Introduction: Ryan Claus
Interview: Steve Steinmetz
Edit: brought to you by Thisissoul and produced by Remy Cadier
Photography: Bojd Vredevoogd, Steve Steinmetz & Edwin Wieringh
The absolute wrecking machine on skates that is Edwin has put countless years into his passion of stunting and grinding on a level that is unreachable for most of us. One thing I know for sure is that my good friend Edwin deserves a hell of a lot more shine, awards, accolades, comments, FB updates and all that shit than he currently gets. So, may this interview be the jump off to Edwin’s carreer as a superstar background skater in loads of Hollywood sitcoms. We asked Edwin the essentials, check out the interview below!
https://vimeo.com/49985860
What first brought Edwin Wieringh into the sport of rollerblading?
It all started in junior high. One of my friends back then got a pair of Rollerblade Tarmac CE’s from his parents, so a couple of other friends and I had to get blades too. We did and we went out for a little street skating, jumping little stairs and riding the stairs backward, which was cool. The next time I joined for a session I saw some other bladers and they could grind. I was like wow that looks cool so I started trying it. I practiced the whole day and at the end of the day I learned my first grind, a royale. That’s how rollerblading started for me.
For all the skaters outside the USA what was your first big break through into the industry? How did that come about?
I think my first big break would be that I went to the USA in 2003 and got my first clips in the video “Trash” by Jan Welch.
You have visited California more than a few times, but skating in the Netherlands has heavily influenced the way you skate. Tell me what the scene is like in Amsterdam and the surrounding cities.
The scene in Amsterdam is good. There are a lot of young skaters that are motivated. It’s hard for me sometimes to get to skate with a lot of people because I don’t work 9 to 5 so I often end up skating by myself.
What was your favorite European contest within the past 3 years?
My favorite comp or comps are the Winterclash, the Laced competition in Liverpool and the Fardamatti Invitational. I like these comps because there’s a super chill atmosphere and there are a lot of people that you don’t see that often so it’s good to catch up, have fun with each other and fun to compete with everybody.
What was your favorite skating and non-skating experience while traveling within the United States?
I think every experience I get rollerblading is awesome. For example one trip we went on tour to Woodward then to the WRS finals in Vegas, which was an awesome time. I think everything connected to rollerblading provides for great memories.
Where did your nickname “Edwin from Hell” come from?
The name Edwin from Hell is the name Damien Wilson and the Santee crew gave me. My last name is pretty hard to pronounce so they gave me the name Edwin from Hell. They picked that name because of the way I skate and because I try to shred every spot I go to.
Do you think having a nickname has been helpful in getting people to recognize who you are and where you are from?
Yeah. Having a nickname is really helpful for me because I’ve got a name that is hard to pronounce. My nickname helps to put myself out there and it stands for the way I skate.
How long have you been an AM in the industry and when are you turning PRO?
I’ve been blading for 17 years now and have been am for a long time. Last year I turned pro for Razors.
Do you skate for a living now or do you have a full-time job?
I wish I could be skating for a living. I have a full-time job. I work in a restaurant as waiter/sommelier. The cool thing about my job is that I can find a lot of awesome food and wine combinations. It feels like lacing a super good trick. It’s nice to be able to provide people that come to the restaurant an experience that they have never had before.
Who are your sponsors and why do you support those companies?
My sponsors are Razors, Fester wheels and Thisissoul skateshop.
In this most recent edit you filmed what was the scariest trick you did and why?
Oh man! The scariest trick in the edit was the backroyale on the brick stone drop ledge. That was a trick you had to lace first try. I landed it and the feeling you get when you lace a thing like that is amazing.
Your technical skating is unmatched but there is always symmetry when you do switchups, is that on purpose?
When you’ve been skating for a long time you develop your own style and skills. You just get into a flow or zone where some things just come natural. You’ll have to think about some switchups while others just happen in the flow of the session and because of the way you skate.
Where do you get inspiration for your switchups? Do they just come to you in your sleep?
Brian Aragon inspires me because of the way he skates. He’s taking it at as a full athlete and showing people that everything is possible. Iain Mcleod is also a big inspiration. He can do the most difficult tricks on the streets with a lot of style and ease. That’s so cool to see. People from the Santee crew and Horn also inspire me. They show that you have to be yourself and not copy anything. Blading is also about that: being an individual and developing your own style.
Who is your favorite am right now? Who is your favorite pro right now?
It’s hard to say who my favorite pro and am are because I look at a lot of videos and edits. For me it’s cool to see the younger and older generation still grow so much. I can watch an edit of a pro just as easy as an edit from an am. They can give me the same inspiration.
I always see you skating with an iPod. What music do you like to skate to?
I listen to hip hop music mainly, but also some other stuff. All the songs I listen to when I skate have happy beat sounds. Maybe that’s a little stupid, but if I am listing to happy music I skate five times faster.
What are your plans for the future?
I definitely want to keep skating on a high level for the next 6 years. After that I will see what happens.
Kids probably don’t know this but you were the first person to true soyale the famous Rancho Bernardo High School drop ledge. Then for the Fester video we went back and you front torqued it. Do you have any tricks in mind for your next visit to California?
I do, but I will keep them to myself and film them for a video.
While most bladers are riding antirocker or freestyle you still choose to ride flat. Do you feel like there are specific advantages to riding flat? Would you recommend it to everyone?
There are definitely advantages to riding flat. You can get more speed and take sharper turns. Riding flat will make you pay more attention to landing your tricks because there is no room for error. I will always be riding flat. If I ride freestyle I get sloppy.
Do you have a crew you skate with or do you just go out with a a or photographer?
I don’t have a crew. I skate with a couple of people and a lot by myself.
Shout-outs to sponsors or anyone you would like to thank?
I would like to thank my parents for always supporting me. When I was still young they took me to comps and always stayed the whole day and watched everybody. I would like to thank Razors and Andy Wegener for all the support they are giving me and flying me to competitions that I would like to go. I would like to thank Fester wheels and Damien Wilson for all the support they give me. We will be working on my pro wheel for Fester for next year. Also thanks to Ivo from Thisissoul skateshop for getting me on the team. Thanks to everybody for all the support and keep blading hard.
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