Iris Skateboards' George Rocha (S3E7)

Film photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Skating and building ramps consumed much of George Rocha's childhood.

In Part 1, George, who today owns and operates Iris Skateboards, recounts various tales from his childhood on four wheels. He took a roadtrip to Portland right out of high school, his first taste of the West Coast and a world he had been reading about and seeing pictures of in magazines and videos. He would end up moving to San Francisco just a few years later.

Check out this video by Jeremy McNamara on George's work with Iris Skateboards:

Some people's trash is other people's art ... or, in George Rocha's case, their business.

In Part 2, George tells the story of his cross-country move to San Francisco. He found his own place in the Outer Sunset, a rental where he eventually built a backyard pool to skate in. A few years later, he started taking his old skateboards and making new ones out of them, the inspiration for Iris Skateboards, which George owns and operates today.

Here's the sculpture George talks about around the 20:30 mark:

We recorded this podcast at George's home and workshop in the Outer Sunset in February 2020.