These days, it’s easy to get worn down by the effects of our modern lifestyle: traffic jams, pollution, fast-food diets, social media overload, the reality of “reality TV.” It’s only natural, then, that we search for a means of escape. For some, it’s getting lost in the pages of a good book; for others it’s simply getting away from it all.
A growing number of skateboarders have found a different solution. It’s called freestyle – and these riders say the Zen-like peace they find when doing it not only calms the mind but stimulates the senses and rejuvenates the soul. Here then is part three of The Zen of Freestyle, which we hope will enlighten you to the joys and rewards of freestyle skating.
Mic Murayama Japan.
Mic lives in the metropolis of Tokyo, which is also the home of a thriving freestyle community. Besides being an accomplished makeup artist, she is also the top-ranked female freestyle skater in the world and a member of the Powell- Peralta freestyle team..
Monty: With only a few hundred freestyle skateboarders worldwide, being a female skater in a prominently male sport is even more of an anomaly. What drew you to skateboarding, and in particular to freestyle?
Mic: I had taken up snowboarding and was looking for a way to practice in the summer, so I started skateboarding. In fact, I bought my first skateboard as a birthday present to myself. Because it was totally new to me, I turned to the Internet to find out how and where to skate. While watching some YouTube videos I came across one on freestyle. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I thought, “I want to do that ” and I have been doing it ever since.
Did learning freestyle come easy?
No, not at all. In fact, I fell and hurt myself many times and even broke both of my knees when I was just learning. That accident made me very cautious, which I think held me back. Any freestyle skater will tell you the same thing; you’ve really got to want it bad. You have to pick yourself up time and time again after you trip or fall when practicing a new trick. Being a freestyle skater is all about dedication.
How often do you get out and skate?
I get out at least twice a week, and usually hang out at the Shin-Yokohama Skatepark, which is my favorite place to skate. It has a large, smooth area that is ideal for freestyle, and because it’s under an overpass we can skate rain or shine.
Well, all that practicing definitely paid off, as you have consistently placed in the top 10 in the amateur division at the World Round-Up. What is it like to be the only girl competing in a division made up of guys?
One of the things that is so special about freestyle is that we are part of this big extended family. That’s why when we get together to skate for fun or at a contest, it’s like I am skating with my brothers. They are always looking after me and helping me to learn new tricks.
Are there many female freestyle skaters in Japan?
There are a few – not sure how many, but I hope that through my example I will be able to encourage other girls, not only in Japan but throughout the 
world, to get involved in freestyle.
I understand that there is a large freestyle community in Japan. Tell us a bit about it.
You’ve seen firsthand how many Japanese skaters come to Canada each year to compete. Well, at this year’s All Japan Freestyle Championship there were over 40 contestants, of which six were girls. The Fujii brothers, Masahiro and Toshiaki, help to run the event and have really helped to give the sport a boost.
Recently I saw a YouTube video of you skating in Brazil. Tell us about your visit.
I had a wonderful vacation visiting my family in São Paulo and got to skate with lots of my freestyle friends at Ibirapuera Park. This park is huge, totally undercover and has a flawless concrete surface to skate on. While I was there I met up and skated with Per Canguru, who set the world record back in July for the longest coconut wheelie.
What is it about freestyle that is so special for you?
It’s a way of expressing myself, and although learning each trick has been difficult, taking hours and hours of practice, when I finally felt comfortable doing end-overs, G-turns and difficult footwork tricks, the satisfaction I received brought me inner peace.
I know that George Powell asked you to join their team. What was that like?
To be able to meet George Powell was a big thrill, but when Takashi Suzuki and myself found out that he wanted us to skate for Powell-Peralta, we were both blown away and very honored to be chosen for the team. You see, in Japan only the elite skaters receive recognition, so being sponsored by Powell-Peralta says a lot about how far I have come and my skating abilities.
Do you have any other hobbies?
When I’m not doing freestyle I like to just cruise around on my skateboard. I also love surfing, yoga, cooking, and playing with my kendama.
Is “kendama” your pet?
(laughing): No, Monty, it’s a Japanese wooden toy used for hand-eye coordination – sort of like juggling, but doing yo-yo tricks and dancing all at the same time.
OK, well before I confirm that I am totally out of the loop, I want to thank you for sharing your story. I know it is going to inspire other girls.
Author’s note: After our interview I went on Google to find out what a kendama was all about. I came across a YouTube video called “World’s Most Amazing Kendama Ninjas.” Be sure to check it out.
Although Ryan hails from Delta, British Columbia, he is currently living in Yokohama, Japan, where he works part time at a Japanese language college helping foreigners learn Japanese. (He graduated from this same language school.) The top-ranked amateur freestyler in the world, he decided to turn pro in 2014, placing first at the All Japan Freestyle Championships, and
finishing in the top 10 at the World Round-Up later that year.
Ryan Brynelson Age 24 Canada
Monty: “Ohio.”
Ryan (laughing): Very good, Monty! Good morning to you too. Didn’t realize you knew any Japanese.
Only a handful of words. How hard was it for you to learn the language?
It’s definitely a language that takes time. However, being in Vancouver I had more opportunities to speak Japanese than French, so I think because of my environment I was able to learn it at a faster rate. Of course, moving to Japan and living here for almost two years has helped a lot.
I’ve watched your progression and love of freestyle grow over the years, but when did you first get started?
I got into skateboarding when I was about 8, but started practicing more seriously when I was 14. It was a year later [when] I got invited to a BBQ at Kevin Harris’ place that I first encountered freestyle, and from that point on I was hooked.
I remember that day. Your aunt Cathy asked me if her nephew, who was into skateboarding, could come to the annual “Skaters’ BBQ” that Kevin and I put on. Kevin saw the potential in you and sort of took you under his wing.
Kevin has definitely been my mentor and good friend, spending so many 
hours helping me learn tricks that I have lost track. He has this large concrete freestyle area in his backyard, so I would go out to his place any time I could and practice with him.
Was learning freestyle easy for you?
It definitely was not. I remember spending almost every day after school practicing for hours in the beginning. That was almost nine years ago, and to this day I have been skating about four days a week nonstop. It’s definitely become a routine, much like eating or brushing your teeth. I also took a bad fall that resulted in two serious compound fractures to my left arm that took three surgeries to correct. For whatever reason though, that accident was the spark that ignited the fire giving me the desire to stop just putting around on my board and start taking skating more
seriously.
What is it about freestyle that turns you on?
It’s a style of skateboarding that is just so creative. With freestyle there was never any pressure to learn a particular trick. Spins however, are my favorite trick without a doubt. When I am spinning, it just feels so natural and turns all my problems into a blur.
Freestyle is usually considered to be an individual sport. What’s your view on that?
I never really did feel connected to the skate community 100%, to be honest. For many people skating is skating with your friends at the park. For me skating is something done alone and used as a test against myself.
Where do you like to skate?
My favorite place here in Japan is a skatepark in Yokohama. There’s another skatepark near the American military base here that is really nice, too. It’s right on the beach with an awesome view of this uninhabited island.
Was it a bit of a cultural shock, moving to the huge city of Yokohama?
Not really. I had been studying Japanese and hanging out with a lot of Japanese people for years. I kind of felt like I had half the culture shock experience out of the way compared to some of my friendswho didn’t start studying Japanese untilthey got here. The realization that I was not in Kansas anymore came when I couldn’t just jump on a bus and arrive a half hour later in Cloverdale at the World Round-Up. Since I was a student, trying to find an extra $1,200 for the airline ticket to Vancouver … well, it just wasn’t in the cards. Lucky for me my skateboard sponsor, Hippie Mike of Protest Skateboards, helped me get to the contest in 2014.
You know Ryan, you are part of the reason that there is a World Round- Up. Back in 2011 you, Kevin Harris and Kai Dunkel were putting on freestyle demos at the Cloverdale Rodeo & Country Fair. Kevin knew I lived only a few blocks away, so he gave me a call and asked me to walk down and see your show. It had been years since I had been involved with skateboarding, but when I saw the crowd’s response to you three and to freestyle I knew I had to come out of retirement.
Well, I for one am glad that you did, for the World Round-Up is now the freestyle contest to be at. The talented skaters it draws from all over the world is one of the reasons we all keep coming back. In fact, I’m moving back to Canada in May, so I will see you at the contest.
Thankyou to Michael Brooke and Concrete Wave Magazine