Guenther Mokulys
‘Freestyle skateboarding was destroyed by the American skateboard industry.‘
July 2026
Your IG says “Skateboarding legend and entertainer. 40 years of skateboarding. 11-time world champion. Author of 11 skateboarding books.” There’s a lot to unpack here. Where should we start?
How about 1983, when it all began. Okay, 1983 is where I should start. But I’ll just do the short version. Otherwise this will be too long. May 14, 1983 in the city of Dortmund. I saw a freestyle skateboard/BMX show. One day later I bought a skateboard and started skating. I taught myself the first skateboard tricks, wheelies and finger flips without having seen them anywhere. There were no videos or internet back then. A year later, I saw my first competition. Then things really took off. I moved to Münster. Training for 5 hours a day, up to 8 hours at weekends. In 1984 I met Rodney Mullen at a training camp in Sweden. I trained, competed and worked until 1986. (My profession was metalworking). In 1986 I had to make a decision. I could no longer do both. 5 hours of training, 8 hours of work, every day. And 1986 was the World Championships in Canada. “World Skateboard Championship” I told my boss. I’ll quit and become world champion. No sooner said than done: Guenter Mokulys amateur world champion. Rodney Mullen professional world champion. That’s how it all started. I turned professional in 1987.
How was your irst interaction and experience with Rodney in 1984?
My First experience with Rodney. Let’s just say, on the second day, Rodney noticed that I was different from all the other skateboarders at camp. I was the first one to leave training in the morning and the last one to leave training in the evening. I also showed him my training book, with my training times, equipment, new tricks, etc. Rodney did the same at the time, although I didn’t know it. We had a lot of similarities when it came to training. We still wrote letters to each other often even then (there was no internet yet). One thing was always important to him, and it is still true: Learn tricks from good skaters, yes, but don’t copy them. Every skater should develop their own personality in skating. That’s really authentic. But these similarities, or similar interests, are sometimes unbelievable. In 1991, I visited Rodney in the USA, and he arrived in a Camaro Z28. I had a rental car in the USA. And at home, I had a Camaro Z28, the same color. (What a coincidence, unbeknownst to me.) To this day, he’s the most influential skateboarder I’ve ever met.
Any thoughts turning into street skating like Rodney?
Not at the time. Now I think I should have. But then I would have done it like Kilian Martin or Andy Anderson. Combining both street and freestyle. There’s something special about that.
11-time world champion sounds pretty surreal. Did you beat beat Rodney Mullen in one of them or did only Per Welinder manage that?
Well, in Europe I rode pretty much all the competitions in the 80s. I just wanted to be good at competitions. Rodney had his last competition in 1990. I became professional world champion in 1991. I had something in common with Rodney back then. Training and competing as well as I could. It was like an addiction. It was never about being the best, it was just about skateboarding well. Freestyle skateboarding was dead from 1993 to 2001, there were no more competitions. It was also pretty much destroyed by the American skateboard industry.
How so?
You mean “why?” Freestyle skateboarding was destroyed by the American skateboard industry. It’s clear: When were the last major freestyle competitions? The 1980s. Not after that. Who’s behind the big skateboard companies? All former freestyle riders. What can you make more money with? Street boards, which break faster. In recent years, Bobby Casper and now Mike Ostermann have tried to bring freestyle back to the forefront. But only small competitions. The big companies aren’t interested. Canada had good competitions for years with Monty and Kevin Harris, and now for a few years in Germany with Christian Heise, with freestyle competitions featuring 120 participants from 26 countries and thousands of spectators. And the Japanese, and also the Chinese, who have many excellent freestylers. Something’s happening there, but not in the USA.
‘One thing was always important to him (Mullen), and it is still true: Learn tricks, from good skaters, yes, but don’t copy them. ’
You published 11 skateboard books between 1987 and 2022 and sold more than 100,000 copies. Which one are you most proud of?
Yes, 11 skateboard books. Freestyle, street skating, miniramp, halfpipe. All books with sequences of tricks to learn. Very popular in the 80s, as there was no internet yet. But the best book was the Flatland Skateboard book from 2004 from my publisher. Sir Marshall Publishing. This book was very comprehensive and versatile. Many now famous skaters have learned from it and developed ideas for themselves. Andy Anderson presented tricks from the book on Braille. Jonny Giger presented it in one of his videos and said that he started skateboarding because of this book. That makes me proud to have achieved something like that.
You mentioned in an interview that you are one of the few skateboarders in Germany who can still earn a living. Which of the things you do contributes the most to paying your bills?
So skateboarding is not something you do to earn money, you do it out of passion. It’s a sport that is more diverse and extensive than any other sport. Of course, if you can get money from sponsors or show appearances, so much the better. I was able to do this for 20 years. Hobby to profession. Occasionally I still have show appearances and an online store: www.marshall-skateboarding.de.
A few years ago I heard a comment that freestylers are all smart businessmen. Rodney Mullen co-founded World Industries, Don Brown founded Sole Technology and Per Welinder teamed up with Tony Hawk for Birdhouse. Where does that come from?
That’s an interesting question. I don’t have an answer to that. Almost the entire skateboard industry in the USA consists of bosses who were former freestylers, from Stacy Peralta, Steve Rocco to Rodney, Perr Welinder, Pierre Andre, Don Brown and many more. Are freestylers more intelligent than other skaters? You might think so.
How is the scene in the freestyle world? Booming or in decline?
The freestyle scene has been on the rise for a few years now. It started 15 years ago in Canada with the World Round Up organized by Kevin Harris and Monty, Monty, who organized the Transworld Skateboarding Championships in 1986. And now the biggest freestyle skateboard contest in Germany, in Brandenburg, is organized every year by Christian Heise with more than 100 participants. It is also interesting that the best freestylers come from Japan, Europe, Brazil and then the USA. The biggest competitions are in Europe, Japan, Canada, Brazil and what about the USA? On the East Coast, occasionally, but what about California where the sport actually comes from and the opportunities are perfect, and the skateboard company owners who are legends of the freestyle scene. I don’t have an answer.
‘Are freestylers more intelligent than other skaters? You might think so.’
Is there anything else on your wish list?
Yes, writing books and my biography. And then I’m planning another big thing with the skateboard, but I’m not old enough for that yet. I can’t say any more about that.
Can you give us a hint?
Yes, “long distance”.
Last question. If you could interview one person, who would it be?
Yes, a question that concerns me and would certainly interest some other people too. This question goes to the smart freestyle business people. They own almost the entire American skateboard market. These skateboarding legends have been doing freestyle skateboarding out of passion for many years. And more or less denied it in their business days. Why?