Most of the strong Russian athletes are not yet able to participate in major international competitions, so now they have to come up with cool and unusual competitive formats at home.
In July, Kazan hosted one such interesting tournament – the Fidgital Skateboarding Games as part of the Games of the Future project. Athletes, including the Russian Olympic team, performed not only in a real, but also in a virtual format. This was new!
The member of the Russian national team, winner and prize-winner of international competitions, Yegor Kaldikov spoke about the new format. And also how, being a boy on the court, he became a champion and how he sees the future of this young sport.
“Kick a ball, skateboard or be a gangster”
– Egor, you became the winner of the figital skate competition, which took place in Kazan in July. Talk about your emotions. – When they told me about the format of the competition, I thought that it was brilliant and that this is the future. In my opinion, the phygital is the future of any sport. But as far as I know, so far only in skateboarding there are games that repeat physics as much as if it were real life. In the virtual part of figital skateboarding, it is just as difficult to skate as in real life. The format is unique in that you have to do the trick live and repeat it in-game. That is, I do a trick – my teammate repeats it. Then he does it, and I repeat. That’s the only way we get points. The format is very good! Super cleverly designed!
– For which part of the competition was it more difficult to prepare: for the real one, already familiar, or for the virtual one? – It was more difficult to prepare for the virtual part. I had never played online skateboarding in my life. When I heard that competitions of this type were coming, I bought the console about two weeks before. I immediately brought Vladislav to the team (Savva Vostokov, a member of the New Kids Turbo team. – Approx. “Championship”). Savva spent the night with me. We prepare and learn. It was not easy at first. But every day it became easier and easier for us.
– And at what age did you get on a real board for the first time? – At 12. And I immediately realized that it was for life. I have a unique intuition. Before that, I was engaged in climbing, swimming, playing table tennis in competitions. But I don’t like the limits that these sports have. Here is skateboarding: there are no limits, freedom. You learn with yourself.
Egor Kaldikov (center)
Photo: personal archive of Yegor Kaldikov
Where did you get introduced to skateboarding? – I got up in Siberia, in the small town of Novokuznetsk. Everyone told me that I was being stupid. They said that it is not necessary to ride, there is no future in this! They said: “Go, study!” But I didn’t hear anyone. To this day, I do this, and all is well in my life.– But for now, to be honest, in Russia skateboarding is not as popular as we would like? – I’ll tell you. In Brazil, skateboarding is the number one sport after soccer. In Brazil, you have several paths: kick the ball, ride a skateboard or be a gangster. We all know that Brazilians play football well, but now in the 21st century, skateboarding is also highly developed there. Here is a good example for you!
I think skateboarding will be the number one sport in Russia. This is what I do: I’ve been developing it for 17 years.
How skateboarding got to such heights:
How skateboarding went from being a street hobby to winning Olympic medals
“If you want, there are no barriers. We know!”
– Everyone knows that now there is almost no chance of qualifying for the Olympics. Do you see the prospect of more performances? – When it all started, I immediately realized that they would not let us in. And she philosophically reacted to the situation. I thought we’d come up with something of our own. And that’s how we came up with: the phygital skate! There is no analogue to it in the world. Such competitions were held in Kazan for the first time in the world. Nobody thought of this format. It has to be patented, it has to be taken away for us to have it.– Is it a worthy substitute for the traditional competition format? – Marvelous! Everyone has long been moving away from traditional sports, many do not like it. People want something new. Here you go, extreme and skate! After all, a skateboard is also a unique means of transportation. Living in Moscow, every day I go on a skateboard to the store, on business. Moscow is a great city for skateboarding. The mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, by the way, has a birthday on World Skateboarding Day, and this is a great holiday. He also congratulates the skaters on his birthday. There is also Kazan. It’s also a great city for skateboarding. I have ridden here many times.
Egor Kaldikov – Moscow champion
Photo: personal archive of Egor Kaldikov
– In addition to Moscow and Kazan, are there other conditions? – Yes, sure. More or less everywhere there are conditions. Skateboarding in Russia is developing very strongly. I think skateparks should be in the capital of each region. There must be a concrete skate park and nothing else.
– Is it expensive for a guy from the yard to skateboarding?– I’m that “yard” guy. Treating anyone else will be the same as it once cost me. Skaters always find a way. You glue the shoes, glue and sand the board. In other words, find a way. After all, if you want, there are no barriers. We all know it very well!Is that some kind of skate philosophy? – Yes, keep doing what you want, have fun and don’t listen to anyone! Because you are happy every day. There is a very good phrase: “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a skateboard.” This is very close to me.
Another interview with a cool Russian skateboarder:
Exclusive
“I am Mad Max. And in Russia I feel in my place”
