Tyson Bowerbank — Recruit Interview
Yo! What up Tyson?
Not much, just getting some food right now.
_Where you at? _
Salt Lake, Utah. I live out here and I’m back for a couple weeks.
_When you come out to LA who do you stay with? _
Usually, I stay with James Craig or Alec Majerus. James is my [Almost] team manager and Alec and I are good homies.
What’s the skate scene like in Salt Lake?
It’s pretty tight! Everyone who skates together is super close and all super good homies. There’s a bunch of spots and a ton of new parks.
Speaking of parks: You’ve been on a contest tear lately placing 9th at Empire’s “Ams Getting Paid,” winning the Am X Games Austin Finals, and taking the top spot at the Boardr Am finals in Vista. Do you like skating contests or is that more of a please-your-sponsors type of deal?
I like going to contests because you get to see all your homies you don’t get to see that often and it’s always just fun to go and hang out and do the whole thing over the weekend. But it’s kinda stressful. I try not to think about the contest too much and just go to have fun.
_That’s the best way to go about it. The moment you put stress on yourself is the moment you’re fucked. _
Yeah, the more you think about it, the worse you do. I just try to skate how I normally do and whatever happens, happens.
_By the time this comes out your Recruit will be live. Are you hyped for it to drop? _
I’m super stoked for it to come out! I definitely put a lot of work into it.
How long did you film?
I started filming in March and was out in California for about 2 months. So I would go back a couple times a week during that 2-month period, then I came home for a couple months. And then I just went back 2 or 3 more times to get some extra tricks done. Basically the span of a couple months.
Did you feel any pressure with the lights off?
[laughs] Yeah! Definitely way more stressful than I thought. I remember the first trick that I filmed took 4 straight hours. After that I was like, “Oh my god, what did I get myself into?” When the lights go out it’s stressful, but Chase is super tight to film with so it’s not too bad.
For sure! You filmed a couple times with Youness during your Recruit. How was that?
That helped so much because I was going while he filmed his Battle Commander. We would light up a certain obstacle and skate it together so that made it a lot better.
_Word on the street is Youness gets a little crazy when he’s not landing stuff. _
[laughs] Yeah, he definitely has a temper sometimes.
Everyone get’s like that when the pressure is on.
I definitely lost it on multiple occasions in there too! [laughs]
_So, James Craig is your TM for Almost. What role do you think he most likely played while filming your Recruit? Coach, Dad, or Psychologist? _
All of the above! Dude, James… I felt bad for him. He took Youness and I both every time and just sat there every single time, while we were both filming. He had the rougher part on both ends. But yeah, he supported me and helped me out.
That’s what a TM does.
James is the man!
_Any good Chase stories? _
Dude, actually: I was trying a trick and he was filming at the end of the rail and my board slipped out and nailed him in the shins so bad! I felt terrible! He was sitting cross-legged and could not move, and my board just shot right at him. But besides that, Chase and I have similar tastes in music so he would always play some cool music in there. It was fun!
_Back to your Recruit: What trick are you most stoked on? _
Let’s see… One of the tricks I was super stoked on was the feeble back 180 switch 5-0. I was pretty stoked on that because that’s normally something I wouldn’t do! And then the kickflip back 5-0 varial heel on the ledge because that’s something I’ve never done before. I just tried to think of stuff I haven’t done before and mixed it up a little bit.
_Seriously… how the hell do you 540 in a line? _
[laughs] That day I was trying a normal ledge trick for 3 hours straight and lost my mind and didn’t land it and then I was like “Aw, dude I wanna fucking get something while I’m here. So I’m just going to try this.” And that ended up taking forever, too, but I ended up landing it. Didn’t want to go away empty handed.
_That’s how it goes sometimes. You win some, you lose some—but that’s good you stuck with it. What do you get into when you’re not skating? _
I’m from Salt Lake and I snowboard in the winter. I like to golf with my dad and grandpa every now and then. Chill with my homies and do mountain shit!
_Which one are you backing: Snapchat or Insta Stories? _
I don’t know if I really back Insta Stories. I never really look at or post them so I’m just gonna go with Snapchat.
Who’s your favorite person to go out and film with?
Depends on where I’m at. One of my best friends, Mac, lives up in SF and he filmed and edited my last part that came out. He’s one of my best friends, so him for sure! But when I’m in Southern California I go skating with Hoops a lot. He’s also one of my favorite people to go film with. Probably those two dudes.
_Any plans on moving out to California? _
I definitely want to make my way out there soon but I also want to kinda stay in Salt Lake at the same time because I feel like I go out there for a while then I kinda get sick of it and need a break. Then I go home for a while and I’m like, “Aw shit, I’m not doing anything. Just sitting here. I need to go back to California and skate.” I kinda like going back and forth.
What’s next for you? Do you have any trips, videos, or contests coming up?
Yeah, we’re working on an Almost Am video right now that’s supposed to be out in November. So, I’m just filming for that right now.
You gonna have a full part?
I’m definitely going to try! We haven’t had too much time to film but I’m going to get as much stuff as I can before the deadline and see what happens.
_Any advice for the next Recruit? _
[laughs] I don’t know man, that’s a tough one! Just try to keep your head on straight and not stress out too much. Just think of it like skating like any other day.
_Any last words? _
Thanks to all my sponsors, my parents, and everyone who supports me. Thanks to The Berrics for letting me film a Recruit!
