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A Conversation With Brian Schaefer

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 16, 2008

Updated: 01/15/2008 11:46 pm

Brian Schaefer, 36, is the founder of Skatepark of Tampa, a national landmark in the skateboarding world.

The park has been featured in dozens of skateboard magazines and videos, and it is featured in one of the Tony Hawk skateboarding video games. The park's competitions have become a gathering for the best skateboarders in the world.

SPoT will host its 14th annual Tampa Am contest Friday through Sunday. The event is regarded as the Super Bowl of amateur skateboarding competitions.

The Tampa Tribune sat down with Schaefer to discuss this weekend's competition.

Favorite Tampa Am moment?

Man, they're all very comparable in many different ways. I like the 10th year, personally, because that was a mark in our time. We did our anniversary party outside the park and that was just a moment in time for me.

What has been the best trick you've ever seen landed?

Uh ... there's too many. Too many rail tricks to count, too many faces over the years.

This will probably get you in trouble, but who is your favorite amateur skater right now?

I'm going to give you like a Bill Clinton answer here, a politician answer: Dylan Rieder, but he's pro. He was on our circuit, and that helped him with his career. Keegan Sauder, I just saw him in Orlando. ... Abdias Rivera, who happens to be one of our local dudes. David Gravette, that would be a solid one. He's a contender. He's a young dude made of rubber.

Favorite pro?

Favorite pro? I can't answer that one.

How do you feel about skateboarding's culture and lifestyle being so mainstream now?

It's widely accepted, but there will still always be that little niche that's ahead of the game with style and culture. No matter how mainstream skateboarding gets, there will always be that core group that will always be doing something a little bit different to help set the trends in the future. I'm cool with it. People caught on to a cool thing.

How much has the style of skateboarding changed since you started as a young guy?

You calling me old? My crow's feet showing up too much, man? How have the styles changed? I don't know. I think styles just recreate themselves from generation to generation. It's always evolving, but it's always evolving for the better. But then, styles are so diverse that there's not one particular style, really. Skateboarding is this wild, this big range of styles, personalities, musical tastes and fashion.

Did you ever think that when you rented out this warehouse 15 years ago it would turn into a national landmark in Tampa?

No. Not at all. Fifteen years? We at the time didn't have this big picture of, like, this is where we want to be in 10 years, and this is where we want to be in 15 years. It just kind of happened and evolved. Ryan Clements, Barak Wiser, Rob Meronek, our crew has helped take it to the next level. I had no idea we'd be where we're at.

What was your worst skateboarding accident?

I've had several. Tampa Pro, I think it was 2001 or 2002, I had an experience with a full pipe, which is a loop. ... Got knocked out, sent straight to the hospital. I broke my metacarpals in my right and left hand. Thankfully I wasn't paralyzed or dead. Thankful to be alive. It wasn't my time.

Will we see skateboarding in the Olympics?

Don't care. I mean, I can elaborate. I think somebody will have everything in a row to put it in the Olympics. I see it will end up being there. Hopefully if it does, it ends up being governed by the right body to make it truly what it is.

Nick Williams

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