We are thrilled to Welcome Julia Dias from Brazil to the Vic Family. Julia came for the VIC 2 weeks ago and gave an amazing performance for her first participation, by placing 2nd behind Chabe White. Incredible performance, Julia is very talented, if you don’t know her yet here is an interview she just gave us after flying back home.
If you had to choose a single woman in skim who influenced you the most, who would it be?
If I had to choose a skim girl, it would be Keiao. Never saw her skimming, but seeing her on instagram was really inspiring.
What beaches other than Sununga do you skim locally?
Now I live in Florianopolis, south of Brazil, because of college. I usually go to Armação, Mole and Bacia da Vovó, the best beaches to skimboard here.
Also, does skimming Sununga make it challenging to ride places where waves are smaller/shorter?
For sure! Sununga is a special place. The waves there has so much power, so when I try new places, with smaller and less powerful waves, it can sometimes be a big challenge for me, but I am always trying new places to skim, because that gets easier.
How difficult was it to adjust to the waves at Aliso to compete in?
It was a little hard. Everyday of my trip I would go to Aliso and try the wave, see how it works and all. I felt better in my heats because of that. I felt really confident and happy to be there for the contest.
What is the support like in Brazil for skim in general? How has it helped you develop to the point where you are traveling to the US to compete?
It is hard to get support in Brazil in general. For me, my family and friends were always there helping and trying to get me sponsors. They don’t really support skimboard because it is still seen as a small sport in Brazil. When they do help, it is with products, not quite what we most need.
My trip to The Vic I had a lot of support from Amber Torrealba, one of the best skimboardes nowadays and a friend of mine! We also made a poster on the internet informing everybody that I was going for the contest and asking for financial help. Some friends of my parents and small business in my hometown were the ones that made my trip possible.
Does watching Lucas Fink’s career motivate you to put Brazilian women on top in skimboarding and establish that for future generations?
Lucas inspires every skimboarder in Brazil. He made it all look possible as a career. With all his effort and love for skimboarding we all believe that we can live off it and get skimboarding to the next level.
What does getting sponsored by Victoria mean to you? Do you see the support from US as a figurative bridge to achieve more in the sport?
Getting sponsored by Victoria means that all my effort paid off. Being recognized by a huge skimboard company is really grateful for me. It means that other doors can open as well. I can get more visualizations from other parts of the skm community, show my skimboard to everybody and be part of this big family.
What are your competitive plans for next year?
For the Brazilians it is really hard to compete all the UST stops, because all of them are in the U.S. So, my goal for next year is to go to all the women’s competitions and try to be the first non-American to win the tour. Also I would like for stops of UST to not only be in the states. We have girls from Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Mexico that have much potential, but can’t really show in big contests because they are all in a single country. We will work hard for that!
What improvements would you like to see in Brazilian skim communities? More competitions? More local shapers? More programs/lessons for kids? More support from Red Bull BR? Etc., feel free to elaborate.
I think we all want to see more beliefs in our sport, from people, companies. We need support for this next generation. Having more contests and seeing professional skimboarders making a living from it. Also, I would like to see the UST back in sununga. One of my favorite stops of the year.
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