WHAT'S IT LIKE FILMING A SKATE PART WHEN YOU'RE DEAF?

Anyone who’s skated a street spot knows that it can be sensory overload. Dogs barking, pedestrians rambling, cars honking. So consider this for a moment: What if you took away your hearing?

Well, that’s exactly how Austin Oertel skates.

Austin is a deaf skateboarder from Pennsylvania who just dropped an impressive part in Bill Simpson’s full-length Timewise, and not hearing the pop of his tail or the person yelling “Car!” from across the street somehow hasn’t slowed him down at all.

Because of this, we decided to call him up and pick his brain about how his lack of hearing affects his skateboarding. From the hatred of piss-smelling spots to the increased sensitivity to a bad bearing, Austin let us in on his world.

Were there any deaf skaters you knew growing up?
I remember looking up this one guy named Brandon White. He skated Dew Tour contests. He kills it. And I know some of them, like Brian Estrada who reached out to me a couple times on Instagram. It’s really dope seeing more deaf skaters from all over the world and speaking with them.

I’ve heard deaf people’s other senses are really strong, is that true?
Totally. All of my other senses are boosted insanely high. I can’t even handle the smell of piss or garbage at a spot. Someone pissed at a spot one time and I got dizzy at how pungent it was. Also, any ground that is crusty enough for my skateboard to clatter riding through drives me insane so I almost never skate spots with rough terrain like that unless I have the soft wheels for it.

I imagine not being able to hear the pop of your tail can be a total mind fuck. How do you overcome that, since it’s your reality?
It’s all feeling. If I feel a missed pop or if I don’t pop correctly, I’ll bail right away. I need to trust that the pop and flick is good. It definitely was hard to tell when I was younger, but nowadays I know if I did things correctly.

“All of my other senses are boosted insanely high.”

Do you require more spotters at a street spot?
Some spots I skate definitely need a spotter, and I’m always doing more than just looking left or right. I’ve had close calls with cars twice while filming for this video. If Bill is filming long lens he’ll spot for me, but it can be risky. I also rely on Bill in case something goes down at the spot, like a gun being fired or someone yelling at us to leave.

Were there any moments while filming this part where the confusion of you being deaf got you into a peculiar situation?
I’ve had so many close call alterations where people almost lose their shit with me until one of my friends mentions to them that I am deaf. Then they quickly change their tone and apologize. My favorite one was when this dude tried to talk to me while I was filming my friend Bryan and he was getting a bit aggressive thinking I was ignoring him. Luckily, Bryan shouted out to him that I was deaf, and the guy realized and immediately apologized to me in ASL perfectly. I laughed so hard because it was so random when he did that. I still laugh about it to this day.

Have you ever found out later what someone said without you knowing?
All the time man. I just laugh it off since there’s nothing I can do about it. What am I supposed to do? Go back and find them. I love when people talk shit to skaters, and it’s even funnier when they don’t know I’m deaf so they said all that for nothing.

“I’m appreciative when friends avoid saying, ‘Nevermind.'”

Do any of the homies know sign language? Are there a lot of miscommunications?
My homies know some signs, but I usually understand them through typing or lip reading. I’m appreciative when friends avoid saying, “Nevermind.” And yes, there are miscommunications all the time. Some words can be mouthed exactly the same, so I try to use context clues to actually know what they mean. If I still can’t get it right then I have to ask them to say it slowly, and if that doesn’t work they pull out their phones and type it. My one buddy keeps sending me that damn Jimmy Butler squinting meme whenever we’re typing too much.

Do you think you and a skater with hearing would approach a spot the same way?
I’d say we have the same approach, the only difference is that skaters with hearing can get distracted by noises while that doesn’t matter for me. I could land a trick even if someone shouted to mess me up. Sometimes I complain about the spot more than they do though [laughs].

Have you ever skated with hearing aids?
I find hearing aids pretty distracting. It’s hard to think straight, and I found myself being more reactive toward people. I actually appreciate how quiet and clear my mind is without them. It lets me take a step back, analyze, and then understand my thoughts and feelings.

“I can always tell right away if I need to replace a bearing, or if I have a flat spot.”

Are there any advantages to skateboarding deaf?
I’ve noticed skaters that aren’t deaf can’t tell what’s wrong with their set up, so I actually have an advantage with that one. I can always tell right away if I need to replace a bearing, or if I have a flat spot.

Are there any parallels you find between skate culture and deaf culture?
Both communities are very supportive of everyone, they have each other’s backs no matter what. And both cultures are happy to share amongst each other.

What is one ASL phrase that everyone should know?
Love.