Four wheels and a board.
When you put it like that, a skateboard doesn’t exactly seem like the ideal paintbrush for urban artistry. Such a crude implement, one thinks, for such an inventive and physical form of recreation. Still, where masterpieces are concerned, Gary Holl has used said implement to amass a collection worthy of the Louvre.
One of skateboarding’s most esteemed veterans, Gary has won titles or set world records in a dozen events — and that’s just in the last seven years. But for this still-graceful rider, whose foray into boarding predates most of the birth certificates of his peers, the thrill of competition will always play second fiddle to his pure and incorruptible love of riding.
“It’s the same for me today as it was during my first few weeks of skateboarding,” he says. “There are no rules. You can do what you want, when you want to do it. The lack of any authority telling you 'how, when, and where' was and still is appealing to me.”
But it’s not just the adolescent-tinged risk that attracts Gary to skateboarding. In the 70s, when skateparks were popping up like Circle Ks across the country, and skateboarding was starting to find its foothold on the fringes of American culture, Gary was finding pleasure in the joys of creationism — that is, the act of doing something that no one else had dared to try on a board. He is unofficially credited with a handful of tricks that are now widely used, but you won’t find him rushing to right Wikipedia on that.
Humble and utterly grateful for what skateboarding has given him, Gary is happy just to have the opportunity to do what he loves, often on a grand scale. These days, he’s using that platform to give back to at-risk youth, in hopes that those four wheels might provide a bit more direction.
Part pioneer, part innovator, part philanthropist — each brushstroke paints the brilliant, if unfinished, portrait that is Gary Holl’s career.
Gary Holl
Birthdate: March 31, 1961
Birthplace: Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Current residence: Midtown, Palo Alto, California
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs
Website:
http://web.mac.com/garyholl
PowerBar page:
http://www.powerbar.com/user/GaryHoll.aspx
Q: When did you first start skateboarding? Who or what got you interested in it?
Gary: It was way back in 1975. I was at the end of my paper route and threw my last paper toward a customer’s front door. When I turned the corner, there were a few guys riding this ramp that they had running alongside a rounded curb, pushing and carving down the street and hitting this ramp. The speed, style, and aggression was something that instantly appealed to me. A week later, I bought my first board, which had urethane wheels with open ball bearings. I was hooked and I've never looked back.
Q: What was it that you loved so much about being on your board?
Gary: When I first started to ride, I spent time imitating what we saw in
Skateboarder magazine. However, within a few months we started realizing that we can come up with our own tricks — either new ones or variations of those we'd already seen. That ability to come up with new stuff is what I liked best. I like the whole culture around skateboarding. And there are so many talented people in skateboarding — artists, writers, photographers, and musicians.
Q: Did you have any nasty spills when you were young that made you think, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea”?
Gary: Interestingly enough, I've only had bad sprains and a few minor fractures. I usually get hurt screwing around on small things at the end of a long session.
Q: Did any team sports interest you growing up?
Gary: Not really. I have two older brothers and they were into team sports, but I always hated relying on others’ abilities in order to win.
Q: What did your family think about your love of skateboarding?
Gary: At first, they probably thought it was a fad or stage I was just going to go through. Of course, after a few years I think they realized I was pretty immersed into skateboarding and that I wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
Q: What’s your best PG-rated, counterculture story about being a skateboarder? Any run-ins with law enforcement or anything like that?
Gary: Not too many stories from my younger days are PG rated, but run-ins with the authorities still occur today. They usually realize that we’re not kids and pretty much just expect us to act properly and leave.
Q: You’ve been skateboarding longer than most of the X Games generation has been alive! How have you been able to perform at such a high level for such a long time?
Gary: I think after 35 years of skateboarding, my body just feels more comfortable on a skateboard than off of one. The key for me is stretching. I stretch before I ride and I have a little stretching routine I go through on the days I don't ride. Staying loose helps a lot when you fall. Also, having the support of my wife, Victoria, has been very important to me.
Q: Do you do any exercise off of the board to make you better at what you do?
Gary: I prefer spending my free time skateboarding, but sometimes I do some strength/balance training on a BOSU
® ball. I also use some lighter weights doing curls and presses. And, again, I do spend plenty of time stretching.
Q: A lot of skateboarders refuse to consider themselves as athletes, even though what they do is extremely athletic. Why do you think that is? Do you agree with that view?
Gary: I don't think of skateboarding as a sport. It’s more a way of life or lifestyle. I do not think of myself as an athlete — I'm just a skateboarder. It’s who I am.
Q: Nutrition, for even the most recreational athlete, has changed a lot in the past 20 years. What kind of approach do you take to what you put into your body before a ride?
Gary: Before a session, I like a good bowl of oatmeal, a banana, and a PowerBar® Nut Naturals Energy bar. During my session, I'll eat a PowerBar
® Triple Threat
® Energy bar and/or PowerBar
® Energy Gel to refuel. Then at the end of a long session, I prefer to have a PowerBar
® Recovery bar, peanut butter caramel crisp flavor.
Q: Everything in action sports is about the next big death-defying, crowd-stunning trick. Does that make you worry at all, or do you still love the adrenaline side of what you do?
Gary: I worry about what some of these guys are doing, but they've been around a while too. And if they didn't want to do it, they wouldn't be doing it. While I can appreciate the mega-ramp antics, I'd much rather watch someone with good style and speed, skating a pool. I'm certain the adrenaline keeps us all wanting to skate.
Q: How much longer do you plan on competing at a high level?
Gary: I'm very selective on which events to go to, and at this time I am uncertain as to when I'll stop competing. I don't need to prove anything. Nowadays, given the choice to just ride with friends or compete, I'll take the session riding with friends first.
Q: Tell me a bit more about your involvement with Board Rescue and what other people can do to help out.
Gary: A few years ago, I knew I wanted to give back to skateboarding some of what it has given to me. So I founded Board Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is dedicated to getting skateboards and safety equipment to underprivileged and/or at-risk youth. We work directly with skateboard manufacturers and distributors, who provide us with equipment. We, in turn, work with organizations that run skate programs, placing the equipment in those programs that target underprivileged and/or at-risk youth. The programs have to offer more than just skateboarding — often they mentor the kids and help them with their homework along with skateboarding.
Anyone interested can visit our website at
http://www.boardrescue.org. Click the “How You Can Help” link to learn more about how to make a donation. And, of course, supporting those companies that support Board Rescue is important too. You can find a link to them all on the Board Rescue site. The other two board members and myself do this on a volunteer basis — we do not get paid. All donations are tax deductible and a receipt is issued for every donation.
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