Birdhouse tour
How did you end up on the
Birdhouse team?
I used to skate for a brand called
5BORO. I’d go up to New York and
skate a lot. Then I was getting flow
for them and skating with them all the
time. But then Clint hit me up. I didn’t
even really know him, but I guess they
were interested in me skating for the
team and after talking with Clint and
Jerome - Case was team manager
at the time - eventually I got on a trip
with them. We did like an east coast
tour and then the rest is history. I really
bonded with the dudes.
What’s the team dynamic like?
I mean everybody is super f**king
close. Everyone is really good friends
and they count on each other for
anything really.
A lot of teams say, “Oh, welcome to
the family. Family this and family that.”
But Birdhouse really is such a tight
knit crew. It really is like a family. And
yeah, Jaws and I are great friends. We
get along. He comes and stays at our
house sometimes. It’s pretty cool. I had
Thanksgiving with him and his family
this year.
£ Gav Coughlan // 360 Flip
How does that affect your skating?
Do you push each other?
Yeah, definitely. Skating with Aaron
definitely makes you look outside of
your own realm of skating. I’d never
once would - before skating with
Birdhouse and hanging out with him all
the time - think of grinding off a roof to
a six foot drop or something. But then
once you’re skating with him you’re
like, “Oh man, maybe I could jump
off that,” or, “Maybe I could take that
impact.”
But the same goes for the whole crew.
Everyone pushes each other in a
different way. Like Clint is a really good
motivator. He gets people hyped all the
time. Aaron’s just always having a fun
time and is just happy. Laughing and
always lightening the mood. Everyone’s
got their own key attribute to bring to
the table.
Shawn Hale
Tell us a bit about yourself Shawn…
I’m from Joplin, Missouri. That’s like
the middle of America, small town,
and then I moved to California when I
was like 22. And that’s when I started
skating for Birdhouse. u