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I live in Bend and I am ten years old
How long have you been skating?
What do you like to skate?
What do you like most about skating?
What is the hardest trick to date that you've pulled, and how did you stay motivated to pull it? How did you feel afterwards? Some tricks are really hard, but they aren't very scary. Other tricks are scary but not very hard. For me, the hardest trick I've done is a kickflip Indy over the big gap at Brookings. It's hard and scary. It's really hard to flip the board just right because I'm going really fast and it shoots me up really high. It's scary because if don't clear the gap I will smash into the other side of the bowl and get hurt really bad.
I worked real hard at kickflip indys all summer, and kept doing them over bigger things so that I would be ready for Brookings. I just stayed focused at Brookings and tried to be patient. It felt really great to land the trick!
Who do you like skating with, Do you skate alone or with friends?
Who are your sponsors?
How did you get your first sponsor?
Do you skate in contests, how do you get coverage?
What other things do you like to do besides skate? Ben pulling kickflip indy over the 14 foot "gap of death" and a backside 360.
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While doing some research on the new line of shoes from Axis I had an opportunity to talk with the new Axis pro Jim Bates.. Jim seems to have a really mellow personality, and seems like a really cool guy. He's been around for some time now and has moved up through the ranks competing in many contests, demos, and being featured in a couple of videos.
How long have you been skating?
I've been skating since I was around 13. A friend of mine had a skateboard that I started skating in his garage, I liked it so I kept on skating.
What do you like to skate?
I like to try to skate everything. I like stairs, ledges, gaps, and I like skating big drops.
Who do you like skating with Do you skate alone or with friends?
I skate alone and with friends. I like to skate with my friends like Mike Taylor, Justin, and Spanky. We all grew up together.
How did you get your first sponsor?
I really didn't look for sponsors. I skated in the California Skateboard League (CASL) contests and a local shop started giving me boards. My first board sponsor was Birdhouse in 1996. My first pro
model was for Status.
Do you skate in contests anymore, how do you get coverage?
No, I mostly skate by myself or with friends. Sometimes I go out on photo shoots or get filmed.
How do you like working with Axis?
I like skating for Axis, they have a high tech shoe with an air shock system in the heel for protection. They really have an innovative shoe.
Do you have your own shoe?
No, we've all been working on the team model. I haven't been on the team very long.
What other things do you like to do besides skate, we heard you like to draw?
Yeah, I like to do artwork, mostly pencil drawing, sometimes
I use colored pencils and I've done some painting also.
Interested in getting sponsored?
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Natural raw talent, that is what is needed to excel to the top of the official and unofficial top ranks of skating. Ben Watts from Bend Oregon has got to be one of the most talented skaters in Oregon. He has been dominating Oregon's The League Northwest and has been progressing up the ranks at Damn Am. Ben has the drive to excel and has the courage needed to take on Oregon's burliest concrete parks. Keep an eye on Ben as at this rate he's bound to be tearing up the Pacific Northwest for some time to come. Below is an email interview with Ben.
