📝 Intro + Interview by Greg Navarro
📷 Photography by Greg Navarro, Thomas Goldman & Cooper Qua
Cooper Qua is from Albany, New York and is the youngest team rider on Quasi Skateboards. His debut video part for the company is in their latest video, Hard Reset. I sat down with Cooper at Tompkins to chat about the future of Quasi and to hear about his dream of becoming a pro skateboarder as a teenager from Upstate New York.
How rich would you be if you had a dollar for every time someone’s made the “Qua on Quasi” joke to you?
It happens a lot. Friends will say “Cooper Quasi.” I would say about $500.
That makes me $501 then.
Thanks for the dollar. Tubbs [Quasi team manager] has done research on my last name. It’s a weird coincidence. I don’t know, maybe it’s meant to be …is that corny?
That leads into my next question, which is how did your addition to the team come about?
We were out filming with Jeff Cecere, Richie [Rizzo], Caleb McNeely and some other homies. I remember Caleb saying, “I showed Quasi your clips. They’re stoked.” Richie asked, “What do you think of getting in the van this summer?” And I was like, “What the? That would be fucking nuts.” The team manager texted me a couple of weeks later and then it happened. It was so quick. It happened so fast.
That’s amazing. Are you leaving anything out in this story? Was it really that simple?
The Orchard [Skateshop] video came out. I think that definitely helped. I started skating with Justin [Henry] a little more and just getting in the mix with them and it just happened. Having someone like Richie respect me in that way is super important, because he cares about the way he looks on a skateboard. He’s very particular with people’s style and what they do on a skateboard instead of just being necessarily “good.” And I have always respected that out of him. Knowing that he vouched for me is really cool and I’m grateful for that.
Kickflip 5050 by Thomas Goldman
You’ve had your shop video appearances and solo parts before this, but does it feel any different having a debut for an established board company?
It’s unreal to me. I’ve looked up to these guys. They’re the truth. They really think deeply on making a video and the process of it all. I’ve watched all the videos and I’ve been starstruck by these guys who I can now call my friends, which is like, the sickest thing ever. Meeting Bob was crazy, because he was a mysterious legend.
If we could go backwards a little bit, pre-Quasi. I read that you hosted an event called Qua Fest with your dad in Albany. Can you tell me about the early days of you skating and what got you into it?
Dang, what the hell? You did your research! I used to have this ramp in my backyard. It was a mini ramp party and then we’d have a big bonfire. That ramp in my backyard got me going. My dad and I would just sit back there for hours before and after school, just skating and trying to learn new stuff.
Once I got older, we moved into Albany because at the time, we were 20 minutes outside of the city. That’s when I got into street skating. I found a little group of people, the Seasons [Skateshop] squad and started making videos and filming with them. Street was such a big step up. I was like, “Fuck, am I ready to do this? Am I good enough to hang with these guys?” But they were really welcoming.
Qua Fest by Kris Qua
Could you tell me a little bit about your father, Kris Qua? I know he really supported you skating at a young age and has taken some of your earliest skate photos.
Having my dad be as supportive and excited about skating is so special. I don’t think anybody’s got a dad like I do where they’re just as into the same hobby as their son. The photography part is even crazier because I can just go get a photo in Albany if I want to.
Boardslide by Thomas Goldman
What was that first Quasi trip like?
We were going to North Carolina. I’m not sure where in North Carolina, but there’s this barrier with some transition at the bottom. I was trying a back tailslide and I stepped off on the transition part of the quarterpipe and rolled my ankle. I couldn’t skate for the rest of the trip. At that point, I gotta focus on making friends with these guys now because it was my first trip. I kind of liked that. I know I’m a shy, awkward guy in conversation sometimes. But because of that injury, I feel like I got to make a connection with them.
Rolled ankle & Quasi van by Cooper Qua
I heard from some of the team that they call you the Arto Saari of Quasi. Have you ever heard that one before?
I’ve really only heard that one from Chad and Tubbs. But, yeah, I remember I landed this line in Ohio on these rails. And Chad was like, “Oh, he’s our little Arto.” And I was like, “Holy shit, dude, that’s an insane compliment.” It just kind of gave me butterflies.
Front Smith by Thomas Goldman
Do you feel like Quasi is looking at the next generation of skateboarders with your addition to the team?
It hasn’t been said to me directly, but I’ve thought about how with me and the two new guys, they are looking to make the new team in a way, because some of those guys who are on it now are getting older and tapping out a little bit. So yeah, I think they are looking at me and the new guys to try and do a “hard reset.”
Ollie by Thomas Goldman
What’s your experience been like filming with the Quasi filmers? How do they approach skating?
The way these guys roll — if we come to a spot you can’t skate it, they are down to get dirty and do whatever it takes to make a spot skateable. Let’s say there’s knobs on a rail. They’ll take out the saw and cut off the knobs or bondo any crack you can think of. They will make sure you skate the spot.
Spot Fixings by Cooper Qua
What was the first video you watched that made you think, “I want to be a professional skateboarder” when you were young?
Grant Taylor’s S.O.T.Y. part in 2011, Pretty Sweet and Cheese & Crackers. Those videos were definitely like, “Okay, I got to be a skateboarder. This is what I want to do.”
Any projects after this you are working on?
Jeff Cecere is working on a video right now with a bunch of my friends and that’s all I’m focused on. I went to San Diego a couple of weeks ago and got some clips. Those are going to whatever the next project is.
Front Boardslide by Thomas Goldman
What keeps you motivated to skate, even though it feels like the skate industry isn’t in the best place right now?
Anytime a full-length comes out, I think it reminds all of us why we do this. Every video we make, we want to stoke the scene a little bit. They had everybody getting wristbands from skateshops so they could go visit and have a reason to support their local shop. Quasi is in it for the community; they’re trying to find the stoke again.
Front Nosegrind by Thomas Goldman
Okay, a few fun ones. Favorite breed of dog?
Pitbull or French bulldog. I grew up with pitbulls and then I got a French bulldog. The Quasi filmer has two of my favorite pitbulls of all time. Shout out Patti and Bruce.
Favorite gas station snack on a skate trip?
Purple Doritos, Funyuns, Cheez-It snack mix.
Favorite sweet treat?
Blueberry muffins.
Any funny memories hanging with the team?
The first trip I was on with Bobby De Keyzer, the whole team was watching movies in the living room, and we were watching Boogie Nights, which is about the porn industry. That was my first time meeting Bob. Everybody went outside to smoke. It was me and Bob inside watching Boogie Nights, and it was just like this dude having sex on the TV. Me and Bob, just like sitting there on the couch and not even acknowledging each other. I always thought that was such a funny thing.
Quasi trip archive by Cooper Qua
Good icebreaker. Damn, you got anything else?
I guess watching this video [Hard Reset] now is so funny to me. I don’t know if it’ll be funny to most people, but going on the trips made me realize they’re just a bunch of goofs. There are so many little Easter eggs only the skaters [on the team] will know or only even the editor would get.