– Why did you choose skateboarding and not baseball, football or hockey?
“When I was growing up, everyone around me used skateboards. I thought it was cool and started riding with them. And so it went. Then I couldn’t help myself (smiles).
– You have both American and Russian citizenship at the same time. How was it?
– My mother is in Russia – St. Petersburg, but moved to America about 30 years ago. All my mother’s relatives live in Russia. I was born in Las Vegas myself, but my mother gave me Russian citizenship when I was ten so I could come here safely and see my family.
Where do you currently live and study?
– In Los Angeles. The world’s best skaters train here in California. At least many of them.
Why did you decide to represent the Russian national team at the international level?
– I just felt it was right, because my mother is from Russia, my roots are from this country, and I grew up in a home of Russian culture. That’s why it seemed right to me to represent Russia (Martinez he wrote himself He was asked to represent our country in the social networks of the Russian Skateboarding Federation and – socialbites.ca).
— When did you first come to Russia?
“When I was ten years old. It was then that I saw my grandmother and other relatives for the first time from my mother’s side. And I was 19 when I first came to Russia for a skateboarding competition. Then I already participated in the European Championship as part of the Russian team.
— What did you think about Russia before you came here? Did you have any stereotypes?
– Actually not (smiles). When I come to Russia, everything around me does not seem crazy. When I was growing up, I talked to my mother the most, and she told me a lot. So everything seemed normal to me in Russia.
– You have been representing the Russian national team for three years. What are your impressions of working with our country’s Skateboarding Federation?
– The Russian Skateboarding Federation supports me a lot and helps me in everything. If I need anything, I’m sure I can always call people from the Federation and ask for help. These guys have been such good friends to me the whole time we were on the same team. I met a lot of great people in the Russian team who treated me great. I have absolutely nothing to complain about.
– You won the Russian Skateboarding Championship and the Strongest Spartakiad this year. It seems you are effortlessly the best skater in our country. How would you rate the current level of skateboarding in Russia?
– The level is awesome! I think our guys are good skaters, but there is definitely room for improvement. There are very good athletes, but we need to develop the infrastructure for skateboarding, make it more developed, build more skate parks. All this will inspire children to skateboard, ride with friends. However, the skating scene is already growing in Russia and I think it will continue to evolve: more and more men will skate and compete.
The skateboarding scene in Russia right now is certainly not small, but it’s not huge yet.
— You took part in the Grand Skate Tour organized by the Russian Skateboarding Federation in Moscow this fall. Many foreigners came and you finished second only to Argentinian Matias Del Ollo. What are your impressions of the tournament?
The Big Skateboarding Tour was amazing. I enjoyed it immensely and had a lot of fun. The organization and venue of the entire tournament — VDNKh Park — was simply amazing! That was nice. It was really fun to ride with the guys from Europe. And in general, I met people from all over the world – including Africa and Iran. It was even cool to see how spread out the skateboard was.
– Unfortunately, Russian athletes are no longer allowed to participate in official international competitions. Maybe the Russian team will miss the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, what are your thoughts on this situation?
“I understand why this happened.
For me personally this is a bad situation but there is nothing we can do about it. There are more serious issues on the agenda than skateboarding. I hope everything works out, the political issues are resolved and we still have a good ending.
There are not many international competitions at the moment and we still have time to reclaim our rights. I would like to participate in all international tournaments but if not allowed, I understand why.
– Not long ago, the main issue in Russia was partial mobilization, and several famous athletes received a summons, and some went to the army. Did you think you might be called too?
The thought of this flashed in my head. Many people were horrified by the prospect – and so was I. But in the end, I don’t think it’s true. Yes, theoretically there is such a possibility, but I still do not think that I will be chosen among many people because I am a US citizen and born there.
– Have you thought about changing the national team and starting to represent the USA?
— No, I didn’t really think about it (smiles).
You are a strong skater and many national teams want you.
– Probably yes. But I cannot change my roots. My family comes from Russia. Here is my second family. And I find it right to represent this country. My aunt, my mother’s sister, came to Moscow in September to see how I skate. She spent a few days with me.
How was it talking to your Russian aunt?
— Oh, it’s hard (laughs). I had to translate a lot.
However, I learned a lot of Russian words in Russia recently – more than ever before. And at least for the first time I was able to say something to my aunt in Russian and she understood and answered me. Yes, it was a small talk, but it was still a conversation anyway! Very cool.
Although I still think I am fluent in Russian, I am already making progress.
– You have a nickname in the skateboarding community – Russian Spy. Did you find this yourself?
– Not really. My friend from the skateboard scene started calling me that and it stayed that way. Now people call me that. I don’t care – great (smiles).
– And Russian skaters call you Vanya, the Russian version of your name.
– Yes. When I was growing up, my mom always called me Vanya, so it’s natural for me.
You were working as a courier in Los Angeles to make a living. Are you still continuing?
– No, I’m not working anymore, I’m skateboarding. Sponsors support me.
You are also very popular on TikTok.
Yes, something like that (laughs).
— But you cannot upload videos during those months when you are in Russia.
— Yes, it is blocked in Russia. But it didn’t become a big problem. I just inserted an American sim card and was able to sit on TikTok. Only the implementation was very slow so it was a long process (laughs).
– When will you come to Russia next time?
– I do not know. They usually tell me a week before the trip. Maybe I’ll come next month, maybe six months from now.
Finish a few projects while I plan to work on a few videos with my tricks. And keep training, get fit, participate in competitions, have a good start to the next year.