Brian Schaefer and crew deserve a lot of respect for building the Skate Park Of Tampa. Inspired by a trip to the San Jose Skate Park in the early ’90, these guys went back to Florida with a D.I.Y. plan and made it happen. They also started throwing annual contests that have grown to become a staple in skateboarding - the legacy of which will certainly go down in the history books. Steven Ayers recently got Brian to answer a few questions, check it out below.

Interview By Steven Ayers

Steve: What got you into skating as a kid?

Brian: Well, I always had small plastic skateboards growing up since I was five years old. We used to ride them behind mini bikes and trikes, holding on to ropes like we were water skiing.When I was around 13 years old we still had the plastic boards around, but my oldest brother gave me a real skateboard and taught me how to tic-tac. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, not to mention he was into the Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedy's - so that and skateboarding made it even cooler.

Steve: Did you want to have a park and / or shop as a kid or was it a more coincidental thing?

Brian: Never dreamed of having a park, so it was more coincidental. Paul Zitzer moved down here in '91because we had a skate scene. He went to USF, his parents assisted on getting a ramp started for a year trial in Drew Park. Drew park was in a sketchy area and everyone was supposed to pitch in $50 a month to keep it open after the first year. Well, the buddy system didn't work, so we had a vert ramp and no place to skate. We went on a road trip to CA for the first time in '92, skated and lived in San Jose for a month and skated the Park there. San Jose Skate Park was owned by the North California guys and they lived there too, so that was an inspiration to us on the trip. And also knowing we had to do something, we were headed back to Florida with no place to skate. We had a vert ramp and set out to make a park work as their's did in San Jose - live, skate, and collect some money to help with the bills. 17 years later we are still here and we don't live here anymore. 

Steve: What was the most challenging thing about getting the park going in the beginning?

Brian: Finding the right building and someone willing enough to give us a shot. Getting the money to stay in business the first year was tough too, but it all seemed to work fairly easy with skateboarding being the priority, it was more fun than work.

Steve: SPoT always has great anniversary parties during the Tampa Am. Which one was your favorite?

Brian: Everyone that we had at the Park, it was always just a raging out of control party. Our ten year was a rad one, it was the first one outside of the park in Ybor City, and we had Bouncing Souls and Andrew WK play. We made a ten year anniversary video too, so it was a big deal for us.

Steve: Some legendary pros come to Tampa Pro every March. Is there anyone who sticks out in your mind that you saw and thought "whoa, that guys here - crazy"?

Brian: Tom Penny, Koston, Tony Hawk, Matt Hensley, John Lucero, all the veterans. Seeing Steve Rocco Launch water balloons at kids for the A-Team Demo, there have been so many now and it's still super rad to me always.

Steve: How often do you get asked about your attempt at the loop these days?

Brian: It comes up all the time, and has now been a practical joke everywhere we go.  All our crew has to say in the airport to someone who is curious about what we do is "ever seen that guy fly out of a loop and almost kill himself  on a skateboard, yeah, well that's him." I refer to it now as the best thing I never did, it keeps getting us coverage and on occasion a few hundred bucks from some TV show to use it again.

Steve: This might be a difficult question to answer, but do you have a favorite year of the contests? Like, "Tampa am '99 was the sickest one" or "Tampa Pro 2004 was easily the best one." 

Brian: Very hard, but all the older ones when Wade Speyer, Phil Shao, Andy Roy, Danny Way, Matt Hensley, and all the veterans then and now were here.  All the the one's earlier on as it was rad, new to all of us, going down in Tampa, and all for a few thousand dollars purse.

Steve: What's next for you?

Brian: Just live a healthier life and be the best person I can be to everyone and skateboarding.

Steve: What's next for the Park?

Brian: Just keep it rolling as long as we can, and be around and still making it fun when we are old and grey, wait, some of us are....

Steve: SPoT has employed some ripping skaters before they made it as a pro. Also, you've had a lot of successful industry heads work the park before moving on. Who was the best employee. Who was the worst?

Brian: No Comment.

Steve: Anything extra you'd like the readers to know before we wrap this up?

Brian: If you haven't been here, get here, come for the Tampa Am and Pro as it is the best time of year. Come early or stay later so you can actually skate too.

Steve: Thanks and shout outs?

Brian: To you, Steve for making this interview happen as it reminds me of how rad things were and still are today.