+ Cayman Airways Magazine has published the story The Twins Take Cayman in their in-flight magazine.Visit the website to read the article written by Cynthia Hew or check it out below. It's a great article that I'm sure people flying to the Cayman Islands will really enjoy. The interview was done a couple of months ago so some of the information is not based on the present (such as the last question!). Nic & Tristan didn't make it onto the cover unfortunately but it was close!
At the age of 6, when most youngsters are running around playing hide and seek, twin boys Nic and Tristan Puehse were learning a whole new language. Not Spanish or French, but a lingo made up of 360 backslides, kickflips and conversations about what position to place the truck (axel) of a skateboard. You can imagine the dinner discussions at the Puehse house would be challenging for anyone not privy to the terminology of skateboarding.
The fraternal twins, now 12 years old, are taking the skateboarding scene by the "tail" (that's skateboarding lingo for the back end of the board) and travelling the world while doing so. This year, the two came to Grand Cayman for a short visit to skate — in their words — the best skate park on the planet.
What interested you about the sport of skating? Tristan: When we were 6 years old, we went to a local skate park that opened up. We asked our parents to take us there to check it out. We had already been wakeboarding for about a year and skateboarding looked like another fun board sport to try out. When we started it we were hooked!
Where did you learn your skating techniques and what inspires you to create 'new tricks'? Nic: We developed our style by watching other skaters and videos. Once you start skating, you kind of start to naturally develop your own style. When working on new tricks, we really take to heart what skateboarding legend Danny Way once told us: 'Think beyond the norm. Don't look at what everyone else is doing; look at what everyone else isn't doing.' We think about that almost every time we skate.
Very mature words to hear from two teens. Have you always been so level-headed? Tristan: Not always. We actually have six more months before we officially become teenagers. We probably get a lot of our focus from skating because a lot of the tricks take a lot of concentration and commitment.
Nic, what's your favourite trick? Nic: 360 backside stalefish transfers. This is my favourite right now because it was pretty hard to learn and you have to get some big air to land it. During the move you come out of the bowl and grab the board behind your legs with your right hand and spin a backside (which is clockwise) 360 over a gap (which is out of a bowl and then landing in a bank).
What's yours, Tristan? Tristan: Kickflip disaster, because I just learned them. This is where you ride up to a quarter pipe. As you approach the coping you do a kickflip, then catch the board and spin a 180 degree with the board landing in the middle of the coping.
Doing such moves, do you ever worry about getting hurt or have you had many injuries? Tristan: We try not to think about that so much. We have never broken any bones, so we feel pretty lucky. When we first started, we did slam a lot because we would basically try anything even though we didn't have the skill to try what we tried.
What are some of the competitions you have participated in? Which were the most memorable? Tristan: When we first started skating six years ago, we competed in CASL (California Amateur Skateboard League), as well as many other competitions mostly on the west coast. We competed in about 60 competitions in the first three years. Our most memorable was winning Gold and Silver Medals at the 2004 California State Games. It's most memorable because it was a big event and we had only been skating six months at the time.
I'm sure during your travels you've met some pretty cool people. Anyone in particular that sticks out? Nic: We have had the opportunity to meet some very cool people inside and outside of skateboarding. Some that stand out are: Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Ellen DeGeneres, Jake T. Austin, Robin Williams.
Of course, we had a blast getting to know and becoming friends with all the cast and crew of our movie [Nic & Tristan Go Mega Dega], like Lindsey Shaw, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Ariel Winter, Craig Anton and Janet Varney. In the world of skateboarding, we have met Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist, Christian Hosoi and Sandro Dias.
Having met so many celebrities, how do you remain so grounded and 'regular' young boys? Tristan: All the celebrities we have met have been super cool and really are just like all of us - except maybe a little richer!
It's easy to see that skateboarding is a family sport for the Puehse. How important has it been to have your parents' support? Tristan: Skateboarding is definitely a family sport, but my parents don't skate. Our parents have been very supportive in learning the sport with us and taking us to many skate parks and competitions over the years.
Many youngsters look up to you as skateboard icons. Who would you say you look up to? Nic: Danny Way and Tony Hawk — definitely two of the greatest skaters ever. Both have done so much for skateboarding.
Tony Hawk has visited Grand Cayman on several occasions, and every time he comes he spends a lot of time with his young fans. What do you feel he has taught the two of you about the sport? Nic: Probably the biggest thing is to be creative 'cause he's invented about a hundred tricks.
What prompted your last visit to the Cayman Islands? Nic: We were looking for an awesome skate park with big transition to film our latest YouTube skateboarding video, Puehse Twins Skateboarding Take 5.
How did you hear about Black Pearl Skate & Surf? Were you impressed with any of the skaters whilst in Grand Cayman? Tristan: We read about it in Thrasher magazine. We met and skated with Pama Scott and Sean Myers, two local skaters who are very talented and are going to go far in the sport.
What was the best part of your visit to Grand Cayman? Nic: That's tough because it's a tie between the people and the island itself. Everybody we met was just so cool and made us feel very welcome, especially J.R. Cameron and his crew at Black Pearl Skatepark and Max at Grandview Resort. Whenever we weren't skating, they were always making sure we were having fun somewhere.
We got to do so many things besides skating. Besides the beaches and weather, we had a lot of fun at Stingray City, Turtle Farm and Dolphin Cove.
How did the skate park in Grand Cayman compare to some of the others you've skated on? Nic: We have probably skated more than 100 skate parks, some as far as SMP in Shanghai, China. Black Pearl Skatepark, in our opinion, is the best on the planet. It is just awesome. The skate park is perfectly designed and is great for beginner and advanced skaters. Oh yeah, and it is located in one of the most beautiful places we've ever been to. Great skating in the morning and beach time in the afternoon.
Any plans for a return trip? Tristan: For sure. There is a possibility we may teach a summer camp. Whether that happens or not, we will be back for sure. We stayed three weeks for our last visit, but hope to stay longer next time.
What advice would you give to someone looking to take up the sport? Nic: Have fun with it and don't compare yourself to others. Progress at your own pace. Don't be afraid if you fall because we fell a lot when we started. Wear a helmet!
How much practice time do you put in? Tristan: One of the disadvantages we have living in Northern California is that we have about five months a year of good skating weather. The other seven months are either too cold or rainy. On average, we probably skate six hours a week.
I understand you are homeschooled. With your schedules, I can imagine that type of schooling provides you with a lot of flexibility. Nic: Yes we are, and just completed sixth grade. Homeschooling has definitely given us a lot of flexibility. Without it, we would never be able to do a lot of the things we have been lucky enough to do.
You recently starred in an independent feature movie called Nic & Tristan Go Mega Dega. What was that experience like? Tristan: It was an amazing experience! Being on set is a blast. It's a lot of work and harder than it might look, but so much fun. One day we are watching some of our co-stars on TV and the next, we are working with them in a movie.
Do you see yourselves doing more movies? Tristan: We definitely hope so. We currently have a three-picture deal with the production company that produced Go Mega Dega, so we hope the movie does well. We also just signed with APA who will be helping us get involved in more projects.
I'm also a fraternal twin. I did just about everything with my sister, but we still had our own way of doing things. Would you say as fraternal twins you're exactly alike or more night and day in regards to personalities and interests (excluding skateboarding, of course)? Nic: We are fraternal twins, but pretty different. One has straight hair, is left-handed and is the louder and the other has curly hair, right-handed and is a little more 'chill.' We both have the same interests and are competitive in a fun way with each other.
What's next on the agenda for the two of you? Nic: Summer break, filming a segment for "Evening News with Katie Couric," a screening of our movie in L.A. and hopefully, another visit to Grand Cayman.
+ Nic & Tristan are currently in Mammoth Lakes filming Take 6!This incredible picture of them bike riding was posted on their official twitter on Wednesday. The filming is going well right now and at this rate, the Take 6 video will be released in the next couple of months. They've already picked out the song for the video and although they won't say what it is -- they will tell us that it's a classic 70's song! Funny enough, they heard it on the radio when they were driving home from Oregon a few weeks ago.
+ Tristan & Nic might be appearing on the cover of a magazine -- Cayman Airlines In-Flight Magazine to be exact! It's still in the works but even if they don't end up on the cover there will still be a nice story inside. If you're flying to the Cayman Islands, keep a look out for it!
+ Nic & Tristan appear in a really cool article in the August 2010 issue of Style Magazine from El Dorado, California. The article is in the "Get to Know" section. Here's the link to the story but don't forget to check out the gallery to see the scan of the actual article!
August 20, 2010: Cayman Islands & the Black Pearl Video!
+ Check out the newest video posted to the twins official youtube account! It's called Cayman Islands & the Black Pearl. It's such a fun video with lots of skating and hanging out -- you'll love it! Watch it below or click here to watch it on youtube.com. Make sure you watch in HD (720p) to see the best quality!
+ As promised, I've added some great new photos to the gallery! There are photos of Nic, Tristan and their sister, some awesome skateboarding photos (and doubles ones!) and some photos from the filming of the World News. Check out the following albums to see them:
+ The Cayman Islands & Black Pearl video will hopefully be out really soon. Their editor has been really busy and not able to get it finished. Watch for it!
+ Take 6 is definitely underway this summer! Nic & Tristan are at Lake Cunningham Skatepark at the moment and will probably head to Mammoth Lakes Skatepark sometime soon. They may even head back to the Black Pearl Skatepark in the Cayman Islands to do more filming (if you forgot, that's where they filmed Take 5). Keep checking for updates on their official twitter to find out where they're going next!
+ Tristan & Nic have officially started practicing for soccer this year. Their team is called the Flyers and their games will start at the end of August. Good luck boys!
+ As soon as I resolve an FTP issue, I will be posting some new pictures. Tristan got a short new haircut you'll definitely want to see!
+ Michael Sato (a good friend of the Puehse family!) has posted an awesome new video of Nic & Tristan on his blog. It's a behind the scenes look at the Extreme Sports Night with the Sacramento Rivercats. Go to http://satostudio.com/blog and scroll down to the second video! Watch it in high definition to see it in great quality and leave him a comment if you enjoyed it (and I guarantee you will love it!).
+ I hope you have been following Nic & Tristan's official twitter because they've had some awesome updates! Most recently, Nic, Tristan and their sister Natasha with two baby tigers. They spent the last little while in Lincoln City, Oregon filming Take 6. Go check out their latest updates!
+ Check out the new photos I added to the gallery! I added some to the following albums:
+ I have been away for the past little while but as soon as I get settled I will be updating! Thanks for your patience and hope everything is well with all of you Puehse fans!
+ Nic & Tristan's ABC's News10 (Sacramento) segment has officially aired! Check out the video and article below! It's called "Local Twin Brothers Flying High on TV, Online" and it's written by Angel Cardenas.
SHINGLE SPRINGS, CA - Online and on the silver screen, Nic and Tristan Puehse pack a one-two punch of high flying, jaw dropping, raw aerial skateboarding tricks.
The skateboard world knows all about the 12-year-old twin brothers from Shingle Springs. From local skate parks to national television, the twins are opening eyes with their "mad talent" on boards.
They've appeared on Ellen DeGeneres twice, and recently on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
Big time sponsors have jumped onboard as well. From Nike to Gatorade, sponsorship comes easy these days for the twins.
After 11 million hits on their YouTube skateboarding videos, Hollywood decided to get some air with Tristan and Nic. Last June, the twins released a major motion picture, "Nic and Tristan Go Mega Dega," a Corner Store Production.
Recently, they have been to Nickelodeon about a possible television series.