Skateboarders are funny guns. They have been falling since they were very young. Get up, then fall again. They climb back onto their board, roll up their sleeves, perhaps displaying a few new bruises along the way, and try again. And this, until they master their maneuvers.
“And when you succeed, it’s the best feeling in the world,” says The Press skateboarder Cordano Russell.
At just 19 years old, Russell is the skater highest ranked Canadian male in the world in the “street” category. He occupies 13e rank in the World Skate rankings, the organization that oversees all roller sports.
This performance also allows him to hope to participate in the Paris Olympic Games next summer. But for now, the London, Ont.-born athlete has his eyes on the national championships in skateboarding street events, which will take place Thursday, at Taz in Montreal.
This is precisely where we meet the friendly guy. Russell may only have emerged on the skateboarding scene in the last year, he may only be 19 years old, but he has stories to tell. Like the one where he explains that he fell in love with this sport at four years old, after finding a board… in a bush.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Cordano Russell
“I stepped on it, hit my head, and I was like: let’s go ! », he says, laughing.
It was St. Louis, Missouri, where his parents moved when he was a toddler. But at eight years old – yes, already – young Cordano asked his parents to move to San Diego, California. Either the mecca of skateboard.
And they said yes!
Throughout his career, Russell played other sports, such as American football, particularly in high school. But there was no doubt in him: his passion was skateboarding. And when he learned at the same time as everyone else that his discipline would be added to the Olympic program, another certainty registered in his mind.
I want to represent Canada. The motherland ! I have this pride, because this is where I was born. Even though I played a different sport, I always promised myself that I would play it for Canada.
Cordano Russell
Duty and desire for inclusion
With his build, his athletic physique and his style of clothing – he lists these characteristics himself – Cordano Russell wants to “inspire” people who “look like” him.
That’s good, that’s exactly the mission of Skateboarding Canada, and above all it’s the mandate that its president, former Olympian Annie Guglia, naturally gives herself.
“When I started skateboarding, it wasn’t for the Olympics,” says the woman who has held this position since April 2023. “It didn’t even exist. I understand the importance of diversity and accessibility to skateboarding. This is my passion. I want to grow skateboarding as much as possible. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Former Olympian Annie Guglia
Samantha Secours, “the best snowboarder in Quebec,” says Guglia, thanks him.
“Annie paved the way,” emphasizes the 22-year-old athlete. The whole older generation, they had it tough. And thanks to them, I can have it more easily. I am so grateful. »
In the past, long before the skateboarding debuted at the Tokyo Olympics, female talent was concentrated in the United States, and in California more precisely. This prevented international aspirants from really developing and evolving alongside the best, explains Secours.
“The first time I really saw girls skaterit was at events that Annie organized with the Vagabonnes [un groupe de filles pratiquant des sports extrêmes]. She brought sponsors. »
Annie Guglia has not stopped organizing these kinds of initiatives. Wednesday afternoon, shortly after our interviews, marked Skateboarding Canada’s community day. Young people from sports-studies programs, as well as people from the LGBTQ+ community, came to meet and practice with some of the Canadian athletes participating in the competition the next day.
“I think it’s part of the subculture of this sport to be very community-based,” emphasizes Guglia. You go to a skatepark, someone will try to teach you something, you will become friends, there will be knowledge sharing. The more people you know, the more fun it is. »
A “truly impressive” competition
Board fans who come to watch the competitions on Thursday – entry is free at Taz – will be able to appreciate the best Canadian talent from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What kind of show can they expect?
“It’s the Olympic format,” explains Guglia. They do two 45-second runs. We see them doing around ten consecutive maneuvers, it’s like a routine. »
Then there are what we call the “five best things.” Riders have five chances to perform their best maneuvers, and their two best attempts are counted.
“That’s really impressive,” she admits. Even for me who went to Tokyo. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Ismail Di Palma, 13 years old
For Nova Scotian Johnny Purcell, the level of competition will be high and “interesting”.
“The whole national team is here,” notes the man who lived in Montreal for seven years. There are extremely experienced guys. Matt [Berger] and Micky [Papa] are veterans who went to the Olympics. But then you have this new cohort of young guns, for whom it will be the biggest competition so far. The talent level will be very high. »
Cordano Russell is part of this new wave. Philosopher, he quotes the great Kobe Bryant when asked about his ambitions on Thursday.
“He said: ‘If you have the fear of losing and the pressure of winning, then what are you really going to get out of it?’” he says in his passionate voice. He said to constantly have a learning mentality. »
Russell nevertheless says he wants to “show up and impress (show up and show out)”. “My hope is to win, but sometimes you can get something out of it even if you don’t win. »
Samantha Secours also has the ambition to win the competition.
“I’m first in Canada, so in my head, I tell myself that if I don’t win, it’s a little weird,” concedes the native of St-Hubert. I know I am capable. I’m crossing my fingers. »
Thursday’s nationals will have no impact on the World Skate rankings. So will not influence the path of athletes aspiring to take a plane to Paris next July.
Though. “If I win here, it will give me a little boost [de confiance] », Indicates Secours, who would like to win the $3,000 prize pool awarded to the champions.
This is because the Quebecer will be heading to Dubai at her own expense next week for a World Skate event. This one will count for the Olympic qualifications. Theoretically, the top 20 men and women will travel to the Games. But with country quotas, the pool of invitees will inevitably expand to those occupying positions outside the top 20. Relief holds the 39e rank currently, a ranking that it justifies in particular because of injuries in the last year.
Despite the boom in registrations and popularity of skateboarding in recent years, attributable to its arrival in the Olympic movement, resources remain limited for Canadian athletes in this discipline.
“I will be really proud if I go to the Olympics with the few resources [que j’ai] ! »
And the judges?
What are the criteria for judging this type of competition? Let’s ask one of his judges!
“The level of difficulty [de la manœuvre]and the fact of doing it well,” underlines Pierre-Yves Frappier, nicknamed PIF in the industry.
“Especially in competition, it gives points when it’s really very clean, when it’s executed perfectly. This gives more points than if, for example, your foot sticks out a little when landing, or you put two hands on the ground. »
Can crowd reaction influence a judge?
“We are really focused,” says PIF. We trust the first participant to then judge the others. If he’s really good, you should give him a good score, but at the same time, not too high. »
So that could put the first person to start at a disadvantage? Not necessarily. And anyway, “they usually put the best ones at the end.”
“If you are first on the list and you skateboards great, you’re just going to have the best of the best on top of you. »