Lodge Guest, Tomek Ziółkowski

What is your name ?

Tomek Ziółkowski

Where do you live and where are you from ?

I was born, raised and live in Warsaw.

Tell us a little bit about your past… growing up

I was growing up in the center of Warsaw. I spent a lot of time outside with my homies and went to school from time to time. I was always into all kind of sports, mostly football as i wanted to become a professional football player.

Why skateboarding ? How did it start for you ?

When I was 12 I went to my friend to play basketball, but we quickly got bored and he asked if i want to try skateboarding. He already knew some basic tricks so he showed them to me and this is how it all begun.

What size set up, wheels & trucks do you currently ride ?

Deck from my local shop – SH STORE size 8,25″, BONES WHEELS V2 or V5 in 54 MM, BONES REDS BEARINGS and INDEPENDENT TRUCKS size 144.

Any sponsors ?

MALENKA HEADWEAR, NIKE SB, SH STORE, INDEPENDET TRUCKS, BONES WHEELS.

School, work, not working or other occupation ?

I work part-time in a local skateshop – SH Store.

pole jam to 5-0, Warszawa 2016, photo: Kuba Bączkowski

How is a normal day looking for you ?

I get up around 9:00 AM, shower, breakfast, then i grab my cruiser board and ride to open SH Store – i pack the online orders, sell stuff etc. normal job. I finish around 4/5 PM and ride back home. I take the dog for a walk, I do some exercises to warm up and go out to skate. In the evening I eat dinner with my girlfriend, we watch something and thats is. Sleep. Eat. Repeat.

Tell us how a good long weekend is looking for you

A skate trip with my homies. Good people, good spots, good food equals good time.

bs powerslide, Warszawa 2016, photo: Rafał Zajdel / Modest Myśliwski

So how was your months of 2018 ? living healthy already ?

This year is by far really good to me. I spent whole month in Barcelona skating and not giving a fuck about anything. I wish every year would start like this.

Any new projects or missions 2018, you wanna talk about ?

I will have 3 full-parts this year. The first will premiere in April with Kuba’s Kaczmarczyk’s and Paweł Przybył video Neverwhere. We were gathering material for this for more than 2 years. The second will come out in June with the new Michał Rajewski’s 3 Station Video – 3 Station is a crew of my homies. I’m still working on the third part. I’m filming it with Michał Buśko – a good friend of mine, but he lives in Manchester now and it’s not that easy.

Do you read books ? if so, what do you read ?

I don’t have much time for reading, but i like biographies and historical books, especially about my city – Warsaw. The last book i read was Szczepan Twardoch’s novel “Król” (King). The story of the book is based in Warsaw in 1937.

Who are you hanging out with at the moment ?

Right now i’m in SH Store with my homies Mati and Woolee and we are going to skate in a bit. But i hang out mostly with my homies from Warsaw.

Who and what is your motivation at the moment ?

I get my motivation from various edits and skaters. It’s really hard to name some, beacuse there is some many of them. I like to watch edits on Thrasher website, they always inspire and motivate me.

What else is going on ?

I just got back to Warsaw from month-long trip to Barcelona. I feel great, my batteries are charged and im ready for street skating. I just have to wait for better weather.

What do you do besides skateboarding, hobbies, other interests ?

I’m into architecture and taking pictures. I like to explore my city and take pictures of old buildings and architectural details.

What is your to go to resturant ?

I don’t eat out too much, but if I do i usually go to italian restaurants or cheap bars with traditional polish food.

When you cook food, what do you cook ?

Spaghetti Bolognese is my speciality but I also make soups and some polish dishesh my mother taught me to do.

Whats your top 3 favorite drinks ?

Water, orange juice and coca cola from time to time.

How do you see the future of skateboarding ?

I see a bright future of skateboarding. Even in Poland new skateparks are being built all the time. I see more and more kids with skateboards, the level is getting higher. Hopefully nothing will change anytime soon.

Who do we need to interview on the lodge ?

Marcin “Junior” Pawuniak