I could almost certainly make a guess at one of the skaters who shaped Harry Myers. The man more recently known as Howard has a distinctive style when skating transitions, and his go to tricks of mayday grinds, blunt fakies and massive Frontside Airs over transition gaps should offer clues to who influenced him early on. Even past this obvious inspiration, there are deeper connections to other mid-2000’s legends in skateboarding who shaped Harry, and in this entry he goes into detail on the expected, and unexpected, skaters who shaped him.
So as I sit here at home on a wet Winter eve eating one of the best Chinese takeaways I’ve ever got my chops around, I’m reflecting on those who shaped the skateboarder that I’ve become, and continue to influence and inspire me.
I think by far the biggest influence on my skateboarding has to be Dan Drehobl. I remember the Vox “Black & Blue” videos: one of them had a part that truly resonated with me. Coming in at only 60 seconds long, and backed up by some awesome Hank Williams the 3rd on the soundtrack, it was, and still is, the most important video part to me.
Now that’s not to say I don’t love his other parts, because to me all his parts come in my top ten. This part just stuck with me. I mean, who doesn’t love watching a guy with a cigarette dangling from his lip do pivot fakies and blunts with style? It’s no secret that I love Dan Drehobl, and probably emulate him more than anyone else, but there is another skater who shaped me.
Technically it’s not Pontus Alv‘s skating alone that inspires me, but his passion for what skateboarding is, and how we can be creative and work together in our scenes to create true beauty. Now, for you younger skaters who haven’t heard of Pontus Alv, he put together several really inspirational and evocative skateboard videos. The one I’ll be referencing here is “The Strongest of the Strange”.
It’s a powerhouse of a video featuring a whole host of super good skateboarding talent, but it’s the Savannah Side DIY parts that really inspired ME, and probably most of the people you see out there doing DIY parks to some degree. His passion for skateboarding and determination to make something happen is nothing short of breathtaking to behold. I seriously recommend that if you haven’t already watched it you get on the web and give it a watch right now.
Honorable mention to Omar Salazar for the same reasons as Pro Marky described in the previous entry of this series. Another honorable mention to my local hero Joxa! And also a nod to everyone I skate with really, including Ade from this very blog, for getting me out and about on missions when I was younger, and too this day.
The Terrible Company 
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