Finnish Fingerboarding For Fun

”In The View” via Facebook with Mitko Kanev

Tomi: why and how did you start fingerboarding?

Mitko: It was like 5 or 6 years ago when i started. but it has a story behind!

Mitko: Like about 10 years ago on

Mitko: Eurosport watts show i saw a guy fingerboard in a sink

Mitko: and he was killing it. back then I had no clue if

Mitko: there even is fingerboarding , in fact

Mitko:  i could not imagine such a thing at all since it was not even

Mitko: popular to see skateboarding in my country..

Mitko: then one day we went to a cafeteria with my mates

Mitko: and there was this guy that had a tech deck and

Mitko: i asked him whats that and from where he has it.

Mitko: The next day i bought one and the story begins

Tomi:  cool

Tomi:: let's continue the story then...

Tomi:  how did you end up to be in some popular YouTube videos

Tomi: and to be known in the scene?

15:49

Mitko: Hmm

Mitko: my interest in fingerboarding grew and like

Mitko: after some months i did a video

Mitko: with like just footage from here and there

Mitko: then i came across Eric Smith's Crime in Choir video

Mitko: and i started to type with him about fingerboarding...

Mitko: he was a very polite and chill person..

Mitko: one day he told me about FFI forums

Mitko: and i made a registration there.

Mitko: My videos at first didnt have any comments

Mitko: and weren't noticed at all.

Mitko: it was 2008 when we did an outdoor video

Mitko: with Zahari and this video basicly introduced us to a bigger audience..

Mitko: I think this video that made us "popular"

Mitko: cuz the first people i met at fast fingers told me

Mitko: “hey you are that guy from bulgaria with the oudoor video “

Mitko: then later on

Mitko: i got on Prete fingerboards and became

Mitko: more known and my videos got few thousand views etc..

Mitko: later i got on flatface fingerboards and now kids know who i am

Mitko: being popular isn’t something i am aiming at

Mitko: i don't care at all..

Mitko: i am not saying that it’s not nice but it

Mitko: really don’t make a difference at the end of the day

Tomi:  yeah you shouldn't care for fame

Mitko:  yeah and i dont

Mitko: at least i think i dont  :d

Tomi:  how has your opinions and images about being sponsored changed after these prete and flatface Tomi: Tomi: affiliations?

15:57

Mitko: hmm changed a lot

Mitko: i was thinking that being sponsored is some big thing

Mitko: and it is but i was having the wrong perspective

Mitko: now i realize that being sponsored

Mitko: is actually being a part of something

Mitko: some family or some project

Mitko: some idea

Mitko: it’s not about the products really it’s about  

Mitko: that i am friend with mike and peter

Mitko: these guys helped me so much with my fingerboarding ,

Mitko: many times gave me courage to get through my daily shit

Mitko: just because they are friends and we talk

Mitko: and thats important for me

Mitko: thats the true spirit of being in flatface

Mitko: before i was on a team

Mitko: i saw sponsorship as some contract for items

Mitko::d

Mitko: and being sponsored by prete or flatface it’s not really like that in my case at least

Mitko: also tha’ts a reason why I won’t let myself being sponsored by someone who i don’t enjoi being with..

Tomi:  yeah sounds familiar

Tomi:  I've thought so too in the beginning

Tomi:  but perspectives change

Mitko: yeah

Tomi:  it's good to let kids know that being sponsored is more like being a friend with the guys who have a Tomi: company and not just getting products all the time

Tomi:  you don't get products all the time right?

Mitko: I get products every time I need one

Mitko: and

Mitko: everytime i ask for one

Tomi:  but you don't ask if you don't

Tomi:  need right? isn't that the thing kids need to realize?

Mitko: no I wont ask if I dont need anything I am not the guy that has 100 setups to use

Mitko: yeah they gotta know

Mitko: you don’t need to be selfish

Mitko: really

Mitko: you just need a good setup to sesh with

Mitko: and you get it

Tomi:  being generous pays more than being selfish

Mitko: when you get it you don’t mind

Mitko: off course maybe u wanna have wheels for stone or for woodor for glass

Mitko: u get it .. but dont be selfish

Mitko: your sponsor is your friend

Mitko: you owe your fingerboard growing to him

Mitko: cuz he is the one who support your fingerboarding

Mitko: if it wasn’t about peter and mike i would not be who I am today

Mitko: in the fingerboarding world

Tomi:  true and great words

Tomi:  hmmm...

Tomi:  let's ask these cause couple Finnish kids asked me to ask you that

Tomi:  what is your favorite deck ever?

Tomi:  what is the best ramp?

Tomi:  and favorite trick?

Tomi: :DD

Mitko: My favourite deck must be the Prete Kura g2

Mitko: because i gained a lot of skills on this shape ,

Mitko:  but today this mold  does not exist anymore

Mitko: and since I am into wider decks it does not feel so good anymore.

Mitko: Right now I am into 32-34 mm decks and from that size from what I rode. I

Mitko: love the Grips Skin deck that is 34 mm and FlatFace g13 decks...

Mitko: maybe I have to start with the fact that i prefer 4 ply decks

Mitko: rather than 5 ply decks that everyone uses...

Mitko: I love the flexiblity of a 4 ply deck and i love how it respond to my finger moves

Mitko: the best single ramp for me is the +BRR+ funbox with box ! totally the brr funbox man

Tomi:  what are you doing at the moment in your life?

Mitko: hmm I don’t really have favourite trick

Mitko: some people tell me that nollie tre flip is my signature flip but idk,

Mitko:  i enjoi all tricks....

Mitko: chiling 

Mitko: I work as a cycling manager at Cycling Club Bourgas

Mitko: but there is not much to do right now

Mitko: as the season is not here yet

Mitko: other than that

Mitko: i am chilling

Mitko: i still have to fully recover from the surgery that i had in January

Mitko: so i am just going out with friends...

Mitko: and of course no drinking or smoking :))

Tomi:  that's good to hear that you're feeling so good after the surgery!

Mitko: yeah

Mitko: i will share more about that in the dvd Fingerboarding  4 ALLl

Mitko: i suggest everyone to buy one copy from u cuz there will be

Mitko: a lot more than what we will release in youtube or in something similar

Mitko: and it will be worth it

Tomi:  shhh.. it's not mine, no one knows who madei it, haha

Mitko: oh well

Tomi:  haha

Tomi:  that's okay cause I publish the blog as Justin Time and can say that a "friend" wrote it if there's

Tomi:  copyright shit

Mitko: oh yeah

Mitko: that’s an idea man

16:25

Tomi:  yeah there's gonna be more good stuff comparing to the internet version

Tomi:  your interview, ads and solo parts from talented riders

Tomi:  what do you think about Justin's idea to make the movie as a free version?

Tomi:  haha I'm so clever :D

Mitko: it’s a wonderful idea !! I don’t believe in copyrights ,

Mitko:  I dont believe in money either..

Mitko:  such shits hold us down and prevent our society from growing

Mitko:  I don’t get why musicians want more money

Mitko: and how they expect me to pay for their shit after watching their MTV cribs...

Mitko: lol

Tomi:  yeah feel free to continue if you will ;D (no props for MTV musicians, hahaha...)

Mitko: I think this is enough :))

Mitko: idk what to say

Tomi:  or is there something you wanna say about anything

Mitko: yeah it’s enough

Mitko: :))

Mitko: I will say everything in

Mitko: Justin's dvd

Mitko: Justin is a cool guy

Mitko: he don’t have face for the audience

Mitko: but rules

Mitko: and it’s pretty

Mitko: haha

Tomi:  haha... I wanna thank you for this In The View via Facebook and wish you all the best in the whole Tomi:  fucking world and see you next year for sure! peace...

Mitko: :))

Mitko: thank you tomi

Tomi:  thank you Mitko! You’re the best!  =)

Mitko: :))

CENSORED

Interview: Tomi Lempinen

Interviewed: Mitko Kanev

Source: Facebook Chat