FUEL.TV Exclusive: Interview With Tara Dakides

For the last ten years Tara Dakides’ name has been synonymous with progression when it comes to women’s snowboarding. From her earliest days competing she was the snowboarder who would show up with a new trick every event she dropped on to a course. She went inverted when girls were pulling methods, slid never ending rails long before it was the norm and basically rode fearlessly for most of her career. Her "go big or go home" attitude hasn’t come without a price though. Numerous knee injuries and months of rehab have been the result of being such an aggressive rider, but that still hasn’t stopped Tara. Over the years she's racked up X Games medals, Gravity Games, US Open and everything in between.

This weekend a movie about the ups and downs of her life as a pro snowboarder premieres in Mammoth and Los Angeles. FUEL.TV caught up with Tara to find out how “Against the Grain” came about and what’s next in her adrenaline charged life.

FTV: So how did this movie come about?

TD: Josh Landan had done a surfing movie and he was looking for a snowboarder to do a documentary on. We met and hit it off. We definitely couldn't have done it without Billabong though. They were huge supporters in this project. 

FTV: When was your first premiere?
TD: It was in Whistler during the camps. For me personally it was totally nerve wracking adjusting to watching the film in a crowd. That’s never my favorite thing to do when I am in a movie. But the people and kids who came out for it were stoked. It was a completely packed theater. I think the film allows other people to open up to me and find out about me. I talk about depression and the ups and downs of the life I am living and I think even though I am talking about life as a snowboarder, depression is something everyone can relate to. I am surprised when people thank me though. I find it shocking, but amazing because I was just telling my story.

FTV: You definitely appear to have opened up in this film. You talk about drugs, dropping out of school, things that might scare parents. How come you decided to tell all and touch on such serious topics?
TD: Because from my angle of life things haven’t been too easy for me probably because I make them that way. Growing up was challenging for me. Growing up without direction from parents or a mentor is challenging for any kid. I think there is hopefully a message in the movie to parents about how they should get themselves right and in a good place, so they can have the skills to raise a kid. Parents have valuable lessons and tools they need to share with kids. I can imagine that is hard for parents to get because a lot of kids don’t want to listen, but I think growing up without direction is worse. It can be confusing and at any moments time you can make a bad decision and change your life for the worse. I was fortunate enough that none of my bad decisions ended up really bad. I wanted to share the message that you are never too young to look in at yourself and figure yourself out. The more you learn about yourself, the more life will unveil to you. Kind of deep I know.

FTV: So tell me about your depression. That’s a topic you don’t expect to come up in a snowboard film.
TD: With the confusion growing up came a lot of depression and I didn’t know what that meant. I fell into the drug scene for a long time and that was one of the reasons I left Southern Cal and moved to Mammoth. There was a time when my depression got so bad I didn’t want to go through life and that’s why I say it’s important to get out of the scene with drugs and dive into other things. For me that was snowboarding and it was a passion that was healthy. It saved me in a lot of ways and at least kept me from getting in a lot of trouble. But with snowboarding came a lot of crazy things too. In the movie I go into the ups and downs of being way more successful then I ever imagined I could be and how that can also affect your life.

FTV: Would you call it a snowboard film with a story?
It’s a life story with snowboarding in it.

FTV: Have you won awards for it?
It won best film at X -Dance and was nominated in the Santa Barbara film festival and it was an official selection for a number of other film festivals.

FTV: What’s next for you?
That’s a good question. It’s my last year of competing at X Games in slopestyle so I am going to boardercross also. I have been having a great year so far. I am going to do contests but also in search of the next chapter while still getting involved in my sports. This summer I rode motocross and raced cars. I am sponsored by Fusion Energy and KMC Wheels for racing side-by-side UTVs. It’s expensive, but I am lucky though because my sponsors have made it possible for me to race and that’s been amazing. They sponsored my car and my race season, so it’s a direction I want to explore more. I just got back from testing monster trucks too. I think there might be some things in the realm of doing stunts for movies. You know, keeping it crazy and dangerous.

Don't miss Tara Dakides film this weekend in Mammoth on Saturday and next week in LA at the Cinespace Theater in Hollywood. Details below:

Billabong invites you to a very special screening to celebrate the release of the much-anticipate film about the life of Tara Dakides: Against the Grain.  Narrated by Alecia ‘Pink’ Moore and directed by award-winning filmmaker Josh Landan, the film documents Tara overcoming amazing obstacles and many career- threatening injuries as she becomes one of the most influential female snowboarders of our time.  Her story is one of determination, overcoming the confusion of growing up on her own, while following her heart.  From her darkest experiences to her most beloved accomplishments, “Against the Grain” reveals the life-changing moments that made her who she is today.  Tara Dakides, one of the most decorated gold medal athletes of the X Games, is ready to share her story for the first time.

SATURDAY, NOV. 15th
MAMMOTH LAKES ART CENTER
549 Old Mammoth Road
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Doors open at 6:30pm – Films starts at 7pm
Food & Beverages will be available with a donation to the Mammoth Lakes Art Center.

TUESDAY, NOV. 18th
CINESPACE
6356 Hollywood Blvd (@ Ivar)
Hollywood, CA
Doors open at 7:00pm - Film starts at 8pm
The kitchen opens at 7:00pm, so you can dine before or while you're watching the film!
Please contact CineSpace to reserve a table: 323.817.FILM

Both screenings are FREE ADMISSION, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and ALL AGES welcome. Tara Dakides and Josh Landan will be in attendance!