Interview: Taylor Rosenbauer!

Name : Taylor Rosenbauer

Age: 16

Years FB: Almost 2

Sponsors: Flatface Wheels, Prete Decks, Summit Hardware, BC Rails, Blackriver-Ramps flow, Capsule Trucks

Contest/Video: 1^st - FFI Rail Jam ‘08, 6^th – Rail Jam ’07, SU3, SU4, Bacon, Egg, and Steeze, Softies Griptape,

We are here with Taylor Rosenbauer, winner of the Second FFI Rail Jam! Taylor’s Rail Jam entry was flawless. He pulled off amazingly tech tricks with a butter-smooth style. Also, the Nollie Flip B/S Boardslide to B/S Crook 180 out was my favorite trick of the whole rail jam. When I finished watching his entry I knew my hopes of winning first, along with everyone else’s, vanished into thin air.

You won the Second FFI Rail Jam, which is the ultimate online fingerboard video contest. There were over 50 entries from around the world. What are some of your thoughts winning such a large and diverse competition?

Seeing over 50 entries from all around the world was so great, and to be a part of that was just awesome. The American scene really stepped up this year, especially the Flatface Fingerboard Team which swept the top 5 places. There were so many fantastic entries...I'm still surprised I won.

Since I came back to the fingerboard scene, I have noticed how you have evolved in  your fingerboarding. It's amazing that you have become one of the elite fingerboarders in such a short amount of time. I remember some of your earlier videos where you popped the board reallllllly high. It still looked good though haha. But now you are doing some amazingly technical tricks, and your style is flawless. That's the only way I can describe it. What I'm trying to say with that longwinded speech is how did you get so good?

Thanks for the compliments. ;) I think both motivation and influence have helped me improve my fingerboarding. Watching people like Eric Smith and Taylor Lucas taught me so much about style, how to do certain tricks properly, and how to put together good videos. People who watch my videos on youtube are always asking me, "Dude, do you ever land sketchy tricks?" The truth is, I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to making fingerboard videos. I end up doing the same tricks countless times till I'm 100% satisfied with them, then they make it into my videos. I'd say the key to getting better and making good videos is to do tricks the best that you can possibly do them, and practice practice practice.

Do you have anything to say to the organizers of the contest? (Tina, Martin, sponsors and judges)

I can only imagine how much work both Tina and Martin put into making this contest as great as it was. A big thanks goes out to both of them for doing a great job this year. All the judges deserve a lot of credit as well for all the time they put into reviewing all 50+ entries. I doubt I could have done that myself. To the sponsors...you guys are what made this contest so exciting. I was astonished at seeing prizes awarded to 15 places, that's a really great thing to see. I hope next year's contest is as big as this one!

What were some of the positive/negative aspects to the rail jam this year? What can be built on to make the Rail Jam even better next year?

Well, the entry fee could be viewed as both positive and negative. For those that may not be the best, it might have pushed them away from entering if they felt they didn't have a good chance of winning. But it is also a great addition to this year's contest because it enabled Tina to get some really kick ass prizes, and those prizes really pushed people to do their best. The only suggestions that I could possibly come up with for next year's contest it to maybe switch up the rules and obstacles. Having team entries (Team USA, for example) with a montage of people representing their country would also be very interesting.

What do you have to say to someone new to fingerboarding who is looking to become the next Taylor R?

Haha, my biggest advice is to just have fun. If you're not having fun with fingerboarding, why do it? If you plan to be as good as Eric Smith one day, I advise you to never give up and continue to practice. Fingerboarding isn't a natural talent (at least it wasn't for me!)...it must be learned. Practicing is the key to learning, and that's the best way to get good at something. Watch some good fingerboard videos too, because doing that is what inspired me to be good. I'll never forget watching Mike Scott's fingerboard videos over a year ago and thinking, "Damn, how the hell does he do that? I gotta figure this out." From there I just took people's advice and did my best to progress.

Any upcoming plans/video parts/ etc?

Currently I'm working on a small ad for Prete. Keep an eye out for both the Prete and Flatface videos...I have a part in each. My Prete part is one of my favorite parts I've made yet, especially since I filmed a lot of it outdoors. Hopefully these two full lengths will be released soon, along with the Rendezvous III video which I'm also a in.

Thanks for the interview Taylor! We look forward to hearing from you in the future!