By Cleo Coney Jr.
When did you began skateboarding and in what city?
Back in 1968, Ventura ,Cal.
Mark you had to of had a dream set up back in the day, what was it? Also, who helped you get your first skateboard?
I wanted to be a Surfer, I made it out of my Roller Skates and onto a self-made skateboard. I made two, the first one rolled crooked cause I nailed the front truck a bit off center, but the second one was perfect !
What skaters influenced you in the early years, which ones did you look up too?
Richard Van Der Wyk, Steve Monahan, Lonnie Toft , all Pier Point Rats, and any SIMS rider.
Mark when did you first get recognized for you skating ability?
When I was 8 years old, my best friend Dean and I got a job at the swap meet for this guy named Dave putting together complete skateboards, by the end of the summer he was paying us and giving us product and taking us skating every weekend after work ......He later turned into Dave's Cave, Ventura's only skate shop at the time,That guy was trippy, he had the shop until he passed away ... was Super bummed when I heard about his Passing...
Did you have a favorite skate park or private bowl that you frequented and is there a spot you'd like to skate these days that you haven't already shredded?
Back in the day my Local Park was Oxnard's Endless Wave Skate Park, but we skated anything that had a bank or transition and then we even started skating walls ... I would love to go everywhere and share my skating with whoever is willing to watch hahaha !
Mark, list those skaters whom you skated with the most and why you liked skating with them?
Dang that is a big list, ah, everyone!
Mark, describe what a great day of skating is like for you.
A great day for me is skating a virgin pool, any virgin pool.
Do you remember all the companies you've ridden for? If so, list them.
SIMS, Barefoot, Brand-X, Blockhead, Thunder, Independent, Tracker, OJ, Hosoi, Powell, O.M.A.,Bones, Embassy, there are a lot more............
Who got you on Tracker Trucks, and how many sets of Trucks do you think you went through?
Jim Gray invited me to a Tracker dinner, Larry had asked Jim to get me there.... I was very dumb about the industry and I trusted in what people told me, I still have faith in people but ...Larry was the first one to really use me and then throw me away. I went through as many trucks as it took?
Mark, how long did you skate for Tracker, and how did you like riding for them?
I skated for Tracker, I think three years, at first I hated it, then I started to warm up after I was able to make the trucks turn for me... but then in the end I was bummed on myself for believing in Tracker and Larry because of how they pulled the rug out from under me, just before Christmas of 89' ... I went from a couple grand a month to 0.00 , and I had car payments, a house payment and other things that just took me down hard. I’m still crawling out of that hole!
If you could go back to those days, is there anything you'd do different?
Yeah, not go to that dinner and start riding for H-Street like Mike T. had asked me to do.
What's the most important thing to you in your life today?
GOD, my Dog, My Skateboard, my Mountain Bikes, My Health , My Mom .....LIFE
Will we see you in any future master's skateboarding events?
Well that is up to my sponsors ,but I would love to do the tour ,,,,,,,in 2010 I went to four contest out of the eleven contest stop tour and got 2nd in the world ......So let’s do this I can win !
What's the one thing you want people to know and to appreciate about you?
Hmm, I’m true blue with a big heart.
Any shout outs or thanks, or appreciations to anyone?
Mom, Dad, GOD and everyone who has helped and supported me, it’s hard when you’re on the bottom.
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