Richie Bullbrook: Canada's #1 Skateboarder - Ep. #252 - The Athletes Podcast

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I don't know.
I feel like I'm young enough tostill chase this goal.
So, like I don't know, I'm alittle whatever.
Sorry.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Dude, don't apologize , keep going.
How the heck is a 21 year oldsaying you're too old?
Now?
What are you going?
What are you talking about?

Speaker 1 (00:15):
I think when my mom would tell me her friends have
kids and they're older than like14 and I was like eight I'd be
like that's not a kid.
Kid like my mom, like my mom'sfriends don't have kids, they
have adults, if that makes sense, like it's like you're an adult
child.
So I think 21, I should have ittogether.
I should kind of have a plan.

(00:36):
It seems like a lot of.
So I'm in university.
It seems like a lot of peoplein university really have it
together and I have it together.
But then I'm kind of droppingeverything and moving to
California to pursue this dream.
So I kind of have it togetherbut I don't know.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
You're not dropping everything.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
You are expanding on what you've already built yeah,
kind of um, yeah, dude, I uh, Ihope it works out.
That's it really.
I just hope it works out.
I hope's it really.
I just hope it works out.
I hope it's worth it.
But I mean, I don't know, canwe start with the intro to
skateboarding Of course, I thinkthat's the best spot to start.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Dude, I'm so pumped for this episode you have no
idea, because you've got aninfectious energy.
It's been a while since I'verecorded and dude, you're number
one in Canada and we like tohighlight Canadians.
You're only 21 years old,you're humble, you've got Dude.
Let's go Start with the introto skateboarding.
Get into it.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Okay, dude, thank you so much for having me.
I'm super stoked to be doingthis.
I've never gotten to doanything like this before, so
it's kind of a dream, honestly.
This is really cool for me.
So starting skateboarding.
I started skateboarding when Iwas four years old.
What got me into skateboardingwas there was a show called
Arthur, which was like this showwith an aardvark.

(02:00):
It was a cartoon, and I sawthese two bunny rabbits
skateboarding in this cartoonand I thought it was the coolest
thing.
They were skateboarding in anempty swimming pool and so I
went out to my garage and in mygarage I had a skateboard.
It was my mother's, though mydad bought it for her before she
went to a surf camp, just soshe could like practice on it,
and then it kind of gotabandoned after that.

(02:21):
So there was this really crummyskateboard in the garage and I
just started.
I must have started on my butt,I don't know, that's how most
kids start, but I started goingto a little park down the street
from my house when I was fourand immediately loved the
feeling of rolling and movingand just doing something fast.

(02:43):
Just doing something fast andthe idea that one day I could
maybe go in the air and stuff.
So that's, that's what drew meto it as a kid, for sure is, uh,
just television and likethinking skateboarders were cool
you are cool, you are very cool, man, cbc.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
This morning you're getting attention, well deserved
.
Mama bulbrook is out herepounding the pavement making
sure people know that her son'snumber one and, uh, he deserves
some attention nowadays dude.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
yeah, I think I wouldn't be able to have come
this far in in sport if itwasn't for my parents, um, my
mom and dad, uh, from from ayoung age, from like since I was
four, they always treated itkind of like how I think hockey
parents are, or like that's justa stereotype, but you know what
I mean by hockey parent.
It's like they took itseriously and they understood

(03:34):
that there potentially wassomewhere for me to go with it
and it's newly in Olympic sports.
Back when I was really young,there wasn't really anywhere to
go, but my parents still sawsomething in it, so they worked
really hard to be able to giveme all the opportunities I have.
And that goes back to likestarting skateboarding at like
four years old.
My parents would sign me up forsummer camps in the summer.

(03:55):
That's really when I started.
Skateboarding was through theselittle summer camps locally and
there was one at this indoorpark called revert, which I I
think I would attribute most ofmy young success to uh.
It was at a church, um, onmonday and tuesday nights, uh

(04:16):
during the winter, but therewere also summer camps, but
during the winter was where itstarted, uh, because where I
live in london there's nowhereto skate in the winter,
especially like there wasn'tback then, but on Monday and
Tuesday nights there was thisplace that had all these ramps
and they were all modular so youcould kind of move them around,
and from the age of seven untillike 13, I was skating there

(04:40):
Every day it was open.
I was at all the summer camps.
I loved it because it was likeLego, uh, skateboarding, like
you could go there and take allthese different obstacles and
put them together to try andrecreate something that, like I
saw on YouTube or saw on a videoand that was really magical to
me as like a kid.
And I think that place, revert Idon't talk about that enough in

(05:02):
interviews Uh, like, I've neverbrought up revert until this
morning at cbc when I thought ofit.
But like revert skate park,like is probably the reason I
got good and also my parentstaking me there all the time.
Um, that I really want tohighlight that because, like I
don't know, I've been talking topeople about revert recently
because it obviously closed.
like everything in skateboarding, it doesn't last long but um

(05:24):
that's somewhere that I reallyvalue and I don't think I'd be
good if I had nowhere to skatein the winter at that age.
So I think I owe a lot to thepeople at that skate park and I
I think about it a lot and Imiss it dude.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
You uh might be the reason why you can bring
something back to canada afteryou crush it in california right
and, you know, build somethingthat young skaters want to be
able to and can be able topursue and participate in during
the winter months.
Like I know, I struggle with ithere in vancouver.
Even it's miserable at you know, five degrees.
You guys are like minus 30 aweek ago or whatever it.

(06:00):
It was ugly.
Yeah, I'm curious, though, likeobviously, your parents, uh,
you had the unfortunate passingof your father, but they raised
an incredible human being here.
I have to shout you out for thefact that you came on here.
You talked about the fact thatyou wanted to be on this episode

(06:21):
.
You came in, you brought notes,you were more more prepared
than 75% of the people that comeon this show.
So kudos to you, man.
You're doing an incredible joband I think even here you've
talked about the fact thatyou're taking a break after that
mega ramp, returning fromcompetitions.
Let's go through based on whatyou put together here.

(06:42):
But I want to make sure youknow that anything you do moving
forward, you started off superhumble and you were kind of
almost in a state where youdidn't know.
I just want you to make sureyou have excellence pouring out
from you and you are going to doamazing things, and I just want
to reassure you of that.
Put it that way.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
That means a lot, dude.
Thank you, reassure you of that.
Put it that way that means alot, dude.
I thank you.
I uh it's.
It makes me happy to thinkabout the place I came from and
the resources I had and kind ofwhere I am now.
It's um unique, like no onereally across canada has really
made it in skateboarding, letalone from like London Ontario.

(07:27):
It's just kind of unheard ofand I kind of forced it to
happen, like I just worked sohard.
I don't know, that is just theway it went.
But thank you, dude.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
I have to ask when you bring up the Lego pieces?
It made me think of AndyAnderson's drop that he talked
about with the office materialthat's turning into skate gear.
Is that a thing?
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?

Speaker 1 (07:52):
There was a Swatch commercial he filmed that had
him in an office that I saw.
That was pretty rad.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
Some of the obstacles were a desk and then they
flipped over into a ramp.
They transformed no that wassuper rad I really love super
sick.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
Those weren't actually real things.
They just made it like with andyfor a commercial and it was
unbelievable I believe, yeah,too bad, it's super cool, though
I like that too bad I have tobring it up because andy's
actually local, like I'm inwhite rock, so surrey so he and
he went to school with mybrother.
He's around my brother's age,so, uh, we're gonna have to get
him on at some point.

(08:26):
Maybe chop it up the three ofus.
Maybe you guys can give me somelessons in the bowl.
I am terrified.
I will be completely honest.
I've only just recently startedlearning snowboarding the sport
of for the past, probablydecade now, I guess total
cumulatively.
But uh, yeah, man,skateboarding was never a thing
longboarding struggled with.
Uh, tell me, was it justnatural for you as a kid and was

(08:50):
it the sport that you've alwaysloved to do?

Speaker 1 (08:53):
I think from a young age I was like my parents put me
in all the sports that parentsput their kids in um.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
But I didn't like what, sorry, sorry.
Like what, what, like what.
You gotta be detailed.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
I was in football for a day, like I quit after that.
That was really expensive,because my parents like bought
the equipment and stuff and thenI didn't do it.
And then hockey same thing,like I probably lasted like two
of the little kiddie likelessons and then like soccer.
I mean just every like.
Okay, so everything.
Those are the three in my mindfootball, football, hockey and
soccer.
And then I just would alwaysstop those at like five years

(09:28):
old because I just wanted toskateboard and I didn't.
I think at five I didn't reallyfeel like I was good at
skateboarding but just the ideaof flying was so appealing.
That's what I'd do at thatindoor skate park, reaver.
I'd always build these ramps,thats that like almost emulated
that mega ramp, because all Iwanted to do was be in the air
and you can't do that inanything like hockey or soccer,

(09:50):
like you can't fly.
So I think that's what drew meto skateboarding from a young
age and I think I wasn'tnaturally good at it, I just did
it a lot.
Uh, because you know kids theybounce back.
Like between the ages of like 4and 13 I was probably
skateboarding every day and norest, just like continuously,

(10:12):
relentlessly, like just fallingand eating crap and getting back
up, and that also taught me alot as a kid.
I think from a young age, ifyou kind of learn that risk and
reward and the way that you haveto put in work to get a result,
like that, learning that atlike five years old, like it,

(10:33):
just it really helps shape kindof who you become and I think
that's why all?
skateboarders are good people.
I must say, like allskateboarders are good people
and I think it's because theykind of get that like slap in
the face when they start.
And then like it's like areality check, like
skateboarding is hard, it hurts,and like it's not really that
rewarding.
When you're a kid, like when Iwas five, the only reward was

(10:54):
the feeling of learningsomething, and I think that's
what kept me going.
Uh, when I was a kid was theidea that I was getting better
and I could see it and I knewthat if I kept working at it I
would keep getting that likeit's almost like a drug feeling
of learning a new trick,especially in like the

(11:15):
developmental stages ofskateboarding.
You're learning so much so youkeep getting this hit of like
dopamine or adrenaline and itjust it doesn't stop and you
just get sucked into this loopof trying to learn how to like
first ollie and then kickflipand then be able to drop it on a
ramp.
It's just like.
I kind of feel like myupbringing in skateboarding from

(11:35):
that young age is pretty muchthe same as everyone's.
I think everyone tells the samestory.
They all fall in love with thesame way.
Um, I think that's kind ofmagical about it, but, um,
something that I want tohighlight about my upbringing in
skateboarding is definitely mydad's commitment to uh taking me
to this place called woodward,because I think, I think revert

(11:58):
and woodward, uh, are probablythe two places that I would
attribute my like developmentalstages in skateboarding to.
So, woodward, do you know whatWoodward is?

Speaker 2 (12:09):
No, tell me about it.

Speaker 1 (12:11):
So Woodward is a training facility in
Pennsylvania and they have beenaround for like 40 years and
it's the best place to train forany action sport in the world.
They have like at the one inPennsylvania.
There's like 20 skate parks allin this campus and they have
foam pits next to every obstacle.
You'd want to learn to skate andthey have these things called

(12:33):
resi, which is like a rideablemat, basically, so you can land
and eat it and be fine.
And so when I was 10, my dadtook me to Woodward for the
first time on a weekend getawayin Pennsylvania, and I just
remember well, I don't remembera lot about the first time I

(12:54):
remember being really scared ofhow big everything was there.
Because that was my first timeever being somewhere in
skateboarding that was like real, if that makes sense, like the
skate parks in canada, kind ofsuck.
When I was 10 was the firsttime I got to go somewhere that
was like this is like a properfacility it was proper and I

(13:16):
remember being really scared.
everything was super big.
Um, there were some things thatI couldn't even like drop in on
, like I couldn't even use someof the ramps because they were
so big.
But my dad loved it at Woodwardtoo and I loved it, and it's in
this beautiful Valley inPennsylvania.
Um, like the scenery is reallycool around it.
Like there's a couple like it'sreally mountainous and it's

(13:37):
just like an idyllic place.
There's there's nothing aroundWoodward.
It's in a field in Pennsylvaniaand the nearest town is like 30
minutes away.
Like it's so secluded that it'salmost like a heaven.
It's.
It's kind of weird, it's it'ssuper strange where it is, but
it like adds to the like uhenvironment of it.

(13:58):
It's just kind of like a heaven.
And so my dad took me therewhen I was 10 and, uh, that was
the first time we went and thenevery year after that, in the
summer, my dad would work thereso that I could skate in the
summer like for cheaper, becauseit's so expensive to go.
So my dad worked there as a guywho drives kids to the hospital,
because, like someone needed todo that at that facility during
the summer it was Woodward waslike mainly a summer camp Also,

(14:19):
I don't think I added that butso my dad would work there so I
could train and those are someof the most fond memories of my
childhood skateboarding becauseskating at Woodward I'm sorry
I'm talking so much as well Iwant to apologize, man, I want
to take a break from talking fora sec.
But I Woodward something I'mreally passionate about, because

(14:42):
it was me and my dad's place.
He, he, he put so much effortinto being able to make sure I
could train there um, because itaround here is the closest
place that's a legitimateskateboard training facility.
So being able to take me thereas much as he could and working
there so I could stay longer,allowed me to get good at
skating big ramps, becausethat's what I love most is
skating like vert, um and mega,and at Woodward in Pennsylvania

(15:07):
there's a mini mega.
So, as like a rambunctious kidwho just wanted to like fly,
that's what I spent like all mysummers doing was just skating
mini mega and being at WoodwardI'd meet kids from all over the
world as they'd come to trainthere, so it was just like the
perfect place to be at that ageto make connections.
Like some of my best friends Imet at woodward when I was like

(15:30):
12 and it's just like.
It was just a really cool placefor me, um, at that time that's
uh somewhere that I intosomething that like works?

Speaker 2 (15:42):
I feel like no dude, dude, you don't need to
apologize, you're crushing it.
This is part of the podcastexperience.
You're supposed to be in thehot seat.
You're supposed to be the onetalking.
I just ask questions to get youto talk more.
Sometimes I have to talk but,honestly, the audience is here
for you if they want to listento your story, your experience,
who you are and you're doing aphenomenal job.
Dude, honestly, uh, I want toof things.

(16:04):
First off, you know thattraining session I mentioned
with you and Andy.
We got to do that at Woodwardbecause that place sounds sick.

Speaker 1 (16:11):
I'm always down for a mystical adventure.
Any excuse to go there, man,it's so good.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
Well, I mean, clearly , your dad saw that as well, and
the fact that he went there,worked during the summer, drove
kids to the hospital.
Hopefully you weren't one ofthose.
Um, that's, that's, that's socool, um, and such a unique
experience that you guys wereable to share, and you know
probably stories for days, uh,some that you'll probably be

(16:38):
able to share one day.
I'm uh, I'm curious, though,like like that's gotta be that
pivotal moment.
You're like okay, this is thenext level of skateboarding.
What was the thing that toppedWoodward next?
Or, or has there been?
Is there a facility that reallyknocked your socks off
afterwards, or that really youstill to this day?

Speaker 1 (16:58):
want to go back to the world of training.
I think, it is, and I thinkbeing introduced to it as a
young kid is kind of I don'tknow you feel spoiled because
it's like, wow, I've really beento the best place.
So I've been everywhere, and Ithink Woodward is where I would

(17:19):
want to skate.
If I had all the time and moneyin the world, I would just live
there.
I think that's mainly because Ifeel close to my dad there.
It's like a really sentimentalplace for me, um, but yeah,
there's nowhere better to skatein the world than woodward, for
sure and then tell me when wasthat?

Speaker 2 (17:36):
how many years had you been going to woodward prior
to your first team canadatraining camp?

Speaker 1 (17:42):
so going to Woodward.
I went to Woodward all the wayup until COVID and so my dad was
with me every summer there.
So like from the age of 10 tolike 16, I think, is when COVID
was, and then COVID shut downcamp.
So right when COVID hit, I gotinvited to a Team Canada

(18:04):
training camp and up until thispoint I hadn't really taken the
Olympics stuff too seriously.
Skateboarding was introduced tothe Olympics in Tokyo, like the
one Andy went to and so likefrom 2016 to 2020, people were
kind of training for from Canadaand working towards qualifying

(18:25):
for it, and I wasn't part ofthat crop of people.
I was still really focused onlike being a kid and like
skating at Woodward in thesummers.
Um, so I was never part of theteam Canada stuff at that point.
But after the 2020 Olympics hadhappened in Tokyo, uh, I was
invited to the first trainingcamp after that and that was a

(18:47):
really big opportunity for mebecause it was a little bit of
recognition.
It was like I'd been workinghard skating all these years and
I never really had aspirationsto do anything with it at this
point.
I just skated for fun.
And going to Woodward made merealize that I was like not like

(19:08):
crazy good, but I was like goodon like a global scale or like
at least kind of um, I don'tknow, I still think I kind of
suck, but that's just like aweird mental thing that I think
some athletes have.
But so, like, going to Woodwardmade me realize I'm all right
at skateboarding, and then itwas nice to get recognition from
, uh, canada Skateboard aboutthat, and so I was invited to my
first team Canada training camp.

(19:29):
But at that time my dad wasreally sick, and this is another
thing that I just want to saybecause it's important to me,
talking about my dad.
I talk about him all the time.
I think grief is superimportant.
I think the way like Westernculture handles death is super
strange.
I talk about it all the time,like with my friends and stuff.
It's unusual how people actlike it doesn't exist.

(19:50):
So I always make a point totalk about it.
But so during COVID my dad gotsick and right at the same time
I was invited to Texas for thiscamp and I really didn't want to
go because I wanted to be withmy dad in the hospital, um, but

(20:10):
because of COVID restrictions Icouldn't be there, which was
really weird and sucked.
But, uh, I just wanted to be athome and my dad wouldn't let me
stay, which was really cool ofhim, um, cause he saw this
opportunity I was getting.
He saw that I was gettingrecognition for skateboarding
and he's like, well, this islike really cool, you should go
and go show who you are to thesecoaches at this training camp.

(20:31):
Like you need to go do this.
And so I didn't stay home withmy dad, I went and then, like
after I was at the training camp, on like the sixth day, I got
called home because, like dadwas dying.
So I came home that day, um,and I said bye to my dad and he
was super proud of me for beinggone for that, because I know he

(20:53):
would have rather had meworking towards my goal than
being at home and missing anopportunity.
So I think that just goes toshow how much my parents, like
my dad, like they cared aboutthis for me, um, and they just
wanted me to be happy and reallytrying to pursue skateboarding
in any manner I could dude,you're making me tear up here.

Speaker 2 (21:14):
Uh, freak, I, uh I wasn't prepared to cry during
this episode, but here we are.
Um man, I I'm pretty sure thecbc reporter probably didn't do
that, but um I, I gotta know.
Like, how do you, how do youhandle that experience?
How do you skate for those sixdays thinking about your dad?

(21:36):
Were you able to communicatewith him?
Cause I know COVID was an issueduring that time, like was it,
were the restrictions reallyhandcuffing you?

Speaker 1 (21:43):
Were the restrictions really handcuffing you?
Well, my dad was like my dad.
He wasn't like brain, like hewasn't brain dead, but he had
like lost part of his like brainfunction, like when he was sick
.
So he couldn't reallycommunicate.
So I could talk to him on thephone a bit, but it was kind of

(22:06):
difficult like speaking tosomeone like that.
So I communicated with him abit.
I just let him know I was doing, um, told him I was like
working hard and like skatingwell in front of these people.
I needed to impress because Iwas really the idea of the trip
was to go to Texas, show thesecoaches that I can perform and
that I deserve to be competingfor Canada and cause that's what

(22:29):
training camps really are for.
And so, yeah, I did communicatewith my dad as much as I could,
um, but it wasn't a lot becauseit was difficult to speak to
him.
Um, I I think all thecommunication I needed happened
before that.
I think all the communication Ineeded happened before that.
And it was like my dad was ableto tell me that he didn't want
me to be at home, like I neededto go, and whenever I got an

(22:51):
opportunity, he never wanted meto miss it, no matter what the
circumstances were, and I thinkit would have beat him up if I
had stayed home and not takenthat opportunity.
So I don't really know how Ihandled it.
I just kind of like skated andthat just goes to show like
skateboarding really makes mylife better.
I just skated every day,missing my dad obviously, and

(23:12):
that was like the hardest pointin my life, like being away from
home, like your dad's dying.
You're like a kid.
It was weird, it was reallystrange.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
but, um, I think I'm stronger for it and I'm happy I
did that because it made himhappy well, dude, it sounds like
he was a freaking incredibleman and, uh, like I said,
developed an amazing son.
Uh, I gotta transition becauseyou, you took a break from
contests after that to thenskate mega ramp, like you were

(23:41):
talking about, and like, uh,that's those clips where people
are going off crazy, uh, crazy,crazy heights.
Um, the name evan mckechranmight ring a bell for you.
You might know he was early onthe athletes podcast, like
episode early 20s, maybe early30s, but he does x games, big
air, all that fun stuff, andwhen I see you guys do that it's

(24:03):
ridiculous.
Man, I don't know how you do it.
Do you ever get nervous?

Speaker 1 (24:08):
Uh, skating mega, yeah, dude.
I mean skating mega is a veryserious endeavor, but I think I
can tie it into the story I'vekind of told a bit.
It's like so I took a breakfrom contests after my dad died
because I felt like it was likeafter that it was just like

(24:29):
something I just didn't want tobe a part of, because I was like
pretty upset and like I hadjust kind of started to like dip
my toes in like the team,canada stuff, and I was just
like I don't want to do this,like I have other goals, like I
was really upset that my daddied.
So I just didn't want to becompeting and I took that year,
uh, after dad died, which was2022.
He died in January.
So that whole year I just wentto California as much as I could

(24:51):
to skate mega ramp, becausethat was what going to Woodward
as a kid built up towards,because I skated mini mega at
Woodward and skating mini megaall those years helped me get
comfortable on that type of ramp.
And then I was able to bequalified to skate mega.
Like not just anyone can skatemega, like you have to be able

(25:13):
to prove that you can, likeyou're sufficient on mini mega
because, like people, you candie on the mega ramp.
So, like I, I spent all thoseyears with my dad at woodward in
pennsylvania getting goodenough at mini mega to then be
able to skate mega, and my dadactually and I had planned a
trip to California the July ofthe year he died.
So we now he he died before thetrip came, but we planned a

(25:36):
road trip to California just togo and skate mega.
Um, and I still did the roadtrip without him, which was
pretty cool.
I brought his ashes, which wascool for me at the time.
I read something like that.
And so, um, I packed up my caras soon as I finished school
that year, Um and I drove toCalifornia, which is like a 40

(25:57):
hour drive.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
Yeah, I've done it.

Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
The old Toronto to LA track.
I didn't do a direct route butit's a mission.

Speaker 1 (26:06):
Dude, it was crazy.
Yeah, and I did it by myselfand my radio in my car broke, so
I was just the whole way there.
I had no music, it was bymyself, it was ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (26:15):
That's what the kids on TikTok were calling raw
dogging it I think yeah, yeah,yeah, that's exactly what I did.
I did it the whole way to thehallway there it was crazy dude
um, and I never, I'm never gonnado that again because it was
horrible, but so probably a goodcall.

Speaker 1 (26:30):
Yeah, so I went there , um, and I skated mega ramp for
the whole summer and, um, Ineeded that because that was a
goal my dad helped me worktowards and I needed to do that
for him and I, I um, over thecourse of that year, me and my
friend brock sharon, we filmed auh like we recorded all of me
skating mega and then put ittogether into like this for dad
tribute video that I'm reallyproud of, um, and it's like a

(26:54):
four minute video of just likeeverything I did on the mega
ramp.
Um, and that was really coolfor me to do so.
But about mega ramp, like as aas a thing, um, I think it's
super dangerous if we're talkingabout it like legitimately,
like.
So I, when I, when I first Ifirst went with my mom, my mom

(27:15):
was there and she, um, this wasa couple trips before that road
trip in the summer, um, my momand I were in california and I
met this guy, bob burnquist'sbrother.
The ramp is at this guy, bobburnquist's house, um, which is
nuts and it's in his backyard,and I I spoke to bob's brother
and I told him who I am, I likeshowed him like my

(27:36):
qualifications, like how longI've been skating mini mega, and
he was like, yeah, sure, comeout tomorrow.
So my mom and I went the nextday and I had no intentions this
trip of doing the mega ramp.
So I like went and like boughteverything I need.
You need a special board forthe mega ramp, like on a mega
board.
Your trucks are like I thinkthere's ten and a half inches
wide and normally they're likeeight inches, eight and a half

(27:58):
inches wide, so that wider truckis like what gives you the
support so you don't get speedwobbles.

Speaker 2 (28:05):
If you ever seen videos of people doing that,
yeah for sure Didn't know that'swhy, but it actually makes
sense now.

Speaker 1 (28:10):
Yeah, so I went and bought a mega setup, I went to
the mega ramp and I did it on myfirst day, that trip with my
mom.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
Casually, it was crazy.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
It was crazy.
I um, I couldn't believe I didit, but I was flying home the
day after, so it was like I onlyhave one day to come and try
and do this.
I've been talking about it foryears, I've been dreaming about
it for years and so I just howdoes your mom react?
Well, my mom, my mom wasn'tgoing to drive me.
She was like I'm not taking youthere, um but then I had to.

(28:40):
I had to explain to my mom likehow it?
It it's dangerous, but like Ithink like there's a lot of
things more dangerous.
There's things a lot moredangerous than that.
Um, because you're wearing pads.
I know what I'm doing and I'vebeen training for this sort of
thing and cause it was my goalto skate mega ramp.
Uh, before I even thought ofdoing the Olympic stuff, because

(29:02):
it used to be an X games thereused to be kind of like a career
you could have in skating thisreally big ramp.
Um, like back in like 2012,there there were, there was like
an x games event called big air.
Um, it's still in snowboarding,but in skateboarding it's gone.
That's what evan does yeah, it'sso, not this the big air and
snowboarding is way bigger thanthe mega ramp in skateboarding.

(29:24):
It's much larger.
The gap.
The mega ramp in skateboardingis a 50-foot gap to a 30-foot
quarter pipe and so that'spretty big, but I think in
snowboarding it's like an 80 or90-foot gap.
It's just nuts.
But I think that's all I haveto say about it.
Mega ramps dangerous, but it'snot dangerous because I knew

(29:45):
what I was doing and, um, Ireally enjoyed my time skating
that ramp.
I'm glad I took like a year togo out to California and just
focus on that, cause I think youneed to have fun.
Skateboarding and the Olympicstuff isn't very fun.
So, like, I'm glad I did that.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
Yeah, the.
I think you need to have fundoing everything, whatever it is
in life.
Honestly, that's probably.
If you can have fun doing it,you're probably going to have a
recipe for success, and thatleads to you returning to
competitions.
You know how you qualified forthe Olympics.
Tell me why the Olympic stuffisn't as fun.

(30:21):
Sorry, you can't just danglethat carrot and not let me.
First of all, I haven't been tothe olympics yet, I know, but
you say it's not as fun.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
You're repping the gear you're repping the ovo
shirt.
Yeah, I.
Um, I think it's less funbecause it's not my discipline
of skateboarding.
So I grew up dreaming ofskating MegaRamp and I loved
skating vert as well, and bothof those are substantially
larger ramps than what you seein the Olympics.
The event that I compete in forthe Olympics is Park and it's

(30:53):
like a concrete hole and I'm apretty tall guy so that makes
ramps kind of feel smaller thanother people, if that makes
sense.
So like it might seemcounterintuitive, but
skateboarding is much easier ona big ramp than it is on a small
ramp.
Like skating mega ramp isactually less dangerous than

(31:15):
skating a lot of things becauseyou have so much time to correct
your mistakes and there's alsoso much ramp to catch you like a
slide when you fall.
So that's like I don't know.
I think generally people don'tsee that, but that's the way
I've always looked at it.
Like skating mega is dangerousbut like I mean where am I gonna
fall down?
Like on my butt, and like slidedown it, like it's, it's pretty

(31:38):
big, like I'm not really goinganywhere.
So skating uh the park contestfor the olympics is not fun for
me because it's so smallcompared to what I like.
I have to kind of shrink myskating down and like I just
feel like this in the park balls.
It's weird, it's just the waymy transition to park skating's

(31:59):
been.
It's just not my disciplinereally.

Speaker 2 (32:00):
That's why it's not fun but I feel like it's fun
like I don't know.

Speaker 1 (32:04):
It's not as fun as what I like to do how, uh, how
tall are you?
I'm six two, and that's thetallest skateboarder in world
skate, which is like the leagueI compete in.

Speaker 2 (32:14):
Like everyone's, like five, five yeah, I was gonna
like I.
You don't see a lot of tallskateboarders.
That's interesting yeah do youthink that it's an advantage,
being that height like, or is ityou are?

Speaker 1 (32:30):
are you at a disadvantage.
It should be, but it doesn't itlike it should be.
I think I just complain a lot.
I think I should be better atskateboarding than I am and I
think I should be able to use myheight to my advantage, because
when something's smaller it'sless scary, like if a ramp is
smaller, there's less to beafraid of.
But I think at my height myboard's further away for me to

(32:51):
grab it and that's like a lot oflike it's just.
I just like have a weird bodytype for skateboarding, but
that's never stopped me, and Imean there are guys who are
killing it at six two.
There's one other guy frombrazil who's like one of the
best in the world and he's myexact same build.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
I just like haven't figured it out yet but when you
are shorter, you're closer tothe board and that's really all
I can say about it.
Like it's a little differentyeah, I imagine if you can pull
it off as a taller individual,it might look cooler.
The tricks that you're able toperform because you're traveling
, you're transporting that boardsuch a longer distance, right
like that feet for when benyanalooks way better than a mugsy

(33:32):
bogues, for instance, right whenthey're you know, five five
versus seven five.
Does that make sense?

Speaker 1 (33:37):
yeah, yeah, I totally get it.
I think I think being tallhelps the scoring.
I don't know I, I, I think itit should help me once I, once I
get my stuff sorted and I'mskating at the caliber I need to
be, I think it'll help but how,uh, how often are you skating?
uh, right now.
So right now is, uh, it's 2025,the winter.
I'm skating a lot, um, on theweekend.

(34:01):
So I go to toronto and skate,uh, with my friend fay, who went
to the olympics.
Um, I, I, um.
I'm skating three days, fridaythrough sunday.
There I'm in school, so that'swhy, um, I'm skating for like
four hours every day on theweekend, and then during the
week I skate two nights, andthat is at this mini ramp, which

(34:25):
is like a small half pipe thatsomeone has in their barn, like
just outside of London, becausethere's no public indoor parks.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
Casually, you're either playing hockey on the ODR
or skating in someone's barn.
Something's happening in Canadaon the weekend eh, it's funny,
it's awesome.
Something's happening in canadaon the weekend day it's funny,
it's awesome.
Uh, yo, you touched a bit on itearlier, but you want to tell
me about the imposter syndromeand how that leads to, like
mental health, your conversationthere.
So, um, I feel like I kind ofdismembered my story or like,

(34:57):
just like I feel like I've toldmy story in the wrong order, but
it's okay, dude yo, there's no,there's no right order to this
thing you got to remember no oneelse knows the structure, it's
really just you, and now you getto paint the picture however
you want and you know I'm goingto just correct you and this
imposter syndrome that you gotgoing on and I'm going to keep
pumping your tires.

(35:17):
Okay, richie Cause you got itgoing on, you just got to keep
going with it, okay.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
Thank you, dude.
Yeah, so to get to the impostersyndrome, I'm going to try and
tell my story chronologicallyagain.
So after skating MegaRamp,after I took that year to focus
on that, I returned to competingfor the Olympics and trying to
make the national team.
So in 2023, I competed in allthe national series events

(35:44):
across Canada and that's how youqualify for the national team.
And that following fall, Iearned my spot at the first
world championships I'd everqualified for in Rome.
And to qualify for the worldchampionships at that time you
needed to be in the top six inthe country, so that was a
really big deal for me.
You needed to be in the top sixin the country, so that was a

(36:04):
really big deal for me.
And I had never had theopportunity to compete for
Canada and that was always thegoal.
At that point, I was just like Ijust want to go to a world
championships and representCanada, and so I went to Rome.
My mom came.
It was like a big deal.
I was on the news before I left.
It was like this big deal, likethis local kid's going to an
Olympic qualifier.

(36:25):
That's what these worldchampionships are, and I'd never
had such an eye-openingexperience in skateboarding.
Besides going to that firstworld championships, I think if
you've never been to World Skatewhich is like what these events
are called you don't understandhow good skateboarding is Like.
You don't understand the levelyou need to be competing at

(36:45):
until you go to World Skate.
I think a lot of peopleexperience that.
But my experience at WorldSkate was really shocking.
I had no idea how consistent,how powerful, how many good
skateboarders there were andthat really like put me in my
place, because I think up untilthat point I thought I was
pretty good at skateboarding.

(37:05):
And then I I went to Rome and itreally, really rocked my, my
shit, if I can swear.
Um, it was.
It was really surprising howgood everyone was and it made me
feel like I didn't belong.
And to go on top of thatfeeling of already feeling like
I don't belong, I fell on.
You get two runs at worldchampionships, um, they're both

(37:26):
45 seconds and you go until youfall.
Well, you can, if you fall, youcan get back up, but if you
fall in your run, it doesn'tmatter, your score is crap.
So my first run in Rome, I fellon my first trick, which was
heartbreaking as as a kid who'dcome across the world with his
mom thinking this is his firsttime getting to represent Team

(37:48):
Canada, all happy, and thatreally, really sucked was
falling on my first trick.
And then, since I get two runs,I kind of collected myself
after freaking out and I fell onmy second run too, and then it
was like well, I guess it's over.
It was over in like five minutesmy first world championships.

(38:10):
It goes by so quick, there's somuch build up to it, like you
think.
Like you think it's going to bea life changing experience and
it's something I always wanted.
It was on my bucket list was togo to worlds.
And then it was over in fiveminutes and I was back in the
hotel room like crying like, andthen I just got on a flight and
came home and right after thatI was like I don't belong at

(38:31):
this level, like it's just notwhere I deserve to be skating.
I don't think I belong withthese people.
I think I look stupid standingnext to these guys on the deck,
like I just shouldn't becompeting at this level.
So that was kind of theimposter syndrome I felt and I
just kind of sat with that forthat winter, because it happened

(38:52):
in September.
And then, once I came home, Ijust kind of got back to the
drawing board.
I didn't give up, but I justkind of trained, like like
everyone does when they're notcompeting, like I just came home
and worked as hard as I could.
And then the next Olympicqualifier, dubai, came, which
was February of the next year in2024.

(39:13):
And I went to Dubai knowing Ihad to stay on my board because
if I didn't, I would reallyreally not feel like I can
skateboard.
If I didn't, I would reallyreally not feel like I can
skateboard.
Like it.
It's a completely differentthing being able to compete and
land your run at these eventsand being good when you're like
in private training, like it's,and I didn't realize how

(39:33):
different they were.
Like you don't need to be agood skateboarder to be good at
world skate.
Like you need to be a goodmental performer sort of it's,
that's all of it's.

Speaker 2 (39:44):
That's all.
I thought.
That's all sports actually, if,as much as it may seem
otherwise, like you got to beable to perform on the ice, you
know whether you're playing golf, whether you're on the court,
like I mean, I mean, sorry, Ishouldn't cut you off, but it's
all mental at the end of the day, dude like some people just
can't handle it at that level,like and I watch this F1 show on

(40:05):
Netflix which I think mostpeople have probably seen and
like some guys just can't handleit when they get to that level
and they just fall right out ofit.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
And I was so scared that was going to happen to me
as soon as I make it to likethis top league.
I'm just going to fall rightout of it, can't handle the
pressure.
So I went to Dubai in Februaryand I fell on the first trick of
my first run again and that waslike the.
I didn't actually freak outabout it, I just like sat down

(40:33):
and spoke with my coach and justlike kind of collected myself.
And then I landed my second run.
And then I and then I just wenthome and I was like, thank God
Cause, if I didn't do that, I Ireally don't think I would still
be trying to do this.
I think I would have justmentally imploded Like I don't
know.
It would have been horrible.
So I landed my run in Dubai Um,that was the last qualifier

(40:58):
before Paris Um.
But because my first qualifierwas Rome four, paris Um.
But because my first qualifierwas Rome, I had missed, uh, two
qualifiers that were before thatCause I made the national team
halfway through the Olympiccycle, if that makes sense.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
So I missed it on some of the qualifiers.

Speaker 1 (41:13):
So no matter how I did in Rome or in Dubai, I
wouldn't have been able toqualify for the Olympics.
So they were both kind oftester events and I'm happy that
in Dubai I was able to put ittogether.
I wasn't able to put somethingtogether that I'm proud of, but
I stayed on my board for 45seconds halfway across the world
under like the most stress I'veever been under, and that was
good at that time, um, and sinceDubai, I, uh, I've really just

(41:39):
been at home back in Canada,training as hard as I can, um,
and I, uh, it's working, itseems.
It seems that it's working, itseems that I am actually getting
better.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
Crazy what happens when you pay attention to it.
Refine your craft, keeppounding the pavement, brick
over brick, day over day.
Uh, consistency is the key tosuccess and sometimes it just
it's also dude, you're young,you're 21.
Like you started this off thisinterview, I don't know if you
remember you were like yeah, Ifeel like I'm late to the game.
I'm like, dude, you're so young.

(42:18):
You want to know who we had onthe podcast, probably two and a
half years ago now.
His name Mikey Taylor.
You know that name?

Speaker 1 (42:27):
Is he a skateboarder?

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Yeah, arguably one of the top 10.
Skated with Tony Hawk, a bunchof those boys.
He's now an entrepreneurbusinessman, runs in California
Senate or council.
Yeah, you can reinvent yourself.
You can do a heck of a lot.
Just because you're askateboarder right now at 21 and
you're going to dominate theskate world for the next 10

(42:50):
years, doesn't define you as askateboarder for the next 30 or
40 after right.
So just keep that perspective.
I'm going to give you twopieces of homework You're going
to have or get the book oraudible it on spotify.
If you have that, membership istwo books.
The confident mind by natezinser dude, I have that I have
that book.

(43:11):
Let's go I swear I gotta havethat book.
Yeah, let's go okay, well, youneed to start putting some of
that into action.
Then, if you've got that, ifthat imposter syndrome is still
there, um, I got that book afterrome someone else gave that
there.

Speaker 1 (43:24):
I bought that book after Rome, someone else told me
to get that book.

Speaker 2 (43:27):
Yeah, it's so cool.
And Inner Excellence have youheard of that one by Jim Murphy?
Okay, that's the other one.
You want to know why I bringthat up?
I only found out about it acouple weeks ago.
Aj Brown on the Eagles wasreading it at halftime or like
on the sidelines, and then salespopped off NFL player.
I don't know if you actuallyknow who AJ Brown was Sorry, I

(43:48):
know you're a skateboarder.
No, no, no, no, keep going.
And so he was reading that bookand it blew up online.
I started listening to it.
It's an excellent read.
Also, I know you would benefitfrom it.
So, inner excellence by JimMurphy, confident by by Nate
confident mind, sorry, by NateZinser.
You've already read it.
Give me your thoughts on thatone.
Do you like it?

Speaker 1 (44:09):
I, so I can't really read books.
I'm not good at reading books.
I got like I've almost read itlike a Bible, like I go to it's
sections, so I kind of lookthrough it like that.
Um, I like it's kind of like oneof those books that I have
sticky notes popping out of.
I haven't looked at it in acouple months because I've I've
been feeling better about theway I I skateboard, who I am, so

(44:32):
I haven't really returned tothat book, but I think it's it's
one of those things that helped.
You know, like I don't thinkthere's a lot that helps when
you kind of feel like that, butthat book I think is beneficial
for all athletes.

Speaker 2 (44:46):
Could not agree with you more.
I'm so glad you've read it, um,and you're right, you, you
don't need to go back read itevery single day, but you've got
it dog-eared.
You've got those notes.
Um, I think inner excellence isanother one that you'd really
enjoy as well.
Um, tell me about tearing bothyour pcls, though you probably
could have read or done a bit oflistening or reading or playing
some other instruments.

(45:07):
What'd you do when those weregone?

Speaker 1 (45:09):
that's, uh, so that is when I read that book.
Um, but so in skateboarding, inskateboard park, like this
olympic event people wear kneepads.
And they wear knee pads so thatwhen they mess up in like air
trick, they can slide down theramp on their knees and the like

(45:30):
actual mechanic of the PCL isto keep your tibia from pulling
backwards.
And when you fall onto yourknees like this, like your tibia
just comes back every time.
So just skateboarding tearsyour PCLs.
I plan on tearing my PCLsseveral more times, but I tore

(45:59):
my first PCL on my right legprobably two and a half years
ago and that was what made mewant to start going to the
Olympics.
After skating mega, it was like, okay, if I'm going to start
getting hurt like an old man, Igot to get these things off my
checklist.
So right after that first PCLtear is when I started taking
the Olympic stuff reallyseriously.
After that I went to Rome andstuff.

(46:21):
But I tore my other pcltraining in california earlier
this year and it sucked becauseit was my first day of summer,
like so like I just got offschool, I flew to california the
next day and then I just feltreally stupid on it and it just
snapped and I like I kind ofknow what it feels like after
doing the first one and then Ilike didn't really let it heal

(46:43):
because I had all these nationalevents across Canada during the
summer so I just kept skatingwith the torn PCL and it's such
a horrible feeling in your kneeI don't know it's like.
It's such a, the pain's so weirdand unique and I it's just it's
a nightmare honestly dealingwith those.
But I should have let it healthe second time the first time.
I let it heal the second timethis summer, it took like eight

(47:04):
months to heal.
It was done healing in Octoberbecause I kept skating on it,
which was foolish of me, but Ineeded those points to be ranked
number one in the country and Ican't believe I did that with a
torn PCL.
That's pretty cool to me.
But yeah, no, dude, terribleligament to tear I.

(47:29):
But yeah, no, dude, terribleligament to tear.

Speaker 2 (47:30):
I think I'm going to tear them a lot.
Everyone tears them.
It's just part of the sport.
But yeah, dude, it sucks.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
Do you strength train at all hockey?
And it's because of this guyHis name's Brent at PFPC, it's a
local performance gym.
They do all the NHL playersfrom London because London's a
big hockey city so I've gottento know some pretty cool hockey
guys through that.
And, yeah, they're one of mysponsors, this gym.
So I strength train three timesa week and I feel like it's

(48:03):
made me so much better atskating because when you kind of
get to the higher level ofsports it's almost like you're I
don't know what the term islike splitting hairs, like
trying to find ways to improveperformance, performance.
And I think strengthening mybody and trying to develop like
a better endurance is key to mebeing able to perform at a

(48:24):
higher level.
Because I think when I do fallin those 45 second runs it's
because I'm tired and I think ifI'm not tired I won't fall.
So that has become religion tome is trying to make my body
stronger and trying to keep mybody healthy.
So yes, I do strength train andI I I don't love it.
I don't get like the gym highpeople talk about.

(48:45):
I like it's, it's really hardwork and it sucks, but like I
see the benefit when I'm skating, so it is worth it for me.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
Dude, you'll benefit.
You'll see the benefits You'llcontinue to see, to see it like,
honestly, your ligaments willthank you for it.
Uh, include some isometrictraining in there.
That'll help out those a ton.
Um, yeah, I can confidently sayit will benefit your body and
probably set you apart evenfurther from the others in your
sport, because it's nottypically that you see skaters

(49:18):
in the gym pumping iron, right.
But if that's something to yourpoint where you're splitting
hairs as a pro, if you can dothat in another sport where it's
not typically adopted, thenyou're going to see miles of
success above the others Becauseyou've got your endurance,
you've got your strength, you'regoing to get injured less
because your muscles, yourligaments, your bones are
stronger, right, I don't know.

(49:39):
I see that one being like youshould be doubling down on that.
Obviously not going fullbodybuilder, but yeah, keeping
the resistance training highwould be a definite suggestion
and I'm glad to hear you'redoing it obviously.

Speaker 1 (49:51):
Absolutely, I think.
So.
It's interesting that you sayskateboarders probably aren't
working out, and that's true.
Skateboarding being a newOlympic sport, they're still
kind of like figuring out likewhat makes someone a good
skateboarder and how to trainfor this professionally.
And it's important to me tokind of be at the forefront of
being an athlete uh, who's askateboarder like?
because there's not many ofthose in canada, um, and I think

(50:14):
that's what I.
I don't think I'm the best inCanada, but I think I deserve my
placement right now as numberone, because I'm working hard in
every aspect of my life too.

Speaker 2 (50:25):
You did it on one PCL yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:28):
Yeah, so it's.
It's being a good skateboarderis more than being a
skateboarder.
It's about being an athlete,and I'm realizing that more and
more.
I'm trying to incorporate thatinto my life as I go into the
next Olympic cycle because Ithink that's what's going to set
me apart from other peopleeverywhere in the world.
Honestly, it seems likeskateboarders really don't

(50:50):
understand the importance ofnutrition, strength training and
just honestly sleep Likeskateboarders are crazy people
and it's because it's comingfrom this culture of partying
and like drugs and troublemaking.
That's what skateboarding waswhen I was a kid and now it's

(51:10):
changing with an opportunity torepresent your country at the
Olympics, and I love thatbecause I think skateboarding
should have always been that way.
I think some people really hatethat skateboarding is an Olympic
sport because it takes awayfrom that culture that I think
some people really love.
I've never really been a partof that culture.
I've always been forskateboarding being a sport and
I'm trying to treat myself as anathlete so that I can show kids

(51:32):
in Canada that there's anopportunity to, you know, make a
name for yourself inskateboarding.
It's not just hockey, soccer,basketball, like it's anything,
and it can be skateboarding,just like there's a lot of
successful snowboarders comingout of Canada, and that's
because Canada now has theresources to treat snowboarders
like athletes and there'sprograms that are training these

(51:54):
kids to become some of the bestin the world, and I want to see
that happen with skateboarding,so I'm trying to be at the
forefront of that.
Sorry for that.
I try to make a point of thatevery time I speak to someone.
It's like skateboarding is asport and I want to see it
change.

Speaker 2 (52:06):
Dude.
You're the reason why I startedthis podcast, frigg Like.
Literally, I wanted to helpeducate, entertain and inspire
the next generation of athletes,and you're doing that right
here today, and there are goingto be hundreds thousands,
potentially hundreds ofthousands, of skateboarders that
hear your story, richiebulbrook, and end up becoming

(52:29):
skateboarders because of you.
Straight up, no cap that'd becrazy.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
I just want to.
I just want one kid to startskateboarding because of me,
like because that's what?
Like I got into skateboardingbecause I looked up to older
kids.
It's like kind of the cycle ofsport.
I think it's important todevelop the next generation and
I think some people who findsuccess sometimes forget that.
But I really try to likeconnect with the local community

(52:55):
, especially in London.
Like each year I put on acontest for the kids at my local
bowl in the summer and that hasallowed me to see growth and
like I'm helping people in a way, because I think I'm really
lucky for the success I've foundand I just hope some other kid
from London can get that,because it's a really unique

(53:18):
opportunity, especially from aplace where not much happens
other than hockey.
I think it'd be cool to seeanother kid take to
skateboarding, guy or girl, likeanyone.
Skateboarding is for everyoneand I think we haven't seen the
best of it yet.
I think there's a lot of roomfor growth.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
Tell me about that contest.
What do you do?
And then what are their goals?
You got my list of goals.

Speaker 1 (53:42):
Here is one of your bullet points, so tell me about
those and then tell me aboutthis contest, so it's called the
Medway Bowl Bash that's whatI've named it, and each summer
it happens kind of whenever I'mhome.
So, like it's not, I run itterribly, so I have it's not in
it, I run it terribly, so I haveno idea how to put on an event.

(54:03):
But I knew I wanted to put onan event for the kids in london,
so last summer was the firsttime I did it, and this is
usually how it goes is I contactmy sponsors, I get some prizes
and then I make an instagrampost and I'm like on this day
I'm going to be hosting acontest at this park and it's
going to be super unorganized.
But please come out and, um,that's honestly how skateboard
contests were for me as a kidliving in London.

(54:25):
That's how it was.
It was some older guys wantingto put something on for the kids
and that's just like how thiswas before it became an Olympic
sport, and I also think it'skind of charming like that.
Like it's I don't know.
It's a unique.
It's a unique event when thecommunity puts something on like
that.
So I put it on the summers andI have all the local kids come
out.
Some people come from Toronto.
Um, it this year, this pastyear was a really good turnout.

(54:48):
There were probably 50 peopleand they all come and watch we
play music, uh, and then I don'treally know how to run a
skateboard event.
So I just kind of tell thesekids, like okay, you got 15
minutes.
And then me and like a coupleof my friends who, like our
judges, like write down some ofthe stuff that kids are doing
and like, then we just give outprizes to everyone like or try

(55:08):
to if we have enough product.
Um, and just like I don't know.
It's nice to have people out atthe skate park.
That's really the goal, If thatmakes sense, because I don't
really know how to run an event.
That's what I try and do andthat's what I've done the last
two years and I plan on doing itevery year for the rest of my
life because it's cool.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
We're going to hook you up with some perfect sports
products.
We're going to make sure thatyou guys get hooked up there and
you've got plenty of stuff togive away to those kids.
Thank you, dude.
100% I can already commit tothat.
But yeah, let's see how we canmaybe help you organize it,
maybe get a little couple morepeople there.
You know, I don't want to takeaway from the allure that is,

(55:46):
the unorganized kind of hey,come together on a whatever day.
I know that's what I'm like.
I don't.
I feel like there's peoplelistening that live in London,
ontario, right now.
They're like yo, I want to helpRichie with this.
Like come from a sportmanagement background, or I'm
just telling you it may happen.
So, either way, kudos to youfor doing that, because that's

(56:07):
something that I've been talkingabout for a while here now
building a foundation to getscholarships into young
athletes' hands so that they canpursue higher education.
And yeah, if you and I aren'tgoing to do it, who the heck is
right?
So, um, kudos to you for doingthat.
Keep doing it.
I hope to be in london wheneverone of those comes up, and I'll

(56:28):
make a fool of myself it.

Speaker 1 (56:29):
Actually, when people say they're gonna come, I'm
like it sucks like dude.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
I was at the chicklets cup there, uh, this
summer, uh, when it was, uh, sospitting Chicklets host a hockey
tournament.

Speaker 1 (56:41):
That's a podcast yeah .
Right, okay, yeah.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Yeah, yeah.
So they hosted like a ballhockey tournament in London this
past summer and it broughtpeople from all over.
Like the team I played for, theSan Diego Margaritas or
whatever we were called like abunch of people from San Diego
Buffalo all came together.
I flew from Vancouver andplayed in the tournament, uh,
and then proceeded to spend amonth in Ontario before running

(57:05):
a marathon.
But yeah, like you know, peoplefrom all over North America
came to play ball hockey inLondon.
It was pretty hype.

Speaker 1 (57:12):
That's so sick.
That's cool, yeah, and like Ibet, it was for no purpose other
than fun, right?

Speaker 2 (57:18):
Yeah, there was a lot of alcohol consumed at that
weekend, but yeah, no, it waslike the it's Spittin' Chicklets
hosted.
They're like it's a ChickletsCup.
They do a couple, or they doone a year, I guess.
But yeah, man, like again toyour point, hockey culture
there's people that want to gettogether, have a good time,
share stories Similar to theskateboarding vibe.

(57:41):
Right, like you can bringpeople together.
They were pretty unorganizedtoo.
They just have a lot more moneywith bar stool behind them, you
know.

Speaker 1 (57:48):
Yeah, that's super sick.
I love that.
Anything like that in any sport, like cause that's what it's
all about, really likeremembering what it was like as
a kid and trying to create thatmagic for other kids.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (57:59):
Dude, how'd you become so wise man?

Speaker 1 (58:03):
Dude, I appreciate it .

Speaker 2 (58:05):
What are you studying in school?
What are you studying?
I'm assuming you're at Western.

Speaker 1 (58:10):
Yeah, I'm not there a lot.
I try.
So this year, this semester,I've decided that I'm not gonna.
I truly to anyone who'slistening, that like really
matters in my life.
I really care about school,like my grandmother.
Everyone like I care aboutschool a lot.
I'm grateful, but I simplycan't be bothered to like focus

(58:31):
on it right now.
I've had a really like greatstart to my year, um, and
skateboarding is just takingprecedent like it needs to, and
skateboarding is just takingprecedent like it needs to.
So I'm in marketing because Ido kind of want to go into like
being an agent or something oneday, because like all the
contracts and stuff that I'vegotten to be a part of is just
like kind of fascinating.
Like there is money to be madein sports and there's a lot of

(58:54):
people that you don't see Likean NFL player's agent you would
never see.
They're not famous, but they'reprobably making good money and
they're probably involved in alot of cool stuff.
So that's kind of what I'mhoping to end up in.
But I don't plan on getting areal job until after the
Olympics because I don't have togrow up yet.

Speaker 2 (59:14):
Dude, you don't ever have to grow up so straight up.
I think some of the happiesthuman beings are the ones that
never grew up and that stayedthat little inner child their
whole life and figure out a wayto make stuff happen.
And you know, you talk aboutthe fact that you're getting a
real job after the olympics orwhatever the case may be.
Like dude, you keep creatingcontent online.

(59:35):
You keep maybe starting yourown podcast.
Maybe you have an opportunityto incorporate some of your
marketing efforts with some ofthe brands that you work with.
You get a job there as apart-time marketing coordinator,
creator.
Content Dude, you might notever have to have that real job.
And don't think that settingthat arbitrary timeline after

(59:56):
the Olympics to settle down andbecome an adult.
Like dude, enjoy the fact thatyou have the ability right now
to skate live, pursue the sportthat you love, and then
afterwards you don't even haveto stress about that, right,
because that's future.
You Live in the present.
Enjoy that.
And then I know you're worriedabout it.
You've got that impostersyndrome.

(01:00:17):
I'm the same way, the athletethat's thinking about future,
stressing out whatever the casemay be.
Dog, you got so much time.
If I can tell you one thingjust take some deep breaths.
Recognize the fact that you arethe number one skateboarder in
Canada and you are only 21 yearsold.
So you could totally mess upfor the next five years of your

(01:00:43):
life and then be way better offthan I'm at right now.
Right, like, take that intoconsideration, dude, and I've
been sitting here chatting withpeople on a podcast for five
years, right, so just know, yougot lots of time, you're in
great shape, you're in greathands with your mom and it
sounds like your grandmotherpaying attention to you.
Everyone knows school isimportant, so you know, keep
making sure that you're gettingthose grades passing.

(01:01:04):
But, yeah, skateboarding shouldtake precedent when you're the
number one guy in your countryat it.
Yeah, that's a good decision.
I'm saying, I'm putting my betson you.
Sorry, there's my rant therefor you, richie.
Uh, now you're moving to Cali.
What's the 900.

Speaker 1 (01:01:22):
Okay, so that's so like um, I think when talking
about my life as a whole, I hada couple of goals.
Uh, I have it on my wallactually, but I think I have it
in my memory as well.
Um, so my goals were to, uh, dothe mega ramp, represent Team
Canada at a World Championships,do a 900, go to Pan Am Games

(01:01:49):
and go to the Olympics.
And of those, I think I've donethree or two.
I've done the mega ramp and Irepresent Team Canada at the
World Championships.
And every time I reach thesegoals I get, I kind of add to
the list.
And so right now, the 900 issomething that's really at the
forefront of my mind, kind of,because I'm not really competing
for the Olympics.

(01:02:10):
The Olympic qualifiers start 18months before Paris, or, sorry,
la, so they start like mid 2026.
Um, and until then I'm trainingreally hard, but I also kind of
have this weird window of freetime.
And doing a 900 in skateboardingused to be really cool.
It's what made Tony Hawk famous.
So it's two and a halfrotations and I've always wanted

(01:02:34):
to do it because as a kid yousee that, and I think every kid
saw that and was like I want todo it because as a kid you see
that and I think every kid sawthat and was like I want to do
that and not many peopleactually get the opportunity to.
I think not like get goodenough, but like I I don't know
it takes a long time to be ableto do a 900.
It's one of the hardest tricksin skateboarding.
Um, no one from Canada's everdone a 900.
Um, someone from Vancouver,sluggo.

(01:02:57):
Uh, rob Boyce, he's someone Ireally look up to.
He tried 900 for like 10 yearsand he never did one.
But I've always wanted to do 900.
I'm sorry this is going waylonger than it needs to, but so
I was at Woodward a couple weeksago and I knew I wanted to try
900 because I kind of have thisweird window where I can get

(01:03:18):
hurt and it's kind of fine.
So I started trying them acouple weeks ago and it like
just works, like for some people.
I think for some people 900sare really difficult because
after you do the two and a halfrotations you can kind of get
thrown off axis and you're kindof sideways for the landing,
like because in skateboardingyou kind of exist on this

(01:03:38):
vertical plane on a vert rampand if you spin you might like
kind of end up like this or likethis, if that makes sense.
But for me, 900s the way myrotations work I'm landing
completely flat after I spin twoand a half times and that was
shocking because it was likethis doesn't seem that hard.
I feel like I could do this ifI had like a weekend like I feel
like I could probably get thisdone.

(01:04:00):
So I got really close to ninesthat weekend and I was like I
need to do this because Ithought I'd never do it.
But that weekend at Woodward Ialmost landed it in like five
tries.
It is really difficult to getyourself to try it because it's
quite dangerous five tries it'sreally difficult to get yourself

(01:04:21):
to try it because it's quitedangerous, but for sure that's a
goal of mine that I've hadsince I was a kid and I'm so
close right now that I just haveto do it.
So while I have this kind offree window, I'm trying to get
back to woodward as much as Ican to just do a 900 so I can
check that off my list and leaveit and be the first canadian to
do it.
Um, because that's important tome and 900s are less cool than

(01:04:42):
they used to be.
Like a lot of people in 900 nowlike probably 50 people can 900
, which is like a lot more thanused to be able to Um, and it
seems like kids are like justlearning 900s at like 10 years
old and like it makes me feelbad, like it's like, oh, why
would I even try?
Like these kids got it now.
But but I think there, I thinkthere's something to be said

(01:05:03):
about being an adult doing it,because it's really difficult.
You got to go really high um tohave the time to be able to do
that, especially like being asbig as I am.
Um, it's just gonna bedifficult, but I think I can do
it.
And I want to do that becauseif I do a 900 and never go to
the Olympics, I think I'll besatisfied.
But like, obviously be moresatisfied if I go to the

(01:05:24):
Olympics, but like I think Idon't know.
I have goals, I hope I achievethem all, but 900 is really
important If that makes sense.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
I have a feeling you're going to do both, man.

Speaker 1 (01:05:36):
Dude, I hope this is sweet, dude.
If I did did both I'd havenothing else.
Like I.
I got nothing else like I canwrap it up and just go and do
something else other thanskateboarding not that I don't
love skateboarding, but likeit's cool to check everything
off.
A list, you know totally,totally.

Speaker 2 (01:05:50):
That's a phenomenal feeling.
Uh, that means your list isdone.
What?
What would you do,hypothetically speaking, rishi?
What would you do after?

Speaker 1 (01:05:59):
uh, after the next olympics, I think I want to um,
if you could do anything.

Speaker 2 (01:06:04):
Money was not an issue.
You were not paid, not commentlike.
You just did whatever youwanted to do that filled your
heart.
You got paid the same amount,no matter what you were doing.

Speaker 1 (01:06:16):
Money is irrelevant I'd just build them.
Uh, so there's only two megaramps in the world and it seems
like they're both in pretty badshape because, like no one
really takes care of them.
I just build a new mega ramp,um, like a brand new one, with
like the nicest skate light.
That's like the surface, like Ijust build like a perfect mega
ramp and uh like no, no, I don'tknow.

(01:06:38):
I don't think it'd be in london.
I think if I could liveanywhere, I'd probably live in
dude.
I don't know where I'd live.
I think I'd live probablynorthern ontario like somewhere,
really, really pretty um Ithink also oh, whistler, I'd
live in whistler.
Whistler's super sick.
I went there last summer.
I'm a fan of whistler.
Um, I'd live in Whistler.

(01:06:58):
I'd have a mega ramp.
It'd be indoor and I'd have avert ramp and I would never be
bothered by anyone here, that's.

Speaker 2 (01:07:22):
That is not the craziest dream to have.
So, uh, set your mind onsomething, put it out into the
atmosphere.
Crazier things have happened,richie.
Uh, the way we wrap up everyepisode, man, is we ask our
guests their biggest piece ofadvice for the next generation
of athletes.
Given that you are in that nextgen that we are inspiring, what
do you got?

Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
uh, actually, like I think I got a good one for this.
So, as I'm trying to go to theOlympics and putting all my eggs
into this one basket, I'verealized that the reward isn't
achieving that goal or standingon top of that podium, but it's
the journey.
That is what makes it worth it,because if you have a reason to

(01:08:00):
get up every day, that's inwork towards a goal.
That's that's way more powerfulthan achieving the goal.
Like just having, like Irealized, skateboarding is the
reward for what I'm trying to do.
Going to the Olympics is notthe reward.
It's the fact that I have areason to get up every day and
train for something.
That's it I think I think peopleshould realize that because,

(01:08:22):
like, if I go through this wholeathletic journey and don't
realize that what I'm doingright now is actually the
important part and what fills mewith joy, then I'll miss it
Right.
So I just I don't want to,don't want to let that happen.
I'm trying to realize every daythat I'm so lucky that I get to
skateboard full time.
That's the report.

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
Damn right.
I couldn't have said it anybetter myself, richie where can
people find you on socials sothat they can follow along with
your journey and stay inspiredby you, because you're one heck
of a young man?

Speaker 1 (01:08:56):
Thank you, dude.
My Instagram is Richie Bulbrook.
It'sR-I-C-H-I-E-B-U-L-L-B-R-O-O-K,
and I really only use Instagram,so that's where to find me.

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
Hit them up.
That's the pod.
Thanks so much for coming on,richie.
I appreciate your time, can'twait to chop it up again.

Speaker 1 (01:09:16):
Hey, until next time.

All Episodes

Richie Bullbrook: Canada's #1 Skateboarder - Ep. #252

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

The Joe Rogan Experience

Dateline NBC

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Richie Bullbrook: Canada's #1 Skateboarder - Ep. #252