One week ago, Snkrs Day touched down on Huntington Beach to see Converse Coastal Carnage 2012 live and in action. Riding by the motto ?Engineered for Destruction?, the Converse skaters and their sneakers proved built tough, grinding with a respect for the brand and the sport?s rich history. From veteran Kenny Anderson to young gun Kalani David, the brand of brother ranges in experience but is deep in talent.<\/p>\n
More guns than roses, the loaded lineup relies on artillery from the past, skating in battle tested takes on the Chuck Taylor and other classics from the Converse vault. With no need for smoke and mirrors, it?s the on-board endorsement from the team that provides firepower and flash.<\/p>\n
We caught up with the Converse Skate Ambassadors Rune Glifberg, Tom Remillard, Kenny Anderson, Nick Trapasso, and Kalani David to talk skate, style, and sneakers. Read on to find out what they?re rocking, who has the best kicks of the crew, and what they think of the ever-growing skateboard scene.<\/p>\n
Snkrs Day: So, who has the best signature on the Converse Skate team?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: I do of course [Laughs<\/em>]! That?s my opinion [Laughs<\/em>], that?s my shoe so that?s what I?m going to go with. But Nick?s first shoe was really good; I really liked the look and feel of that shoe. His second one?s great too. There?s so many great shoes that you can?t really go wrong.<\/p>\n Kalani David: That one?s pretty hard. I love everybody?s shoe.<\/p>\n Tom Remillard: Nick T. for life! Kenny Anderson for life! I don?t know, I?m not into looking at people?s feet…<\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: Well, I can?t say myself [Laughs<\/em>]. Nick?s shoe is looking pretty sick. I saw some updated colors and some stuff they?re doing and they touch on his personality. Those are my favorite right now.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: With that said, what will you all be rocking for Coastal Carnage?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: I?m going be rocking my signature shoe, the Ballard.<\/p>\n Tom Remillard: I just got these from him (points to Complex writer Russ Bengtson). I traded him my shoes.<\/p>\n Kalani David: I?m skating in the Trapasso?s.<\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: The KA-One Vulc.<\/p>\n Converse KA-One Vulc\n Snkrs Day: Now Kenny, you’ve had a signature for a while. Growing up, did you ever see yourself getting your own shoe?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: That wasn?t even a possibility. Even back when I had my first one with Converse I actually said “no” for a while because I didn?t think I deserved it. Then I went, ?Converse is offering me my own shoe? What am I doing? Yes, yes.? So to me it?s a dream. I don?t take anything for granted in life. I love it and I?m very fortunate.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: This team has a lot of range. How do your signatures reflect each of your styles and personality?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: We keep it basic and mellow, that?s me.<\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: The Ballard has a real basic upper. It’s a low top and the front of the shoe doesn?t have any stitching on it which is great for skateboarding because there?s not really a lot of panels to get messed up by contact with the grip tape. It?s got a nice heel clip that gives support in the back, and then it?s on the classic Chuck Taylor bottom, which is amazing for skateboarding. It?s probably one of the best gripping soles ever.<\/p>\n Nick Trapasso: I just like shoes with a vulcanized sole, basic, and it?s got a cactus on there…I guess that represents me!<\/p>\n Converse Trapasso Pro II\n Snkrs Day: Any new makeups or colorways we should look out for?<\/strong><\/p>\n Nick Trapasso: They?re gonna do a couple crazy things. Like a tie-dye colorway and a makeup where it scrapes away when you skate and you seen crazy designs underneath like bandana print and palm trees.<\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: We?re doing some premium stuff; I always like the premium stuff. We?re going to touch on some earth tones.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Outside of your own signatures, what other shoes are you rocking on board?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: Kenny?s shoes and the Trappaso?s are really good. The CVs are a classic, just like a beach style chilling shoe.<\/p>\n Nick Trapasso: I like the skate Chucks, Kenny?s shoes, any of the homie?s shoes. I skate the skate Chucks and my shoes, but I?m down to hit all those other shoes up!<\/p>\n Converse KA-One “CVO” LS\n Snkrs Day: About how many pairs of kicks do you skate through in a year?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: I don?t know, 30 maybe? I don?t know, it?s a lot. I go through like 30-50 pairs maybe. Plus, I get my shoes for skating in and then I also get all the rad Converse stuff for going out in. What I?m wearing right now is all messed up, but a classic white pair of Chuck Taylors are rad for going out.<\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: I?m known to wear my shoes forever. I wear them until they?re done. So, probably about 15 pairs a year.<\/p>\n Nick Trapasso: About two a month.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Unlike basketball or even running, skate shoes seem to have longer shelf life with signatures lasting more than one year or season. Why do you think that is?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: I think skate shoes stick around longer because of the mass culture of skateboarding. It?s a lifestyle. I?ve been skateboarding for 26 years. That?s my life. It?s not a sport; it?s my whole life, my lifestyle. Every kid that does it past that one to two-year mark becomes addicted and it becomes they?re lifestyle too. Culturally too, you want to support all that. I think the shelf life and people involved all relies on each other. That culture, that fire of real skateboarding lives within.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What attracted you guys to Converse as a brand?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: I joined with Converse three or four years ago. To me, the Converse heritage and the clean looks of the Chuck Taylor and the Pro Leathers were so timeless that I wanted to make a signature shoe that had some of those attributes. Just make it a true Converse shoe that?s unmistakably Converse. You?ve got to look at the history of the company and then make a design that?s inline with what?s been going on with the company. It?s over 100 years old, the oldest sneaker company in the world, so obviously you want to think about the heritage and history of the company when you design your shoes.<\/p>\n Kalani David: My dad. We were going go with Vans and my dad said let?s try Converse. We hooked up with Steve Luther, he?s the man, and he?s been taking care of me ever since.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: This past weekend the Pro Leather returned. Is that a model we can expect to see any of you wearing these? Perhaps skating in them?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: Of course. We wear our product, my signature stuff, but for sure I?ll be wearing those. I remember when I rode Chuck Taylors before I was on and then when I got on Converse back in the 90s it was the Pro Leathers. The Pro Leathers were kind of in skateboarding too and we were trying to make it a skateboarding shoe back then. That shoe is pretty amazing.<\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: I like the vulc outsoles that have good grip, but having a nice cupsole like the Pro Leather just gives a little more support. You can jump down stuff and it doesn?t hurt your feet as much. It?s good for going big.<\/p>\n Converse Pro Leather\n Snkrs Day: Pro Leather aside, any kicks from the Converse vault you’d like to see brought back?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: I know the Weapon came back. It?d be nice to see an updated version of the Weapon because a lot of my friends skated them. It?d be nice to have a nice, updated Weapon that?s toned down for skateboarding.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: The Weapon has a ton of history. Any colorway in particular?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: Yellow and purple, gotta do the Magic Johnson.<\/p>\n Magic Johnson in the Converse Weapon\n <\/p>\n The scene at Converse Coastal Carnage 2012\n Snkrs Day: Style wise, what goes into picking out your get-up for an event like Coastal Carnage?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: I just try to put something together that?s kind of basic and not too wild. Obviously you want to keep your sponsors happy. It?s always nice to have some color, maybe stand out a little bit, but sometimes I just wear all white t-shirts. I try to stay away from red. Red?s kind of a no-go color for me while I?m competing. It?s kind of like a superstitious color for me. I can do little hits of red here and there if it?s on a shoe, but no red t-shirts, no red hats. Pretty much the same stuff I wear everyday. It kind of depends on what kind of event I?m skating in too.<\/p>\n Nick Trapasso: Picking out my outfit? I didn?t have sh*t. My brother brought this over. He brought me some shoes and a shirt because I was rocking the same stuff for like four days.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: We keep track of what a lot of artists and entertainers wear. Any celebs you’d like to see in your signatures?<\/strong><\/p>\n Rune Glifberg: Just get them on some girls! Put some supermodels in those kicks!<\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: That?s a good one. So many musicians wear Chucks. To me it?s family and friends. That?s more important than anything. To see my pops in a pair of my shoes is way more important, but I’d definitely like to see them on some awesome musicians.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Kalani, you’re the youngest guy on the team. What have you learned from the older guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kalani David: They just taught me to be respectful to my elders. I?ve already known that since I?m from Hawaii and if you don?t you get beat up. They?re really cool to me. They?ve been helping me out and telling me lines here and there and just giving me advice. They?re my heroes.<\/p>\n Kalani David on his other board\n Snkrs Day: Not only are you the youngest, but you’re also a two sport athlete. How does surfing help your skating?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kalani David: Style definitely helps. Surfing you?re looser. I?m stoked to be able to do both.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Any tricks you’re looking to bring from one board to the other?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kalani David: 540s. I?ve been doing 540s skateboarding for about a year now. I?ve been trying them surfing, towing in behind a jet ski and trying 720s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snkrs Day: Skateboarding has really blown up on a mainstream level over the past few years. In your opinion, Kenny, how has the culture changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kenny Anderson: If you want to look at the true culture, it hasn?t changed at all. But the size of it? Look where we?re at right now: The US Open of Surfing, Converse Coastal Carnage. It?s cool because from the ’90s on more kids are skateboarding. So in turn, it helps anyone that?s pro, all the board companies, all the shops, and all the companies that are really trying to drive through it. It?s cool that all these groups of punk rock kids are still doing it and entering the contests. I feel like it?s gotten more diverse in what it means to be a skateboarder; it?s so big that skaters aren?t just like one type of person- stereotypically- they?re all different. You get all sorts of people skating for different reasons and it?s cool to see everyone together.<\/p>\n