One of the most impressive skaters in the new crop of pros coming up at the moment has to be Chaz Ortiz. His career took off with an approach from Harold Hunter and although his name has become synonymous with the biggest contests going, he can still nail an amazing video part as witnessed in Zoo York’s 2010 release, State of Mind. Read on for our chat with Ortiz we did for issue 17. We’ve also got two signed

**Chaz Ortiz decks from Zoo York to give away! Check the end of the article for details!**

Author: Steele Saunders
Photos: Sean Cronan

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What are you up to today?
Hanging out. I rolled my ankle a month ago doing a trick down some stairs and I’ve been recovering from that. Other than that just skating and chilling. I’m just waiting for it to heal 100% before I really get back on it.

Did you watch P-Rod’s new part?
Yeah, it was cool. The stuff he does on the street is ridiculous – his new part is sick.

What did you think of the nollie front foot flip and stuff like that that he’s brought back?
Yeah, I think that stuff is cool, like no one really does that… It’s super hard. I think he should keep doing it cause it’s really unique and no one really does it, you know?

It’s quite weird actually. The year that you were born, that was one of the most frowned upon tricks in the world. [Laughs]
[Laughs] Really?

Yeah, it got really big around the start of the 90’s but people didn’t have the style that he (P-Rod) does it with. It was a very frowned upon trick. You weren’t aware of that?
I wasn’t but he makes it look good. I’m sure everyone else thinks it’s cool now. They can’t hate on it too much, you know?

I was just looking at skateboarding in the year you were born – have you ever seen the Girl Skateboards film, Goldfish?
Nah, I haven’t.

You gotta see Goldfish – came out the year you were born. It’s pretty crazy. How did you get into skating?
It was getting popular in my area and my cousins were doing it… I just picked it up and liked it.

How long did it take before you realized that you’re actually kinda good at this?
Ah, when I started entering contests. It’s sort on one of the only times in my life where I’m like ‘this could actually go somewhere’.

Do you remember the first pro that you saw skate?
I’m really into Chad Muska – I kinda had his board and stuff, that was like my first pro board.

I read that Harold Hunter was like one of the first dudes to hook you up?
Yeah, he was at a contest that I was in. He came up to me, him and Jeff Pang and he’s like come and talked to me about Zoo York. I didn’t really know what it was cause I was like really young but they were like ‘we’ll send you boards and stuff’ and I was like okay. It grew from there.

Were there any pros that you grew up in awe of that were totally different to how you expected them to be when you met them?
Yeah, actually. Corey Duffel. He’s turned out to be the nicest dude ever. I just figured he’d be like, whatever, but nah. He’s a really cool kid.

I remember seeing an old photo of Michael Jordan and he had, in his garage, just a massive wall of Gatorades. Do you have a garage for your Gatorades? [Laughs]
[Laughs] I probably have like 50 or 60 cases here. Maybe even more than that. But yeah..

[Laughs] You should open a 711…
I know. Serious. They’ll all be used – obviously when I skate I like to drink that and it’s crazy that I was like one of their first skaters…

Yeah, did you have your own flavor or just a bottle with them?
Yeah, they actually designed me a bottle for when I became officially pro. It had like a picture of me doing a trick on it. It was crazy.

Yeah, that’s insane. Do they still have the glass ones in America that pop when you open them?
I don’t think so.

When they first came out in Australia they came in a glass bottle, not plastic. When you opened it, the lid made like a pop. And that pop was pretty exciting Chaz. [Laughs]
[Laughs] Really?

If you come to Australia, do you get them to send Gatorade’s to your hotel?
Nah, I just kinda drink whatever. But if I really need it I’ll take a few in my suitcase.

I watched your Zoo York video part last night. Super sick. You’re more known as a contest guy – was it a conscious effort to put out a really good part?
I just skated at whatever spot I liked and was just trying to film a trick. I filmed for it for a long time  but it was cool seeing everyones hard work in the one video. And that getting premiered and it was really cool cause you’re with them through the struggles and trying to get a trick, you know what I mean? And like seeing the film and everyone is stoked and it was cool you know to have that feeling. You get to see all the inside stuff that people don’t really notice and when it all comes together, it’s pretty dope.

Are you working on a new part at the moment?
Um, yeah. I’m trying to film a little something. Just trying to put something out soon.

With contests being such a big part of your career, do you think about it the week before or the day before? Or is it just another day of skateboarding?
Nah, it’s just another day you know. I just go out there and skate. But if I’m going street skating, I’ll have certain line tricks that I want to film and get done but other than that… Whatever I’m at, wherever I’m at, I’ll skate it.

I saw a video of Sheckler and Cole practicing at Sheckler’s park before one of the Street League’s. You don’t go to a park and just nail stuff?
Yeah, I just go skate.

What your favorite contest format? We now have the Street League single trick, the jam format or the 50 second run…
Personally I like the jam session. I think it’s more exciting for the crowd. I think I do better in jam than any thing else cause you’re just in the moment trying anything.

It’s definitely the one that leads to the biggest tricks being done. With Street League and your big tricks, have you landed them in practice or do you have a few flicks of it and save the effort of landing it for the actual contest?
No, I practice them all and make sure I’ve got them down before I go into a section. I didn’t really try any mega hard tricks, I just tried hard tricks I knew I could do consistently.

I’m sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times about the crooked grind at the end of the second leg of Street League. You seemed not that bothered about it in the interview afterwards?
I was still getting used to the format – I knew what was going on but its hard when you’re in the moment and you kinda have a set an example, you have you behave, you know? [Laughs] I didn’t let it bother me. There’s always the next one.

When I saw the interview I was like ‘Oh, man’, I’m 34 and I would have been crying on the ground getting Dyrdek’s DC’s wet with tears… I was like, man, this guy is handling it pretty well…
Yeah, no I’m not concerned with winning just now. I’ve got plenty of years ahead of me and I’m just skating.

True, obviously you’re in the contest with guys like Koston that have been pro longer than you have been alive. Do you find that weird at all?
Not really, I think it’s cool that I’m one of the youngest cause I’m here with the best skaters there are. I mean, I can’t complain.

Have you ever seen The Life of Ryan?
Yeah…

Aside from his bizarre private life, when you watch how busy he is at the X Games with interviews and endorsement deals, etc. Do you watch that and think it’s crazy or do you see that as being your life as well?
Yeah, I mean, that is my life too. It’s crazy. There’s the stuff you gotta do behind closed doors and when you go out there, it’s go time. You gotta put all that other stuff aside and just skate – do what you’re there to do. And just have fun.

What’s planned for over the holidays?
Just hang out with the family and get back into skating other than that… Just living and having fun.

Any plans to come to Australia any time soon?
Hopefully I’ll get to come out there on a tour or a trip or something. I’d like to see it, I hear so much about it cause a lot of skaters have been there so hopefully soon.

Cause you’ve never been here yeah?
No, I haven’t.

To WIN one of two signed Chaz Ortiz decks, all you need to do is click here and send us the name of one of Chaz Ortiz’s three team mates on Zoo York? It’s only an easy google away. Make sure you include a postal address so we can send you the deck if you’re a winner. Good luck!