Christie Aleixo from Brazil

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Today we're bringing you Christie Aleixo from Brazil, make sure you check out her videos at the bottom of this entry!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Christie Aleixo?
I am a woman, mother, wife and true skater who, for the past 5 years, has been dedicating herself to downhill skateboarding. I'm from Rio de Janeiro, "carioca de gema" and have been living in São Paulo for 4 years, so as to be able to work in skateboarding and to live it more intensely because in Brazil, São Paulo is the main hub for all things skateboarding. I consider myself a skater through and through as I skate on different terrains and in different disciplines.


2. How long have you been skating? And what got you into the sport?
I started off young, during my childhood actually. Together with my bike, my skateboard was one of my toys. It wasn't until just around the time of my 16th birthday however that I started to develop a keener interest. After I'd become a mum, I discovered sliding and haven't stopped since.

3. What’s your favourite discipline?
I started out like everyone else, down some hills, just letting myself go and praying to get down to the bottom safe and sound. The sliding followed shortly thereafter as a maneuver for better control and so downhill sliding became my first choice. Then the speed and slalom came naturally, with the development thereof here in Brazil. After I moved to São Paulo, I got access to skate parks so I'm having lots of fun in bowls and on banks.

4. How long have you been competing? What’s your top ranking?
For me, competition was the only way to get to ride with other girls. We'd gather at events where we could share our techniques. I have been competing since 2003. As far as placement goes, I've been everywhere on the list, but in the last few years I've been in the top 3 in sliding, downhill and slalom in Brazil.



5. What's your favourite event and why?
I love all the events, but perhaps the RDH Rio Downhill 2006 in Rio de Janeiro has been the one that marked my life by making me realise what an opportunity downhill could give me in terms of travel and the chance to meet other people.

6. How often do you skate and how do you practise?
I skate almost every day. I work, have a home, son and husband, so I have to organise myself well enough to keep on top of everything and still have time to practise. But as I work in skateboarding, it may be easier for me to fit in sessions than it is for others. During the week I skate 2-3 times and at the weekends all day.

7. Do you skate alone or with friends?
I don't mind going sliding on my own, but we always end up meeting people at the spots. At the skateparks it's the same thing. Downhill requires more safety precautions, so always with friends!

8. What makes you move in skateboarding? And how do you search for that evolution?
Firstly, respecting my way of living, what I like to do on my skateboard. To slide on my longboard, I use harder wheels that slide better and a deck with nose and tail that allows for some tricks and carvy trucks, but they must be light. Here I deviate a little from longboarding rules, as I use 149mm trucks, which I always ride because sometimes tricks come out unintentionally...and never forget about the fun regardless of the focus you have in skateboarding.



9. Who's supporting you this year?
Since 2008, we've had a governmental incentive for high-performance athletes in all sports here in Brazil and I am part of this great program of the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. Beyond this benefit, I have the support of Moska Wheels, Crail Trucks, Gravity Boards and New Skate.

10. What do you expect from these partnerships?
I think in a very professional way. Skating, with friends, for fun, I will always do, but if I want to develop a project, attend major events and evolve technically, I need money, cause everything is very expensive, tickets, food, keeping fit, cutting-edge equipment, health insurance ... so I try to keep everything organised in order to continue living the lifestyle in a profitable manner.

11. Do you make a living from skateboarding or do you work on the side?
These days my skating pays for my development in skateboarding. But even so, and thinking forward in time, I have to work as well, however I work in the skateboarding industry, which makes things a little easier.

12. We also know that you are a very active person in the scene and have organised several skate events. Tell us a bit about these experiences.
Yes, I have done many events, some on the hills, others focussed on girls. Always with the perception of evolution, showing the growth of women in skateboarding. 2010 however has been the year of me, Christie Skater. Next year, the projects will return full steam ahead.



13. In addition to skateboarding what are your favourite hobbies?
I don’t have many things outside of skateboarding, as everything is connected to it. But I love swimming, going to the beach ... and then everything leads to skating... skating at some friends' house, new skateparks, new hills… it's always like that... skating 24 hours ... (laughs)

14. Favourite food?
I'm “boa de boa”, as we say here in Brazil, which means she who likes to eat. I never say no to salad in my meals! And for the rest, I like everything, but I avoid fried food.

15. What kind of music do you listen to?
LOTS of music all day. My favourite rhythm is rock'n'roll, but I listen to other musical styles too.

16. What do you think about the level of women’s longboarding in Brazil?
In recent years, the level has gotten a lot better, we have longboard slide circuits already defined and follow well-defined lines of championships, this way the female category has evolved a lot in so little time. Girls now learn as their first trick what took me 3 years to pick up. I travel to various places in and outside of Brazil, and honestly we are well advanced in comparison.



17. And in the world in general?
In addition to sliding, downhill, slalom and downhill sliding, which are some disciplines that we define as categories, there are women with a high technical level like Brianne Davis, Dasha, Bettina ... Canada, Switzerland... very good! Argentina also has a lot of women who are into speed, too.

18. How do you see the girls' scene in the future?
People will always be riding with numbers going up every year, but without competitive events there’s no way of defining real growth. We must do more videos, photos, seek better relations with the skate brands, especially longboard brands. We have a market which is already self-sustainable and we need to create lines of work for a more technical level and good events always happen!



19. Do you have a dream?
Live LONG, well, and keep riding tillllllllll I’m very old ... but next year I want to do trips that I have not done yet.

20. A message to all of us...
Girls, continue living this freedom, this option of simply skating. We don’t need to be the best, champions, none of this, we must be true to ourselves first. The skateboard liberates the soul and has to be part of our lives just like the food we need! BOMDROP! To all the girls who have a skateboard in their heart!
Kisses
Christie Aleixo

More videos from Christie