Marcos Laprebendere, Chami

January 31, 2008 @ 3:30 PM

Marcos Laprebendere- known to all as Chami- became a sensation in the European skateboarding scene with his breakout part in the Alai video “Olé” a couple of years back. He pretty much has the full arsenal- skilled feet, finesse to make you soil your trackies and the hammers of the Gods all rolled into one. The double set gap to backlip which ended that part has still never been stepped to by any skateboarder to pass through Barcelona filming, which means pretty much any skater, full stop. We called him at home in Argentina to hear how his life is always in summertime.

360 flip
Hey Chami, where are you now?

Hi. Well, now I`m in Buenos Aires and I got back here one month ago.

How come you are home?

The reason is that I can`t stay longer than 6 months as a tourist in Europe. Until I`m able to get a work permit or some legal pretext which allows me to stay, I have to go back and forth. It`s what I`ve been doing for the past 4 years, going from one continent to the other.

How long at home and how long in Europe?

Backside 360 ollie
Generally I spend 6 months in Europe and 6 months in Argentina, though sometimes I stay longer in Argentina. I`m always in summertime, since it`s summer here when it`s winter there and viceversa.

Where do you live in when you’re in Europe?

In Europe I live in Barcelona with a friend called Carlos, but every skater who goes to Manolo bar or the Fellini discotech knows him as Charly, it`s easy to identify him by his moustache. When I come back to Argentina, I live with my parents.

360 Varial Heelflip
What do you take from each culture?

From Europe I like that the skate scene is bigger than in Argentina and I also find it very interesting culturally… I live downtown in Barcelona, but in the outskirts in Argentina so that also makes a difference. I think that in Europe there are more opportunities to work and live fine and respectfully, than in Buenos Aires.

Is this traveling situation established or would you like to change it?

The truth is that I`d like to stay in Europe. My sponsors are there, so it`d be easier for me to work with them, and I`d go back to Argentina to visit my family from time to time. I hope I can do it soon, it`s been some time now that I`ve been thinking about it and I want to do it.

Backside tailslide

Is it hard for you to adapt to life in Europe?

I don’t think so, but what I really need is to actually live in Europe to be able to say frankly if its hard for me or not. Until now I’ve had loads of help from my friends and thanks to that, its been all way easier.

Whats the difference between the skate scenes in South America and in Europe?

It depends on where in Europe and where in South America, really… but comparing the places I live in, I’d say the skateboarding in Barcelona is more focused on ledges and banks.
In Buenos Aires skateboarding is basically more about jumping down things, gaps, stairs…. and there is also a very united and growing group of skaters that skate skateparks. Here the surfaces are rougher and the spots are more broken up than in Europe.

And in order to get coverage, how is that different?

What’s different is the amount of filmers and photographers, and the equipment they work with. Even though it progresses, in South America the access to technology is more limited. Shooting photos or filming tricks in Argentina is more difficult (than in Europe) because there are not many filmers and photographers and as most of them don`t make a living out of it, well, its hard to get commitment when its time to go skate…

Easier in Europe?

...its easier in Europe. Alai helps me a lot with this because they have Edu Muñoz who I call ‘the orchestral man’ and he’s always pushing us to get photos and footage. There are also more magazines and photographers, so there’s always somebody willing to shoot a photo or film a trick.

If you could take one thing from South America to Europe and vicerversa, what would it be?

Form South America I’d take my family and from Europe to Argentina…. a lot of things!…hmmm… I think I`d take one of those big cured legs of Iberian ham. You know those things? Jamon Iberico? One of those.

How are things with your sponsors?

It`s good now, fortunately… the priority for them is that I stay all year long in Europe and I guess that as soon as I can do that things will be even better.

Frontside flip.

Is it harder for you because you are from Argentina?

Yes, of course, being far from your sponsors makes things more difficult….. I know it sounds weird because we see all the time skaters from anywhere travelling around the globe and they don`t have any problems with their sponsors, but the difference with me is that there`s a period of the year when I can`t go to Europe when they need me for demos, contests or whatever. That`s why its difficult to keep my sponsors or get new ones.

How is your part in the next Alai video coming along?

My next part… well, it`s going to be a little different than the one I had in the “Alai Olé “ video. I can`t say much, only that I hope people who actually see it will enjoy it.

How do you think the video is going to be?

The video is going to be fun, for sure, and there is going to be a very mature level of skateboarding. I think’s it’ll be entertaining to watch, there is a lot of work behind it.

How do you see the European industry compared to those in the USA and South America?

The European skateboarding scene is in a stage of development and growth, the market gets bigger all the time since there are more kids skateboarding and this also makes new European brands appear, and grow.
The Argentinian scene is just like the country in general, it survives thanks to the spirit of their people and the love for skateboarding, but it`s always in danger of extinction due to the constant economic changes.

Is there any difference in the way you take care of yourself while in Spain or Argentina?

Well, this is going to be the second year that I’ve been going to go to the gym. This is an idea that came up from talking to Doctor Hector Garcia (see KP 26-Ed) and my father, who is also a doctor. Since its harder for me to get coverage out in Argentina I take advantage of the free time when I don`t have to go to contests and things like that and I try to get my body fitter and stronger. In Spain I can`t do so, because I`m busier and traveling constantly.

In terms of friends, how do you deal with the cultural differences between one place and the other?

I think that with the friends I have the cultural difference ain`t that big.
Some of them may speak Andaluz, others English or French but I think that one looks for people with whom you feel comfortable with, whether they are from here or there. The essence transcends geography.
Amazing talking to you again, Chami; do you have some last words for me?

I`d like to thank all of this people and good friends with whom I share my life, thank my sponsors- Alai, Globe and Family because thanks to them I live doing what I like the most, and also thank my parents for having sponsored my life, for the support and for their unconditional trust in me.

backside nollie heelflip

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