Louie Barletta takes this line into his own hands and KILLS it!
“This is what real skateboarding means to me” ~ Louie Barletta. That quote sums up what takes place in this 25 second video of firing tricks on a board. In the 1990′s, Barletta was living in San Jose, California where he began to skate and work in order to get by in this cruel world. He explains that he was going to be a College English Professor because skateboarding wasn’t his dream profession at the time, it was just a hobby for Barletta to ride with friends in between classes and work. While riding for the San Jose based Sonic skateboards, Barletta was able to squeek by before sonic slowed down and ended without Barletta ever turning Pro. After Sonic went under, Jason Adams offered Barletta a spot on Black Label skateboards and Jerry Hsu offered Barletta to ride for Maple skateboards, Barletta went with Maple because his friends Hsu and Marc Johnson were already a part of that team. While riding for Maple, the team put together an amazing video called, “Tilt Mode,” which changed skateboarding forever. The video brought forth moments of friendship and fun back into the spotlight for viewers to see what skateboarding is all about. With Barletta as one of the stars in the film, it changed a lot of skater’s outlooks on what is really important when it comes to skating, friends and having fun. Barletta became Pro with the success of the film but he did not quit his job as a manager at a coffee shop for three years after achieving professional status. 10 years go by and Barletta is traveling the world with his favorite toy, his skateboard. Barletta states, “If you never slow down or look back, then the future is wide open. Its when you start looking back that you start seeing how long you’ve been doing it for, and then maybe that starts wearing on you.” Very wise words from an extremely talented skater with passion the size of our universe. Okay so now you know a little history behind Louie Barletta, may this help encourage everyone on their journey to success. Peace!
