Ruben Najera is a PowerBar
® Team Elite™ veteran and professional skateboarder. We recently caught up with Ruben on a wide range of topics, including life as a skateboarding pro, balancing skateboarding business interests with the demands of competitions, demos, and film work. He also provided some sports nutrition tips and even a few words of wisdom for skateboarders working their way up in the sport.
Snapshot
- Age: 24
- Home base: El Centro, California
- Occupation: Professional skateboarder
- Stance: Goofy
Recent Accomplishments
- First place at the San Diego County Cannonball Run with the Struggle Skateboards team in 2007
- Second place at the Hood Games in Long Beach for the manual pad competition. Super fun! Shout out to Karl Watson!
- Landed a quadruple kick flip and 720 double flip
- Skateboarding in music videos such as Aiden — “Moment,” Radars to the Sky — “Wave Goodbye to the Sun,” David Cook — “Light On,” and many others
- Played the role of three different bad guys in the movie Border Lost
- His own custom PowerBar® display in stores
- Front cover of the latest Peter Grimm Headwear catalog
- Struggle Skateboards ads in Transworld Skateboarding magazine
- Featured on larger-than-life banners at the MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas, courtesy of Peter Grimm Headwear
- Featured on Sneaux shoe postcards, magazine ads, and banners
Q: When did you get your start in skateboarding? What does the sport mean to you?
Ruben: I first got into skateboarding when I was about 12 years old. My cousin JC and friends in my neighborhood got me started. Here it is a decade later and skateboarding is my life. Just about everything I do revolves around it. What I love about the sport is the freedom of it all. No matter who you are, or where you’re from, you can just pick up a skateboard and go. You can do crazy tricks or just relax and cruise. It’s all good. In fact, nothing compares to the freedom I feel when I’m cruising down the street on my board. And when I’m doing new tricks, nothing gives me a greater sense of accomplishment. To skateboard is to live and I will skateboard forever!
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on a skateboard?
Ruben: I really like technical skateboarding — manuals and ledge grinds — and a lot of flatground. There are so many tricks to learn, and I would love to learn as many as I can. Skateparks are cool, but to tell you the truth, I grew up street skating. That’s what’s in my blood and what I enjoy doing the most. Real streets are my urban playground. Unfortunately, it’s getting harder and harder to skateboard on the streets nowadays. In the last few days, I’ve probably been kicked out of 20 different skateboarding spots. No exaggeration. That gets old!
Q: Could you describe a day in the life of a skateboard pro?
Ruben: I’m on my skateboard a lot, or not far from it. I do a bunch of different things. I’m currently filming video segments for my various sponsors. Repeat takes, to get just the right shot, is hard work and can take hours. I also do skateboarding tours and compete in skateboarding events. In fact, I’ve got a tour coming up with a company I helped start — Struggle Skateboards. We will be doing demos and I’ll be signing autographs at different skateshops throughout Southern California. It’s going to be loads of fun! I am also the “skateboard writer” for 5ones.com. My job is to stay on top of the latest happenings in the skateboarding industry. And I’m directing and producing an indie film that we’re planning to submit to tons of film festivals when we’re done.
Q: Given everything on your plate, how do you carve out the time to stay on top in the sport?
Ruben: I just try to keep myself motivated 24/7. You have one life to live and I say, “Live it to the fullest.” For me that means no procrastination, 100% commitment, and being on it all the time. I also try to surround myself with individuals who are positive and who help me to stay motivated. My family, my girlfriend, and my friends — they all give me a lift when I need it and help to spark my success.
Q: With all that you’ve done on or with a skateboard, what are you most proud of, and what’s been the most challenging?
Ruben: I guess I should say all the skateboarding contests I’ve won, but the truth is that I feel my greatest accomplishments are actually some of the tricks I’ve worked so hard to land on film. It’s such a great feeling when the camera is rolling and you finally nail a trick!
The most challenging has been helping to start and build a 100% true skateboard company. As I said, it’s called Struggle Skateboards and it started from nothing. But it has grown incredibly to what it is today, and there is still so much more to come. Check it out at
struggleskateboards.com. This project has been like a flower, gradually blossoming over time. It began as a dream, but we’ve believed in it and stayed committed to it, and I’m very proud to be a part of a company that is 100% owned and operated by skateboarders making skateboards!
Q: How do you prepare for a competition?
Ruben: In competitions, it comes down to how you feel mentally. Nerves can be your downfall. So it’s important to relax and take it nice and easy. Staying warmed up helps keep me balanced.
Q: Is fatigue ever a factor?
Ruben: The thing with skateboarding is that you’ve got to be pumped up and focused to perform, but you can get dehydrated super quick, which drags you down. So staying hydrated is incredibly important. In fact, it can be the difference between winning and losing. It can get up to 120 degrees out there in the summer, yet many skateboarders don’t really think much about hydration. But for me, it gets to the point where I need more than water. So when I need to hydrate, I use PowerBar
® Endurance sports drink. I feel like it gives me exactly what the name says — endurance! My ability to perform increases a ton when I’m healthy, and staying hydrated is part of staying healthy.
Not eating anything also takes a toll. If you have something in your system, it gives you the energy you need. That’s why PowerBar
® Performance Energy bars are a must with me, especially when I’m on tour or filming. Half the time there is no opportunity to stop anywhere to eat. So Performance Energy bars give me that energy boost I need to perform well.
Q: What’s your fueling and hydration regimen for staying pumped up?
Ruben: I make sure I have something in my system before competitions or when I’m out filming. Performance energy bars and Endurance sports drink are always by my side. The same thing goes during breaks in competitions. I make sure I have something on hand to rehydrate myself with. With the bars, I find the basic flavors to be the best in the morning. A vanilla Performance Energy bar is a good way for me to start the day. And after a long session on the skateboard, I just try to do some stretches and focus on rehydrating. Other than that, I just relax and dream about when my next skate session will take place!
Q: What are your favorite PowerBar products?
Ruben: By far my favorites are the Performance Energy bars because they come in so many flavors! The Endurance sports drink is what I hydrate with, and for a snack those PowerBar
® Triple Threat
® Energy bars are yummy! I remember applying for Team Elite a few years back, and when I received the go-ahead, I was super stoked and happy. PowerBar has been awesome and one of my most supportive sponsors. I actually feel tons healthier and always feel like I’ve got the energy I need.
Q: Any words of advice for up-and-coming skateboarders?
Ruben: Always remember that no matter how good you are, have fun. And be helpful to other skateboarders, regardless of skill level. Believe me, it makes a difference. We’re all in this together, sharing one passion. That alone should pull us together to be friends, connected by one beautiful thing — skateboarding. Skateboard forever!
Q: Could you describe your goals for the year ahead?
Ruben: I want to finish filming the video segments for my sponsors. I’m looking to get tons of coverage in magazines and other media outlets. And I just want to keep riding my board to the top. There will be obstacles that want to get in the way, but I won’t give up. Never have. Never will.
Q: Thank you, Ruben. Any parting shots?
Ruben: Yes. I’d like to thank all of my sponsors — in particular, the ones that have seriously backed me up big time. Thanks, guys!
- POWERBAR, first and foremost
- STRUGGLE SKATEBOARDS
- PETER GRIMM HEADWEAR
- SNEAUX shoes
- ELYZIUM boardshop
- OLLIE POP bubble gum
- NINJA bearings
- SNUGGBUDS™ headphones
- FREESTYLE® watches
- GRIP GUM™
- TAILDEVIL™
- BANSHEE BUNGEE
- HERRON TRUCKS
- IMPERIAL MOTION
- S-ONE helmets
I also want to thank my girlfriend — big time, my family, and just everyone that has helped me out along the way.
Follow Ruben’s exploits in the year ahead, as well as those of the other Team Elite athletes. If you’re interested in joining Team Elite, click on the Team Elite link at PowerBar.com.
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