First of all congratulations on becoming an uncle.

Thank you Mr. Ragsdale

Would you like to state your full name and your sponsors?

My name is Ryan Paul Hansen. I'm 22. My sponsors are Iota Skateboards, Supernatural Clothing, Fobia Skateshop, and I'm working on a shoe sponsor.

How long ago did you start skating?

About 11 years ago. When I was 11.

Dan Jackson, the most motivated skater Ben Ragsdale knows?

You and Dan Jackson are easily the most motivated skateboarders I know. Do you think that could be attributed to growing up in kato (Mankato) when there wasn't a park in the winter so you guys had to find other places to skate compared to us in Minneapolis who had a park?

Well, it was always a struggle. Dan, Todd Brown, Brian Munson back in the day, we all try hard. We'd all get the new magazines and videos and just get stoked to go out and try and do that shit. And plus when we came up here it gave us motivation to not look like the out of towners when we showed up. Thanks to a rough Kato upbringing and strict discipline from Dan Jackson that's how we got here today.

Now you, like a lot of the kids that want to get in the skate scene, you moved directly to California from Mankato. And you left pretty soon after. Did the scene out there bother you or were you just sick of sharing a room with Todd?

For sure I was sick of sharing a room with Todd. But when I came back I was kinda stale on the scene out there, it sucked. I was just young and broke. I just needed to be closer to a home base, around my friends more. But it was a good experience. I got to meet a lot of people out there.

And do you think your up and coming trip to New York is kinda a re-hash of wanting to go out and become a part of the larger, more national skate scene as opposed to the local one here?

Well I hope it's a good opportunity to push the local scene here with Iota, spread the good word out there and try and get more recognition for the talent that's coming out of the Midwest, especially Minneapolis.

When was Iota Skateboards formed?

About the second week in December we got our first batch of boards in.

So it's in the same vein as Molotov and Roots (previous Mpls skate companies). Do you think this company has a chance to become a national company?

Well, I think that the local support we've got so far has been terrific. It's great to see that every time I got to the park there are a lot of Iota boards and tee shirts. Everybody around here seems to be taking it well and I think that as long as we keep building our hard work will pay off.

So the ambition with Iota is more of a promotion of the talent here in the Midwest than to make money?

Along with being a talented skateboarder, Ryan is also a fucking pig.

Well, I'm in it to make a couple bucks myself. It's a money making machine, you know? If you oil it and change it, do the proper things to keep it going. If it's successful it will make money. I don't know if that's the main goal but you want to do good with what you start. Roots had a lot of potential and they could've made money but it didn't and we're trying to learn from their mistakes and turn this one into the real deal.

It seems like Philadelphia and New York have tried to spawn numerous board companies like Brooklyn Wood. Do you think Iota's in the same vein where it will blow up for a little bit but just die out as a business entity?

It's hard to say cuz we've never had the coverage of Philly or N.Y. companies. However, I think with the young talent like Neal Erickson, that kid, he's gunna make a name for himself no doubt. And there's a few other kids we've got our eyes on right now who are probably going to take off. There's a ton of kids who've come up in Minneapolis who could've been huge superstars but never carried it anywhere. Now you've got Clint, Seth, Steve, Olu, they're all makin' their move right now. I think it's going to be a collective effort. Everybody does what they've got to do and eventually recognition will come our way.

The Midwest we have cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Minneapolis, but still there hasn't been that kind of scene build up like on the east coast with like Philly and N.Y. and to a lower degree Boston. Do you think that something like that is possible?

Ow, I know it's possible. There's too much talent that's come out of the Midwest who've blown up. You never really realize that they're from here. It's like that everywhere, though. Like in Brazil they have their scene or Barcelona, tonz of good kids come out of there. Kids are coming from everywhere now and it's just how motivated and dedicated you are. That's everybody involved with Iota and that's what we look for when we put new people on. They want to carry that same kind of attitude as far as representing a good company not just gettin' on a board company to say you've got boards coming in but take pride in the fact that we're riding for something we believe in.

Obviously skaters coming up in California have the biggest advantage because they have nice weather all year round and on the east coast it's a lot more mild so they can start skating earlier in the spring and later in the fall so they have more time to be skating outside. We're unfortunate in that our winters are long and incredibly cold so that we end up skating the skatepark for like six months out of the year. Do you think that has a big impact on our skating and maybe hinders it in any way?

This is Ryan riding out of a nollie heelflip frontside bluntslide. At least that's what he told me.

I think if anything it helps it. It's real de-motivating to have to skate a park for months on end but then when you do get a chance to skate outside you know that it's only going to be around for a while and you've got to make the most of it. Chad, he does that real well. He makes the most with the park, too. There are kids who only have a slab of concrete to skate on the farm but they're out skating it every day. That's how Mullen came up, so. It's not where you're from, it's how bad you want to do it.

Earlier you said that you guys in Kato wanted to skate well so when you came to Minneapolis or went other places you didn't seem like the kids from out of town. Are you using that same attitude when you go out to New York?

I've been around enough and I've met a lot of different people to know that it's not that big a deal to try and meet new skaters. I'm looking forward to it. I do want to skate good cuz I'll be representing Iota skateboards and Supernatural clothing and Ricky Oyola on the team maybe I'll be skating with him soon enough anyway.

Let's hope so. Now Ryan I know that of your top five favorite skateboarders only TWO of them actually skate. Could you talk about that?

No doubt there are a lot of good skateboarders out there these days but when you really get down to it is there anyone better than Garnett or Snoop?

I'd say that a two year old kid standing on a board for the first time would be better than either one of them at skateboarding. Any comment?

Well somebody watching Minnesota Timberwolves basketball or listening to Dree Productions. (I don't know what that means either)

The Timberwolves right now are on a four game losing streak after losing to the worst team in basketball (the Vancouver Grizzlies). Do you think they have a chance of beating a team in the first round of the playoffs?

I think, well as you all know last year, 2000, was year of the Dolo and this year it's going to be the year of the T-Wolves. No, I think they've got a good chance. I don't think we'll get home court but if we get a team like Sackto or Utah I think we've got a real good shot.

Other than Tiger Woods, Garnett or Snoop dog are there any skaters you admire that actually skate?

Well, of course Mariano, Howard, Daewon. I like some of the new guys like Rob G., Cairo Foster, Wenning, anybody that's making skating look good and not beating the same dead horse. Keepin' it fresh, keepin' their style clean, makin' their tricks look good.

Long time friends, Ryan Hansen and Rob Sissi

My equipment has to be back by 4:00 pm so we're going to wrap this up pretty quickly. Any shout out's you want to give? I understand a couple people gave you some proddy and you wanted to give 'em love.

I want to thank, of course, Joe at Fobia and Iota, Rob and Aaron at Supernatural, Derek Miller at DC Shoes. Chris Carpenter and Rob Sissi have been big underground supporters of the YOTD cause. I'd like to give out some shouts to them. My family, everybody at home. My little nephew, stay up, dog. And, let's see, I'll give some shouts out to Jesus. What the hell.

You and I both have an obligation to help Rob move for probably the next 20 or 25 years. Does that bother you at all?

Shit, he'll be payin' for my plane rides home when I'm in New York! It ain't botherin' me none!

Thank you very much. This has been Ben Ragsdale reporting.

For more on Hansen see Hansen's going away pictures, and email fun. And for still being here there's a special treat if you click on Hansen's large profile photo up top...