Welcome To The Cult: Paul Du Plessis
I should tell you about Paul’s serious cross-stepping skills, which he only uses to make fun of bamboo skateboards, because he’s PFR like that. I should tell you all this stuff, but I’m not going to, because it’s cheesy and reeks of sop.
Instead I will just say aweh Paul, welcome to the Cult! I am super glad you gravitated towards the Cult in the astral plane. Sometimes the Doctor’s trans-dimensional projections are so strong I struggle to sleep at night. No wonder he found you…
Gehard: First fings first, what setup you running?
Paul: Board: Fibretec Flying Pan top mount.
Footstop: Fat Ant
Trucks: 170mm GOG.
Bushings: soft Fat Ant bushings.
Wheels: Gamma Rays.
G: If you were given a return ticket: what would it be…andes or tibet? (ahem, exploring and shizz)
P: Not so much interested in the whole self-immolation thing so going with the Andes, around the time of the IGSA being around there. Also I have an urge to go do some serious boardwalking on Bolivian salt pans and watch the flowering of the holy cacti.
G: When did you start skating?
P: 12 years ago on a Supermarket plastic-wheeled plank. Then street skating up to 2008 when Chris Lubbe (aka the oracle) invited me for some mild evening longboarding, it’s all clichés from there.
G: For some weird reason you ended first on the SA ranking, granting you the esteemed Popetitle. is there a story behind becoming number one?
P: Some luck, skating all the races fast and enough PFR stickers just to make sure.
Pic by Amaquando
G: Cult’s urethanes are pretty underrated, dirty and just downright awesome. I have many a sleepless night about which 72mm beauty to run on my next session. Don’t know if you have the same problem…without any further ado…horrotica or psychathane?
P: Difficult question Nel. I like Horritica for blasting smooth tar at hyperspeeds, it has that frictionless railed feeling as I’m sure you know. However I will have to go with a sleep deprived psychathane, specifically the Traction Beams. It without doubt grips more and slides further than any of your wheels. Although, the foam frothing from my mouth is in anticipation of the new duro’s, beveled edges and famous names. The holy battle rages on, all we can do is follow the signs and stay true.
G: You have been to Europe twice and competed…I heard a whistle about you hitting the land of cheese, chocolate and Chrigi for a longer period…actually I know all about it, but tell the fans (gromlets and that crazy bitch from Flight of the Conchords) about your plans for Europe this year?
P: I’ve spent winter of 2010/11 over there with our hero, road skating narrow 8 kilometer hairpins on the Italian side of Switzerland with the best! Spent many days staring at carbon and hanging with the friendly legends of Fibretec and finally met Benjamin Malherbe, sic skater from the gardens of Zurich. Overall I felt like a stoked fat kid in a candy store.
Last year I went over for Kozakov (the downhill challenge). We were 6 SA riders at the event, most Saffas ever! The rain and gradient had me looking for my depth, it is an extremely technical course and the average European skates on a completely different level! The people are all friendly, the party is amazing and despite the wet quali’s the race was rad.
When the good marks arrive I plan to finish my law degree at the University of Bern. The semester runs until January 2013. Definitely going to try get to Peyragudes, the track looks ridiculous! Hanging with Ben, Chrigi, Duss, Reinke and chocolate cheese will follow.
G: Your capoeira skills have melted many faces around town. You still rocking those flips?
P: Last time was this weekend when you asked: “Hey Paul, want to risk everything for my entertainment?” I did, and strained my neck. So no.
G: Yoga or tai chi?
P: Chai Tea.
G: Trance, drum and bass or dubstep?
P: Triphop fusionbreakbeat. Also yes.
G: Tell me about longboard Stellenbosch?
P: The oracle made decks in his living room with a heater and hand built press. A few of us went skating every Tuesday night back in 2008 which led to the creation of the group to organize sessions and such. Now there are 500 members and serves as a platform for organizing sessions along with the occasional auction, technical advice, life advice, gnarly media and tasteless ranting. Matt Arderne is largely responsible for the growth of it, that man has a way with internet and words I tell you.
G: In terms of hills to blast, Saffa’s are blessed with a pristine balance between class locations and utter shit (not as bad as the UK, but still close to the worstJ). Tell me about travelling in SA?
P: While on the road I’ve only had good experiences. Travelling here is highly recommended and for the foreign friends considering it, our exchange rate is bitching.
Myself Raoul, Gerhard, Chrigi and Anel just finished a grand 4 day trip into the jungle featuring the sauciest passes, friendly backpackers with marble tabletops, jacuzzi’s and actual hairpins. South Africa’s real corners and smooth tar are few and far between (the patches of utter shit) so to safely push yourself a bit of driving is required.
Travelling isn’t essential for developing your PFR, but then again if it wasn’t for skating we’d need a different excuse to travel. I’m not one for making new excuses…
G: How do you keep bread on the table?
P: Wild rounds of dice with my breakfast until my studies start paying off.
G: Do you like making videos?
P: I like making the odd video yes, creative outputs and all that. Videos are important to the development of the skate scene and should serve as an example of safe riding while still being PFR. Our sport is not the most spectator friendly of sports. Public knowledge of responsible practice is essential for the development of the skating. It is time for people to realize that this isn’t a juvenile phase or a death wish.
The only way this will change is through media that raises awareness of the fact that when on public roads, we are sportsmen taking calculated risks while staying well within our limits. Races are there to be gnarly, looking for the edge and so forth. On open roads and in media it is everyone’s duty to be on their best as we are representing the scene as a whole, we should spread the stoke to everyone.
G: Is duss our hero?
P: If by “our” you mean “everyone’s”, then yes.
G: What is PFR anyway?
P: It is a sticker brand.
G: Pick a number between one and 666?
P: 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288.
G: If this was the apocalypse and you had to bag a sleezy hooker for immortality, would you rather enjoy a Thai ladyboy (womanly curves, but oh so manly) or the R20 Saffa-mama with holes for teeth?
P: Neither, I believe, now with my involvement in the Cult, my prospects on a relaxed afterlife looks promising.
G: Best shoe brand?
P: Fibretec
G: Worst person you know?
P: Gerhard Nel, such a badass.
G: Best meal?
P: Pie.
G: Worst meal?
P: Not Pie. See you around then…
]FN[
Authors: Lloyd
Original article http://firstnature.be/awesome/news/welcome-to-the-cult-paul-du-plessis/
