Ohio Skateboard Connection

Travis Monroe- Advocate Skate Works

Launched in January 2023, Advocate Skate Works is a non-profit organization operating out of Lakewood, Ohio, where they passionately serve the Northeast Ohio skate community. Travis and his wife Maddie have helped put quality gear into the hands of thousands of skaters throughout Ohio and beyond. Working with companies such as Vans, Quasi, Baker, NHS, and Thrasher, Advocate Skate Works distributes complete skateboards and shoes at numerous skate-related community events. Their tireless work has aligned with the mission of introducing skateboarding to kids of all backgrounds, and not letting the high cost of entry be a barrier to enjoying a lifelong love of skating as all of us have experienced. Join us as we discuss Travis’ skateboard journey- growing up in Pickerington, working at Dodge as a teen, Sunsports memories,  getting arrested for skating in San Diego, working at the Skatepark of Tampa, and ultimately landing in Cleveland and launching a successful non-profit. Follow their account for updates on several events happening in 2025, and how to get involved or sponsor their mission.  I plan to shine a light on other organizations serving the next generation of skateboarders in Ohio on future episodes!
Time Stamps 
Intro
1:50- Patrick O Dell
8:10- Growing up/intro to skateboarding 
20:10- Local Columbus rippers/Tim Simmons
25:10- Chad Knight
28:21- Skatebording then vs. now
30:10- Road trips/visiting California
35:10- Skating as an adult/moving several times 
45:24-Working at Dodge Skatepark/Donny Humes 
52:06- Getting involved in Non-profit work
58:12- Launching Advocate Skate Works
1:01:18- Partnering with Vans/Giving away product 
1:05:22- Collecting equipment 
1:09:50- Challenges ASW faces
1:18:10- Social media/PR
1:21:57- 2025 Events
1:26:30- The kids they work with/other great organizations
1:39:20- Companies who have helped ASW
1:41:21- Future vision 
1:45:20- Most influential Ohio skater 
1:47:20- Future guests?
1:48:53- Chaz McGee
1:52:30- Closing banter 

Tony Heitz

Tony Heitz is an encyclopedia of Cincinnati skate history. He’s been involved in skateboarding for over 40 years in several capacities both locally and nationally. He was a rider for Basic Skateboards in the early 90s, co-owner of Habitat Skateshop in Dayton, and Anonymous in Cincinnati. Additionally, Tony worked  as Team Manager for Alien Workshop, Habitat, and Seek from 2002-2007. A natural storyteller, Tony knows everyone in skating and remembers vividly all the key details of the early scene in Ohio. It was an honor to hear his story and get the opportunity to share it here with everyone. Look out for some exciting drops from his brand Trifecta in the coming year.
 
Time stamps:
01:09  -Growing up/first exposure to skateboarding
6:25- Broader Cincy scene
15:30- Lunken Skatepark
12:13- More early Cincy skate scene history
31:15- Skaters Island/ Basic Skateboards
40:00- Dayton scene
48:00- Spending time in California  
55:00- Habitat Skateshop
59:35- Solid Brand
1:02:10- Doug K
1:07:35- Joe Castrucci/Habitat
1:13:08- TM for Workshop/Seek/Habitat
1:45:56- Skate memorabilia collection  
1:50:48- Quick hit questions
1:57:18- Trifecta
2:07:33- New skatepark in Cincy
2:15:42- Best memories of skating
2:19:53- Final thoughts
 
 

Noah Utterback- Cleveland Fingerboarding

Today we’re discussing all things fingerboarding with Noah Utterback. Holding down the Cleveland scene, Noah grew up in West Denison and currently lives in Parma with his wife. Noah is a member of Ohio’s own @cvlt_board_co where he is anticipating his own pro model later this year. Noah helped launch the first annual Fingerjam event in Cleveland in 2024, which he hopes will continue to be an annual event for the community.  Additionally Noah can be found at USAFBL sanctioned contests across the nation, and is a major advocate for the growth of the hobby in Ohio and beyond. He often brings  along a custom built ramp modeled after the famed indoor park at TriStar Skateboards to Cleveland area skate events, including the upcoming installment of the underground Baja Blast hardcore punk festival. Noah’s passion is contagious and this episode serves as a catch all for the history of finger boarding and the massive  growth the community has experienced. Hit him up for any questions on how to get started or involved in the hobby in 2025 and beyond!

Bill Minadeo

Hailing from Westerville, Ohio, Bill is one of the most renowned and accomplished skatepark builders in the world. Along with his company California Skateparks, Bill has played a crucial role in developing, designing, and constructing some of the largest and most state-of-the-art skateparks around the globe, including both Olympic courses and largest-in-the-nation Lauridsen Park in Des Moines, as well as local favorites Tuttle and the remodel of historic Dodge in Columbus. He has travelled the world and helped spread stoke and interest in skateboarding in some of the most fascinating countries in the world, and has given countless skaters the opportunity to have a world class park in their community. Bill is a graduate of Ohio State’s Landscape Architecture program, after a stint as a scholarship soccer player at the University of Dayton. His time in Dayton helped fuel his love of skateboarding, surrounded by a flourishing scene in the mid to late 80s, where he would eventually help get Dodge and Sunsports parks built in Columbus. Bill has led a storybook life and shares many of his memories and tales here on the podcast. It was an honor to have to opportunity to spend time with him. Bill currently lives in San Clemente with his family.

John Drake

John is a Generation One street skater that first picked up a board in 1985. Against the odds on the shores of the Ohio River, John came out of working class Chesapeake, Ohio which lies directly  across the water from Huntington, WV.  Along with Ron Patrick from Iguana Skates, John developed his skills from the jump ramp era to scouring the Tri-state for contests and demos, eventually landing in a burgeoning Dayton skate scene that included Rob Dyrdek, Mark Heintzman, and John Buchanan. As Alien Workshop started its infancy, John left Assault Skateboards to join the Mothership in 1991, staying in that family until roughly 1999. Together with Rob, John would eventually move to San Diego to pursue a higher ceiling in his skate career, and eventually the two settled into Pacific Beach in the famed “Alien House”, where nearly every skateboarder that mattered in the era would pass through. John tells his story in this epic three hour interview that chronicles many of the most important moments, scenes, and figures of the Ohio skate scene. This podcast was started partially in hopes of unraveling the origins and stories behind Alien Workshop, and John delivers big time in helping tell the story as one of the earliest members of the Sovereign Sect. Im not sure there’s an Ohio skater out there who has seen and been a part of more epic skate history than John.
Please check out and subscribe to John’s YouTube channel @SoleSerfer, where he reviews and provides historic information on the footwear and apparel that has influenced him most throughout the years. Shouts to John for doing this, and to @chromeball for laying the foundational information from his first interview.

Nick Accurso

My latest guest is Cincinnati OG Nick Accurso. Nick has been skating since 1986- around the time street skating was born. Representing the west side of Cincy, "Fat Nick", as he’s known, played a key role in several extremely influential projects in Cincinnati underground culture. From Art Director for Strength Magazine, to co-owning Anonymous Skateshop from 1999-2012, and co-founding groundbreaking hip hop and graffiti event Scribble Jam. Filmer, entrepreneur, designer, photographer, and family man are just some of the many hats he’s worn. He even had a photo published as a young man in Thrasher shot by Giovanni Reda. With Anonymous, Nick helped film and produce three essential videos that stand the test of time and captured the look and feel of Cincy's one of a kind vibe.
Nick currently lives in Clifton with his family and is still skating to this day with his son. He has an amazing memory and is a great storyteller, recalling many key names and moments in the development of Ohio skating. This was a personal milestone episode for me as an admirer and fan of Cincinnati skating for many years, but since I didn't grew up there, I only heard the stories. Thanks to Nick for his generosity and time with this, and to Chris Luessen for helping to write the interview.
Look out for the Scribble Jam documentary coming soon, as well as an exhibit happening now at the Cincinnati Art Museum!

Evan Walker- Cincinnati Skatepark Project

Evan is currently heading up the effort to get the first ever proper public skatepark built in the City of Cincinnati. Despite its long history and impact on the National skate scene, Cincinnatians have never had a legit park to call their own. Evan is working hard to change that. The city is now on board with a plan to build on a location in Camp Washington in 2025, accepting final bids from qualified builders before moving to the design phase.Together we talk about growing up in Orange County, being at the premiere of The End, meeting Jeremy Klein, skating Pulaski, Alien Workshop, the best skateparks in the region and country, and plans for Cincinnati skatepark projects in 2025 and beyond. Evan is a highly articulate, knowledgeable, and passionate dude who wanted to get something positive done for the community. Along with many others, he formed the Cincinnati Skatepark Project to help work with city officials, raise funding, help point the city towards the best skatepark builders in the world, create hype, and project a positive message to the community that this is long past due.Please catch up with Evan and the rest of the Cincinnati Skatepark Project team at their pop up skate event happening this week from Thursday 10/17 through Sunday 10/20 in downtown Cincinnati at the amazing BLINK event.Evan currently lives in the Clifton area with his wife and son.

Kristian Svitak

It’s not everyday you get to spend hours talking to one of your skateboarding heroes, but Kristian Svitak happens to be one of the most humble and generous guys in the skate industry, and we are lucky to call him one of Ohio's own. Hailing from Garfield Heights, no one has ever repped Ohio harder than him. Kristian was part of a memorable era of skateboarding that re-introduced a new generation to punk rock music, individualism in both fashion and trick selection, and a predisposition for throwing down some of the gnarliest hammers in skate history. Kristian’s fearless and hard working style epitomized his blue collar Cleveland roots, and his uncompromising outlook towards skateboarding has been an asset to an industry so often willing to sell out. It’s hard to put into words what it meant to me as a young punk rock kid seeing his last part in Label Kills, which played on repeat before going out skating with friends growing up. After a long stint with Mike V’s Street Plant as well as owning and operating 1031 Skateboards, Kristian recently joined the ranks of the OG legends at Blockhead Skateboards. Check out their excellent new video Heads Up. Additionally, please check out his new podcast and Instagram page, Cleveland Skateboarding Storytellers, for a detailed look into the personalities and history of the Cleveland skate scene. Above all his accomplishments on the board, Kristian strikes me as a loyal friend to many in the skateboard world, and a thoughtful family man that has never forgotten where he came from.

Kenny Bucholz

Kenny was a monumental figure in the Columbus Skate Scene, owning and operating the pivotal skate shop Sunsports with Nick Garcia from 1997-2006, and working there as far back as 1989. He also managed the fabled indoor skatepark in Whitehall until it closed its doors in 1994, watching a generation of local legends develop their skills as young kids. His friendly and approachable attitude was noticeable to any kid who ever picked up a skateboard in Central Ohio. “Uncle Kenny” played a crucial part in sponsoring numerous local rippers, bringing legendary demos to Columbus, and providing a central hub for all things skateboarding until the day they closed their doors at the Polaris location in 2006. On a personal level, Sunsports defined the skate shop experience for me as a young grom getting into skating in the late 90s, forming core memories still burned into my brain to this day. I caught up with Kenny while he was out on the road in his new gig driving a semi-truck. 

Dave Coyne

Dave was generous enough to be my first former pro on the podcast, and I couldn't think of a nicer guy to do it. Hailing from Bridgeport, Ohio, Dave went pro for Maple Skateboards in the year 2000, following breakthrough parts in the independent San Diego video "Trouble Shooters", Maple's "Black Cat", and the landmark "The Storm" by Osiris, one of the most discussed and memorable videos of the era. Dave has also skated for several smaller companies such as Germ, Effort, and Sound skateboards. He has never slowed down from skating, still putting out ripping footage to this day. Dave's story of moving to California with nothing but a few possessions and a dream is particularly inspiring. Check him out on Instagram at @Dazed_n_Coynefused, or at @SlizzaSlicktape to keep up with his everslick product page.  Thanks again Dave!