Freeskate Mashup Video: Making of

As mentioned in a previous entry where I presented the teaser, a new video is coming! I am proud to present you FREESKATE MASHUP, my latest video, released last Thursday as part of the UFO Urban Freeskate Online contest organized by Online-Skating.com.

"A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING"

Let's keep it very simple. The point of the UFO contest was to re-boost a long-gone skating video genre which saw the light in 2002 with the mythical ROB video, and was followed by many others as soon as 2003, thanks to yearly contests organized by late RollerFR.net. Other websites followed the move, especially CSK (now Kompakombo) with slalom video contests, the first edition dating back to 2005. That auspicious period for freeskate and old school freestyle online videos ran out of steam by the end of the 2000's.

Ich bin eine Berlinerin

After a three-month break that turned into a five-month break in Bordeaux, having left our Parisian appartment in early May, we have finally reached our final destination and our new home for a while: BERLIN.

HOW DID WE COME TO THAT?

A wind of change had been blowing on us for some time and we finally yielded to it earlier this year, feeling it was time for new adventures. At first we had set our minds on Montréal but it proved to be a bit tricky and quite a huge move for a first home out of France. Indeed I'm used to travel a lot around the globe, but I'd always had a French pied-à-terre -- until now.

Then I had a conversation that aroused my attention during my trip to the 2013 Eroc... Thinking it over and together with Wonka (and Deven the cat) we found that it was an excellent compromise, not too far but not too close, a little exotic but not too much, new but known... and we immediately launched our organization program:

B612 Photoshooting by ArtyChaut.com

A couple of months ago I was contacted on facebook by an illustrator/photographer who asked me if she could shoot me on quad skates. I usually consider those kinds of proposals as long as the people seem to be of sound mind. As a matter of fact she did, so I said yes.

We met once for a drink, then a second time for scouting, although neither of us usually do that: the first go is often the good one, more natural. Still we wanted some special weather conditions (a bright sun would be welcome), so we patiently waited for the right moment.

Our first common wish - we had the same idea separately - was to shoot on the water mirror of the docks of Bordeaux. It's a childhood dream to make a splash on rollerskates, and water is an interesting and uncommon element to work with (especially with skates).

FMyLife #8

-- Last and (hopefully) final episode of a loooong headbanging story: Validating my third stay in rehab!

By the way, when I talk about rehab, I mean physiotherapy! I clarify it here because it put me into funny situations. Like that time when the organizer of the World Freestyle Skating Championships confessed to me that she had been quite shocked to learn about my rehab adventures: she had understood alcohol and drugs. FYI I judged 90% of the competition...

In my last FMyLife post about it, I recounted the episode of the phone call to my insurance when they innocently asked me if I wanted an official paper vouching for the tacit agreement of their medical control.

I was naive enough to assume that my days of fighting were finally over.

Chapter #1: The Downward Spiral.

Last week, the medical control called me again and told me that:

"Hi... err... I was calling to tell you that the operator who anounced you that your file was validated... well, she misinterpreted the data on her computer. It is just said that the medical control saw your request. Not that they agreed to it. But here's their number, so call them maybe."

Alright. Here we go again.

A great gift.



Kami Graphy -- Jan. 3, 2009.

I was given a great gift yesterday:

I am currently spending one week in Bordeaux and last evening I saw my longstanding friend and first skate sponsor, Kami, who offered me that amazing poster print of a photo he had taken on a freezing winter night on my secret spot some years ago. On January 3rd, 2009 exactly... Unexpected. Feeling (once again) very moved. Blasts from the past have become a bit too much frequent lately...!

RELATED LINKS:

• FFRS Membership: From freestyle to derby...

• Kamigraphy Flickr
• Complete shooting session

I Left My Heart in Team France

It was the name of the event organized by the Petites Morts of Bordeaux to raise funds for the French Team (btw, if you feel like donating go there) in order to help the players and coaches for their expenses at the Derby World Cup in Toronto next week!

The leagues which had players in the French Team

organized fund-raising events.

The Paris RollerGirls made the most of Halloween to throw a "Play Dead or Play Derby" party at Les Filles de Paris, with music -- Skarface (Ska) and DJ Set Dorian Darner (Electro-Rock) & Black Sifichi (Electro), with scary costumes, drinks, cupcakes, surprises and all.

French Connection

Roller Derby Toulouse 

Presents...

Bordeaux Vs. Paris Vs. Toulouse

We spent the weekend in Toulouse for the FRENCH CONNECTION: the event included a derby tournament gathering the Petites Morts of Bordeaux, the Nothing Toulouse, and the Paris RollerGirls on Saturday, as well as a workshop led by Lola Vulkano and Sky Rockit of the LondonRollerGirls on Sunday.

I changed mode of transport twice before deciding how I would go to Toulouse. I was meant to go by bus from Paris with the 50 PRG going on Friday night. Then, in-between, I decided to spend the previous week in Bordeaux. Bordeaux being 2:30 far from Toulouse, it was a waste of time and money to go back to Paris to take the 10hr.bus. I changed my Bordeaux-Paris Train ticket into a Bordeaux-Toulouse… but then the Petites Morts told me that they had one place left in their cars to go together on Saturday morning. I cancelled my train ticket for good and I hit the road with them.

The venue was in the suburb of Toulouse, in a Leisure Base called La Ramée but nicknamed the Lung of Toulouse: it’s green everywhere and there’s a huge lake. We finally arrived after 22 humps on the Leisure Base Road.

Bordeaux RollerGirls: Les Petites Morts

This week I was in Bordeaux, my hometown, to rehearse and record with my band Akouphën. I made the most in poping to Bordeaux's practices.
 

That's kind of funny because I wouldn't have moved to Paris, I would belong to that team...
 

I attended two of their practices on the docks at the hockey rink *memories*, showed them some off-skates exercises and on-skates drills. Nice!

Bons Baisers de Paris

Paris RollerGirls (121-22) Bordeaux Petites Morts

April 30th, 2011 / Paris.

We had our very first bout on Apr.30, in Nanterre at our gym, against the Bordeaux Rollergirls aka Les Petites Morts. And it was awesome.

 

We had been preparing a lot for D-Day, training 4 times a week at least. We were seeing each other almost every day for scrimmaging, rehearsing strategies, improving skating skills... and every one of us got striken by the frenzy of collecting everything that's blue. Haha! Obsessed!

 

I think almost every single PRG got involved in the organization of the bout. We had girls for the tickets, the merch store, the lottery, the refreshments, people filming and photographying. We made a big banner Paris Brings the Passion with my girl Wheely Wonka, and the flag with the help of Whisky Mamy!!

 

The media showed up too: We had television (TF1 and M6) and magazines (Elle, Les Inrocks).

See Inrocks Article (FRA).

 

300 people had reserved their tickets but luckily not everyone came, which was better for security. However the tier was full.We didn't deceive our supporters and offered them a great win!