I’ve known Ray Mate since the we both were 15-16 skating in Canarsie, Brooklyn, in the late ’80s. My mom had a family friend that lived a few doors down from his family’s house and one weekend I noticed Ray and Rob skating in front of their home – not sure if it was a jump ramp or a PVC flatbar. I had started skating maybe a few months or so before that, and like most skaters back then, you hit it off and just like that, you have a new friend. But that’s skateboarding, the great equalizer. Fast forward a few decades and I think I was at an LRG premiere in 2009 and our paths crossed once again. It was as if a day hadn’t passed since our summer in Canarsie.
I speak to Ray pretty much everyday. We’re both New Yorkers, skateboarders, and fathers. This interview below is pretty much an extension of one of our daily chats (minus my rants!). He’s one of my closest friends and has supported me in everything I’ve done. Mighty Healthy is an extension of himself, the fact that it’s celebrating its 10th anniversary is a testament to who he is and his vision.
I stopped by to chat with Ray and Taji Ameen shot the footage below:
On Instagram @MightyHealthyNY
::
Read more:
Pete’s interview with Kevin Lyons on his Mighty Healthy 10 Year Anniversary collaboration.
Ray Mate’s Best. T-Shirt. Ever. contribution to Bobby Hundreds’ series.