Interview with Scott Arlidge (New-Zealand)

Fast facts

Name: Arlidge
First name : Scott
Country: New Zealand
Born in: Auckland, NZ
Lives in: Bayreuth, Germany
Nickname: Scotty
Date of birth: 14 August 1983
Height: 179cm
Weight: It used to be around 70kg, but now its about 76kg
Begins to skate in: 1986
Category: senior Elite
Job/studies: Speed divison manager at Powerslide
Strengths: Motivated, hard working, organized
Points to improve: Relaxing
Other sports: Cycling
The last film he saw: ??
Favorite music: Karaoke….
Video games: Not anymore
Reading: Mainly autobiogrraphies, etc.
Like: When things work out
Dislike: When things don’t work out
Club: BTS Bayreuth
Team: Powerslide/Matter World Team
Best memory: Winning first gold at Worlds
Worth memory: Crashes
Languages: English, but I need to get onto German
Alcohol or fruit juice? If I’m honest, my passion for Beer is increasing
ice-skating or roller-skating? Roller
Road or track? Both
Sprint or marathon? Marathon
Hard or soft wheels? Right in the middle, F1
Beach or montain? Mountain
Morning or evening? Morning
Cheese or dessert? Dessert
Rap or techno? Rap
Soccer or rugby? Rugby
Simple or double push? Double

Titles

• More than 50 New Zealand titles
• 2006 10,000m points/elimination World Champion in Anyang (South Korea) in 2006
• Junior World Champion in the 1000m in 2000
• Eight Medals at World Championships
• Two silver medals at World championships
• 5th in the 5000m point race at 2004 World Championships

Interview

Hello Scott, when did you start skating?

I started skated pretty much as soon as I could walk. My first national championships were in 1988, but because I was only 5 years old and the youngest category went until 9 years old, I had a tough time…

Did you try other sports before skating?

No, just skated. I mean I played other sports throughout my childhood. Rugby, cricket etc, but I was never going to make it as an All Black so naturally when the other kids got bigger and I stayed the same size, rugby wasn’t an option… I did do some cycle racing, but this was mainly a form of cross training for skating than anything serious.

Did you practice other sports to improve your skating level?

Like I said I cycled. I really enjoy riding.

What would be your best memory?

Obviously, as with most people who has have done it was their first world title. For me it was in Anyang, Korea in 2006. It was in the 10,000m points/elim

And the worst?

I don’t know if I’ve had any particularly bad memories. Obviously there is the crashes, but they are part of the sport. I’ve broken my leg, and the two times I knocked out my front teeth weren’t the best.

Who where your main opponents?

My main race at a world championships level is the points or points/elim races, so if I’d have to choose I’d say Bart Swings, Fabio Francolini, and Yann Guyader only because I have finished second to them at some stage during the years at a World Championships.

Who are the new NZ talents?

NZ has just been through the best decade for NZ skating; first it was the Dobbin brothers who really threw NZ out there, then I was kind of in the middle and now Peter Michael has well and truly taken it up. Its always hard to know who will make it and who won’t. Too often skaters with a lot of talent in their younger years don’t use it later on and it becomes wasted. It is difficult for NZ skaters because we are so far away from Europe or South America that it often becomes difficult to make that next step, its not by surprise that every NZ skater who has won worlds has spent some time in Europe over the past 5-10 years.

Do you believe in an Olympic future for roller-skating?

I hope so. Sometimes I think it seems like an impossible dream, but then other times I can’t understand why weren’t not in the Olympics. I mean just by the sheer fact about how global our sport is. Obviously there is the financial/political game involved too, and to compete against sports such as golf and rugby is tough.

What will you do when your skating career will be over?

My skating career is almost over. Actually, if I’m honest it’s been over for most of 2012. In June of 2011, Matthias Knoll came to me with an offer to manage the speed division of Powerslide, obviously that would be something that everyone would consider so I went hard for last years worlds and while I was a little dissapointed not to win another title I was happy in the fact I could call it my last worlds. But I still wanted to race a little, so this year I’ve still be racing a little, but working fulltime for PS in Germany. I know many skaters do it, and do it at the highest level, but for me it wasn’t an easy transition because I finished school and then started coming to Europe, I never had to go into an office everyday. But the Berlin marathon next weekend will be it. Of course I am still planning to be heavily involved in the speed scene, but from the outside of the track.

Do you have any advice to give to young speed-skaters?

Work hard. Skating isn’t an easy sport. There is the obvious physical side to every sport, but skating is highly technical and when you combine the two it is an extremely difficult sport. You have to be smart about it, but like I said too often I’ve seen talents wasted.

What would you say to a young skater motivate him practicing speed-skating?

That anything is possible. Again I’ll use the example of NZ here, the current batch of successful NZ skaters all grew up skating on rinks and carparks. I lived about 5 hours drive to the nearest track, and the Dobbin brothers similar. The other point is the friendships that are created in our sport. I’m not sure everyone will understand, but there are those jokes, about “an englishman, an American, and a Chinese man walk into a bar”, well that is what its like in our sport (not the bar bit). Its melting pot, a great way to travel the world, and meet people from all over the world.

About ice-skating: Did you try it?

Not really. I did consider it several years ago, about the time when Shane Dobbin first tried it, but I wasn’t really motivated to do it. I like inline too much. But now maybe because I am spending the whole year in Europe I’ll need to do something to keep fit over the winter.

Thanks Scott!

Links

Scott Arlidge: two races before his retirement

By Alfathor
Photos: Powerslide, all rights reserved