One of the ways in which Park skateboarding as a competitive environment differs from Street is the way in which skateboarders come through the ranks from event to event. That is not to say luck and progression don’t play their hands in Street, but if you just look at the average age of entrants to our World Skateboarding Tour stops for this series, you can see that in Park we are witnessing trajectories of improvement throughout the series and sometimes even contest to contest.
On this World Skateboarding Tour, those talents include Yuro Nagahara, Pedro Carvalho, Taylor Nye, Keefer Wilson, JD Sanchez, Ale Mazzara- and our subject for today’s interview: Thomas Augusto.
Any of that group have the ability to turn a little bit of luck in their favour and be in with a podium shot. You can sense it building from contest to contest- and, for them, it is happening just at the right time.
Thomas is a real standout: he has the ‘who’s that guy?’ quality of drawing the eye in a heated session. Possibly it is his vert experience that has him sailing tricks with what seems like total abandon, possibly his tentative mega-ramp progression which dispels all fear of going stratospheric. The 19-year old representing Portugal on the WST has steadily come up the OWSR rankings since WST Sharjah and excelled both in San Juan and Ostia since, to currently lie in 35th. Sensing that something big is around the corner for him, we connected with him right after our Italian adventure to find out what makes him tick.
Ph: Garry Jones
Hi, Thomas- I’d like to start by saying how blown away we’ve all been to see you come out swinging on the World Skateboarding Tour: where did you learn your transition skills, primarily?
Thank you, Niall! I learned almost all of my transition skill skating (Evandro) Mancha’s vert ramp in Vista, California. I remember I used to beg my parents to take me there every day so I could go and try a new trick- or to perfect the ones I already had.
Is it true that you have triple-citizenship?
Yes, it’s true- I have tri-citizenship! I am a Portugese, Brazilian and American citizen. Both my parents are Brazilian and I got my Portugese citizenship through my grandparents- and could not be more stoked to represent Portugal in 2024’s road to the Olympics.
Which would you say were you were better at skating- Vert, or Park?
I love skating both park and vert, but I definitely think I’m more well rounded in vert and I prefer to skate it, as well. I still have a lot of work and new tricks to put into park, though, so my mind could definitely change in the years to come.
Ph: Garry Jones
You have a kickflip lien which is almost on lock- what’s the secret to them? Surely you can’t see it underneath you- is it more of a feeling than a sight trick?
Kickflip liens have become my favourite trick in the last year… but I don’t really think there is a secret to landing it. It really just has been how many hours I’ve put into getting that trick how I want it which has me landing it almost every try.
How was Vert Alert? Is it good to see that style of event make a return?
Vert Alert was amazing! Shout out to Tony Hawk for putting on that amazing event, because it was definitely one of the most fun ones I have been to. The style of the event, where it was held, and everyone who showed up made it spectacular… I hope to go again.
Would you like to see a World Skateboarding Tour stop in Portugal? Could be amazing…
I would love to see a World Skateboarding stop in Portugal! It would be a dream come true to skate in front of the very country that I’m representing. Hopefully one day we can make that happen…
Ph: Piero Capannini
Your results on the World Skateboarding Tour have jumped steadily since Sharjah back in January 2023- have you had a favourite stop so far?
Been working very very hard this last year to achieve my dream. It has been a crazy rollercoaster this last year, because Sharjah in 2023 was basically my first park contest ever- so I had a lot to learn… and a lot to adapt to. My favourite stop so far has to be Rome for sure… I got to meet so many great people, and had a lot of fun getting to know Italy!
In which direction do you see progress going in Park contests these days? Are we likely to see it get ‘trickier’, or more gnarly?
Yes, you can definitely expect tricks to get gnarlier in the next few years. The generation we have competing right now and the new generation coming up are making the harder tricks look easier and easier as the time goes on. I definitely have a lot of tricks as well that I have put down on vert that I haven’t brought to park yet- so I'm excited to show those off!
Who are your personal favourite skaters?
I’ve got three favourite skaters and they are all up there for different reasons! Pedro Barros is one of them, for sure, because he’s the reason I styled my skateboarding the way I did- and chose to do some of the tricks I do. Steven Pineiro is up there, too, not only because he kills it at skating but his mental grind and attitude towards skating really inspired me to get on my grind; I’m glad to call him one of my inspirations… and best friends, as well! Gotta put Tom Schaar up there as well, just because of the trick selection he has and the style he has. Also- can’t lie- his 1080 got me to do the 900…
Ph: Garry Jones
If you could imagine any future for yourself in skateboarding, what would it be?
I dream to be an inspiration to kids coming up and anybody in the world, really. I want to show people that anything is possible no matter where you come from and what you’re given. My Dad showed me at a very young age that you can achieve anything you set your mind to with hard work… and I hope I can spread that around the globe.
Imagine I just handed you the mic- what is it you would like to say?
I’d thank all my sponsors that have supported me through these years; also I’d want to give a huge shout-out to my parents for supporting me through the good and hard times for my whole life- they never stopped believing in me. Also- of course- Thank You Skateboarding!