Sebo Walker: skateboarding has always been associated with outcasts, drugs and partying

Ten years ago, skateboarding was viewed as a street style only and was expected to have negative consequences: injuries, connections with bad companies, and an unserious attitude to life. Over time, the view of this sport has changed. It became more popular, free and even moved to the Olympic level.

Skateboarder from the United States Sebastian Walker has been confidently standing on the board for 18 years. During this time, he has been able to see an amazing transformation of his favorite sport. After all, when Sebo at the age of 13 first picked up a skateboard, his parents were against their son’s new hobby. And now Walker performs at the professional level, shows an unusually wild style of skating and an unconventional approach to the choice of obstacles. In addition, Sebastian teaches skateboarding to children and paints boards for them.

We managed to meet the athlete ahead of the large-scale event Moscow Skateboarding Open 2019, which took place last weekend. We talked to Sebastian about his sporting career, creativity and how important it is to persevere towards your dreams.

– Sebo, at the age of 13 you first started skateboarding. Can you tell us if you were involved in any sports before that?

– Yes, I’ve tried almost all sports. I have two older brothers and with them we played soccer, basketball, tennis… In high school I also did a lot of sports. But when I tried skateboarding, I liked it a little bit more than everything else. That’s how I got hooked. In fact, in other sports I didn’t really like the presence of competition, and skateboarding turned out to be more free and creative.

– When did you realize that skateboarding is what your heart was drawn to? At what point did you decide to pursue it professionally?

– I was around 16-17 years old when I realized that skateboarding was something I was really passionate about. But I never decided to go pro – I just tried to go pro. That goal used to seem like a big made-up dream, but now I realize it was worth all the effort. Just don’t give up!

– As far as we know, your parents were against skateboarding. How did you manage to find a compromise with them?

– 15 years ago skateboarding was less popular and less accepted by society. It was more associated with outcasts, drugs, partying… It was more like a rebellious act. But my parents saw that I really enjoyed skating. So if I did well in school and got good grades, they let me practice. I didn’t want to lose my hobby, so I did a great job.

Over time, my parents realized that I didn’t run into trouble. For me, skateboarding was creativity, an extremely positive thing in my life. I would just go out with my friends, skate and make videos for local sketches – there was nothing rebellious about it. Then my parents believed in me and allowed me to pursue my dream. You know, if you really have a dream, they’ll let you pursue it!

– Now you’re a rider for Krooked, Mob, Indy and Bones Swiss – that’s definitely a high level! What was the first team you joined?

– It was called “XL Real World” and was only based in my hometown. It was my first sponsor and the team I did video content with.

– You entered many competitions and eventually became famous for your unconventional style and choice of obstacles. Was this a planned “trick” or did it just happen?

– It just happened. I love skating so much that I see the creative aspects and uniqueness of each rider in the process. There aren’t too many rules or structure in skateboarding in general. So I’m having fun and taking the opportunity to be more creative. Maybe I see obstacles a little differently than everyone else. But as far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been too much of a rider. So I challenge myself every time and try to succeed at it.

– Name three words that can succinctly characterize your skateboarding style.

– I would call it free, creative and wild.

You know, I lived in a van and slept on a couch, sometimes I had to sleep on couches or even on the floor.

– I guess every athlete has a goal they are working towards. What is your goal?

– Initially my goal was to become a professional skateboarder. It took a long time to get there. You know, I lived in a van and slept on the couch, sometimes I had to sleep on couches or even on the floor. Making connections, finding sponsors and getting started – this task requires a tremendous amount of work and a kind of sacrifice.

Now as a professional I want to try to make a good impact on the kids and teach them how to skate. To do this, I continue to show skateboarding in a positive light – as it is now. A lot of kids need a creative outlet and this sport is perfect for that.

My main goal right now is to stay connected to the youth and be a positive influence. Because when I was a kid myself, I looked up to the pros and hoped to someday learn to do what they did.

– Were there moments when you wanted to give up skateboarding?

– No. After struggling for so long, that would have been the lowest feeling I could have experienced. I know I will never quit my sport. Simply because it gives me more emotion than anything else.

– So you had no doubts even after big defeats?

– For me, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about staying healthy and standing on my board. When I go down the street on my skateboard I have feelings of euphoria, freedom and a kind of electricity, you know? I’ve been skating for so long that I feel more comfortable when I’m riding my skateboard than when I’m just walking.

– What do you think is the most important thing in skateboarding? A quality board, proper technique, motivation or perhaps a certain “recklessness”?

– I think the most important thing is to encourage kids to get into skateboarding for the right reason. That is to focus their attention not on always being the best or winning, but on loving to socialize with friends. That way they can support each other, hone tricks, battle or make videos that will inspire other people.

I’ve been skating for so long that I feel more comfortable when I’m riding a skateboard than when I’m just walking.

– There are many professional riders in Russia, but there is also a stereotype that skateboarding is not a serious entertainment for teenagers. How is skateboarding treated in the US?

– I’m sure attitudes have changed a lot in the last 5-10 years and they continue to change. I live in California and I know there are still negative connotations of skateboarding in some other places. But for the most part it is extremely popular now. I give lessons to kids and realize that they probably enjoy skating for the same reason I do. Not because of the competition, but because of the creativity and the opportunity to express themselves individually. There is no right or wrong approach here.

– For the first time, Tokyo will host a skateboarding competition as part of the 2020 Summer Olympics. How do you feel about your sport reaching the Olympic level?

– That’s a really good question. I’ve been skating for 18 years and I can see how skateboarding has transformed from something unpopular and uncool to a mainstream sport. I think there are pros and cons to getting to the Olympic level, but I’m used to looking on the positive side of things. I hope it encourages kids from all over the world to pick up a skateboard for the first time, helps people keep local skate parks, encourages people to build new ones, and shows that skateboarding is an overall positive thing. But still, I see it a little differently. I love doing videos and working on the streets, and you don’t necessarily have to be “on the runway” to do that.

– So you’re not planning on competing in the Olympics?

– No, I’m not in. I haven’t participated in a lot of competitions at all, as I prefer to make content. Also, I think I’m a little older than the average age of Olympic athletes. I guess event organizers are looking for athletes around 18 to 28 years old, and I’m already 31.

– Moving away from skateboarding, let’s talk about creativity. You’re a great graffiti artist. Do you ever get serious about drawing or is it a hobby that doesn’t go beyond the streets?

– I paint more on canvas or deck skins than I do actual street art. But I do paint a lot on skateboards, I even have an art page on Instagram with pictures of my art. For seven years I’ve been painting boards for kids, and communicating with them that way. But I don’t like to paint on the streets. My hobby is more like art, which I do at home.

– How do you come up with ideas for new drawings?

– A lot of ideas come from skateboarding, but mostly I freestyle. Most of the time I just start drawing without any definite thoughts and you could say I let the ideas happen to me.

– What three pieces of advice do you have for beginners who are picking up boards for the first time and want to do the same cool tricks as the real pros?

– Never get too serious and ride for fun, have fun! Try to learn a new trick every time you get up on your board. And of course, try to take care of your body, like doing pull-ups and warming up so you don’t get sore afterwards. Because we all know getting hurt sucks!