Young Peninsula skater, Zepp Heyes, is fast making a name for himself as one of the most improved skaters around, with a natural surf/skate style and a huge array of smooth moves. The colourful kid just came 4th in an Australia wide vert-skating comp on Tony Hawks’ ramp at the Melbourne Grand Prix, and we thought it was about time to catch up with this little legend.
NAME: I’m Zepp Heyes.
AGE: I’m 11 years old.
LIVES: I live in Rye on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
SPONSOR(S): I ride for SHEDNINE and Z-FLEX SKATEBOARDS! I skate mini-ramp and vert, but mostly bowl.
HEROES: My heroes are: Pedro Barros, David Gravette, Lance Montain, Matty Tailz and Clint Clark.
PEARL: How long have you been skating and how long since your dad built you the mini ramo at your house?
HEYES: I’ve been skating for 2 1/2 years. Since March 2012 when Dad and his friends built a mini-ramp, I’ve been skating so hard to get where I am now.
PEARL: How did it feel to come 4th in Australia on Tony Hawks Vert ramp at the Grand Prix recently?
HEYES: It felt amazing after getting 4th place in the Aus Grand Prix. I never expected it at all! Still, I didn’t feel nervous one bit. It was like having a fun session with my friends, but going harder. The crowd was awesome, screaming and yelling which made me skate better.
PEARL: Who do you like to skate with locally?
HEYES: I’m so lucky because two of my heroes live locally – Matty and Clint. I also love to skate with the MOSS (Melbourne Old School Skaters) crew and Bowlriders Australia (Kirky is a legend). I have awesome friends who I skate with at Mt Eliza, St Kilda, Frankston, The Shed and now Balnarring.
PEARL: What are your goals as a skater?
HEYEYS: I want to become a top-class professional skater travelling the world helping to raise money for MOSS FOUNDATION. When I am 18, Ava and I are going to motorcycle around Brazil and skate the country with a pet iguana each.
PEARL: Name some of the better places you have skated?
HEYES: Some of the better places I’ve skated are: Bondi, Nimbin, Woodward West in California, Venice Beach, Monster Park in Sydney, St Kilda, Vans Combi Bowl and more but my favourite skate parks are Mt Eliza, Frankston and Bondi.
PEARL: Any final words?
HEYES: I wanna say thanks heaps to the ShedNine crew for supporting me in what I love to do the most. Also to mum and dad for encouraging me to skate, driving me everywhere and making it so much fun!
EDDIE WEARNE / SHEDNINE