Interview with 15 year old Nicky Adams.

by Felix Rioux

Felix: Like usual, start from how you’ve started, what’s your age and where you’re from. You know, stuff like that… Nicky: I’m tired of the usual stuff ! Let’s talk about something different.

F.R.: O.K., like what ? N.A.: Let’s talk about gaps off roofs.

F.R.: Gaps off roofs ? What about’em ? N.A.: I ’m standing in front of a roof gap right now, it’s about… (three) goddamn high ! I think that if I was to gap off of it I’d be the master of all gaps !

F.R.: Master of all gaps ? Uh ! N.A.: It’s about sayin’what ?

F.R.: Can do that lip over there… N.A.: …that lip right there at the edge, down into the street, nice 900’ to backflip to frontflip…

F.R.: Yeah ! N.A.: I’ve got about enough time to do it, don’t you think ?

F.R.: Pretty much. N.A.: Alright ! My name is Nicky Adams, I’m fifteen years old, born on July 17th1983. I’ve been skating for about four years. I started at Boucherville’s skatepark with my friends, then we started skating for fun in the streets, like jumping over stairs and stuff like that.

F.R.: How did you get so good at transitions ? N.A.: Are you trying to say I’m a park skater ?

F.R.: No, how did that happen ? N.A.: I just skated in skateparks a lot.

F.R.: Yeah ? N.A.: Yeah.

F.R.: Did you do demo’s or something ? Like shows on a vert ramp ? N.A.: Yeah, but it has nothing to do with me being in a skatepark, I was! Yeah ! So I did demo’s on a vert ramp for a while ! O.K. ?

F.R.: (laugh) That was kinda funny ! N.A.: Yeah, so ? What was so funny about it ?

F.R.: I don’t know you, Jon B., Ian, you guys all started on a vert ramp. N.A.: Yeah, so ?

F.R.: But you’re known as street skaters. N.A.: That’s ’cause street skating’s where it’s at. That’s where the most of the stylish skaters are and I consider myself a stylish skater.

F.R.: So why don’t you bring style to the vert ramp ? N.A.: I can but I’m just too lazy.

F.R.: (laugh) So, how does it feel to win the X-Games ? N.A.: I’m rich.

F.R.: (laugh) Are you really ? N.A.: Yeah !

F.R.: You’re rich for a fifteen year’old. N.A.: Yeah, for a fifteen year’old.

F.R.: But I mean how did you feel inside ? N.A.: Oh ! Inside I felt like I was…rich ! No, inside I felt like I was really happy and stuff like that.

F.R.: Stuff like that ? N.A.: Stuff like being happy and jumping around the place, cartweels, stuff like that…

F.R.: You felt it was like a liberating moment for you ? N.A.: Uh…I felt like uh…it was a liberating moment – I didn’t pay attention to your question but its O.K.

F.R.: Come on, give me some material here ! N.A: I don’t know what to talk about ! I’m sick, my stomach hurts.

F.R.: Why does it hurt ? N.A.: ’Cause I drank too much goddamn root beer ! It tasted like crap but I was thirsty. Um…where was I at now ? Come on, refresh me.

F.R.: Liberation… N.A.: What does liberation mean ?

F.R.: You feel like you’ve accomplish something after passing through a hard time and now it’s over. N.A.: Yeah ! I do feel like I have a lot of stress releived off of my shoulders, but now I think I’m gonna have a lot more attention. It’s different, I’m gonna be stressed a lot more because I’m gonna have to do a lot more of these damn interviews. (laugh) No offense !

F.R.: Just explain me what kind of stress you had before and the stress you’re gonna have now. N.A.: In the begining of this year I had to proove myself, more or less being a skater, showing I can do what everybody else can do. I had a bad name so I had to try and clean that up, you know, show everybody that I’m a nice guy and that all I wanna do is skate.

F.R.: And now that you’ve done that ? N.A.: Now that I’ve done that I have to show everybody that I can remain who I was before I won the X-Games and not be a big headed, rich fifteen year’old.

F.R.: Are you up to the challenge ? N.A.: Yeah ! I think I can handle it.

F.R.: So, what are your plans ? N.A.: My plans are that I just keep skating and do interviews, I guess.

F.R.: You feel happy with that ? N.A.: Yeah, I’m happy with that and do contests still.

F.R.: You still like to compete ? N.A.: It’s fun, I like it.

F.R.: Alright, anything you’d like to say ? N.A.: I’d like to say thanks to my mom for supporting me and even though we might get into fights now and then, well I still love her and everything else is all good. Now I gotta go shopping to buy a dog, so I’ll see you guys later.

F.R.: Alright thanks ! N.A.: Bye !