Meeting Venezuelan Speed Skater Alexander Bastidas
Alexander Bastidas is a speed skater from Venezuela. The 2003 world champion has decided to get away from his federation and take part in several European races for the second semester of 2015...
Par alfathor
Interview
Hello Alexander, when did you start skating?
Hola. First of all, thanks OLS for this interview. I am glad to share my career with the world of skating. I started skating at the age of 8, in 1991. It all started when my big brother (Alejandro Bastidas) gave me a pair of inline skates to go and skate at El Paseo Los Próceres, a Venezuelan monument in Caracas, still very popular today. I worked a lot to improve my speed and take part in the races that were organized in Venezuela.
How old are you?
I am 31.
Did you do other sports before having a go at skating?
Yes I did. I started doing sports very young, but I had never practice anything seriously until I found skating.
Did you practice other disciplines than speed skating?
I also did downhill skating but since there are no actual competitions in Venezuela I only do it for fun.
What are your objectives for the 2015 season?
I want to contribute to the development of skating, in Venezuela and in other parts of the world. I would like to organize speed skating bootcamps in my country and abroad for skating beginners and for skaters who want to start speed skating. For more advanced skaters, I would like to implement specific and personalized bootcamps, where we could deal with strategy for example.
I’d like to help each athlete to reinforce their skills, and pass on my knowledge to the new generations.
On a personal scale, I’d like to be competitive on several European marathons at the end of the season and ensure my participation on the 2016 circuit.
Then you are going to go and compete in Europe?
Yes, I’m currently getting organized with a sponsor to find the necessary means to go and skate in Europe.
What do you do for training?
For training I combine skating and cycling. I train from Monday to Friday, mornings and afternoons, and ‘only’ mornings on Saturdays and Sundays according to the intensity of the week. Sometimes I take a full day off or I only train once a day.
Do you work?
I work, I am a skating instructor… But I also do sports studies.
Could you tell us more about skating in Venezuela?
In Venezuela, the most popular skating disciplines are speed and aggressive skating. There are lots of youth categories in speed skating… But the senior categories are empty. Throughout the years, some categories had to be merged together to organize elimination races. In those categories there are very good skaters, some reached the top-3 in international races and have gained international recognition… But if they had better support, they could do great feats on competitions.
Is the Venezuelan media interested in speed skating?
Not much, some other sports are far more popular than skating, even if they don’t have as many world-class athletes…
You recently told us that you didn’t want to skate for your federation anymore. Why?
I don’t agree with the way they manage skating on the national scale. The interests of the federation are only personal. They don’t take care of the well-being and the development of the athletes. When a skater thinks differently, they may do lots of sacrifices, they may get good results, it doesn’t matter… Skating for my federation would mean backing the system and all the harm they do.
Technical facts
Name: Alexander Bastidas
Nickname: Varios hahaha! Bastidis, Cambur, Chino, Toreto…
Birthdate: Sept. 15, 1983
Country: Venezuela
Size: M
Weight: 71 kg
Place of living: El Valle, Caracas, Venezuela
Started skating in: 1991
Category: Senior
Job / Studies: Both!
Strong point: Versatile skater (all surfaces)
Points to be improved: Acceleration
Other sports: Road and off-road cycling
Last movie seen: Fast and Furious 7
Favorite music: Daft Punk
Video games: GTA V, Morta Kombat, NFS, Call Of Duty
Books: 50 Shades of Grey đ
Likes: Racing
Dislikes: Profiteers and manipulators
Quality: Relentless
Flaw: Impulsive
Club: Campeones
Team: Guarico
Best memory: First World Inline Cup in Zug, Switzerland in 2008
Worst memory: Witnessing a very special person dying
Language: Spanish
Alcohol or fruit juice: Fruit juice
Road or track: Road
Sprint or marathon: Marathon
Soft or hard wheels? A mix of both
Beach or mountain: Beach
Morning or evening: Evening
Cheese or dessert? Dessert
Rap, Metal or techno? All!
Football or rugby? Football
Simple or double push? Double!
Title list
• Professional skater
• 2003: world champion in relay
• 2008: 3rd at the point race at the 2008 worlds
• 2009: 3rd at the road general ranking at the 2009 worlds
• 2010: Winner of the German Inline Cup
• 2008 to 2013: Top-3 in several European marathons
• 2006 and 2010: Medalled at the Central American and Caribbean Games
• 2013: Medalled at the Bolivarian Games
• Multiple Champion of Venezuela in 1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2011
Links
Meeting Fabian Arcila, the President of the Venezuelan Federation of skating
Interview with Solymar Vivas, sprinter in the national team of Venezuela
Yann Guader: from Caracas, Venezuela to Tulua, Colombia
Translation: Chloe Seyres
Photos: all rights reserved
