When
Mako Dane Urabe chooses a deck, the most important factor
is the shape. Sharp kinks in the cut are no good and the graphics
don't really matter.
"When
I look down at my board, I like to see it nice and smooth
and round at the front, with maybe a little teardrop to the
back."
Nice
and smooth is a fitting way to describe this incredibly focused
20 year-old skater from Salinas, CA. My original intent for
this article was to have Mako fill out a silly questionnaire
so I could do some Hecklin'. He denied me. Bummed my whole
trip. However, when we started talking, I uncovered something
that deserved a feature article, word.
"Mako's
a homo, that's all I have to say!"yells Jeff Toland, the king
Heckler.
After
12 years of skating, Mako has become extremely knowledgable
about the skateboarding industry.
"The
industry is corrupt," he complains, "people have figured out
how easy it is to start a company, make profit, put it back
into the company, and still have enough to put into their
own pocket, without putting back into skateboarding what they
took out."
Mako
wants the industry to return to the early days when the industry
was into skateboarding, not skateboarding companies. For example,
Powell used to have fund raisers, demos, movies, and
videos, such as Animal Chin, which promoted the art
of skateboarding not the sales of skateboards. Now Powell
has announced that they are not going to have pro boards anymore
and they are going back to basics.
Toland
breaks in, "Broken skateboard and broken truck, he needs to
get on Thunder so his trucks won't break.."
"Oh yeah
right," replies Urabe."You better get off the Venture tip,
fool!"
"Hah
he he hah haagh! Your trucks are broken!!" Shrieks Toland.
I asked
Mako how he felt about today's riders.
"The
'cool guy' vibe is everywhere. Before, I could skate up to
7-11 and I'd see other skaters and I'd be all, 'let's skate'
and it'd be cool. Now, I see someone at 7-11, and they look
at me like,'Does he have the freshest shoes on? The best clothes?
Well, I better not talk to him.' Totally different."
However,
Mako does feel that there are more skaters with a positive
vibe and that unity will someday rule again. He digs anyone
who skates, but quotes Jason Lee as his favorite. His advice
to young riders is to be smart.
"When
you're on the phone with someone, and something doesn't feel
cool, always ask and never back down. Always be honest with
your sponserand give respect and you'll get it back. Often
companies will neglect to tell you the minor details, ya'
know, like when you're getting paid! As an amateur, they see
you as an asset. Don't let them make you feel awkward. The
word p-r-o is just like @ussy. Your head's gonna snap, ya'
know what I'm sayin'!? Wake up! the mind controls the body.
When you're skating visualize yourself making that trick,
and you will. Skating is the best thing that can ever happen
to anyone."
His advice
to the companies is to be real. Don't rip off and step on
kids because they're gonna come after you someday and the
cycle will never end.
"For
the future, I hope that some companies will grab their balls
and put 'em in their back pocket and change so kids can get
more out of it."
He see's
more companies following Powell and putting back into the
skateboarding community so that tomorrow we can skate and
the next day we can skate.
Mako
Urabe is sponsered by Venture, Bandwagon, Airwalk, Shorties,
Union Wheels, and is currently working with Richard Metever
for his board sponsor, People Skateboards. He is helping run
the company and sees it as a secure job with the killer vibe.
All this talk means nothing, however, until you see the man
skate. I watch him go way off at the Daily Grind, ...and I
watch...and I watch...and I watch... the dude rules.
Shouts
out: Chet, Ceaser, Ped, Min, Arron & Arron, Cameron, Mark,
Mike at X-21, Aric Hondell, Jason Clark, Eric, Justin, David
& Ben, Jeff T., Noah, Peter Piazza, Tony B.,Greg Carroll,
and my true best friend, Lynda Boissonneau and our daughter
Kristina.
When
Mako Dane Urabe chooses a deck, the most important factor
is the shape. Sharp kinks in the cut are no good and the graphics
don't really matter.