Interview with Andrew Trager

What do you love most about skateboarding?

the possibilities are endless, theres always something new to learn, or something to improve on. you do what you want to do, and dont have people telling you what to do.

Is that what drives you to skate?

the feeling of success when landing a trick, or doing a new set or rail is what drives me to skate. i guess thats also another thing i love about skateboarding haha

The accomplishment I guess. What's it like to be on Blank decks A Team?

its sick! it gives me another reason to go out and skate and film. its also rly kool working with Jared, hes a sick manager!

Oh thanks, I'm flattered. Don't just say stuff like that for the fun of it. You make me sick. ;);)

its the truth bro

What's the latest trick you're working on?

front boardslide, 270 out and fakie half cab airs in the mini

I'm not going to lie, that's pretty sick.

haha thanxx

i love doing air tricks in the mini

like airwalks and frontside indys

Sick. Have you heard about this new full color griptape?

not at all lol

it is thru blankdecks?

Of course not, it's cutting edge. Vile has it right now, we're working on some for Blankdecks. I might surprise you with it one day, who knows...

that would be sickk! blues my favorite color ;);) hahaha

I'll keep that in mind. What would you like to say to your fans?

whats up guys! keep skating! and enjoy every minute of it!

I respect that. Have you thought about skating for Vile?

never really thought about it, but it sounds like a good idea to me lol

if the chance came about id definitely take it

So is there anything you do as far as keeping in shape for skateboarding that we could benefit from knowing?

try and skate as much as possibly, even if its only for an hr or 2 durring the day. practice the harder tricks so i dont lose them, and try and skate a few different sets a week. just to stay on top of everything

That's good advice, we'll need to talk more about some ideas for skateboarding fitness. Tell us about one of your more serious bails.

hmm...lets see

i would prolly have to say

the time i was trying to throw a treflip down this drop

my board got cought up around one of my feet, and then i landed it primo with one foot under the board, and the other on top. i broke my toe and lost my nail

it was rediculiously painful

OOOOOoooooooo... *Backs up a little and puts head down... Clinches fists holding onto fingernails.

yea it was pretty bad haha

That's nuts! You're an animal! Super human! Something!

haha thanxx

One question, was it worth it?

of course

made a sick story haha

There you have it folks, Andrew Trager. Never quits. Thanks for your time Andrew, I appreciate it.

Now go skate!

any time! thanks for putting me on the team!

haha im actually on my way out to go hit the skate park...u cought me just before i left

You earned it my friend. You're going to throw another casperflip manual no doubt.

haha i wanna do that at the roslyn banks, a pretty sick manual pad spot on long island. never been done b4 down that

That's tight, hey I'll send you a set of Softrucks today. Any last words?

YOU ARE THE MAN! haha

just for everyone reading this, go skate, and have fun!

just wanna say hi to my friends and family! and my girlfriend amy <3<3

and that blankdecks is a sick company!

Hey thanks Andrew. We'll catch you later. Keep it real.

Vile Griptape

This new griptape is beyond sick. Full color! Printed. So I set up my new Vile deck with the new griptape. And took it out for a little testing and photos. Let me just say that I'm stoked on this new idea. The full color griptape is incredible.

My only worry when seeing the new griptape is would it effect the way I skate. Turns out it does just fine. I had no problem landing all of the regular tricks I do.

I'm stoked on my new Vile griptape!

Interview with Evan Alpert

Evan, what is it that drives you to skate so much?

So much haha. I feel unaccomplished if i don't skate, it's all I ever think about, the feeling of landing what you were trying to do is the best feeling ever.

What advice do you have for skaters looking to get sponsored?

Practice, and have fun. Don't get to obsessed with trying to get sponsored, enjoy skateboarding, and when you have a lot of great footage go for it.

What's the latest trick you're working on?

Well haven't really been working on anything, but I've been having fun with double flips and bs 360 kickflips, those are mega fun.

How many times has a pebble prevented your greatness?

hahah too many.. way too many. If you guys saw my video with my hand.. not sure if that was a pebble but man did that take of a large portion of skin off my hand.

Yeah, I saw that, it was heinous! --Did you get your revenge?

haha I'm actually planning on to, not gonna lie I'm pretty scared, but I'm defiantly wearing a glove this time.

Nice. Have you ever gone back to slay such a pebble with your bare hands for vengeance?

hahah literally? I don't know bout that, those things have their ways

Evan the merciful. I respect that.

ahaha yee :]:]

Anything you'd like to say to your fans?

Thanks for watching my skating. I've been holding back a lot (my friends know that) and I have major plans of changing that.

Who is the best team manager you've ever known?

Pfftt Jared Rich obviously haha. This guy is the man and has done everything he can to help me out. He is an awsome guy and I got major respect for him ;]

I respect that. Thanks. ;)

haha no problem man, meant all of it

What's it like to be on Blankdecks.com A Team?

Pretty awsome, these decks/ other gear are the best. I haven't gotten one thing from this site that I didn't like.

Definitely a privilege

Do you think you'll ever skate for Vile too?

haha I realllly hope so, their graphics are so tight and there boards are sick. I'd love to, but I've learned to keep my hopes chill. But that'd definitely make me stoked.

You've skated a Vile deck right?

i put my trucks on it and tested it out, but i'm saving it for some boss footage

That's sick. Those decks are something else. It's a shame to assemble them on less than quality trucks, wheels, bearings, hardware, risers, and griptape.

That's it! Thank you for your time Evan, I'll let you get back to your skating/filming.

haha no problem man :]:]

Any last words?

Never quit shredding

NEW TEAM PAGE!

We have a new Team Page at Blankdecks.com! I just wanted to let you all know. Featuring Blankdecks.com Team Manager Jared Rich, and A Team skaters Andrew Trager, Evan Alpert, Tyler Brekke, Justin Pellman, Ryan Donovan, Daniel Crowe, and Cooper Pickle.

The page features interviews, videos, fan pages, and twitter accounts!

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Interview with Cooper Pickle

So I took the time to write up this interview for our own A Team skater Cooper Pickle. We are proud to have him with us at Blankdecks.com.

How long have you been skating?

Probably about three to four years going strong.

What made you want to start skateboarding?

My uncle used to skateboard and many of my friends were skating at the time so my uncle bought me a board for my birthday and everything else just kinda fell into place.

Tell us about some of your injuries.

Head to toe: I've gotten three concussions, broken nose, deviated septum, fractured left eye bone, left shoulder dislocated, broken rib, racked and credit carded numerous times, pinched nerve in my left side of my back bone, ripped my shin open and had 16 stitches, fractured right ankle twice and left ankle once. That's about it though.

How do you stay fit and healthy to skate?

Occassionally i'll go to the gym and work out with a friend or run a mile or so. I skate just about every day starting with a quick warm up and then whatever else i need to do. Warming up helps me prepare alot for a long, strenuous day of skating.

What advice do you have for skaters looking to get sponsored?

Just keep skating your hardest and eventually someone will notice you. It helps to have connections and travel when possible.

Who is your favorite skater (besides yourself) and why?

Either Sean Malto or Torey Pud. Their style is rediculous and near flawless.

How does it make you feel to skate with people who are maybe better than you?

It doesn't bother me at all. I've skated with plenty of people who are better than me in contests and whatnot and it's fun to just chill and hang out, watch other people's tricks and style and learn from it. A good example is my friend Kechaud Johnson from Dallas area. He's a sick skater and has an incredible style. i've skated with him a couple of times and it's an eye opener. He's on City Stars skateboards so check him out.

If you could have just one new sponsor, who would it be?

Either Nike SB or Etnies

What are your thoughts concerning Jared Rich? ;-)

Really cool guy. I can't thank him enough for everything he's hooked me up with. It's great to see Blankdecks.com moving quickly and taking a step up in sponsors and whatnot.

What the heck are you doing this interview for? Shouldn't you be out skating?

Well right now it's 1:40 A.M. and i just got home from skating, so for now I'm resting.

Anyone you would like to give a shout out to?

My girlfriend Taylor, and the family. All my friends i skate with, Chase, Johnny, Qualon, and all my friends in Paris and Henderson!

Longboarding the Canyon

Wow! We finally took that longboarding trip down the canyon. It's something else to fly through the trees next to a river on a longboard. With the kicktail longboard I was able to manual for quite a while through some of the flatter areas. I even threw in a kickflip at the end. I knew the other guys probably weren't going to be as prepared so I brought along some of Consolidated's Super Hydrocarbon Bearing Spray (Warning!! Extremely Flammable - Keep away from children.) We had been talking about this for some time. So of course I came prepared and willing to share. After all, I figured they would need the extra grease to keep up. ;-) I worried as I traveled that my bearings might catch fire due to the extreme rate of the trees zipping past our heads. It wasn't until later... just now in fact-- that I glance at this can of spray and notice the bullet point that finally calms my trouble heart. "Withstands heat and high speeds" NO WONDER! If it wasn't for that... Well you know. Charred remains. The can of spray also hold true to the promise "Girls will like you". (Results may vary.)

I'm telling you man, these kicktail longboards are LEGIT! (Emphasis added.)

Jared Rich

Starting to Warm Up!!!

I'm getting excited about the weather. Seriously, it's starting to get warmer outside, snow is disappearing, and you know what that means. Time to skate. I don't know what you've got for your skate scene, but I'm going to take a little longboarding trip down Provo Canyon in Utah once it warms up where I am. Get air and a view of nature as we cruise down the asphalt path between the trees and cliffs. I just asked Jordan Sprinkle what he thinks about that. He thinks he'd like to be sponsored and travel more. I respect that. Welcome to the B Team Jordan.

Anyway, so it's time to toss out that old warped and tattered skateboard, grip up a fresh deck with new bearings and hit the streets. I love the feel of a fresh skateboard deck as the tail hits the pavement and lifts off the ground.

And of course there are those on and off days, snow, no snow, rain, melting snow, etc. Those are the days when I practice a few tricks indoors with my Softrucks complete. Softrucks are legit! I must admit.