I met John Montesi while he was skating by himself in a parking lot with his dogs Shiva and Shiloh... We've been friends since 1996... And in those few short years... John has enlightened me with a completely different outlook on skateboarding... and Life for that matter... John's been skating since about the age of 14... He remembers walking into Toys R Us and buying a Nash Executioner... A month later he bought himself a real board and started skateboarding all over Florida... His passion was street skating... and he began entering as many contests as he could wherever he could... It payed off and he ended up turning Pro for New Deal about the time handrails and pressure flips were getting popular 1991. He went from handplants and ho-hos to flip tricks and switch-stance after traveling the world and truly living the life as a professional skateboarder. Hundreds and hundreds of demos and contests later... John still fills his entire day with skateboarding... He now owns Westside Skateshop in Tarpon Springs Florida and still rides professionaly for Torque Skateboards and Venture Trucks. He often Judges amateur contests for his friend Brian Schaefer at the Skatepark of Tampa and he actively participates with each and every activity that happens in skateboarding that he can get to. He enjoys the sport and the lifestyle... He Loves it... and he is most happy when he is pouring all he can back into it. Ask anyone that knows him and they will undoubtedly have to agree that he is the most generous person they know. He sees his friend Thomas Taylor as a role model... And he would like to thank his family for allowing him to accept and choose his destiny. You can skate with John at any hour of the day and still learn something from how he manages his life and rides his board... And when your all tired and sweating and ready to go home... He's already cleaned up and smelling good and ready for the next session. I honestly don't know how he does the things he does.

Clint