Lillis Akesson

John – We’re excited to see that you are competing in the World Freestyle Round-Up in the Pro Division. What can we expect from your routine, and how do you practice for a competition?

Lillis: I usually go through my full routine 4 times each session. I warm up with dynamic stretching and then just roll around for a few minutes, then do my routine 4 times. Sometimes in sections, sometimes in full back to back. Depends how I feel, I am on medication for my anxiety and it makes me a bit weak.

My routine is unfortunately the same as last year’s in Brandenburg and Japan. I always try to improve my routine, but I don’t switch things around for no reason, just for the sake of it. It must feel better, my routine is like a painting that never gets finished. If I make my first run perfectly, and it feels like I can’t do it better, can’t have more fun, then for the second run I try one or two of my harder tricks.

John: Please tell us, for up-and-coming freestyle skateboarders, how you became pro, retained sponsors, and your journey to becoming a professional skateboarder?

Lillis: I started to skateboard in 1978. Did everything; ramps, slalom, freestyle, downhill, street skating, as it was back then.

I won my first European Championships in 1987. Same year after the contest I was going to California, staying with Per Welinder and Bob Schmelzer and competing in the Carson Velodrome contest. It was my first contest in the USA. But before Carson I went to my first contest in Münster, the famous Münster Monster Championships. Most of those that I competed with were entering as pro, so I asked my sponsor Tracker if I could turn pro and it was ok.

I got sponsored by Tracker from recommendation by Per Welinder and Per Holknekt. I was riding for them to just recently. They got bought by Brad Dorfman and he said he would sponsor me, but then covid came and now they don’t even reply to me … I have also been sponsored by Quiksilver and Converse.

My sponsor these days is Moonshine Skateboards, and I have my pro model for them. Tony Gale put me on the team just to have reasons to mock me and hassle me, and shoot me with nerf guns. 

I also am sponsored by Seismic Skate Systems with wheels and Tekton bearings and skids.

About retaining sponsors, for me it is about entering contests and doing demos, and every time be well prepared and have fun.

John: What’s  your current set up, and what is some of your favorite gear?

Lillis: My model for Moonshine, Tracker Fulltracks, Focus wheels, Tekton bearings, Seismic skids. I skate in Etnies Marana Michelin.

My favorite gear is everything above.

John: Music is a vital part of skateboarding. In my belief, it goes hand-in-hand with freestyle skateboarding especially. What is some of your favorite music to skate to, and what are you currently listening to?

Lillis: Right now my routine is to a Swedish song called ”Du lever bara en gång” by Noice. I love to somewhat choreograph but mostly try to interpret my skating to the music. I choose a wide variety of music to skate to, but genres would be rock, metal, punkrock and pop. From Foo Figthers to Bananarama.

It is for me very difficult to find music to use for my routines. I rarely find a song by looking for it. It can pop up from anywhere. For example, when I watched Teen Titans there was this cool fight scene and the music was a cover of Kim Wildes ”Kids in America”, by Foo Fighters. I felt strongly I wanted to skate to it, and so I did.

John: You are the owner of “Do Less”, a skate supply store. How is it doing? Tell us a little about your store and your day to day.

Lillis: I used to have a small webshop, but it didn’t go very well. Now “Do Less” is demos and events.

I work part time (75%) as a sales person for “Stadium” in Barkarby, in Stockholm. A super big sports store, part of a chain with about 180 stores. I totally love it! Our goal is to activate the world, to inspire an active life style. I am having fun every day and laughing all the time, and have the most wonderful and fun colleagues.

I meditate twice a day with the TM-Sidhi program, I do Bikram Yoga, some strength training and physio.

Thank you for good and interesting questions. I could rabble on forever … so anyone, don’t hesitate to ask me questions! 

P.S. – Advice from Tony Gale is to not ask questions about Star Trek … as I could go on for hours … Just ask Tony, he is still since 2005 trying to recover from Trekmania, after asking me about Star Trek.

Lillis looking for a spot to freestyle in the Philippines, repping his pro model from Moonshine.

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