Bryan Q&As

Conner Jeffrey is a student at the University of Oregon who enjoys skateboarding at the WJ Skatepark. As a local skateboarder Jeffrey’s interview was vital to the development of our multimedia project and provided the skater’s opinion on the park itself.

Q: So why don’t we start with your name.

A: My name is Conner Jeffrey, I’m 21 years old, and I’ve been skating for about 10 years now.

Q: How has skating in Eugene been for someone from the L.A. area.

A: Since I’ve been to Eugene my skating declined, not much to skate in town and parks aren’t easy to come by. Except for WJ recently.

Q: Are you someone who prefers a park to the streets?

A: I’m much more about the streets. That’s what I did in L.A. but streets in Eugene just aren’t the same. Conditions aren’t awesome and not much variation, which might explain why I’m always going to WJ.

Q: So you skate more now that WJ has been established?

A: Yeah, definitely. I mean I still go out less than I did back home but I try to get out to the park at least once a week.

Q: How have your experiences been at the park?

A: Never have problems, never crowded when I go, but I tend to go late at night.

Q: Has going to WJ helped improve your skating?

A: Well, ever since my knee injury I’ve been skating less for the thrill and more for the fun I guess. I don’t push myself like I used to but going to WJ has forced me to pick up different things and I’ve gotten much better at carving up the bowls and other features I never used to hit.

Q: So overall, what part has the skate park played in maintaining your level of skating?

A: Well, I’ll always love L.A. for being the place that introduced me to skating. I mean, nowhere else compares to it. So many professionals and videos are being made in L.A. it’s hard to like anything else. That being said, WJ is one of the nicest public parks I have ever seen or skated. It’s beautiful and convenient in a town full of kids trying to skate in a rainy state. It’s just very Eugene in nature. The art, the people, the whole scene has Oregon written all over it which I love.

Written by: Bryan Stiver

                                                                                                                                 

Tyde Kaneshiro is a student at the University of Oregon and an aspiring surgeon. His dedication to both education and extreme sports was a perfect example of the work hard, play hard mentality. Kaneshiro’s experiences with skateboarding in the hills of Hawaii shed light on a different style of skateboarding. His interview became the example of skateboarding’s versatility and adaption to different cultures.

A: My name is Tyde Kaneshiro. I’m a junior at the University of Oregon; I’m twenty-four years old.

Q: How long have you been skating for?

A: I’ve been skating for about, five years

Q: Consistently?

A: Pretty steady I’d say.

Q: And your reasons for skating?

A: I do downhill skating and free ride, it’s a different style of the sport, and one of the fastest growing parts of skating right now.

Q: Can you explain what makes free ride different than conventional skating?

A: Ok, well the difference is that you’re pretty much riding different boards than you take to the park, a longer board that you take downhill at high speeds. Everything is a little different, the trucks, wheels, board. Everything is designed for speed and stability. So my board right now is a top mount, which is elongated with some other features like the deck itself is carved out, so the wheels won’t ever touch the actual board, even on those tight turns.

Q: What made you choose free ride skating?

A: The reason I chose to do free ride skating is because I never really grew up doing normal skating in Hawaii, so when I go to parks or when I go to the streets I can’t really do any of that stuff you see in street skating videos. But I was always good on a long board, and really good at going fast. Now I’m getting really good at free ride stuff along with some different types of tricks. Power slides, or fish tailing corners, it’s just different skating.

Q: Does it ever worry you, that sounds like some dangerous skating?

A: I would say… the speed definitely makes it more dangerous, you know I’m not getting as much air time, but you got oncoming traffic, which might be worse. But I tend to go places with little or no traffic to avoid that risk.

Q: Are by where you’re allowed to free ride?

A: Yeah, I usually go to more isolated places, like this place right in between Eugene and Springfield. They actually have long boarding competitions there. It’s just an isolated neighborhood, not developed yet, has the perfect hill and everything so that’s where I usually go. But Eugene is generally is known for its long boarders, many of them pros, and so they like to hold competitions on this hill. Hills called Moon Mountain, and it’s pretty awesome to move from Hawaii to Eugene after watching those videos growing up and to now actually skate those hills is a great feeling.

Written by: Bryan Stiver