Pat Channita Interview

3.03.2000

Where were you born?
Seattle Washington

How long did you live there:
I don’t know we moved around a lot and slowly started up there then started my way down.

Since you were little?
Yea.

How long have you been skateboarding?
Since 1986

How long have you been a professional skateboarder?
I entered my first pro contest in May of 1995.

Which one was that?
Slam City Jam. I got my first pro model made in 1997.

How many have you had?
Almost 10 now.

How many do you have currently?
3.

Have you always been a pro for Powell?
I went pro for Plan B first then for Powell.

How do you like riding for Powell?
It’s Good, they just separated the teams now though I ride for the BRIGADE. The Am team is all Powell.

Do you think you can sustain a decent living from skateboarding?
Right now it’s good, but you’re not going to skate forever.

How do you prefer making an income? Royalties, contests!?
Straight Salary.

Do they offer you any medical insurance?
From Powell yea, so that’s good. Powell takes care of their riders real good.

Do you do much more than street skate?
Mostly I just street skate and ride a few mini ramps here and there.

What’s the most difficult trick for you to do?
Probably anything on a vert ramp since I can’t do much on a vert ramp.

What tricks do you dream of making?
A 540.

What’s your favorite trick you’ve ever pulled? Or most dangerous?
I don’t know about dangerous ones but my favorite ones are just flipping my board around just catching my flip tricks.

What’s the usual sized set of stairs or obstacles your doing them down?
When I’m out just having fun it’s just wherever, it doesn’t matter, but I try not to do big stuff unless I have to. It’s not that fun just getting broken.

What did you like doing before you started skating?
I played a lot of soccer in school.

You’re in school now right?
Yea, I’m majoring in Business Administration right now at Cal State Fullerton.

How far along are you?
I’m in a junior status right now. About 10 classes to go.

How many interviews do you think you’ve done in the last year?
Probably not that many. I think between 5 and 10.

How did you like doing the Transworld one? Is that the biggest you can get?
It’s the biggest one I’ve done. I did it with my older brother and it took a while to schedule him in. He kept shinning me off.

What do think of the internet vs. the magazines?
The internets alright, I’m up on it sometimes, I don’t know where all the webpages are so I’m not looking at most of them. I like magazines better because they are more convenient.

How much an increase in exposure does being ranked #1 in the WCS?
It’s just helped out as far the mainstream side of things go.

What do you think of the mainstream aspect of skateboarding?
I try not to and just do my own thing.

How do you break up your time between doing what you want to do vs. what maybe your sponsors want to do?

With the sponsors I have it’s always been you do whatever you want, like here’s a schedule if you want to do these do it if not do what you want to do.

Got any plans for this year?
It’s hard to say about the contests. I’ll probably hit most of them, I’ll just see how all the dates are then probably film another video part. There’s not anything else going on like touring.

What has been your most fun contest?
Probably the Vans one in Milwaukee.

How much time do you spend just cruising around your area?
Everyday! Contests are only like once or twice a month and the rest of the time you can just skate wherever you want.

What do you like better? The scent of a new deck, wheels, shirt’s, or stickers?
The Board, the glue of the board.

What do think is the next ballsiest sport?
Maybe jumping out of an airplane without a shoot and another guy jumps out and has to bring it to you.

I saw that, that was pretty crazy! Who do you skate with on a daily basis?
I don’t know, there are so many pro’s out here so you can skate with whoever you want.

In a five mile radius how many pro’s live around here (Garden Grove/Westminster , CA)?
I’d say like 50.

Who are your sponsors?
The Brigade, Bones Wheels, Bones Bearings, Hurley Clothing, Independent Trucks, Liberty Boardshop, Reef Shoes, Dragon Optics, and Mounting Machine Hardware.

People you’d like to thank for getting you to this point?
All my sponsors past and present. My older Brother, and Mario MartinezWhat do you see yourself doing in ten years?
I’m gonna be retired, living in my mansion, driving my Bentley.