So where you from and where you at?

From Orlando, Florida. Currently in Bert’s new van heading north on 95.

Where you heading?

Daytona, St Augustine, and Jacksonville for the weekend. Trying to get some last clips for a Florida edit we’re working on.

Nice, you ain’t scared of corona down in Florida? 

I’m drinking one in the van right now.

Well played. So speaking of corona, when did you get back from China? 

Maybe I brought it back! Naw I got back in the beginning of January. Florida is a solid place to quarantine, things are somewhat mellow here. I actually read an article about corona before I left and didn’t think too much of it. It was so early and they described it affecting weak immune systems.

Where were you exactly, and what were you doing out there?

I was in Nanjing an hour and a half train ride from Shanghai. I got hit up by Paul Zitzer about a wild opportunity working with the Chinese Olympic Skateboarding team for three months. On account I’d never been anywhere in Asia I went for it.

Do you speak Mandarin or anything? Was it difficult teaching skateboarding in such a foreign environment?

They actually gave me a translator that was by my side six days a week. I was eager to learn, I was the only foreigner with a little notebook writing down every word and phrase I could. I’d write everything in English then Mandarin and then the pronunciation to help me remember. The five different tones are tricky. Teaching skating with a translator that doesn’t skate was difficult at times but we made it work. I’d help him with English slang and he’d help me with my Mandarin. But a lot of times I would just literally skate with them.

How were they treating Olympic skateboarding, they taking it seriously?

Just like everything else there, pretty serious. We had access to four private parks, two indoor and two outdoor. Six days a week skating 8:30 am – 5:30 pm. Physical trainers stretching and warm ups and doctors doing therapy, recuperating. Skating being in the Olympics, China wants a piece.

Think these kids got a shot? Any crazy rippers?

I mean everyone in the entire program had only been skating for two years. But a couple of them were on the national team already and skating in qualifying contests and traveling. Most of the boys have a better shot for 2024 but some of the girls on the other hand were insane. One skates in street league and hits big rails and there are two bowl girls that look like they’ve been at it for ten years.

Wild. So do you get to attend the Tokyo Olympics with the team or anything?

I would’ve for sure if I stayed with them. After the three months they offered me a year long contract and raise but I got my experience and thankfully I did leave right before the corona shit hit the fan. Not really bummed since I’m more of a skateboarder than a skate coach. I bounced because of a lot of reasons. I had only planned to do the three months just to get the experience in China and six days a week teaching skating got pretty buck.

Very true. Anything weird/sketchy happen while you were out there with the government?

Nothing too sketchy happened, everything was kinda lined up for me. I made some friends quick that took me around, and helped make sense of everything. But a weird one is their social shaming system. In some parts of the city there was big TV screens that put people on blast for things like jay walking. They have an insane facial recognition system and when they put your picture up it shows your info and lowers your social score and lets the whole neighborhood know you don’t abide by the rules. It makes it harder for you to open a business or buy property. The control on the internet is wild too. I had to get a VPN to use my email, instagram, and internet in general. They have their own apps and don’t have access to world news. It was funny how often I would bring up topics with the translators that they had never even heard of, like weed, or brown rice.

Brown rice!? You find any weed out there?

No joke my translator said brown rice wasn’t rice, it’s something people made up to compare to rice. He said if it’s not white and been through the machine, it’s to only be fed to animals. And literally knew nothing about marijuana or hemp. It doesn’t exist there anymore apparently. People hadn’t seen it in years and were too afraid to get caught with it in their systems to try and find it. Homies would say if you texted about it on WeChat they come straight to your house and drug test you.

So what’s next for a former Chinese Olympic skate coach in Florida? 

Honestly if it wasn’t for this virus I’d be driving back to Long Beach right now. I left for China on the tail end of finishing a video part with Dave Hoang that we’ve been working on for over two years for our shop Plus. No Hotels is also getting ready to drop a full length Florida edit too.