Q&A with Bob Burnquist, pro skater, legend, icon, semi-nerdy looking dude...

Here's a excerpt from an interview with Bob Burnquist. We were in Cleveland at the 2004 Gravity Games (held in Sept.), an action sports and music festival, owned by the Outdoor Life Network (OLN). He ended up placing eighth in the skate vert contest.


****

Bob Burnquist has been trying to keep a low profile since arriving into Cleveland, but everyone from fans to fellow skaters to the media hang in his shadow for a piece of his celebrity status. Fortunately when GravityGames.com approached him for an interview, he was in good spirits, and felt like talking about his daughter, skydiving, and flying planes. Oh, and skating.


How's your mood this week, Bob?

I feel happy. I feel excited. I'm skateboarding. I'm healthy. It's getting toward the end of the year, and my body's still going strong, I mean, what can I say...I'm satisfied. And I feel blessed.

So where have you been working – that is, skating – lately?

I have been skating a lot at home. Traveling a lot too, but recently my daughter started school, so I have been spending time at home getting her going. Now I'm here in Cleveland, here to have some fun skateboarding, and have everyone who comes out to the games enjoy watching what we do.

You look like a proud father talking about your daughter. You want to tell us about her?

Her name is Lotus. She's four years old. Today is her fifth day at school and, yes, I'm really proud of her.

Does she realize her dad is a professional skateboarder?

Yeah. We go all over the place with her. She travels with us. She sees dad on TV, and the commercials. She knows Tony Hawk [laughs]. I'm amazed actually – she's so smart, the way she observes things. She even knows the names of some of the skateboard tricks. I have actually learned several tricks with her on the deck. She just loves being out there on the deck with me, and I love having her around. She's been skating since before she could walk, but now, even at the young age of four, she's getting into it more and more. It's a lot of fun.

Outside of skateboarding and spending time with your daughter, what else does Bob Burnquist do?

There's a lot I do. I enjoy just about anything. I'm in the air a lot. Skydiving. Flying planes. I'm just a couple weeks short of my private pilot's license. I can't stand still. Bob can't stand still. I go home, I skate. If there are waves, I surf. If the sky is clear, I skydive. There is an activity to do for every type of day there is.

Can you talk to us about the Gravity Games, and tell us what your approach to this year's contest might be, and maybe a little about your competition?

From me you're going to see a lot of switch tricks. Connecting tricks together switch, and learning harder tricks switch has been my goal. At least half my run will be switch. That's how I skate and the cool thing is, not many others are doing it. Bucky [Lasek] is awesome at switch skating, and he's pursuing that, but he does it in a different way. He connects his switch tricks in between his regular tricks. I'm looking to connect combinations, the whole thing a switch run. Everyone is just so different and that's what's awesome. You've got Sandro [Dias], who is just on a roll. He's got the 900 down. You've got Pierre-Luc [Gagnon], whose runs are absolutely amazing -- so technical, and somehow he connects combinations that are incredible. It's great when everyone skates so well, because it forces the rest of us to step it up. It makes for an exciting time.

Thanks Bob. Good luck this week.

No problem. Take care.