NASS 2018 with Alfie Mills

So NASS went down a short while ago and we had our very own Enuff rider Alfie Mills at the festival for the entire weekend. Here's what he tought of the 2018 fectival of skateboarding!

Firstly Alfie how are you? You’ve just spent a weekend in the hot sun, skating hard and watching some awesome competitions how are you feeling after all that? 

Amazing Thanks. I’m very tired but it was a great weekend.

How was your journey down to NASS? Did you have to travel far and who accompanied you on the road?

I travelled down with my Mum, she picked me up from school at 12.45 after my last mock exam. When I got there my Dad had already set up camp and decorated it as it was my Birthday.

What was the campsite like and did you stay in a van or tent for the weekend? You had athletes camping right, did you see or bump into any of the top flight of British skateboarding we heard that even Andrew Reynolds was kicking around the grounds somewhere.

The site was great we were in a tent. I spoke to loads of amazing skaters most I’ve met before but it’s always good to catch up. Mr Reynolds was there I spoke to him a few times and he signed my Thrasher magazine and got a photo with him.

Who did you camp up with at NASS? Did you have a good crew of guys together? Did anything crazy go down in the evenings that you can talk about or is that kept between friends?

Our crew were amazing we had such a laugh our area had a hammock, swing and a paddling pool. We had a big water fight with a bunch from Brighton. As far as the evening is concerned what happens at Nass stays at Nass!

Unfortunately you didn’t get to compete this year but did you ever find yourself on the main course? Even if you didn’t how did it look from the stands, do you think the course was an improvement on previous years?

I managed to skate the main park a few times but unfortunately, I had a slam on the first night on the pump track and had to have 3 stitches in my chin, so I was a bit cautious after that. As far as the course is concerned I think it was better than previous years.

How were the public parks to skate? We saw some clips you put on Instagram, it looks like you managed to get in there and skate without it being too busy. Did you have a go on the vert at all this year and how was the skating to watch there?

The public park was the best it’s ever been I managed to get a run on it before I split my chin. I didn’t skate the vert but I watched the comps and there was some crazy stuff going down!

How was the standard of competition in your eyes? What was the best trick or tricks you saw go down and who do you think deserved to win the whole thing?

The standard was through the roof! There were so many tricks it’s hard to pick just one. My favourite skater was Aaron Jago he’s so consistent and covers the whole course.

Away from skating what was going on? What did you get up to in the evenings and did you even get across to the music stage and catch some live tunes?

In the evening I wandered around with mates watching different things. I saw some great music, Run Dmc, De La Soul, Ocean Wisdom and others.

What are your goals now for the rest of the year? Do you have any competitions coming up that you are looking to take part in or any new sections you’re working on?

I’m looking forward to competing in the Don’t Rain New Forest skate series starting on the 22nd July. And I’m always working on new tricks to film.

As always it’s been great catching up with you Alfie. Is there anyone you would like to thank before we sign off?

There’s so many amazing people around me I’d like to thank too many to list. But I’d just like to thank them all for the ongoing encouragement and friendship (You know who you are)! Skating is an awesome way of meeting people and I feel so lucky to have it in my life.

Until next time Alfie!!

NASS 2018 with Roxana Howlett

Another NASS festival has come and gone and we are going to catch up with young Roxana Howlett to see how she got on!!

Hi Roxana how are you? Another NASS festival is over for another year how was your experience this time round?

Hi I’m really good thanks. Nass was epic this year I loved it. The skating was amazing and I got to chill with my skate mates.

How did the course differ from previous years and do you think it was an improvement? What was your favourite obstacle there? 

I loved the course this year, there were some good gaps to air over. There was a lack of ledges but I loved the stair set that was my favourite.

You had a fantastic result in the Women’s Park event coming an excellent 5th and picking up some prize money along the way. Can you describe how you felt the competition went? How was the level of skating all round?

Yes I got £250 for coming 5th which I was stoked about. I felt the skating was of a really high standard and there was more women taking part this year which was great.  I thought the comp went well and I was pleased with how I skated. I also took part in the Women’s mini ramp jam and won £70 and some caps and wax, that was really good fun.

We all know we are in the middle of a heat wave at the moment. How was it skating the course? It must have been hot in there. What aspects of the festival did you enjoy the most apart from the skateboarding?

It was boiling! Really really hot and it made it hard work to keep pushing. It was nice to have the awesome weather for it though.... better than rain! Dizzee Rascal was amazing I loved it and Run DMC. The music this year was great. I got to hang with Andrew Reynolds and his daughter Stella for the whole weekend which was so cool.

As always it is a pleasure to catch up with you and everyone at Enuff skateboards would like to congratulate you on a fantastic result. Is there anyone you would like to give a shout out to or thank before we sign off?

Thank you. Thanks to my mum for driving me everywhere, Lucy Adams for all the support and encouragement, all my sponsors, my skate mates, and the skate coaches down at The Lodge skatepark (Trav, Chips, Will, Chris and everyone else!)

Till next time then!!

Welcome to the team Jamie Manning

Firstly what’s your name, how old are you and where are you from?

I’m Jamie Manning. I’m 14 years old and I’m from London.

What age did you first start skateboarding and what inspired you to first pick up a board?

I started skateboarding when I was 9. I lived in Australia at the time. Lots of kids skateboard there. I remember seeing someone ollie a big stair set near the beach and I thought ‘I want to do that’. 

Where is your favourite place to skate?

My favourite places to skate regularly are Bay 66 in London and Better Extreme in Dagenham. I used to love street skating on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and I try to get out to Barcelona at least once a year to skate the spots.

Had you heard of the Enuff brand and where did you hear about it? What can you bring to the team?

I had already heard of Enuff, because my other sponsor, SkatePro, sells Enuff decks. I think that the qualities that I can bring to the team are my energy, passion for skating and commitment. I am always trying to improve my skating and trying to learn as many new tricks.

Which skateboarders did you look up to growing up? Any local legends in your local scene or professionals you aspire to be like?

My favourite skaters are Jamie Foy and Chris Joslin. I like their style and most importantly what they skate, which is the big gaps and rails.  I’ve also met some great UK skaters at Camp Rubicon, like Alex Decunha, and enjoyed skating with the Majer Crew when they visited the UK last year.

How many people are in your group of friends that you skate with on a regular basis and which guys are essential to getting a good session going?

I have a couple of local friends, James and Jed, that I skate with. Before I met them one and half years ago neither of them had ever skated. Now they skate with me most weekends. I also skate with a bunch of guys who I’ve met at various London skate parks. I’ve also got lots of skate friends that I have met through Camp Rubicon, Woodward and through the SkatePro team.

What is your all-time favourite skate video and which ones are you into at this moment in time?

Deathwish part 1 is sick.

Do you have a preference towards street skating, skate parks or vert or are you happy to experience and skate everything?

My favourite is street skating - although I usually the skate street sections of parks because most of the best spots in London are a bust! I try out most skate parks I come across, especially if they have good street plazas with down rails.

What was the last trick you learnt? What are the next three tricks on your hit list that you would love to learn.

I was hyped to learn over crooks this week. My wish list of new tricks includes big spins, big flips and also nose blunts.

Are there any video parts you are working on personally which we will see in the near future or any competitions coming up that you plan to enter?

I am currently not working on a video but hopefully a video part will come after the summer including some LA spots and maybe some from Barcelona and London. I will probably also enter a few skate comps this summer. 

What do you think skateboarding holds for you in the future and what are your future aspirations?

My dream is to have a career in skateboarding in some capacity. Ideally I would love to become a pro skater.

Welcome to the team Mats Hilmer

Firstly what’s your name, how old are you and where are you from?

My name is Mats, im 19 years old and im from Odense, Denmark.

What age did you first start skateboarding and what inspired you to first pick up a board?

I think I was around 6 years old when I first picked up a board - My brother Freddy has always been a huge inspiration to me, so I guess he was the reason why I started skating.

Where is your favourite place to skate?

My favorite place to skate is definitely Noho Skate Plaza - I've only been there a few times, but it's just perfect, and the people there are so kind.

Had you heard of the Enuff brand and where did you hear about it? What can you bring to the team?

When I got sponsored by Skatepro, I saw that Enuff sold a lot of their boards through them so I picked one up, and they have been my go-to board ever since - I guess what I can bring would just be posting the clips I can, and participate in as many contests as possible.

Which skateboarders did you look up to growing up? Any local legends in your local 

scene or professionals you aspire to be like?

My all-time biggest hero, has always been Mike Mo Capaldi - I saw his part in Fully Flared and I was just mind blown - He was only 16 in that part, so I guess that was my motivation; to reach that level before i turned 16 - A long way to go still haha.

How many people are in your group of friends that you skate with on a regular basis and which guys are essential to getting a good session going? 

Skateboarding is not really a big thing in my town, but i have 10 friends or so, that i skate with on a regular basis. My homie Luca Fichera is one of my favourite people to skate with - He's so good at getting people pumped, and makes them skate to the best of their abilities.

What is your all-time favourite skate video and which ones are you into at this moment in time?

My favourite movie is definitely Fully Flared, as mentioned earlier. The movie came out over a decade ago, and the production is just amazing - The intro is probably one of my favourite scenes in any movie ever. I don't think I have any movies that I’m really stoked on at the moment, unfortunately.

Do you have a preference towards street skating, skate parks or vert or are you happy to experience and skate everything?

I prefer street skating for sure - I enjoy skating parks, but it just feels so much better skating a raw concrete ledge that was not meant for skating, than a perfect ledge at the local skatepark. It's all about preference I guess.

What was the last trick you learnt? What are the next three tricks on your hit list that you would love to learn.

I think the last trick I learned was back smith kickflip out - I don't really set goals for myself like that, I just skate and if I feel like I’m close to landing a trick, I’ll just go for it at see what happens.

Are there any video parts you are working on personally which we will see in the near future or any competitions coming up that you plan to enter?

I have a good collection of clips, that I hope will turn into a part one day - As I mentioned earlier, I live in a small town so finding a good filmer can be tough. I mostly film when I’m in Copenhagen - Lots of good filmers, and the spots there are incredible.

What do you think skateboarding holds for you in the future and what are your future aspirations?

It’s hard to tell - I’m just gonna skate and fun, and see what happens - For now I think the best thing I can do, is motivate others, and show people who are not into skateboarding, how much fun it is.