How is being a team manager and skateboard company owner? Who better than a company owner can give us some insights on this topic… Here is the interview with Roman Astleitner , the team manager of Muckefuck skateboards & urethane. Enjoy reading this awesome interview
The interview is taken from the online magazine nr.6 , CLICK HERE and read the mag!
Your company was founded in the 2005, nowadays your urethane and skateboards team is very big, a lot of riders skates for you. What do you look for while creating/curating a team?
For the skateboard team the focus was and still is to support the local scene… we just sponsor riders from Austria and Lee Blackwell! I’ve known Lee for a long time and when he was without a board sponsor we decided to put him on the team! The urethane division has an international focus. With our wheels we are able to support riders from all over the globe. In choosing team riders it’s not just how good somebody is on their board. They must be good characters you can go on tour and have a great time with… passion is the second thing – we want guys that are dedicated to skateboarding. We support the underrated – no super stars needed!
How many sponsor-me tapes do you receive a month?
Too many – I mean there are kids that really think they can get sponsored by sending a list with tricks they can do… I watch every single sponsor me video I get and if I see kids took some effort in putting a video together I don’t have any problem supporting them by giving some discount on stuff… I try to help whereever I can.
What do you think are the responsibilities of a team manager?
I mean, I don’t really see myself as a team manger… sure it’s a small part of what I’m doing. My job is to run the whole company. If it comes to our tour I try to bring the team together and organise every need to have a good time! It should be like back in the days – just hitting the road with good friends!
Has it ever happened that someone was injured before the start of a tour? How did you react?
Yeah, it always can happen! Last year Skreech got hurt at a demo we did one day before the official tour started – but he was with us and had a good time… Luckily it was not too bad and he was able to skate a bit in the last days of the tour… injuries belong to skateboarding!
Any projects in the works?
There are always projects – we plan to build a new section for Wörgl’s d.i.y park this summer and there will be a tour again for sure!
Where’s your favourite place to skate?
It’s great to skate at home – there are tons of great parks that were built in the past… the only thing I’m missing in Austria are backyard pools and there definitely should be more vert ramps.
What is your typical day like?
Office work – taking care of productions, sending out stuff, doing all the administrative things that need to be done – spending time with my wife and kids and if the weather is good I skate whenever it’s possible!
Is there anyone on the team you personally like going on tour and working with overall?
All the guys are good to have on tour – it was a pleasure to have Mark Munson as a guest with us in Switzerland last year – he was the one with the most experience on the road!
Do you have a favourite wheel graphic?
That’s a difficult question as we work together with so many amazing designers from all over the world… I really love the new Skreech & J-mag wheel designs, done by Ferdz Valencia from the Philippines and Jacob Ovgren from Sweden. There is a ton of sick artworks from Julien Fincker as well, who is responsible for about 70% of all the wheel designs!
What other skate companies are you a fan of at the moment in terms of their artwork?
Polar has a unique style that I like, Yama, Consolidated, Witchcraft and so on – I’m not a big fan of logo boards that many big brands do these days… skateboards should have rad designs!
Any last words?
Keep skateboarding in hands of skateboarders and never forget to support the underground!
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