If tracking down every current professional skateboarder sounds like a thankless, soul-crushing task to you, you're not that far off. This database will expand as we figure out what we're doing. For now, here's some insight to how we arrived here.

Who's in, who's out?

As a baseline, we wanted to start with the current pros. Basically, if you've got a pro model skateboard deck that some kid can walk into a shop and buy, you're probably listed in here. Also, if you're listed on a skate company's website as part of their pro team, you're probably in here.

If you've got a small company that only sells its products on-line with pros that we haven't heard of and don't see listed as professionals anywhere else, we might have missed you. That doesn't mean we don't like you, and it doesn't mean we won't put you in here sooner or later.

If you are a company who pays professional skateboarders to endorse your product, you're probably in here. However, if you're a skate brand without a team, or are so bad at letting the world know who's on your team that we can't figure out who's on your team, we've probably missed you. This database is organized around the pro skateboarders, not necessarily skate brands or companies.

Why Roskopp and not Natas?

There's a lot of grey area when it comes to pros from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Who's retired and who's active? The easiest answer is that you can walk into SoCal Skateshop and buy a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp model, but you can't buy a Natas**.

"But you can get a Black Label Natas tirbute guest model." You make quite a point. However, did Natas ever really ride for Black Label? We're trying to stay away from guest models, otherwise Krooked would have 93 pros on its roster.

Fear not, we plan on figuring out a way to fit in Natas, Malba, Salba, Tommy Guerrero, Jim Thiebaud and a bunch of other guys who don't fit this structure so easily.

Isn't Curren Caples a pro?

You would think the kid who beat almost all the other pros in the Super Park competition at the 2010 X-Games was a pro. Apparently he's not. There's a bunch of guys for which we have no idea whether they're ams or pros. Guys like Cory Kennedy, Alex Perelson*** , Adam Taylor and Josh Rodriguez. Many of the websites don't differntiate between their pro and am rosters. Once there's a board with his name on it, we've got a definitive answer. Until then, who knows? But if you've seen a pro contract for Elliot Sloan, let us know.

What's up with the videos?

Sooner or later we'll have pages for each video. Also, you'll notice the videographies are "Selected" videographies. We tried to keep our listings to videos produced by companies who sponsor pro teams. That's why all the Thrasher and Transworld videos aren't listed yet, but they will be. If that's not a good enough answer, we suggest you head over to the Skate Video Site for their unfathomable list of skate videos.

I found some inconsistencies.

Believe it or not, not all of the information out there on the web is reliable (gasp!). In compiling this info, we've found places where so-and-so claims to be on Team A, while Team A doesn't list him as being on their team, or worse yet, publishes no info at all about their team****. If you spot something fishy, let us know.

If you found some info that's flat out wrong, send us an email, or try our facebook page. Once the forum is running, you'll have plenty of opportunity to tell us how smart and knowledgable you are. 

What about social networking/media?

You'll notice on most profiles we have links to that skater or company's Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages if we could find one. Most are legit. Obviously some will be fakes. If you know one is fake, let us know. Also, some of the Facebook pages are personal pages, some are fan pages, some are fan groups. It's wildly inconsistent. We know that.

Also, don't abuse this info. Sean Malto might not want to be your fake Facebook friend, so act respectfully.

*Sounds better than Stinkbugology
** All right, fine. You can buy his Designarium board. Still, you get the point.
***Seriously, he does 900s and won the Maloof Cup, how does he not have a board?
**** Especially if they're based in San Francisco, if you catch our drift.