Under the Gun: Mykel Larrin

For this installment of Under the Gun, we caught up with BMXer Mykel Larrin to have him explain his tattoo of a cog on his left elbow.

“It’s a cog with PSP over top,” Larrin said. “It stands for Pershing Skatepark, it’s an acronym for the skatepark I grew up riding.”

“It’s in Racine, Wisconsin. They built it when I was about nine years old and the person that designed it, his name is Kuko Padilla, has been everything as far as getting me to where I’m at today. Just with the terminology of BMX, appreciating life for everything that it is and just having fun. He was hanging out one day and Kuko drew up the design and got it on his forearm first.”

“The other person that started that park was Brian Vowell, along with Dave Namowicz. Me and Brian were kind of bouncing around the idea of getting the tattoo too. And Kuko was like, ‘Man, if you guys get it dude, I’ll freakin pay for it. Both guys at the same time.’ So Brian Vowell has it on his right elbow, I got mine on my left and Kuko’s is on his left forearm.”

“I love it. Every time I look at it, it just reminds me of why I started BMX and to keep it fun, not take it way past the limit of the unnecessary. I love looking at it, and it takes me back to the first day I walked in the skatepark and started going nuts.”

Missed the last installment of Under the Gun with skater Bucky Lasek? Check it out here.

Then, come back in a few weeks when skater Kurtis Colamonico goes Under the Gun.