What motivates you to skate? What complained too much. They were happy
are you trying to do?
I'm not trying to do anything but just
skate. It's a game against yourself.
The only time it's not is when you're
in a contest or something, and even
then it's still against yourself.
Skateboarding is just something
I've done since I can remember,
and I can't picture a time when
it won't be around.
Were your parents supportive
of skateboarding?
Yeah, they loved it. They
bought me my first few
boards. I used to do a lot
of team sports, and
then I kind of shied
away from that and
spent all my time.
on my skate-
board. But
they never
Above: With the ease of a couch
because in 11th and 12th grade my PE
teacher gave me credit for bringing in a
skate video of myself every term. I got an
A in PE for skateboarding. They're happy
now that I get to travel and see the world.
My father is an avid golfer, and he knows
that if he had had the chance to do what he
loved as his life work, he would have.
Why did your parents ship you off to
private school?
My brother, who's two years older than I
am, spent one year in public high school
and didn't do so well, so my parents felt he
needed a stricter program. It's his fault for
screwing up so bad in public school; they
didn't even give me a chance. They sent me
to private school right away.
What about the clubhouse days?
The clubhouse was in '94 or '95. That
was a great time. We had a vert ramp, a
really nice mini-ramp, and some street
stuff. We still don't have anywhere
indoors in Vancouver to skate since that
place closed down. It was just a free-for-
all. We used to sell booze over the walls. It
didn't have a job for a year and a half
because I would just go there every day. I
learned how to skate mini-ramp and vert
there, and became friends with a lot
of people who moved to
Vancouver from back east. A lot
of those people I'm still
potato sinking into his favorite La-Z-Boy,
Chalmers floats a transfer over some familiar
Vancouver 'crete. Right: Kickflipping over the
planter and through the trees, to Alex's house we go.
friends with. It's too bad it had to be taken
away. It should be replaced someday.
Why did you wait so long to get spon-
sored and recognized?
I really wanted to wait to choose the
right sponsor. I wanted to have them
coming to me. But then I realized that
living in Vancouver you're so far away
from Southern California that you have
to do the work and go to them. I con-
tacted Flip a few years ago when they
were up here touring, and asked if they
wanted me to ride for them, but they just
weren't ready. Then in February of 1998
they decided they were ready, so I went
and met them at the trade show and I've
been on ever since, and loving it. There's
no other sponsor I would've been as
happy with.
Your first professional contest was
Slam City Jam in '99. What was
that like?
I entered this year and did really well; I
qualified for the finals and ended up 14th
in the top 20. It was an amazing time; I
skated one of the best street courses
there is. I've watched this contest all
these years and never skated in it. I didn't
want to be just some local kid who was in
it for the local show, you know? I wanted
to wait until I was ready to join the pro
circuit and go tour the world. I wanted to
do it properly.
Where do you see yourself in the
next five years?
Over the last year, my skating has
been affected by people who've
moved to town. A good friend of
mine, Paul Machnau, recently moved.
here, and he's affected what I skate.
It's rounding me out a lot more and
I'm really thankful he's in Vancouver.
He's pushed me to skate more street
instead of just riding the parks in
Vancouver. Yet at the same time I feel
like my skating has suffered because I
haven't been at those parks skating
them like I usually do in the summer.
It was kind of like I gave up one thing
in order to learn another. Now I just
want to do my own skateboarding.
Skating is something you do for your-
self and with yourself. You don't leave
your boundaries, and you never try
something you know you won't
make-it's kind of a game. You'll
always win, though, because you're
always having fun. Don't take any-
thing too fast. Stay your level and
you'll progress naturally.
What are five personality traits
you strive to have?
Honesty, patience, determination-
you can't give up on a trick, even
though it takes so long sometimes.
Maybe understanding, so you have
the ability to deal with people out
there, like young kids or people who
are biased towards one type of skating
and put you down because of that.
And also, you have to stay focused.
on what you're doing and what you
want to do.
What do you admire about other
people's skating?
It's speed. It's all about going fast, grind-
ing long, ollieing farther-taking things to
another level in your own way, whether
that's technically or doing something
faster or longer or whatever. That's what I
like. Pushing it. Go hard or go home.
What's your favorite all-time
natural ditch or fullpipe?
There are a couple. The Big O in
Montreal is possibly one of the most
amazing halfpipes. There's also a big
reservoir in Vancouver called.
Golden Ears.
"I DIDN'T WANT TO BE JUST
SOME LOCAL KID WHO WAS IN IT
FOR THE LOCAL SHOW"
99