Morgan "Charger" Brand, 25



1. What got you into skating/longboarding? and when was it?

I started street skating back in 2000 and skated for 4 years but boarding school      won and curbed my habit. I have only recently taken to longboarding and still         getting the feeling.     

2. What is your preference DH or Freestyle ?

 I prefer DH, for some reason my body doesn’t like spinning on a board. Back in the day power slides were always a hack!​

3. What setups do you have and which do you prefer?

Lush Shocker for my feet with Calliber 44s for turning and gam gams for     traction being spun by bones reds bearings.

4. How do you feel about our longboarding community?

​Skateboarding is amazing as it has the ability to unite people from all aspects of life. Take some time to think about the people you hang with while skating and ask yourself; if it wasn’t for skating would you have met them? I haven’t met an asshole yet…

5. Do you think "Think Skate - Skate Safe" is a good idea? and why?

​If you bail and get put out of action for a while it is torture watching all your mates skate and I promise, it’s even worse if the reason you are out is because you weren’t wearing the right protective gear. Every fool should at least wear a helmet cos I’m afraid there just aint no way to replace your noggin but protection is only half the story. I have been chased away from spots before and it is because the public have a bad perception of skateboarders in general. If we are able to show an active approach towards road awareness as a community, it will help lift this stigma that surrounds skateboarding and I think this is exactly what Think Skate can do. A community of misfits all uniting for the same cause is a strong case and I’m keen to show everyone we are here to stay!

6. What do you do when your not skating?

When I’m not on my board I am a MSc student. Once a Rhodent, always a Rhodent!​

Matt Arderne, 23



1. What got you into skating/longboarding? and when was it?

Around 2001, as kids it was what we did when the waves were bad. Pretty much everyone was into bombing hills back then because of the Red Bull which was run from in 2000, 2001, and 20002.

I only got properly involved in 2009 when things started getting interesting with freeriding. The sport became a bit stagnant in South Africa after Red Bull pulled out of the DHX, but things are looking great internationally now, and better than ever locally!

2. What is your preference DH or Freestyle ?

 I enjoy a good race, but I spend most of my time freeriding the local hills. I’d say I am happiest shredding a long freeride run with friends.

3. What setups do you have and which do you prefer?

I’v been skating a Fibretec Flying Pan for the last 2 years for both racing and freeriding, there really isn’t much more I could want from a board, still as stoked as ever on it! Wheels wise I use Bigzigs for racing and Classic Grippins for freeriding.

4. How do you feel about our longboarding community?

It is great, the community aspect of longboard is one of the things that has held my interest in the sport as there are so many great people that I have met through skating.

5. Do you think "Think Skate - Skate Safe" is a good idea? and why?

Definitely, I love the initiative. Downhill skating involves us spending time on open roads. People who have driven cars appreciate how little you concentrate sometimes when you are driving, and especially how you are NEVER looking out for skateboarders when you go around corners. Groms don’t know these things, and they skate accordingly. If we could get the groms to think about what they are doing, and at the same time create awareness about our activities, I think we might make some progress in creating a safer skating environment.​

6. What do you do when your not skating?

I edit videos and study Industrial Engineering



Lloyd Clark, 27



1. What got you into skating/longboarding? and when was it?

That's a long story but here is the shortened version: I started bombing hills with a few close mates on a regular skateboard that one of my friends (Massimo) had found. We all got addicted to the adrenaline and soon we each had our own "regular skateboards". This was in 2008. We all went on a road trip that year and took our boards with. We ended up staying a few nights at Mike Zietsmans house since he is cousins with Steve (one of the road trip crew). Mike was 4th in the world that year and showed us a bunch of videos that got us stoked. To be honest, when Mike told me that to slow down from 120km/h he would air brake and then balance on one foot while dragging the other on the road (foot braking) I never thought I would be capable of something like that so I made a subconscious decision to bombing hills on regular skateboards. Massimo didn't feel the same way and was amped on going fast! He eventually got a longboard and I couldn't keep up anymore so I got one too. Is it cliche to say that it was all downhill from there? Well it really has been. Downhill skateboarding has changed my life dramatically.

2. What is your preference DH or Freestyle ?

I love technical downhill where you actually have to brake for corners and take good lines. There is nothing better than bombing down a hill with a bunch of skaters all only an arms length away. It sounds scary because if anyone makes a mistake you'll probably all go down but you only skate like that with guys you can trust. That's what makes it so awesome! It's like this insanely tight bond that is created between skaters when they first bomb a hill together.

3. What setups do you have and which do you prefer?

I prefer topmounted decks for racing and drop-through for freeriding. About a 29 inch wheelbase works for me. I could list a bunch of brands that I use but I don't think this is the place for that. Everyone is different and it takes years to find the perfect set-up for you. I'm still looking.​

4. How do you feel about our longboarding community?

"Our" longboarding community? You mean in South Africa in general? It's pretty sweet. There has been some massive growth in the last year which I think has actually caused a bit of separation. It was a much tighter community when everyone knew everyone but growth is good. I much prefer how it is now because not so long ago it was difficult to find people to skate with in Jo'burg. Now I feel like I'm missing out on sessions all the time because there are just so many! I often find myself in different cities so I always try to meet up with the local communities. It's always so awesome how after one session with the guys you feel like you've known each other for years just because you have skateboarding in common. I find it interesting how the communities in each city are all so different and each has their own style of skating.

5. Do you think "Think Skate - Skate Safe" is a good idea? and why?

If it's promoting safe skating then hells yes! It's a great initiative. To be honest though, I feel that the words "Think Skate" could be sending out the wrong message. It's the same with "Think Bike". You're not going to be able to get the millions of car drivers to always think about the few thousand of bikers and the few hundred skaters. We should probably be starting within our own communities and promote a "Think Car" attitude. We should be skating as if there IS a car around that blind corner on the wrong side of the road so we need to either have a spotter to tell us or we must be able to stop in time and avoid a serious crash. Your own safety starts with you. We can't rely on other road users to always obey the rules and have the safety of others in mind. This is Africa, it's not going to be like that. Humans make mistakes. Then there is human error too. Don't let the mistakes of another human take your life or put you in a wheelchair.

6. What do you do when your not skating?

 Wait for the next session.



Nick Reitz, 24 



1. What got you into skating/longboarding? and when was it?

A group of friends used to longboard, I took a spin in the parking lot one day and 2 months or so later, I had a board. That was about half way through last year (2011).

2. What is your preference DH or Freestyle ?

 Difficult to say...but I like going fast and trying to improve on speeds on each run so its DH for me. Could be because I come from a DH mtb background.

3. What setups do you have and which do you prefer?

First setup- Globe ‘Zodiac’ Stock Complete

Current setup -Landyachtz Switchblade 2011 , Sabre GC-190 trucks, Fat Ant bushings, Cult Classics (freeride)/Seismic Hot Spots, ABEC 11 BigZigs (DH).

4. How do you feel about our longboarding community?

I feel the longboard community gets deemed as a bunch of hooligans, just out there to cause trouble and get hurt... when really this couldn’t be further from the truth. There is always a large ‘stress’ on the safety side of things. (don’t kno if I answered that correctly).

5. Do you think "Think Skate - Skate Safe" is a good idea? and why?

Yes I think it is. As I mentioned in the above question, people think we hooligans, maybe when they see us making and effort with a more official approach they will give skaters more slack. Skating is a huge part of many people’s lives and they aren’t going to stop skating, so I think its time people became aware of skaters, why should cyclest’s be treated any differently...?

6. What do you do when your not skating?

 Studying horticulture at CPUT or learning at home...



Paul Maughan-Brown, 23 



1. What got you into skating/longboarding? and when was it?

I learnt to snowboard on exchange in Canada, and loved it. When I got back to South Africa I realized that the closest equivalent available to me was probably longboarding. With a bit of enthusiastic encouragement I bought my first board and haven't looked back since. That was in 2010.

2. What is your preference DH or Freestyle ?

I love a good freeride or a mellow cruise.

3. What setups do you have and which do you prefer?

I have my first set-up: Sector 9 bamboo ghost tree with stock gullwings and sector 9 wheels.My current and preferred setup is a landyachtz switch, Sabre trucks, and white cult converters.

4. How do you feel about our longboarding community?

The great thing about longboarding is that its accessible to so many people. Not everyone has snow, not everyone has waves. Even where you do have waves, not everyone can make the mission to the beach on a regular basis. When it comes to skating all you need is a road. And almost everyone has access to a tar-slope. That means that you get a really diverse group of people coming out to ride hills together. If you want to bring people of a variety of ages, and from a variety of backgrounds together, you need something for them to share in. We share in the stoke, and the encouragement and camaraderie between us is clear for any to see.

5. Do you think "Think Skate - Skate Safe" is a good idea? and why?

Great idea. We need to promote awareness in relation to both the presence and relative vulnerability of skaters, and the importance of those skaters taking responsibility for the way in which they enjoy themselves.

6. What do you do when your not skating?

I am finishing my honours in Justice and Transformation at the University of Cape Town.