Tucked away in the middle of Florida is Gainesville. It’s the town that helped me reluctantly find a love for journalism and the town that Billy Rohan, friend of the mag and early 2000s New York fixture, grew up skating around.
When I first met Billy I was unaware of the long history he had in skateboarding and the mental health challenges that ushered both his return to Florida and retirement from pro skating. However, I was promptly educated on the lore, like the nollie hardflip at courthouse, strong friendship with Harold Hunter and unfortunate arrests (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch Billy’s Epicly Later’d).
While a markedly novel dude, through my eyes he has always been a community oriented, kind and important facet of skateboarding in my college town, so on a free day back home I drove up to kick it with Billy and check out his skateshop Samurai.
While there, we skated at a Buddhist temple, got dangerously close to alligators and took in the joys of a free day in Florida. Perhaps said by Billy best “From Tompkins to Swampkins. Wu-tang.”
The Shop
Related Posts
-
“PARTS” WITH J MASCIS OF DINOSAUR JR.
The Dinosaur Jr. frontman hits us with a special treat of his picks and favs.
-
PREMIERE: “I SURVIVED 500 DAYS FILMING THE WORST SKATE VIDEO EVER”
The highly anticipated third installment of Canadian debauchery does not disappoint.
-
BONUS PARTS FROM “THIS IS SKATEBOARDING”
We dug through the 15-year-old DVD to pull out rarely seen b-sides from Reynolds, Heath, Spanky, and more.
-
MOBBING THE STREETS WITH BRAZIL’S CPTMAFIA
Come roll 18 heads deep on the streets of Brazil with The Mafia.
-
“DATE A SK8ER” – IAN & RAVEN
We brought back the only reality TV show that helps skaters find true love and/or get laid.
-
PREMIERE: RUBIANDA’S “YOUTH MANIFESTO” PART OUT OF INDONESIA
Despite the brutal humidity and the foot and car traffic of Jakarta, this 17 year old was able to produce a beautifully crafted part.
-
SHOP TALK AT NYC’S TENANT SKATESHOP
There's nothing like a Modelo, a few stupid questions, and Greenpoint on a Sunday.
-
PREMIERE: “NO WAY” A VIDEO FROM MIDDLE AMERICA
A gritty glimpse into the skating that goes down in "flyover country."
Comments
Popular
-
TRACKING DOWN THE GIRL ON THE DEFTONES’ ALBUM 28 YEARS LATER
Shot by skateboarder Rick Kosick, we went to Seattle to meet the woman on one of rock's most iconic covers.
-
HANGING OUT WITH ANDREW HUBERMAN, SKATEBOARDER TURNED NEUROSCIENTIST
Curious what it would be like to hang with this guy outside of a stuffy podcast studio? Us too.
-
ANGELA WHITE IS BRINGING SKATING’S MOST ICONIC CAMERA BACK INTO PORN
Her 2000s, gonzo-inspired tour de force was filmed completely on the sleek, sexy, grainy VX2000.
-
JENKEM PRESENTS: THE 9TH ANNUAL SKATEBOARDING SUPERLATIVES
The good, the bad, and the ugly of skateboarding in 2025.
-
A GLIMPSE INTO THE PECULIAR WORLD OF GNARLS AND STEVE ROSEN
An unfiltered exploration of fatherhood in modern skateboarding and the drive of a young skater.
March 13, 2024 8:59 pm
I always thought Billy Rohan was a great skater.
Didn’t he have a part in EST 3? Ender was a gap to noseslide in the crowd at MSG. So sick.
March 14, 2024 1:53 pm
Whence came you?