Interview by Sweet Milk Joop
Photography by Bojd Vredevoogd & Matthis Lapaire
You guys decided to combine biking and skating into one contest. How did you come up with this idea?
We have been bike buddies for about two years now. Since this summer we started competing in some local biking tournaments and have a great time doing ‘alley cat races’. A few weeks ago we were skating some curbs and came up with the idea to combine bike racing with skating. We were so hyped about the idea that we immediately called some peeps to make it happen.
Do you guys think this idea will succeed in the rollerblading community?
Yes, absolutely! If we didn’t believe in it ourselves we wouldn’t put so much effort into it. We’ve already got a lot of positive reactions. This contest is much more accessible for the average skater, those that just skate for themselves. You get the freedom to make your own route through the city, so every team experiences their own adventure. Next to this nowadays more and more skaters show up on sessions with some nice fast looking bikes. There are already a lot of skaters who also love to take a bike ride besides skating.
Had some great laughs seeing the little promo video. Why did you choose to do everything in English while it’s a Dutch contest?
First of all because I (Robbert) think Marnix’s accent is hilarious. Secondly we think this contest is also attractive for foreign skaters. It’s the best way to combine your love for skating with some sightseeing in Amsterdam at the same time. There are loads of places in Amsterdam that rent bikes, so getting one here won’t be a problem. So if you’re around at the time make sure you join the party!
Okay, sounds good so far. Could you describe what the contest will look like?
Here we go: Together with a friend you will form one team. Make sure you are at ThisisSoul skate shop at 2pm (14 o’clock). Ten minutes before the start signal we give all the teams a list of the skate spots that have to be found. The teams have to locate the exact location for themselves. In these ten minutes all the teams can plan their route and order in which they will visit the spots. Especially for people who don’t know Amsterdam we’ve got a big map hanging at the store where they can find the spots. You are allowed to bring your own map or mobile navigation. When the sexy -‘Get Out The Way’- bike lady’s give everybody the start signal, the madness begins.
At each spot there will be a sticker with a trick name on it. If both team members can lace that trick, it will give you the maximum amount of points. You have to film all the tricks and show it to the judges at the finish. The worst case scenario, if you both can’t do the trick, don’t forget to take a picture of one of you guys at the spot to prove you’ve visited the place.
Once you’ve visited all spots, race back to the shop. The faster you get there, the more points you get. There will be a bbq and later on a party. While you enjoy your burger the judges will check all the footage and announce the winners. It’s all about smart tactics. Only visiting a spot will already give you points, but you can choose to skip one spot if you’re running out of time and want to finish faster. In two weeks we will publish the exact point system, so all the participants can already think of their strategy to get the most out of it.
Nice! Sounds pretty well worked out. What kind of spots do you have in mind?
All types of spots on all kind of levels. Don’t worry; the spots in the promotion video are not going to be part of the contest and are not representative for all spots. There will be only one or two hard spots, but mostly spots that everyone will enjoy to skate.
Where can people sign up?
Fill in your info at thisissoul.com/gotw and check our Facebook event at facebook.com/events/153765808080441 where you can find all the updates. We got a lot of cool extra features and prizes coming up thanks to our sponsors.
What if your homies are lame, and you can’t find anyone to team up with?
Send in your email anyway. We will soon publish the riders list who we want to keep up to date by a mailing list. There you can team up with other “singles”.
Thanks for your time. Any shout outs!?
Our sponsors ‘Pristine Fixed Gear’ Amsterdam, Youth Inc, Thisissoul Skateshop, Valo Brand and IloveNoord. See you folks over there!!
Links:
Information at ThisIsSoul
Facebook Event Page
