FFI Rail Jam Preview

(The fight for the top prize will be intense.)

With the FFI Rail Jam well underway, I have decided to write some of my thoughts on some of the competitors I expect to place well.

Eric Smith - (1st) As defending champion of the last Rail Jam, Eric has a target on his back for this years rail jam. Eric performs super creative tricks which he executes flawlessly, and it will be tough for the other competitors to dethrone him. Eric hasn't released any footage in the past three months, but hopefully he is saving up for the Rail Jam.

Taylor Lucas - (2nd) Last year, Taylor proved he is one of the elite fingerboarders in the world by taking 2nd place. If it wasn't for Eric's fingerboard perfection, Taylor would have had the target placed on his back. Taylor performs super difficult tricks with a very clean style.

Nic Herzog - (3rd) Nic's video was the most visually stunning of the lot last year. I was actually surprised when Nic placed third, as I had thought he was going to win it all. The tricks he did film were really smooth, but I don't think he filmed as wide of a variety as Taylor or Eric. Anyways, expect Nic to show up for this contest.

Boris Dietschi - Boris displayed his mastery of Nollie popshovit variations. Even with perfectly performed Nollie 360 Shovit Nosegrinds to Nollie 360 Shovit F/S Blunts, Boris did not make it to the top 3. The judges felt that he did not perform a good variety of tricks.  This year I expect him to put together a video with greater variety of tricks. If Boris has more variety in his entry, it would be no surprise if he got in the Top 3.

Elias Assmuth - (Did Not Enter) Elias Assmuth is one of the most skilled fingerboarders in the world. A butter smooth style coupled with robot-like consistency, Elias has proven himself by winning contests in Germany. Who knows if Elias will enter this year, I personally doubt it with Fast-Fingers 11 just around the corner. If he does decide to enter, he could easily win it all.

Alex McMillan - (Did Not Enter) Alex didn't enter last year. Alex doesn't know if he will enter this year. Alex is super good. Alex better enter because Alex performs the most technical tricks possible.

Other people I expect to place high would be Mike Schneider, Taylor Rosenbauer, Tim Hurley

My Predictions:

3rd - Boris Dietsche, Taylor Lucas, Alex McMillan, Nic Herzog (Any of these dudes lol)

2nd - Elias Assmuth

1st - Eric Smith

I have around 25 seconds worth of stuff I am going to use for the rail jam. All my tricks are going down within the first ten or so tries. It's almost ridiculous. I was disappointed with my submission last year. I rushed it out and filled it with only a couple tricks I thought were good. I was lucky to get 9th place with the crap I submitted. So far my submission is much better. Every trick I have done for it is as difficult as any trick I've done in my life. I don't know if it will be Eric Smith-quality but I'll let the judges determine that ;-)

Interview: Eric Smith!

Eric Smith interview by Chris Daniels

 

Q: When did you start fingerboarding?

A: I guess my first interest in it, was around 1996.  I started with forming credit cards, cardboard, and stuff like that to mess around with.  At first, I just imagined there being trucks and wheels and stuff, so it wasn't exactly fingerboarding yet... But soon after, I started to use paperclips for trucks, or anything I could find.  That was, until I found some cool keychain decks at my local skate shop.  A few years after that, Tech Deck came out, which was a HUGE upgrade to what I was using, and it got me into it even more.  

Q: When did you first get into the online scene?

A: It was only about 3 years ago.  I don't know why, but I never thought to look it up online, or search for videos or anything like that.  I just did it with friends after a day of skating, or in class when all my work was done or when there was nothing else to do.

Q: Yeah true that. So do your friends still fingerboard? I have like a group of 5 or 6 close friends that shred still haha

A: Pretty much only one of my friends still does it.  His name is Zack Parham, and he shreds it up! Actually, two of my friends Zack Parham, and Casey Burnett heheh

Q: Can you list your sponsors off? DONT FORGET ANY~!!! Or else...

Yeah, didn’t you film a mini with Zach?

A: Yep, I did.  With my still picture cam, and he's got a mini online too.  As for my sponsors, a few are inactive, and are probably dead.  But I'll mention them anyway.

Primo obstacles, Eurollt wheels (probably dead, in all honesty, i'm addicted to wheels with bearings and that's all i use now so i'd have to leave anyway), Public Trucks (most likely dead, and moses ran off with a lot of peoples money... so that's not something i'd like to support... it's a shame though, had potential), Priest Oldschools (never officially dead, but never officially open hahah)

I have a few offers that I'm thinking of accepting, but I only like to take an offer if I absolutely love the product, and want to support them.

Oh yeah, I forgot BRR.

hardy har har.

Q:shit you are sponsored by BRR?

A:Yeah, but then I woke up.

Q: poo..haha..

So is there anything that inspires you to fingerboard?

In otherwords, makes you pick one up and sesh

A: Skateboarding mostly.  I love realism.

Also, seeing people have fun with fingerboarding, that gets me hyped.

I love clean styles too.

Q: Yeah I love the way you fingerboard, quick and clean

fast paced and creative stuff haha

A: Thanks, man.  I love the way you fingerboard too, and I'm not just saying that because you said that to me hahah.

Q: Haha thanks, besides fingerboarding, what are some of your other interests?

A: Art.  I have a strong passion for many types of art.  Music also falls in that category for me.  I love to listen, and create music. I'm also into design.  Visual communication.

Q: So are you interested in drawing or anything like that? or just looking at art?

A: When I was younger, that was the main thing I did in art.  But later on, I began to do a lot more, and sort of stopped drawing as much as I used to.  I do all sorts of things now such as digital work, collage, drawing, mixed media, etc.  I love to create, look at art, and interact with artists of all types.

Q: Yeah definitely

Do you have any advice for those who have just entered the scene?

A: Yeah.  Just be respectful to others, and be humble about things.  Even to the people that have been a part of the scene for a long time should do that, but a lot of people have this elitist vibe that really gets on my nerves.  Most of all, have fun with what you're doing, because after all that's the only thing that matters.

Q: All right well I  got one more question before I go to the movies

How did you get to be so god damn good?

a thread

A: I don't know heheh.  I'm a pretty fast learner, and a slight perfectionist.  I guess both of those combined is a good solution heheh.

Q: For sure, so on the video where you were shredding the bowl. Did you practice that over and over til you perfected it? Cause the tricks were flawless haha

A: I do come up with lines that are patterns, and I'll sometimes change them up a little bit or whatever, but I remember a bunch of different lines so things will keep a nice flow.  There's no points where I'll be going slower trying to think of what trick to do next and stuff like that.

Sometimes I just do whatever though. But I do like to come up with patterns as well.

Yeah, another reason I do that sometimes, is because I find myself repeating tricks a lot otherwise.

Q: Any last things to say or shout outs?

A: Fingerboard because you love it, don't fingerboard to impress anybody.  Don't be ashamed either.  There's a lot of people who have this strange view about fingerboarding, and it's quite odd.  Never quit because somebody is not educated in realizing what it truly is, and thinks it's "childish", or anything like that.