éS Skateboarding

Rick McCrank is a hard-charging skateboarder of the highest caliber. He's a lightning fast projectile on wheels, a total demo and contest master, an attacker of all terrain and an all-around seeker of fun, laughs and good times. Rick started skating in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada at age 11 back in 1987.

After the usual formative driveway and sidewalk sessions, Rick began flicking high ollies off of little jump ramps, which were all the rage at the time. Noticing Rick's extremely worn down boards and budding abilities, a local shop called SK8 City gave him his first free equipment. Occasional forays into Montreal provided a bigger wealth of street terrain.

Rarely viewing any videos or magazines, for the next several years, Rick was blissfully ignorant of all skateboarding history, trends, ams, pros and even trick names. The poverty stricken McCrank skated for fun in a pure unsponsored state, with his decks frequently resembling nose and tail-less logs of severe abuse. The giant clothes era of the early '90s allowed Rick to finally fit in (at least somewhat, fashion-wise) with his dirt-cheap thrift-store duds, as it was easy enough for him to buy anything eight sizes too large.

The adult world first reared its responsible head in Rick's life back in those days, when Colin McKay added him to the Plan B roster. A short tenure at Birdhouse followed in the mid '90s, then a final settling at Girl Skateboards in 1998 and éS Footwear in 1999, where he's been ever since. In fact, Rick has designed five shoes for éS--the McCrank, the McCrank 2, the Anti-Social, the Norton and the Avers.

For some recent video proof, check out Rick’s part in éSpecial or his steady concrete destruction in Beauty and the Beast, the Girl and Anti-Hero tour video. Or if you’re on a nostalgic kick, check out his epic part in Birdhouse's The End, in which he somehow manages to bail a handrail 50-50 attempt and twirl down the stairs elegantly to avoid injury. And he’s sure to have another groundbreaking part in the Girl section of the upcoming Chocolate video.

Rick is a very busy guy these days, juggling time for numerous activities. He owns Momentum Wheels, co-owns a skate shop / art gallery called Anti-Social in Vancouver, and, most importantly, loves raising his young daughter, Kalea. During leisure hours, Rick enjoys eating vegetarian food, as well as occasional surfing, snowboarding and golfing.

Sponsors: éS footwear Girl, Matix, Thunder, Momentum, Nixon.