AIRSPEED SKATEPARKS; Stephanie Mohler Interview

Reedsport, Florence, Waldport, Toledo and Newport all have epic skateparks located on a 70 mile stretch of the Oregon Coast. When I got to the park at Reedsport I was blown away. Why don’t I live here? Then I hit up Florence and had an equally good skate sesh and a really good cup of coffee on the waterfront. All of these parks were designed and built by Airspeed Skateparks, which is co-owned by skaters Geth Noble and Stephanie Mohler. They’ve got skater women on their building crew and are dedicated not only to the best quality skateparks, but also environmental sustainability, diversity in employment, and community building. They have been busy this summer building a new park in Portland and another in Nederland, CO. Thanks Airspeed.

NAME: Stephanie Mohler
AGE: old
WHERE DO YOU LIVE? On the road mostly in North and Latin America
OCCUPATION? Large scale functional concrete sculptor / Skatepark Designer and Builder, Co-Owner Airspeed Skateparks LLC
WHY DO YOU SKATE? Passions pick us...................
WHEN DID YOU START SKATING? A decade ago
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN BUILDING SKATEPARKS? I had a portable wood working shop that I carried around on my van while moving from skate spot to skate spot. I made picture frames from old broken skate decks with my portable shop and one day I was poaching the Southern Oregon Talent skatepark prior to it's completion and meet Geth Noble (present day Co-Owner of Airspeed Skateparks LLC) whom was shaping out the Twinkie on that job and a friend mentioned to Geth that I built these skate picture frames. Geth checked out the frames and said "you should build concrete forms for skate parks!". I didn't really believe him at the time (he was hitting on me) but time passed and the comment sunk in and my vision of what I could build expanded. Four months later I was living in Yunnan, China studying Chinese painting and I couldn't stop thinking about skatepark design and construction. I decided there to leave my job in China and move back into my van and check out the potential of skatepark building for myself. I volunteered on the Newport, Oregon skatepark and then the Newberg, Oregon project happened right after. At first I volunteered and after 90 hours of volunteering I was hired on the job (at the time Newberg was built none of the present day Northwest companies were in existence we were all hired as employees to the City of Newberg) It was on the Newberg Skatepark job that I learned to finish concrete and my passion for skatepark design and building was to push Geth and I to start our our company with the vision of designing and building world-class innovative structures, a company where female skaters could also design and build, and a company focused on developing more environmentally sound design and construction practice. Geth and I broke away from the other builders on the Newberg project and founded Airspeed Skateparks in 2001 and have been living the dream ever since.
WHATS THE WORK LIKE? Physically demanding and stressful but extremely fulfilling once the park is in the ground.
WHATS THE CREW LIKE? A family
DO YOU HAVE A BLUE ROOM ON SITE? Don't even know what a blue room is!
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED SKATING WET CEMENT? No, laugh.
HOW SOON INTO A PROJECT CAN YOU START SKATING IT? Sometimes within 3 to 4 weeks.
FAVORITE PARK? Our latest park Gabriel Skatepark Portland, Oregon
KNARLIEST FALL? Florence 2004 carving over the Double Death Hole
FAVORITE SKATING TRICK? Backside airs on vert
OTHER SPORTS/ACTIVITIES? Speaking Portuguese, painting the essence of plants, medicinal herbalism, surfing, backpacking, adventuring, plus reading and writing.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT SKATING? How little gear one needs to get such joy!
ADVICE TO OTHER GIRL SKATERS? Follow your passions, dreams, and heart. Know that it can be really hard sometimes to do so and there will be obstacles along the way but what you ultimately and eventually get out of pursuing your dreams is a strong sense of self, personal expansion, and self worth regardless of outcomes............take the journey it's what you were put on this earth to do.
ANYWHERE ELSE I SHOULD GO BESIDES SKATEPARKS WHEN I’M DRIVING HWY 101 THROUGH OREGON? Camp in the dunes, hike onto the beaches and into the costal forests, swim in the fridge water, and stop in the coffee shops and chat with the local people. Laugh.
ANYTHING ELSE? Na..........ride on.