Episode 23 with Dave Ackels! Dave grew up in West Chester, Ohio and has been a staple of the Dayton/Cincinnati scene since the late 80’s. A gifted visual artist, Dave was mentored at the Wright State film school under Academy Award winning documentary filmmaking team Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar. He has also had stints working for Cow Skates, Alien Workshop, DC, and Ohio Surf & Skate (where he was also a team rider). He ran his own brand and video series Absorb around 2009 for several years, and its impact loomed large in the Dayton scene. Dave continues to skate regularly, and just participated in an art show last month with fellow Ohio legend Doug K. Currently he works as a brand director for local BMX brand DK Bicycles. In this episode we discuss various topics such as formative punk music, Neil Blender, Jimmy George, music videos, the first DIY in Dayton, The Breeders, being a gay skater in the 90s, and much more. Dave has led a fascinating life and is a legit skate historian, so this conversation really covers a lot of important Ohio skate lore.    Timestamps   11:55- Background info/Moving to West Chester 26:20- Getting first video camera 36:40- Making the Basic video 40:00- The Dayton scene 44:35- Film school 55:30- The perils of making films 1:03:35- After college/ Cow Skates / Alien / DC 1:17:30- Being an openly Gay skater 1:31:20- Fairborn DIY, Nate Jones, Eye Level 1:40:00- Doug K 1:49:45- Solid Brand/Fat Mike’s/Mike’s Backyard Bowl/ Jimmy George 2:06:00- Dayton Legends 2:20:55- Absorb 2:31:30- Social Media 2:35:35- Art world 2:44:00- Closing thoughts/ Working in the BMX world 2:51:00- Influential Ohioans

Tim Cernanec is one of the leaders of Ohio's downhill skateboarding scene. Better known under the Instagram handle shoreline_boarder, Tim comes on to talk about his history with the sport, traveling the world to compete, gnarly crashes, top speeds, and much more. He also discusses some of the misconceptions of downhill and slalom, and how it interacts with the broader skateboarding scene. He provides detailed information on the upcoming Sweaty Palms event in Cincinnati on May 2, and other happenings in the regional scene. Please reach out to Tim if you have any questions on how to get started or how to come check out an event. These guys and gals have serious balls, and have earned the respect of the four wheeled community. Join us for a deep dive on a fascinating and under discussed subculture within a subculture.

Toledo native Dave Shaheen is the founder of Davis Skate Club. Operating out of the heart of downtown Cleveland, the organization is committed to exposing the precious gift of skateboarding to high school students at Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School, where Dave happens to teach. Lessons, workshops, field trips, and exposure to the art and culture of skateboarding are all part of the programming. With help from other organizations (like previous guest Advocate SkateWorks, Dave is getting primo boards and gear into the hands of underserved communities. Lots of positive momentum is building right now in the Cleveland scene. This upcoming Friday March 13th, Dave will be hosting the annual Art Show auction/fundraiser at Lakewood's Westside Skates. Please show up and support his mission and go home with a quality piece from one of Ohio’s finest. Join us for a wide ranging interview including Woodville Skatepark, Athens, teaching high school social studies, Westside Skates, and the future of the Cleveland scene. Dave currently lives in Lakewood, Ohio with his wife and kids.   Time Stamps:   1:30- Background info 5:10- Discovering skating  8:25- The Toledo scene 35:35- Davis Skate Club 52:17- The Kids 1:08:10- Difference in skate culture today  1:12:06- Key contributors 1:20:40- Art Show (March 13th 2026) 1:26:25- The Future/Cleveland Scene 1:32:02- Most influential Ohio Skater  1:35:18- Closing thoughts

Our latest guest was born in Covington, KY and has lived in Cincinnati for most of his life.  A staple and leader of the Tri-state scene, he was a part of several influential local videos as a rider for Anonymous Skateshop, and later had a lengthy run skating for Consolidated. Later he became  the owner of Instrument Skateboards and Galaxie Skateshop. He was also one the biggest contributors to building and maintaining the Newport DIY skatepark, aka “The Bridge.” He currently lives on the West Side of Cincinnati and works as a successful concrete contractor, hoping to help build future skateparks in the area. Amazing stories in this one, including hill bombing in Cincinnati, Barcelona with the AWS crew, fallout with Adidas in the retail world, and much more. Join us as we discuss Gary’s life in skateboarding and the travels that were the result. Thank you to Gary for all he has done shepherding the Cincinnati scene.    Timestamps 1:17- Background Info 6:55- Early years of Cincinnati scene 14:20- Quitting high school 17:55 - The art of hill bombing  27:35- Anonymous 33:10- National coverage/sponsors 48:30- Barcelona memories 57:05- Working on Community Relations video 1:03:05- Instrument Skateboards 1:15:00- Galaxie Skateshop 1:27:09- The Bridge 1:47:08- Upcoming skateparks in Cincinnati 1:51:48-Contemporary skateboarding  1:56:30- Cincinnati Favorites

Chad Knight was the first professional skateboarder to come out of the Columbus area. Born and raised in Westerville, Chad was a significant player in the Sunsports indoor scene, cutting his teeth on their fabled ramp where he would craft one of the most elite mini-ramp skill sets of his generation. Originally sponsored by H-Street during their legendary early 90’s run, Chad went on to move to California in 1995 in a classic go-for-broke tale of following a childhood dream. He would go on to ride for Evol, Gullwing, Pig, Dukes, Maple, Osiris, and 1031. Perhaps most famously, he was part of the iconic 1999 Osiris video The Storm. What people may not realize about Chad is that he’s gone on to an equally impressive phase 2 of his career in 3D design and fine art, along with working in the footwear design space for major brands such as Vans, DC, Nike, and Under Armour. Chad was one of the most requested guests since launching the podcast, and was incredibly gracious and open to all of my often esoteric questions regarding the Ohio skate scene of yore. Hopefully we can do a part 2 sometime in 2026 as there is so much we didn’t have time to cover. Lot of familiar names and characters mentioned in this wide-ranging conversation. Thank you dearly to all the listeners and support for this project. 2026 is going to be exciting. The merriest of Christmases and Happiest of New Years to all of you.  Thanks- CS   Timestamps 2:00- Background info 14:25- Sunsports 25:28- H-Street 46:40-Westerville Locs 55:00- Workshop 57:30- skating vert 1:02:15- Maple 1:11:30- Moving to San Diego 1:24:15- Sports Arena Switch Backside Flip 1:30:00- Working with big name photographers  1:33:37- Josh Kasper 1:40:00- Prominent San Diego skaters  1:44:15- The Storm 1:51:00- Alcoholism/sobriety 1:58:22- Pro shoe 2:05:20- footwear/Muska 2:15:30- 3D design 2:17:55- Finding success as an artist  2:40:30- part 2 interview 2:43:30- San Diego vs LA 2:51:15- Australia 2:53:38-Reflecting on Columbus

Originally hailing from the Wheeling, WV area, my latest guest has established himself as a talented go-to photographer throughout the Midwest and beyond. After some early success in the industry in LA, Luke stepped away from skating for nearly a decade to pursue a career that was ultimately unfulfilling, before jumping back in harder than ever about a year ago. Currently residing in Colerain, Ohio, Luke has been published in numerous magazines, including Thrasher, Transworld, Lowcard, Skate Jawn, CCS, Bliss, Focus, Slam, Stepdad, Downward, Skate Boner, and Rare Breed.  Luke’s tireless work ethic has seen him become a rising star in a facet of skating we desperately need to support and keep alive. Throughout his world travels, Luke points to cities like Columbus and Dayton as particularly engaging and inviting scenes. This is a fun one where we discuss the future of photography, Dave Coyne, Dan Charlton, finding skaters to shoot, learning equipment, sobriety, and much more. Thanks Luke for your efforts documenting our regional scene and keeping the spirit of print photography alive and well.  Timestamps 1:31- Chit chat 3:40- Background info 8:46- Wheeling skate scene  15:13- Discovering Photography 24:49- getting serious  28:31- Finding skaters  42:00- Magazines  52:41- Moving to LA 1:10:00- Quitting lucrative career  1:18:13- Favorite skate trips 1:23:23- Equipment/techniques 1:37:48- Dan Charlton 1:44:35- Sobriety 1:51:55- Upcoming projects 1:55:20- Shout outs

John Sims discovered skateboarding while living abroad in Germany in a military family. When he moved back to Westerville in 1992, he quickly fell into a developing scene in Columbus after meeting lifelong friend Matt Smith. Soon, he would start filming and editing full length videos to capture the progression of both friends and rising stars in the local scene. Since 2017, his Instagram account  “Dudleyclips” has archived in extraordinary depth a massive catalogue of clips from his time as a filmer and the footage he compiled. The account provides a comprehensive window of the Columbus skate scene from 93-97: the spots, skaters, and feeling of a moment in time. It makes you feel nostalgia for a time you likely never experienced firsthand. I give John a tremendous amount of credit for inspiring me to help document a kind of regional history not covered by national skate media. Please check out our conversation on John’s life in skateboarding and his role as an early pioneer of local skate videos.   Timestamps 1:30- Random banter about yesteryear  8:40- Finding skateboarding 18:45- Moving to Westerville  29:04- Meeting Chad Knight 32:57- Starting to film 45:25- Full length video deep dive 1:13:20- Dublin DIY skatepark  1:19:32- Patrick O’Dell 1:27:09- Todd Pulsinelli 1:31:00- Memorable Demos 1:47:23- Adulthood  1:50:22- California  2:10:26- Starting Dudleyclips account 2:33:53- Columbus scene 2:37:00- New video?? 2:45:00- Future guests? 2:55:10- Getting photo in Thrasher  3:02:50- Most influential Ohio skater/final thoughts

On the outskirts of Dayton, Matt Williams is trying to put his hometown of Troy, Ohio on the map with a much needed skatepark upgrade. A skater since 1987, Matt has founded and organized Troy City Skatepark Unite, whose sole mission is to raise funding and support for a professional concrete skatepark on the site of their dated prefabricated setup. On September 20th, Matt and his team of volunteers will be hosting a skate jam in Troy, filled with giveaways, prizes, auction items, live music, vendors, artwork, and much more. This should be one of the premiere events of the year for the skate community to come together and help support Matt’s mission to give something big back to the community we all love.  Additionally, Matt has worked at Alien Workshop since 1997, so he has plenty of great stories of the Sovereign Sect and their legendary presence in Ohio and impact on skateboarding globally. Join us as we discuss the 90’s Dayton scene, documenting a life in skateboarding, growing up with Nate Jones, getting hired at Alien Workshop, how to get a skatepark built, meeting Lennie Kirk, and much more. Please be sure to mark your calendar for September 20th for the big event in Troy. I plan on attending and hope to see everyone there. Thanks as always for the support.  www.troycityskateparkunite.com September 20th 2025 Joe Reardon Skatepark 99 North Ridge Ave. Troy, OH 45373   Time Stamps: 2:00- Introduction 7:00- Growing Up 20:15- Moving to Ohio 24:00- Starting to film  32:00- Dayton scene  45:00- How skating has changed 59:00- Nate Jones 1:10:20- Working for Alien Workshop 1:27:30- Launching Troy skatepark initiative  2:05:45- Chris Carter and Mike Hill 2:12:50-Meeting Danny Way 2:17:30- Fun Alien Workshop memories  2:21:50- Lennie Kirk  2:26:40- Rob Dyrdek 2:31:25- Closing thoughts 2:35:30- Details about the fundraising event September 20th 2025

Scott Tutak has been a part of nearly  every iteration of skateshop in Toledo since beginning at Breaking Away in 1989. He will soon be celebrating the 30th anniversary of starting his own shop, Just Skateboarding, back in 1996. He has also worked as a rep for Podium Distribution, Crailtap, and Alien Workshop. He has held it down for the Northwest scene longer than damn near anyone, advocating for countless kids and friends in an area that often gets overshadowed.  Join us in this wide-ranging interview where we discuss the many key figures and stories that help tie Toledo into the broader Ohio scene. Please be sure to support Just as they approach 30 years in business, as well as the ongoing Cooks DIY skatepark project. Thanks again to Scott for his time in helping get these stories out, and for all of his generosity and passion in giving back to skateboarding!   Time stamps   1:23- intro 4:24- first exposure to skating  11:15- working at Breaking Away 24:19- Dan Sturt  30:30-Alien Workshop 44:00-early Toledo scene  48:45-moving to Colorado 51:30-starting Just Skateshop 1:17:00-working in the industry as a rep 1:26:00-Toledo legends 1:37:30-skateshop challenges 1:57:00-making a living 1:59:30-living in Toledo 2:02:30-Cooks DIY 2:06:25-Toledo ramblings/shout outs

Tim came of age in Gahanna, Ohio during the ‘85 skate boom, and quickly developed into one of the Columbus scene’s most memorable prodigies. A Sunsports disciple and team rider, Tim won the famed skatepark’s inaugural contest series in 1990. He would eventually be discovered there by Steve Caballero and Powell-Peralta team manager Jim Fitzpatrick. In one of the most memorable stories told on the podcast to date, Tim was later invited out to the Santa Barbara headquarters by Jim, rubbing elbows and seeing the inner workings of the iconic brand at the end of their dominance. In 1993 he was invited to join Ron Allen’s short lived Fun Skateboards, joining a roster of young legends including Keith Hufnagel, Keenan Milton, and Eric Pupecki. Despite his enormous talent, Tim would eventually forego pursuing a career on the board, instead choosing to earn advanced degrees from Ohio State, sparked by his passion for literature and self-discovery. His career eventually landed him I n Florida, where after many twists and turns, he would go on to launch Shapes Skateboards, a full service custom woodshop serving brands across the nation. He plans to soon relocate back to Ohio with his family and continue his successful business closer to home. This is a fascinating interview into the story of a highly referenced and requested skater, who despite his legacy in the Columbus scene, is quick to deflect credit to others who inspired him along the way. Thank you Tim for your candidness and insight into a fascinating life in skateboarding.