Jayden Bono – Interview from Late Summer 2018 Issue

This interview with Jayden Bono first ran in our Late Summer 2018 Issue.

Text and photos by Micheal Kazimierczuk

 

So what’s up Jayden. First interview eh?  

Yup. First one, never had one before. I’m stoked. 

So how old are you these days? What’s new in life? 

Currently 20, but my birthdays coming up soon. Just moved downtown Toronto with my girlfriend Audree, she’s awesome! Also just got a puppy recently. Life’s pretty sick right now! 

Frontside Crook Pop Out

That’s a big life change, moving into the city.

Its good! Brampton kind of sucked at this point, no one really skates, not much to do there. But growing up there was kinda cool. 

So you grew up 45 minutes out of Toronto, in Brampton, Ontario. How was that? 

It was cool at the time, my dad skateboarded and I ended up getting into skating because of him and friends from school. He’d always bring me to parks for old man Mondays with him and all his friends (Laughs) They’d tired to get me into skating. I’d just sit at the skate park while they skated, but when they finished skating they’d get me to tic tac around and get stoked on riding. But I never really cared that much when I was younger 

Actually, a year before I even started skateboarding my dad made a mini ramp in our basement for himself when I was 11! That was crazy 

Frontside Blunt

Must have been rad growing up a dad that skated. Especially Eric! 

Yah, it was amazing! He’d always bring me to skate parks, always skating together. Driving around going to different parks outside of Brampton, was never really home. He was a super big influence on me starting to skate tranny. My dad loves skating bowls so for the first while I only skated tranny, bowls, mini ramps and stuff. 

We’d skate CBMK during the winters, I’d do lessons there with Brett when I started. But my dad would always try to show me shit, but I never listened to him. (Laughs) Classic kid stuff, never listening to your parents. But whatever, learned a lot from him.

How long did the mini ramp last in the house? 

He had the ramp for 3 years, but we took it apart and kinda built a little park instead. 2 quarter pipes on each end, little box and flat rail. But that only really last a year because it was a tight space. Wasn’t that fun. But after that we rebuilt the mini ramp again.  

I remember building the ramp as a kid with him and it was the worst, I was just his extra hand. But kind of stoked now, since I know how to put a ramp together. That second mini lasted a couple years, but my basement got flooded so we pulled it apart because the wood got soggy. Now its just a normal basement, with a ping pong table. Its cool. 

The ramp was sick though. I was so tiny when I started skating, so I could skate that thing and learn everything on it. We had a tv down there to, I remember I use to just watch Cheese & Crackers all the time and would try to learn the tricks that were in the video. It was cool. 

Must have been popular amongst the skaters with a mini in your house growing up. 

Oh yah, had a lot of friends from school who were into skating at the time growing up. We’d have sleep overs and just skate the mini ramp. 

Backside Kickflip

How’d your mom feel about the ramp in your basement? 

She was stoked on it, didn’t mind it at all. She use to bug me sometimes when there was days I couldn’t get out of Brampton to skate so I’d just stay at home. So she would tell me to skate the ramp or she’ll take it apart, because she’d get bummed it took up so much space and wasn’t being skated. 

Didn’t your mom get you into WoodWard park also when you were younger? 

My moms really good at gymnastics. She’s actually done some routines for girls that are in the Olympics now. Which is crazy. She’s really well known in the Canadian gymnastics world. Once she was asked to do stuff with WoodWard, so she worked out a deal where if she worked there, her kid could come skate. So as long as she worked there I could stay and skate the parks. They were cool with it, that’s why I ended up being there so long. Spent almost 6 weeks during the summer I was going into Highschool. She mainly stayed so long since she knew how much fun I was having skating and meeting new people. I got to meet a bunch of homies from the states I’m still friends with till today. Met a lot of rad kids, some of which are pro now. Kinda crazy. 

So you went from having a mini ramp in your house, to your dad working at Cjs Skate Park. Must have been nice always having a place to go. 

(Laughs) I never really hung out with kids after school throughout highschool. Would just take the hour bus to my dads word and skate till we drove back home at night. Skated there a lot during the winters 

So, did your Dad ever film any clips for you growing up? (Laughs)

Actually, I have a funny story. I was 14 years old skating this sketchy rail in Brampton beside the park with my dad. We went to check it out, he had a little camera. He’s definitely not much of a filmer, but no one else could meet up. I ended up skating the rail, got a trick. But my Dad accidentally deleted the footage when we were checking it out (Laughs) He motivated me into doing it again, since I just did. Well, didn’t work out. I fully clipped the rail coming up, scorpioned, broke two fingers and smacked my face on the ground. My tooth was chipped and

bleeding everywhere… Safe to save probably the last time I filmed with him. (Laughs) 

So you’ve been out skating from a young age, I remember we got your first published photo back when you were 14. What was the first real trip you went on? 

The first trip that stands out was with the Baitshop to Peterborough on a camping trip. Justin Bokma was there, everyone was there. It was sick! I was young man, only 13. I obviously couldn’t drink so I was shotgunning Coca Cans around the fire while they were all drinking(Laughs) 

We also use to go on trips all the time with Element Canada couple years ago. I remember we went across Canada in an RV. We went to Nova Scotia, Calgary and Vancouver when I was 16. That was pretty interesting. It was sick! Element hooked it up. Everyone I was with was older. I use to get fucked with, I got picked on so hard, I was so small. Definitely shed a tear on that trip. (Laughs) Just always getting joked on since I was the type to mess around with them if they were picking on me. Being drenched, waking up to water all over me! Whatever, classic trip stories. It was a good time.

But recently, I went to Korea with the Kadance boys last year! That was the first time on a skate trip leaving Canada. You were there(Laughs) Which was amazing, such a culture shock. Super grateful for that experience 

50-50

You just spent a fair bit of time in California. How was that? 

I got on Blind recently and went down to California at the start of this year for 2 months. Just to skate and meet all those guys on the team. Stayed at Tj Rogers house, thanks again! It was a long two months, since I wasn’t able to skate before the trip much since it was winter back in Canada. I was so sore for the first part. But I’m filming for the new AM Blind video that’s suppose to come out at the end of this summer. 

Good’ol California. Sounds like a good trip! 

Was super fun though! Was a big change. That was my first time being out of Canada for that long. I’m actually suppose to go back this month again. But I honestly want to just come back and skate in the city for the summer. Really stoked on the city right now with my girlfriend and new place! Love this city in the summer. 

Backside Over Crook