Cory Juneau had a vision, an Olympic vision. But so far what he has seen is not exactly what he had in mind. There is still time, though. It is still early in the grand scheme of things, and he hopes that there are still positives to come… he hopes.
“Skating is supposed to be enjoyment—pure fun.” — Cory Juneau
We caught up with Cory at this past Dew Tour Long Beach and talked about the Olympic movement in skateboarding for a few minutes. It was a tell-all of sorts, all while we pulled a reverse on his pockets for a quick show-all lint check.
“I’m going to be honest,” Cory forewarned us. “I thought [skateboarding in the Olympics] was pretty cool, at first. Introducing a lot of new people to skating, I thought it would be good for the sport.”
“But, seeing a lot of the countries force people to skate is kind of weird. We’ve got skate coaches on the deck, telling people what to do and when to drop in. It’s taking a lot of the fun out of skating,” Cory continued.
“Skating is supposed to be enjoyment—pure fun. Showing people what you like to do and how you want to do it. It is kind of like an art in that way. But it is turning into something else.”
Taking a moment to pause our Olympic conversation, Cory had emptied his pockets onto a table to reveal he only carried the most basic items on him and nothing more. Phone, wallet, and keys.
The keyring consisted of his Nissan 370z fob (his Audi hatchback was at home), a stylus pen that he kept for… style and lastly a metallic, Chase Bank key fob to his private client account.
It was hard to tell if his black leather, Louis Vuitton wallet was genuine or not. Not even Cory knew of its authenticity for sure.
“I had a fake one that my friend liked, that I got in China,” explained Cory when questioned about the wallet’s legitimacy. “[My friend] traded me this wallet because he liked the color of the one I had better. He said this one was real, but I think he was lying.”
Lying or not, it did appear to at least be leather that was holding up well. Better than his phone, at least. Despite being wrapped in a Spec case, Cory confessed that his iPhone X sucked.
“It’s just laggy. Over time, it just gets slower and slower.” Then, Cory countered his own argument saying, “But, it’s got a good camera.”
Just like his phone, the Olympics also had a good side to them, Cory wanted to remind us. Over time, though, he hopes to see more good come out of the Olympic movement.
“I think there is still a good side. For everybody out there watching, it might inspire people to try it. It’s also great to open up new opportunities. Countries might start building more parks.”
“How rad would it be if businesses took down their “No Skateboarding” signs!? What if people were stoked to see you skate a spot because they think it is cool after seeing it on TV?”
“It’s not going to ruin skateboarding, that’s for sure,” reassured Cory. “There’s always going to be people doing it just because they love it. People have a passion for it, and that will always be there.”
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