"I thought he was this gnarly, crazy dude because I only knew him through his RDS/FSU/2002 video part," Darkstar Skateboards pro Ryan Decenzo remembers about first meeting Vancouver's Paul Machnau. "I was intimidated, but he's actually a really nice guy. Paul would always lead the skate sesh and if he wanted to do something, it would be done. Handled. He's just on-point, and I've learned so much from him." 1984 was the first time skateboarding became a blip on Paul's radar back in his hometown of Cranbrook, BC. Many moons later, fresh out of high school, he relocated to Kelowna to expand his skate-horizons, picking up Island Snow as a shop sponsor. Paul paid close attention to how the business was run, and in 1997 he decided to move back home and open Boarder's Choice with his college fund. He ran the shop very successfully for three years before selling it to further pursue what would become an eventful skate-career that continues to this day. Words By Frank Daniello