Member Spotlight 2 - 'babyofmtm'


The second instalment of the SBR Member Spotlight is focusing it's crosshairs on Carlos AKA 'babyofmtm'. I thought to mix up these spotlights a little we'd focus most of Carlos' interview on his skateboarding.

- Let's start off by you telling everyone a bit about yourself


Well my name is Carlos Galvan, i'm 17 years old as of now and I currently live in Pittsburg, CA. Other than collecting sneakers, i'm really into new era fitteds and Diamond Supply Co. haha but most importantly I spend my free time skateboarding! I have been skating for about 6 years or so.



- How long have you been collecting skate shoes and what got you into it?

Well I have always been buying skate shoes but to actually skate in. I started collecting sneakers around 3 years ago, one of my friends always had sick shoes and just seeing that got me into it I guess, then I bought my hunters from him and my collection started to build up.


- Wheres your favourite place to skate?


Out of all the places I have ever skated I would have to go with either just rolling around in SF or Epic indor park in Sacramento.


- What's your favourite trick(s)?


That's a hard one but my favorite tricks I can do would be smiths, fakie full cab flips and hardflips. Wish I had hardflips better though.


- What tricks you working on right now?


Hardflips and trying to get fakie half cab 5-0 back 180 out down too.



- So what brands do you favour for your setups?


Well I usually skate my local shops deck (Metro Skate Shop), Venture trucks, Bones wheels, Bones Reds bearings, Diamond Supply Co. hardware, and i'm probably going to start skating that grizzly grip!


- What shoes do you skate in mostly at the moment?


Ever since i started skating Janoski's, thats all i skate!


- What's your favourite shoe(s) in your collection?


That is a hard one because I slimmed my collection to mostly my favorite kicks but I would have to go with my Flashes.




- Got your eyes on any particular shoes at the moment?


Honestly not really, sucks being broke haha! Collection wise if I had some cash I would for sure be trying to find some Lodens, never see a decent pair in my size.


- You got a favourite SB box color?


I would have to go with the orange box series, simple yet dope sneakers! My favorite would again have to be the Flashes and Coral Snakes.


- Do you have a least favourite SB?


My least favorite Nike SB Dunk would be Dino JRs! I don't understand the hype around those.


- Do you collect anything besides SBs?


Yes I recently stepped into collecting Jordans, and I want to start getting some AMs. Just haven't got money to do so though.


- Any favourite skate shoe brands aside from SB?


I would have to go with Adidas or Lakai.


- Any favourite models from those two brands?


Even though I havent been able to pick up a pair, I'd say Busenitz. They look sick and heard they skate good. For the shoes I have had, Campus Vulc Lows.


- Any particular shoes you wear on a day-to-day basis?


Actaully, I have bought a few pairs of the black/white Janoski's and wore them on a daily basis. Once they get really beat up, I end up skating them and grabbing another pair.


- Best steal you ever got?


Never got some crazy deals but my best was some vnds Pusheads for 110 bucks from my friend's friend.


- Who are your favourite skaters?


There's too many to name but my real favourite's would be Karl Watson and Chico Brenes, not the best out there but they are some cool ass dudes.


- If you could design a shoe what would it be like?


Not a great designer but honestly anything that skates good and an SBR dunk! but ill leave that to the designers out there!!


- Thanks for taking the time to do this Carlos! Got any parting words?


First of all shout out to the SBR fam! Thanks for doing the interview on me this time, even though I wasn't a great interviewee haha!



Happy New Year everyone!
- brad



Member Spotlight 1 - 'thesportsaddict'


The first SBR Member Spotlight is focusing it's crosshairs on Mike AKA 'thesportsaddict'. If you have posted a legit check on ISS, chances are Mike put in the work to let you know if what you were looking at was legit or not. His large contributions to the Jordan price check thread, comprehensive guide on how to spot fake Freddy's & his design contests in the SB thread are all notable contributions Mike has made to ISS and in turn the sneaker community on a whole, all in the year he has been a member. Not to mention the first member to be accepted into 4 UG's all within his rookie year!

- Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself?


My name is Mike, I'm from Philly.. I have been around skating and shoes since I was 7yrs old. (which was 23 years ago).


- When did you get into collecting skate shoes?


I started collecting skate shoes about a year and a half ago... But have always followed them. Being in the Military and always being deployed, there was not a lot of resources for getting the shoes I wanted.



- What was one of the first stand out shoes that got you into collecting skate shoes?

Well the first Skate shoe that did it in for me was the Original Vans Half Cab.. and Vision's.. I remember seeing Steve Caballero tearing it up with the Checkered pairs and it was a love ever since.


- What's your favourite skate shoe brand? Around how many do you have in your collection?


That would be Vans and Nike SB... Close Tie.. And combined I have around 50 pairs.



- What are your favourites in the collection?


My love's are Sole Collector Vegas Highs, Jedi's, SBTG's, Kaboom's and Skate Mental Mids. If I had to choose one I couldn't.



- Don't you have 3 pairs of the Kaboom's? They didn't receive a very good reception when they dropped!


I do have 3-4 pairs of Kaboom's... Maybe more haha... No they didn't get any love.. But I am a huge comic fan and they appealed to me directly from that. One day they will be looked upon differently.


- What was it that attracted you to Nike SB in particular?


The way that they first made the shoe to be Comfortable, most skate shoes when I was younger and skating were very uncomfortable and would tear your feet apart. Then the designs. How could you not love a shoe that put 8 shoe desings on one or the shoe having immense character.. some of the SB releases are a thing of beauty.


- Do you have any particular shoes that you like to wear on a day-to-day basis?


I wear my Kabooms, Dark Army's, Unfuturas, Unkles and Skate Mentals all the time.


- What are some of your all time favourite SBs that you don't own?


Chocolates.. OMG Chocolates.. I love those.. Black Melvins, EC Lunars and SC Vegas Competition Lows.


- What are your least favourite Nike SB's?


I'm gonna catch some heat on this one.. HAHA.. I can't stand the look of the Paris' and Purple Pigeons.. I have seen both in person and have had multiple oppurtunities to buy them for cheap, but couldn't do it.


- Least favourite/favourite box colors?


Favorite Box Color's are Gold and Black. Dont have a least Favorite.


- Favourite shoe from gold and black eras?


Gold Box Era - What the Dunks all day

Black Box Era - ?? Hmm almost all of them haha


- A lot of people tend to refer to black box as one of the 'slower' box eras, so you don't agree with that?!


No, I don't.. People from different generations and area's of the worlds are accustomed to different taste's. But I like almost all as I see what they really are.. Look past the meaning of the design and see the thoughts and feelings.


- What shoes are you currently looking for?


Currently on the hunt for Chocolate's, Tweed's High and Low, Boba Fett's, EC Lunars, White/Black Melvins and another pair of What the Dunks.


- What's the best steal you ever got on a skate shoe?


Hmmm, probably my Pusheads.. DS Pusheads OG everything for $80 from neighbor that was selling them.


- Who are some of your favourite skaters?


The one and only Steve Caballero and Bucky Lasek.


- If you could design a skate shoe what sort of thing would you go for?


I have done a few iD's, but what I would love to make would be a dunk low of course and it would be a Christmas Low.. Green and Red with a little gold or a few of the designs from the SB Battles.


- Any last words? Also, what's your blog address? Your freddy post alone is definitely worth a read!


http://tsa-thesneakertruth.blogspot.com/


Thanks for having me on the first spotlight and everyone stay away from Fakes.. Buy Legit..


- Thanks Mike


Thanks Brad.




SBR - It's Official

Hey guys,

First off, for anyone reading who doesn't know, SBR has recently been made an official UG on ISS.

We will be posting more frequently here with a number of different features.

One of these features will be the "User Showcase". Look out for the first installment which will be featuring Mike aka thesportsaddict.

Be sure to follow SBR on twitter @SB_Republic

Free Lyricistfan!

-Brad


World Aids Day x (RED) Nike Laces Initiative

Sneaker heads, make sure you pick up a pair of the Nike Red Laces. All profits go to the Global Fund For Aids. http://tr.im/Gj5x <--- THIS LINK TO BUY!



http://blog.joinred.com/2009/11/announcing-reds-new-partner-nike.html FREE SHIPPING! $4 each pair. I already bought two! Throw them on your gucci dunks ;)

More donation options: http://www.google.org/world-aids-day-2009.html

Tweeters: Add hashtag #Red to all your tweets so they turn red, and help spread the cause! - also follow http://www.twitter.com/joinred for more info
Facebookers: http://www.facebook.com/joinred

Quick Facts: 10% of the world’s pop is in Africa yet she's home to 67% of all HIV cases. Fight AIDS in Africa. 33mm people in world have HIV. 22mm live in Africa. It costs around 40 cents a day for the 2 pills that are needed to help keep someone with HIV alive.


-DJ Shakez


Whats good!

1st blog :)~ Welcome all members