I don't see masses, I don't see it like, oh there's hundreds of people here and I'm overwhelmed. I just try to think, well I could be a kid in that crowd, or my daughters could be in that crowd, and no one wants to feel like they're just part of the masses.
Mike VallelyWe didn't call it a sport necessarily, and skaters definitely weren't thought of as athletes, we were thought of as misfits.
Mike VallelyThere's a lot of time when skaters think they know everything because they've seen videos of you, and seen you on TV or the internet, and there's ways of throwing jabs and being inconsiderate and not having your manners.
Mike VallelyI feel like the best thing, as far as what I do with kids, is I treat them like human beings.
Mike VallelyThey'll try to apply the rules of the day to the game, where you can't touch your board with your hands, or you can't step off your board, etc and I want nothing to do with it. It's like a game from a different planet or something and it's hard for me to relate to anybody who would think of skateboarding in such a narrow way.
Mike Vallely