INTERVIEW w/ Kim Sung Jin

"Even if I don't compete at the moment, the competitions are still refreshing and they inspire me in a way. "

New interview of Kim Sung Jin on his plans for the upcoming year and thoughts about the new skating generation.

P.S. What does your life looks like now? What's new since the last year's interview? Any changes or new projects?

K.S.J. Well, I have been crazily busy because I came back to my university in Korea. As I have to study, work, train, and run my skating club at the same time, I haven't had enough time to make some new projects these days, but I am trying to do some new projects again, so that I can keep inspiring the skaters in the world!

P.S. Which one of your Sk8 movie projects was the most memorable? What do you plan to do next?

K.S.J. Obviously, the 1st Nonstop Sk8 Movie "Runaway Baby" was the most memorable to me because that movie was my 1st try for something isolated from Slalom and it gave me a lot of support from skaters. I am planning a 2nd Nonstop Sk8 Movie next. It will take more time, but hopefully I can work on the 2nd one and proudly publish it as soon as possible :)

P.S. How did you like working with the Conero Roller team for you latest video?

K.S.J. It was very cool, like 2 years ago, and even better! I could see they improved a lot and I was really happy that I could teach and coach them much more than 2 years ago. Even when I was teaching something new, they really liked it and we all enjoyed our time a lot!

P.S. Do you plan to make more workshops in 2015 and where?

K.S.J. I wish I could do more, but it depends on the schedule. There have been some suggestions for the workshops at the beginning of this year, but I didn't know how my schedule was going to be at that time, so I couldn't confirm it. If my schedule is fine, it will always be a pleasure to do workshops or masterclass, because I would like to show and share our skating to more and more people! ;^)

P.S. Will you visit some competitions this year? With whom you would want to compete / to skate from the new rising slalom stars?

K.S.J. Of course, I will visit some competitions this year. Even if I don't compete at the moment, I think it is good to watch the competitions because the competitions are still refreshing and they inspire me in a way. About the skater who I would want to compete / to skate with, it would sound a little bit weird, but I would like to compete with Kim Jun Kyeom from South Korea who is currently No.1 in Junior Category in Korea. He is trying very hard and he is quite competent as he is matchless No.1 in Junior Category in Korea, but he hasn't had any good official results in International competitions yet. I think it is because he doesn't have any teammates or good rivals as his peer in Korea to be even more motivated, so they could improve themselves together. I know it is impossible, but I wish I could go back in time and be his peer with my skills at that time, so that I could be a good rival for him to go beyond the limits he would reach without a good rival.

P.S. What do you think about the new generation of skaters?

K.S.J. They have improved very quickly and they are very good. On the other hand, however, I think they are very lucky as I was, even though in a different way. I was one of the 1st generation from Korea, so I could manage to create many skills at that time and experience most of the things in Slalom until now, but the new generation started after most of the technical tricks and things already came out, which means there are many skaters and coaches who have already understood the tricks very well and can coach them to this new and young generation. The younger we are, the better we perform the technics and everything globally, and I used to hear older skaters say that "If I were you..." or "If I were 10 years younger than I am..." to me when I was young. And recently I started to think "If I were at their age now..."too. I think it would be very fun for them to do skating as I did at their age whatever they do well or not! I wish they would fully enjoy their show time on their stage! Slalom has just begun! ;)

For your information, here are some videos of Kim Jun Kyeom in Namwon Korea Open 2015, made by KSJ_Sk8.

P.S. A few words to the skaters and to your fans all over the world?

K.S.J. Well, when I was young, I was just a small boy who really liked to skate. I was just happy to skate, so I kept on rolling. As I have kept on rolling, people have started to recognize me and encourage me with more support. Among the words that I have been told to be supported, this word still remains in my mind "Awesome!". Well, the only way that I can appreciate all your supports is to make better performances or contents, so that I can show, share, and inspire you more and more. I hope you keep on supporting me, so that I can keep on going on my way for all of us! Thank you for all your support, everybody! And thank you for all your support in the future! Lastly, I would like to leave this message for those who would like to become like myself.

“Keep Rolling, Be Awesome!”

KSJ