Photo: Element Skate
Vanessa Torres - bringing new found perspective to
her skate game.Vanessa Torres is only 23 and is already a legend. Among women skateboarders Vanessa is revered, among men respected. Her style, grace and technical abilities have caught the attention of fans, brands and media. Yet despite earning herself a pro model board with Element, Torres isn't single-minded. Insightful and introspective the once brash teenage phoneme is maturing into bonafide womanhood, shedding some of her adolescent angst for adult sensibilities. En route to Boston for the Dew Tour I caught up with the California native in LAX and learned that while she has a penchant for being a party animal she also just likes being around, well, animals. - James Sullivan

Pro File: Vanessa Torres

Vanessa Torres, pleasure to bump into you at LAX, after our flight just got bumped.

Yeah...been here for way too long - had to take a Super Shuttle from Covina at about 4:30 in the morning.

No car service or limo or door to door for you?

Ha - no, not that special, not that special...

So Dew Tour... big kick off for the season, right?

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure all the girls are looking forward to it. Aside from being a huge payout for the girls it's always a good time, hanging out/skating. I'm not too competitive anymore, but if someone is willing to fly me out there I'm stoked to be there for sure. [Boston Dew Tour coverage here and here and here]

What have you been up to since last summer?

Traveled around a bit because I did well last contest season, went to Portland and hung out for a while. Hung out with my parents in Modesto, CA for a while. Skating a bit, not as much in the winter, kinda busy doing other things, but definitely skating when I could.

2010 is shaping up to be a busy contest season -- what are your thoughts on Maloof, Dew Tour, Street League, X Games?

I have no idea what is going on with the Street League deal; all I know is the invites I get and I get invited to Maloof and X Games and that's about it, but I think it's pretty nuts. I don't know, I feel that the industry is always doing something new and exciting and it ends up being a little extreme but people are going to do what they're going to do.

Photo: Element Skate
Hydrant Ollie

Is it like people are constantly trying to overcome the status quo?

Yeah I feel it's changed so much, at least since I've started. I don't think this is going to be the last ridiculous / extreme deal, I think it's just going to get crazier.

Do you think it's good or bad for skateboarding/skaters?

For me I'm neutral. I enjoy being invited to the contests...I mean whatever floats your boat. I could take it or leave it.

What about skateboarding in the Olympics?

I don't even know. Not sure how that would all work. Not to say it's impossible. They have female snowboarding, so I don't think it's not that far off from having female skateboarding or just skateboarding in general. I'd say I'm 50-50. Then again...it's like drug testing and all this stuff, which is fine I don't do drugs, but it's like getting through security at an airport...

Yeah like how bad do you really want to make that trip?

Exactly - it just seems like such a process. We'll see, maybe it won't be so bad.

Photo: Element Skate
Torres fs smith.

Speaking of women's skateboarding? Who are you following - young girls, peers, veterans?

I'm excited to see Lacy (Baker) skate, and Amy (Caron) always kills it. Leticia (Bufoni) is blowing up. I'm usually most excited to see the younger girls skate because they're fearless. I was there at one point, not that I'm not now, but I'm definitely not as young as I used to be.

There seems to be a powerful camaraderie among the ladies.

Totally -- we're a crew ya know? I'm not saying it's not competitive, but compared to the dudes... I mean you barely even see them talk to each other out here; they're fully in the zone...whereas with us it's like, "Hey I haven't seen you in a while, etc." so I guess it's kind of more of a gathering and we happen to be skating.

What do you do in between contests to keep in touch with the other girls?

We usually get together on our own and plan trips. Little events but every one is stoked to get together and make it happen. Some will go here others will go there...it's pretty cool.

Photo: Element Skate
Torres - back lip in the pool.

Do you ever offer any lessons from the veteran to the new girls...on comps, life?

Honestly I almost feel like they have it better than Amy (Caron) or myself or a few of the other girls who were coming up five years ago. I feel like there are more opportunities than there were five years ago. I wouldn't even know what to say; I know them all so well. I just feel like they have it way more together than I had at their age. It got out of control and I was given a lot and it definitely went to my head. I don't know I just feel like -- have fun, do what you love. That's all I can really say about it. Otherwise it just gets old and you won't enjoy it -- just let it be.

Do you follow any of the Am series? Free Flow Tour, etc?

Not really. I never found any of that interesting I guess. I just do my own thing. I guess I was more involved with all that, like, a few years ago but now... I'm going to keep skating but maybe go on to other interests.

So what are you other interests?

Maybe go back to school... who knows? A little bit of everything. Maybe working with animals. You can't skateboard forever.

Well you could be a vert skater?

Hahaha, yeah you could.

I just saw Tony Hawk in Santa Monica at the Pac Sun Beach Ballyhoo doing 540s at 40.

Yeah well he's like bionic. I've enjoyed skating professionally for Element and having the privilege of having my own pro model board and all of that -- that was all really cool. But I don't know; I just kinda want to do my own thing and not really be obligated. I just feel when I'm obligated I disappoint.

How?

What killed it a lot for me when I was younger was having to take it so seriously. Now I just want to enjoy skateboarding for what it is.

Photo: Element Skate
Torres - forging ahead.

So, do you still read the mags and blogs and such?

Yeah totally - well, not as much as I used to but certainly if I'm standing in front of a newsstand the first magazine that I pick up is a skate mag.

Now that I think about it, I didn't see you at the TW Skate Awards.

No I didn't go. It's funny I've been staying with Lacey the last couple weeks just skating or whatever and she went with three of her friends and everyone was like "Where's Vanessa?" because those are the things that I go to but just, I don't know, this year is different for me. I'm just not into being a hot mess somewhere around a bunch of people, so I stayed home and it was good.

And you awoke with a clear head the next day and it was beautiful.

Yes, haha, I steered clear and it was nice.

Ok quick pop culture quiz...Favorite websites?

There's a website I got to a lot for dubbed movies...the ThePirateCity.org... some of them are alright, but other times you can tell someone is just sitting in a theater filming. My friend runs TheSideProject.com, which is dedicated to everything action sports female-wise.

How about music?

Music lately... This chick La Roux out of London. She just put out an album. I also like Chromatics. And, well, everyone loves Lady Gaga.

Anything else?

Just everything... I love it all.

Alright, well, with that I'll cut it off.

Haha cool - I think you're the first person who's interviewed me this year, so good work.