Meet AJ Kohn

He's in the top five of best freestyle skaters in the world and has come all the way from USA to Sweden. Here to show us the benefits of the Swedish innovation TIP technology, also called the P-TIP, he also got to test out one of Sweden's biggest skate parks. Meet AJ Kohn as he's spends some time skating in Fryshuset.

The warm damp air fills the lungs as I enter Fryshusets Skate Park in Stockholm. The sound of wheels rolling over the floor and wood tapping the concrete is echoing everywhere. In the bowl a man is pumping up and down the sides, he might be far from his home country but on the board he looks right at home. The man is no other than AJ Kohn.

AJ has left his hometown of Philadelphia and is now in Sweden to sign a contract with the company PSK8, and to promote the new innovation of P-TIP. It's a revamped version of a tip that you put on the end of your board in order to lessen the abrasion you get when riding and in that way, minimising the risk of pop loss.

- The reason why the innovator Becket Colón came up with the idea was because he realised that as the tips gets worn out you loose the pop in the board. There might not be anything wrong with the board but the tips doesn't work as they do when the board is new, AJ explains.

By adding metal hard plastic tips you only have to change the tip and not the whole board when it's starting to get worn out. The innovation has been around for a while, but this new version, the P-TIP, is a lot more ductile then earlier versions. They go on boards that have been carved out for the P-TIP to fit in, so that it both looks and feels smoother when you ride.

AJ Kohn believes in the P-TIP and considering he's among the world's best freestyle skaters, he must know what he's talking about. Without revealing his age he says he's been riding for over twenty years now. As a kid he was in to many sports, but wanted to do something more individual. When he started skating he felt that he could be more creative and it became a way for him to express himself.

- I was quit alone when I first started, but it was good cause I got to create my own little world. I think in some way skating helped me to grow up, he says.

AJ skates on a nearly daily basis and has sort of gotten addicted to it. He says that going too long without skating makes him irritated and impatient. His passion for skateboarding also shows in his choice of occupation. He now works full time for PSK8 and also is engaged in many projects that are based on skateboarding in different ways.

- Back in Philly I work with camps, which are for kids who get to skate with pro skaters and develop their skills, as long as they study hard and keeps their grades up, AJ explains.

The camps are set up for ten weeks at the time in some of the roughest areas in Philadelphia and the purpose is to get kids involved in school again and help them get away from the street life. By rebuilding unused playgrounds into skate parks the kids get a place to go skating. Even though building a park can cost a lot, up to 20 000 dollars, many are willing to sponsor the cause. Pro rider Tony Hawk is one of the sponsors for these projects. 

- It's great to see the response from the kids when we hold these camps. In only a few weeks you can see a change in behaviour and that doesn't only include the kids. It's funny because now when we skaters come around even the cops smile at us, AJ says.

And why shouldn't they. Since this project started they have seen that the grades of the kids joining the camps have gone up and the rate of petty crimes in the areas have gone down by 85 percent. 

- I think this is a good way for skaters to give something back to the community. Skating has long had a renegade image, but I don't think that image is good for the sport, he continues. It is a sport for everyone.

Are the camps open for girls just as well as boys?
- Yes, they are and many girls join us. They get good really quick and I think its because they tend to listen to instructions a bit more than boys.

What do you think of girlie camps?
- I think it's a really good concept. I only wish that they would have camps in the US too. I think it would be well received.

Have you got any other projects planed for the future?
- Well, my next project is to get married to my fiancée. We just got engaged and we will probably get married in a year.