I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. 'Action sport' would be the least offensive categorization.

I was nerdy and really into computers. I was a good student until my senior year, when I started traveling and had a lot of absences.

When I started skating, it was such a small community. You didn't aspire to be rich or famous or make a career out of it because that wasn't something anyone had done yet.

You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.

My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, my dad sells money, and my dad figures stuff out. My son said, 'I've never seen my dad do work.' It's true. Skateboarding doesn't seem like real work, but I'm proud of what I do.

The biggest lesson I learned from my dad is to support children even if they're doing something that is unorthodox.