Presented by

vol. 1 5
#
Vol. 1, Issue #5

In this issue...

Shawn Storm.................................. pages 4 - 13

Dante Muse.................................... pages 14 - 22

Alex Braunagel................................ pages 24 - 30

Everything I’ve Learned -

H.S. Knucklehead.......................... page 31

Jay Jude Memorial Session....... pages 32 - 47

Contributing photographers... Workaholics...

Nick Lindsey- Editor & Art Director

Washington, D.C. Vincent Morretino

This Issue’s Writers

Paco Ass Dre
Adam Morris- H.S. Knucklehead
Milwaukee, WI
www.AdamRyanMorris.com Aaron Schultz
Vincent Morretino
Tim Schmidt
Christian Delfino-
Delfino
Sarasota, FL
www.ChristianDelfino.com

Seth Andrews-
Indianapolis, IN
www.IndianaInline.com On the cover: Shawn Storm
Switch topside mistrial to drop
Photo by: Nick Lindsey
All photos and interviews are the property of the respective writers and photographers that created them. They were not purchased by Balance magazine,
they were donated out of kindness. Please respect the property of those involved with this magazine. Contributions keep this publication alive. Opinions expressed in
bylined articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Balance magazine. Love, hate and suggestions should be sent to k2rolla@gmail.com
Interview & portrait - Paco Ass Dre
Photos: Nick Lindsey
Layout - Vincent Morretino
I can still remember the first time I met Shawn to
go skate. My boy hit me up to get out and skate,
and on the 5 mile skate to the train station, he
would not stop telling me about this new kid we
were meeting up with. Basically I heard his life
story before I even met him. I was expecting some
super talkative goof ball type kid but when I got
there, Shawn was waiting there, hella quiet but
eager to go out and skate. The whole day he prob-
ably said less than 5 words to me, but I could tell
this guy had energy. Nearly every moment on the
train, he was spending it using it like some sort of
jungle gym slash stripper pole. I’m pretty sure my
loud mouth self even asked him, “Dog, what the
fuck are you doing?” at least once. As time went
on, he became less quiet, yet his energy remained.
If you ever skate with him, whether it is some
buck drop rail or a little bootleg ledge, you will
notice the energy right away, and let me tell you:
it is contagious.
Let’s start with the basics: name, age, and years skating?
Alrighty. My name is Shawn Storm. I’m 20 years old
and I’ve been skating for about 7 years.
Is your last name really Storm?
I believe so...says it on my birth certificate
But really though, that’s on some super hero status.
I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it. Super hero? I
thought I told you not to talk about that. Supposed to
keep that on the low key.
Snap. My bad, my bad. So on to the next question, how
did you get started skating?
This is always a good question. My big bro Andre
Storm got me into skating. I always looked up to him
so it was great that we both had a great passion for
rollerblading.
Yeah, I remember meeting you two at the skate park
back in the day. Kinda cool that you had someone to al-
ways skate with. What made you stick with it, because if
I remember correctly, he was a little better than you, HA!
Haha, yeah well, he had an advantage; he started before
me. But like I said, I had a great passion for skating.
Even when my brother stopped skating primarily due
to knee surgery, my life revolved around skating. I
couldn’t stop.
Like Jigga man says, “Can’t stop won’t stop.”
Haha, yeah and then you do the Harlem Shake while
saying that.
You can’t see me on the shake. So as far as the skates go,
what skates are you rocking right now?
I’m rocking the Valo/AM Mad Mongooses. I have
Kizer Fluid frames, Eulogy wheels and Swiss bearings.
Speaking of setups, you are the only fool I know that will
switch from anti to flat depending on what you are skat-
ing? How and why?
Ah, well, it’s somewhat complicated. Basically, I’m all
about trying to keep my body comfortable, especially
when I’m skating. So when I’m going to do a gap, I like
to ride flat because of obvious reasons: There are more
wheels to absorb the impact, rather than your knees
and ankles taking it. When you ride anti-rocker and
do a gap, you’re depending on only 2 wheels per skate.
Plus, you are less likely to snap a frame when riding
flat. As for anti-rocker skating, I do all park, street
(besides gaps) on antis. Some times I like to switch it
up and ride everything flat because you learn tricks
with the proper techniques and don’t half ass them. If
you don’t do them right when riding flat, you’re going
to biff it for sure.
Back in the day San Jose used to be one of the biggest
scenes for skating. Julio grew up in M-Town, Reduta,
Rob G all started up in San Jo, how would you describe it
now?
San Jose has changed somewhat but hasn’t lost its
mojo. From major spots getting capped to all the pros
moving to various places. We have been keeping it
quiet but there’s still a lot of potential left in SJ skaters.
Everyone still holds it down. It might seem like SJ-ers
don’t get out much but it’s just because we don’t film
that often; we’re all too busy skating. If we had people
like Ivan Narez and Vinny Minton near us, then skaters
would be seeing a lot more of us.
(Continued on next page)
4
Who do you skate with? Do you have a set crew of people in to win it, or do you shrink your jeans and skate curbs
you skate with or how does it work? that match your bandana that contrast your goofy ass
hat in lines?
I skate with anyone who’s down to skate. I just saw this
kid wearing a B Unique tee playing roller hockey with I would describe my skating as neither. I’m more of a
some aggressive skates. I got his number and we’re go- “doing shit switch” kind of guy. I’ve never really en-
ing to skate soon. joyed spinning into a trick, not my steeze, but I do it
every so often. I just feel more excitement testing my
That’s sick that your just down to skate and don’t worry abilities to do tricks with my left foot.
about any cliques or any bullshit.
But what about stunts, you can’t tell me that when you
Yeah, no drama. That’s how skating is…for the most are trying to lace a hammer you are worried about test-
part. ing your left foot? Is there something about lacing big
tricks that motivates you?
Earlier you mentioned spots being capped. We all know
the famous Silver Creeks and Morills and what not get- Hammers are all about first try or die. The end result in
ting killed, but is there still a good amount of spots in SJ landing a hammer is the best feeling ever. Reasons are,
or do you find yourself having to venture out more to go when skaters visit the spot and think about what you
skate? did on that they say “He did what? No fucking way!” It
also makes me feel like I pushed myself to the limit and
Definitely. There are spots everywhere. There are many I conquered the obstacle.
places that we haven’t searched that we need to. As
a matter of fact, let’s go out soon and find some new Ever since I met you, you’ve always taken the hardest
spots. bails out of anyone, yet still manage to get up and con-
tinue whatever you are trying. What goes through your
Pick me up and I’m with you! The online section you put head before and after you, let’s say, decide to tumble
out a while ago was pretty impressive. What are your head over heel down a 20 set?
thoughts on how it came out? How was it editing a video
for a first time? Editors note: the section being referencedHaha, well I think of myself as a professional faller. I
can be found here: www.vimeo.com/9100780 know how to fall for the most part. So it might seem
like I get hurt really bad, but I’m just doing it so y’all
I was very surprised of people’s reaction. I didn’t think pay attention to me while I’m skating! Haha, I kid.
I would have gotten that much positive feedback. I Well, before I tumble I usually don’t think anything.
just wanted to make a new profile cause it was due. I I’m too concentrated on how to land- on my hands,
wanted to make something that not only brings out my legs, face, nuts, etc. After is where I feel like shit. “Why
skating, but my personality, and I think I did a good did I even try that?” “That was so dumb” “It’s not
job on that. Kirk Chiang and I edited it. I had a bunch worth getting hurt over” “Fuck it, I’ve gone this far to
of ideas that I wanted to do and he knew more about do the trick, I’m not giving up now”. Depending on
Final Cut than me, so we worked together to make it how I feel that day, I could be saying any one of those
happen. It wasn’t my first time editing, but I was a little four to myself.
rusty at it.
Yeah, I could’ve sworn that a bald crack head one Fourth
It was definitely dope. I think a lot of people were just of July back in the day called you a professional faller.
shocked because they never heard of you before and Your bailing roots must go way back! So, working out.
boom, you’re on screen killing shit. You’ve been consistently working out for quite a while
now. Do you feel that it helps you absorb bails, and does
Yeah, like I said earlier...our crew in SJ has never had it help your skating in general?
any good filmers/editors to post edits. We just all skate.
Working out helps more than you think. Mentally and
So how would you describe your skating? Do you spin physically. When I fall, I’m able to catch myself rather
6 (Continued on page 9)
Sweatstance
Topacid over the pit
than tumble down. I also feel more stable and secure.
When I do gaps its much easier to land too. I also have
somewhat bad wrists from skating, and working out
has helped my wrists get to 100%.
Not to mention you start to look like me. Pretty fucking
buff, haha!
You can’t even jiggle your pecs. Get out of here!
Naw, man. They jiggle. Trust me. But anyways, I hear a
lot of people say how they dream of working at Amall.
How did you start working there?
Yeah, Amall is really great. I started by Justin asking
me. He was like “Do you want to work at Amall?” I was
kind of skeptical because I had a great job at the time
but then he was like, “You can skate whenever you
want.” Oh man, it was over after that, haha.
Well, is it safe to say the shop is made up of a bunch of
characters?
Oh, yeah. We are all characters who enjoy laughing.
The average person couldn’t handle listening to our
conversations.
Really? How often do questions at the shop begin with
“For a million dollars, would you…?”
Too often. We’re the best hypothetical questioners.
We’ll make Jason shiver in his bloody boots.
Speaking of hypothetical, in a battle to the death, who
would win: Kyle Nolte or Sixty the shop dog?
Nolte. He has a killer karate chop.
It’s Always Sunny. What character best exemplifies you
and why?
Uggggh, Mack. Because he’s buff, he’s dumb and he just
wants to get with the ladies.
Coffee Girl or Sweet D?
Both.
Same time or separately?
I’m going to say tag team.
Hella greedy, haha. Now in all honesty, who is a better
dancer, Neil Chen or Mr. Shawn Storm?
Haha, Neil Chen for sure. Dude has moves. Once I
turn 21 we’re going to be dancing with our pants off in
clubs. Interviewers note: he did NOT mean “dancing
our pants off in the club”. They really will be dancing
with their pants off! No joke
So 21 soon, huh? Word on the streets is that there are
some big plans a-brewing. What’s going down?
Vegas. That’s all I gotta say.
Haha, nice. Who’s rolling out? Are you sure it’s a good
idea after hearing what I did to my bank account this
weekend?
Haha, yeah you emptied your entire bank account.
Shame on you. I won’t be doing that. I’m going with
my bro, my bro’s friend Mase, two close skater friends,
Steve and Aaron, and maybe you if you actually have
money to spend…which you won’t, haha.
You never know, fool. I’ve been known to make power
moves. So let’s see, you work damn near full time, God
knows you have a healthy social life and you still man-
aged to put out a dope section! What’s good with school?
School is on the right path. This is one of the toughest
years to transfer so I’m crossing my fingers that I get
accepted.
You mean to tell me these past years you haven’t been
going to school just to scope out the beezies? What’s
your goal as far as education goes?
Haha, naw dude, I go to De Anza...nothing good to
look at. My goal is to have a steady job in the future.
Not sure exactly what career, but it will most likely be
in the economic field. That is what my major is.
Good shit. It’s refreshing to hear you actually pursuing a
goal. Too many kids nowadays are too caught up in the
now and seem to neglect education all together.
Yeah, education isn’t for everyone. I just love learning
new things constantly.
(Continued on page 12)
9
Tru-fishbrain
Fakie 180 to handplant to 360 out,
otherwise known as a “Phillips 66”

So gimme the break down on the ideal Mrs. Storm.
Ha! Me? Married? Next question.
YES! Steve-O would be proud.
Haha, you mean Sleep-o.
True story! But, now on to music. I hear you slapping
Chamillionare when you roll up to work, singing slow
jams when you take a shit, and then playing some old
school gap band when we roll out to a party after work.
Describe what you like in music and do you find it im-
portant in your life?
Music has a big impact on my life. I hope everyone’s
life, at that. It brings out emotions that other things
can’t. I like how music is able to make me do things I
never really do. When that beat starts going, the head
starts to nod, the fingers start to snap, legs start to slide
then boom, me and Neil Chen are in the middle of the
dance floor gettin’ it.
12
Switch
Switch Fishbrain
Fishbrain
All right, so the big question that’s on the tip of every-
one’s mind, 2012. How shook are you?
I’m not shook at all. Out of all the people to live, we
will be the ones to see it end...but then we’d be dead so
it really wouldn’t matter, haha.
I don’t believe you, I’ve most definitely seen you stock
up on tuna recently. You might fool the readers, but you
can’t fool me.
Haha, BUSTED.
Since I’ve met you, it seems like we always seem to be
getting into some sort of trouble, whether it’s you or
me solo or the two of us together on a mission. Explain
what happened late one night at Morrill middle school?
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. All I’m going to say is
that I got away and I did what I did because they took
one of the best spots away from us skaters.
Aw, come on. Don’t be shook. Spill the story! At least
explain how you got power for the grinder! Ah, you stubborn ass! So, any thanks or shout-outs you
want to give before we wrap this up? I’m about ready to 3
Naw. Feds be watchin’. to 7 it, no joke.

Fair enough. You seem to have bad luck when it comes
to your cars. What kind of car troubles have you run into
recently?
Recently, nothing... yet. My first car I bought after high
school was a Sunfire. Amazing car. 5 days later, it got
totaled and the guy ran away. Hit and run. I bought my
next car 6 months later. 3 days later it got broke into
and they stole everything I had in there, including my
new deck. 5 months after that, the night of my b-day,
somebody pulled a hit and run on my car in East Palo
Alto. The dumbass parked across the street and I got a
nice check for the damage. I’ve been good after that...
knock on wood.
Good lookin’ on Vincent for contacting me to do this
interview. Shout out to all the Amallers- Justin, Derek,
Todd, Kyle G., Kyle N., Neil, Terry, Sixty and of course
Dre. Shout out to the fam bam, all the SJ heads and
surrounding cities still skating.
Last question. It’s a doozy.
All right.
How many bum logs for $35?
Ask me that after Vegas. Haha!

Real talk, I hope I didn’t just jinx you.

God damn it, Dre!

Hey, hey, hey! Don’t blame me. I’m just a simple Paco! Graphic: Shutterstock.com
Speaking of Pacos, can you elaborate a little bit on the
lingo we have over at Amall?

We have our own dialect, our own dictionary, and our

own language. If you can’t understand our slang, don’t
be alarmed. You’ll soon grasp it. And if you don’t, well,
you’re just pin.

Haha, smooth! Can’t give these crids too much info.

Damn, we’ve been hella off topic, back to skating. Grow-
ing up, did you have certain people that you looked up
too, or jocked at all?

I mean, I always looked up to pros, just no one in

particular. I just liked watching all pros skate. They all
have their own specialty in skating, which is dope. No
pro is the same and that’s why skating never gets bor-
ing.

Come on, you had to have at least one fool that you hella
wanted to be like? Drop names, boy!

Haha, I never had the urge to be like anyone. Names? I

think naming all the pros I have ever seen will take up
this entire interview. I enjoy all pros and I looked up to
Safety 180 over the caution tape
all of them.
Mach-10 disaster Fishbrain to 180 gap into the parking lot
Dante
Muse
Interview - Aaron Schultz
Photos: Adam Morris
Layout and introduction - Vincent Morretino
Have you ever wondered when you’d have to give
up skating because of other priorities like school,
work and starting a family? What about the
twinge of fear in your stomach when you think
about the looming, faceless injury that will likely
keep you off your skates for good? Dante Muse is
a testament to the fact that age is nothing more
than an arbitrary number. Age does not define
our abilities, nor does it limit them. Passion, skill
and awe-inspiring dedication can overcome just
about anything, epecially when you have the sup-
port and well wishes of a strong and loving family
behind you. As long as Dante keeps skates on his
feet and rolling in his heart, he will continue to
raise the bar of expectations that we in the world
of rollerblading have of our own bodies.
Most active rollerbladers parents were born in the 1970s.
You were already skating in the 70s. Can you tell us
about how you were introduced to skating; I’m assuming
you weren’t born with them on. I mean somebody had to
have physically put your first pair on for you right?
I pretty much grew up skating. My parents have run
or owned skating rinks before I was even born. I was
born in Ames, Iowa, but moved to Des Moines around
3 years old. I learned to skate before I could walk, no
joke. My older brothers used to put skates on my feet
when I was in my walker and my skates just dangled.
Growing up in the speed skating industry, what drew
your attention to the more “aggressive” (without a
better term to use) style of blading. Was it a particular
moment/place in time or was it a drawn out process of
seeing it done repeatedly before you decided to move
forward with more stunt-oriented blading? Can you tell
us a little bit about your speed skating career and how
you made the crossover to aggressive?
I used to see it a lot when I was at X-Games, Ultimate
Inline Challenge, or even at Rollerblade sponsored
events. I even skated on the big vert-ramps in 5 wheel
inline race blades. That was ultimate speed. I was really
drawn to it back then, but I was a racer. I competed
nationally and/or internationally for 32 years. When I
decided to retire from racing, it wasn’t to do this. I still
tried to stay involved in racing, but I decided it was
best to completely remove myself from racing. Noth-
ing bad happened, I just stopped racing because of a
major foot/tendon issue. I missed skating, and my body
was used to skating and training every day. I was going
crazy. 1 day a kid from our rink was grinding our front
curb at our rink, and I can’t lie, I yelled at him. Funny
how it is coming back around. Anyway, he said try it.
That was it. Here I am. I started aggressive skating in
1998 at 32 years old.
At 43 years of age, what motivates you to blade at the
level you do?
I’m motivated to skate because I’m doing what I re-
ally love to do: skate. Past the core reason, I continue
because every day I learn something new or start to
perfect something a little more each day
You are an X-Games downhill speed skating gold medal-
ist. Do you get the same vibe going to a contest like the
Hoedown or Bittercold Showdown as you did from the
golden days of inline being featured in the X-Games?
I love going to contests because edits don’t capture feel-
ings. I know it may sound strange. It’s hard to explain.
I feel strange being in a sport and surrounded by so
many young kids. I don’t drink, smoke, party, buy skate
videos or magazines. What I do have in common is
I love to skate. I get a feeling that is hard to describe
when I skate. Going to contests lets me feel the atmo-
sphere of the event.
Was skating an “in thing” back home in Italy? Why didn’t
you ski, play soccer, go to wine-tastings or whatever else
was hip over there?
Skating was and is very big in Italy. I played football,
baseball and wrestled, but in the end I loved racing. I
lived in Italy for 1 year before I got married. My wife
was born and raised in Italy and actually has only been
in the U.S. for 7 years.
Did your family and friends support your speed skating
career or was it something you just decided you wanted
to do and decided to stick with for the next four decades?
Everyone in my family competed in speed skating or
artistic skating. My older brother was my coach. My
parents were my biggest fans. They pretty much trav-
eled around the world with my younger brother and me.
(Continued on page 20)
17
Bank to Topsoul
How do you recover from injuries so quickly? Do you
have a workout or stretching routine that you abide by or
do you just shake it off and let time heal all wounds?
I just skate them off I guess. Ice, keep moving and
Vitamin C loading. Have you heard of this? When you
have an injury, take 250 mgs of Vitamin C every hour.
A few things happen: you are taking in fluids, Vitamin
C makes you pee, and it helps take away pain. If the
pain is really bad, like when I separated my shoulder,
generic ibuprofen overload works, but do it safely. I
learned how much you really should take while at the
hospital when I had a major surgery
You have a beautiful wife and daughter. Do they know
how much skating means to you? I saw Loreza’s eyes
light up when she slid down the quarter pipe at the
Inferno.
My wife does. She grew up skating; pretty close to my
life story, only in Italy. She totally supports me. My
daughter does because she likes to slide down the
ramp. She also thinks it is funny when I fall.
How has living in Iowa influenced your rollerblading?
Skating is my life. My parents own 4 skating rinks in
Des Moines, Iowa and my wife and I run one of them.
I built a pretty cool skate ramp/fun box at my rink, so I
can skate whenever I want. Thank God, because I seri-
ously can’t stand cold weather.
Your family owns both roller rinks in the DSM area
(Skate South and Skate North). How did your family
get into the roller rink business? Are the rinks a worthy
financial endeavor?
Ownig skating rinks is a fun business, but definitely
not financially rewarding. It’s just been our lives.
How has the recession affected the family business?
The recession is killing me right now. People don’t have
extra money to do something that is just a “want”. We
are doing pretty well though, in comparison to other
businesses.
Mizou to Tru-savannah

How has having your ramp (The Inferno) affected your
skating? Has it sparked interest in very many recreation-
al skaters who frequent your rink to come over to the
dark side? Do you think working at your rink and skat-
ing your box regularly has had positive effects on bladers
like Spencer and the Iowa scene as a whole?
My skate ramp was nicknamed the inferno by Adam
Morris, and it has really brought around 10-15 new
kids. We will see if they stick with it. Of course it has
helped me learn new tricks.
Have you ever considered opening a full-on skate park?
As far as a full on skate park, no. My older brother has
a lot of ramps. I like what I do. I don’t think I could
handle the major disrespect of property.
If blading somehow managed to disappear overnight,
what would you do to fill the void?
I’m not sure what I would do for a job or exercise with-
out skating. I know I have said it, but skating has been
Frontside Farv
my life since I was born. Our house was built into our
first rink. I lived physically at the rink until like 22 or
23 years old.
Growing up in the speed skating circuit, you have be-
friended a lot of industry contacts. You’ve always made
it a point to try on new skates and test a lot of products
whenever we’ve traveled to contests. What set up are you
currently riding and why?
Yes, I did have great opportunities to meet a lot of
people and manufactures in my days of racing. I know
a lot about wheels and bearings. I still to this day stay
in contact with a lot of those people and manufactures.
I actually raced Isaac Oltmans (Eulogy wheels/Crap
bearings) and Matthias Knoll (owner of Powerslide/
USD/Conference). I try everything because I can. My
current skate setup is all black Deshi Carbons, white
Slimline frames, Eulogy wheels and Crap bearings.
Matthias, if you read this, I wouldn’t mind all black
USD carbons…hint, hint.
(Continued on page 24)
21
Backside Royale
 Freestyle backside Torque

Any shout outs?

Everyone that has helped me along the way. Too many

to list. A few would be my mom, dad, wife, daughter,
brothers and sisters. Thanks for this interview. Also,
the rink...my knowledge and love for all different
types of music is incredible because of you. Aaron, I
know you are jealous that I get to hear/play all that
music you don’t want everyone to know you secretly
kind of like. Check out the Iowa Connection blog and
message board at www.iowa-connection.com if you
are passing through the area.

Big Mute 360

 Interview - Tim Schmidt
Photos - as listed
Layout - Vincent Morretino

At the Panhandle Pow-Wow

Photo by Corey Oringderff

Some people are born with incredible amounts
of raw talent and the potential for being able to
make even the most difficult tasks appear effort-
less. Alex Braunagel is one of those people.Watch
him flow around a skate park, and you get the
feeling that you are watching a knife cut through
water. His intense focus and determination to
give his best to our beloved sport is nothing short
of amazing.
What’s your name, how old are you, and where are you
from?
My name is Alex Braunagel, I’m 19 years old, and I am
from central Indiana. Right now I’m living in Sarasota,
FL.
Weren’t you in a different part of Florida early last year?
Also, I heard that you made it into the top 10 in the AM
comp at the Panhandle Pow-Wow. What was that like?
Yes, last year I moved to Orlando, where I stayed with
Joey and Sammy Chase for a couple of months to blade
Frontside
Frontside Farv
Farv
Photo
Photo by
by Vincent
Vincent Morretino
Morretino
with them and shoot the shit, very cool guys. And yes,
I placed 7th in the AM comp at the Pow-Wow. I skated
with a lot of good dudes. It was a pretty cool experi-
ence.
So where did it all start? How did you get into the skate
life-style?
It was when I at Major Taylor skate park in Indianapo-
lis, IN with a friend who skateboarded, and I met Lo-
ran Bohall and Jake Wilkes. I didn’t even know about
rollerblading at the time, and I happened to meet two
of the rawest bladers.
Right on, how long have you been rolling now?
I’ve been on blades for 5 years.
Where would you like to see yourself in skating/life in
the next few years?
Just progressing as much as possible and meeting as
many people as I can. I’ll be living with Brent Hen-
derson in Arizona in about two months, so I’ll be out
there skating a lot. I’ll be back and forth from Arizona
(Continued on page 30)
27
Tru-savannah
Photo by Seth Andrews
and Florida just skating and living life; taking risks
since that is what life is all about.
You are currently un-sponsored. Why should a prospec-
tive sponsor consider you as a marketable skater?
Well, that’s a good question. First off, I would be very
appreciative towards any company that approached
me about representing their products. Now, this is
just an example because I’ve been riding NIMHs for
2 years and don’t see myself skating anything else. If
Brian Shima approached me about skating for NIMH
at any level and an agreement was made, I would be
out talking to kids about how great skating is, help
point them in the right direction as to where they can
get skate gear and answer whatever questions I could.
I feel that I have the energy and personality that would
allow for me to get out and fully represent a company
that is kind enough to support me. I don’t expect to be
handed a sponsorship, I understand that dues must be
paid…but I am doing all that I can to get my name out
there. I feel that the exposure I got at the Pow-Wow
was definitely a step in the right direction. Also, I sup-
pose that this is a good time to mention that I have
30
a full section in Seth Andrews’ new video, “Strange
Colors”. Check out www.indianainline.com for more
details, or check out the ad that’s in this issue. Three
words: Blu-Ray DVD.
What other things in life are you good at besides skating?
Hmm…well, I’m a pretty good cook. I’m good at try-
ing to play guitar. I really like water tubing. Also, my
drawing skills are really progressing right now.
Where do you think you would have ended up if you
never started rolling?
Probably doing something with art and tattoos, or get-
ting more into motorcycles.
All right, that’s about it. Do you have any thank-you’s or
shout outs?
Yes. Thanks go out to Tim Schmidt , Joey and Sammy
Chase, Brent Henderson, Blake Kelly, Seth Andrews,
Owen Nevins, Josh Mayo, everyone at the Panhandle
Pow-Wow, all of Indiana, all of the Florida crew,
Chrisitan Delfino…the list goes on.
Backside Farv around the curve, 630 out
Photo by Christian Delfino
Tru-topsoul, 360 out
Photo by Seth Andrews
 Everything I’ve Learned
by H.S. Knucklehead
- Everything becomes normal.

- Don’t be normal.

- Normal never did anything for this world. Normal didn’t invent the first light bulb or decode the human genome...normal
invented the corn dog because a hot dog accidently rolled off the counter into a bowl of batter and at the time it was normal not
to waste food just because it fell in a bowl of batter.

- If you’re leaving your now ex-girlfriend’s apartment after she dumped you, treat the car you’re getting into as a getaway car from
a bank heist. That way you can tell yourself that the tears streaming down your cheeks are from your fear of going back to prison.
You ain’t ever going back to that shit hole.

- Batman is the greatest superhero. He became who he needed to be. Be who you want to become.

- Don’t be ‘that guy’ at a party. You won’t get invited back and you won’t wake up with girls in your bed.

- Throw awesome parties. Your friends will like you more and you will find yourself with more friends. Everyone likes to party,
be the man that starts one. You’ll wake up with girls in your bed.

- Wear condoms. Or at least pull out. On that note, girls have sex for very different reasons than guys.

- There’s a difference between making love and fucking. Parties on both sides tend to forget this and it always leads to problems.

- The best moments are the ones that would be ruined with conversation.

- I lost the first fight I was ever in to an asshole named Roy Giberson at the playground in second grade. I haven’t lost one since
(only been in 2 since). Keep your elbows up and in, and always make the decision to fight, don’t wait to get punched in the face.

- Ships roll in, ships roll out.

- Convincing a girl to let you stick it in her butt takes time and patience not ninja techniques. Never ninja your dick into a girls
butt, girls don’t trust dudes with ninja dicks.

- If everyone else is laughing and you’re not laughing, get the fuck out of there.

- Men share drinks and laughter, not women or gossip.

- If you find yourself naked in front of the father of a girl you were, until this moment, inside of, don’t say anything. It is not a
time for words, it is a time for pants grabbing and running. Be swift. And duck. Expect things to be thrown at you.

- Go out into the woods by yourself for a couple days just to see what happens.

- Doug Funny should always chase after Patty Mayonnaise.

- Open Mind. Open Road. Open Container.

- Know how to tie a tie.

- Admit when you fuck up. It makes everything easier, especially if by ‘fucking up’ you mean you encouraged someone at the
party to pee in your friends salt water fish tank because you thought the fish would like to party also, but it resulted in throwing
the chemical balance in the tank out of wack, killing a majority of the fish by morning.

- Salt water fish are fucking expensive to replace.

Photo by Mike Norton


It’s been a tough 12 months in rollerblading.
We have lost a handful of seemingly irreplaceable
people that were, and still are, loved by everybody
close to them that survived their passing. The tragic
news of the death of young Jay Jude was certainly
a sad moment that affected everybody he came
across, and many that had never met him. I never
knew Jay in life, but in death I have found that he
was a very kind and compassionate person. The
world is certainly a darker place since he left us.
Excerpt from the memorial services press release:
Jay Nathan Jude Jr., 16 of Loveland OH, passed away
Tuesday, March 23rd. He was born to Joe and Patricia
Jude and Sister Jessica Jude, November 7th, 1993, in
Deltona Fl. He was a junior at Scarlett Oaks and aspired
to be a primary school teacher. He was passionate about
teaching children and had high hopes for the future. He
was an aggressive skater, photographer, lover of animals,
music, digital media and poetry. He had so much love in
his heart, and is what you would call an all around good
34
Jay Jude
November 7th, 1993 -
March 23rd, 2010
Introduction, first article and memorial
session photos - Vincent Morretino
Other photos: Jay Jude
Portrait photo: Unknown
Photo of Jay’s back farv: Unknown
kid, volunteering regularly helping those less fortunate
than himself. May not his memory be burdened by sad-
ness; instead may you remember the smiles and laugh-
ter that this bright young man has brought upon your
hearts.
Donations can be made payable to the Jay Jude Jr.
Memorial Fund in c/o Jessica Jude at any 5/3 bank.
Tri Rudolph of Cincinnati, OH has posted an edit on
Vimeo of the memorial skate session that was held for
Jay in Kettering, OH. It started at the DC Skate Plaza,
then everyone broke out for lunch, came back to the
Skate Plaza and then we descended upon the streets of
Dayton. Check out the live web link by placing your
cursor over the web address and clicking on it:
www.vimeo.com/10683419
Here are the links to Jay’s YouTube page uploads and
flickr account –
www.youtube.com/user/doyourjobjayjude#p/u
www.flickr.com/photos/jay_jude_get_crunk/
The news of Jay’s passing on the Be-Mag message
board prompted some kind words by some of the on-
line rollerblading community. Here are some of them:
Rod L. Short - So sad. My deepest sympathy goes to his
parents and family. Rest in peace and tell James I love
him when you get there.
Fowler - Jay was such a good kid. I remember the first
time I met the him, we were sessioning the Loveland
rails and all of a sudden this tiny black kid comes out
of nowhere with Franky Remz on and he was so happy
to see other bladers in his town. He had such a positive
energy, and he always had that every time afterwards.
We’ll miss you Jay, and always remember you.
Luthraz - I know how he felt. I’ve been down that road,
luckily medicine works for me. I think it runs in our
sport so heavily because all of us are so individualistic.
We all try and do our own thing and even grouped
together we still feel alone sometimes. Not to mention,
with such a small amount of people participating lately,
it’s harder and harder for us to feel accepted in society.
But we all still love rollerblading and just keep going
with it until this happens or until we realize that even
being alone is a gift. Live life for you always, fuck the
norm. RIP little dude.
I’d like to share an article on the subject of depression,
as I believe that it’s important for people who may not
understand why they feel hopelessness and despair so
strongly to realize that there is help out there. The link
to the entire article can be found at the end.
Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of
life. But when emptiness and despair take hold and
won’t go away, it may be depression. More than just
the temporary “blues,” the lows of depression make
it tough to function and enjoy life like you once did.
Hobbies and friends don’t interest you like they used
to; you’re exhausted all the time; and just getting
through the day can be overwhelming. When you’re
depressed, things may feel hopeless, but with help and
support you can get better. But first, you need to un-
derstand depression. Learning about depression—in-
cluding its signs, symptoms, causes, and treatment—is
the first step to overcoming the problem.
If you identify with several of the following signs and
symptoms, and they just won’t go away, you may be
suffering from clinical depression:
• you can’t sleep or you sleep too much
• you can’t concentrate or find that previously
easy tasks are now difficult
• you feel hopeless and helpless
• you can’t control your negative thoughts, no
matter how much you try
• you have lost your appetite or you can’t stop
eating
• you are much more irritable and short
tempered than usual
• you have thoughts that life is not worth living
(Seek help immediately if this is the case)
Depression is a major risk factor for suicide. The deep
despair and hopelessness that goes along with depres-
sion can make suicide feel like the only way to escape
the pain. Thoughts of death or suicide are a serious
symptom of depression, so take any suicidal talk or
behavior seriously. It’s not just a warning sign that the
person is thinking about suicide, it’s a cry for help:
• Talking about killing or harming one’s self
• Expressing strong feelings of hopelessness or
being trapped
• An unusual preoccupation with death or dying
• Acting recklessly, as if they have a death wish
(e.g. speeding through red lights)
• Calling or visiting people to say goodbye
• Getting affairs in order (giving away prized
possessions, tying up loose ends)
• Saying things like “Everyone would be better
off without me” or “I want out.”
• A sudden switch from being extremely
depressed to acting calm and happy.
If you think a friend or family member is consider-
ing suicide, express your concern and seek profes-
sional help immediately. Talking openly about suicidal
thoughts and feelings can save a life.
Just as the symptoms and causes of depression are dif-
ferent in different people, so are the ways to feel better.
What works for one person might not work for anoth-
er, and no one treatment is appropriate in all cases.
If you recognize the signs of depression in yourself or
a loved one, take some time to explore the many
(Continued on next page)
35
treatment options. In most cases, the best approach
involves a combination of self-help strategies, lifestyle
changes, and professional help.
If positive lifestyle changes and support from family
and friends aren’t enough, seek help from a mental
health professional. There are many effective treatments
for depression, including therapy, medication, and al-
ternative treatments. Learning about your options will
help you decide what measures are most likely to work
best for your particular situation and needs.
Effective treatment for depression often includes some
form of therapy. Therapy gives you tools to treat de-
pression from a variety of angles. What’s more, what
you learn in therapy gives you skills and insight to
prevent depression from coming back.
Some types of therapy teach you practical techniques
on how to reframe negative thinking and employ
behavioral skills in combating depression. Therapy can
also help you work through the root of your depression,
helping you understand why you feel a certain way,
36 The article in its entirety: www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm
what your triggers are for depression, and what you can
do to stay healthy.
Additional resources and contact information:
National Hopeline Network
800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
www.hopeline.com
National Institute of Mental Health
Information Center
866-615-6464
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday
www.nimh.nih.gov/site-info/contact-nimh.shtml
National Mental Health Association Hotline
800-273-TALK (8255)
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week
Melinda Smith, M.A.; Joanna Saisan, MSW; Robert
Segal, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., contributed to this
article.
270 Royale - Matt Grimes
Soul on the brick ledge to switch
Topsoul down the rail - Chance Bentley
Freestyle Fishbrain - Jason Ricci

450 Royale - John Angus

Topside Pornstar, 180 out - Michael Rose

Topsoul - Eric Montealegre

Fishbrain + heel-roll + 180 out = innovative maneuver - Dan Mikesell
Unity to Topsoul to Tru-savannah - Stefan Brandow
Thanks to everyone who came out and showed support
 All previous issues of Balance can be found at www.issuu.com/k2rolla

#
1
Presented by

Chris Haffey • Matt Andrews • Michael Kraft

#
2
Presented by

Iain McLeod • Chynna Weierstall

Mike Koliner • Matt Lorch

#
3
Presented by

Tim Helbock • Martin Walchshofer • Stefan Brandow

H.S. Knucklehead • Dan Lambert

#
4
Presented by

Avichai Wechsler • Jake Cawley

Michael Kraft • Jacob Barnes