Francisco Patrone (@francisco_patrone)

Tom – How long have you been freestyle skateboarding for and how old are you? 

Francisco – I started skating in the summertime of 2017, but I was forced to quit around the very end of 2019 because my family thought that I was taking it too far. Ever since then, I’ve been struggling to skate again on a regular basis, with the occasional short-lived comebacks. 

I was into freestyle from the get-go, before I even knew what it was. It occurred to me really naturally. 

Anyway, I always like to tell people that I skated for 2 years, but have been a skater for 5 years. I’m 20 years old, soon to be 21. 

Tom – What is the freestyle skate scene like in Lisbon? 

Francisco – Simply put, there is no freestyle skate scene in Lisbon. I’ve been trying to get some of the local skaters into freestyle – mostly kids and newbies – but everyone that I’ve introduced to freestyle only learns one or two tricks before giving up a couple of weeks later and deciding to stick to street skating. 

It’s not like skaters around here don’t enjoy freestyle, they just don’t enjoy doing it themselves. Lisbon is better suited for street skating. 

Tom – I see you play guitar. How long have you been doing that for, and what current music are you listening to? 

Francisco – Immediately after I was forced to quit, I felt a need to find something to replace skating. Towards the end of March, 2020 was when I really picked up the guitar and gave it a proper go. 

Suffice to say, nothing else feels like skateboarding, but playing the guitar comes pretty close. 

I’m quite eclectic when it comes to music. I get the most enjoyment out of genres like flamenco, punk rock, baroque, swing and indie. 

Tom – What is your current board setup? 

Francisco – Decathlon DK100 8.25″ deck, Decathlon stock griptape, Leroy Merlin bolts (I know what you’re thinking), Independent Trucks Co. 1/4″ risers, Oxelo FURY 8.25″ trucks, Decathlon abec-5 bearings, Ricta 58mm 85A Purple Wheels. I was using Decathlon’s 54mm 85A roller skate wheels before, but they wore out and I switched to the spare set of Ricta.

Tom – What’s your current favourite trick you can do? Any tricks you are working on currently? 

Francisco – It’s hard to pick just one trick, but fakie pressure inward heel body varials and riding rail/primo on top of another board are all-time favorites of mine. Boneless variations are a close second… or third, I guess. 

I’m currently working on a FS 360 boneless to truckstand… Getting pretty close. 

Tom – How did riding in rail on top of another deck come about? 

Francisco – I saw Pasha Tretyakov (@seeyousoonagain) doing it first and decided that it’d be fun to test how far I could take the idea. I slammed… A lot. 

Tom – What your goals for skating in 2023? 

Francisco – I want to be back for good. No more forced breaks. No more excuses to not skate. 

Tom – Who currently are your favourite skaters, past or present? 

Francisco – Orange Man (@abedubin), Richie Jackson (@thefeatch), Joe Moore (@anyskate) and Mike Vallely (@mikevallely).

Tom – What is your current favourite spot to skate? 

Francisco – Back when I started skating, one of my first go-to skate spots was an old tennis court right next to my high-school. 

I’m now in college, but I still go there to skate whenever I can. It reminds me of simpler times and the ground has just the right amount of grip. 

Tom – Any last words or shout-outs? 

Francisco – Shout-out to Bullgod (@bullgodfb) fingerboards for providing me with a means to scratch the unscratchable itch and to Sporting Lisbon (@sportingsurf) for investing in the skate scene! 

As for last words, don’t let anyone stop you from being exactly who you want to be. Time does not rollback. As Rodney Mullen put it: “Don’t let anything poison your individuality. Be away, break away and look in, not outward.”

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