Europe
North & South America
Oceania
Name: Bill Stoppard
Current Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Current Skate Setup: Crossfire or Twister
Explain the feeling you had the first time you put on skates.
The first time I thought; why are these so much harder than rollerskates? The second time I was like, this is crazy, I can fly, this can’t be real!!
What is your inspiration to keep skating?
The way it makes me feel. When I come back from a city skate and feel like nobody on the planet has ever cut though the city like that. It’s a feeling that is accessible to many because our styles are so deeply personal and unique. I’ve played many sports and none of them satisfy me as much as what I see and feel when I’m skating.
We truly believe skating makes a better world. How do you think skating makes the world a better place?
It’s a profoundly primal connection to what we are, animals that only want to play. As individuals we’re all happier after intense or artful exertion. Socializing through play creates a next level bond, that I wish I could experience with everyone.
How do you keep progressing and reinventing yourself?
I don’t really ever feel the need to reinvent myself, but I do like to explore and expand who I am. I get very excited when I change my mind on something. When I learn a skill that I’ve previously dismissed, and integrated it usefully into my skating the ‘levelling up’ factor is so tangible and fulfilling. It’s quite rare but enough to keep me going. Every new thing on skates gives me the chills.
What’s the most helpful tip you want to share with any skater?
Stay low, it’s everything. Power, balance, speed, reaction time, absorption and safety are all enhanced by skating super crazy low.
Imagine a world filled with animals who can skate. If you could be any of those animals what would you be and why?
I used to think jaguar, but their lateral mobility and rotations would suck. I’d want to be a silverback. They have naturally great skating posture and an intimidation factor that would gain me a little more room on the street.
