Evan Smith #2.

  Starheadbody.

Evan is originally from Orlando, Florida and later moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to live with his aunt and uncle. He turned pro for Element in 2013 and was on the team up until last year when he decided to be a free agent. His other sponsors are DC Shoes, Gnarhunters, Spitfire, and Indy. After a couple guest boards and video parts for Anti-Hero spinoff Grimple Stix, the word is that Evan is starting a new company with Cody Chapman as a rider. Starheadbody is the name of his band. He also plays in UV Waves.

Transworld - May 2013 Volume 31 Number 5

Ryan Townley.

Mazzy Star.

Ryan is from Anaheim, California. He turned pro for Welcome in 2018. Indy, Converse, OJ, and Bronson also give him free stuff. He closed out Fetish with a part full of big ollies, wallrides, kickflips, late shove-its, and fastplants. Ryan does a really nice backside kickflip over a wall and a fakie bigspin over a bump to bar, if I caught that one correctly. His specialty is boardslides, sometimes with an early grab out. His last trick is a sizable kickflip to wallride. The man rips.

This wraps up my look at Welcome. Fetish is one of my favorite videos of the last few years. It also features skating from Rick Fabro, Roman Pabich, and Aaron Goure. I'll do posts on them sooner or later, even though Roman isn't on the team any longer. Opener Ryan Lay is a freaking national treasure and it's cool that skateboarding has people such as him involved with it. I'm not big on riding shaped boards, but I dig the whole vibe of Welcome. I think the art is great and the music supervision for their videos is perfect. I like the t-shirts, too.

Alex Papke was the photographer.

Thrasher - July 2017 Volume 38 Number 7

Nora Vasconcellos #5.

  Dance recital.

Nora hails from Pembroke, Massachusetts. She turned pro for Welcome in the summer of 2017. Her other sponsors include Adidas, Krux, Bronson, OJ Wheels, and Swatch. Nora's part in Fetish is a blend of park, street, and ditch skating. There are some airs, Smith grinds, and inverts done on transitions. She hits up a few ditches with some kickflips and a frontside feeble at a DIY spot. I think this backside Smith grind is in there, but it was filmed from a different angle than the photo. Nora is one of the best out there in skateboarding today.

The photo is by Shane Cox.

Thrasher - July 2016 Volume 37 Number 7

Jason Salillas.

  Ghosts of a different dream.

Jason is from Birmingham, Alabama. His other sponsors are Altamont and Nike. His part in Fetish consisted of a lot of rails, gaps, and hubbas. There were assorted wallrides and wallies thrown in for good measure. This switch 50-50 was the second to last trick in his part. His ender was a lipslide down a handrail to rock bash. I liked that he skated to vintage Guided By Voices.

The photograph is by Kyle Siedler.

Thrasher - January 2017 Volume 38 Number 1

Will Blaty.

 

Hardflip into the pond scum.

Will is from Gilbert, Arizona. His other sponsors include Freedom Board Shop, Indy, Lakai, and Bronson Bearings. For his section in Fetish, Will did a lot of early grab variations down stairs and off of tall things. The Swedish pop of Secret Service's "Ten O’Clock Postman" gives the part a casual feel good vibe. He also mixed in a healthy number of kickflips and hardflips. There were some unique tricks, such as a one footed nollie backside 180 down a big set of stairs and a caveman to fakie 5-0 to finger flip out on a handrail. Will skates a variety of terrain, including ditches, street, and parks. My favorite trick is a backside 180 melon over a bump to bar where he has to duck to roll under a semi truck's trailer after landing.

Alex Papke took the photo.

Transworld - August 2016 Volume 34 Number 8

Jordan Sanchez.

 

Welcome back.

Jordan is from Snohomish, Washington. He turned pro in 2016 with a part of him skating dumpsters. I think he is little bit older and has a family. I don't know much else about Jordan. I thought this photo was cool.

The photo is by Andy Froberg.

Thrasher - February 2016 Volume 37 Number 2

Dakota Servold #2.

 

Gone skateboarding.

Dakota is originally from Paradise Valley, Arizona and moved out to California with his parents. He grew up skating with Aaron "Jaws" Homoki, but gravitated towards handrails instead of jumping off the roofs of buildings. Dakota has ridden for Foundation since 2011 and turned pro for them in 2013. Ed Templeton drew his first graphic. His other sponsors are Emerica, Indy, Bones Wheels, and Bronson Bearings. He's always on the road with Leo Romero. I'm a fan. He makes rail skating look eye pleasing.

Thrasher - December 2015 Volume 36 Number 12