Jacob Taylor: The New Scene

There is a new skateboarding scene sweeping the nation; aspects like health and wellness, self branding, social media promotion and overall style are all part of this new culture of skateboarding. Jacob Taylor is a perfect representation of this type of shift in the skate world. Being a fitness fanatic and all-around athlete, Taylor represents a new breed of skater that is taking over the scene. While maintaining a high level of physical fitness and a hard work ethic in the plumbing trade, Taylor is a powerhouse on the skateboard as well—powerful 360 flips are usually a warm-up trick for a burly front feeble or backside lipslide to follow. Taylor mixes technical grace with demanding board control to make up a style that is uniquely his own, representing hard work and dedication on and off the board.

SLUG: When did you start skating and what first sparked your interest in it?

Taylor: I got my first skateboard for my third birthday. My dad bought me a skateboard from Walmart, and within five minutes after I got the board my dad snapped it. He ended up getting me a board from Zumiez so it actually worked out better for me. My Dad and my uncle Ryan both loved to skate when I was growing up. I looked up to them both and [that] made me want to skate with them.

SLUG: What came first, your interest in fitness or skateboarding?

Taylor: My interest in skateboarding definitely came first. I loved skateboarding from the moment I stepped on the board. I didn’t really get into fitness until I was about 14 or 15. I got really into fitness because I joined the wrestling team in seventh grade, and wrestling is a very physical and challenging sport. I got really good at it, and the more I worked out and ate healthier, the better I was able to perform.

SLUG: How do you combine your passion for fitness and skateboarding? How do they feed off of one another?

Taylor: Physical health goes hand in hand with skateboarding! When I work out I get stronger and I get more endurance, which I can definitely apply to skateboarding because skateboarding is a very physical sport. It takes a lot of skill, strength and endurance to skateboard. In skateboarding, I take a lot of falls and slams that hurt in the moment but overall make me stronger. Working out helps with handling the pain and recovery.

SLUG: Rank your top five favorite parks in Utah and why?

Taylor: My overall favorite park in Utah is Lehi Skate Park. I like how smooth of a park it is and I love how big the bowl is there! My other favorite parks are Provo Skate Plaza, Park City, 9th and 9th Skatepark and last but not least, Fairmont Skatepark.

SLUG: What are some aspects or realms of skating you’re interested in most? Would you like to participate in more events like contests and street events, or are you more focused on videos and content creation on platforms like Instagram?

Taylor: My favorite part of skateboarding is going out in the streets with the homies and stacking up clips. I want to do everything with skateboarding! I want to compete at skateparks and street spots and I also want to put out a video part. It’s hard to do everything that I want to do with skateboarding when I have put a lot of time into plumbing because I don’t have any sponsors and I have to pay for skateboarding somehow. Instagram is just a quick and easy way that I can post my tricks in short clips so I can see my progress.

SLUG: Who are some people you skate with on the regular? Are you a solo skater mostly or is meeting up with a crew more normal?

Taylor: Me and my homie Cameron (@hall_skater) always like to go skate on the weekends when we don’t have to work, but I do have a lot of solo sessions because I have to make time for skateboarding throughout the work week.

SLUG: Name some Utah favorites and what you love about their skateboarding.

Taylor: My favorite Utah skaters to watch skate are Tyson Bowerbank, Brodie Pernod and Shylio Sweat. I think these guys have dedicated so much to skateboarding and their style is off the hook! I could watch their video parts all day.

SLUG: Is Utah home for the foreseeable future, or are you looking to take your skateboarding/life elsewhere?

Taylor: Utah is definitely home for me—I absolutely love living here! I would like to travel more and skate the world, but I plan on staying in Utah for a while.

SLUG: Do you have videos/content ideas in the works? What are some projects you’d like to get going or are working on specifically?

Taylor: I am working on a video part right now in which I’ve got a lot of clips for. I just haven’t had the time to get some help to edit the video together. I would really like to make a video where I combine my skateboarding and fitness together.

SLUG: On personal tricks, what comes first for you: A front feeble or backside lip slide?

Taylor: Usually I send the front feeble first when I’m warming up on a flat bar but if I’m warming up on a big handrail, I will send a backside lip slide first.

SLUG: What’s the best and worst experiences you’ve had skating shirtless?

Taylor: My best experience skating with my shirt off is when I get hit on by hot moms at the skatepark. My worst experience is when I skate too long with my shirt off and I get sunburnt because I’m a pasty ginger!

SLUG: What’s your preferred video format, VX or high definition?

Taylor: My preferred video format is high definition because I just enjoy the quality of the video and how smooth skateboarding looks in HD.

SLUG: Any last words and thank you’s?

Taylor: I’d like to thank my dad and my uncle Ryan for sparking my interest in skateboarding. I don’t think I would’ve started skating as early as I did if they hadn’t gotten me my first board and inspired me to skate. I would also like to thank Weston Colton for getting me this opportunity for an interview and a feature in SLUG Mag!

Taylor’s new-school outlook on things like fitness, a healthy lifestyle and even video standards are all signs of the times when it comes to skateboard culture. This attitude currently echoes through the community, with skaters like Neen Williams promoting healthy lifestyle choices and the upcoming introduction of skateboarding in the Olympics. Skateboarding has consistently been a benchmark for so many aspects of culture around the world. From clothing styles to music styles and even fitness lifestyle, skateboarding seems to permeate wherever it can. Taylor’s health conscious and crusher abilities make him stand out and exceed in this culture. Catch Taylor on Instagram @Jakeskates98.