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Mike Vallely | ||
An American professional skateboarder who has accomplished many great things both in his professional and personal life has agreed to share his experiences and achievements with our online magazine. The publication is honored and thrilled to introduce to our readers the legendary Mike Vallely. If you think you know everything about him, then you haven't read this exclusive spotlight yet. Enjoy!
Isaac: What's up Mike? Thanks for taking some time from your busy schedule to complete this online interview with our publication. Let's get started. I know from your bio that you started skateboarding in the autumn of 1984. What was the main factor that made you decide that you wanted to skate?
Mike: Skateboarding just spoke to me, it just made sense to me, when I discovered skateboarding I discovered myself.
Isaac: Remarkably, only a year and half into skating, you received your first sponsor, Powell Peralta. How did Powell Peralta approached you and what were your initial responses?
Mike: Well, this was in 1986 and skateboarding was changing and I guess I was a part of that change. I didn't really look at it like that; I was just skating, just doing what felt right. I was approached by Lance Mountain and Stacy Peralta in the parking lot of Mt. Trashmore in Virginia, Beach, Virginia about joining the Bones Brigade. It really caught me off guard and seemed so unfathomable to me that they really had to talk me into it. To this day, I still am in a state of disbelief.
Isaac: You gained success at an early stage of your career with winning the NSA National Amateur Streetstyle Champion and appearing on the cover of Thrasher Magazine. How did gaining success at an earlier stage of your career impact you personally? What were some immediate changes that you recognized with your new status?
Mike: Well, winning the contest and appearing on the cover of Thrasher helped but really just being a young street skater from the east coast being added to the best team in the history of skateboarding made me an over night star in the skateboard world, which I wasn't really ready for. I struggled mightily with all of the pressure and attention.
Isaac: When you turned pro in 1987, what were some of the immediate benefits that you witnessed from being a pro skater?
Mike: Money in my pocket.
Isaac: That would be what I noticed too.
Isaac: One of the main reasons why I admire and respect you as a person and an athlete is what you stand for in life. In 1989, you left Powell Peralta for another venture, do you mind elaborating on what this mission was and why was it so important to you?
Mike: Well, my main mission was really just to leave Powell Peralta because I just never felt comfortable there. I never felt like I was truly a part of something, I never felt valued or cared for. I felt like a piece of meat and I refused to be treated in that manner. I saw myself as an artist and a skater of significance and I felt like I was being treated like I was something disposable. I left Powell Peralta to help form World Industries which I hoped would be an answer to everything I disliked about Powell but I didn't understand the business then, I didn't understand the industry, I didn't realize it's all the same. Business is business.
Isaac: How has being married to the love of your life and being a father shaped you as a man?
Mike: I reckon all of the things that matter to me and that I value were a part of my character before I had kids. Having kids and being married for sixteen years now is really just the actualization of what I believe.
Isaac: I remembered reading in your bio that in 1995, you won the first annual Skatepark of Tampa Pro Street Contest in Tampa, Florida and competed in the first ever X-Games. What did that experience do to you as a pro skater?
Mike: Winning Tampa was a big deal at the time; it really put me back on the industry's radar which was good for my career. The first X-Games opened my eyes to the fact that skateboarding was going to grow with or without me and I decided I'd be a contributor to that growth and a participant in it as opposed to someone standing on the sidelines whining about it.
Isaac: Recently, you went to China. What was the main reason why you went to China?
Mike: Mike: I went to China back in 1997 but haven't been back since. I went over there to promote skateboarding at a time when the Chinese government didn't really value skateboarding as a sport or as something that Chinese youth should pursue. I like to think my visit back then helped to change that; that was the goal.
Isaac: Back in the summer of 2001, you joined Tony Hawk on his Gigantic Skatepark Tour. Elaborate on that whole experience if you don't mind?
Mike: Tony opened the door for me to come on tour with him and I saw it as a golden opportunity to deliver my skating and its broader message, one of individuality and freedom of expression, to a large audience. It was the start of a great working relationship between Tony and myself, one I really value.
Isaac: One of the best documentaries ever filmed was DRIVE. What were some of the rewards and challenges of putting this masterpiece to together? Expound a little about what is DRIVE.
Mike: Thanks. I think DRIVE (the movie and TV series) is still greatly undervalued by the skateboard industry and the core skateboard community. It has been a real challenge getting any press or attention from the skateboard magazines for what I've been doing as a pro skater for the past seven years or so. The reward is making it, living it and getting feedback on it from people like yourself.
Isaac: Fuel TV (which does not come in my area anymore (bummer)) began airing your TV series. What type of feedback have you received from your fans?
Mike: From the people that get it and watch it the feedback has been overwhelming positive. The show has impacted people in a way that skateboarding impacted me when I first started riding and that was my hope for the series, to be a link in a chain of inspiration and empowerment.
Isaac: Let's talk about some up and coming projects for 2009. You are set to appear in Paul Blart: Mall Cop which is currently in post-production. Do you mind elaborating on more about this project and how did it land on your lap?
Mike: The movie comes out on January 16 and stars Kevin James; it's going to be a great movie and a lot of fun. Everyone definitely needs to go check it out. How I got the role was; I was contacted by a casting agent saying they were looking for a "bad ass skateboarder" and I told them, "Well, you called the right guy."
Isaac: Hehe; they were right!
Isaac: I also know that you are an avid ice hockey fan and player. Give us some more background on what you are doing with charity for this sport?
Mike: I have and will continue to play in charity games where money is raised for different causes and foundations. It's always nice to do something you love to do and through that simple act help others. I do that in skateboarding as well.
Isaac: If you had to do one thing over in life right, it would be.....
Mike: I don't think in such terms. Every moment we truly live our lives is redemption in itself. I'm only concerned with the moment right here, right now.
Isaac: Time to give shouts outs.....
Mike: I guess I'd just like to say hello to everyone reading this.
Isaac: Final Thoughts from the man...
Mike: Never Give Up.
Mike Vallely's Links
Mike Vallely on MySpace
Mike Vallely Official Website
Photos used in this story were provided by Mike Vallely.
