Keith Butterfield

a/k/a KB, Trickster, Butter, Daddy or 1st Sgt.

Age: 44
Father of three, Husband, Skateboarder, military man, mentor and instructor

BIOGRAPHY / INTERVIEW
In the beginning, I was a military kid – home was where dad was which was all over the world. However at age 14, I split and went to live with mom in Northern California. I spent the next 10 years in Santa Cruz (from ages 14 to 24) so I call that my home town. Santa Cruz was the COOLEST place for a kid to grow up. Surfing and skateboarding was everything!

Favorite type of skating: Freestyle works well for me but I enjoy all skateboarding for sure! I grew up skating vert, empty pools and a lot of ramps. I street skated a lot too but it was freestyle skateboarding that I excelled at the most.

Skate quiver: A Butterfield freestyle deck, a spinner deck, a street deck and a cruiser deck, Axe Army from Richy…this thing is so cool…Sk8kings decks all the way!

Music: New or old, fast and hard, aggressive music for sure gets me amped up. Although when I’m relaxing I like easy listening stuff, I like most music.

Skate spots (fave): Typically I like to skate in quiet, smooth areas. Skating crowds is fun on occasion but I really like to escape reality when I skate.  I do a lot of demos now and the occasional contest, but deep down I’m just a skater that likes to skate. Typically it’s done alone and it’s sweetest that way.

Best known for: Being one of the top FS skaters in the World in the early 80s.  I was there when modern FS went the way you see it today, (lots of rail tricks, Ollie’s, no handed truck stand tricks and various Casper combinations). I was there in the same events with Rodney, Primo, Kevin, Per Wellinder and a few others. It was a time when modern freestyle was being written right next to me as I skated in various events.  I’m also known for the trick called the “Butterflip” and the 1980s FS deck called the TRICKSTER made by Vision Sports. I’m known for a movie part in “The Lost Boys.” In (approx.) 1987, I was also in a TV movie called Brotherhood of Justice, starring Keifer Sutherland and Keanu Reeves. I was only 16 years old, with very blond hair (in the front row of the cafeteria scene). I’ve also been in several Thrasher and Trans World Skateboarding Magazine’s and now am frequently covered in Concrete Wave Magazine. I am also known for my “Trick Tips” that I do with producer Tony Newman on YouTube. We are teaching the future about FS skateboarding, one trick at a time.

HISTORY (teams, contests, favorite memories)

Teams, past sponsors: Vision Sports, Bucci Sunglasses, OJ wheels,  Santa Cruz Skateboards, Tracker Trucks,  Decomposed skateboards.

Current sponsors: Sk8kings, RedINation, KHIRO, OUST, Tracker Trucks

Contest history: 1980-1984 - I took 1st place in 16 out of 16 international amateur skateboard contest and was the top Armature in the World before turning pro. Once I started competing with the pros, I stayed in the top 6 in the world for about a year and then disappeared from the skate scene completely. Now after 24 years away I compete again, I do many demonstrations and promote freestyle skateboarding as a creative, challenging, safe and healthy genre of skateboarding.

Keith was inducted to the “Freestyle Hall Of Fame” in Oct 2008

with the World Freestyle Skateboard Association (WFSA).

Favorite skateboarding memories: Skating with Rodney Mullen every time I went to contests was epic. Also skating with Primo, Kevin and Per Willinder as very cool! During that time all the top pool riders were at the contest too so I met Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Christian Hossoi and Lance Mountain a few times. They use to come over and try our freestyle decks at the contests. Another great memory is when I tied for first place pro with Sane Rouse in 1984 (Oceanside contest). Rodney wasn’t there, thank goodness! I also remember every time I got a new pro model out. I have had three and it makes you feel good to see kids riding your deck. Today my own son rides a Butterfield deck and that is such and amazing feeling.

Influences: (skate heroes or otherwise) Finding people who influence me is sometimes a struggle. I’m very selective in who I look up too or take stock in. However, I do respect John F Kennedy for his vision and passion. I am also very influenced by anyone who shows heart. It could be the local kid on a skateboard that doesn’t know any tricks but keeps trying no matter what. It could be a young warrior in a combat zone putting his life on the line for the higher cause. It could be the single mother that simply does the best she can day in and day out.

As far as skaters go, I am influenced greatly by natural skaters that make an impact: Christian Hossoi, Jay Adams, Stacey Peralta, Kevin Harris, Richy Carrasco, Russ Howell and Rick Blackheart, Dueane Peters are just a few from the day. My newer inspirations are Joe Flemki, ahead of his time technically, Killian Martin because of his talent and vision, also his determination to “make it” skateboarding. I like Sean Burk too for his talent and attitude with freestyle, sort of like a punk rock star! There is a ton of freestyle talent out there today, seriously. The general public will never see them but these guys are dedicated and so gifted. From all over the World, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, California, Spain all over the Globe.  It’s amazing how many underground freestyle skaters are still loving it!

What motivates you to skate again after so many years away: I missed the creativity, the art form, and skateboarding as a hobby. I also missed performing and I missed practicing. In 2007 my little boy innocently asked me to do a Butterflip and the rest is history. Looking back now I believe it was God telling me, Keith it is okay to skateboard again and enjoy what it has to offer. After so many years in the military he was giving me a gift back. However this time the gift was not for me completely.  It was for the future generations of skateboarders, freestyle skateboarders and kids that simply need a positive roll model. I didn’t look back and have been skating again now with vigor and determination for the past three years. I’m in my mid-40s and love skateboarding like I was 17 again. I believe kids today need someone to look up to. It could be a sports star, a parent a teacher or even some guy that still likes to skate. In my opinion the kids of today just want to be herd and seen for who they really are as individuals. Kids know if your fake or if you give a crap about them. If you don’t come from the heart, don’t come at all. Mentoring motivates me completely.

The future: (what are you looking forward to?) I’m looking forward to skating at a level that I have never skated at before. I’m looking forward to working with the Internet and the industry to propel freestyle skateboarding to new heights. I’m looking forward to retiring from the military and letting God use me for a greater good.  At my age I see the future as a gift from God. I have served in combat twice now, many of my comrades have fallen in battle over the past few years. This was a huge wake up call to me, that God has allowed me to live. If I’m alive I will live life to the fullest, I will skate and promote positive living to our youth.

God Bless,
Keith Butterfield

The Skateboarder's Journal - Lives on Board 1949-2009

Check this out: The Skateboarder’s Journal - Lives on Board 1949-2009 – with more than 180 stories and 200-300 photographs. Two pages dedicated to Keith Butterfield, along other notable skateboarders and personalities from the skateboard world. Click on the book to go to the website.