Chris Oliver

More about Chris Oliver

Speciality

Skate

Sponsors

Vans, Blind Skateboards, Venture Trucks, Ricta Wheels

Recent awards won

Relentless Energy Drink NASS 2010

Starting out

Well like a lot of cases I’m a sticks-to-the-city case. I started skating around 1995. I grew up in a small town in Dorset called Bridport right on the sea; a town where you either grow up or retire. There’s not much else going for it in the middle part of your life where you’re supposed to be all important and responsible…unless your only plan in life is to literally reproduce and claim benefits or work in a supermarket and get burdened with marriage to a bird you met on the Deli counter, then on that hand it’s got all you need: Weatherspoons, Morrisons, baby shops and estate agents.

It was just me and a couple of mates for years skating down the local coachpark. It was the smoothest place in town and that was only due to all the oil from the buses over the years. I don’t even know why I kept it up; I must have just loved it.

The road to success

When I started skating I didn't have a clue about sponsorship or contests, unlike today where kids - and dads especially - see skateboarding as a potentially profitable business if you like, and it all gets a bit pushy parenty. Forget skateschools; all you had then was a VHS video to watch and learn - and not in the form of skate tips, just savage street manoeuvres. All I knew then was that I enjoyed skating most of the time, so I never really stopped. I want to say snowballing without sounding like a *&*#,  but there were definitely some flatspots and wheelbites for my snowball to overcome, but there’s always more snow on the next hill.

Career highlight to date

Well I haven’t got my condo in Hawaii as of yet - I've only just got a car worth a bit of waxing and that’s 10 years old. But in the terms of success I'd say not having a 9-5 job for the time of my skateboard life and getting paid to travel is definitely up there for sure, along with meeting new skaters form different countries with the same common grounds.

I'd say the 2 year period of a Spanish company I rode for a few years back, basically travelling round pretty much the whole of Spain in the back of a Corsa stopping in every town in search of skate spots to film for a video part - that’s when it really felt like a job as such that I enjoye. Apart from the not understanding anyone around me could sometimes get a bit tedious. Luckily I’m a keen fan of my own company so siestas were a blessing.

Winning the UK Championships was quite a touch too.

Quote that inspires me

 ‘Money don’t make my world go round, I’m reaching out to a higher ground,’ Des'ree.

Motto I live by

Don’t be a pigeon to religion, vision your own decision, the voice in your head isn’t God, you’re just mental.

If I wasn't...

Probably one of those people who pretend they skate, possibly learn to film skating just to hang with the cool kids because that’s the only way you can clarify your rubbishness at your obsession, or maybe date a female skater who knows some cooler kids in which case you probably wouldn't be dating her. Kind of like a fat dude who’s passionate about football and knows nothing else, acts like he knows all about the tactics of  football when in reality he gets out of breath going to the loo and has really poor blood levels. But I'd say over all its more likely I'd be a humble carpenter still loving what I do for a living, as the way it should be.