P-Rod and Dad in LA Weekly

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/05/30/features-quinones.php

Hmmm, a little article about Paul Rodriguez (senior) that ends up talking about Paul Rodriquez (jr., or the third, or something) a bit.

Here’s all the text from the article that relates to P-Rod.

But lately, it’s his son, Paulie, who’s been grabbing the headlines and breaking down barriers, as one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in skateboarding. Young, good-looking (no scars or, knock on wood, broken bones), stylish and smooth, Paulie has the whole package. Media and sponsors have noticed. He graced the cover of Thrasher magazine, was featured in the debut of ESPN’s action-sports magazine, EXPN, and made an appearance in Warner Bros.’ 2003 film Grind. He’s also the first Mexican-American pro skater to be sponsored by Nike, which has a line of skateboarding shoes called “P-Rods.” Silver Trucks, Mountain Dew, Hubba Wheels and Boost Mobile also sponsor Paulie. Being a professional skater has been good to him–he drives a black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen (recently featured in Dub magazine) and owns a Mercedes CLK, which his girlfriend drives. Oh yeah, he has his own house in the west Valley.

“He’s a blinger. I’m very jealous,” says the elder Rodriguez. “There’s no nepotism, ’cause I know nothing about skating.”

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Paulie hung out at a local skate shop “’cause all the kids were skating.” When he was 12, he bought a Powell board with his Christmas money. He practiced skating with other kids at Holmes Junior High and Birmingham High School in the Northridge area. When they got kicked off the grounds, he would practice at a local Albertsons’ loading dock until he perfected his moves. At age 14, while at Birmingham High, he got his first taste of what skateboarding could bring when Valley Skate & Surf, and after that the 118 Skate Shop, put him on their team.

“Then my friend Nigel [now his roommate] filmed me and told me about sponsorship. Nigel made a videotape and sent it out,” says Paulie. DNA Skateboards signed him up, which led to other big, national sponsors. He now rides for Plan B Skateboards.

The younger Rodriguez was anointed for the big time with an invitation to the 2003 X-Games, where he won a bronze medal in street competition, following that with a gold medal and $50,000 at the 2004 X-Games.

“I’m so glad I didn’t use protection,” jokes Paul Rodriguez, about the fact that Paulie was born out of wedlock.

“He has my father’s eye, the deer eye. Paulie runs and jumps like a deer, he’s Rarámuri,” he says. “Paulie got some of his athletic skills from my dad. I was a good athlete. I used to run cross-country in school but was nowhere near as talented as Paulie. I was a talker.”

We go upstairs to Rodriguez’s bedroom and watch a tape of Paulie skating on Fuel TV’s First Hand. A bottle of Don Julio tequila sits within arm’s reach, but Paul is still sipping on the Tecate. The episode follows Paulie on a European skating tour. A kid from Holland asks Paulie to autograph his leg, which later becomes a permanent souvenir in the form of a tattoo. As we watch Paul ride, the street-skating tricks he does–crooked nose grind, inward heel–look effortless.

We sit down for carne asada tacos with handmade tortillas from Poquito Más restaurant. “These tacos are good, put in all the stuff, cebolla, limón, y toda la chingada, dále, dále,” Paul tells me. Unlike his father, who has a gift for gab, Paulie is an introvert. He doesn’t speak much and lets his skating do all his talking. Despite his precocious success and wealth, Paulie understands the struggles that his father and grandfather have gone through. Contrary to the well-marketed image of the cocky, rebellious skateboarder, Paulie is humble and knows how blessed he really is.

“I thank God,” he tells me. You might, too, if you were a this-generation Rodriguez, because the easy life didn’t come easily.

“Everyone in my family were either drug dudes, comedians or dead!” Paul Rodriguez jokes. But he’s not kidding.