Ben Weis was one of the most exciting, high-risk skaters of his time, and his life outside of skating was just as death-defying…until it wasn’t. Ben recently passed away in a motorcycle accident right when he was getting his crazy life back on track. On the podcast, I connect with Ben’s closest friends, pro skaters, and his wife. I also added some audio clips from the podcast I did with Ben years ago, and we put together a final retrospective of the one they called “The Ben Weis Show”.

Eric Schrijn is a street skater with legendary status and infinite wisdom. He was the winner of the first ever IMYTA street contest, he’s had timeless video sections, magazine covers, pro model products and X Games hardware. While he was making this happen, he was also dealing with a family suicide, a diagnosis of bi-polar and managing all of that. Throughout it all, Eric has been on the forefront of progression as an athlete and as a person, he’s one of my favorite athletes to travel, hang and podcast with. Some good stories come out of this one.

Louie Zamora came from nothing to become one of his most influential inline skaters. He was a street skater whose video parts still hold up, a contest skater who podiumed at X and Gravity, an entrepreneur who was responsible for important brands, and a victim of the opioid crisis that's turning his life around. This podcast was a fun and heavy way to catch up with an old friend and relive his past. Eric Schrijn asks Inappropriate Questions.

Marco de Santi has the most interesting journey of any athlete I’ve had on the podcast. Born in a less than desirable situation in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Marco did what every kid does; he played soccer until he found skateparks. Marco quit team sports and headed to the USA at age 15, with literally nothing, to make his pro skating dream happen. While Marco eventually became a world Champion, inline was dropped by X-Games, and the organizing body of his sport didn’t include Marco in future events. So the first skater to land a triple was forced out of competition and into a life of LOVE, which he performs in every night with the Cirque de Soleil. It doesn’t get more rags to riches than this one.

Robert Guerrero grew up during the intersection of the internet and inline skating. Meaning he made friends all over the world via AOL chat rooms and lived a double life…Loner student during the weekdays and popular street skater on the weekends. Eventually, Rob G became a legend within the sport, known for both insane rails as well as some of the most creative skating ever seen. Throughout this time, Rob lived a spiritual, nomadic lifestyle that eventually takes him to an Ayahuasca retreat in Peru. This is where he ends up getting shot in the face at point-blank range. Hear all the details in the podcast.

Ben Weis has lived a rollercoaster of a life so far and he’s not even 40.  Ben came up in a dysfunction family in Minnesota, didn’t have the money to play hockey and ended up finding rollerblading.  In just three quick years he went pro in a sport where there was no money.  So contest winnings went into backing drug deals, they went bad, and Ben found himself a heroin addict/criminal who was in and out of prison.  He’s been out for a month, he’s clean, and this tale is a must listen. 

Saying Fabiola da Silva is the best, and most underappreciated female athlete of our time is a bold statement…but it’s one that I fully believe.  I can’t think of another case in sport where a woman was so dominant in her field,  that the sport’s organizing body decided to cancel the woman’s event and have the women (Fabiola) compete against the men...And Fabiola did not disappoint, standing on the podium with her peers at some of the biggest events in the world. 

Cesar Mora was born to become a professional soccer player and he was on track to make that happen.  He moved from Australia to Spain and began training with Rayo Vallencano before visa issues forced him out of Spain. When he returned to Australia, he worked at a skateboard shop, found rollerblading, and within two years, was on top of the sport.  He dominated vert from 95 to 99 and then he broke his arm.  While Cesar continued to compete, he was never the same.  It’s an interesting story with one of the best.

Aaron Feinberg won the X-Games on his 16th birthday and never looked back.  He was a skater with a park image who wasn’t all about the park and felt the need to prove it.  The evolution of his skating, combined with some calculated sponsor choices, created the path for Aaron to become one of the most respected street skaters in the game.   These days the world is a different place for Aaron and we look back on his career and talk about he’s up to today.

Chris Edwards lived more by the age of 20 than most people do in a lifetime.  He was a pro athlete at age 14, dropped out of high school a year later and became the face of the fastest growing sport on the planet.  Chris was in the movies, on TV, was the first to go big on ramps, first to grind a rail, and, as far as I know, the first to have 6 biological children and 4 wives.  Chris and I talk the rise and fall on the podcast

Brian Aragon’s life sounded like a dream until he realized it wasn’t.  He was a world champion pro skater and his video parts were as legendary as his park skills.  He’s traveled the world many times over, had 6 Pro Model skates, and a skatepark named after him all before the age of 30…. And then he rolled away from it all to become the Inside Account Manager over at Arrow Electronics.  Find out why on the podcast

Arlo Eisenberg was once dubbed the face and voice of his generation and his story sounds like the best 90’s movie that was never made.  Arlo, the punk rock kid from Texas drops out of the University of Texas and moves to California to become a star in a sport that isn’t really a sport yet.  He arrives on Venice Beach, gets “found” and blows up to be a global sensation who lives a life that is every 13 year old’s fantasy.  Along the way he stirs up a national controversy, hosts the X-Games and rides off into a world of graphic design.

Alex Broskow’s life is full of juxtapositions.  From dropping out of high school and moving into the dorms of the University of Kansas to being an athlete who is looked at as one of the best to ever participate in his sport…but couldn’t afford groceries.   This rare interview dives deep into the world of skating, travel and all that comes with being a pro athlete (minus money).

Chris Haffey is part athlete, part stuntman, part survivor.  He’s a professional rollerblader who started getting recognition for his skating when the industry was at its peak and became one of the top skaters in the world  as the bottom was dropping out.  While his peers were leaving the sport to find other ways to support themselves, Chris landed on the Nitro Circus, touring arenas across the globe with a motley crew of bad-asses.