Ian Browning Writes the Rules of Skateboarding (for Skate Bylines)

Ian Browning’s interview series ‘The Rules of Skateboarding’ unpacks the nuances of skateboarding with its notable characters. Now, he writes the ‘Rules’ for Skate Bylines.

Story by Farran Golding

Portrait of Ian Browning by Christian Kerr

‘Rules of Skateboarding’ illustrations (clockwise from left) of Mark Suciu, Jacob Harris, Lurker Lou Sarowsky and Jerry Hsu by Cosme Fernández Gonzales

The absence of defined rules are often argued as a key point of separation between skateboarding and other athletic pastimes. Skateboarding, however, is a culture at the mercy of more spoken and unspoken idioms than any big league sport.

From sensible ideals (such as basic etiquette), to the subjective (which tricks are whack, but when those same tricks can also be cool), to debates which mean ultimately nothing and simultaneously everything (pants), skateboarding is underwritten by concepts, folklore and opinions which bare strong semblance to “rules”.

In 2017, Brooklyn-based writer Ian Browning began to materialise these principles in written form and unpick them alongside sources of expert opinio. His ‘Rules of Skateboarding’ series has since examined corporate sponsorship with Tony Hawk, enders with Mark Suciu, the dos and don’ts of offering advice with Briana King, and much more.

“One of the main ideas to this series was wanting to be able to bring the type of debate that happens during a slow shift at a skate shop, or on the periphery of a wound-down session, where skate nerds air out their strong opinions,” explains Browning.

“It has always been part of the appeal to me that there are no formal “rules” in skating, but everybody’s got an opinion about minutia. The series has always tried to give space to the little ideas, and to voices that would have otherwise continued on the sideline in perpetuity. Never as a final ruling, but as an exploration of our culture, as it continues to evolve and grow.”

Browning at New York’s LES Skatepark during a reconnaissance mission for his 2022 Quartersnacks article ‘Civic Center — A Profile of the L.E.S. Skatepark at Ten Years’. “I was persistent emails and calls but was continually brushed” said Browning, speaking to Skate Bylines about the story. “It finally came down to Christian Kerr — who took the photos — he and I were talking. It was like, ‘Alright, this park is listed as opening up at 7am on the Parks’ website. Which means that someone comes, in theory, at 7:00am to open the gates. What we want to do is get on Citi Bikes at 6:30am in the morning, bike over there, and just be there when this guy shows up at 7am.’” Portrait by Christian Kerr

Browning initially began publishing the series through Village Psychic in 2017. Browning’s writing, often focused on intersection of skateboarding and wider culture, has also been published by Quartersnacks, Simple Magic, PLANK, Closer Skateboarding, Jenkem and Eater. His 2022 article ‘Civic Center — A Profile of the L.E.S. Skatepark at Ten Years’ for Quartersnacks was the subject of the first Skate Bylines podcast last year which featured Browning as a guest.

Today (January 1st 2026), Browning and his ‘Rules of Skateboarding’ join Skate Bylines. “I’m stoked to bring the series to Skate Bylines,” he said. “It’s important to have real journalism in skateboarding, and I’m glad to be a part of delivering it. It’s great to have a place to continue to explore the nuances that make skateboarding interesting.”

To celebrate the return of the Rules of Skateboarding, Browning rounded up a handful of personal favourites from the series of twenty-plus interviews. The series to date is being added to Skate Bylines throughout January and our first new instalment in the series will published later this month.

Mark Suciu is at His Wits’ End with Enders

Articulating enders with the author of Verso

illustration: Cosme

“There was some event in New York, that I missed, where they showed an unfinished version of Verso. It got to be common knowledge that Mark was trying some insane tech line that he needed to actually finish the project.

“It got to a point where I remember seeing people joking about what was holding the part up on social media pretty regularly. I’m still a little surprised he agreed to talk in the middle of all of it, but he was down to get coffee at a diner and talk as long as it ran after Verso came out.

“During the interview, we watched Guy Mariano’s Mouse part on one of our phones.” — I.B.

“For me [Andrew Reynolds’ Stay Gold] ender remains more than the sum of its parts. It’s not just the Reynolds kickflip down the gap. It’s everything put together: the style of the trick, the part, the song, the point in his career.”
Mark Suciu

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Josh Stewart Cuts Through the Static on Music in Skate Videos

The architect of Theories of Atlantis architect talks music supervision

Christian Kerr

Everything I picked [for ‘Rules of Skateboarding’] was an in-person interview. At this point, I remember being new enough to interviewing skaters whose work I admired that I was a little nervous.

The whole piece was inspired by throwing Static II on for the first time in a few years and finding that song that [Paul] Shier skates to just jarringly awful. Luckily, Josh brought it up before I did. — I.B.

“Hip-hop will stand the test of time if it’s used in moderation, but it really dates things. I think Photosynthesis definitely is a really good example of using great music while still being safe in the sense that it’s going to last.”
Josh Stewart

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James Rewolisnki Lays Down the Etiquette of Lurking at Labor Skate Shop

Acai bowls are riskier business than skate retail

Photos courtesy of Labor Skate Shop

I love this one because it helped broaden the whole series out.

So much of what I’m interested in writing about, in terms of skateboarding, is general culture. Everybody who skates has a story about an awkward interaction at a shop, one way or another, but the person behind the counter is the all-seeing oracle.

I was stoked to get that perspective some shine. — I.B.

“I think lurking is limited by design in the city. I don’t think there’s as much of a desire to lurk outside the shop all day when you have New York City outside the door.”
James Rewolinski

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Who did it?!

Still from Chomp On This

I was definitely trying hard to connect skate culture with general culture here — questions about new tech ruffling feathers — but I feel like it’s a nice little glimpse back into 2018. At that time The Skateboard Mag had just been shut down by The Berrics, Transworld would soon go online-only, and there was this uncertainty as to whether magazines would survive at all, which refreshingly feels outdated in 2024.

“I think [magazines are] better with curating what they’re putting out, so that stuff won’t have to stay under wraps for as long as it used to be. I mean fuck, you didn’t see Marc Johnson for years while he was filming that Lakai video. Everything was just under wraps.”
Giovanna Reda

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Lurker Lou Sarowsky Legislates on Spot Hunting

The process and the politics of searching for things to skate

Cosme Fernández Gonzalez

Lou and I had maybe spoken once or twice before this interview. He picked me up and we drove around dredging for spots before ending up at this oval-shaped flatbar around a fuel pump at this building that held giant boilers for a huge housing project. He’s got a rad perspective, and I enjoy how this one does a pretty good job of encapsulating the afternoon.

“A lot of spot hunting comes out of sometimes being desperate and not having anything to go to and just being lost. But mostly it’s going to something you think you might have a trick on from the past, and something else will pop up. It’s usually a dice roll.”
Lurker Lou

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This story was originally published on December 20th 2024 under the headline ‘Ian Browning Writes The Rules of Skateboarding (But Doesn’t Make Them)’. It has been updated on January 1st 2026 to reflect Browning joining Skate Bylines as a columnist, bringing over his past ‘Rules of Skateboarding’ interviews and continuing the series.

Articles also featuring Ian Browning

“It’s an accessible first point of, like, ‘How do I connect with this culture?’” — Ian Browning examines municipal space in New York City through the lens of his Quatersnacks story on the Lower East Side Skatepark in ‘The Civic Center of New York City Skateboarding’.

“Why does this story matter? Why is it relevant to the current moment and that publication? Why are you the person to tell it?” — Cole Nowicki, Ian Browning, Josh Sabini, Claire Alleaume, Norma Ibarra, Greg Navarro and Alex White share insights on pitching stories to skate magazines ans brands from a variety of creative perspectives and backgrounds in‘Making The Big Leagues’.

Skateboarding media in the spotlight

“It’s that, married with physical talent, which makes a good skateboarder. But I do think it’s the personality bit that’s more crucial. And that’s where the interview comes in. It explores that very thing.” — Question and answer interviews have long been a predominant format for written skateboarding journalism. To unpack how they became so ubiquitous and decipher what, exactly, makes for a good one, the script was flipped on Eric Swisher (“Chops”) of The Chrome Ball Incident.

“I always remember Callum Paul and Jimmy Roche putting on “Wuthering Heights” when we were drinking. They’d get a record player and crank that song. Jimmy and Callum would get into it, dance about, get really theatrical and I remember that vividly. “Of course, the other thing is Nick Jensen’s part in Eleventh Hour…” — Videographer Geoff Campbell talks Kate Bush for the debut episode of ‘The Eleven O’Clock Number’, a show about the sleeve notes of skate video soundtracks.

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