John Cardiel

As of January 2016, Cardiel's sponsors are Vans, AntiHero, Spitfire, Independent Truck Company[7] and Chrome Industries.[8]

AntiHero is a board company that was founded by professional skateboarder, Julien Stranger, in 1995, following a proposition from Jim Thiebaud (co-founder and owner of Deluxe Distribution), who is reported—by Jake Phelps, editor-in-chief of Thrasher magazine—to have offered Stranger the opportunity during a period of time when both Stranger and Phelps perceived skateboarding as "stale". Stranger has explained the original concept that underpinned AntiHero in the following manner: "Oh, there's was no concept ... well, maybe there was, I don't know. Just kind of balance out the rest, or something, with what was going on with us."[3] Phelps has stated further to Stranger's vague explanation:

"I think if you pay attention to life and the way things are, that you, you come out pretty jaded by, you know, life. Or things aren't the way they should be. I think AntiHero is a reflection of that. I think Julian's own twisted take on things has been, like I said, there's no expectation—we just skate, we fuck off, we have a good time. We go to trips sometimes and nothing happened. Or sometime we go on a trip and everything happens at once; you never know. And I think that that translates very much into John's way of life—whether it's hunting, fishing, or whatever, John's [Cardiel] an outdoorsman, and I think that, that hearty spirit of America translated very well with Julian's gritty grime of, like, the city slime, into making a really solid, 'This is what it is to us.'"[3]

Cardiel and Stranger first met at an amateur skateboarder contest that was held at the Powell skateboards warehouse—the contest was held around 1990/1991.[9]

In the fall 2012 catalogue release of AntiHero, Cardiel's signature skateboard decks are included in the same series as the currently active riders.[10]

Cardiel listed his top skateboarding influences of all time in an interview with the Transworld Skateboarding magazine: Mark Gonzales ("... just his way of looking at skateboarding, and just approaching it, is just like, forever, the gnarliest thing"), Christian Hosoi ("... for just his raw blasting airs; his smooth style; his happy-go-lucky attitude; he was always, like, "What's up?!", just, like, love ..."), Sacramento skateboarders ("... you know, Rick Windsor, straight up."), and Tony Hawk ("... the insane 540s with no hands, and, just like, all his tricks; he had the ramps, all his ramps, all the ramps he had—I thought that was insane. Tony Hawk's the best."). Cardiel identified Gonzales as his top all-time influence, stating: "... just everything—vert, street, like, whatever. Running, you know? Like, he's a great jumper, on feet, like, pffft. Just a human being, like, so, I'll give it up to Mark."[11]

In an interview, published in January 2013, Cardiel explained his influences more generally:

"Basically, just like the kids around town—you know what I mean? The gnarly rippers around town, there was this dude, his name was 'Eric Benthen'. So, that was, basically, what inspired me in the beginning. Just, Raven Tershay, basically, like, Emmanuel Guzman, like, ah, I see, just a lot of, a lot of good skating right now. You know, like, I mean, Paul Rodriguez, like, these dudes are so, on their stuff, and, like, it's just, it's just, almost insane. It's like, ah, kung fu, like, I wanna say, like, uh, kind of like Bruce Lee, martial arts type of thing. And they've excelled to a level where they're just, like, masters, you know? It's like, it's just like, it's, it's, it's impressive."[11]

Writing for Transworld Skateboarding in 1993, Simon Woodstock explained his perspective on Cardiel's influence on skateboarding at the time: "The mark John is making on the skate scene is like a terminal illness. He can never be cured and he just won't go away. John is just 100 percent balls out all the time, and he is destined to win and become a legend in his own time. If cojones were measured by the size of eggs, John Cardiel's would be those of an ostrich."[12]

In December 2011, Transworld Skateboarding magazine listed Cardiel as number eleven in its "30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time" article.[13]

During the introduction of Cardiel's Sight Unseen video part, Mark Gonzales describes his view of Cardiel's skateboarding to the video's audience:

"Yo, so I just wanted to say a few things about John Cardiel. First off, he's an original; his style—there's not too many people who skate like him. The way he skates is amazing, 'cause he'll skate so fast, but it seems like the faster he goes, the more control he has ... which is, you know, unexplainable. But he's unbelievable. I'm not trying to kiss too much butt, but he's a ripper, an original ripper ... He's an original Coors."[14]