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Interview by Jim Barnum
TATE YOUR BASICS.
My name is Richard Alexander Chalmers. I'm 24; I was born
on May 9, 1975. I ride for Flip skateboards, Fury trucks, Etnies
shoes, Triumph wheels, and the Boarding House skate shop.
What's your sign?
I'm a Taurus.
What do you have for immediate family?
A mother and father, grandmother, brother, and a sister.
Where did you grow up?
Born and bred in North Vancouver, and I'll hopefully always be here.
What do you like about North Van and how do you think it's shaped you as a
skater and a person?
It's a really beautiful place to have grown up and skated. It has a great contrast of stuff
to do; there are skateparks, hills, street skating, snowboarding in the winter, and great
family-oriented life. That had a good effect on me. I spent five years in private school and
I took eight years of French immersion school before that; I had a pretty good upbring-
ing, and my parents were really supportive of me.
What was your favorite toy as a kid?
I played a lot with matchbox cars, Star Wars toys, and Legos. Then it was video games,
and then I got into sports. I played a lot of soccer and baseball. Then in high school I
played some rugby. I had a good balance. I swam and dove too.
What got you into skating?
My brother Peter. He was the first child in our family to express interest in skate-
boarding. I was too young. The first board I got was from a local store by our house.
The family that owned the store found a banana board in their lost and found and gave
it to our family. I rode down my driveway on it.
What did you love about skating's culture and attitudes back then?
When I first started, there was no attitude or culture. It was just a matter of rolling
around on your board with your friends, doing paper routes or whatever. It was just
skating. I grew up in a really hilly area, and I did a paper route three days a week
and helped my friends with theirs. We just pushed around jumping stuff all day.
It was really innocent and pure and fun.
Where did you skate those first couple of years?
I lived at the foot of a mountain in North Van, and there were a bunch of
skaters in the neighborhood. We all started getting skateboards around the
same time and going to school on them. We spent every free minute we
had on our boards.
Who were some of your early influences?
Definitely you, Steven Boyd, Anthony Boyd, Matt Robinson, a guy
named Rich Watley, and there was a whole crew of skaters from
Griffin Bowl-older guys, partying, pot-smoking, drinking guys
who tried to corrupt all us little kids. Casey and Colin McKay
grew up in the same neighborhood too.
What about influences throughout the years or
favorites up till now?
Right: Years of pumping the trannies
at Griffin Park gave Alex the muscle
power to boost a 180° over this bar.
Favorites and influences are different. I influenced
myself, I hope. I had my own direction. Skaters I like
are Chris Senn, Wade Speyer, Alan Petersen-
people who skate anything and everything.
Guys who are good everywhere they go.
You can take them to a session and just
let 'em loose and they'll impress you
one way or another. Everyone has
that in them.
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