MEET A LOCAL LEGEND: NIXEN OSBORNE
INTERVIEW: 19-year-old Nixen Osborne is part of a new generation of potential pro’s and recently joined the international team of Creature fiends. We hit him up for a chat about the Brisbane skate scene, all things skate culture, and his approach to [maybe] going pro.
Hey Nixen! You’re just back from an injury. So what happened?
Yeah, I’m just back from a 3 months injury. I tore the ligaments in my ankles when skating this big gap, while I was filming my video part with Patty G (Local Brisbane legend, founder and coach at Pavement Skateboard Coaching) in a video that is just about to be released. In the process of it, I ollie’d this huge gap - probably equivalent to 25-30 stairs. I landed, my back foot stuck to the ground and I landed on my ankle. When I showed the doctors my footage, they said if it was any other human, they’d probably have broken their leg in 5 different places. I got away with just tearing my ligaments.
See the actual footage of Nixen’s accident on his instagram below.
How was it being out of skating for so long. How did you cope with not skating?
I’m a very jittery person with lots of energy. I’ve got ADHD apparently. I’m always on the go, can never concentrate on anything. Being out has really enhanced that. I’ve been loosing my mind. I’ve been tapping my feet and hands constantly. That part of the injury has been painful, but all the relaxation and letting my injuries heal has been an upside. I make music and I’ve been expressing my creative and artistic side a lot more.
Kids are often devo if they are injured and maybe they feel left out. What would you advice kids to do if they can’t skate for a while?
Try a creative outlet. Draw, write something down, like a story, or write down your thoughts. I definitely don’t recommend video games, but maybe a movie. Learn a new hobby. I like to do different things - my day can’t just all be about skating. I’ll wake up, get ready for the day. Play music, have a jam for a little bit, release some vocal energy and then I’ll probably go for a skate or play basketball. Basketball is probably my favourite sport to play, besides skating. I shoot lots of hoops. And I sing and I play guitar.
“I like to do different things - my days can’t just be all about skating” - Nixen Osborne
Can we find your music anywhere?
Actually not, but I’m having some of my music released soon. But it’s like my secret identity so only people close to me would know it’s my music. Everyone else wouldn’t know.
And the video you were filming, can you tell us more about that?
The video is a project I’ve been working on with Patty G for the past three years. When I first moved to Brisbane, and met Patty, we started filming this video. The project is for Parliament Skateshop and it’s gonna be myself, Matthew Boggis, Joey Cormack and Trent Riley - they’re all skaters from the QLD and Northern NSW skate scene. So it’s gonna be the next generation of Parliament skaters - it’s our turn to be in the spotlight of Australian Skating.
Crailslide - photo by Cameron Markin @itspirateslife
Are you part of a new generation of skaters? There’s been quite a lot of focus on you as the next pro.
Yeah, there’s a selected few young skaters in Australia - like 17 to 22 years - all part of a new generation of potential pro’s. It’s a bunch of different guys and I’m part of that. Hopefully it works out.
Alright, we’ll definitely get back to that, but let’s go back to the beginning for a bit. Where did you grow up?
I was born in New Zealand and moved to Melbourne when I was two. Then back to NZ when I was three and from there we moved to the Gold Coast. I lived in the Gold Coast until I was 6 and then we moved to Karratha in Pilbara area in Western Australia - it’s a tiny town about 2500k north of Perth. It’s a mining area and it’s the most isolated city in Australia. We lived there for about 11 years. Karratha had a very small skatepark, it wasn’t great, but I made the most of it. I would also often go back to New Zealand to visit family, where I had the opportunity to skate bigger parks.
Did you also loose track of Nixen’s whereabouts? Well, we’ve got you covered:
And how did you get into skateboarding? You’ve actually got it running in the family, right?
Yeah, so my biological father, I don’t know him, but he was an amateur skater in New Zealand. He was about to go pro when he broke his femur and couldn’t skate for about three years. Then he ruined everything for himself, made some bad choices. My mum was a skater - and her uncle Lee Ralph - was one of the first pro skaters in New Zealand. He was one of the pioneers for the Southern Hemisphere and he was good friends with all the pros in America, like Marc Gonzales, Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk and stuff. He was known as the Barefoot Man, the one that always had stinky feet, a hippie kinda skater. And then my cousin was a skater too, sponsored by Adidas.
Your mum was a skater? Tell me about her because at that time there wasn’t a lot of female skaters were there?
Yeah, my mum skated. She really loved the culture of it. She is from a pretty rough upbringing and didn’t really have a lot of support. The only support she had was the skate community in New Zealand. They took her in and looked after her.
How did having that many skaters in the family impact your life as a kid?
It just made me think that skating was the coolest thing ever. Because I was like “YEAH, my cousin skates and he is cool”. My uncle loved it and made me appreciate the whole culture of it.
Skating has always been a big thing to me, but I never wanted to make a career out of it. I love skating for the freedom and I’ve never seen it as a career option, I just wanted to always have it in my life. At the same time, I didn’t want to turn down the opportunity. If it happens, it happens.
“I love skating for the freedom and I’ve never seen it as a career option, I just wanted to always have it in my life” - Nixen Osborne
My family would always say: “Don’t rush yourself, don’t push yourself into thinking you should be sponsored, don’t think you need all these things because at the end of the day skating is a creative passion”. Mum was like, “make sure you love it”. It’s not like a typical sport mentality where it’s about becoming the best. A real skater loves skating and doesn’t wanna do it for the money.
I feel skating is still a bit unappreciated from the outside world. There isn’t really lots of money in skateboarding. No one realises the effort, the talent and the hard work that goes into it. People look at skating like they’d expect to be good at it straight away. It’s not like kicking a ball where you use your foot. In skating you use all these skills; you have to have a good centre of gravity, have to be coordinated, and it’s extremely technical. It’s not like playing basketball or soccer and the culture is completely different too.
Front board slide - photo by Henry Harbeck @henryharbeck
So tell me about the skate culture, what’s so special about it?
Back in the day it was known as a grubby kinda thing. There were these stereotypes - the drop kick skater, the grunge skater, the hip hop skater and to normal society it was pushed to the side. But that image is changing. It’s changing into this open community where all skateboarders recognise each other and make each other feel welcome.
You’re pretty new to the Brisbane skate scene, how was it coming here from WA?
Just after I came over from WA and moved here three years ago, one of my best friends here was like: “Get ready, I’m taking you to this comp. You’re gonna skate in it because I know you are going to do good!” I was doubting myself because I was used to skate by myself and hadn’t really realised my potential. So he took me to this competition at Bracken Ridge Skatepark, where I met everyone in the scene. I ended up coming second and qualified into another competition in Melbourne.
It was also about that time I met Patty G who saw something in me. He was like “You need to come out skating with me”. I felt like this annoying little kid messaging Pat all the time, haha!
We went to this bowl competition in Nimbin - it’s a really iconic bowl in Australia. There I happened to meet a photographer called Wade McLaughlin (he is one of my best friends to this day) and he was like: “Oh so you’re new to Queensland?”. I’d been talking to Patty G about this trick I wanted to do, a front blunt down this 14 stair in Brisbane Botanical Gardens. He then told Wade and he was like ”I won’t believe it until you do it”.
Eventually we went to the spot and it took me about 20 go’s of falling 14 stairs on my back and my head. Constantly slamming. I landed it, rolled away and when Wade told me he got me published into Skateboard Journal, I was like: “Sick bro. Uhm. What’s the Skateboard Journal?” haha! Patty G and Wade McLaughlin really helped me to see my potential.
After getting into my first skate magazine, I’d go into Parliament (Skateshop in Brisbane) and all the kids would be like “Nixen!” It was so new to me. I love being around the amazing Brisbane Scene. They really made me feel comfortable and at home. And it’s because of this community and the support that my skateboarding is where it’s at. I believe in myself and feel comfortable.
Nixen Osborne doing his rad signature trick, the front side hand plant, at Paddington Skatepark.
What’s so special about the Brisbane skate scene?
Compared to the Sydney or Melbourne skateboarding scene, Brisbane is a lot more open. It might have something to do with the Queensland culture where you’re a bit more relaxed and have a chat to whoever is around. A young kid could go up to Tommy Fynn (Pro skater from Brisbane, heading to the Olympics) or older skaters they look up to and be like ”Tommy. You’re my favourite skater in the world” - and Tommy would be like: “Oh thanks. I really appreciate you saying that. Why don’t you come skate with me”. A lot of older people don’t realise, but when you are really nice to young kids, they think you’re the coolest person ever. So when I’m at the skatepark I try to be nice to little scooter kids, because I want them to think that that skateboarder is cool. Maybe they’ll eventually pick up a skateboard too. There’s no ego, it’s open minded and everyone wants to chat - regardless of age. There are these 8-12 year olds, they are buzzing, bouncing off the walls talking to everyone, confident as. The older guys know that they are just being cocky and confident and they don’t tell them off, but are just like “awww, you’re funny, kid!”.
How can kids contribute to keeping this nice atmosphere or culture alive?
Always stop a board that’s going pass you! Always say hello every time you go to the skatepark. Don’t be shy. They are technically your family. Every skater should look at every other skater as their brother or sister. We’re all just trying to have a go. It doesn’t really matter what tricks you can do. Also, always respect the older skaters - not necessarily their life - but their skating. Look at their skating and appreciate it.
They like a bit of a clap or cheer too?
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Kids are getting so much harder to impress with social media and YouTube and everything. So yeah. Look around you and appreciate what is there!
“Every skater should look at every other skater as their brother or sister. We’re all just trying to have a go” - Nixen Osborne
What are your plans for the future?
I am in the early stages of amateur now. My flights get paid for, I get incentives and stuff. But I take it as it comes and don’t expect things. The more you expect, the more it becomes a rush. I am taking it as it comes, but with a lot of hard work. I am not trying to force anything, because I know that the more you force things, the more expectation you have on yourself. I would really love to become a professional skater one day, but I am not expecting it.
Awesome, good luck! And thank you so much for your time. We are excited to follow you in the years to come.
Anytime!
Legend material!
We love Nixen’s good vibes and expressive skating. He always rocks up at the skate park with a friendly smile - when he is coaching or just having a skate. He loves having a chat, loves to know things about people and he doesn’t worry about what everyone else thinks about him. You can tell he is comfortable with the person he is. And that is true legend material!
Follow Nixen Osborne and his skateboarding life on Instagram and remember to say “hi” when you see him at the skatepark next time.
