We track down Lee Yankou somewhere amidst the hills of SF to find out some of his Firsts.
Kickflip. Zaslavsky photo
Setup: Blank everything from Hogtown. First brand name board was a 8” Real Nate Jones, with Independent trucks and Pig wheels.
Skate buddy: My neighbour Andre. He had a board, I had a bike and we would normally just ride the board.
Sponsor: CBMK. Brett and Chris are legends. Great dudes and great park.
Injury: Broken leg at skate camp. Took the bus two hours home before later realizing I should go to the hospital.
Skate trip: Probably Montreal for Am Getting Paid. First legit skate trip was Arizona with Osiris.
Photo in a mag: Backside Smith a 12, shot by Harry Gils in SBC. I wanted to Crook it but he said I should try Back Smith. He was right and I still went back for the crooks.
Video you saw: Probably RDS FSU 2002. Great video.
Video you were in: Probably the Hammer Skateshop video. Had a couple tricks in a 411 and a shout out to Sherman and Webber for Sus Monts!
Magazine you saw: Can’t remember exactly. The first one I remember having is a Big Brother mag with girls in thongs and wet t-shirts.
Time in trouble for skating: Lots of little incidents. I used to talkback a little bit when I was a kid. But now I mind my manners and kiss the cops ass. There’s nothing more fun than skating underground and running for your life when security comes.
Favourite skater: Probably Danny Way. After him, Mark Appleyard.
Favourite spot: Dunbat in Toronto.
Paycheque: Photo incentive from an old shoe sponsor. Funny because in the end they owed me photo incentive.
Time in SF: Amazing fucking time: I went skating with Dave Hoang, an old TM of mine. First day out skating, he invited me to go with them on the weekend and stay with Corey Duffel. I was a huge Foundation fan and was blown away. Duffel was and still is a favourite skater of mine.
Skate shop: First shop I went to was Hogtown. Shout out to Dave at Hammer Skateshop for being a rad shop sponsor. Go there!
Friend in SF: Dan Zaslavsky.
First car: 96 Volvo. Still going strong.
