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Meet Mike, Owner and Skateboard Enthusiast from Atlas
Meet Mike, owner and skateboard enthusiast from Atlas. Atlas is a local, downtown San Mateo skate shop offering all types of skateboards and gear. Atlas is known as the best skate boutique along the peninsula. The staff is always eager to help and they’re very knowledgeable about everything that has to do with skateboarding. They have a vast selection of boards for beginners to advanced skaters. If you are in the market for a skateboard, stop by and let the Atlas team help you find your perfect skateboard. In addition, if you are interested in taking up skate boarding lessons talk to Mike about the group lessons at Baresford Park. I had the chance to catch up with Mike recently and here’s what he had to say…
Back in the 90s there was only one type of skateboard. Can you tell us about the future of skate boarding? My focus and interest is on modern street skateboarding. The boards aren’t too different than they were in the 90s. The future of street skateboarding is going to be skateboarders constantly refining their technique to do tricks ever more perfectly while increasing the technical difficulty of trick combinations. There are many types of boards that people skate on, such as longboards, Penny boards, and electric skateboards. None of these are of interest to me.
Do you have recommendations for kids or adults that are looking to pick up skateboarding?
Observe people that already know how to skateboard in order to learn the proper technique. You will fall down. Just make sure you get back up and try again.
How did you become interested in skateboarding and what made you decide to open Atlas?
I was inspired by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future. I began skateboarding at age 12 and am now 37 — I can’t grow out of it! The previous San Mateo skate shop DLXSM closed in late 2006. My friend Ryen (is this the correct spelling?) and I thought that we’d be able to open a different kind of skate shop with a more mature feel to it that would be the right shop for this town. So far, so good.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The pride in running a well-respected skate shop and the responsibility of being a role model for the younger generation of skateboarders.
What is the biggest misconception of skateboarders?
That we are all disrespectful punks. Very few actually are, but that seems to be the generalization.
Do you have any favorite skateboarding parks in or around San Mateo that you can recommend?
Shoreview Skate Park in San Mateo is great. I skate there quite often.
QUICK FIRE ROUND:
Favorite downtown restaurant: The food counter at Central Market
Three words to describe San Mateo: Sushi restaurants galore!
Favorite skateboard brand: Atlas, of course :-)
Do you love the outdoors? Explore all the hiking and nature that can be right in your backyard. The Bay Trail offers hiking, running, biking just about 365 days a year. Check out our bike map to discover all of the endless trails. Just about everyone that lives in San Mateo will say there are never-ending opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts!