Ohio Skateboard Connection

Episode 23 with Dave Ackels! Dave grew up in West Chester, Ohio and has been a staple of the Dayton/Cincinnati scene since the late 80’s. A gifted visual artist, Dave was mentored at the Wright State film school under Academy Award winning documentary filmmaking team Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar. He has also had stints working for Cow Skates, Alien Workshop, DC, and Ohio Surf & Skate (where...

Tim Cernanec is one of the leaders of Ohio's downhill skateboarding scene. Better known under the Instagram handle shoreline_boarder, Tim comes on to talk about his history with the sport, traveling the world to compete, gnarly crashes, top speeds, and much more. He also discusses some of the misconceptions of downhill and slalom, and how it interacts with the broader skateboarding scene. He provi...

Toledo native Dave Shaheen is the founder of Davis Skate Club. Operating out of the heart of downtown Cleveland, the organization is committed to exposing the precious gift of skateboarding to high school students at Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School, where Dave happens to teach. Lessons, workshops, field trips, and exposure to the art and culture of skateboarding are all part of the prog...

Our latest guest was born in Covington, KY and has lived in Cincinnati for most of his life.  A staple and leader of the Tri-state scene, he was a part of several influential local videos as a rider for Anonymous Skateshop, and later had a lengthy run skating for Consolidated. Later he became  the owner of Instrument Skateboards and Galaxie Skateshop. He was also one the biggest contributors to bu...

Chad Knight was the first professional skateboarder to come out of the Columbus area. Born and raised in Westerville, Chad was a significant player in the Sunsports indoor scene, cutting his teeth on their fabled ramp where he would craft one of the most elite mini-ramp skill sets of his generation. Originally sponsored by H-Street during their legendary early 90’s run, Chad went on to move to Cal...

Originally hailing from the Wheeling, WV area, my latest guest has established himself as a talented go-to photographer throughout the Midwest and beyond. After some early success in the industry in LA, Luke stepped away from skating for nearly a decade to pursue a career that was ultimately unfulfilling, before jumping back in harder than ever about a year ago. Currently residing in Colerain, Ohi...

John Sims discovered skateboarding while living abroad in Germany in a military family. When he moved back to Westerville in 1992, he quickly fell into a developing scene in Columbus after meeting lifelong friend Matt Smith. Soon, he would start filming and editing full length videos to capture the progression of both friends and rising stars in the local scene. Since 2017, his Instagram account  ...

On the outskirts of Dayton, Matt Williams is trying to put his hometown of Troy, Ohio on the map with a much needed skatepark upgrade. A skater since 1987, Matt has founded and organized Troy City Skatepark Unite, whose sole mission is to raise funding and support for a professional concrete skatepark on the site of their dated prefabricated setup. On September 20th, Matt and his team of volunteer...

Scott Tutak has been a part of nearly  every iteration of skateshop in Toledo since beginning at Breaking Away in 1989. He will soon be celebrating the 30th anniversary of starting his own shop, Just Skateboarding, back in 1996. He has also worked as a rep for Podium Distribution, Crailtap, and Alien Workshop. He has held it down for the Northwest scene longer than damn near anyone, advocating for...

Tim came of age in Gahanna, Ohio during the ‘85 skate boom, and quickly developed into one of the Columbus scene’s most memorable prodigies. A Sunsports disciple and team rider, Tim won the famed skatepark’s inaugural contest series in 1990. He would eventually be discovered there by Steve Caballero and Powell-Peralta team manager Jim Fitzpatrick. In one of the most memorable stories told on the p...

Representing the Canton scene, Gabby is a true artist who has been a pioneer in Ohio for women’s skateboarding. She grew up around skating from the moment she entered the world, thanks to her father and fellow Canton legend Dale. Gabby started to get serious around the age of 11, skating rabidly at the beloved indoor park Evolution. She quickly learned an old school bag of tricks that stood out an...

Chris is one of the most friendly and familiar faces in the Columbus scene. A skate lifer, he has taught hundreds of kids and adults how to confidently skateboard, often seen doing lessons and camps at  Skate Naked (RIP) and other local parks. His enthusiasm and positivity is unmatched, a true role model for countless youth. Chris has been fortunate enough to travel all over the country and world...

Launched in January 2023, Advocate Skate Works is a non-profit organization operating out of Lakewood, Ohio, where they passionately serve the Northeast Ohio skate community. Travis and his wife Maddie have helped put quality gear into the hands of thousands of skaters throughout Ohio and beyond. Working with companies such as Vans, Quasi, Baker, NHS, and Thrasher, Advocate Skate Works distributes...

Tony Heitz is an encyclopedia of Cincinnati skate history. He’s been involved in skateboarding for over 40 years in several capacities both locally and nationally. He was a rider for Basic Skateboards in the early 90s, co-owner of Habitat Skateshop in Dayton, and Anonymous in Cincinnati. Additionally, Tony worked  as Team Manager for Alien Workshop, Habitat, and Seek from 2002-2007. A natural stor...

Today we’re discussing all things fingerboarding with Noah Utterback. Holding down the Cleveland scene, Noah grew up in West Denison and currently lives in Parma with his wife. Noah is a member of Ohio’s own @cvlt_board_co where he is anticipating his own pro model later this year. Noah helped launch the first annual Fingerjam event in Cleveland in 2024, which he hopes will continue to be an annua...

Hailing from Westerville, Ohio, Bill is one of the most renowned and accomplished skatepark builders in the world. Along with his company California Skateparks, Bill has played a crucial role in developing, designing, and constructing some of the largest and most state-of-the-art skateparks around the globe, including both Olympic courses and largest-in-the-nation Lauridsen Park in Des Moines, as...

John is a Generation One street skater that first picked up a board in 1985. Against the odds on the shores of the Ohio River, John came out of working class Chesapeake, Ohio which lies directly  across the water from Huntington, WV.  Along with Ron Patrick from Iguana Skates, John developed his skills from the jump ramp era to scouring the Tri-state for contests and demos, eventually landing in a...

My latest guest is Cincinnati OG Nick Accurso. Nick has been skating since 1986- around the time street skating was born. Representing the west side of Cincy, "Fat Nick", as he’s known, played a key role in several extremely influential projects in Cincinnati underground culture. From Art Director for Strength Magazine, to co-owning Anonymous Skateshop from 1999-2012, and co-founding groundbreakin...

Evan is currently heading up the effort to get the first ever proper public skatepark built in the City of Cincinnati. Despite its long history and impact on the National skate scene, Cincinnatians have never had a legit park to call their own. Evan is working hard to change that. The city is now on board with a plan to build on a location in Camp Washington in 2025, accepting final bids from qual...

It’s not everyday you get to spend hours talking to one of your skateboarding heroes, but Kristian Svitak happens to be one of the most humble and generous guys in the skate industry, and we are lucky to call him one of Ohio's own. Hailing from Garfield Heights, no one has ever repped Ohio harder than him. Kristian was part of a memorable era of skateboarding that re-introduced a new generation to...

Kenny was a monumental figure in the Columbus Skate Scene, owning and operating the pivotal skate shop Sunsports with Nick Garcia from 1997-2006, and working there as far back as 1989. He also managed the fabled indoor skatepark in Whitehall until it closed its doors in 1994, watching a generation of local legends develop their skills as young kids. His friendly and approachable attitude was notic...

Dave was generous enough to be my first former pro on the podcast, and I couldn't think of a nicer guy to do it. Hailing from Bridgeport, Ohio, Dave went pro for Maple Skateboards in the year 2000, following breakthrough parts in the independent San Diego video "Trouble Shooters", Maple's "Black Cat", and the landmark "The Storm" by Osiris, one of the most discussed and memorable videos of the era...

Our first episode! Today I chat with Kenny Mollica, from Upper Arlington, Ohio. Kenny was an early skateboarding pioneer in the 1970's. He was a local at the legendary Apple Skatepark in Columbus, riding for Sims Skateboards, and rubbing elbows with legends such as Rob Roskopp, Bill Danforth, Steve Olson, Duane Peters, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, and Bill Ferguson, among many others. Along with...

A new podcast dedicated to telling the history of skateboarding in Ohio by the skaters and artists who made it.