Kyle Wood Interview

Skate Columbus: How old are you?

Kyle Wood: 20

SC: How long have you been skating?

KW: Probably about 7 years or so.

SC: How did you start skating?

KW: My mom took me to a skatepark one day, and I had a cheap Walmart skateboard and some fitness skates. After seeing some guy do a misty flip and grind a handrail, I thought it looked cooler, so I stuck with the fitness skates. The rest was history.

SC: Did you grow up in central Ohio?

KW: No, I grew up all over the place switching from school to school because my dad was in the military. Originally, I was born in North Carolina baby!

SC: What do you like about skating here?

KW: I like skating in Columbus mainly because of my friends, not because of the weather. Global warming, if it is even real, is definitely affecting Columbus, Ohio the most! We get negative 15 during the winter, and 100 in the summer, but i guess the huge fluctuation in weather has given all of us tough skin. We also have some great skateparks in the Ohio area, but a lot of our street spots have been ruined over the past few years. It’s my personal goal to fix old and new street spots before this summer is over.

SC: What’s your favorite place to skate?

KW: This is a tough question… but I’d have to say either Modern Skatepark in Michigan, or Woodward skate camp in Pennsylvania. Other than those, my favorite place I have ever skated street is Philly. That city is literally like a Tony Hawk level, where everything you think can be skated, has already been grinded or gapped at some point in time. Not to mention the downtown area is amazing, with a lot of architecture and history.

SC: What type of music do you listen to?

KW: I listen to all sorts of music, depending on what type of rollerblading I am doing will depend on what I listen to. Usually the harder the trick, the more intense the music hahah

SC: What’s your advice for anyone just starting out?

KW: Just do not give up! If you actually give rollerblading a chance, there is no way you can turn your back on it. Rollerblading is without doubt one of the coolest things you can do. There are going to be some low points where you may get hurt or discouraged, but there is nothing in this world that can compare to the highs and success of landing a new trick.

SC: Where does rollerblading stand right now?

KW: Well after getting kicked out of the X games, we’ve really lost all major corporate sponsorship. Which is great in a way that our sport is run by the people who rollerblade and NO one else, however, when the best pros are risking life and limb without health care to try and win a contest that will barely pay for their rent, there is definitely a problem. Its only a matter of time until rollerblading is rediscovered and better than ever before! And I plan to be there when this happens.

SC: What are your other plans?

KW: Well I already put in 2 years at Community College, so now I am headed to The Ohio State University to study Financing through their business program. Not exactly sure what to do with that, but I think I’m going to become an entrepreneur of sorts. It isn’t until this year I realized that I wanted to go somewhere with skating, because I always used to skate for fun, due to a lack of money in rollerblading. However, this fall, Nick Uhas, Nate Szana and myself have been offered to do a show on the CW about rollerblading. So I guess we’ll see where that takes us.

SC: Any last thoughts?

KW: Like shoutouts? Okay… I want to thank my mommy and poppy for their support. I also want to say thank you to all of my friends, without you I wouldn’t be where I am today! Thanks to Blue Wallace Skateshop for their support of rollerblading. I also want to thank Brad Anthony because he has had faith in me from day one, and is one of the nicest dudes I know. I also want to thank Hawke Trackler for going on adventures, and always being down to hold a camera with great filming. Everyone else, keep skating… if you’re not skating then you should! And represent Columbus, Ohio ya dig!!!!