Haritini Giannakopoulou aka Tiny.
Portrait: Rob Whiston.
Interview by Ross Zajac.
Good evening Tiny! So first up, who are you? Why do you go by ‘Tiny’, and why can’t Wes Kremer get your name right?
What’s up Ross! My name is Haritini Giannakopoulou and I’m from Athens, Greece. I’m currently riding for Lover Skateboards and Sabbath Wheels, and I’m also on the Dickies GR team. I moved to Glasgow a year and a half ago to study. No one really calls me by my actual name here; it’s a bit of a mouthful (laughs). To be honest, I prefer people calling me Tiny; it’s what I’ve always introduced myself as to people outside of Greece. It’s just easier to remember and actually pronounce correctly. Wes Kremer is a legend; he’s one of the kindest people I’ve met. He came to Athens for a DC tour and he kept calling me Mini; I never corrected him, I found it funny. Some of my friends that were there still call me Mini as a joke.
What was it like growing up in Athens? What got you into skateboarding?
Growing up in Athens was amazing. Everyone is always out and about. I’m very lucky that I got to soak up so much sun before I moved to Glasgow. I had a toy board as a kid that I really enjoyed but I didn’t get into it until later in my teenage years. I was 15 when I realised what people can actually do with skateboards. It got me so excited that the same day I pressured my grandpa to take me to the local skate shop to get a proper board. I don’t think he knows how happy he made me that day. A month later that same board got run over by a huge truck. I was on my way to the skatepark and I fell trying to skate a two stair, my board shot into the road. I didn’t have the heart to tell my grandpa (laughs).
Why did you choose to move to Glasgow, and how did you find the change?
Both my grandma and mom studied in Glasgow. My aunt also followed in their footsteps and moved here years ago, so I’ve been coming to visit since I was a baby. I’ve always liked how the city looked, especially how different it felt from Athens. When I came to visit in 2019 I met lots of skaters, including my now best friend and flatmate Rachel (Campbell). They took me to lots of spots and skateparks, everyone was so kind and welcoming, that’s when I knew I definitely wanted to move to Glasgow at some point. Not going to lie, the transition wasn’t perfect. I think my body was lacking some vitamins; I was so tired and cold everyday, and the fact that it got dark so fast wasn’t amazing.
The creation of military camouflage is credited to French soldiers in World War 1, who drew on Cubist art to disguise artillery behind the front lines. Thankfully, in 2022, their best efforts couldn’t stop Rob from accurately capturing Tiny’s nosepick.
How’s your studying? You’ve done a few shifts working in construction with me and Cam (Donaldson) and you were pretty hyped. Do you think you’ve found your calling?
I’ve picked a pretty easy subject - Media and Communications - mainly because I can pair it with skating. But studying is studying; sometimes it is fun, sometimes I don’t even want to think about it. I do have to though, given the fact that it’s the main reason I moved here. Joinery is really fun; it makes me feel productive. I’ve been looking into it since I first came to help you guys. There was a point where my Instagram was filled with almost the same amount of joinery videos as skating. The only thing that I really don’t like is how tired I get after shifts. You guys have the energy to go skate and I’m ready for bed at 5pm; I guess it’s all about getting used to it.
You've been riding for the Greek company Lover for a while now. Tell us about them.
Lover Skateboards is a rad company established in 2014. Giorgio Zavos owns it. He’s an amazing skateboarder; he has one of the best flips I have ever seen. He has helped me so much in every aspect of my life. I’m glad I’m sponsored by a skater owned company full of sick people that are also my friends.
It was only a week or so after you moved to Glasgow that Rob (Whiston) was in town and hit you up to shoot photos…
Rob is a legend; he hit me up because he saw my part (in the Lover video Museum of Love). I was nervous meeting up with him; I’d only had someone take pictures of me once before. The night before we met up I got jumped by a bunch of neds, trying to get them to stop smashing bottles at the spot we were skating. I showed up to the session with a plaster on my eye and I looked crazy (laughs). The day went great though; I met a bunch of people and I’m pretty sure that’s the first day I met you as well, Ross. One of the photos I shot with Rob got published in The Skateboarder’s Companion a few weeks ago, and it was the first picture I’ve had in a mag ever. So yeah, it was a sick day.
Home from home no-comply wallie fifty-fifty in authentic Glaswegian surroundings.
Photo: Kerr Melville.
You've managed to travel around the U.K. quite a lot. Where has been your favourite place?
That’s a difficult question; I’ve enjoyed every place I’ve been to for completely different reasons. The most memorable trip I’ve had was in Leicester. Me and a few people from Glasgow went down a few months ago for the (Get Lesta) Darling video premiere. Everything was going well until we decided to go for drinks. I realised I forgot my ID at the hotel, but I was determined to get in the pub. I had to sneak into that beer garden by tricking the bouncer and hopping a few fences; everyone was so surprised I got away with it. Turns out the struggle wasn’t over though; a few hours after that I ended up at the hospital because my friend fell out of a tree at the same pub. The hospital was full of junkies, police officers and weird people screaming…drunk me was a bit spooked. I can definitely say that was the weirdest trip I’ve had. We didn’t even end up skating the next day; everyone was hungover and tired.
Is it true you have to hide your Pokémon habit from your girlfriend Kira?
To be honest, I spend way too much money on Pokémon cards, probably more than I spend on skateboarding. If Kira knew the exact amount she wouldn’t be very stoked. I’m not going to go as far as calling it an addiction, but someone needs to stop me (laughs).
Skate culture seems to be becoming more welcoming to women and LGBTQ+ people - granted from my straight white male perspective - do you want to say anything about your experience?
Personally, I never had a huge problem fitting in. I would hear homophobic comments from people here and there, especially as a beginner in Greece, but I’m very comfortable with who I am and love, so it never affected me too much. Having supportive parents definitely helped. I know a lot of people that had a hard time dealing with misogyny and homophobia in skateboarding though, so I understand how hard it can be. We all want to think the skating community is amazing, but just like every other hobby, skating is filled with both good and bad individuals; you just need to find your people and focus your energy on them.
Follow Tiny - @tinyharryy