Rider Spotlight: Daniel Meyer

How did you start skateboarding/longboarding?

This is a tricky one to answer because skating has always held a certain spot in my life. My first memory of skating would be an easier one for me to answer; Might’ve been when I was about 5 or 6 but I remember very clearly pushing around on my driveway of the house I still live in to this day with my oldest sister on her Enjoy Skateboard she had just purchased at our local shop. All of a sudden we see my mother come whipping into the driveway and didn’t have time to pick anything up out of her way so she ended up driving straight over the board and snapping it clean in half. No tears were shed as it was only material, but it does hold a special place in my brain for being one of my first memories of skating.

Now going back to the real question I think the first time I decided skating was MY THING, was my 8th or 9th birthday party when my parent rented the party room at our now shutdown local indoor skatepark. It was one of my favorites because I remember learning too drop in and repeatedly launching myself over the copping because I had no clue how to stop.

What are other passions in your life? What motivates you?

This is hard because other than skating there haven’t been many things in life that made me feel the way skating has. I played baseball for about 10 years before skating got serious. I was always involved with news travel teams and different Allstar teams but in the end, one bad middle school coach ruined the whole thing for me. I’d have to say the only thing that has taught me even close to as much as skating has would have to be working. Once I turned 16 and was legally allowed to have a job without a permit I was off to the races. Loved the feeling of working 50 hard hours in a week and getting the paycheck after. Always made me feel like I was doing something worth while.

What do you do for work? How do you balance work and play?

Right now I’m working as a maintenance man for a trio of restaurants at the Virginia Beach board walk. Its difficult to manage work and play right now because I always work long, hard, and tiring weeks and then have to travel 4 hours to get to the mountains where I like to spend my free time. But knowing that once I leave work on Friday and get to head out to my happy place always gives me the motivation to keep pushing.

Where do you want to see longboarding in the future?

Right now Longboarding is a very low-key and unliked style of skating because of certain stereotypes dropped on us towards the beginning so I guess in the end id like to see all styles of skating to be getting along and all just enjoying the thing that brings us all together.

What is your favorite longboard event and why?

This is also a very hard one to answer because every event I’ve ever been too has always impacted me in a different way. The events that pop into my head first every time though are the DC Czech Slide Jams. It was my very first event as a downhill skater and I don’t think I’ve missed one since. The DC boys have always been my closest skate friends just because their vibes and mindsets are similar to mine. The scene up there has always been in and out but never fully died so the energy that goes off every time a Czech jam comes around is always insane.

Tell us about that session or moment that made you want to really pursue longboarding as more than just a hobby?

Pretty much the second I stepped on a board and did my first slide I knew I had found my calling. Though it may have looked like a hot mess at first, the movements I was doing felt completely natural like I was meant to do them my whole life. The feeling of going 45mph down an open road or even just busting out 360s down a short descent, it has always felt like a natural thing to me.

What is your biggest achievement? In longboarding and/or life…

My biggest achievement in my head actually happened more recently and it was more of a series of events leading to one great feeling. It started out with me receiving an email from Rob Wheeler asking if I was interested in being apart of Faceplant Boardriders(A team I had looked up to and watched for many years prior). At the time this was happening I was also planning a trip to Asheville, NC for an outlaw race hosted by the locals which I had no intentions of racing in, let alone placing. But as the weekend went on and I had gotten more comfortable on the massive hills they have out there, I had seen a glimmer of hope that I might actually podium. After a few heats of gravity drop racing it had gotten down to me and Kalil Hammouri in the finals. I had already raced and beaten a few heavy hitters so I was totally ok with whatever happened after that and ended up just placing second. But to even place was like a dream. Before this I was just some kid no body knew from the flattest part of Virginia(and I mean FLAT), that had just placed in an event in one of the most well known areas for downhill, in front of all the people I had been watching on YouTube for years prior. It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced.

Coffee, tea or energy drink? What wakes you up in the morning?

It all depends on the situation:

Work= Coffee or Redbull

Skating= Pure adrenaline

What would be your superpower and why?

If I could have any superpower id probably have to go with the ability to fly. So I can always be anywhere, anytime.

Who is your hero?

Hero is a very strong word; I myself have never once thought of a single person being my hero. There is no one person I can always look too and think of as MY hero.

Now with that being said, my answer to this question would have to be the entire downhill community. I’ve gone through tough times where I thought there was no one I could look to for help but every time I think that, my friends and even people I’ve never met within the community have always been there to keep my head up. I feel like if I ever have that feeling, I can always turn to the community to help.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live? Why?

I think my answer to the super hero question ties in directly with this one as well. I never feel like I wanna settle down in one spot. I love the idea of a changing environment and new people. The thought of being in one spot for the rest of my life kind of bugs me. Id always like to be moving around and doing new things.

What is your dream job? What's stopping you?

My dream job would be something like a world traveler. Always on the move, always trying new things, and always meeting new people.