Tag: Christian Pelz

The lovely Catherine Marquis hit us up saying she had a part dropping and if we would like to support her by doing a little post about it. “Sure,” we said, “Do you want to tell the people something about this part as well?” KT did and as such here is what she had to say:

So originally, this part should have been out in 2018. I used to be on the German Olympic team for some time and they did not like me to skate street, being that I was on the Park Team. So time to film was sparse and we kinda forgot about the project. But we picked up filming for it again at the end of last year because I got kicked from the team (laughs).

My part was filmed all over Europe, but mostly in Germany, we did fly to the US to get some clips real quick. That’s where we randomly visited a Kaleidoscope museum in some old Arizona ghost town. That’s where I got the Kaleidoscope shots filming through different kaleidoscopes and logically the part has gotten its name that day we spent there „KaleidosKT“.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the part!

When you have two friends, one is from Stuttgart and one from Barcelona, who both happen to be skateboarders, the obvious decision would be, to go skate in Barcelona. The two following individuals decided to do it the other way around and skate Stuttgart. Hence, we’re happy to share with you: „VAMOS AL LA Stuttgart“ a video filmed by Christian Pelz and produced by Torsten Frank. We decided to get some behind the scenes information on the project from Andrea Benitez and Catherine Marquis, the main characters in the video. Read down below, to find out what both of them have been up to in Stuttgart and what they‘ve got in store for us in the near future.

Intro by Moritz Alte.
Interviews by Roland Hoogwater.
Photography by Gonzalo Gonzalez de Vega.

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ANDREA:

Hey Andrea hope you are well? First question, how did this all begin?
Hey, I‘m good thanks, how about you? So, Catherine and I had been running into each other at contests for a while, but we really became friends in Nanjing China. At some point, during the event, we ended up having beers in the streets together. We talked about a lot of things, but the conclusion was, that we should get together, skate and film some stuff. We felt, that our styles really fit together even though, she is rather known for skating transition and I am more of a street skater. So the short version is that she talked to Torsten (Frank) and I talked to my TM in Spain. they both liked our idea and arrangements were made. Things looked to go quite easy, but my first flight got cancelled and as a result, our trip went from 6 to 5 days.

So you lost a day?
Yes, that worried me. I thought to myself, what can I do within five days? I did get the money back though and in the end, the result was pretty satisfying.

What was the crew like and how did Paddy (Patrick Zentgraf) get involved?
The squad consisted of Chris, Cathy’s boyfriend, who filmed, as well as Gonzalo, Lea Schairer (no tricks in the video) and Rosa. Gonzalo actually lives in Stuttgart and he just came with us to chill and took some photos. I actually didn‘t know Paddy before, but now he is my bud (laughs). We became friends after just minutes. He is really cool, he was pushing us to skate at our best.

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Looking at the video, it seems like you guys had an amazing time but what was the vibe actually like?
It felt super pure to me, we just went skating together and we didn’t plan that much. My mindset was basically like, go to Germany, film some clips and skate spots that I like.

Did you like the spots? Stuttgart is quite different from Barcelona, don’t you think?
In Barcelona, we have spots everywhere, but I liked the spots in Stuttgart. They were not that far from one another and the type of spots we skated were fun spots, stuff you can get creative on. Except for that last hubba, that was kind of high. It was getting pretty late and I was super tired, but when I got there I really wanted to get the clip. The try that I landed, a few old people walked by and they started cheering for me. The whole thing was pretty funny, because it was a small village, in the middle of nowhere.

What was a highlight for you in Stuttgart?
Too many things happened, but there was one that stood out: We were out in the cornfields taking pictures for my mom and the car was parked. I left my coffee open in the car and then a car came driving up. Cathy got stressed and moved the car. And all I was thinking about was, that my coffee got spilt all over the car. But Cathy came back and did not say anything. So I went to check the car and my coffee was still there, in exactly the same position, I left it in.

This might be the first Adidas backed video project focussed on women in Europe right?
Yes, it is, they did projects in the US though. But this one is special because we created this ourselves, nobody told us to do anything. It is all us. I feel like that is the state of women in skateboarding right now, we are starting things and building structures as we go on.

Do you think that the Olympics are a good platform for female skaters to present themselves on?
The Olympic games as a platform are a great opportunity, equality for women and men (equal pay). But a lot of this is about time, I think, it just takes time. I choose to ignore the bullshit. Through the years, I‘ve broken many bones and entered many discussions, even with my own family. I also almost failed my studies. All of this because of skateboarding. Just like all skaters, I suffered a lot and loved it. That is what makes me a skateboarder. It is one of the things, that I am sure of.

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Are we going to see a second part to this video?
I have been very busy since this trip to Germany, I went on a tour with Asiplanchaba (a female-focussed skateboard website) and we filmed a little video for that. And after that, I flew to the states to film for Bones. But yeah it would be sick to do a second part.

I guess we are going to be seeing a lot more of you in the future then?
Yes, good things are coming, I‘ve been skating for so long, for like 15 years. A lot of things are changing now, I am doing my last course before I finish my studies and I will officially be an electrical engineer.

I will keep my fingers crossed, thanks for getting in touch Andrea!

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CATHERINE
What can you tell me about this project you did with Adidas, how did it come together.
The idea started at the Far N’ High contest in Paris (both remember it differently), where we met each other for the second time. In Paris, we skated the city together and basically hung out the entire time. At some point, we started noticing that we have a lot of the same sponsors, which led us to think of the video idea. We stayed in touch and Andrea planned to visit me in Stuttgart.

As a friend visiting a friend?
Yes and then she came up with the idea to ask our sponsors for support. Initially, Torsten was supposed to film the clip but since he was on a Trip, Chris got involved. Torsten then suggested that we could include Patrick Zentgraf in it as well. Which was cool, Paddy likes to be involved in these sort of things.

Is there any standout moment of those 5 days that you want to talk about?
Andrea‘s mother watches German shows on television and we passed by a cornfield and made us stop the car so she could have a little photo shoot. (Landdoktor/Schwarzwald Klinik)

You also mentioned something about a song that you recorded for the video?
Yeah, we recorded one together, but unfortunately, it ended up not making the cut.

So, are there plans for you to return the favour and visit Andrea?
No solid plans, but we do want to visit her in Barcelona, it could be cool to do it as a series. We‘ll see, it is always fun to do stuff together.

Will Chris be involved too?
Yeah probably, I can’t seem to get rid of him (laughs).

What is he up to these days?
He‘s sitting next to me and is editing a video. I am also working on a new VX part with, which will be finished soon.

Chris, can I ask you, how does it feel to be out there, getting clips with your girlfriend?
Chris: It is very interesting to see what she can and is doing nowadays. It isn‘t like at the beginning where she would quit sooner. Filming her can be a test of patience because she wants to do crazy tricks and progress all the time. She‘s not that easily satisfied.

Catie: I never gave up (laughs). But I will admit that I threw a fit, got angry and at times cried when I could not land a trick. So it was crazier than he is portraying it as (laughs).

A question for you both, did you ever consider doing a couples part? It might be corny but it could also be cool.
Chris: We did think about it but as you said it could get too corny.

Catie: We did film a lot, he films me I film him, but he never wants to take the time to edit his
footage.

Chris: I like to edit her stuff more than mine. But we did think of making a video with both of us in it but a shared “couples part” sounds a bit too cheesy.

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Talking about contests, just like Andrea, you‘re involved with the Olympic Games, what does that Olympic experience mean to you?
Free travel basically. They approached me and I liked the opportunity, who would say no to that? It can lead to new experiences and opportunities, that I might otherwise not have.

Understandable, but what does that mean, what do they expect from you?
Well, I basically have to skate more contests. For example on 22nd October, I’m flying to the US, to skate in a contest. But it definitely has advantages. After the contest, I’m going to stay in the states for a bit and have some time to skate and have cool experiences.

R: What do you think about the current state of girls in skateboarding? Do you think this project/video that you guys created can be seen as a milestone? For me it doesn’t really matter, I want to skate with people. Even though Andrea, Rosa and I are girls, it was not a choice or a statement it just happened.
Gender isn‘t a conscious factor in skateboarding for me.

Maybe that is the way it goes? Filming a video with the homies, as you did, is a core factor of being a skateboarder don’t you think?
Personally, I think filming is the most enjoyable. On the contrary, contests can be rough at times. I was pretty frustrated during the German Championships, but a lot of the times big contest can also be fun.
I try to skate both, street and bowl.

Even though people see me as a bowl skater, at some of these contest I have placed above some of the other “street skating” girls. For instance, in Nanjing (China) I was the highest placed German woman, in the street event (laughs). The point is that I want to skate it all. I even skate vert, when I feel like it and other days I will focus on learning new flip tricks. It depends on my mood and I don’t want to pigeonhole myself.

Thanks, Cathy I think that is a nice quote to end it on! Thanks for getting in touch with us to do this interview.

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Two weeks ago “Dit is Berlin” started.  Both episode 1 and episode 2 were well received, to say the least, Niels Bennett even made it into the coveted Quartersnacks top 10.

But all things must come to a close, even the good things. Our closing argument for these series features the entire German part of the adidas team. Guys and girls like Tjark Thielker, Phil Anderson, Catherine Marquis, Valeri Rosomako, Eric Erhardt, Daniel Ledermann, Philip Oehmige, Patrick Zentgraf, Sandro Trovato & Jost Arens all skated our city in their own way.

Some even (temporarily) moved here in the process of making this series but all seemed to find their own way. The high spot count and different configurations of certain spots definitely shows what happens when skaters have loads of time and no police to kick you out!

Another highlight for us is Catherine Marquis a.k.a. @Yung_k_t who we featured on our website a while back. It is great to see the /// putting support behind one of Germany’s most promising female prospects and we are waiting to see more of her in the future.

As the series ends would like to thank adidas skateboarding for the support! All the skaters for their input, hard work and sweat. And not to forget Jon Wolf and Torsten Frank who documented it all for your viewing pleasure.  Now go watch the newest and latest episode of “Dit is Berlin”!

Last week we launched our new “Dit is Berlin” series which started off with Philip Oehimige and Eric Erhardt. Both managed to set a strong precedent with their episode.

Today it is time for the second episode featuring two of  Norway’s finest: Magnus Bordewick and Marcus Shaw who both hail from Oslo. The latter willfully started a line with pushing switch mongo and then at the end of the line reverting to regular switch push. Some pretty OG Guy Mariano type of stuff, who happens now to be on the same team as Magnus.

Pol Catena and Niels Bennett hold their own and pull out some pretty tech moves. At times Niels is like a young Mark Suciu – in our book a major compliment!  Another fun fact about Niels is that he talks German fluently. Finally, somebody’s mixed American /// German heritage paid off. Trust us it made his life considerably easier during his time in Germany’s capital.

Next week on Wednesday we will be dropping the final episode of “Dit is Berlin” for you. Featuring the likes of Valle Rosomako, Tjark Thielker, Daniel Ledermann and many others.

We would like to thank adidas skateboarding for the support now go watch the newest episode of “Dit is Berlin”!

Today we are proud to present our new series called “Dit is Berlin”, a series consisting of three episodes featuring the /// striped squad.

This summer the adidas team rented out a house in the German capital. Over the course of multiple weeks, an ever-changing group of guys and girls went out with Jon Wolf and Torsten Frank to skate, hang out and of course film. Seemingly as locals, hanging out together with the locals while exploring the city by bike, as Berliners do themselves.

Our first episode focusses on two newer faces, first up is Philip Oehmige. A young Berlin local who knows the city by hand. It is not easy to do new things in your own town but there are some definite surprises in the video.

The second skater may need an introduction for all of you non-German readers. Eric Erhardt is a new face, one to remember. Eric put his best foot forward and came through with some pretty exciting NBD’s on some of the cities most skated spots. We don’t want to spoil it all but he brought home the bacon.

The up and coming episodes of “Dit is Berlin” will show a mixed crew consisting of some of adidas’ Berlin-based team riders and other people that came through and stayed in the apartment. These sessions resulted in 3 episodes documenting skaters like Magnus Bordewick, Marcus Shaw, Niels Bennett as well as German guys like Tjark Thielker, Valerie Rosomako and more.

Starting today every week on Wednesday we will be dropping a new episode for your eyes to enjoy.

We would like to thank adidas skateboarding for the support now go watch “Dit is Berlin”!