Did your Mentor invent the McTwist? Mine did!

What is a Mentor?

By Google's definition it means: “A mentor is a person or friend who guides a less experienced person by building trust and modeling positive behaviors.”

An effective mentor understands that his or her role is to be dependable, engaged, authentic, and tuned into the needs of the mentee.

In this case to have an original member of the Bones Brigade and the inventor of the Mctwist be willing to take you on as a student, is priceless!

When he speaks you know to listen and take in every word, because it's experience talking and you don't want to miss a thing.

Austin Poynter and Mike McGill doing Doubles at the YMCA right after Austin started skating for McGill's skate shop.

Austin and Mike last week still skating and having fun, and Mike still helping Austin.

McGill's Skate Shop.

After Austin Poynter moved to Oceanside in 2008, he met Mike Mcgill and would see him at a few local events; Mike was very nice about complimenting Austin on his skating.

Mike told Austin he wanted to take pictures of him for his shop’s web site, but since Austin was skating for Active it didn't seem right at the time.

A few months went by and they kept seeing each other at the YMCA in Encinitas, Mike and Austin would session it up, they really enjoyed skating together.

In August 2010 Austin realized that his skating was going in a different direction than Active was going, and since there wasn't a shop near Oceanside he decided to leave Active. The next day he approached Mike at his skate shop and asked him if he was looking for riders. Mike welcomed Austin with open arms and Austin was stoked to be skating for him! Sure Mike has the best Skate Shop around, but to get to skate and learn from a legend is an opportunity not everyone gets. Mike has made skating so much fun for Austin and challenges him regularly to try new things and to see who can land tricks first.

Mike was the person who made the call to World Cup Skateboarding about getting Austin in the first Ams Combi Pool Classic Contest, Mike was the one giving him advice on what to do in the finals that helped him win that Contest.

Mike was such a big help that Austin had custom 187 pads made up for the first Combi Am Contest to honor him, 187 had a big response from these and put them on the home page

Not only putting in time with Austin, giving him tips, and helping with product, but by making the call to get him in the Combi am, started it all for Austin.

Since then, Austin has won back to back Combi Am contests, got Sponsored by Monster, and made the finals in his first Pro Contest...

That people, is what a Mentor does and that is who Mike McGill is!

All pictures courtesy of Mike McGill and Austin Poynter.

Thanks Mike!!