The Skateboard Strength Podcast

#22 - Ryan Clements

With the final ep of the year we are honoured to have the very legendary Ryan Clements on the SBS poddy.
 
Ryan is an absolute G in the skateboarding world leaving his mark in positive ways all around. Through his company Excel Management he has a hand in managing some of the top skaters in the world such as Jamie Foy, Felipe Gustavo, Ishod Wair, and Nora Vasconcellos. Additionally, through his other company The Boarder, he also manages to put on some of the best events in skateboarding such as the classic Vans Park series.
 
Having grown up as a core skater in the 80s himself he provides a unique perspective of both sides of the coin from both the core skaters and industry side of skateboarding. It was an honour to have him on to talk about things such as:
 
What it takes to be a pro, not just being Pro
How younger skaters should manage social media to be valuable to their sponsors
Changing the stereotype that managers ‘take advantage’ of skaters
Meeting your heroes and having them hate you
Growing up as a core skater and transitioning to a manager of some of the best skaters in the world
How to manage the negative blow backs from being successful in the skating world
 
Plus Much More.
 
Enjoy 👊🏼

#21 - Chad Caruso

Today’s guest I have been following for quite some time. When I first started skating around 5 years ago he was legit the only guy posting skate tutorials over on YouTube. As the years went on I would catch glimpses of these crazy things he was up to like doing 50 tricks in 50 states and then breaking a Guinness record for skating across America.
 
It was after I heard him speak on other interviews about his journey through sobriety and how all of this had come from getting sober and rekindling his love with skating that I knew we had to have him on to tell his crazy story and man he did not disappoint. Join us for the poddy where we touched on topics such as:
 
Career ending knee injury and the spiral it sent him on
Getting sober and rekindling a love for skating
Letting go of worrying what the skate community thinks of you
Being a “core skater”  and starting a YouTube despite the negative views
50 tricks in 50 states
Skating across America and setting a world record
 
Plus much more.
 
If you enjoy the pod Chad is currently selling his book so be sure to head over to www.chadcaruso.com and check it out.
 
Enjoy!

#20 - Dr Simon J. Kramer

Ever wanted to know if you should be heading in for surgery for your skate based injury?
 
Wondering what the process might look like?
 
Or whether it should be managed conservatively?
 
Then you won’t want to miss this weeks pod with the legendary Dr Simon J. Kramer.
 
Simon is a orthopaedic surgeon from Germany. Having cut his teeth performing surgery’s on ankles and knees (a skaters bread and butter) he has recently turned his efforts to his practice as a sport physician treating the German Olympic skate team as their head doctor.
 
If it wasn’t enough he is also an incredible skater in his own right. Having been sponsored by shops, competed in the European championships and had pics published in mags you will not find someone who is more qualified or has more experience to speak on skate injuries then this guy.
 
Join us as we do a deep dive on topics such as:
 
Surgery or Conservative methods? how you know which route to take.
Why we are seeing more and more recommendations towards training and therapy over surgery.
Why you shouldn’t compare your surgical journey with your favourite athletes
What the real reason is for not coming back from ACL surgery before 9 months.  
Belief around returning from injuries. What it takes and the mental side of the grind.
Studies for skateboarding. Why we need them to help the community and what you can do to help
 
Plus Much More.
 
 
Dr Simon is also funding a study on injuries for skaters which we need as many skaters as possible to go and take part in to begin collecting data to help assist the community. So please, head over to www.skateboardinginjuries.com and fill out the survey so the people that want to help skaters get the information they need.
 
Hope you enjoy this amazing episode

#19 - Sam Fairweather

We are officially back from a little hiatus (more on that in the intro) and pretty stoked to make that come back with a skater very dear to my heart the very talented Mr Sam Fairweather.
 
Sam is a beast of a skater from Syd Australia and well known for leaving his creative mark on well known spots all around the world. His relentless filming and part releases has seen him supported by brands such as indy, converse, board world , crawling death, just to name a few.
 
He joined us on the pod to do a deep dive on all things skating as well as the recent changes he has made on his health/life journey. Join us for a quality ep where we covered topics such as:
 
Releasing footage on Instagram vs as a full part. Why the change?
Switching from big impact skating to leaving a mark creatively on famous spots.
Pursuit of going pro, getting sponsors and making a living from skating. Is it all worth it?
Body failing from all the abuse of skating
1 year sober. What was the reason and what’s the experience been like?
Experience with introducing strength training and help it’s had on skating and overcoming jumpers knee issues.
Gym culture and bad perceptions that stop skaters from trying training.
Finding joy in skating by eliminating the drive to “make it”
 
Enjoy 😉

#18 - Carolina Rey

Carolina Rey is a skate specific strength coach doing amazing things to help effect change in the skate community over in Oakland California. Having trained the likes of skaters such as Chris Cole and Marbie Miller, she is carving a name for herself and becoming the go to trainer for skaters in the area.
 
She joined the pod in which we covered topics such as:
 
Investing money in getting quality care to speed up your injury’s recovery process
Dealing with Injury’s and surgery with the health care system available to you
Experience training skaters like Chris Cole and Marby Miller
Expensive treatment vs Quality treatment.
How to find good practitioners
Training skaters in the Bay Area and creating a community through training
Taking positives away from injury’s. Where to look and how to support your mental health.
 
Plus much more.
 
Enjoy

#17 - Spencer Hamilton

This week on the pod we were honoured to have on the legendary Spencer Hamilton for a chat. Spencer needs no introduction in the  skate community due to his insane body of work as a pro skater. A rarity in the skate industry due to being so vocal around his pursuit in searching for exercise methods, modalities and nutrition practices in order to aid him in doing what he loves, I was thrilled to have him on and pick his brain covering topics such as:
 
Early days coming up in Canada as a skater
Experience with rare auto immune disease that had him fearing for the safety of his skate career due to debilitating pain.
His nutritional and exercise practices he uses to help aid his skating
Importance of taking time off and allowing for proper recovery
Keeping an open mind to different practices in order to get the best health routine for yourself possible
The importance of using exercise and nutrition practices in order to get the most out of your body for skating.
 
Plus much more. Enjoy.

#16 - Hayley Wilson

First poddy for the year it was such a pleasure to have on the legendary Hayley Wilson.
 
In this conversation, Hayley and Dan discuss the challenges and benefits of taking breaks from skating, the mental toll of intense training, and the importance of finding balance in a skater's life. Hayley shares her experience of feeling burnt out after training for the Olympics and how she rediscovered her love for skating.
 
They also touch on the role of mental coaching and the unique pressures faced by skaters in a sport that lacks an off-season. The conversation also covers topics such as:
Impact of the Olympics on skateboarding
Early skateboarding experience and what lite the spark
Importance of training and injury prevention
Transition from competition skating to putting all her efforts in to filming parts.
Plus Much More.
 
Enjoy

#15 -Irene Oyang

Irene Oyang is a mental performance specialist working closely with Red Bull athletes to help them find peak mental performance. I first came in to contact with Irene’s work on the Ryan Sheckler Documentary where she featured as an expert on dealing with injuries as a skater and was thrilled when she agreed to come on the pod to cover topics such as:
 
Dealing with injuries and having what you love (skating) be taken away from you
How top end athletes/skaters mentally prepare for competition
Creating routines in order to drive mental performance and flow state
The Yips, what happens when you all of a sudden can’t do simple things you can usually do with your eyes closed.
 
Plus much more.
 
Enjoy

#14 - Walker Ryan

From publishing stand out novels to releasing what I believe to be one of the stand-out parts last year, Walker Ryan can do it all. Having missed connecting with each other on a couple of cross projects between Old Friends Fitness and Skateboard Strength, I was psyched we finally got to sit down and chat.
 
We get Walker at a really interesting time having recently become a father and getting ready to travel overseas for an extended period of time. We sat down and got into topics such as:
 
Navigating fatherhood and skating
ACL injuries and the birth of Old Friends Fitness
Effects of training on skaters' longevity and body
Expressing creativity through parts and writing within the skate community
Skating and social media
 
Plus much more.
 
Enjoy

#13 - Felipe Gustavo

This man needs no introduction within the skate community but this week on the pod I am thrilled to have on none other than Felipe Gustavo.
 
The pursuit of helping skaters heal and look after their bodies can be treacherous at times leaving the community divided and often time’s angry. I have always maintained that the change will need to come from the top level guys leading the way and being vocal with the things they do to help them fine tune their bodies to skate a life time at a high level. To me, Felipe represents that change.
 
Always vocal around his journeys with training, health and his injuries he is a beacon of positivity for creating change within the community towards releasing the stigma around looking after our bodies to continue to do what we love.
 
It was for this reason and of course the legendary status he has achieved in skateboarding not only with his skills and achievements but also with his always smiling and positive vibe and time he gives to all, I was honoured to sit down with him and explore topics such as:
 
ACL injury journey (fears, recovery, returning, mindset)
Shifting focus through periods of injury recovery. How to stay sane and positive.
Catalyst and drive to begin training and looking after his body.
Skater or Athlete? Why not both?
Recovery tips, tools and things he does to ensure he is ready to go.
Skating for Red Bull and the Red Bull training facility
Spreading love and positivity in the community. Why its so important
Warm up routines when skating to find flow
 
Super grateful for Felipe giving up his time to jump on the poddy. Hope you all enjoy a different insight in to the life of a pro skater. Enjoy
 
Product mentioned in Pod: https://www.doterra.com/US/en//my-cart