emesce rolling

CP: So anyway, how did you come to being on the tour? How’d that happen? It was pretty exciting for everyone when it was announced you were on the list. Who was friends with who that hooked that up?

CH: Umm to be honest I don’t really know. I mean Richie (Velazquez) from Woodward west called me one day and told me that someone from Nitro Circus called and asked for my contact info and asked if I minded if they gave it out. I have no idea where they heard my name or anything though to be asking for my info. I said he could give it to them for sure, and then a few months later I got an email from one of the producers that basically said “We have a mega ramp set up in Temecula (which is only about 45 minutes from my house) and we are planning a live tour, do you have any interest in coming to hit it and see what you can do?”  I have been trying to skate a mega ramp since I first saw the Danny Way section when he first hit it (in The DC Video), and never had the chance, so I jumped at the opportunity. I spent a few days hitting it into the foam pit they had set up and they asked me to come back for the next practice session a few weeks later to hit it to the actual landing. I came back and after that week of practice they started talking to me about actually coming on the tour. It all just kind of came out of no where and worked out pretty epic haha.

CP: What was the vibe between the riders? Was it chill, wild, tense, clicky or just dope with everyone down with everyone and for the cause? Pretty crazy group of people to be a part of, what was that like?

CH: The vibe was fucking rad. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. I expected at least a little bit of animosity going into it due to the diversity of sports, but there was none at all. Everyone had time to get to know each other so you weren’t defined by what you did. I wasn’t Chris the rollerblader you know? Everyone was pretty much on the same page in life haha just looking to have fun doing what they love and party along the way. On top of that Travis was one of the coolest, most down to earth dudes I have met and his attitude was pretty contagious so it set the tone for the whole tour and crew. It was sick cause everyone on the tour was the best at what they do, and yet you would be hard pressed to find any egos backstage.

CP: Big names, big places, lots of money involved. But did any of the lifestyle seem lavish, or just what was necessary for everyone to have fun? There would’ve been a few dudes in the crew who earn some massive coin from their sport, and a bunch of dudes who are far more new to the bigtime, and dudes like your yourself who are the sole person in this show doing what you’re doing. Was the paycheck what you expected or would hope for? Have you done much paid performance work before? (Feel free to leave this question off if you’d rather not talk about that sorta thing man, it’s cool.)

CH: Yea I mean it was definitely a different tour experience than I am used to but I wouldn’t call any of it lavish. I would just call it comfortable. I think when you are on the road with that many people for that long of time it was pretty necessary to keep everyone sane. To be honest I have no idea what anyone else was making on the tour, and all I can really say for myself is that I was definitely happy with the amount I was making. I have done a few random shows and demo’s in the past, but nothing even close to something comparable to this.

CP: As far as I remember you did a 360, 900, and the double backfip 180, over the Nitro “Gigantaramp”, was there anything else you were experimenting with (did you hit that roll-in fakie)?  How was it just doing the same tricks for 6 weeks? Are you over megaramps for a while, or do you think the experience might influence your skating?

CH: Yeah that’s what my trick list for the show ended up being. I definitely fucked with a lot of other shit in the practices and what not, but I don’t really want to elaborate on the tricks to much though. Got to keep a few in the bag in case there is a next time haha. To be honest I thought the doing the same tricks over and over thing would get really boring, but I can’t even try to lie and say that ramp isn’t the funnest thing I have ever skated in my life. It is fun every single time you drop in. I would skate one of those everyday if I could. I am not sure about the influencing my skating really. I feel like that is just a new type of blading for me. It is skating “big air.” For instance take the double flat backflippy what ever thing it was I was doing on it in the show. I don’t feel like that trick has any place at a comp, lets say, like Bittercold. I feel like I can go a lot of places and do a lot with that type of blading if I am given the right opportunities, but I don’t really think it will influence my skating otherwise.

CP: Not many in the stands would’ve been expecting that double backflip from you. These arena crowds were in in excess of 10,000 a show, selling out venues and adding 3rd shows to most cities, not your average contest-sized audience. How did it feel to surprise that many people, and possibly change their perception?

CH: Yeah man, I think I caught a lot of people off guard haha. I think that was the whole idea though. I mean it was a really good feeling to get so much positive feedback. I haven’t heard one negative thing from someone who actually saw the show. I feel like it was a pretty rare and amazing opportunity that was put into my hands and I feel like I did the best I could to capitalise on it. I feel like even more importantly than changing the crowds perception, I changed a lot of athletes of other sports’ perceptions. I mean that would be great if we start getting more mainstream acceptance, but I think one place that can start is by having the sports that have been publicly hating on us in the past realising that skating isn’t what they remember it as either.

CP: Being on the Nitro Tour instead of the contest tour in Europe with Kato (not that you’ve wasted any time getting back on), did you miss it, reading about the fun times you would normally have been having?

CH: Yeah of course I missed it. Especially that tour. That is one of my favourite tours we do each year. I love Montpellier…in my little interview thing in the program for the nitro shows it is listed as my favourite place to visit. At the same time I had an absolutely amazing time in Australia. I am so blessed at this point in my life that my biggest problem is figuring out what trip will be the most fun and most productive at the same time. It’s rare that I don’t have two places that I would love to be at all times. I do love experiencing new things though, and the Nitro tour was full of new experiences so I would have to say that I don’t even kind of regret the decision I made.

CP: Did it feel like work or a more like a crazy holiday with stunts? Are big shows the sort of thing you’d like to do more of?

CH: It was a mix of both…honestly was more of a holiday with stunts as you put it haha. The first week was a lot of work. When we got there we basically had 5 days to put the whole show together. I mean we had a general idea of what tricks we would be doing and what not, but getting it all together with the timing and knowing where to be when was a lot of work. It was pretty easy for me cause I had a pretty small segment in the show, but it was a lot of time spent rehearsing and running through everything. After the first week it was basically a non stop party with a few shows each week haha. I would love to do more if I had the opportunity. It was a great experience to entertain a huge audience and feel the energy in a building like that. These shows were really fun to watch and be a part of…I mean we did 11 shows and I was enjoying watching each one. Ill be honest it was also pretty nice to do something so fun and know that I am going to make a good amount of money and not have to worry about wrecking myself in a contest trying to keep up with the madness everyone is bringing with no guarantee I will make anything at all.

CP: What’s been the feedback from the show’s producers? If you did do it again, do you think they’d change the way they had you in the format, and with more than just yourself?

CH: Everything I have heard has been all positive. I have no idea what will happen in the future with it if they bring me back. Those are all things I haven’t talked to anyone about.

CP: Heck, Travis Pastrana’s a pretty powerful dude in the extreme sports game. Could your success with him be a potential ticket to rolling getting some spotlight again?

CH: I think the opportunity they gave me already was a good start. I will continue to take opportunities as they come, but its not like I am going to go to these people with a lot of pull in action sports and ask for a handout or for them to give blading a shout out or anything like that. I mean people are either going to like blading or not. I feel like the fact that they have me in the shows is a small stamp of approval, and I think people will take notice of that. I don’t think we need anyone doing a public service announcement letting people know blading is cool again or some shit.

CP: Sounds like you’ve been well since being down here; your Lakers came through in the last quarter of Game 7, and you came through in Montreal. I bet it’s time to chill, but how long are you actually gonna get to chill for, at home, before the next trip?

CH: Haha hell yea they did! I can’t tell you how pumped I was…I pretty much lost my voice screaming during that game. Man that was the start of a crazy night actually haha. So I had to fly out to Montreal at 8 am the day after that game out of San Diego. I live in Long Beach which is right near Los Angeles. Aragon and all the razors dudes just moved into a house in San Marcos (which is a little more than halfway to San Diego from LB), and I went down there to watch the game. My plan was to head to my parents house in San Diego after the game and my mom was going to take me to the airport at 6 am. So the game was awesome and I chilled at the razors crib for a while. I headed to my parents and as I was getting out of my car at about 2:45 it hit me that I would need my passport to get into Canada. Totally just brain farted on that one. My passport was at my house in Long Beach an hour and 30 minutes away. So I had no time to waste…drove straight to my house grabbed my passport drove straight back and pulled up to my moms right on time to make it to the airport. Hit a few snags at the airport and made it to my gate just in time for boarding. I landed in Montreal, stayed up til 5 am that night. Woke up about 5 hours later, and skated the contest that day. The plan that night was to stay up all night and get to the airport around 6 for my 8 am fight, but crashed at like 545 and didn’t wake up til 10. Luckily the lady at the airport hooked me up and didn’t charge even though it was totally my fault I missed my flight. I landed in San Diego around 10 pm and still had to drive home to Long Beach. I finally made it back around 2 am, and was ready for some serious chillin the next few days. I think my next trip is going to be in about 2 weeks to meet up with AJ and them to film for the new VX/straightjackit video.

CP: Thanks dude, and enjoy kickin it for a while. Peace

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