Simon: So, how's your summer going? What have you been up to? 
Ryan Sheckler: I've been working on the new Almost Skateboards video - shooting lots of footage for that. I also did some stuff for the new THUG2 video game and I'm getting ready for the X-Games. I won it last year and I want to see if I can do something fantastic this year. It's always pretty fun. I've cut down on a lot of stuff this summer, just so I can hang out and be a normal kid for a while. You know, hang out, do stuff with my friends - some of the things I was kind of lacking when I was travelling all the time. It's all worth it because I love to travel but I've kind of just wanted to hang out for a while.

Simon: How do you manage to keep on top of your school work when you spend so much time skating and working on other things?
Ryan Sheckler: I just motor through school in the morning and then go skating. I'm

Courtesy of SOBE

really good in math and like it a lot. Social Studies is one I don't like so much, but I still do well in it.

Simon: What's the best way to go about becoming a sponsored skater?
Ryan Sheckler: You shouldn't even think about getting sponsored. Just go out there and have fun and do what you normally do and someone will notice you. I guarantee they will notice you and recognize what kind of skills you have. If you go out there and your main purpose is to get a sponsor, then it's not gonna work. Just go out there and have fun. That's how I got sponsored. I never even made a "sponsor me" tape. I was just skating and wasn't even thinking about getting sponsored and it all kind of fell into place.

Simon: What's the worst injury you've had while skateboarding?
Ryan Sheckler: I fractured my foot in two places. I was just skating a nine-stair hand rail, trying to do a Smith Grind. I calculated it all wrong and I fell in an awkward position and broke my foot. That was bad. That one really hurt.