Renton Millar just got back from Queensland. Like many pro skaters Millar travels often, before Queensland it was South Africa where he was proud to get a scratch from a lion cub, other run ins include a period in quarantine in a Perth hospital as well as numerous pavement scars and damage. But proving you can’t keep a good man done, Millar is back and up and at em back in Melbourne for some down time, where he took some time out to speak with us about his battle scars.

You are a seasoned skater, but you must have had some damage over time. What is the worst of your injuries?
Do you have any scars?

I have had a lot of injuries. The ones that irritate me the most are the ones that just happen without slamming, and reoccur, like back injuries from too much skating or lots of small slams. My latest one has to do with my Achilles tendon. It didn’t stop me from skating but it just made it really hard to skate as good as I would of liked. I have had heaps of other injuries like broken teeth, broken bones and lots of concussions (more than a dozen). Concussions and knockouts are a bummer because your brain is probably the most valued thing your body has and without that the rest of your body doesn’t function properly… I learnt that one the hard way. That’s why these days if I am skating a big bowl I will wear a helmet. I have always ridden a helmet on vert ramps though.

As far as rehab for injuries, I do chiro, massage therapy and a bit of yoga.
I try to do each of those things once a week for prevention. My chiropractor, Steve Sassinas is a big reason of why I can still skate. He is a legend.

What is your favourite scar?

The one that irritates me most is my broken teeth. I am reminded every time I run my tongue over my teeth, I can feel the chips. I slipped out on a ramp in San Diego in 1999. Smashing your teeth sucks. My favorite scar? Not really sure about that, but I have a good one on my ankle where I broke it when I was 15 in 14 places. That was pretty heavy. The worst one to look at by far is my receding hairline!

Have you ever taken time off skating? How long?

Two years after breaking my ankle in 14 places. That was the longest. Also a month here and there due to minor breaks and sprains.
I have gone pretty hard at skating the last 15 years. I have done back-to-back summers since 1997. That means I have just done my 29th summer. This next one will be my 30th. Sometimes it’s hard to keep your energy up when you keep going back to back for so long, but I love to skate so I think it’s worth it.

Do you approach skating differently after a slam?

I have skated for so long, and I have slammed so many times. I really like the idea of not caring and just going for it, but to be honest my approach after smashing myself as many times as I have over 26 years is to pick my battles. I wont try the heaviest stuff every time I go skating. I try and stay fit and when I feel like going for something heavy I’ll give it a shot, but otherwise I will just enjoy skating. I do like risking killing myself on my skateboard, but I just like to be confident that there’s a chance I won’t.

Do you wear any protective gear now?

For street skating and bowl skating I just wear clothes. For vert and deep pools I wear TSG safety gear. After so many knockouts I ride a super good helmet. It is like a bike helmet, but looks like a skate helmet. It is the TSG super light. I wear TSG kneepads, and elbows. I don’t hate safety gear at all. If you are skating big bowls and vert a lot then you are gonna end up in hospital from time to time when you are wearing safety gear anyway. You can’t really skate big bowls constantly, or vert or mega ramp without pads and helmet and expect a long skate career… or life for that matter.

What do you do when you’re not skating?

Relax. Enjoy life. Hang out with my wife and son Max.

What is your worst habit?

My wife would say iPhone. I’m on it all the time.

Where was the last place you traveled for skating? What was it for?

I went to Queensland last week and a couple of weeks before I went to South Africa for the Maloof Money Cup. It’s a big contest. It was fun. It was an eventful trip. The skating was good. I saw my friend Danny Mayer take the worst slam ever and on my way home I got quarantined after I got sick and had to stay at Perth hospital. It didn’t really go right, but it was a fun trip. We went on safari and played with lion cubs. I had a big scratch on my leg from a lion. I was stoked on that. That was better than a tattoo for the time it lasted.

Follow Renton Millar on; twitter.com/rentonmillar