TEAM CHAT: Truckstop Skate Shop. Love for skateboarding comes first!

Moomba 2023MoombaArticlesNew South Wales

Apr 17

Truckstop Skateshop in Ballina, NSW, has a rich history of promoting skateboarding culture and providing a platform for local skaters to showcase their skills. The team has always been based on love for the skateboarding culture and the community, and this shines through in their commitment to support local skateboarders. Slabzoo Skateboarding had the opportunity to interview Tony Chavez, the team manager of the Truckstop Skate Team based in Ballina, Australia and meet the young guns on Truckstop’s skateboarding team.

A late night skate sesh at Truckstop in Ballina.

“The Truckstop team and skateshop is based solely on love. Love for the skateboarding culture, love of life and celebration, love of family. We’ve never been in this for the glory or gain. Our hearts have always been on our sleeves and those that know us, know this to be true to the core.”

— Tony Chavez, Truckstop Team manager and owner

Tony Chavez with the dollars for the Cash grab at the latest Fairgo Skate Comp in Ballina

Hi Tony, can you let us in on what you do to keep the Ballina scene alive and thriving?

These days we do a bit but not near as much as we used to. It seems like the seeds that we’ve planted have finally started to grow. I’ll give them a nudge here and there to put more wind in the sails and shout a couple “Land Ho’s!!!” occasionally to get the ship to port. It’s all a little bit bigger now than us and Truckstop. It feels good to finally see it all come to fruition.

Sounds pretty good to me. Now, what’s the story of the shop?

Truckstop used to be a fashion store called Spot X, some twenty odd years ago. It was down on River St. in Ballina where it became Truckstop inspired by the giant prawn truckstop at the time. I arrived in Ballina in 2007 and could not believe the quality of skaters and all the rad gear Truckstop had. For such a little skate shop and town, I was blown away of the calibre Ballina had to offer.

Sure is special here, tell us a bit more about the history of the team?

I befriended the Truckstop owner, Paul Scharka and sorta became Truckstop’s loose team manager. To be honest, I really didn’t do much as there really wasn’t really much going on in the way of comps, filming and shooting photos. Not much on a grassroots sorta level anyway. Also, I was just a skateboarder, I had had industry skate mates and been around the skateboard industry for some years in Europe and Southern California but I really didn’t know what a team manager was supposed to do.

There was a team consisting of some of the best talent in the Southern Hemisphere (Scotty Standley, Bibi Bradbury, the Carven Brothers, Turi Ramsey, Jakob Robinson, Brodie Jarret) but Paul’s heart wasn’t in it anymore and the team sorta disbanded. I mean, they all still skated but there wasn’t much push from the shop to fire em’ up.

“We weren’t concerned with selling decks or trucks, we wanted to promote our friends and other skaters out there who had no home.”

— Tony Chavez, Team manager & Owner of Truckstop

How has the team developed over the years?

When me and my mate Red bought the shop in 2014 we had absolutely no idea what we were doing as far as running a business (I still don’t) but what we did know is that we were skateboarders to the bone and that seemed like enough. We went from being the guys on the other side of the counter, to running the show.

Obviously the team is much more than just a bunch of good skaters thrown together.
What do you value in a team?

In my eyes, the most important thing, when we got the shop, was to hype up the then team and get out there and hype up some more crew. We weren’t concerned with selling decks or trucks, we wanted to promote our friends and other skaters out there who had no home. I said before Ballina and the Northern rivers has an unbelievable quality of skaters and I noticed so many kids with talent. I also noted that there weren’t many shops out there openly promoting the grommets or females at the time so I handpicked a new crew, mostly kids and other rippers who had no shop sponsors and gave them a reason to push themselves on their boards.

Behind the scenes with Slabzoo & Truckstop Team rider Jude Buchanan

So sick! Can you elaborate a bit, like in which way do you help the kids with their skating and in general with pursuing skateboarding?

One thing that must be noted here is that Truckstop has never had money to throw around. We’ve never been able to offer much other than a platform to help get them to the next level. We have helped with travel expenses and fund raised when some of our riders were invited to X-Games and competitions overseas or driven to and supplied accommodation to comps in Australia. In the end Truckstop has always done as much as was in our means for our crew, always doing everything in our power to assist them in any way we can.

We have been able to find sponsors and help them connect with those in the skateboarding world to help get them to the next level. And that seems to be enough. It’s crazy when you’re able to give someone just a little bit of a nudge on their skateboard. Time and time again all of our riders’ skill levels nearly shot up overnight. It’s such a rewarding thing to see and be a part of.

Heaps of groms dream of joining a team, what do you look for in a team rider?

Being some random skateboarder from Southern California, I’ve been around the world several times and have skated with some of the world’s best. I’m not some mystical guru but I know potential when I see it. The talent and potential isn’t the most important thing to me though. It’s what type of human they are, what type of family or friends that person may have. How well they get along with others and specifically get with the Truckstop crew. I’m more concerned with how courteous, friendly and how much fun they are having on their skateboards than heading to the Olympics. Sure that’s icing on the cake but that’s not the path for everyone and it’s not the only path. My dream for all our team riders is that they’ll be my age and still skateboarding, still loving it, still hanging out with their friends and hooting each other on. Period.

MEET TRUCKSTOP’S YOUNG RIDERS

Age: 15

Skating for: Seriously 4 years

Board setup: Postal ace trucks 8.25 peanut wheels

Favourite tricks: Back D Smith revert on quarter - booster back 360

Truckstop team rider for: 3 years

Shout outs: Skitz skate Co

Instagram: @tasmannnnn

Age: 13

Skating since: 2019

Board setup: Jezebel 8, Indy hollow trucks, dragons

Favourite tricks: Late shuvs

Truckstop team rider for: 2 years

Instagram: @archieskates09

Age: 8

Skating for: 2-3 years

Board setup: Powell 7.75

Favourite tricks: Millar flip and bs 540

Truckstop team rider for: 2 years

Instagram: @huddy2478

Age: 9

Skating for: 4years

Board setup: Fast times deck, 8”

Favourite tricks: Feeble on the down rail

Truckstop team rider for: 3 years

Instagram: @the_rad_lad_life

Age: 12

Skating for: 6years

Board setup: Santa Cruz 8.5

Favourite tricks: FS lipslide method air

Truckstop team rider for: 2 days

Instagram: @kekebrain

Team Manager & Truckstop Owner

Note, Truckstop has several older riders on the team as well, including Shaun Boucher, Abby Barnes Whittaker, Damon Cahill, Tony Chavez, Zane Hetherington, Dave Adair, Turi Ramsey and more.

“I’m more concerned with how courteous, friendly and how much fun they are having on their skateboards than heading to the Olympics. Sure that’s icing on the cake but that’s not the path for everyone and it’s not the only path. ”

— Tony Chavez, Truckstop team manager & owner

Amazing. Anything else we should know about the Truckstop team?

The Truckstop team and skateshop is based solely on love. Love for the skateboarding culture, love of life and celebration, love of family. We’ve never been in this for the glory or gain. Our hearts have always been on our sleeves and those that know us, know this to be true to the core. I feel that after nine years of operating like this it has permeated the skateboarding culture in our little neck of the woods. The older skaters love skateboarding, so do the young guns. There’s no age groups or barriers between us all and it shows. A smile and a smack of the tail goes a million miles and if you’re down with that, then we’re down with you.