Ohio Skateboard Connection

coreygschneider

A podcast dedicated to capturing the oral history of skateboarding in Ohio.

  1. Jun 5

    Dave Ackels

    Episode 23 with Dave Ackels! Dave grew up in West Chester, Ohio and has been a staple of the Dayton/Cincinnati scene since the late 80’s. A gifted visual artist, Dave was mentored at the Wright State film school under Academy Award winning documentary filmmaking team Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar. He has also had stints working for Cow Skates, Alien Workshop, DC, and Ohio Surf & Skate (where he was also a team rider). He ran his own brand and video series Absorb around 2009 for several years, and its impact loomed large in the Dayton scene. Dave continues to skate regularly, and just participated in an art show last month with fellow Ohio legend Doug K. Currently he works as a brand director for local BMX brand DK Bicycles. In this episode we discuss various topics such as formative punk music, Neil Blender, Jimmy George, music videos, the first DIY in Dayton, The Breeders, being a gay skater in the 90s, and much more. Dave has led a fascinating life and is a legit skate historian, so this conversation really covers a lot of important Ohio skate lore.    Timestamps   11:55- Background info/Moving to West Chester 26:20- Getting first video camera 36:40- Making the Basic video 40:00- The Dayton scene 44:35- Film school 55:30- The perils of making films 1:03:35- After college/ Cow Skates / Alien / DC 1:17:30- Being an openly Gay skater 1:31:20- Fairborn DIY, Nate Jones, Eye Level 1:40:00- Doug K 1:49:45- Solid Brand/Fat Mike’s/Mike’s Backyard Bowl/ Jimmy George 2:06:00- Dayton Legends 2:20:55- Absorb 2:31:30- Social Media 2:35:35- Art world 2:44:00- Closing thoughts/ Working in the BMX world 2:51:00- Influential Ohioans

  2. 12/23/2025

    Chad Knight

    Chad Knight was the first professional skateboarder to come out of the Columbus area. Born and raised in Westerville, Chad was a significant player in the Sunsports indoor scene, cutting his teeth on their fabled ramp where he would craft one of the most elite mini-ramp skill sets of his generation. Originally sponsored by H-Street during their legendary early 90’s run, Chad went on to move to California in 1995 in a classic go-for-broke tale of following a childhood dream. He would go on to ride for Evol, Gullwing, Pig, Dukes, Maple, Osiris, and 1031. Perhaps most famously, he was part of the iconic 1999 Osiris video The Storm. What people may not realize about Chad is that he’s gone on to an equally impressive phase 2 of his career in 3D design and fine art, along with working in the footwear design space for major brands such as Vans, DC, Nike, and Under Armour. Chad was one of the most requested guests since launching the podcast, and was incredibly gracious and open to all of my often esoteric questions regarding the Ohio skate scene of yore. Hopefully we can do a part 2 sometime in 2026 as there is so much we didn’t have time to cover. Lot of familiar names and characters mentioned in this wide-ranging conversation. Thank you dearly to all the listeners and support for this project. 2026 is going to be exciting. The merriest of Christmases and Happiest of New Years to all of you.  Thanks- CS   Timestamps 2:00- Background info 14:25- Sunsports 25:28- H-Street 46:40-Westerville Locs 55:00- Workshop 57:30- skating vert 1:02:15- Maple 1:11:30- Moving to San Diego 1:24:15- Sports Arena Switch Backside Flip 1:30:00- Working with big name photographers  1:33:37- Josh Kasper 1:40:00- Prominent San Diego skaters  1:44:15- The Storm 1:51:00- Alcoholism/sobriety 1:58:22- Pro shoe 2:05:20- footwear/Muska 2:15:30- 3D design 2:17:55- Finding success as an artist  2:40:30- part 2 interview 2:43:30- San Diego vs LA 2:51:15- Australia 2:53:38-Reflecting on Columbus

  3. 11/18/2025

    Luke McKaye

    Originally hailing from the Wheeling, WV area, my latest guest has established himself as a talented go-to photographer throughout the Midwest and beyond. After some early success in the industry in LA, Luke stepped away from skating for nearly a decade to pursue a career that was ultimately unfulfilling, before jumping back in harder than ever about a year ago. Currently residing in Colerain, Ohio, Luke has been published in numerous magazines, including Thrasher, Transworld, Lowcard, Skate Jawn, CCS, Bliss, Focus, Slam, Stepdad, Downward, Skate Boner, and Rare Breed.  Luke’s tireless work ethic has seen him become a rising star in a facet of skating we desperately need to support and keep alive. Throughout his world travels, Luke points to cities like Columbus and Dayton as particularly engaging and inviting scenes. This is a fun one where we discuss the future of photography, Dave Coyne, Dan Charlton, finding skaters to shoot, learning equipment, sobriety, and much more. Thanks Luke for your efforts documenting our regional scene and keeping the spirit of print photography alive and well.  Timestamps 1:31- Chit chat 3:40- Background info 8:46- Wheeling skate scene  15:13- Discovering Photography 24:49- getting serious  28:31- Finding skaters  42:00- Magazines  52:41- Moving to LA 1:10:00- Quitting lucrative career  1:18:13- Favorite skate trips 1:23:23- Equipment/techniques 1:37:48- Dan Charlton 1:44:35- Sobriety 1:51:55- Upcoming projects 1:55:20- Shout outs

  4. 10/02/2025

    John Sims - "Dudleyclips"

    John Sims discovered skateboarding while living abroad in Germany in a military family. When he moved back to Westerville in 1992, he quickly fell into a developing scene in Columbus after meeting lifelong friend Matt Smith. Soon, he would start filming and editing full length videos to capture the progression of both friends and rising stars in the local scene. Since 2017, his Instagram account  “Dudleyclips” has archived in extraordinary depth a massive catalogue of clips from his time as a filmer and the footage he compiled. The account provides a comprehensive window of the Columbus skate scene from 93-97: the spots, skaters, and feeling of a moment in time. It makes you feel nostalgia for a time you likely never experienced firsthand. I give John a tremendous amount of credit for inspiring me to help document a kind of regional history not covered by national skate media. Please check out our conversation on John’s life in skateboarding and his role as an early pioneer of local skate videos.   Timestamps 1:30- Random banter about yesteryear  8:40- Finding skateboarding 18:45- Moving to Westerville  29:04- Meeting Chad Knight 32:57- Starting to film 45:25- Full length video deep dive 1:13:20- Dublin DIY skatepark  1:19:32- Patrick O’Dell 1:27:09- Todd Pulsinelli 1:31:00- Memorable Demos 1:47:23- Adulthood  1:50:22- California  2:10:26- Starting Dudleyclips account 2:33:53- Columbus scene 2:37:00- New video?? 2:45:00- Future guests? 2:55:10- Getting photo in Thrasher  3:02:50- Most influential Ohio skater/final thoughts

5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

A podcast dedicated to capturing the oral history of skateboarding in Ohio.

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