Peter Ramondetta, 24 hours from Tulsa

January 23, 2008 @ 2:02 PM

If anybody embodies real skateboarding its Peter Ramondetta. He flew 12 hours to come to a winter jamboree in London a while back, freezing cold, no sleep, board under the arm, not a word of complaint. They say get in where you fit in, and in his long term sponsors Real and Circa he has done just that, repping nothing but the drive of skateboarding itself.
He’s not going to model sunglasses and he’ll never be on MTV. We got him out of bed to find out which of the Real owners can still cut it on the dancefloor.

Did I wake you up?
No, I had to get up anyway, I’m having a coffee right now. Kinda slept in today, sorry.

But we can share a few minutes of your time?
Sure, no problem.

So tell me, are you skating for the strongest Real team ever?
I don’t know, Real is pretty strong right now, but it’s always been really good, picking up good riders that are just down for skating, you know, who have fun with it. We have a pretty big team right now, and everyone we got is doing pretty good. I’m pretty amped on it. Maybe I wouldn’t call it the strongest ever, but it’s pretty good.

How important is it for you to skate for a company that offers no lifestyle gimmicks and no pretty boy advertising, but is based on skateboarding alone?
It’s nice. You don’t have to worry about the company trying to make you do lame stuff, for ads or whatever. It’s just fun. It just seems like working with a bunch of friends, everybody’s jumping around having fun. It’s really nice, so its important, yes.

Now that the media’s attention has left SF a little, are there still new spots popping up, or is it more bombing hills and driveways?
There are spots popping up here and there. Most of the famous spots are done, but they’re building new stuff. There’s the new Federal building, that’s a pretty good spot. It’s kind of a bust, but you can get five minutes or something, before you get kicked out.

You’re originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma?
Yeah.

How’s skateboarding there? How bad does the weather get?
It’s cold in the winter, and really hot in the summer. It gets pretty humid, and we do have four real seasons. It’s nice though, I grew up there, so I’m used to it. I dealt with it. Tulsa is nice, there’s a lot to skate, it’s pretty laid back. It’s not too bad, it’s certainly not as bad as California.

Well, what would it take for you to move to southern Cali?
Uhm… I don’t know, I don’t know if I would. I don’t have a car, and I don’t like driving in a car for hours. That’s the only reason I don’t want to go there, the car, and your dependence on it. I’d rather walk out of the door and skate around.

So, do you actually know anyone who wants to live there? Seems like they’re all just there because the industry is.
I’m sure people like it down there, it is nice. It’s just not my style. I’m sure a lot of people go there because most of the companies are there, most of the famous spots are there, so they try to go out there and do their tricks on famous spots. Trying to get the big sponsor I guess, but...I don’t know. It’s just not my style, I guess.

Who’s skating better right now, Thiebaud or Tommy Guerrero?
Oh… Uhm… I don’t know. I’m sure they’re both skating good. I’ve seen Jim a few more times than Tommy, that’s why I have to go with Jim on this one.

Have you seen anyone doing heelflip backtails before you did them?
Uh, yep! I think...Gino [Iannucci]. The whole footage of Gino, he did one I’m sure. I forgot what part, and what video it was. I’ve seen a few people do them before I did them. Pretty much every trick has been done already anyway, if you watch all the old videos you’d be surprised what people have already done, you know?

Yep! What’s your claim to fame in skateboarding, then?
Gee, I don’t think I have one. I just like to be skating, I don’t know. I don’t think I have a claim to fame.

Do you feel emotionally scarred by your time spent at the 6 Newell house?
I wouldn’t say scarred, but it was quite an experience. The first year I lived there I slept on the floor in the living room. There was a party pretty much every night, which sometimes got me really frustrated, when I wanted to get up early the next day. But I wouldn’t go as far as to say it scarred me.

Alright Peter, enjoy your breakfast, sorry for getting you out of bed, and thanks for your time!
No problem, have a nice evening!

Peter skates for Real skateboards, Circa, Spitfire, Thunder, and Roughneck hardware.

Get the latest Skateboarding Videos on Mpora.com