Lodge Guest, Collin Graham

 

 

Where do you currently live and where are you from ?

I Have lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia USA my whole life

Tell us a little bit about your past ?

Basically just all skateboarding.

Why skateboarding ? How did it start for you ?

I was born into the East Coast skate scene. My dad, Shane Graham, is a skater and all of his friends were skaters. I grew up skating at Mnt. Trashmore skatepark with legends like Sergie Ventura, Henry Gutierrez, Allen Midgette, and Rob “pwee” Agliam. So I was always surrounded by amazing skaters and they helped teach me everything I know now

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

I ride an 8.25 Embassy skateboard, 56mm Powerflex wheels, and size 44 ace trucks

Do you have any setup rituals, we need to know about ?

Not really. I always scratch my grip tape right above the back bolts to identify my tail, usually I scratch the 3 prong fork into it

Any sponsors ?

Embassy skateboards, Ace Trucks, Wrv surf shop, Powerflex wheels, Bulletproof Kevlar laces, 187 killer pads, Skeleton key mfg, Element apparel,Vans(flow), Oakley (flow), mudnutz hardware

What kind of skateboarding do you prefer ?

I prefer to skate a big bowl or a nice flow park

Do you have a great skate spot in your home town you can recommend ?

Mnt trashmore skatepark has the best solid big vert ramp and Williams farm skatepark has a huge concrete bowl and flow bowl

Who is your favorite skateboarders, under and over 30 ?

Grant Taylor, Mike Frazier, Bob Burnquist, Rune Glifberg, Pedro Barros, Ronnie and Dylan O’Neal, Allen and Nathan Midgette, Bucky Lasek, Evan Smith

School, work, not working or other occupation ?

I work at the Virginia Beach gym. My main hobby other than skateboarding is Rock climbing so it is a perfect fit

How is a normal day looking for you ? 

First thing out of bed is going straight to make coffee, normally listen to some reggae music while drinking coffee to get in a good mood. Check the weather and if it is going to be a nice warm day then I hit up the homies and try to plan a session somewhere, if it’s cold or raining then I go to my work and rock climb for a few hours. After either of those I normally just go back home and relax or go have some drinks with friends.

Tell us how a good long great weekend should look for you

Definitely a skate trip somewhere, preferably somewhere new and having the whole crew with me. Just skating a lot, filming, and having a good time with the homies.

Any big plans for 2019 ?

Just trying to go to as many contests as possible and skate as much as I can. Hopefully go on some cool trips to film and skate new places.

Who are you hanging out with at the moment ?

I’m with Rodney Mead at our hotel in Sweden. Just got done with the Malmo Vert attack contest. Such a rad event.

 

 

 

 

Who and what is your motivation at the moment ?

All things skateboarding is my motivation. I want to be able to skate forever and hopefully make a living off of it. Doing what I love as a career would be a dream come true

Last country you visited ? and what happened there ?

I came to Sweden for the Malmo Vert Attack and I ended up doing pretty well. Made it all the way to the finals and finished in 6th place. The contest is unlike anything I’ve ever been to, such a great park and atmosphere of skaters/skate fans

What was the last gnarly thing you witnessed ?

Edi frenchi landed a kick flip Indy 540. But other than that, Justin Rivera and Ian Landi’s collision at the vert attack contest. Heaviest collision I’ve ever seen. Both were knocked out for minutes

What was the last item you bought ?

Beer at the after party hahaha

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

I love going on rock climbing trips! Climbing such a rush and very hard. Other than that I play disc golf quite a bit haha

What is your to go to restaurant, you wanna share ?

I don’t really have a go to restaurant but I love a good steak!

When you cook food, what do you cook ?

I mainly only cook for my girlfriend, Maggie Zerr, so whatever she is in the mood for I will whip up. I’m not the best cook but I’m learning more with every meal and it’s fun to cook great tasting food.

Whats your top 3 favorite drinks ?

Alchoholic: Whiskey old fashion, Whiskey Sour, White Russian. Nonalcoholic: Water, Coffee, Mnt. Dew

How do you see the future of skateboarding ?

Hopefully the same, there will always be different people skating for different reasons but I hope the gnarly underground scene stays in tact and it doesn’t get all political and commercialized

Who do we need to interview on the lodge ?

Nathan Midgette!

Do you ever think about a future with no skateboarding ?

No because that is not a future I want to be a part of

Last words, thank yous, other, did we miss anything ?

Thanks for interviewing me and thank you to my friends and family. Lee Leal with embassy skateboards for getting me to where I am at today and the Windsor woods crew for teaching me everything about skating!

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