“My friends were really encouraging me to participate.” Bones @bean.daddy
How do I even begin to talk about one of my most core skate memories ever?I first heard about MTL Cup 2024 from Irina and was excited to just tag along as a groupie since I love the city, but my friends were really encouraging me to participate. I’d never considered competing before since I used to do karate tournaments and piano recitals as a kid, and knew I had a lot of performance anxiety. Plus, at that time I was barely beginning to branch outside of transition skating and the MTL Cup is mostly a street course. So as much as everyone was reassuring me that comps are not as intimidating as they seem, for months I overthought the decision until what finally convinced me to register was actually as simple as being reminded that in life we truly need to f*** around to find out—that there’s only so much we can know without actually just doing.
Making the trip with some of my closest skate besties who were on the same page of having no expectations and focusing on fun absolutely helped as well. We honestly even embraced this a bit too much because by the time it was our division Sunday, I was violently hungover and sleep-deprived from b2b nights out, on top of having a fresh new “skate or die” ankle tattoo. Unfortunately, our warm-ups were rained on, so as I was preparing for my first time skating the course to be in front of a public audience I could feel all the fears flooding back–of feeling embarrassed and of the competitiveness bringing out an ugly inner critic that would rob me of any possible joy.
I never could’ve predicted how opposite the experience would actually be. Because as soon as we counted down to start my run, I instantly felt all anxiety clear away and the only thing I was thinking was “Let’s. F***ing. Go.” I then went on to have the time of my life eating shit for four minutes straight while everyone cheered their goddamn minds out. I was throwing tricks I had no business attempting and locking in on the first try to tricks that usually needed warm-up. I barely landed anything but I literally couldn’t have been more proud of myself for just following through. This lesson in self-trust and being open to surprising myself has been such a motivating force even to this day.
It was genuinely overwhelming how supported I felt in that environment by my heatmates, the organizers, and the crowd. I continue to learn that that’s just a natural extension of the beautiful love shared between the skate communities there. During my visit, I witnessed local quad and inline skaters in locked arms drunk singing together like it’s their regular routine. I saw local skaters one second be competing in a heat, and the next be picking up a camera to film others. The hosts, the judges, the course builders—all largely local skaters. This shit is to its core: for the community, by the community! That specialness (plus the karaoke pre-game) is exactly why I was for certain coming back for 2025, and now 2026, and forever and ever I hope until the poutine runs out mwahaha.
