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Freestyle Marco - The Next Generation of Rodney Mullen

"Normal means average and average is right in the eyes of the people who follow what the majority is doing". This is a quote that a LA skateboarder known by the name of Freestyle Marco follows a pattern of. He reminds me of Rodney Mullen and when you see Marco skating you'll know why. With similar approach to skating, after countless hours spent in an empty parking lot, practicing difficult tricks over and over again, Mullen's influence is unquestionable. When I saw Marco skating I couldn't but get in touch to ask him couple of questions.

26. 2. 2015

1. Hi Marco, to break the ice, tell our reader where are you coming from and what do you do for living?

M: I was born and raised in NY and I currently reside in LA - much better weather for year round skateboarding! Since moving to LA, I've been doing some construction work, maintenance work, painting... as long as it's a flexible schedule that allows me to get my daily skating.

2. You seem to be quite a sensation on the internet, especially on YouTube channel where I saw your skateboarding video. It's apparent right off the bat that your skateboarding idol must have been Rodney Mullen. Any other influence?

M: You are right about that:) I also watched a lot of Pierre Andre and Primo Desiderio. I have to say that many skateboarders have influenced me in some way, the list is too long......but Rodney Mullen the most.

3.You discovered skateboarding in later life, how that happened? Was it something you have always wanted to do but couldn't or it found you naturally?

M: Skateboarding had never crossed my mind. While in high school, my friend was looking through a skateboarding magazine and he said he wanted to get a longboard. And I looked at the magazine and I was just mesmerized at the idea; I convinced my father to get me a longboard. It was shaped exactly like a skateboard except it was 3ft long. When I got it, I spent hours walking up hills and skating down; that's all I wanted to do and it just gave me a great feeling. Then, one day, while sitting at the computer, I came across Rodney Mullen for the first time. I watched him skate and when I saw him do a handstand flip I remember slamming the keyboard and running to my family to show them; I just could not believe what he did. From that moment on, I started working on tricks.

4.To master some of the tricks seen in the video couldn't have been easy. How hard did you have to try to get them done? How many hours a day do you skate?

M: I've been skating for almost 10 years now. After my first year of skateboarding, I decided to write down a list of tricks that I wanted to get down. I started with 35 tricks and ended up with 77 tricks. I would practice 77 tricks 25 times each and when I was able to land one trick 3 times in a row I moved to the next trick on my list. It took a few years to finally land just some of the tricks. Most people thought I was crazy because I spent so much time in a empty parking lot by myself falling and looking
stupid for hours as I attempted the tricks, day after day, month after months.....and not even coming close to land anything.

I now spend about 4hrs a day skating, usually very early in the morning before I go to work. And even though most of my tricks are mastered, I still do each trick 3 times as a part of my daily workout routine.

54 boards that Marco has broken in under 4 years

a destroyed truck after 6 months of skating

5.What is the spot you skate at in the video? Is this the place you skate the most at?

M: I filmed the video in a park in Downtown Los Angeles and I use an empty parking lot for my daily practice.

6.What about street skating. Are we going to see some street footage from you in the future?

M: Definitely!:) I'm practicing street every day. My original vid was 6 minutes long with street skating as well but it was a little too long so I cut some tricks out.

7.It seems you have dedicated a lot to what you are doing. What keeps you motivated, apart from the fact that we all love skateboarding, otherwise we wouldn't have been doing it, right? :) I mean, we all fell down on the ground and it hurts sometimes. What keeps you going?

M: The only thing that keeps me going is my love for skateboarding and no other reason. My mind is attached to skateboarding and there is nothing I can do about it. It's common for people to say "I love skateboarding" but I truly love skateboarding and it is not by choice. If I pack my life full of skating and accomplish nothing but tricks, I can die happy because there is nothing to this life except doing what you love, or spending time with the people you love.

8. I couldn't but notice the freestylemarco.com url written on your board. Was it an intent from the start, to get people check your website after seeing your video?

M: I know that the website ruined the video especially the sign. But I did that on purpose and I knew it'd not look good. I do not agree with any terms and conditions on all video platforms that I have viewed. By releasing any footage to the public you are bound by copyright laws. I have two other videos that were filmed prior to this one with no logos or web advertisements and they were never uploaded for that reason.

I originally had no intentions of uploading any videos. When I filmed my first video, my intention was to go to different companies to show them in person and see if they would be interested in
sponsoring me. ALL of the companies did not seem interested in seeing it and never even got back to me. The few that responded didn't want to meet, they just said to upload it and if interested they would get back to me. I never wanted to upload any footage to the internet. I knew the only way to keep the footage safe on the internet was to put a website everywhere. Because I knew companies would not want to take the footage if it has a website all over. My website is a way to show who I am and what I am about.

9. I read on your webpage that there is a store coming up. Are you going to sell your own product in there? Tell us more about it.

M: To start, I will be selling custom shaped decks. Standard popsicle decks and custom wheels made to my specifications. One board that can be used for all style of skateboarding. I will only sell items that I skate and that I can stand behind.

10.Way to go. I read that you had travelled a bit. What was the best place (state, foreign country, continent) you have ever been with your skateboard? And why?

M: I would have to say San Diego and LA because the weather is perfect.