| You know the type—they’re fearless, daring, wild … they’re the kids that knee pads, wrist guards, and helmets were made for. The ones that mom warned you to stay away from on the playground because she didn’t want you to—in her words—“break your neck.”
You know their names … Taj Mihelich, Ed Templeton, Laban Pheidias, Jen O’Brien … BMXers and skaters able to leap ramps, lots of stairs, and tall buildings in a single bound. But did you know that they’re all veg? Yep. These xtreme athletes are xtremely compassionate, too. Check out what Taj, Ed, Laban, and Jen have to say about being veg.
 Taj Mihelich
“I don’t think that I’m so important that an animal has to die every time I want to eat.”
While meeting Taj Mihelich for a photo shoot for a PETA2 “Go Vegetarian” public service announcement in the “backyard” of his Terrible One headquarters, about 30 people showed up. The evening ended in an impromptu ramp session, vegan BBQ, and outdoor slide show. The biggest riders in BMX were there, and most of them are vegan or vegetarian—very cool. Check it out here. |
 Ed Templeton
Vegan pro skateboarder Ed Templeton has been skating for more than a dozen years. He is a living legend. Ed is respected for his creativity and is credited for being one of the icons who have made skating what it is today. His creativity is evident in everything he does, from his boarding to his photography and art shows in major galleries to his illustrations on his company’s (Toy Machine) merchandise. Ed took a moment to answer some questions for PETA about where veganism fits into the rest of his life.
Click here to read the interview.
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 Laban Pheidias
Pro skateboarder Laban Pheidias is vegan. He is also an actor and director, and he recently made the new video “American Misfits.” The video is a Jackass-meets- skateboarding story that will blow you away.
Laban and his good friend David Bergthold took time out of their production schedule to make a commercial for PETA2. David is an awesome friend of PETA. He’s a vegetarian and he owns Blockhead Skateboards and Smash Technologies, which produces video segments for 411, the new Fox show 54321, and the show Blue Torch.
The commercial they made came out so well that they decided to put it in the new “American Misfits” video. Watch the commercial here. |
 Jen O’Brien
Jen O’Brien, with Cara Beth Burnside, is the godmother of women’s skateboarding. She demanded respect and got it for women on skateboards. Is she good? Just ask all the viewers of the summer X-games a couple years ago when she competed “unofficially” with her boyfriend Bob Burnquist in the pairs competition—it was supposed to be guys only. She rocked.
She met with us at her rad place in Southern California—complete with a huge organic garden and an even bigger skate ramp—to talk about what being a vegetarian means to her. Jen’s been veg for five years and says she’s never felt better or been happier about her life.
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