Alice Smith’s Quickfire 10

Technical flip trick wizard Alice Smith has been spending most of winter doing flips, slappy grinds and no comply variations all over the carparks of Birmingham. Turns out those car park sessions gave her plenty of preparation and time to think about her answers for 10 quickfire questions posed by this here skateboarding blog. Roll the Q’s!

1. Skateparks or Street? I always preferred street. Park can be fun and I am starting to enjoy transition skating more and more, but I always found that there’s something more fun about skating things that aren’t meant to be skated. I think it allows you to be more creative and can make the outcome more rewarding. 
2. Slappies or Slash Grinds? Slappies are something I’ve only really learnt in the past few months, but definitely prefer them. I love hearing the crrrrrr noise (especially on the slappy curb at fast lands). 
3. No Complies or Bonelesses? No complies by faaaaar, ever since I learnt them I always want to find new variations and ways of doing them. They just feel so fun and effortless.
4. No Comply Shuvs or 180? This is a difficult one, but it’s gotta be No Comply Shuvs, or any variations of this. I recently learnt No Comply Front 3 Shuvs and they feel great, and No Comply Shuv Wallies are one of my favourites. 
5. Favourite Birmingham Carpark? Haha, this question made me laugh. Probably Sainsbury’s in Selly Oak. I mean there’s not much there apart from a curb, and nowadays we nearly always get kicked off, but I’ve learnt some of my favourite tricks in there and had some really fun skates there (despite it just being a carpark). There’s always a good group of skaters down there of all different abilities and backgrounds, and always a great vibe. 
6. Bournbrook or Fastlands? Bournbrook 10,000%. The community feeling down there is so sick, perfectly epitomises what skateboarding is about. It’s united the Brum scene so much and I don’t think the Brum girl scene would be where it is today without it either. 
7. Scooters or Rollerblades? Rollerblades!! Scooters, typically being of a younger age, means that they’re often a bit of a nuisance at the skatepark, whereas rollerblades are always good to get on with. 
8. Who has the best 360 flips you’ve ever seen? I’ve seen countless sick 360 flips, especially with how much I used to watch BATB when I was younger, but Luan Oliveira’s always stood out to me. The height and speed and just all around execution of his tre’s is nuts.
9. Alexis Sablone or Elissa Steamer? Elissa!!! Her ‘Welcome to Hell’ part had such a big impact on me growing up. The skating, the jeans, the style, the fact that this was one of the first major female street parts. I think it really paved the way for the inclusivity that skateboarding is coming to represent. 
10. Are Carparks where skateboarders hibernate for the winter? Well, carparks or indoor parks, I guess. But in a Covid world where indoor skateparks are shut, carparks are our only option unfortunately. When it comes to winter, you have two types of skaters – those who just don’t come out and wait for drier weather, and those who’d take a slightly soggy carpark over waiting for the weather to dry. I’m definitely the latter, I could have fun skating anywhere. Obviously a park or spot is preferable, but beggars can’t be choosers in the winter.