Interview with Zalman Lekach, President of Adrenalina (Yahoo! Reprint) #ThrowbackThursday

This is a reprint of my interview with Zalman Lekach, President of Adrenalina. It was originally published on Yahoo! Sports in 2011.

When I think about action sports entrepreneurs like Adrenalina’s Zalman Lekach two words immediately come to mind “high energy.” The man has been in perpetual motion for decades now both professionally and personally. He is the force behind an action sports dynasty that consists of an extreme sports television show, retail stores and the much talked about Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon with its jaw-dropping $30,000 prize purse.

Lekach, however, isn’t just the man behind a profitable action sports empire. He also lives what he sells, actively skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, skimboarding and flying small aircraft. It was quite a challenge catching up to him but I managed to do so this week. He graciously sat still long enough to grant me an interview about his many passions and what it is like to sit at the helm of Adrenalina.

Here’s what Lekach had to say:

Gonzalez: Please tell us a little bit about the history of Adrenalina.

Lekach: Adrenalina started as a small television show being produced out of a garage in Oceanside, Califonia, in 2001. My family has always been action sports enthusiasts, and that has been at the core of the company from the beginning. Now, Adrenalina has grown and expanded into numerous platforms including retail, events and the web to name a few.

Gonzalez: I love the idea of the flowrider. I think it was pure genius on your part to put such a thing inside a retail store. Where did you come up with that idea?

Lekach: Hahaha, thanks! Ilia were joking around saying “hey wouldn’t it be great to put a plastic wave in a store where people can take a picture on a wave?” Then we got to thinking and realized we could put a real wave in a store. We also LOVE surfing, skimboarding snowboarding and wakeboarding. The flowrider is a combination of all of those.

Gonzalez: What inspired you to come up with the Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon and do you plan on holding it again next year?

Lekach: Adrenalina believes in making the world a better place for people. Given that, we wanted to create a way to promote health, fitness and green transportation. Longboard skateboarding is one of the most accessible methods of transportation and pretty much anyone can learn how to do it. We thought that a skateboard marathon would be an ideal vehicle to spread our mission. We plan on holding the marathons every year with repeat stops.

Gonzalez: Do you have plans for any additional skateboarding events next year?

Lekach: At this time we do not have any plans for other events other then the skateboard marathons. We want to focus our energy and resources on growing the marathons.

Gonzalez: Has the skateboarding community’s reaction to the skateboard marathon been what you had expected?

Lekach: At first the community thought it was fake or a joke I mean, who puts up a $30,000 prize purse for a push race? But when the winners of last year’s marathon in Hallandale cashed their checks and they cleared, it was game on since then.

Gonzalez: I have read that you are an extreme athlete yourself. What activities do you still participate in on a regular basis?

Lekach: Moving to San Diego definitely gave me the arena to practice action sports on a regular basis. I get to surf, skydive, skateboard and snowboard pretty close to my house. My favorite skate setup right now is my Rayne long treks demonseed with bear grizzly trucks and orangatang durians for pushing. For fun around town and riding bowls I really like my comet ethos 37’ with surf rodz RKP and orangatang stimulus. I also fly airplanes, and really love to cook.

Gonzalez: Looking back at the past seven years how would you say extreme sports have changed as a whole and what role do you envision for Adrenalina within it for the next seven?

Lekach: I would say the industry changed in a very interesting way. Seven years ago we could have only imagined seeing ridiculous tricks in video games, but these days those tricks are coming to life. There has been kickflips in surfing, triple back flips on FMX and BMX, mega skate ramps and we got close to seeing another skydive from the final frontier – space. I envision our company providing the necessary means for everyone to continue doing what they love with the people they love.

Gonzalez: Do you find the public’s interest in longboarding increasing and if so, what do you think that will mean for the skateboarding industry as a whole?

Lekach: I find that the public’s interest in longboarding has absolutely increased. Sales of longboards and related products are continuing to grow. It is noticeable how many more longboards there are on the street. This is particularly apparent on college campuses throughout the US. This is really awesome because college students are major trend setters. I expect longboarding to keep gaining in popularity. I also hope that the entire skate industry can come together and stop useless bickering over who is better- the street skaters or the longboarders.

Gonzalez: How have the recession and the recent downgrading of America’s credit rating affected your business and what are you doing in response?

Lekach: Like everyone, we have felt the impact of the recession. We are just continuing to be innovative and connecting with our consumers in new ways.

Gonzalez: Between the retail stores, the skateboard marathon and the television shows you undoubtedly keep very busy. Out of all the divisions of the Adrenalina Empire, what one gives you the most personal satisfaction?

Lekach: They all do! Anytime I see our company doing something good it makes me smile. Competing in the marathons gives me a feeling of massive accomplishment and helps me keep some weight off (although I still love my junk food).

Gonzalez: You mentioned earlier that you also like to cook. If you could cook and have dinner with five famous people, living or dead, who would you choose and what kind of meal would you whip up for them?

Lekach: Hmmm dinner for five, I like this question. I would probably cook a really delicious Cuban meal and invite Carl Sagan, Jerry Seinfeld, David Hinds, Benjamin Franklin, and Stephen Hawking. I’m pretty sure the conversation would be one for the records!

Gonzalez: If you could only be remembered for one thing what would it be and why?

Lekach: Bringing the skateboard marathon to the Summer Olympics! Wouldn’t it be great if every country in the world could send a longboarder to the most acclaimed sporting event in history!

Gonzalez: Yes, indeed it would.