Photography by Matt Fookes
Sam LaCroix from Oceanside, CA and Stone [just Stone] from Long Beach, CA knew of each other’s existence, but their knowledge about one another ends just about there. Roller skating might still be a small community, but apparently not as small as we might think. We decided to try something different and have these two get to know the other by interviewing each other themselves. I asked a few questions to get the conversation going, then they were on their own. Sitting in a park with a jackhammer resounding nearby, they began learning each other’s stories and exactly how much olive juice they like in their martinis.
Karli: So I remember seeing you Stone skating years ago, but then you disappeared for a while. Was there something that influenced your break and return?
Stone: I stopped skating because I became pregnant and needed a C-section. I was off skates for eight months and then I was afraid of injuring myself and wouldn’t be able to care for my child.
Karli: Oh my god! I give so much props to skater moms. Do you think your kid will get into skating too?
Stone: Yeah she started skating very early (16 months old). She really enjoys it over everything. When she’s too tired, she wants me to pick her up and skate. Which is a lot of work but I enjoy it because she loves it so much. I honestly didn’t think she would still be into skating but she is.
Karli: I love that. Sam, I noticed you got into street skating more recently. Is that something you think you’ll continue to put more focus more on, or do you prefer flowing in the park?
Sam: The temporary closures of skateparks is what pushed me into getting more creative in the streets. But this magazine and the skaters previously featured inspired me to try getting better at it. I think it’s so badass.
Karli: Aww, that’s awesome. Do you think you’ll both be skating for the long haul?
Sam: I really hope so. 2024 taught me that this body is temporary and I need to take care of it if this is what I want to be doing forever. And it definitely is. Skating with all of you changed my life for the better and I hope I never have to give that up.
Stone: Yeah, I do see myself skating for the rest of my life. I’m not sure if I will be street or park skating. Only time will tell.
Karli: Well, the rest is all you.
Sam: Okay. Who inspired you to start your roller skating journey?
Stone: Who was it? Actually, I started when I was younger, but park skating. I saw Estro [Michelle Steilen] at the park, and I was like, “Ooh. I want to do that.” So, Estro inspired me.
Sam: What was the first thing that you saw her do? Was it a skate park, or did you see her on Instagram?
Stone: I actually saw her in person, because I was a skateboarder at the time. And she was at Green. She jumped on the ledge. She did some little footwork on the ledge. And I was like, “Ooh...”
Sam: That is so cool. You actually saw her in real life.
Stone: Yeah. I didn’t know who she was.
Sam: That’s really cool. How many years have you been on roller skates?
Stone: I started when I was 13, but I didn’t get my own pair of skates until I was 15, and I used to only skate on the ramps. You would never catch me outside. Then, I want to say, maybe 2016, 2017, is when I actually started park skating, but I didn’t take it seriously until maybe 2020… 2019.
Sam: That’s awesome. Long time.
Stone: Yeah. Okay. Here we go. Sam’s turn.
Sam: [Laughs] All right. Oh, why am I nervous? Okay. Go for it.
Stone: Well, how long have you been skating?
Sam: So, funny story. I always wanted to roller skate, since I knew about the concept of rolly shoes. When I was three years old, my mom made an ultimatum for me to stop using my pacifier and trade it for my first pair of skates. She made up this character called the ‘Roller.’ And she made me take all my pacifiers and put them in an envelope and send them to the Roller Skate Fairy in exchange for my first pair of skates.
Stone: Why is that so cute?
Sam: We still have that. We found the envelope recently. So freaking cool.
Stone: That’s so cute.
Sam: So my mom is who inspired me the most to start roller skating when I was super young. This is really embarrassing. I thought I invented park roller skating. Because I didn’t have the internet or anything like that. I lived right behind Prince Skate Park in Oceanside. I would roll around there. Then, I happened one day to stumble upon the Chicks In Bowls. They had an event going on at the park that day, and my mind was completely blown. It was super cool. Kiana [Maxwell] really inspired me to…
Random passerby: I like your skates.
Sam & Stone: Thank you.
Sam: …really inspired me to get down and dirty with it, push myself in the park skating realm. Yeah.
Stone: Oh, okay. Wait. Your story’s so cute.
Sam: I know. I was waiting to give you that one.
Stone: Was there anyone else who inspired you to start your skate journey?
Sam: At the parks it was Hayley Havik and Kiana.
Stone: Havik. Ah, awesome fucking skater.
Sam: So fiery.
Stone: Oh, my god. Used to be so obsessed with her.
Sam: Oh my god, style points. My jaw’s on the ground.
Stone: For real. Every time I see her.
Sam: She could be doing the most minuscule tricks, but she adds so much flair to them.
Stone: Yeah, so much style and so creative.
Sam: She definitely adds another dimension to the most mundane tricks.
Stone: She’s still number one in my head.
Sam: What’s your worst injury to date?
Stone: I was at Harbor City, and I was trying to hit that rail. It’s kink. And instead of going down the rail, I was trying to go up all the way.
Sam: That’s really cool.
Stone: Yeah. I ended up slipping out, and I had shinned myself. Let me just show you.
Sam: Oh, dang. It feels like a xylophone in there. Doo doo doo doo doo doo. God damn. That’s crazy.
Stone: The worst one to date.
Sam: I hate the square ones for that reason. What was your favorite trick to learn?
Stone: I think it was the kind grind. The kind and top soul.
Sam: I hate top soul. Yeah. I can stall it, but I can’t get it moving. My favorite trick is probably handstands. I love the way that time just stops when I’m upside down. What tricks are you looking forward to learning in the future?
Stone: I really don’t know the names of everything, but that’s a good question. Honestly, I just freestyle everything. So, if I see someone doing something, I don’t even know the name of the trick. I’m just like, “Ooh. I want to learn that.” Pretty much everything, everything I haven’t learned yet.
Sam: Okay, that’s cool. What has been the biggest, I don’t want to say advantage, but what has been the best part about being in the roller skate industry since you work in a shop?
Stone: I get to meet a bunch of like, new skaters but also old skaters. Uhm, shit, yeah, and just being in the community.
Sam: Getting people rolling.
Stone: Yep, pretty much. What is your least favorite thing about roller skating?
Sam: My least favorite thing is the fear of injury and putting myself out of work.
Stone: I feel that one, for real.
Sam: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Especially in the food industry. I can’t carry trays of drinks with a broken wrist. So, that’s really what’s been stopping me from pushing myself to my full capabilities. What about you?
Stone: All the drama.
Sam: All the drama? Yeah? I hear you, girl.
Stone: I’m like, “No. Shut up, please.” I’m really like ‘peace, love, and happiness’ so whenever there’s any drama, I’m like, “ahh, I’ll just distance myself”.
Sam: What’s your favorite thing about skating?
Stone: I can just express myself. It’s just freestyle pretty much.
Sam: My favorite thing about roller skating is the siblinghood that is the community. Just the community, how many people I’ve met, how much I’ve grown as a person because of the people that I’ve been blessed to meet. And the opportunities that have been granted to me because of roller skating.
Stone: What about your favorite obstacle to skate?
Sam: Ooh. I like a backyard halfpipe. A nice Gator Skin. For feeling fancy, some Diamond Coping.
Stone: Ooh. Hell yeah.
Sam: A couple summers ago, my friends and I built one in one of my friend’s backyard, and it was the most rewarding thing ever to be able to take the first run on something we put so many hours into. I hope one day in the future that I’m able to be in the concrete pouring, skate park manufacturing, aspect of this. How about you?
Stone: I love ledges and flat rails.
Sam: Flat rails. Sick. Do you have a least favorite?
Stone: Down rails. Handrails, I should say.
Sam: [Laughs] Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Stone: I think it’s just handrails, to be honest. I feel like I try everything. Oh, and bowls.
Sam: Bowls? You’re not a bowl person.
Stone: No.
Sam: Dang. I was raised in the park. Okay.
Stone: What’s yours?
Sam: Probably Pole Jams, the little poles that stick up diagonally.
Stone: Yeah. No.
Sam: One time I sat on one and I busted my labia open.
Stone: Oh… yikes.
Sam: Yeah…
Stone: Do you have a most challenging or rewarding trick you’ve learned?
Sam: Um… That’s a hard one. I have to think on that one. Dropping in on a vert ramp for the first time.
Stone: Oh, I’ve never done it.
Sam: Michelle actually pushed me for that.
Stone: Oh, shit.
Sam: The first time I met them, it was at Prince Park, again, and Miguel [Ramos] and them, they were really hounding me to finally face my fears and stick it down a 13-foot vert ramp. The way that my heart felt after that—the big relief that was taken off my shoulders, I can’t compare it.
Stone: Shit. All that adrenalin, too.
Sam: It’s like, “Ooh...” Yeah.
Stone: I still need to try that.
Sam: I felt so invincible after I got in there. Yeah. It was awesome.
Stone: What are your thoughts on competitions in roller skating like Quad Cup?
Sam: I like to view skating as an act of rebellion against corporate-set social norms and infrastructure that centers profit over community. And as anti-establishment as I’d like to see skating be, I think competitions are a great way of honoring how far the bounds of what we can do on wheels can go. I personally would not like to put how I physically express myself through a grading system, but I’m so proud of everyone that does.
Stone: I think Quad Cup is such a great opportunity for the humans like me that usually isolate themselves to actually get out there and face fears and just see how great the community comes together.
Sam: Definitely. Okay bonus question for you, what is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
Stone: I love coffee, so I usually go for a Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso or 007 from Black Dog.Sam: I like my homemade iced matcha oat milk lattes. Because fuck paying $9 for that shit. For real. What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?
Stone: Ooh. I do Voodoo Rangers IPA.
Sam: Do you like the Juice Press Hazy?
Stone: Yes. My favorite one. The only one that I would actually drink. I did try the tropical one and was not really a fan of that one.
Sam: I got you. There’s this trend on TikTok right now where people are making the nastiest dirtiest martinis. And I like a Bombay Gin Martini, triple dirty. I like a two to one ratio of olive juice to liquor…
Stone: Oh, shit.
Sam: ...with olive oil and cracked black pepper. That’s been my fucking favorite.
Stone: Wait. I need to try that.
Sam: It’s so good.
Stone: Damn.
Sam: I’ve seen people make Caesar dressing martinis where the rim is Parmesan cheese.
Stone: Oh. Honestly, I think that would probably be like my favorite if I was to try that.
Sam: Savory drinks.
Stone: Parmesan cheese. Anything savory.
Sam: Or a good old Michelada. Those are my two favorites.
Stone: Michelada, too. Yeah.
Sam: Mm-hmm. Do you have a favorite tattoo?
Stone: My favorite tattoo? It’s going to be my, I don’t even know what the fuck to call it, it’s a witch hand with the eyeball in the middle. How about yours?
Sam: I have two favorite ones. This guy right here. Ahh...
Stone: So cute.
Sam: Then, this guy right here. [Laughs]
Stone: Oh, fuck, yeah.
Sam: What is your favorite way of consuming marijuana?
Stone: [Acts out a bong rip]
Sam: Yeah? You like the bong?
Stone: I actually like blunts, too. Blunts were my go-to, but just hitting it out of the bong, it’s just instant.
Sam: Feel like it’s more bang for your buck, too. I like spliffs.
Stone: Ayy.
Sam: Do you have a go-to song to sing at karaoke?
Stone: “Sober” by Tool.
Sam: Oh, that’s so fucking badass.
Stone: What’s yours?
Sam: “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.
Stone: [Laughing and clapping] Oh, yes!
Sam: And I’m super annoying about it, too. My favorite bar to sing at is called Larry’s in Oceanside. And every time I walk in, they’re like, “There’s Amy,” because every time I go there…
Stone: That’s the song you sing.
Sam: That’s the song I fucking sing. And I butcher it.
Stone: I’m not the best, either.
Sam: Rest in Peace, Amy. I’m sorry.
Stone: Yeah. Okay I think that was it.
Sam: That’s it?
Stone: I think so. I’m excited.
Sam: I’m fucking stoked. Oh, my god. Thank you so much for this opportunity, Fantom. We love you.
Stone: Bye.
Sam: Bye.
