What is your favorite experience while hanging out and filming for the Ground Control video?
Making the whole video has been a really cool experience—we have been blessed to travel and film all over the world again. My favorite time filming for the video was the last time we were in France and Germany with Josh Glowicki and Fritz Peitzner. They happened to be in Europe at the same time we were and they became our primary filmers. They were really cool dudes and made the experience really fun. I felt like a little kid going out and skating new spots. It sucks when you are trying to make video with someone who has lots of preconceptions about what they want to do and how they’re trying to create the most epic skate video ever.  It’s nice to just go out and film, have a good time and get some good clips.  That’s when you get the right stuff to make a good video. The highlight of my trip was doing topsoul five on a wire.

Are there any tricks you’ve done lately you’ve been pumped on?
Not necessarily any new tricks, but I’ve been skating on new obstacles lately. It’s cool—every year I get better and more confident. You know, we’re all getting closer to thirty and we got the grown man style.  I think the progression of skating is kind of cool—everyone is getting better.

Have you done anything that made you nervous lately?
I wanted to do a full section since over a year ago, but I came off from Winterclash with a knee injury so I’ve been nursing it for a while. It’s about at 85% right now. I’ve been taking it easy. I’ve never had to worry about my knee blowing out before so now every trick I do is kind of scary. I did this trick in Germany—a topacid on this big drop, maybe 50 feet—it wasn’t long but it was scary to the point that the people running the restaurant came out telling me in German not to do it. The guy said if I fell he’d lose his business. The trick on the wire was sick because I didn’t think I could grind it, let alone 540 out.  Plus, there was a drop on other side of it. Horn was there too; he did a double grind on it. We’ve just been traveling and getting great tricks. It’s been good man.

Who on the team do you enjoy sitting back and watching skate?
Well obviously Brian Aragon is the best skater right now. As far as park and street, he is the full package and has taken it to the next level. For the GC video, Julian wanted to produce another banger section and every trick he did was he was putting his life on the line.  It was dangerous.

Skating with Aragon and Julian and all people coming through the house, have you changed your skating or things you skate?
I think skating is like fashion or style or any trend that comes full circle. In the beginning it was do-what-you-can-do; then it got technical; then we realized we could go big and do stunts. Now it’s going back to technical mixed with stunts. When you get old you skate smarter and skater harder. There’s tricks I couldn’t do two years ago and tricks I’m still trying to learn.  I think the new variety of stuff I can do now makes me a more complete skater.

What is your favorite kind of skating?
I started out skating the curb in front of mom’s house that I colored with crayons to make it slick. I always like to look back and think about those days. I have fun skating everything—the better you get the more difficult things you can skate, but you should never stop having fun doing a soul on a three-inch curb. Anyone who knows my skating knows I am adaptable. I was technical since the beginning and I can also do stunts. If you want to stay on the top in this game, you need to stay adaptable. I think being able to evolve and adapt to different and new trends is what has given Julian, Aragon and myself the longevity we’ve had in this sport.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen while filming for the Ground Control video?
There’s this gap at a hotel down the street from our house that Julian has been wanting to do for a while. The day we finally went to film it, me, Max and Julian were in the car stuck at a stoplight across the street from the place and Julian jumped out of the car to scope it out. By time me and Max finally pulled in Julian was already at the top and he was ready to go big. There was this ballet studio next door and all the parents were looking at us all crazy not knowing what were gonna do—like we were gonna abduct their children or something. I mean, we did have a camera and little girls were there in leotards.  It was weird as hell. Next thing you know he just throws himself off the second story of the hotel and lands this huge 180 first try. It was dangerous for sure.

What have you got in the works these days?
I’m trying to stay busy, skating and making music.  I’m going to go back to school soon. Me and Montre would like to open an SDSF skate shop branch in Charlotte and call it SDSF NC. Me and Montre would promote and Phil Gripper would run it. There is a good scene in Charlotte right now. We have a street called Rat we have locked down. We the Rat Street Boys. Good art and music scene there, too. Also I’ve got a new skate out with Razors and a new wheel out with BHC.  I’m juiced on that.  I’m looking forward to more touring too.

What’s your setup right now?
I’m riding the Featherlites because I like to be as light as possible. Size 1 shells, size two frames. That setup gives me more surface space for grinding and gives me more stability for landing big gaps.

Tell us about Modern Primatives.
Modern Primatives is a band Phil put together recently with our friend Travis and some other friends. They’re pretty funky, sultry songs—real progressive. Phil is really good on the drums and has just been killin’ it. Wish we could’ve gotten some tracks from them for GC video. (Check them out on reverbnation.com)

Future goals?
Me and Julian are getting into production and doing movies.  We’re talking about skate videos with all original music. It’s gonna be epic. We’re making new edits all the time and putting them up on the Internet. I want to stay out there making everyone love rollerblading and freestyle skating the way we do.  Developing that stuff is probably my biggest goal at the moment.

Interview by Jan Welch; Editing by Frank Stoner

Austin, Texas – In case you were wondering, the Texas skate scene is getting an extra boost these days because longtime Ground Control lieutenant—and prodigal Texas son—Jan Welch has returned to Austin.  But unlike his profligate biblical counterpart, Jan brought his own fatted calf to the party.  In fact, he brought the whole f****** party.

Within just a few weeks of his arrival, Jan threw together a bad ass Mini Ramp Jam and BBQ at Patterson Park near central Austin.  Local OG’s like Jay Geurink, Jarrod McBay and Anthony Medina came out to mix it up with some of Texas’ next generation of shredders.  Recent TSS favorites Dylan Cobb, Ian Freunscht and Scott Wells (see article below) also made the trip out and brought with them some of the sickest skating the modest Patterson Park mini has ever seen.

Jarrod McBay delivered on the grill and cooked up a ton of food for all the skaters—who were busy switching back and forth between certain choice beverages and the ramp session.  Midway through the day Jan hooked it up with some cool Ground Control gear (thanks Geoff and Jon!) in a makeshift raffle.  A few lucky bladers walked away with GC frames, t-shirts, backpacks, and DVDs.

Other notables at the Ramp Jam included GC elite Micah Yeager (who, I believe, is the one who left a shitload of fajitas and tortillas to rot in my cooler) and veteran Sean Santamaria who’s in town visiting Micah and some old hommies.

The absence of any law enforcement altercations and enthusiasm from Jan ensure that more killer events like this are forthcoming.  Stay tuned.

Text by Frank Stoner; Photos by Joseph Gammill and Jan Welch

Ground Control & Razors presents “Purple Swag” feat. Dre Powell & Brian Aragon. An insightful look on the new GC frames as well as some recent shredding from both Brian & Dre.

Edited/Filmed By: Max Manning
Starring: Dre Powell & Brian Aragon
Additional Filming By: Scott Olsen

Houston, Texas – As the sun began to set on the second stop of the 2012 Texas Skate Series (TSS), Fritz Peitzner impelled onlookers to a rowdy roar with the alley-oop fishbrain revert that would earn Peitzner best trick of the contest, respect, and a fistful of cash.

Earlier in the day, dozens of skaters and supporters from across the Lone Star State met up at Houston’s vert-happy downtown skatepark to catch up with old friends, register for the comp, and settle in with some of the best skaters in Texas.  Heavy recent rainfall flooded organizer Will Kennedy’s original three spots, so the contest regrouped at Kennedy’s backup spots.  The first round of heats got underway at a nearby ledge spot with notable Texas personalities Jason Howard, Chris Fleener, Jan Welch, Rob Zbranek, and Anthony Medina in attendance.

The level of competition stepped up impressively at the second spot—a 30 foot handicapped rail—with memorable skating by Dylan Cobb (San Antonio), Ian Freunscht (San Antonio), Scott Wells (Austin), Fritz Peitzner (Plano), and Jarrod Banning (Houston).  Ground Control riders Julian Issac (Houston), and Mason Richard (Austin) also had an imposing presence with Issac lacing some of the most stylish tricks of the day and Richard dropping some of the most technical and difficult tricks of the day.  GC rider William Issac was unable to compete due to injury.

After baking in the Texas sun (and hellacious Houston humidity) at the second spot, skaters and supporters made their way across town through Houston’s notoriously brutal traffic to Tom Bass Park, home of one of the most beefcake obstacles I’ve ever seen at a contest.  The chest-high double-set ledge intimidated several finals-round qualifiers into their sneakers, but after a few trial royals and souls, the top skaters of the day settled into a jaw-dropping session that saw forty or more tricks executed.  Applause and high fives also went out to Houston ripper Jake Hayes for being Johnny-on-the-spot with the socket set used to remove the lower handrails from the ledge and MacGyver a no-skating sign over a crack in the approach that would have caused difficulties.

Dylan Cobb earned first place with an impressive mix of technical tricks, style, and hammers.  Cobb narrowly edged out Ground Control Flow Rider Mason Richard (2^nd place), who awed the crowd with a massive mute 540 over the double set and a wide array of ledge tricks, including a crowd-favorite royal to true spin backside unity down the (sideways kinked) left side ledge.  GC rider Julian Issac had to withdraw after taking a nasty fall on the double set.  Other exceptional performances by Ian Freunscht (3^rd place), Scott Wells (4^th place), Fritz Peitzner (5^th place), and Jarrod Banning (6^th place) dazzled both the crowd and the judges.

The WRS-sanctioned contest series will continue in Austin on May 26, with additional stops in San Antonio (July), Dallas (September), and a Final Event in November at a TBA location.  For additional info and to follow the events as they unfold, see texasskateseries.wordpress.com.  Series organizer Will Kennedy wishes to offer special thanks to Ground Control for their support of the TSS.