Alex Tongue Subsonic Skateboarder

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Subsonic Skateboards is a fixture of Northwest skateboarding and seems to be making some moves to build up the brand and community for the future. Already presenting the Britannia Classic, Subsonic has now announced new team rider, top international competitor and all around great guy, Alex Tongue.

While the announcement that Subsonic Skateboards was presenting the Britannia Classic came as a bit of a shock at first, once I heard who was getting involved it made a lot of sense. Longtime board builder Scott Moore has some young blood through his doors and Alex Tongue is really a huge opportunity for Subsonic to showcase it’s talented board crafting and shaping abilities under the feet of a global competitor.

Alex is going to be a huge threat at the Britannia event and I know what he is riding is going to be of interest to other skaters heading out for the freeride and race. The Northwest has a string history of top quality board building and it’s awesome to see Subsonic filling up with great riders to skate with.

Hey Alex, tell us who you are, where you’re from, and what you’re riding?

For sure! My name is Alex Tongue, I’m 22 years old, and I live in Boring, Oregon (That’s not a joke, the city is actually named Boring and it’s just outside of Portland). Right now I am set up on a custom Subsonic board, These wheels, Aera Trucks, some secret new bushings, and Bones Bearings. It’s a really great setup that has needed very little changes over the past few years.

I’ve known you for a couple-few years now, you used to Ride an Avenger, then you got this deal with Stalkit and now Subsonic? What can you tell me about what happened with Stalk-it?

Stalkit gave me support over the past couple years, but in the end our interests in skateboarding did not align. After riding for them I really wanted to get back to my roots and support a core skate company ran by skaters.

So Stalk-it is no more and now you’re riding Subsonic?

It didn’t take long to realize that Subsonic was the obvious choice for my next board sponsor. I skate with the guys on the Subsonic team all the time anyway so it was a perfect fit. Subsonic is a local Portland company that currently makes custom handmade boards. They are now moving up to Seattle where they are going to up the production a bit and put out some new models. Keep an eye on them, Subsonic has some really cool stuff coming soon.

And it seems you like directional top-mount, more traditional boards? What is it you like about that style? Will you be doing something in your own design?

The top-mount directional style just works for me, and at the end of the day I just want to ride what I am comfortable with. I am working with Subsonic on developing a pro model board that should be out sometime this year. There are some board design ideas in my head and I know that Subsonic can turn those ideas into a reality.

It seems Subsonic is slow rolling a big season here, new logos, new location, new riders… what more can you tell me?

Yeah they are definitely going to have a big presence on the scene in the coming year. All I can say is be sure to follow them, some rad stuff will be coming from those guys real soon. If you’re going to be at Danger Bay or Britannia, there will be a Subsonic crew helping get the season going even more.

You have been a top racer for sometime. I see you having the size and fitness to make it to the top, what’s the one thing holding you back from World Champion?

That’s a good question, and I wish I knew the answer! All I can really do is surround myself with other talented skaters and skate all the time.

What’s the plan this season? Go for the top? Stay closer to home?

I am going to stick to North America this year in terms of traveling for races. My plan is to go on skate/film trips rather than racing the entire circuit. I am usually on tour when all of the local skate trips happen so it will be really cool to finally get to be a part of those trips.

Race, race,race… tell me something about Alex the man, how’s life, school, ladie(s)?

Life is good! It can be difficult to balance going to school and skateboarding. The two don’t always mix together well, but I’ve managed to make it work somehow. I have one year of University left and then I’ll probably go on to get my Masters. In the meantime I will continue to skate, I’ll never let go of skateboarding. It’s been a part of my life for 15 years and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. To answer the last part of the question, I live in a little farmhouse with my girlfriend. We have some chickens and a garden full of delicious food, which is super rad.

Sounds like life is pretty solid. Help a young race understand the ropes better, you have a $30 budget and need to eat for a whole event, how do you spend $30, have fun and not starve?

Well if you have any gear to trade, that’s an option for getting more cash. If not, you just have to be frugal. My first year at the Maryhill Festival of Speed I ate Chef Boyardee ravioli cold, out of the can, every day for breakfast for five days. I could’ve eaten better than that, but there were other important things to buy like fireworks haha

Oh the fireworks… Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Any parting words? Sponsors I should link?

Thanks for the interview and hopefully I’ll see you up in Canada at Britannia! Also, shout out to all my sponsors that make my lifestyle a possibility!

www.daddiesboardshop.com

www.thesewheels.com

www.aeratrucks.com

www.subsonicskateboards.com

Don’t forget to sign up for the Britannia Classic!

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