Bob's Trick Tips

Lately I've posted a lot of Adam Colton related stuff -- the DVD review, the links in the Loaded Vanguard review. So I think now is the right time to interview the man himself.


Adam is the owner of whoisadamcolton.com, one of the most unique skateboarding/longboarding sites on the web.

I became aware of Adam sometime last year, I think, probably shortly after he put up his website. At the time there were only a handful of videos on the site. One in particular, Soulful, really changed the way I look at longboarding. Here were some young guys who had taken longboarding and really made it their own. Unlike so many of the longboard videos that come out, these guys weren't trying to ride their 60" homemade boards like a shortboard. They had taken some old techniques, like board-walking, and from there invented their own style.

At the time, Adam was putting together a cross-country longboard ride to benefit Green Skate Lab. Cross-country? Yep. It was clear at that point that Adam wasn't an "average" individual.

But enough of this -- let's talk to Adam...

FYI -- Adam graciously supplied the nice images in this interview. Click the embedded pics to see the full, non-clipped, images.

Photos by: Adam Stokowski and Rachael Florentino

New: additional questions and answers added at the bottom of the interview on 12/27/2006.

BTT: Adam -- what's your background in skating, and how did you end up longboarding?

Adam: I started skating in 7th grade and my first board was a THINK skateboard. I skated around the neighborhood like your average kid. I loved skating stairs, gaps and flat rails.

I got into longboarding my Senior year of High school. My buddy Justin Crenshaw had a longboard and he always wanted to race. Finally, a year later he talked me into getting a longboard. My first board was a 48in Sector 9 pintail and I loved it.

We raced our boards all around the neighborhood, bombing hills on our knees; it was the most aerodynamic besides lying down. We even got up to 50 mph on our knees once; we were stupid.

I went off to college at Elon University and that is when my love for longboarding really began. College was perfect for longboarding, a great source of transportation to class and a great way to relax from studies. I naturally wanted to do more on my board and I stumbled upon Chris Chaput痴 short Internet videos, this one in particular, http://www.chrischaput.com/video/walking.mov. I was inspired. So I mastered the cross-step and spin and I got my buddy Shayne into it as well, and we both just got creative and started developing our own dancing style. http://www.whoisadamcolton.com/soulful.mov

I balanced between skateboarding and longboarding whatever felt right on a particular day. Here is some college skating footage, http://www.whoisadamcolton.com/videoadamskateboard2.mov. It was not really until after the Skate Across America trip that longboarding took over, though I still bust out the skateboard every once in awhile to see if I still got it, arrr.

BTT: Tell me a little about the creation of your website -- purpose, goals, accomplishments, etc.

Adam: Senior year, I took a class on web design and sure enough we had to design all these other boring websites when I just wanted to develop my own. Luckily our ending project was to design our own webpage and whoisadamcolton.com was born.

At the beginning, the website was to serve two purposes: One, to inform the public of our Skate Across America trip and two to showcase the longboarding videos we were making around my college campus.

Since the Skate Across America trip is over, the website is slowly changing course. It is becoming very video oriented and it is slowly starting to work more with the Loaded website, which I am very involved with as well.

As for goals, I hope to keep the website up and running and updated. I still get random emails from people that have just stumbled upon the site and are stoked by the videos. The website documents my longboarding history and it is cool to see the changes in my skating and video style from college to now.

BTT: Who are the guys you work with?

Adam: I am blessed to be in contact with so many great people and it keeps growing. If our bus did not break down on the Skate Across America trip I would have never met Longboard Larry and the whole Adam痴 Old Skool dancer, all the LBL dancing and Trick Tip videos would not have been created. I remember the first time I met Longboard Larry, he was wearing big goggles and an apron covered with saw dust and some funky looking slippers, I thought, 鍍his guy is a nut,� hahaha. It is just amazing what life brings you. Now we are buds and I have spent time with his family and he with mine.

I randomly met Loaded as well. I got an email one day from Don the 澱ig momma� of Loaded a couple months before our skate trip. He mentioned he had been following my website and liked our videos and wanted to send us some boards to try out. He also said to contact him when I got back from the trip and possibly develop a Loaded dancer together. On the skate trip I actually met two of the Loaded Reps, Darren and 典he Ladies man� Jason and we hit it off. Now a year after the trip, I am very much apart of the Loaded family. http://www.loadedboards.com/shops/Videos/videospanishchannel.mov

I have known Adam S. since a teenager. He moved into our neighborhood and he was a scrawny short kid that always talked about how great Florida was. We became friends and skateboarding buddies. Adam S. is a big part in making the videos happen. He has developed a real talent behind the camera as well as editing and creating music in Garage Band. He always has great advice and ideas when filming. Plus who could resist the way he moves on that longboard, he is a ladies man.

Again I have been very blessed meeting Vinni the Silva (www.myspace/oneguytrio.com) and Thomas Casey (www.thesparkeffect.com). Not only are they friends but both great musicians that have been helping provide music to our videos, and good music is very important.

Then of course countless other individuals that help and they know who they are. I want to also give a special thank you to Silverfish and Malakai for being awesome and you too Bob. GO TEAM!

Who knows whom I will bump into down the road? The possibilities are endless and I love it�

BTT: Your videos are of a much higher quality than most skate vids -- they seem to be thought out in advance, rather than just a bunch of clips thrown together. Tell me a little about your process for doing these great short films.

Adam: Why thank you Bob�Every video we do is basically envisioned one way or another. We try to have a theme, be it a small theme or a large one. I get a glimpse of the video in my head, and then I storyboard it out very loosely. Then Adam S. and I go out and film and that is when it really comes to life. After gathering a couple of clips, I usually have enough info to envision the video completely, but as we all know things take shape on their own.

Good ideas take time. Fly Loaded and Get Loose I believe are some of our best well thought out films and each of those took a couple of days of filming to get it right. It all boils down to the fact that Adam S. and I want to keep our videos fresh and interesting. I want to broaden my horizons and not only film actual skating but also everything that encompasses skating, because as we all know skating is great but it is not everything.

Who knows how the videos will evolve in the future; however, I already have some interesting ideas.

BTT: What's happening in the world of longboarding that is particularly exciting?

Adam: I am excited for Silverfishlongboarding.com. That site is growing so fast. I mean there are like a hundred new members each month it seems like. I think it痴 a great place for people to go to get psyched about longboarding. Though don稚 get too addicted.

I am also really excited about all these cross-country longboarding trips for charity that have happened and that are going on: www.pushforthecure.com (skate trip across Canada that was completed not too long ago) , www.boardfree.com (skate trip around Australia) , and buddy Bam Bam with the www.bwboardfree.com (Europe skate trip happening in July 2007).

I am super excited about the Loaded Dancer we are working on, hehehe. Adam S. and I want to create some more dancing videos, oh daddy.

BTT: I see a lot of little videos popping up of kids immitating your style. They even call it "dancing", haha. You guys have become sort of like celebrities in the longboarding world. What do you think about that? Do you think your style of riding is spreading, and if so, why?

Adam: I get so psyched when I see other dancing videos. I love to see people mastering the moves in our trick tips videos and then going out and creating their own variations. I think is very important for everyone to develop his or her own style to help push longboarding along. I not only get stoked seeing the dancing, but individual痴 improvements with filming and editing.

If anything I really don稚 want to be known as some type of celebrity or some professional longboarder. I personally just want to be known as a nice guy and a friend; someone who has fun with longboarding and wants to help push longboarding in a positive direction. I think that is more important. I never want to feel the pressure of having to be the best or living up to a certain expectation because then I will loose sight of what is important and the freedom of having fun.

I definitely think the dancing style is spreading and this is largely due to the power of the Internet and how easy it is to share videos all over the world. I believe that Adam S., Shayne, and I may have re-sparked board walking/dancing and now it is developing on its own. I said, 途e-sparked� because the whole concept of board walking was created by surfing and was done by boarders in the 70痴 on their plastic and wooden skateboards. We are just simply bringing it back to life and now everyone is a part of developing it further, creating new history and a whole new level. It痴 very exciting.

I am pleased that the term 電ancing� has caught on as well. The term 電ancing� might sound a little corny to some people because it does not sound hardcore, haha if you know what I mean, but corny is fine by me. I think dancing in general rocks, from breaking dance to ballroom dancing. Move and groove baby.

I hope everyone continues to work together and push longboarding because there are so many possibilities that have yet to be discovered.


BTT: One thing I really dug when I first saw Soulful was that you guys weren't trying to shortboard on longboards. You took the 60" longboard and seemed to really accept it as it was, you know? How did you avoid the tendency to try to do ollies and other stuff like that?

Adam: As I mentioned earlier, at college I really tried to balance my time between longboarding and skateboarding and that was for a reason. I totally get a different feeling when I skateboard compared to when I longboard. It was easy to avoid the ollie on the longboard because I already had that with skateboarding. I was longboarding because I did not want to ollie, do fancy flip tricks, and throw myself down stairs. I was longboarding because it was very peaceful to me, so smooth and carefree. Though now there are ways to do some crazy flip tricks with a longboard and I might explore those, mwwaaah haha.

BTT: Can you reveal what kind of equipment you are using for video production? Software?

Adam: Of course I can. I am proud to say that I am using a Canon ZR85 with the battery pack held on with duck tape, no joke. If you were to look at the camera I am using you would laugh. It has been dropped in a lake, down stairs, on cement, you name it and it is still working. Though I believe it is time to invest in a semi-professional camera, but a nice camera and skating is always a scary combination, wish me luck.

As for editing I use Final Cut Pro. Now I tell people that you do not need Final Cut Pro to make great videos. Great videos can be made with Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, I movie, Vegas Videos. Final Cut Pro is very powerful software and there is a lot you can do with it, but I try to keep everything simple and let my filming, shot selection, and skating make the video good rather than using a bunch of effects.

BTT: What sorta setups are you using now?

Adam: I ride a bunch of different sets because I love them all. Just last Sunday, I went skating and I skated the LBL Dancer, the Vanguard, the Fish, my balance board made into a slide board and the new Insect board 典he Surf bug� hitting the streets after the new year I believe.

As for wheels and trucks; I am a fan of the 78a Gummballs and the Randal 180 R-II trucks at the moment. I know there are plenty of other awesome wheels and trucks out there but I am happy with what I got at the moment.

I really think when given the chance and right circumstances, longboarders should develop some type of longboard collection (quiver). There is no set longboard and I love that. Every board has a different feel and a whole new experience and challenge to it. I know I am very lucky to have all these boards because most people don稚, but I have seen my fair share of crazy quivers on silverfish.

BTT: How does your art play into your skating? Do they influence each other?

Adam: I am not sure if my art plays a role in my skating, but the creative mindset from doing art that plays a huge role. I go out and skate around the block and on some days I am constantly thinking about how I can cross-step different or what if I place my foot here or here. Just being creative, tinkering, developing, and problem solving all in one (the creative mindset). It is crazy how people can look at longboarding and just say okay that kid is skating on a stick of wood. But as we all know, there is so much that goes on with your mind; it is very educational in a way. I always say, boarding gets you straight A痴, hahaha.

BTT: Anything else you'd like to say or rant about?

Adam: Hahah you bet champ. I just want to say thank you to everyone that has read this whole interview and took the time to listen to my thoughts. I am sorry for writing so much, but I am just so passionate about all of this and very excited so I have lots to say.

I want to take some time to inform the public of future goals and plans.

The Year 2007 is going to be a big year baby.

Launch of Loaded Public Media: The Loaded 撤ublic Media� section will be a new section on Loaded痴 site designed for all the Loaded riders and their videos. I will be working with Loaded riders all over the world to create good videos to be hosted on Loaded痴 Public Media section. We want to challenge individuals to film creative, well edited videos to add to the public media section. In effect, the quality of the videos will be something the Loaded riders will be proud to be a part of. So if you are a Loaded rider and have created a bunch of loaded videos stay tuned for this.

Loaded痴 Website Revamp: Oh yes, it is time� Tired of Loaded痴 small navigation bar? Well say, 澱ye bye baby.� Starting 2007, Loaded will be giving their site a face-lift. I am super excited because the upgraded Loaded site is going to be more functional, clean, user-friendly and informative to the public. It will be on a whole new level. This revamp process is going to take some time; it痴 not an easy task.

New Loaded Boards: That is right, the launch of the Loaded Dancer and the Loaded Speed board have plans of making a 2007 appearance. Once that Loaded dancer is complete, stay tuned for dancing videos because Adam S. and I have so many new moves to share as well as more trick tip videos to make. We are going to take our time developing these boards so they are super rad, high quality, and functional.

Loaded Apparel: I have with me one of Loaded痴 1st organic cotton t-shirts. These shirts are going to blow your mind because they are so soft and high quality. Also, I am working on some Adam Colton monster t-shirts that just might hit the streets when the time is right and I must say they are pretty delicious themselves.

Adam Colton Monster boards and LBL Dancer: LongboardLarry, Raygun Digital Artistry, and I will be experimenting with selling some beautiful Adam Colton lazer etched monster skateboards designed with my original artwork at www.longboardlarry.net. This is an opportunity to get my artwork out into the world. There will also be some limited edition monster LBL Adam Old Skool Dancer boards available as well. None of these boards will be cheap though since the lazer etching process is expensive, but boy howdy the boards are beautiful and I know some people have money to burn, hehe.

BYE BYE VA: Very excited! The next chapter of my path will begin next year so cross your fingers. There are some loose plans of moving out to LA to be right in the midst of the Loaded Family and to help make the transition to the next level easier.

Thanks to everyone that has supported Longboard Larry, Loadedboards, and Adam Squared. Please continue to support us and we will continue to make you smile.

Yee haw,

Adam Colton

My friend Aaron didn't think I got into Adam's head enough, so he sent Adam some additional questions. Adam answered most but not all of them (thus the missing numbers) -- here they are:

1. Where were you born?
Alexandria, VA baby

3. What do your parental units do for a living?
My dad is a mad scientist who works with Nano science and is developing a time machine. My mom is a super hard-core preschool special education teacher who is an award winning arm- wrestler.

4. What did you want to go to college for? Did you get a degree/graduate?
I went to Elon University for a Major in Communications (emphasis in film) and a Minor in Photography. I graduated in 2005.

6. What was your first job? What was your last job? Assuming that you get paid to be Adam Colton now...?
Hahaha, let痴 see here� Mowing lawns was my first job and that was some tough work. I bagged the grass baby, no mulching here. Last job was a skateboarding counselor for 6-12 year olds and that was fun. I was super stoked to see the increase in girls in the classes. Very cool.

7. What was the last trick you dialed in?
Hmmm� been working lately on improving my switch, so that any boarding walking I can do regular stance I can do switch as well. Ultimately getting my regular and switch to flow together very smoothly. Working on the hang ten manuals and hang ten g-turns, they are fun and tricky.

10. Have you been ticketed/arrested for skateboarding?
Most defiantly have come close as with any skater. I am pretty good at talking my way out of skateboarding/longboarding trouble with cops or security. I find in most cases it is better just to face the situation and have confidence than to run, though sometimes running is fun.

11. Have you broken any bones skateboarding?

I am happy to say I have never broken any bones in my life and I owe this mostly to my ninja skills, high yaw. I try to keep in good shape and health to prevent injuries. I am all about the pushups, pull-ups, legs lifts, and stretching.

13. What other professions besides skateboarder would you like to try? / Not want to try?
I am very affected and connected with the outdoors especially the outdoor air. In Boy Scouts we did a lot of backpacking and it would be cool to be a professional backpacker, if that is even a job, haha.
In fact last night I had a dream and just was so fascinated of how cool it is to backpack because it is just such a simple life style. All of your belongs fit right on your back. How cool is that? Then you go to your house and look at all the stuff, yiiiiks and then it is truly amazing.

I am very open to a lot of different things, just got to play it by the old ear and see how it makes me feel. I know I would not be a good editor or writer because my grammar is horrible.

14. Besides Chris Chaput ( who you mention in Bob's article ) what other skaters to you admire/enjoy?
I really admired anyone that has a fun time boarding and pushes them-self. Most recent example... I am teaching my little sister how to slide� And just seeing her get excited and talking to herself and figuring out what see is doing wrong and going back up the hill and trying again is very inspiring, admiring, and enjoyable.

15. Where do you see skateboarding in 10 years?
That is a tricky one my dear sir here are just a few ideas:

Longboarding on TV, in commercials, and having a more mainstream appeal.

Skateboarding as well as luge and downhill boarding, etc. in the Olympics, hopefully.

Skateboarding becoming more popular than the traditional recreation sports such as baseball and basketball. Skateboarding camps all over the place as well as skateparks in every town.

Adults and girls getting more involved with longboarding.

Higher quality boards, made with more environmentally friendly materials. I know Loadedboards is working towards that direction.

I hope that the longboarding community remains very diverse and open to every one of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels on a board. And treasures the ultimate outlook of having fun and spreading the love.

16. Where to you see yourself in 10 years?

Wow, I am the wrong person to be asked this question. I am very spontaneous and very open to where my life leads me. Who knows what feelings, mindsets, drawbacks and opportunities will present themselves in the future. The options are endless and I like that. Regardless of where I am at in 10 years I hope I am still full of way too much energy and a kid at heart.

17. Favorite new band/musician.

I am very out of the whole music realm, knowledge, scene, etc. I remember I totally amazed Jeff Gaites from www.Freshpaved.com with my lack of musical knowledge. I am fan of the oldies station but will move and groove to basically any music if it hits me right. I like to dance.

19. Favorite food.

I make myself a mean peanut and butter and jelly sandwich and I am not joking. I add like a ｽ inch thick layer of peanut butter on one side of that sucker. This sandwich would make your average person feel sick. I am a big fan of cottage cheese, cheerios, special K, clementines, plain oatmeal, and bananas.

20. What is some advice you would give boarders out there?

For the individual to make boarding his or her own. Some people do not want to learn fancy tricks, go fast or slide, they just wan to hop on their board and ride and that is fine. What is important is that an individual recognizes what he or she wants to get out of boarding and goes for it. Though I still believe personally from time to time it is important to be challenged and to challenge others to go out of their comfort zone.