Lodge Guest, Sean Ritchie

Where do you currently live and where are you from ?

I live in Christchurch, New Zealand and am from Christchurch, New Zealand

Tell us a little bit about your past ?

I started skateboarding in Christchurch when i was 15, so 29 years I have been skating now. I moved to Melbourne, Australia when i was 23 after my ACL knee surgery.I was there for 17 years and I worked in the skate industry there for few years judging competitions and running skate workshops. Later on I started competing in the Masters Bowlriding Circuit around Australia. That was fun!

Why skateboarding ? How did it start for you ?

I played a lot of sports as most kiwi kids do, soccer, rugby leauge, rugby union and cricket. I was a my local school one day kicking a ball around and I saw this kid on a skateboard rolling around and he did an ollie. I was like wow how did he get of the ground. I went and talked to him and had a go. A few weeks later i got a California pro board will bullet wheels or something like that. I never played any sports again after that. It was hard for me playing those sports because I lost a lot of my hearing and I could not hear well to communicate with other kids. Skateboarding was perfect for me because I could do it alone and not feel stupid. I progressed pretty fast.

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

I am currently riding an Antihero Raney Beres Board 8.6 and Independent Lance Mountain trucks and Bones 56 wheels.

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

No not really. I have to have clean griptape with no writing on or anything. It just distracts me.

Any sponsors ?

Just a local tshirt and hoodie company, Screw Loose Crew. ma bros really. Shout out to Tim Thompson aka 2Stroke SLC creator!

What kind of skateboarding do you prefer ?

I mainly skate bowls and vert now. Its easier on the body

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

Yeah Washington Way skatepark in Christchurch New Zealand. Its sick! i spend a lot of time there.

Who is your favorite skateboarders, under and over 30 ?

Favourite skaters under 30 would be Jimmy Wilkins, Clay Kriener, Alex Perelson, Pedro Barros, Cory Jeaneau. Over 30 skaters would be Jeff Grosso, Steve Caberllero, Lance Mountain, Renton Millar, Peter Hewitt, and Darren Naverette.

School, work, not working or other occupation ?

I work for a transport company running a coolstore. Its a sole charge one man band job. So unloading and loading trucks with forklift doing admin stuff. 11-12 hour days sometimes.

Frontside smith grind Thompson Park Christchurch photo by Brent Shipley

How is a normal day looking for you ?

Weekdays i get up at 5am eat am at work by 6am and work till last truck is done usually 5 or 6pm then home eat sleep. Weekends i get up bit later and sometimes skate in the morning while park is empty, come home and chill and then back in late afternoon evening for a skate with the bros.

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

A rad long weekend would be a road trip to Wanaka New Zealand skate the sick bowl there and then onto the private 14 vert ramp at our friends place skate there all weekend and drink beers!

Invert at Washington Way skatepark Christchurch photo by Will Bartlet

Any big plans for 2019 ?

Just to keep skating and get my body stronger to keep going. My wife Emma moves from Sweden to Christchurch in June to start our married life together, cant wait for that! Skate some more comps too!

Who are you hanging out with at the moment ?

All ma bros in the Screw Loose Crew, Shaka, Adam, Johnny, Droll, Marcus, Stefan, Haminator, Cory (Screw Loose Crew Photographer) Fun times!

Who and what is your motivation at the moment ?

My wife Emma is motivates me, she supports my skating and believes in me more that i do myself sometimes. She is my lighthouse. My motivation is being around all my rad friends who push me and inspire me to keep skating and learning.

Last country you visited ? and what happened there ?

Last country I visited was Sweden. I got married there in March. Had honeymoon in Malmo/Bryggeriet skatepark hahaha. Caught up with old friends rad times!

What was the last gnarly thing you witnessed ?

Watching my mate Dave skating a comp recently and he slid out doing a frontside air straight to his face. Blood pissing out. He got back up and finished his run and then did the next one. Tough s nails!

What was the last item you bought ?

Beer I think hahaha

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

I like to make furniture out of old pallets. Upcycling basically. Barstools, tables, chairs, and sometime make things out of skateboards. Its good when it winter here and its to wet to skate or am injured, i do that.

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

One of my favorite restaurants is in Stockholm called Aufir. Its a Medievel restaurant and has awesome food. Always go there when in Sweden. The mead is great too!

When you cook food, what do you cook ?

I mainly cook risottos or pastas, they are my go to meals. Does oven pizza count? hahaha

Whats your top 3 favorite drinks ?

Water, Spiralina smoothies and beer.

How do you see the future of skateboarding ?

Skateboarding has a very bright future. There are so many up and coming young kids that are shredding. Even here in New Zealand its growing fast with number of skateparks popping up. I guess social media helps promote it more too. The more skaters skating the more parks that get built. Its a win win situation.

Who do we need to interview on the lodge ?

Probably Ramon Thackwell New Zealand Vert Masters Champion. Also Simon Sac Renyolds aussie skate legend and punk!

Do you ever think about a future with no skateboarding ?

No. Skateboarding will always be a part of my life in one way or another

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

Massive thank you to my wife Emma for all her love and support. The Screw Loose Crew, all my Aussie crew from over the years, you know who you are! Especially the NSC crew.