#MeetOurCrew - Matthew Luberda

Matthew Luberda - a man whose history with skateboarding began in an unusual way. He remembers his first moments on a skateboard, which were at the same time a time when he was lying down with a cast on his arm, immersed in the game Skate 3. Skateboarding is not only passion and learning tricks. For Matthew, it's also his job at Techramps, where his profession as a builder is intertwined with his fascination with skateboarding. Finally, we travel back in time to the year 2044, where Matthew weaves a vision of the future of skateboarding. What awaits us in 20 years? Answers to these questions and much more can be found in the following interview with Matthew aka Rudy.

Do you remember your first moments on a skateboard? When did you feel that skateboarding was in your top interests?

I liked skateboarding from an early age, but my real adventure with it began after a vacation in 2011. I spent two months with my arm in a cast, playing the game Skate 3. As soon as the doctor took off my cast, I decided with a friend to acquire my first skateboard set and so the acrimony boils over for both of us to this day!

What do you like working at Techramps for and how does the construction profession influence your busyness?

What I like most about this job is that I work in the skateboard industry. I enjoy building obstacles as much, if not more, than riding them. I've become familiar with the specifics of working with concrete during my tours of duty, and now I pay more attention to the details of making these types of objects, which have a huge impact on the quality of the ride.

What is your favorite obstacle that you have had the opportunity to work on. Do you happen to test in your spare time what you have prepared yourself?

I am not able to choose a favorite obstacle. I like the Bowl at the Cracow View, which I really like to ride, and the Quater with a curb in Zielonka, which unfortunately I haven't had a chance to test yet, but I see a lot of potential in it. Riding on self-made obstacles, knowing how much effort and skill they require, gives great satisfaction.

When building a skatepark, functionality is as essential as it is for other forms of public outdoor facilities. What is the importance to the community of aesthetics and adding color to gray facilities?

Painting skateparks certainly makes them more interesting and adds life. However, I'm personally a big fan of user uploads, they best show the nature of the activity, skateboarding and graffiti are a perfect combination.

What advice would you have for a city or community planning to build a new skatepark in their area?

Over time, skateparks have become more and more common facilities, which makes me think that it is unnecessary to "stuff" as many obstacles as possible in the available space. Holding meetings with local participants to brainstorm together on the project is a very good thing.

Photo by Łukasz Gawąd / Streetpark

Which trick cost you the most pain, and which was the easiest to learn?

It all depends on which trick we're talking about. Of the more difficult ones, the first that comes to my mind are Pivot Fakie and variations of Grinds on the Quarter docked "backwards." I also had to struggle a lot with Bs Nosepick, which I still can't get the hang of. And the easiest I had to learn was Slappy Crooks, which is my favorite trick.

Name 3 personae in the Polish skateboarding community who inspire you the most.

When it comes to inspiration, I get the most from the compatriots I ride with. Especially from those I met when I started riding and we still manage to ride together.

Close your eyes and let your imagination run wild. How do you imagine skateboarding and skateparks in another 20 years?

In 2044, skateboarding will continue to be the coolest thing there is! I think there will be a lot of skateparks by then, and more facilities will continue to be built in the SLS-type and Olympic layout, i.e. ideal facilities for competitions and training. I hope that Vert will cease to be a niche and I look forward to the development of the role of this ramp in facilities.

In my vision of the skateboarding world, in 20 years the average skater will be riding more on legal spots created by skateboard-friendly urban infrastructure than on a skatepark.

Thank you for the interview!

Want to join the Techramps Construction Department? Apply here!