Elizabeth
Posted by: Sarah | Thursday, February 22, 2007 0 comments
Elizabeth, the current etnies Girl of the Month, is just what we look for in etnies Girls—she’s smart, funny, a little bit cheeky and lives to skate. The 19-year-old hails from London, Ontario, Canada, and is in her second year at the University of Western Ontario. Currently studying biology, she hopes to do field research in the Arctic, as well as “travel to space to get some sweet moon crater skateboarding action.” We caught up with Elizabeth to discuss her passion for skateboarding, her biggest accomplishment and the best piece of advice she’s ever received.
“I learned I had to embarrass myself, make mistakes and fall to get better.”
etnies Girl: What are your interests?
Elizabeth: I love skateboarding and anything pertaining to skateboarding. I’m into music—I like to sing, write music, and play flute and guitar—the Internet, curling, bowling and space. My brother John directs movies and music videos, so I enjoy being part of his crew whenever the opportunity arises.
etnies Girl: What are your talents?
Elizabeth: I’m good at so many things, so I should tell you the few things I can’t do—like the splits, or a backflip, or anything where you have to be acrobatic or flexible, because I can’t even touch my toes...if being flexible makes you a better skateboarder then maybe I should do more stretches. OK, so I’m a fair singer, flautist, skateboarder, curler and bowler; apparently my filming skills need work; I’m good at Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit, but I suck at Wheel of Fortune.
etnies Girl: How did you get involved in skateboarding?
Elizabeth: Well, I was influenced by my older brothers, who were influenced by “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” which came out in 1999. Pretty much the whole neighborhood started skating then.
etnies Girl: What do you like about etnies Girl?
Elizabeth: etnies Girl is the best because they gave me FREE shoes! It was perfect timing, too, because my old ones were destroyed. I like how they market toward females, not a lot of skateboarding brands do; hopefully, it’ll reel some more fems on the skate wagon, and they’ll see how much fun it is. But if not, then oh well, their loss.
etnies Girl: Why are you an etnies Girl?
Elizabeth: I just have fun skateboarding like anybody else. Skateboarders in general in my town are gawked at, so when people shout obscenities at me while I’m skating, I don’t care—I just think it’s funny.
etnies Girl: What do you do for fun?
Elizabeth: Anything relating to skateboarding is fun for me—I guess I’m obsessed or something? I dunno, just hanging out with my friends or family, playing “DDR,” listening to music, singing, going to shows, doing nothing, doing my homework.
etnies Girl: Where do you find inspiration?
Elizabeth: Watching skate videos pumps me up, especially ones featuring females because I can relate better. Reading the Bible also inspires me.
etnies Girl: What’s your biggest accomplishment?
Elizabeth: Probably giving birth to my beautiful twins…just kidding. I guess graduating high school and getting accepted to the university I wanted. Oh, and that time I tre flipped El Toro...
etnies Girl: Why do you love skateboarding so much?
Elizabeth: It’s really rewarding, and even though it can be pretty scary sometimes, I like the feeling in my stomach—I think they call them butterflies. Well, anyway, I like feeling all fluttery and buttery inside. Not only that, but it can turn a bad day into a good day, it gets the proverbial chip off of my shoulder.
etnies Girl: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Elizabeth: It was after my first time skating at the skatepark. I felt all self-conscious at first, but then my mom told me to skate for myself and not to think about what other people were thinking. That advice helped a lot. I learned I had to embarrass myself, make mistakes and fall to get better. Later, my mom said I should quit skateboarding; I was flabbergasted!
etnies Girl: What’s really important to you?
Elizabeth: Following my dreams, because I want to celebrate all the opportunities given to me by seizing them and bask in the reward of a fulfilling life.
etnies Girl: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?
Elizabeth: My sister calls me “Lizzardbreath”; I have two sisters and two brothers; and I am already behind in all my classes so I probably won’t have that much time for skateboarding this week. My brother, John, and his best friend, Daryl, aka “The Blessed Undead,” are making a really cool music video right now for a local hip-hop artist, “Exit Only.” It features a skateboard chase with Jessie Mcphee and Colin Findlater—they’re 15 and awesome at skateboarding. I recently bought the skate video, “Getting Nowhere Faster,” which features all female skaters, from West 49, and the guy working there made fun of it. My little sister just bought a kitten and she’s allergic to cats. So I guess that’s all, cats!
Elizabeth’s Favorite Things
Place: New Brunswick, Canada
Animal: Dog
Color: Blue
Hangout: “Anywhere skateboarding, my brother's house and my friends’ houses.”
City: Fredericton and Toronto
Songs to skateboard to: “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers, “Blood” by El-P, “Teenage Wasteland” by The Who, “Aerodynamic” by Daft Punk...
Album: “Led Zeppelin III”
Book: The “Harry Potter” series
Movie: “Present a Present” and “Gummo”
TV show: “Prison Break” and “Survivor”
Sport: Skateboarding, curling, basketball, hockey
Game: Euchre, Hearts, Texas Hold 'Em, “Chrono Trigger,” Risk, “Halo,” “Mario Kart”
Food: Macaroni salad
Candy: Reese's Pieces
Holiday: “June 21st [laughs]…I mean Christmas.”
Smell: “Fresh baked goods, fresh laundry, brand new DVD packages—mmm...manufacturing.”
Hobby: Skateboarding, singing, music
Guilty pleasure: “YouTube. I'm addicted.”
Athlete: “Lindsey Robertson, Mark Appleyard, Evelien Bouilliart—there are too many to name.”
Hero: “My brother, John Milne, and Colin Findlater for attempting the London Leap of Faith!”
etnies Girl shoe: Callicut
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