1.When did you start longboarding and why?
1a. I started longboarding in highschool, saw some older guys doing
it and thought it looked fun. It was more appealing than regular skateboarding, and after the first try I was hooked. Being in a city like Vancouver with so much terrain to explore definitely got the best of my curiosity and motivated me to tackle the roads here.
2.You work for Landyachtz - when did you start and how did you get in?
2a. I've been working at Landyachtz since April of 2006, and riding on the team for a year or two before that. After spending some time in California enjoying the sunshine and skateboarding, I needed to get home to Vancouver and work. Tom and Mike gave me the opportunity to put in some hours at the shop doing whatever I could. Now they can't get rid of me.
3. Has working for Landyachts changed your view on longboarding?
3a. Working in the industry definitely changed my perspective on longboarding. It made me realize very quickly that you've got to be doing it for the right reasons, and really love being involved in all aspects of it.
Not just as a job, but as your life. I feel really fortunate that I was able to turn my passion into a career. I don't think many people truly have that chance. It's also given me the privilege of travelling, gaining life and work experience, and meeting people that have forever influenced my life. My co-workers are my friends, my family. We're lucky.
4. How do you feel working in a very male-orientated and dominated business?
4a. Being in a male-dominated business is just fine with me. It can be challenging (probably more for so for them, I'm sure I can be stubborn and emotional sometimes...haha) but I've never felt like they treat me any differently. Some boys/men are still surprised when they call to talk about trucks, bushings etc. and I give them answers, but I think this just proves that longboarding really does appeal to a wide variety of people and the sport is diverse. There are more and more girls getting involved all the time, it's great to feel like a part of that.
5. Please give us a little insight into your mind when you're on your board!
5a. My perspective on my board is always different, that's part of what I love about it. The literal feeling under my feet is always the same: comfortable. But as surroundings change, intention and direction change, it's always a different mood for me but always positive, and I'll never stop.
6. Are you still doing races as well?
6a. For the first time in 6 seasons I did not race this year. After a bad neck injury in May I had one of those "oh no, I'm human" moments and knew it wasn't worth the risk of doing any more damage. I'm not sure if I will race next season. If not, I'll at least be there cheering everyone on and taking photos.
8. How often do you skate with girls and how important is that to
you?
8a. To be honest the most skateboarding I've been doing lately has been just cruising/commuting. So it's mostly alone or with a few of the guys. While a lot of us girls in Vancouver are good friends, we all have our own things going that keep us busy, and they like going a lot faster than I do! It's so cool to see the progression and girls pushing their own limits. Whenever I visit California, Judith Rogers and I skate as much as possible, usually every day. This year she got me amped on some coping, took me to a ditch for the first time (which was amazing, and I have to do more) as well as setting up a slalom course for us to try out on our last day. We've
spent a lot of time skating together and she always gets me stoked to
challenge myself.
Getting more girls involved on any level is important to me however, and over the last few years we've teamed up and done some all-girl clinics and jam sessions. More recently a couple of us here at Landyachtz had the privilege of meeting up with a small crew of women from the great staff at LuluLemon for an afternoon of longboarding lessons! I'd really like to do more of that in the future. Nothing beats the feeling of watching someone really experience skating for the first time, getting hooked or learning something new.
9. Any longboarding goals for 2011?
9a. Next year should be interesting. Longboarding has taken some big steps forward this year in growth, but we've also had our some huge losses amongst our family. Hopefully everyone stays safe, shares knowledge and embraces being part of a something so rad.
On a personal level, I hope to learn to ride some different terrain, mostly ditches. I can see that becoming very addicting, and very painful :)
10. Any last words?
10a. Go skate!
Thank you so much for the opportunity! Stoked!!!
Thank you Carly! We can't wait to hear and see more of you!
Now over to you, the ladies who read this – please remember you've got another good few days to send in your favourite longboarding summer picture for your chance to win some lovely clobber by Austrian girl streetwear brand Sixxa. All submissions, as always, to blog[at]huegelherzblut.de, closing date is the 30th of November.
Carly, your cool! Keep it up.
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