If you haven’t heard of Bjorn Johnston yet, you will soon. For one thing, he rides for KR3W and SUPRA now. He’s also got a pro model coming out on Element. He’s been killing it for years. Dennis, our TM, has been friends with Bjorn for a long time. Recently, the opportunity to put Bjorn on KR3W came up. Dennis said, “Let’s put Bjorn on KR3W.” Everyone agreed, official arrangements were made, documents may even have been signed—maybe not, who knows? it’s skateboarding—and next thing you know, Bjorn Johnston is the first Australian to join our global team. Hooray!

Although Bjorn is not Australian. Sorry. He’s from New Zealand. Which makes him a kiwi. So it would probably be more accurate to say that Bjorn Johnston is the first kiwi to join our global team? Whatever. The “Hooray” is the important part.

Quick facts about Bjorn: he pronounces his name funny, “Bee-YEARN”; he rides a motorcycle (please note the restraint in not titling this post “Bjorn To Be Wild”); and he has tattoos of his family crest, Viking battleships, and all kinds of other Nordic shit that pay homage to his heritage; he also has a rather curious tattoo on his arm of a dude doing a handstand on a skateboard.

“That’s his dad,” Brad Plamus, our Australian Managing Director, said.

WHAT? We thought he was talking crazy, dads don’t skate, but we soon learned that the tattoo was derived from an actual photograph. Naturally we requested to see this photograph.

“It’s from sometime around 1975,” Bjorn said about the image. “Dad was a surfer, and like most surfers, he went skating when there were no waves. One of their spots was a small church driveway and parking lot in his—and my—hometown of New Plymouth, NZ. I guess ‘cause it had a smooth hill, they could all hang loose the whole way down. Most of his mates just did turns and carves, but my old man must have been a bit of a show off and could handstand all the way down it. He even got second place in a local skate contest at the time.”

Bjorn’s father is 55 now, and doesn’t skate anymore, but Bjorn had no idea his dad was such a ripper. The photo, taken from a home movie, only recently surfaced about five years ago. “I really had no idea the extent of his skating,” Bjorn said. “Pretty awesome to actually get a look at it.”

It is indeed pretty awesome. And it will be pretty awesome to get to look at Bjorn skating as well. Because, as we’ve learned, his skateboard roots run deep. It’s in his blood. And now he will spill his blood for KR3W. All hail Bjorn Johnston!