Written by BERTO.
My man Rodney Torres is New York through and through. Specifically Queens, NY. He’s been a pro for many moons and proudly reps the World’s Borough through his board brand, Torro. He’s always pushing and promoting skateboarding among the youngins. Dude’s a lifer.
We sat down with Rodney to talk Queens, skateboarding, Torro Skateboards, family, legacy and what keeps him pushing after all these years.
FRANK 151: Yo Rodney! What’s good?
RODNEY TORRES: Yo, what’s good? I’m chillin’ man, at the crib.
FRANK 151: Where you livin’ these days?
RODNEY TORRES: I’m still livin’ in Queens, NY. I think I’ll always live in Queens. If I leave Queens, then I’m leaving New York. Maybe even the United States, ha ha!
FRANK 151: Who’s takin’ care of Rodney these days? Sponsors?
RODNEY TORRES: Well, I have my brand Torro Skateboards, but I also get stuff from ACE Trucks, RockStar Bearings, NY State of Mind Clothing, Bones Wheels and Adidas.
FRANK 151: Top spot when visiting NY?
RODNEY TORRES: My top spot will always be Flushing Meadows, so whenever any of you are visiting NY, definitely pull up. The vibe is always positive.
FRANK 151: Torro is a dope brand. How you juggling family life while pushing a company?
RODNEY TORRES: Thanks man, I really appreciate you saying that, for real. I think we’re all juggling things in life in some capacity. We all gotta just take things one day at a time, my brother.
FRANK 151: The moment you knew you could do something in this industry?
RODNEY TORRES: I honestly didn’t know if I could do something in the industry, but I know I always wanted to do something. Plus, I’ve worked with so many people who’ve owned companies in the past, and being around a lot of those individuals definitely opened my eyes to the possibility.
Some of those dudes were a big influence for me. Guys like Rodney Smith, Steve Rodriguez, Felix Arguelles, Jason Rogers, to name a few. But at the end of the day, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I took a chance.
It hasn’t been easy. There’s been a lot of trial and error, people that have come and gone, and I’m still learning to this day. But like they say, nothing worth having comes easy.
Kinda like skating. No matter how good you have a trick, every spot is different. Some are more challenging than others. You never really know unless you try and go for it
FRANK 151: You been in da game for more than a minute. What do you want your legacy to be?
RODNEY TORRES: I’ve never been asked that question before. Hmmmm… I guess my legacy could be that I was a good person that loved and devoted his life to skateboarding, helped people along the way reach their potential and contributed back to the community.
FRANK 151: Anything still on your bucket list?
RODNEY TORRES: Yeah, there are definitely more tricks that I have in mind that I want to do, and definitely some more traveling if possible.
Both my parents are from Colombia. My mother is from Cali and my father is from Medellin. I’ve only been to Cali, so I’d love to go all around Colombia and experience the entire country with my son.
FRANK 151: Plans for the rest of the year?
RODNEY TORRES: As of right now, my plans are to just skate as much as I can, and hopefully get to travel a bit more.
FRANK 151: As an owner of a skateboard company, any words of wisdom for anybody that wants to do their own?
RODNEY TORRES: Yeah, go for it. Do it! Don’t let anyone or anything discourage you. Do it for the right reasons. Do it because you love skateboarding and maybe because it’s a way for you to be more creative and self-expressive.
Work with your friends or connect with like-minded people, help some kids out and contribute back to what we all love, skateboarding. Seriously, just go for it. There’s room for everyone.
FRANK 151: Shoutouts and acknowledgments?
RODNEY TORRES: First, I wanna give a shout out to you Berto and to Frank 151 for this opportunity. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
I also wanna give a shout out to all of the people and sponsors who’ve supported and continue to support my skateboarding. Thank you!
Finally, I wanna give a shout out to all the team riders, past and present, customers, shops, distributors, mags, podcasts, contributing artists, filmers, photographers, etc. that have supported and continue to support Torro Skateboards. Thank you all so very much!
FRANK 151
There you go. Rodney is da hype. He cares. His family. His skateboarding. His team. He’s come a long way and he’s still making his mark in this game.
Follow a true skateboarder.
@torronyc
@rodneytorresnyc
Hopefully we can link up next year, paisa.
Gracias.