From Sidewalk 212 – May 2014
Sam Hayter first appeared in Harlow 6 or so years ago as a shy, quiet and polite skateboarder. With us sharing similar mental issues, we got on straight away and years later we still do. We skate together, we work together and he actually just moved into my spare room!
His mother is psychic and mine is just bonkers so we both had slightly ‘cosmic’ childhoods to say the least, possibly explaining how he can see ghosts and we can read each other’s minds.
Sam has been skating for and 100% backing Milk skateboards since day one, which is nice to see. Being a part of something from the start is one of the best experiences in British skateboarding if you ask me.
He’s clearly appreciating every moment, from the outset to where it is now, repping it daily and working hard on his upcoming part.
He likes a drink but once he’s had a few he talks like Zed from Police Academy and can’t stop until every beer in the house is gone.
Not one for the limelight, he’s thriving in the shadows – his part in Jake Shunt’s brand new ‘Rugged Raw’ DVD says it all really: “…in the outskirts, and in the fringes…” Oh yeah, and his real name is actually Sammy! Claim it! Claim it! Sammy Hayter!
Don’t you forget… Go get ‘em Sammy!
Love, – Nicolson
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Basics first please: age, time skating and sponsors?
– I am aged 24, have been skating for 14 years and my sponsors are Milk skateboards – Harry at Empire skate park has been hooking me up recently, and a big thanks to Sam at Drugstore in Norwich for hooking me up when I’m back home.
Where are you from, where you going, and how the hell did you end up in Harlow?
– I’m originally from London but moved to sunny Sheringham in Norfolk when I was 10 and that’s where I began skating.
I moved to Harlow when I was 18 and that’s where I met Jake Shunt, Mark Nicolson and the crew.
What was it like growing up skating in Sheringham and working at your mum’s cafe?
Do you have any good stories from your childhood in Norfolk?
– Nah, not really, but if you’re ever in Sheringham please go check my mum’s café out – The Funky Mackerel, they do everything, there’s even a dog’s menu.
What’s the deal with Milk? How do you feel about riding for a UK team from the beginning?
– It’s sick being involved from the beginning because you get to watch it grow and it is a skater-owned company too, which is rad. A big shout to Dan, Fuller and the crew – top dudes.
When is the Milk video due to come out?
– End of the year I think, all the crew have been working hard, going on trips and all that: it’s always fun.
Tell us a little about your regular crew, who do you skate with the most?
– When I’m not with the Milk crew I’m back in Harlow skating with Jake Shunt, Mark Nicolson, Radman, Harry Hughes, D.A, Bubble, Paul Story, John Readwin and the Harlow skate park crew.
What kind of skating are you into?
– East coast skateboarding really, my favourite skater is Fred Gall.
You did the whole solo Barca thing with no plan, no money, and no return ticket. How did you hook up with Tuukka and how was it living the dream with those guys?
– Yeah I went there with no plan other than to meet up with Tommy May who took me everywhere skating. After that I ended up living at Tuukka’s house for a while – big ups to those guys for helping me out! Barca is a rad place, if you’re a skateboarder then just go – you don’t need a plan.
You cook a mean pasta bake, can skin up in under a minute, and can go days without eating anything: do you have any other hidden skills people need to know about? – That would be telling. Anything else going on in your life, apart from skateboarding?
– Reading, cooking and being Mark Nicolson’s therapist.
If you won the lottery what’s the first thing you would do?
– Travel the world, starting in Mongolia
Any last words?
– Thanks to Dan Shervington, James Fuller, Mark Nicolson, Milk crew, Sam at Drugstore, my family – especially my mum, for all your help and support thank you.
