What makes the event so special?
For me, the coolest thing about the event is the course. The competition takes place in the middle of a walking street on a skatepark that’s designed and built only for the event, which means that you get the chance to skate a unique course that no one has ever skated before.
The fact that you’re skating in the middle of a busy street also makes it special because it gives the event exposure to people outside of the skating community. It’s heartwarming to see the reactions of people who have never seen street style roller skating before, just so impressed and excited by what’s happening in front of them.
How did the event contribute to the growth of the community?
Pretty much anyone in our community would tell you that the Cup was what brought quad and inline skaters together. Before the Montreal Cup existed, quad and inline skaters didn’t skate together much. Now, it’s hard to find a quad session where there isn’t an inliner and vice versa. And the creation of that connection has been really beneficial for the community – not only has it given us more people to skate with and to learn and take inspiration from, but it also helped to make skateparks feel like a safer and more inclusive space for everyone.
This spring you also ventured on a skate trip through Europe and visited Barcelona, Montpellier, and Marseille where you filmed for an edit. Was that the purpose of your trip?
It wasn’t exactly the entire purpose of my trip, but it was definitely the highlight of it. I’m currently a PhD student and I travel to France often to work with researchers in Montpellier. When I was there in the fall, I went to Barcelona for a few days and ended up meeting Amanda (@croissany_), a super sweet skater who has started organizing events for the community there. We got on so well and talked about going on a little skate trip together during my next visit to Europe.
We both stayed excited about the idea of a trip over the winter and I’m happy to say we made the vision happen this spring. We were able to squeeze in a week or so to travel and skate together when I was back in Montpellier last May.
