S
ean Flynn is a skateboarder. Regardless of the places he’ll travel, the things he’ll see or the people he’ll meet, Sean Flynn will always skate. He may one day be a father, a photographer, or a designer. He may start a skate company or open a brewery. Life will dart out before him like an invisible horizon curling into the unknowns of possibility. But whatever his future may hold for him, the one thing he can be sure of is that he’ll have his board in tow. Sean Flynn is, has been, and will always be a skateboarder.
I tried a Belgian beer a few years ago and realized there was better tasting beer out there than Pabst and Coors Light. My life has never been the same. I’m now a huge beer snob and I’m happy about it.
How did you first get into skating? I got my first skateboard for Christmas when I was eight and would just sit on my butt and ride down the driveway. Then my dad took me to Go Skate in Santa Cruz and I got my first real skateboard at ten. It was an Alien Workshop deck (probably worth some money now). I would skate in front of my driveway or go to the Derby Skate Park. Those were the best times I had, skating around Santa Cruz with my friends, getting kicked out of places, and then going surfing. We used to build ramps in front of my dad’s house.
What advice would you give kids just starting out skating? I always had the dream of making something of it, but getting a sponsor was never my goal. It’s just something I always loved to do and will continue to love. It’s like a kid that I can’t stop caring for. I’d say just to have as much fun with it as you can. Just skate everyday and enjoy the ride.
What are some of your current favorites? Drakes. Russian River. Clown Shoes. It’s great to see all the craft beer spots opening up in San Jose like The Market, Original Gravity, and ISO. San Jose needs more craft beer bars.
Who are some of your favorite people to skate with? I had a crew in high school called the Wastoids and we made a few videos. We would just go skate, film all day and then party at night. Those were great times. I always loved skating with the Tiltmode guys like Jerry Hsu, Ricky Espinoza, and Caswell Berry. My favorite skaters as a kid were Andrew Reynolds and Eric Koston. They were like my idols and I still am influenced by them today. Influenced in what way? Andrew Reynolds just always had the best style. He skated the biggest stuff and made it look effortless. Eric Koston was a skater who could skate anything. I get hyped on all the younger guys in the skate scene now who are killing it. Skateboarding has gotten to a ridiculous level and it’s exciting to watch. What made you stick with skating all these years? It was different than any other sport I’d tried. There’s no pressure or team. It’s just about having fun with your friends and pushing yourself to the next level. Skateboarding gives you a sense of freedom and independence to do whatever you want and take it as far as you want. I still feel like a kid every time I step on my skateboard. It’s when I’m most happy.
“Skateboarding gives you a sense of freedom and independence to do whatever you want and take it as far as you want.”
I’m sure, as you gotten older, you feel the injuries more. Has that changed the way that you skate? Absolutely. I’m only 31, but my body feels much older. You won’t catch me jumping down 15 stairs or doing crazy hand rails. I used to really break myself on big stairs or gaps. Hard to pinpoint what was the biggest, but I definitely hurt myself on a lot stuff. I kinda like not putting myself through that anymore. What are some of the best spots to skate in San Jose? Sunnyvale Skate Park, Quimby Middle School, and Red Park. The best is always just skating the raw streets and whatever’s around you. What activities do you enjoy other than skating? I grew up in Santa Cruz, so surfing. Snowboarding. I’m a music lover. Pink Floyd, always. I like skating to a lot of old rock music. It’s hard to skate to all the new pop stuff.
Sean Flynn
instagram: flynnstagram_
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