Justin Smolenski



Name?
Justin Smolenski

Age?
20 years young

From?
Springfield Illinois/ Chi Town for the people out there that only think of that when I say Illinois.

Sponsors?
I want to thank Skanks (Skank Skates) and 217 (skateshop) for all the low prices as for real sponsors, haven't got that far yet.

So how is it skating in Springfield, IL?
Sucks, the only place to skate is our park. They have the best bowl in the world and it's the only thing I like about springfield.

It seems really tight knit and a little hardcore there, especially when Skank Skates was the heart of the scene for so long. How has 217 and the city putting in skateparks helped the overall skateboarding scene there?
George from Skanks tried for about 17 years to get a park and no one ever listened to him, they all thought he was dirt, but after fighting for it all that time, it worked. As for everyone else I have ever met, they never gave a shit about the scene in Springfield. So give it up for George, even though no one gives him credit.

I remember back in the day, you were skating the "Beast of the East" competition circuit. How was that? Did you like it?
Yeah, those days were the shit. First contest I have ever won, so yeah I have George to thank for those also.

You are in the city's capitol! Do you often go and skate the government buildings? Any serious run-ins?
Yeah, there are some good spots, not many, but the ones that you actually want to skate we get kicked out real quick. Its the capitol but no one cares for this town, except the Government. As for serious run-ins, the cops are on that, but if we have trouble at our park, they won't show up for like an hour or so. They dont give a shit about the scene.

Here is a tough question. Who would you consider to be the best skaters in Springfield? (besides you being at that #1 spot of course)
The whole crew when they actually stop and put there minds off of themselves. Grant Muler, Ryan Mcdonald, Kaleb Yetter. As for the best guy that just blew my mind from Springfield would be Gary Brammer and Bruce Williams. The bowl riders here are just amazing skaters.

Lastly, give your advice for anyone wanting to visit Springfield, IL to skate.
The bowls at the park. That's it. The scene is here, hit me up and we will show you the way, or the way we survive it.