In 2003 Westgate started his skateboarding career as a "flow" (a skateboarder's status prior to becoming an amateur where equipment and goods are 'flowed' to them) team rider for 5boro Skateboards. He gained some attention for his Word of Mouth part in 2004 (it was later identified in the "Classics" segment of Thrasher magazine),[2] but left 5Boro to join Birdhouse Skateboards in October 2005, a company founded and owned by professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.[4]
In 2007 Westgate joined Zoo York Skateboards,[5] followed by Emerica footwear in 2008—he would later attain professional status with Zoo York in May 2009[6] and released his first professional model Emerica shoe in early 2011.[7]
In a September 2013 interview, Westgate explained the best thing in skateboarding at that time for him: "I’m just into simple and fast, and good style."[8] Alongside other professional skateboarders such as Ishod Wair and Nyjah Huston, Westgate was nominated for Thrasher Magazine's 2013 "Skater Of The Year" (SOTY) award in December 2013. The publication summarized Westgate's 2013 performance in the following manner: "Emerica's Made saw Westgate returning to the streets of SF [San Francisco] to put the final nail in the coffin at that old lady's house before cruising the U.S. - ollieing and flipping his way up, over and onto ever more gigantic obstacles including a neck-high natty euro gap and that hellacious three flip flyover. "[9]
Sponsors
As of March 2021, Westgate is sponsored by Element,[10] Ricta,[11] Venture,[12] Bones Bearings,[13] Mob Grip,[14] CCS, [15] and New Balance.
He has two pro model shoes on New Balance Numeric, the Brandon Westgate NM913 released in 2020 and his current model, the 508.
Personal life
As of September 2013, Westgate, together with his girlfriend, is a vegetarian. The pair reside together, grow a garden, and raise chickens—Westgate has built a chicken coop and, as of September 2013, is in the process of constructing a greenhouse for his mother. When asked about his vegetarianism in 2013, Westgate explained:
Green apple, carrot, celery, parsley, ginger, kale, maybe a little bit of lemon or something, but that’s a standard juice we make ... I think the best thing to do, even if you’re not vegetarian, is to juice vegetables. There’s no possible way to eat all that—you can’t consume it all. So you drink it and get all the nutrients, and also it gets in your body faster because your body doesn’t have to break it down or anything. Juicing is one of the best things to do to heal or replenish your body and get rid of all the toxins ... When I’d go on trips I’d just feel like shit and eat like shit ... I think I just feel healthier in general.[8]
Westgate further explained that his girlfriend influenced him to become a vegetarian.[8]
^Templeton Elliot (August 7, 2013). "Westgate On Ricta". The Skateboard Mag. Strictly Skateboarding. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
^"Fall '13 Drop 1". Venture. Deluxe Distribution. September 2013. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
^"BONES® BEARINGS TEAM". Bones Bearings. Skate One. September 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
^"Mob Grip". Strange Notes. NHS, Inc. September 2013. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
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