Aaron Peluso Interview

Interview Conducted By SkimOnline.com Correspondent Rick Sawyer
Check out his website:  Third Coast Skim Crew

Aaron Peluso is me and I am him.  I am a professional skimboarder as well as the creator of this site.  Here is an interview of me conducted by a fellow skimboarder/webmaster.

     - SkimOnline.com

Aaron...

Ok, here it goes...I don't want this to sound like a profile when I post it so I am going to try to steer away from those questions. 

When did you get introduced into skimboarding? Who introduced you?

Skimboarding on a body board is one of my earliest memories.  I didn't know about real skimboards though.  When I was around 9 years old I found an old board in a dumpster near my house.  A friend of mine named Ben Kotin told me it was Erik Christensen's old board.  He kinda showed me how to do it and I never stopped.  

When did the idea of going pro enter your mind?

When I was 14 I really got serious about the sport.  I went down to Aliso everyday all day and skimmed as much as possible.  Within a summer I had the place pretty wired and lots of people mentioned to me that I would be a pro someday.  It still seemed like a long shot but within 3 years I was there.

How has the sport changed in the years you have been skimboarding?

It has changed a lot.  Right when I was first getting into the sport was the boom of the late 80's.  Skimming was everywhere, TV magazines etc...  Then in the early 90's the sport just died.  No magazine, no media.  People stopped traveling to contests and participation shrank a lot.  Personally I thought a lot of it was due to the fact that there was no media.  How would you even know there was a contest unless you knew the right people?  You wouldn't.  That was a major reason I started Skim Online, to inform people who weren't in the loop.  Together with other media outlets like Skim Magazine and goskim.com I think a lot has changed in that regard.  

How about that Vic Contest result? Had you been training for that?   You sure turned a few heads...

No, I hadn't even skimmed much before the contest.  I have had two injuries that have kept me from skimming much all summer.  I just got rid of a heel spur problem in time for the Vic, then I pulled my knee in the final!  I was stoked to do so well, but what was even better was the support I got from the crowd those two days.  People really seemed to want me to do well which probably helped my skimming a lot.  People who don't compete often don't usually realize how close contests are.  The only thing that separates 20th place from 3rd place at the vic is one wave where you get a point or so extra in each heat.  It is crazy how close all the heats are, there needs to be more distinction somehow.

How demanding is running the world's premiere skimboarding website? How many hours do you think you have poured into the site? Any words of wisdom to young web designers like myself?

It is pretty demanding.  I have spent many thousands of hours on the site over the years.  Including answering email and monitoring the message boards I probably spend 20 hours a week working on the site easy.  And thats not counting taking pictures etc.  But it feels good to accomplish something like SkimOnline.com and it feels even better to see its affects on the sport.  I love doing it.  

Who is your favorite person to skim with? Why...?

I like skimming with anyone who has a positive attitude.  I like sharing sessions where everyone is encouraging each other to push their limits and being stoked to see their friends succeed.  There are so many people like this that it would be impossible to choose just one.  

What do you do for a living? Is it hard to make a living in Laguna...?

I am a Commercial Real estate Broker and that pays the bills.  Laguna is an expensive place to live, but worth it.  Anyone can get by, the trick is having enough flexibility in your job to be able to ride when the waves are good.  

Where do you think the most up and coming skimboarders are at right now?

Laguna.  I should say, still Laguna.  There is just a ton of talent in this town.  That is not to say that there aren't bright spots everywhere however.  There are lots of riders from all over the country that I see who are obvious future contenders.  

Where would you like to see skimboarding to go in the next 5-10 years?

I would like to see it grow to a healthy, sustainable size, where riders can carve out a modest living if they are really good.  

If you could knock out one professional skimboarder who would it be? haha, I know, not trying to cause controversy, but I would love to know? Who is the nicest guy to skim with?

Well, that is certainly a question that could get someone in trouble...  I suppose that Chris Rudolph has consistently given me a hard time for the past decade or so.  So I didn't feel too bad when I knocked him out at the Vic this year.  

Do you try to share waves with groms? What do you think about the pro's that don't?

I try to.  Sometimes I fail miserably however.  It kind of depends on how amped you are on a particular day you know?  Sometimes I am just kicking back having a good time sharing waves.  Other days I am on a mission to kill the biggest gnarliest wave I can find.  On those days I probably take more than my share.  When I was a kid I used to get snaked *all the time*.  I used to get super pissed thinking things like "how can I ever get good if I don't get to even try the good waves".  Even when I knew that I probably wouldn't make the wave I thought I had the right to try if I had been waiting for it.  As I got older and better my perspective changed considerably.   As you get older it becomes easier to say respect your elders.  There is a lot that factors into it but fundamentally I think that a rider who has put in his hours is entitled to a little priority, but not absolute priority.  People who take every wave they want regardless of who else is around them get on my nerves fast.

What is your most exciting skimming situation?  Lemme hear about it! a good story would be nice...humor is great too.. (p.s. don't worry about being politically correct...one of the things I like about my site is that you can express your opinions so if you have to use the phrase "and "so and so" got so wasted down in Cabo that he went to a bar where the girls get with donkeys and bought a 3$ whore...go a head) that's a bit extreme I guess haha...

There are too many to list though it did happen in Cabo.

What is the one thing that gets you stoked when you are at the beach? Any particular moment stick out in your mind where you just thought "shit...how did I do that?"  

I love big waves and fast water.  That gets me more stoked than anything.  There are too many moments when I surprise myself to list just one or two.  It happens all the time.  That is how you get better.  

How long have you and Chia been friends? he is an incredible skimmer too...  

We started hanging out when I was 14 down at Aliso.  We would skim all the damned time, literally everyday.  And it payed off for both of us.  Chia is probably a better skimboarder than me in almost every way.  I think I still got him on the sidewash though.

What would your "magic board" be?

A magic board is the board that everyone asks for when they order a custom shape.  It is the one that is really light but easy to drop.  It is the one that travels really far yet turns really fast.  It is the one that is light but indestructible.  It is the one that doesn't exist.  Everything is a tradeoff.  Ideally you want a board that suits the conditions you ride in.  If it is windy then you want something heavier.  If the waves are weak then you want less rocker so you can slide out further.  If the waves are powerful then you want more rocker so you can carve them up.  Ideally the "magic board" is a quiver of boards suited for different conditions.  The next best thing is to look at the conditions where you are and buy the board that is best suited to your average conditions.