Tara Dakides Interview by: Major Tom photos courtesy of Tara Dakides
Tara " living legend" Dakides is like Bowie, Sabbath, Mozart andACDC. She is like Spanish Wine The older the better. She literally destroys from Surf to snow from motocross to race cars and the other way around.
For the lovers for the haters she stands still strong for ever and ever cause she never left THE REAL SHOW.... - Major Tom
NAME Tara Dakides WHERE IS HOME FOR YOU? This year my home has been the road, like the old saying..........home is where your heart is. I spend the summers in oceanside but the winters on the road.
WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH O-MATIC WHAT MAKES O-MATIC SNOWBOARD DIFFERENT? What makes omatic different? The people. I don't know about all the other companies but we are small and tight and have our meetings over breakfast at the panikin and a surf. I love working with Todd Richards, wouldn't do a company with anyone else and having louie vito on the crew is awesome too. That kid is all time!! Jason who builds our boards and runs the gig while we are on the road Ive known since I was 16 when I was riding for joyride back in the day plus he use to make the jeenyus boards before omatic so he's been building my boards for years and they truly are the best boards Ive riden. We have just picked up my good friend Channelle Sladic's as well! So I guess what Im saying is what makes this company are the people and that we all want this to be a fun experience, workin with friends and riding my actual own board is a dream and im having more fun now then I have ever. The one thing we want to do as well is to give back by making the boards as affordable as we can without going broke ourselves. It sucks that snowboarding is so expensive that it keeps some families from getting to do it ya know. Is amazing to see people who have been in the industry forever takin a piece and staying In it and creating there own vision.....
WHO ARE YOUR HEROES? I respect a lot of people....Todd for being 37 and killing it proving that age don't mean shit! Taylor knox, Ron Rathbun my good friend and author of "the kelee" my dad, Jamie Lynn, Craig Kelly for being the soul of our sport. I mean that's to just name a few. Ive been fortunate to know a lot of amazing people who do good for the environment and others. The list would be endless.
TOP FIVE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE? WHY? The days that Ive falling in love and the days I saw my sister and my good friend Kelly give birth to their beautiful little people. Any day Im in the back country with friends seeing a blank canvas of untouched snow and watching the sun set over the mountain tops. Watching the sun set over the ocean in Tahiti or Tavarua isn't so bad either........
EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TATTOO YOU HAVE? This tattoo has been forever evolving and its still not done. I started it when I was 18 and it has been 2 cover ups to what it is now. It certainly is a story but the short is........its a blue alian looking women in a cocoon serounded by fire. Theres an eye that is attached to the cocoon that wraps around my hip. What it mean to me is, staying in a calm place while serounded by chaos. That's something I try to do in my life and in this world.
FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND
MEDITATION? I started meditating 6 years ago with my teacher and friend ron rathbun. People get so caught up in there mind and thoughts that they forget how to sleep and have to take sleeping pills. Its a practice to still your thoughts or quiet the noise that gets in our heads. Its much harder to see clearly when your on spin cycle............the practice helps me rest and be at peace. HAPPY MEAL? I don't do fast food, and I have thought about our conversation quit a lot. Why have a happy meal when you can have a filet. FIJI? A heart shaped island in the middle of the ocean, what more is there. JEENYUS? I wish it didn't go south.........peter line is a jeenyus! GOD? Yes. CALI4NIA? A place that everyone seems to want to live. I grew up there and don't love the traffic. The beaches in the winter time when they are empty are nice. My family lives there but I don't see myself living there forever. PAIN? Pain sucks, but There is a lot to learn from pain. FEAR? Fear is my enemy and my friend. WHO ROCKS YOUR IPOD THESE DAYS? CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT MUSIC? My ipod is filled with classic rock like fleetwoodmac, ccr, the stones, lynard, and bob dylan. I have a lot of old country like willie, waylond and cash and then theres my disco, 80's, metallica, zeplin and and wilco with some eddie veder and flamming lips all inter mixed. I like hip hop and rap but mostly when im at the clubs otherwise I ride with the classic's.........they never die.
BACK IN THE 70'S SAME DAY AT THE SAME TIME THREE CONCERTS BACK STAGE PASSES. BOWIE, FACES, BEE GEES WHO WOULD IT BE? Damn it would be between the bee gees and bowie but I wouldn't have to think about it long.............it would definitely be bowie.
JOURNEY OR DESTINATION? Its definitely about the journey.
DO YOU FOLLOW ANY TYPE OF TRAINING LIKE YOGA, PLAITES, STRETCH ETC? I stretch and do yoga and other then that I just ride, surf and play as my training.
ARE YOU ON DIET OR YOU EAT EVERYTHING?
I eat everything, its not always good but I love food and dessert
especially. This morning at 5am on my way to the airport I had a yummy
custard filled krispy kreme donut. I always have desert but I make sure
to eat all the healthy stuff too.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SPAIN? Oh Spain..........it is a beautiful country and really good wine. I didn't take to the bask food to well but the tappas and bread I love. the ocean is amazing. I went down some alley ways that I should not have gone down. I could feel the anger of the people and the bask region. I don't know much about it but it was different to me and interesting. I would like to go back for sure.
BEST SURFER OF THE HISTORY? WHY? I would say Tom Curren.....there is something mysterious and magical about watching him surf. He seems strongly connected to the rhythm of the ocean and the waves.
BEST STYLE YOU EVER SEE ON THE SNOW FEMALE OR MALE? Jamie Lynn and Terje
DO YOU THINK MAMMOTH IS TOO HOLLYWOOD? People pay to much attention about who's who and who's got what and rockin the new shit and doing this and that............just ride.
IF YOU HAD THREE WISHES WHAT WOULD THEY BE? To bring health to my family, love and happiness.
DAKIDES IS A GREEK LAST NAME? CAN YOU EXPLAIN A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACK GROUND? My dad is 100% Greek and my mom is the mut. I have not yet been to Greece but I will before I die. I have family who I have never met there. I grew up having old style Greek get togethers, dancing the old Greek way, breaking dishes (which was my favorite), drinking, and eating. The Greeks love to drink, eat, laugh, and love and there good at fighting too.
ANY ADVICE FOR GIRLS WHO WANT TO PURSUE SNOWBOARD DREAMS LIKE YOU DID? Well its quit a ride and if you go as far as I have then something that will be very important to learn is balance. Don't try to do and be everything, just be who you are. Life moves fast enough that is easy to get caught up and miss some of the most beautiful things that will cross your path. I am still learning balance myself, I think its a life long lesson in whatever you do. Oh, and don't live on your cell phone!
FUTURE PLANS?
To finish out the season with a good part in the runway production
films, the all girls film. I also have a documentary film coming out in October in the film festivals.......its called "against the grain". I
will spend this summer surfing, working on omatic, touring the movie
and hopefully running the Baja 1000 again, but anything beyond that I
don't know. Things are always changing in my world.
ANY THANKS thank you ed, for being so supportive of what we are doing over at omatic. This summer we surf, okay.
