Skateboarding veteran and owner of the sickest BS 540 Stalefish, Buster Halterman is answering the Who? What? Where? Why? and How? from the GO211 community as he plans to wrap up another Dew Tour season in the top ten. This Pennsylvania native turned skater turned agent and lover of all things beer is answering anything and everything you ever wanted to know about the ups and downs of skateboarding, clothing design and life on the road. Fire away he's all yours.......

My first board was a G&S Foiltail. the deck was a shape copied from a Gator deck shortly after he bailed the company for Vision. i had ordered it with Gullwing trucks (royal blue), G&S YoYo wheels (yellow/black) with German bearings. It took forever for UPS to deliver it! Since then, i don't prefer UPS shipping. Funny, but true, i blame them for all those hours of anxiety...i thought i was going to die before that thing showed up. thx.

Naomi, the simple answer is Shred, Shred, Shred, practice, practice, practice! Ben and other prodigies still have to work hard though. I'm sure they filmed, shot photos, entered contests, etc. Point blank, the harder you work and put yourself out there, the more likely you'll be noticed. Let actions speak louder than words! Good luck. buster.

Yesterday may have been a different answer, but...Today, my favorite athlete is Michael Phelps. He is well spoken, a true prodigy, he's a good icon and mentor for youth, he shares his wealth with others and point blank has the natural and mental talent of a superior human being. thx. buster.

Hey Alexi, i just answered this a few questions ago. Please read...up...or down...wherever it is. come skate encinitas, man.

Man, i love skateboarding and have respect for all disciplines. I love freestyle...which used to be hated on, then everyone took what Rodney Mullen was doing to obstacles and with great speed! Modern skateboarding is amazing...all of it. Street is so tech and beyond me in many ways. Vert takes dedication, perseverance and discipline in a different way. Mega takes chutzpa and years of vert experience. Anyway, i think it is lame that fines and jail time are such a problem. However, the fortunate thing here is that skateboarding has gotten so big that we have so many skateparks that provide a safe haven for the activity. Many see it as a way of stifling the sport and creativity, which is partially true. Skateboarding will always have illegal backyard pool and street sessions. That part of skateboarding needs to stay alive...if you don't mind fines, skate illegally, if you don't like the fines or jail time then go to park or permission pool or backyard ramp. if you love skateboarding you'll find a way and live with consequences or not. I guess that is my take. thx. buster.

Yes, inevitably skateboarding will be an Olympic sport. I welcome some debate on this...haha. Seriously, i am on the board of USAS (usa skateboarding). We formed this organization (with tony hawk, chris miller, gary ream of Woodward camp, etc)to help protect skateboarding when it goes in to the Olympics. People, the question isn't a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when". i won't make predictions, but face this. the Olympics are seeking spectators that identify with the sports they show on tv. the younger generation, can't identify with Olympic walking and other sports that used to be popular. thus, the answer is to add sports that appeal to kids...modern kids identify very well with skateboarding. what do i think? Well, i'll keep it short. I think it will have much resistance from the "core" of skateboarding, however, i think the positives will surely outweigh the negative. People gave snowboarding a difficult time about Olympic participation. Now snowboarding isn't illegal on mtns, nor deemed such a punk, "radical" sport amongst youth. Now families commonly go snowboarding together. That sport came after, then surpassed skateboarding in many ways...partly because the olympics. My two cents...Thanks Chad. i hope bmx positively benefits from Olympic participation. Flatland is amazing, thought often discounted, unfortunately. -buster.

parks, parks, parks...they are plentiful and less hassles than the streets or backyard pools. I think the skateparks are where about 75-90% of actual skateboarding takes place today. The future will be similar or a greater percentage. the mags and videos somewhat skew what actual skateboarding is to the majority population. again, that's what i think...it's just an opinion. Oh, the next generation will be even more diverse in ability: That means tranny and street stuff, and hopefully a little vert skill too! thx. buster.

Hey Alexi! i hope you ankle/leg is getting better. The first trick i learned on vert besides dropping in was probably a frontside air. i learned them before backside airs and i remember doing them before grinds. What was yours?

I guess i'll go with the Na Pali Coast on Kauai, Hawaii. That place seems pop in my mind first...I don't know about living there perminatly but that place is pretty darn magical. What was the best day in my life? That is pretty difficult. I'd like to say my wedding day...or the days that my kids were born....but if i have to go with just one day, I'll go with the day that i was born. why? Well, that day put me on earth which led to all my experiences (good and bad) including the aformentioned highlights of my life.

Hey there JSport...good seeing you a while ago too. When considering the growth of action sports (and stabilization i'll add) i think that GO211 will continue to grow its membership and content both from the professionals and fans. I think they were the first fully functional and established network for "action sports". Point blank it seems like GO211 seems to have established itself as the leading action sports social network. Personally, i'm happy that they've done this with some integrity: They put money in to the pros and events that helped build their fan base, membership and site traffic in general. Finally, if GO211 continues a simple well designed site, continues to sponsor pros/ams and continues to sponsor leading events, they will be respected and continue on the path they started on!

Gazo, i definitely don't hate rollerbladers. my mom taught me never to use that word. Nonetheless, i met some really cool people that rollerblade. "To each his own" as the saying goes, but i just don't prefer rollerblading as an activity. That's all.

No actually! If you are telling me now, i guess that's ok, but it surely never crossed my mind either. thx Weman.

I love to see people do the stale 540. I get inspired and motivated to skate. Danny Way inspired me to do it...i surely don't own the trick! It is the best feeling 540 that I'm able to do. I welcome more stale 5's on the v-pipe. thx man.

My first sponsor was Airborne/Zorlac...which you probably never heard of. I am truly proud to say that I earned my first complete skateboard by trimming Christmas trees and weeding around them on the farm I grew up on! No joke! My dad paid me $2 per hour. Also, I'd get about $1/day for lunch money and I save that money (not eat basically) in order to buy skate products. For Xmas or Birthday I do remember getting some new pads or some shoes. Besides that, I don't recall my parents ever buying me a board outright. Note, I've had a job outside skateboarding since I was 15 years old. There hasn't been one full year where I haven't had a job outside skateboarding. Needless to say, I usually bought or traded stuff when I needed it. Thx. Good questions.

Yes, I've tried snowboarding and parachuting (static line, not sky diving). They are both amazing and give you that "airgasm", otherwise known as "defying gravity". LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Yeah Nikozg!

Yes Alexi, I'll claim a couple(despite all controversy, haha) inventions or a couple first makes, i think: 1. the b/s sugarcane...it's a backside 270 smith grind where you come in forward. 2. Heal flip slob body varial. basically, go up ramp, body turns 180 as you heal flip the board straight up (the board doesn't rotate f/s or b/s), then you grab the board slob after the flip, then reenter the ramp with board backwards. 3. f/s 270 nose grind, coming in forward. 4. b/s fast plant 360 (or maybe matt dove did it first, but not sure) 5. f/s kickflip 5-0 6. everything else, Tony Hawk invented. haha. i think i have a few others (like mute blunt slides) but i don't dare get in to the compexities. take care. buster.

I think Tricia has asked me some very good questions. I feel that I've been able to express my views and opinions and personality and overall self accordingly. i love q & a...it's fun stuff and helps you dig deep, often times reminiscing the past.

i would love to learn the Adam Bailer. It's where you go up and try to be all cool in tight jeans and high socks, but you can't seem to grab your board because they are so tight and so high. The outcome is a nice fat slam on the ramp because those tight ass jeans were so disfunctional!!! thanks for the nice question.

Actually, I don't remember the first day of skateboarding...but i do remember the beginning in general. I remember tick-tacking in my friends driveway, doing s-turns and learning to ollie over broomsticks. Skateboarding "hooked" me when I realized that I could do this activity with my friends on my own terms and progression was completely up to me. I didn't have to listen to anyone telling me I had to do it or else run laps around the baseball field. Beyond that, getting weightlessness on a vert ramp really hooked me. the first time i caught air...I couldn't believe what that feeling was like!!! once I got my first board, I started on transition for the most part. I mean, we skated on friends driveways but I lived on a dirt road. Therefore, building ramps in the barn seemed logical and more fun to begin with.

Airborne? Well, Loreo360, i have to say NO! i don't blade so i don't watch blading vids...therefore i don't have an honest opinion on "the best of". thx for the question though.