• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

audiovisual INTERVIEWED IF YOU DON’T KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW: DILLON OJO By Paul Gonzalez As a black anglophone from Quebec, Dillon is unique within the snowboard world. The likeable come-up is barely 18 years of age and his rail riding is on par with the best of the best. With a growing U.S. presence, solid sponsor support and the footage and pho- tos to back it all up, it’s safe to say we haven’t come close to seeing what Dillon is capable of. “I STARTED SNOWBOARdiNG WHEN IT WAS BECOMING MORE SKATE-IN- FLUENCED, AND THAT’S THE ROUTE I TOOK. All THE GUYS I RidE WITH ARE All likE THAT, AND THEY’RE OldER THAN ME, SO I FOllOWED THEM AND THAT’S HOW I GOT MY STYLE.” Tell me a bit about what went on this season. The season up finishing in four. You and your crew seem to be leading was good. I took the winter off of school to focus on filming the way as the next generation of riders out of Quebec. for Nowamean; the movie this year is called Bangarang. I What’s the scene like for people trying to come up there? filmed with them mostly, and was able to get some shots in In Quebec, everything is based around urban rail riding, at the end of the season with the guys from KTC (Keep The and Quebec is one of the main places for people to come Change), so I’ll have a few shots with them. Where in Que- to ride rails. For most of the riders out of here, if you want to bec are you from? I noticed right away you don’t have an get noticed, it’s for your rail riding. It’s hard compared to the accent at all. I’m from Montreal. English is my first language; States, where the industry is a lot bigger or better known. I have been talking fluid French for maybe four years now. It seems like one of the plus sides of being a rail rider in I learned just from hanging with the Bruners Crew. They Quebec is the fact that it’s such a hot spot for urban rid- taught me everything from my French to my riding. I used ing. You have the chance to show different crews around, to speak a bit, but they taught me everything. My French and in return, they get to see your riding in person. Yeah, isn’t really clean French, it’s more slang and stuff. But I can that totally helps a lot. Once you can get your name out into talk to French people, and if I don’t tell them I’m English, the industry in the States, that’s pretty much the key—just they don’t even know. Tell me about the Bruners Crew. I to get into the States. Quebec has a way smaller scene than met all the Bruners guys when I was 14 at our local hill. It’s a lot of places. In Quebec, our hills and parks are a lot shit- me, Julian [Choiniere], Axel [Theoret], Oliver [Beliveau], LP tier than in the States. That’s pretty much the main reason [Dorval], Nathan [Mailhot] and Alex [Gogo], and it’s the local why everyone is out in the streets and using the spots and crew from Mont St-Bruno [Quebec]. Last year, we gave our- snow we have to our advantage. What was it like work- selves the name Bruners and started dropping little videos ing with the KTC crew? That was really cool. Usually, I’m to show people our local mountain and what we do and filming with guys out of Quebec, so it was cool to be able stuff. It’s pretty much my best friends, and we just have fun to meet up with them and show them around when they with it. Is that crew a lot of the same dudes you film with? came out here. I found it really cool to film with guys out of Alex, LP and Axel are with the Nowamean crew. But the rest the U.S.; it’s a different vibe and something new, so I really of the guys, when we’re not snowboarding, we spend a lot enjoyed that. Speaking of getting your name out in the of time together—they are my best homies. When you said U.S., it seems like you have been involved in a lot of the you took the year off school, did you mean high school or ThirtyTwo Spot Check videos. This year, I spent more time university? In Quebec, when you turn 17, you go to college. in the States, and ThirtyTwo invited me to come out and film It was my first year, but I took the winter off to concentrate for their Spot Check series at Loon, Hunter and Sugarbush. Ren Rob photo on snowboarding. Usually, I just go to fall semester and take That was really cool because you get to meet the other the winters off; so instead of finishing in two years, I’ll end riders who are on a higher program with the company. » 2 3 audiovisual Along those same lines, I saw the video that old pro Rus- a big part now that everyone is trying to find new ways to hit sell Winfield put out recently from Superpark called The rails. Style, for me, is one of the key parts of snowboarding. Blackout. Did you know he was going to edit it together like A trick always looks better with style, so what I try to do with that? I was just shredding, and one of the guys I know hit me my snowboarding is make it look stylish and to have a more up and said Russell wanted to put together an edit of all the skate-influenced style of riding. Now, with snowboarding, it’s black guys out at Superpark, and that he wanted me to have actually taking that route with skate-influenced spots and some shots. I found it super cool, and it’s pretty funny since fish-eyes and stuff. It’s almost more exciting when you see there aren’t that many black guys snowboarding. It was really someone hit a spot out of the ordinary instead of just maybe cool to meet Russell; he’s someone I have looked up to, and gapping farther onto a rail. That’s, I guess, the two different his riding is still so good. When you’re snowboarding, you kinds of snowboarding. There are the guys who go huge, and take a creative approach to the spots you hit and your trick then you have the guys who don’t go as huge but it looks re- selection. How important is it for you to snowboard cre- ally cool because of their style. I think a lot of people would atively and look at spots in your own way? Creativity plays rather see that. But it’s just a different type of snowboarding.» Front Board. Boston, MA. Demers photo Nosepress Wallride. Ottawa, Ont. Damman photo 4 5 audiovisual 50-50. Montreal, Que. Martin photo “RUSSELL [WINFIELD] wANTED TO PUT TOGETHER AN EDIT OF ALL THE BLACK GUYS OUT AT SUPERPARK, AND HE WANTED ME TO HAVE SOME SHOTS. I FOUND IT SUPER COOL, AND It’s prettY FUNNY SInce there aren’t thaT MANY BLACK GUYS SNOWBOARDING.” Yeah, definitely it’s exciting to see someone Triple Cork a when it was becoming more skate-influenced, and that’s the 150-foot jump. But maybe, to the average snowboarder, route I took. All the guys I ride with are all like that, and they’re watching someone ride uniquely and do stylish simple tricks older than me, so I followed them and that’s how I got my style. is more relatable. You can put style into a Triple Cork, but it Any shout outs? Mom, dad, Dave Birnie, P-e St-Amand, Alex depends on the person. And for some people, that’s what they Sirois, Sean Keating, Sean Traer, Charles Paquet, Brian Cook, would rather see. But, maybe in our case, we would rather Ralph Damman, Jeff Heit, Alex Auchu, Brandon Phillips, Guil- see a slower, poked-out spin or something. It’s just different laume Fournier, Frank Lapierre, Je Page, Rene Caza, Dave snowboarding, and you kind of need the guys doing the Triple Demers, Alexis Caron-Côté, Colton Feldman, Cole Martin, Corks to push the limits. I don’t see myself ever doing a Triple Phil Bernard, Ren Rob, Jo Menard, Dan Walfish, ThirtyTwo, Cork or even a Double, but it’s respectable. I guess that’s Stance, Dragon, LRG, Etnies, StepChild, G-Shock, Pop Head- where snowboarding is heading today. I started snowboarding wear fam, Union, Empire, Bruners Crew and anyone I forgot. 6 7 Hi-Fi(ve) “I go through ups and downs: boppy songs to slow songs, hip-hop to love songs. audiovisual I guess it’s just how I’m feeling on the day. But the one thing I love about music is you can always find something to lift your day and sing to in the car as loud as possible… where no one can hear my thick Aussie accent.” —Ryan Tiene - ROAD-TRIPPING Kings of Leon Mumford & Sons Lana Del Ray The XX Rihanna - SORRY FOR PARTYING TYGA The Sounds Daft Punk Justice Crystal Castles - GUilTY PlEASURES Adele Florence and the Machine Gotye Haim Whitney Houston - GOLDEN OldiES Fleetwood Mac 2Pac Biggie Pat Benatar Nirvana - HEAVY ROTATION Silversun Pickups Icona Pop Rihanna Bob Dylan Silverchair When Tiene eats shit, he lives out his favourite Adele track, “Rolling in the Deep.” This, however, wasn’t one of those times.

Load more

  12

Copy Link