um at that time with a uh VX 2000 that I'd gotten from um Ryan Corey. And um I was like, yeah, dude, let's do a shop video for for square one. So I was starting to film um Think and Graver and George, Joey, like pretty much a lot of the same people, a lot of the same friends for Square One. Oh yeah. And um never ended up putting out the video. We kind of just uh I forget exactly what happened, but um through that and just kind of TMing for Square One, Edwin from Square One hit me up and was like, hey, um somebody from Red Bull sent out like a a job description that I think you might be interested in, like this filled marketing manager job. It's like real event heavy, like you know they're into like action sports and skateboarding, and so yeah, I was like, oh yeah, read it, checked it out, got in touch with the recruiter through Edwin and um yeah, studied my ass off to get that one, and it's probably like a little green for that, but um uh the regional headquarters was in Atlanta, went up to Atlanta and I guess did good enough to to get it, and you know, shout out to my boss for uh taking a chance on me when I was probably a little young and green for that, but yeah, it worked out, man. Hello, yeah, some great times on that one too. So, what was uh what was like the scope of your job working with them? So it was uh a field marketing manager. So you basically were like a um a marketing mayor for a city or a territory, um, starting in Jacksonville. So Jacksonville was my main priority, but I had um coverage to Tallahassee, even some South Um South Georgia and Gainesville. So um, like I was responsible for managing and planning the um sampling program. So that's like the the wings team, like the the girls that drive the cars.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was about to say, so uh when I was like you know director of summer camp at Kona, when the girls showed up on 4th of July, or I think it was Go Skate Day, yeah, with uh yeah, um Alex Argented and uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I was managing that program and then they did a lot of collegiate marketing, and um a big part of it was just being like in tune to your local scene. So their priorities were like, you know, obviously in Jacksonville, skateboarding and surfing were a priority, uh the art scene, music scene. So, you know, supporting people's events, you know, if if they had an art show, um getting Red Bull involved, and then my favorite part of the the job was um creating Red Bull specific original content or programming. So every year or every quarter, you knowing your market would get To create these business plans, whatever you wanted to pitch, um, your own original ideas and um for like an event, for like events or initiatives, yeah, anything like that, especially for events, and that's kind of events, you know, from the flatline days, that was always kind of like my area of um expertise, I'd say. So yeah, I got to conceptualize my events and pitch them. And if they were liked, you know, by your uppers, they'd say, here you go, here's your budget, go do it. Um, so it was a little bit of the Wild West days. Like now it's become more like, hey, we're gonna come up with this stuff and you know, the headquarters you know, office and tell you what to do for your market. But back then it was like, you guys are the local experts, you're in your scene, come up with what you want to do, and we'll approve it, you know. Yeah, it was almost like you were kind of franchised. Yeah, yeah. It was a rare way. Yeah, yeah. It was like you were a little entrepreneur for your market. Um yes, that was my favorite part of those times was getting to conceptualize. What years were was this? So this was, I think I started it like the end of 08. It was like my run was like 08 to it was like four to five years, like around 2012, I think I finally left. But um, yeah, yeah, man. Yeah, there was some some really cool stuff, like conceptualized a um a skate event that still lives on to this day. That's probably my little like claim to fame that's that's
Creating Red Bull Mind The Gap
SPEAKER_00lived on really past myself. Was um there was an event that I'd done in my time in Atlanta called Red Bull Mind the Gap, and it was just simply a shit. Yeah, it was just a street gap contest, man. A flat street gap. That's your that was my event. That was I I conceptualized and executed that and long since I've left, 10 years later. That's fucking epic, dude.
SPEAKER_01Thank you guys. Yo, because I've seen so much content of that over the years.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's it's uh it's like 10 years old now, I think, and they're still doing it, yeah. And I think they even have grown it to the point now where they do qualifiers all over the country, and then they'll have like a big championship one in Atlanta, the original place we did it. Because like this one particular um street in Atlanta that we did, it was the best street gap, like one of the best ones you'll see. Perfect size. I've lived in Atlanta. What where at? It was um kind of near that Georgia State area. I think it was like fairly popular. I think Poplar was the street. Okay. Um, kind of that downtown Georgia State area, just off of Georgia State.
SPEAKER_01Hell yeah.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I'd I'd done well enough. Um my first two years here on the original programming, because that's their priority at the time, was that I was uh I had done well with that, and I actually got promoted to move to Atlanta. That's how I ended up in Atlanta doing the same thing up there. But Atlanta was a top five market priority wise, so it was kind of a um a promotion. Yeah, it's a big city, yeah. Yeah, so I was How'd you like it living up there? I loved it, man. Like I uh I would have loved to have lived there for another year or two. Um love the people the most, you know. Um, skate scene was rad. Oh yeah. I was there in some good years for skating.
SPEAKER_02I love when the foundation spout and everything back then.
SPEAKER_00I literally based my decision on where I wanted to live on that foundation. So, like the first month I moved there. Yeah, so like they gave me a month, I think, to figure out where I wanted to live. And there was these apartment complex, an apartment complex called the Block Lofts. I know. And it was backed up right up to the freaking foundation, and that was solely my decision on where I wanted to live, is that I could walk over to the freaking Atlanta Foundation. That's fucking epic. I skated there once upon a time destroyed. Place was sick, and and this was like the end of an era, I think. The years it was like um nine through eleven. So it was that was still going, but it was like right after I moved up there right after kind of the Nike debacle video came out. So like Justin Brock and um Grant Taylor, Dan Plunkett, David Clark, those dudes were like like doing it, like really booming. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so I was getting to see them skate every day, like mine being blown seeing like Grant and Dan skate the foundation. I actually think did probably the most legendary shit on the foundation spot ever. Really? Oh yeah, I know what it is. You know what it is, and it it's first try, dude. It's typical. So there's a many pad on the foundation. Like straight like many pad. Like all right, it's not it's not your grand, it's not the post office manipulating.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's it's fair enough.
SPEAKER_00It's uh it's long.
SPEAKER_02It's it's long as fucking it's about a like. Yeah, it's I mean it's a curb height.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean it's it's not even it's not that high, but it's it's big. Anyways, this full mid chin mid chin. He switch flipped it first freaking try, dude.
SPEAKER_02The entire goddamn thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02It's like eight feet, nine feet long.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean it's it's his beast of a switch flip man.
SPEAKER_02Switch flip manual?
SPEAKER_00No, it's the many pad. Over it. The whole fucking thing, dude.
SPEAKER_01Over it, yeah. That's why I was like, wait a minute, they forgot the second part of the thing. No, no, no, no. No, you're not gonna be able to get it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's what I'm saying. That's a long pad. Yeah, he switched flipped over it. The whole goddamn thing first try. Like, I think I mean, obviously that place got crushed, and I mean you got people like Grant, Taylor, and um Blunkett and Justin Brock skating it every day. But like, I really think almost anyone up there would tell you that's the gnarliest shit they've seen. Wow, yeah, dude. Wow. I scared that.
SPEAKER_01Big shout outs to Matt Fink, man. I cannot wait uh for him to be home. Oh, bro cam, bro cam. Yes, we gotta get him on. Oh, most definitely. He's got stories, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, I can only imagine stories from the streets.
SPEAKER_02He's got a bunch of stories where he can talk mad shit about me.
SPEAKER_01So but yeah, that's the the main reason. Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_02That's Paul's whole point when to get Matt on so he can be like, so uh fuck up. So the first time we hung out.
SPEAKER_00He's got the dirt on Chris for sure.
SPEAKER_02First time we hung out, and I wanted to go skateboarding with him and drop the whole 32-ounce sweet tea and see Jolly's car. Come on, man. Fink, we said we'd never talk about that. Showed up Kevin Ariel. That's based on my dad's last name, but uh shit. Yeah, y'all get that when Fink comes on.
SPEAKER_00Right above. It's gonna be sick, yeah. But uh yeah, that was that was like my you know, Red Bull, like a the the short of it. I mean, it was a great five years. I mean, uh, you know, both dream jobs, flatline to Red Bull. It was it was a great time. And for me, especially being able to um touch skateboarding in that way and get to invent things, you know, there was a couple other events like what I mentioned that I was able to like conceptualize and see through, and um that's what I loved about it, you know, is just and and I also enjoyed like it was touching the skateboard industry enough, but I think I was a little older and more mature at this time that like I didn't really care about like the image or like um working in the skate industry anymore. It was like I got to touch enough of it, right? But I liked doing other shit, man. Like I liked working in music and art and um and like we were talking about like the the funny sports, Red Bull is like the king of these, like is it a sport or not?
SPEAKER_02Right, like yeah, I uh I thought I came up with that first.
SPEAKER_01Well, no, like uh I can totally relate to that. You know what I mean? Because I I would honestly always tell, I tell my own children this, I tell any kid I've ever mentored or you know taught a skate lesson. They're like, don't put yourself in a box, right? Right. We do that a lot of times, and especially you know, just these young kids when they're skating, they're like, Oh, well, I want to be a street skater. Right, well, that's all I want to be. Don't you know that you'll be a better street skater if you get skate training? Exactly. You know what I mean? Yes, I mean all all of this, you know. Don't put yourself in a box, do what feels right for you, right? And just live life to life to the fullest.
SPEAKER_00That's it, yeah. Live live your best life. That that's it. Don't try to live someone else's best life.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, don't try to be me, do you think anybody else?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. And I think you you hit it with like the age thing and just like figuring out like what the perfect age is. I mean, I think as I've gotten older, things have gotten better, man. I love where I'm at now more than I did at 25. You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like when I was 11, like it was only skateboarding in my mind and shit. Yeah, then like I had an English teacher in high school that was like, Oh, yeah, write a poem, write a poem, and shit. And then I ended up writing a poem. Next thing I know, like I'm getting nominated for Amateur Poet of the Year in 2008 and shit. Right. Where I was like, Man, I fucking hate poetry. This shit's gay as fuck. But it just it worked to where it's like once I realized, like, oh shit, then like it's in a way to open my mind to so much. Yeah, I think we're like, it brought me into comedy, it brought me into wanting to do podcasts and all that kind of shit. Right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's good to be diverse and be a little cultured, you know, and be comfortable expressing yourself.
SPEAKER_01Yes. We live in a free country. Yeah, you you need to be, you know what I mean? Like you guys want to hear a poem? No, no, all right. No, we're good anyway. On that note, no.
SPEAKER_00No, it's it and so coming full circle with this though. Like, I think like that time at Red Bull and doing those other things, it made me fall back in love with skateboarding even more and made me personally a better skater. And that's after I I left Red Bull, like that's when I started making my own skate videos independently and like kind of fell in love with skateboarding again, you know, and like doing it because I I didn't care so much about the career side of it, and like I'd never probably want to work in the skate industry or like work too closely in skateboarding again because I feel like for me it like kind of burned me on it, but yeah, getting to do it as a hobby, it's pure, yeah, yeah. Like keep it childlike, man. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01Like that's why anytime this becomes feeling like a job, like Chris already knows, we done. Oh, yeah, for sure. For sure. As as long as your emotions and your intent is pure, I mean you're doing it for the soul.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Like, I feel like I'm in a better place in terms of enjoying skating. And like whether it's like filming shit or skating myself, like I'm enjoying it more than ever because like it's not tied to like something I feel like I gotta do, you know. Fuck yeah. And shout out to like everybody, like I my hat is off to like Pete and James at the block and anyone that owns like the shops. Like, I could not do it like at this stage, like I could not be that close to it. I just shout out to the show. Yeah, yeah, you get to pick and choose when you you come to the show.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's what uh Chris Chris Chris and I are on a mission to be the next Dave Duncan's, if you will. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I'm Dave. He's Dave, I'm Duncan's. That's right.
SPEAKER_01You know, so we we we want to announce, we want to judge uh your boy is a carpenter and a builder, so you know I want to I want to be traveling, building stuff. In the meantime, I just want to talk shit. Yeah, we're hella stoked to uh to to talk shit and and bring rad people uh such as yourself, uh their story in into the light in any way that we can, man. I've got to say that it's been a uh a pleasure uh sitting down with you, Ryan. Um saying what you guys are. I want to thank you for everything you've done for the for the skateboarding scene here in Florida, man, because everything you've been a part of was very influential in my young skateboarding life. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Skateboarding in this city for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and uh that's huge to me, man. I appreciate that. So thank you very much. It's very meaningful what you've done so far.
SPEAKER_02And I'll be the first one.
SPEAKER_01Thank you guys.
SPEAKER_02You're coming back, all right?
SPEAKER_01Shout out to a rad dad because rad dad alert, rad dad alert. It's hard out here, and especially having a special needs child, I can only imagine. Um, my mom's an ESE take uh teacher.
SPEAKER_02So he takes care of a special needs child.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, you are special needs child. So to you and your wife, shout out to your son as well. I appreciate you guys, man.
SPEAKER_02Sturge is a man, dude.
Where To Follow Ryan And Farewell
SPEAKER_02I've met him a few I've met him on some good occasions, and they're just the hypeest little kid in the world.
SPEAKER_01Tell tell everybody where they can find you on social media, Ryan, if you want, or any or any creative things that you're doing, where we can find your uh or you know, skate videos that you're you've put out and and all that kind of shit.
SPEAKER_00Plug my uh plug your stuff, my man. So on on Instagram, I guess is the one I'm active on, is uh at Ryan, I think underscore Kingaling. Yeah, yeah. Um and then as far as I have a YouTube channel that I probably haven't uploaded videos in like six years. Like the last yeah, I had like a few videos that I um like semi-full links and one full link video that I did that uh live there and um I'm hoping to come back. I just got a new like dad cam, pretty much bought the cam Casturgil. But trying to trying to film with some people and like we know get into the Yeah, right? Is that get into the new uh decade here with a new camera? But um I actually working on a little project with um Devin Smith. You guys know he's doing like the little supermarket. Yep. Him and Fresh are doing the supermarket clothing. So I first first little project back. I want to do just like a little quick, like maybe four or five minute promo video with those dudes. Um and then other than that, like you said, man, just living the dad life. I'm I'm psyched. Uh that's the ultimate compliment to to be told that you're rad dad, right? Well, yeah, man, for sure. I appreciate you guys, man. You'll let it be.
SPEAKER_02There you go.
SPEAKER_01You're committed now. No, yeah, we uh we got plans to do uh a couple of things. We definitely want to do a benefit uh for Chris. I think uh we might do like a uh a benefit cookout at monument uh kind of thing. We'd love for you to come out. Yeah just like we'll set up a couple of grills and tent, give him the the a bullhorn so he can heckle us, and we'll just it's gotta be monument. It's got to be. Exactly, exactly, exactly. So that's what it wouldn't make any sense. No, that's in the works. No, but we do want to you know try to try to work out a uh a musical benefit show as well.
SPEAKER_02So that's that's different.
SPEAKER_01So uh so stay tuned for all that, man. I'm excited. Joey, co-producer. Yeah, how'd you feel about this substitute, Joey? No, I was digging it. That's my guy. Hey, appreciate you, dude. Doctor, love you, bro. Hey, love you too, buddy. Hey, man, Ryan, it's been a pleasure. You're the most important thing again, dude. Appreciate you guys, man. Much love.
SPEAKER_02It's been an honor being your friend, brother. Yes, yes, thanks for having me for all.
SPEAKER_01Peace, love, and skateboarding. And you will be back.