Interview: Antonia Edwards  Skater and Owner of Surf City Skates

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the 80s in Yorba Linda, CA. and then moved to Oceanside for a few years before we moved to Manchester, England (my family's roots). We came back to the U.S. when I was 12. We moved a lot, long story... haha.

Tell me your skate story!

I started roller skating when I was 6 at the local rink. All my birthday parties were there. When I was 12 til end of high school, I was at the rink with my friends every Friday and Saturday night. I lived for skating. When I was 18, I went to Orange Coast College and started surfing a ton and skateboarding and kinda forgot about roller skating because all my friends stopped skating. I got really good at surfing in particular, at a time when I was most of the time, the only girl in the water amongst a bunch of guys. I loved it and like roller skating, I lived for it. I "sidewalk surfed" on my skateboard with the guys too when I wasn't in the water. Then, in 2001 I bought a set of roller skates again because I lost my old ones, and started skating on the Boardwalk in Huntington Beach and all the warm fuzzies I had for skating came back. I didn't see another quad skater on the Boardwalk until around 2011, and in 2013, I remember looking up roller skating on the internet, and I saw a video of this badass brunette (Michelle Steilen) skating the street and using every ramp or bench that she approached as a wave, or something to jump on or off of, ON ROLLER SKATES. It blew my mind, and I knew I HAD TO do that. After looking for more footage, I found out that some girls were skating at skateparks on roller skates, and the rest is history. My biggest influence in pool and transition skating, is definitely surfing. It feels so much like it to me, and I love trying to skate the concrete walls like waves. It's super challenging because your feet are totally different, but your body can find the same movement if you get creative. Plus your wheels stick to the wall, whereas on your board, on water, you can reposition them when you need to. It's how transition skating makes sense and relates to me though plus it's really "cruisey" and fun. My home park is VANS HB (Huntington Beach), and it has basically been my stomping ground since 2014 when it opened. I also love to skate Vans Orange (indoor Combi), and pretty much anywhere my friends and I are down to drive to. I LOVE skating big bowls, big walls, and big hilly snake runs mostly...and I love skating really fast.

What have you been up to lately? :

Well, I just celebrated my 1-year anniversary of opening my shop in February! It has been crazy and SO much fun! Having my own skate brand, team, and shop is a dream come true. I have built a rad team of amazingly talented girls who skate for SCS from here to Colombia, and lately, I've been working on putting together some skate events which I'm super excited about. I'm also working on some product development that I can't wait to get out there! I opened my shop next door to VANS HB at the Old World Village last year which has been an amazing experience. The new Vans HB Combi bowl (and Park Series bowl) is all the things you hear about it being. It's a bigger, GNARLIER, reversed version of indoor Combi. I actually got to be the first roller skater to skate it at the Vans Girl's Appreciation Day and got to take a bunch of runs all day before it was open to the public. So stoked! It's kinda tricky re-inventing your lines...I have found some but it's gonna take a minute to dial them in for sure. It's definitely going to make me a stronger skater overall though. Slams on it SUCK! Found that out the hard way on opening day...

Top 3 Foods

1. Mexican- all

2. Berries (Raz, Blue, Black)

3. Mint n' Chip Ice Cream

Top 3 Bands

1. THE GO-GO'S

2. MUSE

3. METRIC

Top 3 things your passionate about

1. Skating

2. Surfing

3. Art

Top 3 Activities

1. Skating

2. Surfing and going to the beach

3. Painting and creating art

Top 3 People ( inspirations)

1. Lisa Andersen (Female pro surfer)- For sticking it out and putting in the work to be one of the best female athletes of all time.

2. P!NK - for her human and animal rights advocacy, her overall badass-ness and staying so true to herself.

3. Michelle Steilen - that first Bones video I saw changed the way I saw roller skating for ever!

Top 3 Memories

1. The first time I stood up and successfully rode a wave on my surfboard, North side HB pier, while big Garibaldi took the wave with me under me...feeling like I was dreaming.

2. My wedding day on the cliffs of Baja, Mexico, crying my face off when I saw my hubby to be (happy crying!)

3. When my daughter was born and turned her little head to me and looked into my eyes when I said her name right away.

Top 3 Dreams / Goals

1. To exponentially grow Surf City Skates company, brand and skate product line.

2. To travel the world MUCH more

3. To start a non-profit to benefit underprivileged kids

Top 3 Books

1. Conversations with God

2. Are you there God it's me Margaret (Life changing!)

3. Angels and Demons

Top 3 Movies

1. Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun

2. 50 First Dates

3. Jerry Maguire

Top 3 Favorite Places you have traveled to:

1. Costa Rica

2. Bermuda

3. France

Top 3 Places you want to travel to:

1. Greece

2. Tahiti

3. Indonesia