A couple of days ago, the collective online mob discovered Venezuela exists. And with that discovery came a flood of articles stocked with all the -isms that I have to Google every once in a while to keep straight.

Take a gander, leave a comment, and check out the brief but meaty interview we were able to snag with Sticky despite current tumult and a stiff language barrier. Peace!

This video is a beast, over 40 minutes long. Why did you guys want to release a full-length when so many skaters are releasing shorter projects?
This whole project has been completely from scratch. As a store, we bought a cheap, dirty Panasonic HVX 200 from Marketplace and started learning. There are very few filmers left here, and people are very unmotivated because of the economic situation. But we wanted to contribute to the scene and motivate the guys still around. Both Erick and Rafael learned how to use the camera while filming for this video. And that’s why when you watch the video some clips you might think, “that could have been recorded better.” We learned everything along the way.

Rafael and Erick worked incredibly hard on this, from exporting and editing to watching lots of reference videos. And that’s probably why the video took two years. They didn’t want to create chaos with shorter material. Also,it stemmed from some lack of knowledge. Not knowing when to stop recording or when the video was ready.

“There weren’t any references. Because of the country’s situation, most older skaters emigrated, or something happened to them where they stopped skating.”

Venezuela went through a period of stagnation, a very long period of darkness, due to situations that have occurred. This caused many of our role models to leave, to no longer be in the country. Because of the country’s situation, this new generation of skaters had to find inspiration on their own. There weren’t any references. Most older skaters emigrated, or something happened to them where they stopped skating. It was a real shock, and you literally didn’t have anyone using a camera, taking pictures, or doing tricks. It really affected Rafael. He went almost nine years without skating, and just recently picked it back up. Everyone has their own personal story with this video.

Other Latin American countries, like Brazil, have embraced skateboarders as serious athletes. How do Venezuelan skaters see themselves?
Let me try and explain by telling you about Jerwin [Garrido]. He skates in the video, and the guy is like a case study for us. He’s a very young guy, and he’s from the streets, basically homeless. He has a place to live, but basically he prefers to be on the street. He doesn’t know how to read, how to write, but he can do tricks on any ledge, any staircase, any handrail. He’s a natural talent. He understands it. But with the Olympics, instead of reinforcing true skateboarders like Jerwin, they move towards competition.

It gets many kids excited, but for us, it’s not a realistic path. We’re focused on being in the streets with friends, bringing people together. Skateboarding isn’t about competition, it goes beyond all that. And that’s why this interview is important to us, because a lot of the skaters in this video thought that the only way to get noticed is by winning a competition.

Some American news sources describe violence on the street in Venezuela as rampant, and as skateboarders I’m sure you spend lots of time in the street. Is violence really that common?
Listen, there’s risk every day on the street. If it’s not the police, it’s plainclothes people who might suddenly bother you while you’re skating, and you don’t know what they might use against you. They might come with whatever object they can. Someone like the National Guard could show up too, and they won’t just take your skateboard or tell you not to skate, they’ll put you through a rough time.

“We always try to show the spots in the video, so that someone who wants to take a risk can come and film.”

In short, it’s dangerous. We’re not going to lie to you. But we’re not going to say it’s impossible either. In fact, many skate teams have come here, Converse and Consolidated have come here to do autograph signings in stores. That was more than 20 years ago. Currently, there’s a lot of fear, but we always try to show the spots in the video, so that someone who wants to take a risk can come and film and see that nothing bad will happen.

As the owner of a skate shop, has the political situation affected your business in any way?
The most complicated thing is that salaries here make skateboards a luxury item rather than something that people can afford. We try to keep our prices as close as possible to the United States, but that means we make less money. A main concept of the shop is to help people who have the skills but can’t afford the gear to skate. For some it’s impossible to buy a new board, impossible to buy new wheels. Most skateboards here have 10 owners.

The shop is in its fifth year, and our desire is to keep skateboarding growing. We have had a lot of skateparks built recently, but it’s kind of cruel. Not many can even afford a skateboard. It’s these economic factors that hold us back.

Interview by: Alexis Castro
Intro and edit: Ben Komins
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