On the heels of her epic Monster half, Ruby dishes deep on dwelling faculty, mood tantrums, ’80s tips and the time she kicked her mother’s automotive window out. RFL for Life!
Images by Tim Aguilar and Taylor Ballard
Ruby embarks on a campaign for curved concrete throughout the nation and returns in glory together with her first half. Do not miss it
You’ve accomplished interviews earlier than, proper?
Sure.
Dude, so many.
So many.
Do you’re feeling such as you’re media skilled?
No.
Okay, good. Let’s perform a little little bit of background. The place are you from?
I’m from Ocean Metropolis, Maryland.
That’s the house of the Pabiches.
Yep. I grew up at Ocean Bowl skatepark. So the identical skatepark that they grew up at.
Crab legs and soccer…and big-ass again Smiths, that is what Maryland does
Have been you tight with them again then or have been you want ships within the evening?
What does that imply?
It means you simply handed one another, by no means noticed one another—ships within the evening.
I began skating once they have been making their strategy to the West Coast once they have been blowing up.
Holy cow. How outdated are you?
I’m 17.
And I perceive you’ve got a big household. What number of brothers and sisters do you’ve got?
I’ve 4 different sisters and three brothers. I grew up on a farm and we had goats, sheep, chickens and bunnies.
What are the chickens’ names? I imply, what are your brothers’ and sisters’ names? Are you able to identify ‘em all?
Lee, Monica, Sophie, Summer season, David, Jonathan, Liberty.
Is your loved ones a part of a non secular group? Why are there so many children?
I’ll keep out of that query, truthfully.
What’s it like at Christmas once you all get collectively?
Christmas is hectic. There’s so many individuals and my grandparents and everybody comes and it’s a variety of presents.
So that you gotta get not less than seven Monster hats organized earlier than Christmas comes.
Yeah.
If skating does not work out, Ruby may discover her calling at sea. Stale to tail
The place do you slot in the lineup?
I’m fortunate quantity seven.
You’re the youngest?
No.
Who’s the youngest? What number of are beneath you?
Simply my youthful sister Liberty.
And also you and your mother moved to California proper?
Properly, we traveled throughout in an RV. We had the identical RV because the Volcom crew, the identical precise one.
That loopy ‘60s/‘70s factor?
Yep, it’s the identical one.
That factor’s at all times breaking for Volcom.
Us too. However we traveled from Ocean Metropolis, Maryland, went to Canada, Montreal, the Large O. I bought to do some kickturns on the Large O after I was like ten. After which we went to Colorado for a couple of months and nearly froze to dying. Our pipes and the whole lot broke; it was hectic. After which went to Arizona. We didn’t keep there too lengthy. I don’t assume we vibed as a lot. After which we went to California, ‘trigger in Arizona I bought invited to the Women Combi Contest 2018. That was my first actual, massive contest.
Lien catastrophe to hype up the pack. Ruby’s used to an enormous crew
So that you’re 11?
I used to be like 11 or 12, I feel. After which after that, we simply by no means left. I couldn’t go away. The underside 4 of us all traveled throughout—me, my sister and my two brothers. After which the older 4 are nonetheless on the East Coast.
Who’s out right here with you and your mother now?
Me, my sister, mother and pa and my two brothers.
Oh my gosh, I believed it was simply you and your mother.
No. My brothers are like working round Prince park on daily basis.
Does everyone skate?
My sister rollerskates and and my two brothers are actually good at skating. I don’t wanna admit this, however they’re possibly higher than me.
Yeah, she rides for Vans. How might you inform? Bottom seize off the wall
Do they skate transition or are they avenue canines?
They skate the whole lot.
Dude, similar to you!
Oh yeah, you understand.
I noticed that you simply’ve been working in your avenue. What are your streetstyle objectives proper now?
Streetstyle objectives? In all probability to ollie onto stuff with out consuming shit.
What’s your document up to now?
The opposite evening at San Clemente, I bought to ollie onto a hubba and grind down. I feel that’s the primary time I’ve really received in somewhat avenue battle, and it feels good. I bought hooked on that feeling fairly fast.
Youngsters are infamous for breaking the foundations; they’re rule breakers. Each time I see you, you’re some place else on the earth ripping, having enjoyable skating. As an adolescent do you’ve got any guidelines?
My mother is at all times actually actually apprehensive and anxious. She desires me to be a superb individual. That’s her predominant strict rule—being a superb individual, being tremendous good and sort to everybody and never being a bitch. Generally she’s like, Take your bitchiness out on the coping! Simply grind longer. That’s what she tells me. Take all that bitchiness and teenage brat shit out on the coping. Oh yeah, and do good at school. That’s one other rule.
How are you doing at school? I didn’t assume you went to highschool.
I’m homeschooled.
Some folks may assume that’s not actual faculty. How onerous is dwelling faculty?
It’s fairly chill. I’ve been homeschooled my entire life.
No manner. What’s 12 instances 4?
Uhm, I don’t know.
We’re fucked! You at all times appear actual cheerful and nice once we’re out skating. Do you typically should put your greatest face ahead, then once you get dwelling with your loved ones that is aware of you properly you may simply be an entire turd? Is that what occurs?
Not likely. More often than not I’m fairly hyped and stoked on life. It’s sort of uncommon, but it surely’s unhealthy after I’m bitchy and I’ll have temper swings and I simply get tremendous upset over random stuff.
It occurs to everybody.
Mhmm. However I undoubtedly like being hyped and in a superb temper and smiling and stuff. It simply makes me skate higher. It makes life so much higher throughout, for everybody and your self.
Smilin’ and survivin’, Smith grind gentle and dying
Do you’ve got any inside dialogues you undergo once you’re feeling not smiley and nice? Issues that you simply say to your self? Or any form of ways to present your self a tough reset so you may transfer on in a constructive manner?
I can’t discuss to anybody. I gotta distance myself and simply not say something, not discuss to anybody and kinda go do my very own factor. Then I’ll come again half-hour later like, Hey, I’m sorry. I simply needed to reset. However I can’t reset throughout a 30-person session. I gotta go skate the road or one thing, or go skate somewhat curb outdoors the park, then I really feel like a special individual. However the aim is to only flip the swap through the loopy, hectic session.
Dude, hectic classes, proper?
That’s the aim. When you’re simply having a nasty session and also you’re like, Nah I’m accomplished doing this. I wanna have a superb angle. It’s simpler mentioned than accomplished.
Properly, that is the follow-up on your massive video. Is that this your first video half? Or have you ever made extra video components than this?
That is my first one.
No manner, congrats!
Thanks.
What have been a few of the extra enjoyable issues to movie and which issues have been a complete nightmare?
The tips that I really went to the spot for particularly, these have been the worst ones—those that I went to a spot with the aim, the concept and the plan. These have been probably the most anxious. However the ones the place you’re simply in a crew otherwise you’re with a bunch of individuals and you don’t have any expectations—you’re simply on for the trip—that’s most likely the place I did the most effective tips. Yeah, it at all times simply occurs unexpectedly.
Yeah. What about that nosegrind at SOMA? Was that tough or simple?
That didn’t take that lengthy. It took possibly somewhat over an hour, possibly two hours on the most. I don’t know what occurred. That one was kinda deliberate. It was kinda unhealthy. We went to Flower Store within the morning and we have been going there for one more homie to get this trick, however then I used to be like, Oh, I feel it might be kinda higher if we went to SOMA, ‘trigger then we’ll all be capable of skate it. I don’t even know the place I used to be going with that story truthfully.
Nosegrind over the doorway to hell, AKA Wheatberry’s yard
I consider you as a bottom nosegrinder. Is frontside simply as simple for you?
No, it’s tougher.
Was Wheatberry there?
Who’s that?
He’s a man who talks about Slayer so much and has a sprig paint can that he units on hearth. You realize that man?
No, I don’t.
He appears to be like like a good-looking model of Rocky Dennis from the film, Masks. He’s sort of an area there. I’ll ship you some movies.
Oh my god. No, he wasn’t there.
Jake, my outdated boss, when he was youthful, Wheatberry was just like the little child that they kinda tortured and had enjoyable with. He was their little buddy and mascot, however he’s nonetheless round.
That’s loopy.
I seen you do a variety of tips to tail and catastrophe. When you needed to choose one, which would it not be?
Catastrophe.
Dude. Have you ever ever hung that shit up?
No, I’ve hung up and rode away many instances however I’ve by no means hung up and died. I simply knocked on wooden.
Sweeper, properly inside on the ramp
It’s nearly extra harmful to land together with your wheels on the deck making an attempt to go to tail than it’s to do a catastrophe, proper? Have you ever ever accomplished that? Have you ever ever hung up a lien to tail?
Yeah.
That’s a killer. Sorry, I don’t imply to convey up destructive stuff.
It’s okay.
So the place do you get this bag of tips? Actually, you do the identical tips that the older guys did after I was a child, with your personal trendy twists, in fact. You do the inventory tips from Summer season of ’84. The place did you get these tips? Who have been you round the place you picked up crail disasters as an alternative of hardflips or noseslide to crooked grinds?
That’s from skating mini vert ramps, I feel. The primary three years of me skating in California, I’d at all times skate mini vert ramps and there was at all times a variety of forty-to-fifty-year-old guys who have been tremendous hyped on sweepers and issues like that. So I’d simply get tremendous motivated to be taught these tips by seeing how hyped they have been on them or how hyped they have been to see me do them. However I discovered crail disasters ‘explanation for Sal. What’s his final identify? He rides for Creature. No, no, no, Al.
Crail catastrophe at Burnside. No, no, no, Washington Avenue
Partanen?
Sure. He taught me crail disasters.
Yeah, he does these. That’s his trick.
Yeah, so I discovered that at Lizzie’s mini vert ramp.
You and Lizzie have so much in widespread ––you have been each surrounded by outdated dudes once you have been first studying to skate. Who’s your favourite outdated individual to skate with and who’s your favourite individual your age to skate with?
It’s onerous. I primarily skate with an in-between age. In order that’s so onerous. Outdated man skater? Umm, you?
Dude. That’s a reasonably unhappy session.
No, no.
Terror beneath the lip.
Okay, I don’t skate with anyone my age.
You’ve got been lately. I’ve seen you out with some teenage ladies.
Who?
You realize who. All of the rivals are your age and even youthful.
Yeah, Cocona’s actually enjoyable to skate with and he or she’s my age. Mami, Girl.
Appears like they’re solely lettin’ two wheels on the deck. Bottom catastrophe
I tripped out after I discovered her identify was actually Girl.
I do know. It’s so sick although. It’s a cool identify.
Did you journey out too? I believed it was like Girl Gaga or one thing. It seems like a rap identify, like I’m “Girl Meek.” However that’s her precise identify.
I believed she was joking at first when she advised me. I’m like, Oh, ha, that’s humorous. Then I heard them name her identify within the contest and I’m like, Oh my god, that’s actually her identify. It’s so sick.
Earlier than you went to Decrease Bobs this yr, you mentioned when you don’t win, you’re not gonna have cash for meals. How’d it go?
It went good. I had meals. I used to be hyped. Final place and nonetheless ate.
Final place and nonetheless bought a burger. So that you take part in part of skating that’s fairly area of interest. Skating transition just isn’t tremendous in style, however you then’re on the world stage going to the Olympics due to what you do. When you had a selection would you continue to do all these contests or would you simply attempt to be on the market ripping for enjoyable?
If it’s like life or dying, when you needed to choose one or the opposite?
When you didn’t must do the competition stuff to have sponsors and cash, would you simply do what Grant Taylor does and never do contests except they have been the enjoyable ones? Or do you just like the contests?
I like skating contests. It’s actually enjoyable and I feel it pushes me, being surrounded by ladies which can be at such a excessive degree that you simply wouldn’t see at a yard pool or one thing like that. So it’s tremendous motivating for me, but it surely simply will depend on the competition. There’s undoubtedly a couple of contests that I’m like, Okay, I might undoubtedly not do this one once more and I’d nonetheless be hyped. I imply, there’s ones the place it’s like, I wanna do this yearly.
What’s been your favourite one up to now?
The P-Stone Cup. That’s my favourite. That was so enjoyable.
Bottom nosegrind tailgrab with the Large Canine watchin’ over
Do you get nervous? I used to nearly throw up or shit my pants earlier than contests. Do you ever get nervous or are you cool?
It will depend on the competition. However at my first massive contest, I went to my mother and I’m like, I don’t wanna do it. And she or he’s like, No, you bought this, RFL—Ruby Fucking Lilley. ‘Trigger my center identify is Religion so she says Ruby Fucking Lilley. That’s what the initials actually imply.
RFL! That’s so cool! The extent goes by the roof on girls’s skating recently. They’re doing McTwists and swap McTwists and 720s and 900s. Are you feeling any stress to spin round?
I feel it makes me wanna—not go the alternative manner, however…
What’s the alternative of spinning?
Not spinning. It makes me need to focus extra on having a extra distinctive bag of tips. That’s what sort of motivates me after I see all these ladies going all out, 900, swap McTwist. It’s tremendous insane and I’m like, Okay, I’ll attempt a Sal flip catastrophe or finger flip catastrophe. I really feel like I can go away the 900s and swap McTwists to them.
Checkers and finger flips, yeah, she’s been to the Combi
However you’re nonetheless very younger and also you’re actually ripping. Do you need to attempt a McTwist?
I do. I actually need to.
Dude, it is best to do it.
I’ve tried a 5 earlier than over a hip however I spun like flatspin. I’ve by no means tried a McTwist. I actually need to although. I simply don’t know the way you flip. It appears to be like like a entrance flip or like a summersault.
I feel you simply look below your armpit.
You at all times inform me that, however there’s undoubtedly extra to it than simply trying below your armpit.
What’s your relationship with Mike Sinclair like?
He’s just like the loopy humorous uncle. I feel I’m actually good associates with Mike however I undoubtedly know he’s speaking shit about me 24/7.
What? No he’s not.
It’s okay.
What do you assume he’s saying?
“Rattling, Ruby, she’s going to do extra Bronson commercials as an alternative of popping out and filming for Basis.”
I imply, Bronson commercials are fairly tight, too. When Yuto discovered the right way to converse English, the very first thing he mentioned to Mike was? “Mike, you want eat vegetable.”
Oh my god. I inform him that, however I say it somewhat extra fluently.
What’s his favourite snack?
Barbecue chips?
Mmm. These are for outdated folks.
He’s an outdated individual although. Wait, barbecue chips, Coke, or—no! The Nerds gummy clusters.
Yeah. What’s your favourite snack?
Reese’s.
Simply plain cups?
The large cups.
Fast cease at Purple’s earlier than reserving a flight overseas. Crail physique varial catastrophe
Alright, so that you’re gonna go; you’re gonna win the Olympics, come again a gold medalist. After that, are you gonna movie one other video half or are you gonna go full Bufoni?
No, I’m gonna movie, hopefully, many extra video components and go on many extra journeys. I actually wanna movie in SF and Seattle. I’ve been to Europe, however I wanna do a skate journey to Europe. That’s what I actually wanna do too.
You’re gonna find it irresistible over there.
Yeah. I’ve solely been there for a contest.
Are there any tales we must always speak about from this Ruby Lilley Monster half? Something loopy or bizarre that occurred?
The again overcrook tailgrab at Decrease Bobs is a joke. Two days earlier than we bought to SF, I used to be at Woodward West for the mini ramp contest, the sport of SKATE. And so after I went to Woodward. I like Woodward, however each time I’ve gotten sick. I don’t know whether or not it’s meals from there or the meals they delivered, however any time I’ve eaten something at Woodward, it’s made me tremendous sick. So I used to be simply getting over that and I used to be okay, then that they had these wings and so they regarded so good. I used to be consuming these wings and loopy meals. And in order that day, we went on a visit to SF and we spent the evening. I get up at six within the morning and I used to be like, I’ve by no means thrown up extra in my complete life and shit so gnarly. Like I went by two pairs of pants within the van. I’d go into the lavatory, grow to be totally different pants, put that shit in a bag and simply throw it behind the van. I imply, we ultimately threw it out, but it surely smelled so unhealthy.
So that you shit your pants?
Yeah, and I threw up within the van. I threw up out of the van. I used to be laying within the van. We have been at a spot and I used to be like, Taylor, be careful. He turns round and I’m like, Transfer! And I simply threw up. I nearly threw up throughout Taylor. I opened the van door, after which marked my territory, throwing up on the van seat. It was fairly hesh.
That’s okay. You wouldn’t be the primary individual to shit your pants at Decrease Bobs.
No, we didn’t even get to Decrease Bobs. We have been nonetheless in Sacramento or wherever the hell we have been! Then we bought to Decrease Bobs and I used to be in a special world. I used to be so pale. I used to be having a mood tantrum. Oh my god, Ruby mood tantrums. I’ve one other actually good story.
What did you do?
I saved throwing my board and it saved happening the steps at Decrease Bobs. I’m simply self-sabotaging by throwing my board into the mud down the steps. Why did I want to try this? I’m simply making an attempt to make issues worse. So the filmer’s like, Cease throwing your board. And I used to be like, No! So, I simply preserve throwing it down the steps. 4 hours later, I bought the clip.
Not simply anybody can put on that hyper-limited emblem hat. Ruby earns it with an distinctive slob to catastrophe
Properly, dude, you bought it.
My mother is gonna kill me for this story, however I’ve to let you know this. After I was studying again nosegrinds, it was a loopy battle. And someday, I couldn’t get them. I had simply discovered them on a five-foot ramp. I used to be within the automotive. We have been about to take off, and I’m having a meltdown, sort of crying about this trick. I actually needed to get it, and I’m like kicking the window. My mother’s like, You higher cease fucking kicking that window. And I’m like, No! Then I kicked the window out of the automotive.
Dude! RFL!
And we didn’t even go away the skatepark. We have been parked on the facet of the road, so everybody simply hears this glass shattering and my foot goes by the door. The window comes out, and the subsequent two days it rained. So I bought grounded for that one—no skatepark, no telephone, within the dungeon.
That’s RFL in motion.
That was after I was like 13 so I used to be at my peak bitchiness. My rebellious section. Oh my god.
That’s an important story. I find it irresistible. Is there the rest you wanna speak about?
You’re like, No extra tales.
When do you graduate from pretend faculty?
On the finish of this yr.
So that you’re about to graduate?
Yeah. I’m gonna be 18.
Ought to we make you a diploma?
Yeah, why not?
We are able to print one off the Web.
That’s excellent.
Rumor has it there was a window in that doorway earlier than she got here to Channel Avenue for this again nosegrind. Congrats, Ruby. We won’t wait to see the subsequent half