WATCH OUT FOR UP AND COMING SKATER PETRUTZ DIATCU

the japanese say: fall down seven times, stand up eight. that could be petrutz’ middle name.

i discovered him last year, quiet and nearly invisible during a skate contest i happened to stumble upon in my park. he was only 16, but totally on top of my list, all cool and full of promise. sometimes, it’s easy to see in the future.

by chance, i have recently met him and, soon after, i asked him to answer a few of my questions:

please tell me about your self.

i’m a high school student (11th grade) and a skater. i go to this economics high-school, i study to become some sort of tourist agent. but i don’t really want to do that later. i’d rather become a casino dealer. or a pro skater.

what is eroilor mafia?

it’s a skate crew. nicky recruited us all and he’s in charge of it (he edits filmed footage, makes and sells teeshirts, etc). we’re aiming to become the top skate crew in romania.

what are your biggest achievements?

i haven’t had any great achievement so far. it’s more my personal satisfaction when i’m one of the top 3.

how do you train?

well, now that school has started, i have less time, so i ride in the mornings, by myself, in a park near my apartment. but i spend the weekends skating with my friends.

do you do anything else for warming up? like jump rope or stretching?

if i do stairs, 7-8-9 stairs, i need to stretch a little beforehand. but usually i just warm up by riding, there’s no need for anything else.

favourite tricks?

nollie crooked, tre flips, i don’t know. anything that feels right when i do it.

do you change your favourites?

well, in order to do them right, you need to do them every day. so, after i do what i planned to do for the day, i finish by trying out new ones.

so, do you ever change your favourite tricks or not?

if it’s a competition, i’ll do whatever feels better, depending on the skate park.

future plans?

i’d like to keep on skating, doing card tricks and probably move to some other country.

aren’t there any chances for skaters in romania?

perhaps some energizing drink could sponsor me, pay me some salary to ride full time. i don’t know exactly what the options are.

how old can one be before giving up skating?

in romania, i don’t know. but in america, there are some 50-year olds still doing it. there, if you’re a pro skater, you’re a pro skater for life.

so skating is the only way for you?

yeah, i don’t know. i like playing with the cards, too, but i like skating more.

are you afraid you’ll fall and hurt yourself?

well, yeah, but it’s gotta happen sooner or later. you cannot keep your concentration at all times.

do you have time left for any other hobby?

yeah, i play with the cards. i mix them up, i do flourishes, that’s what they’re called. card manipulation.

how do you get along with your brother? (top skater marius diatcu)

fine, most of the times. he gets mad when i borrow his stuff though.

do you ever calculate your tricks beforehand or do you just go and do it?

i just do it, like i feel it. no calculations. but i do adjust my moves so that i can nail the trick.

do you have a sponsor?

yeah, eroilor mafia. it does things for us: trips, teeshirts, etc. and kult.

how comes skaters changed their shoes? they used to be much thicker. is it a fashion thing?

somehow. but the new ones help you get a better feel of the board. the downside is that they’re over after 2-3 weeks of skating.

when did you start skating?

about 4 years ago. but it was on and off, because of school.

what are your favourite spots?

i like skate parks. but the ones that are well taken care of, not all of them. the one in tineretului, for instance, they invested 200,000 euro in it and it’s useless. it’s just not well made. the one in ior park is the best, they have just fixed it up recently so right now it’s the best.

i like skating in the street as well, but the good spots are usually guarded and we get kicked out.

i would like to go to barcelona: they have a lot of good spots and the whole city is a slope.