Our good friend Eric Swisher has a rad in-depth interview with Ronnie Bertino over at The Chromeball Incident.
So I gotta ask… of all sponsors, why Alva? Were you a big fan or was it more of an Orange County proximity thing?
Alva was just something that I happened upon. My friends and I somehow found out that Alva's warehouse was located nearby in San Juan Capistrano, just two towns over from where we were in Orange County.
So, as little skate rats, we just had to go over there. Knocking on the backdoor and asking for free product. Stickers, boards… whatever they would give us.
We ended up talking to this guy named Tony Ruiz, but everyone called him "Tonan" because he had long hair and looked like Conan the Barbarian. He's just one of those notorious characters.
Yeah, he's come up a few times in these.
He was the one in the back that day when we all showed up. But he was smart about it.
"No, I'm not gonna give you guys free stuff, but if you want to go skate and let me see if you're worthy of some stickers, come with me to the Stewart Ramp."
The Stewart Ramp was a mini ramp in San Clemente, right by Tonan's house. So I went over there and skated with him. I'm assuming that Tonan went back and told Fallahee about me, who was running Alva back then. Things just unfolded from there.
"Okay, whatever. We'll give him a board or two."
Tony Alva didn't even know I existed. The only way I even got on his radar was when Fallehee drove me up to a CASL contest in Upland. I got first place in the Factory Sponsored Division and as I went up to get my trophy, T.A. swooped in to put his arm around me and smile for the cameras. I always felt like that was him giving me the official nod to be on Alva… 6 months after I showed up at their doorstep.
