Cory Wilson is the kind of guy that always greets you with a smile, and has a genuine interest in what you have to say, even if it's absolute gibberish. This mild-mannered fellow hails from Niagara Falls, Ontario. According to CBC's 2007 "Wonders of Canada" online vote, Niagara's famed Falls was listed as the second Canadian wonder behind the first place "Sleeping Giant" of Thunder Bay. Interestingly, in Cory's current home city of Vancouver, Wreck Beach (indeed a wonder), fell far behind the igloo, the canoe, and the Stanley Cup in the voting. At any rate, ‘Couver got Cory's top vote, and he made the big move at 18 solely to roll. "I'm addicted to skateboarding," he admits in 12-step fashion. "It's like a drug."

Vitals
Age: 21
Residence: Vancouver, BC
Sponsors: Kitsch skateboards, Etnies, Quiksilver, Bones wheels, and Independent trucks.
Music: "Oh, man. I've been downloading some Metallica—getting hyped on the old stuff, like Kill ‘em All, and Ride The Lightning. I've been downloading some old Method Man and GZA, and I'm listening to a little Eminem. I guess I've been listening to more mainstream stuff lately because I've always steered away from it. I still like my Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, and John Lee Hooker though."
Stance: Regular
Switch mongo push, or regular switch push?: "I do the switch regular push. I used to just push mongo normally when I first started skating because if felt natural. The older guys I used to see around at the skatepark were like, ‘Don't push like that, it looks stupid.' I learned how to push normally, and the same went for switch pushing."

Niagara is full of attractions. What were some of your favourites when you lived there?
I never really went into those things much, but you end up checking them out when you grow up around them. I like the Criminals Hall Of Fame Wax Museum. It's right off Clifton Hill, the main strip—that's probably my favourite one. It's like 10 of the world's gnarliest criminals in wax, lookin' pretty real for sure. There's the Butterfly Conservatory—it's a huge dome with a tropical forest inside, and there's all sorts of different butterflies flying around. If you wear bright colours, they land on you.

360 flip. Brian Caissie sequence.

Have you ever seen anyone jump into the Falls?
Apparently there's a high suicide rate in Niagara Falls. There's two big casinos now, so I could just imagine some people bet their whole life savings away then jump over the Falls. I've heard about that on a few different occasions, but I've been lucky enough to never see it happen. I used to just skate downtown with my crew and skate over to the Falls and mess around.

When did you move from Niagara Falls to Vancouver?
I moved in October 2005, and I came out to Vancouver just to pursue skateboarding. I wanted to get out of Niagara Falls to experience a bigger city, and skate with more people. There's more opportunities in Vancouver with photographers and filmers, and the spots are better, too.

How did you adjust when you came out to the west coast?
I kinda just kept to myself. I met my good friend, "Irish" Chris McQuilkin, and he introduced me to some other people, like Keegan Sauder. When I was younger I would hang out with my Dad and his friends, and skate with older guys, so I kinda skipped that whole teenager-at-the-park-dickin'-around stage. I'm pretty old-fashioned.

5-0 to shove-it. Brian Caissie sequence.

Has your outlook on being a sponsored skater changed much over the years?
My whole mentality has changed a bit since I was younger. I'm just gonna keep skating and getting coverage for the love. I'll just travel out of will, and I'm not going to force anything upon myself. I've learned that the outcome is a little better if you do it for the love, and take it as it comes.

Growing up, what singular video part stoked you the most?
I used to watch that old Duffs shoes video, Wonder Years [‘98]. I remember it actually came free with a pair of shoes, and it was the first skateboard video I ever saw. I'd watch it a couple times a day. But as far as a single part goes, it would have to be Jason Dill in Photosynthesis—that whole video is amazing to watch. Modus Operandi [Transworld, ‘00] was also definitely a major influence in skateboarding for me. When I first saw it, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Really inspiring.

When you think of movies, what comes to mind immediately?
I recently bought Labyrinth, the old one with David Bowie. That movie's dope, dude. Straight up "Bog of Eternal Stench." I grew up watching that movie, and seeing it again totally brought me back to chillin' when I was young.

What's the story behind your quick-footed skating, and how did you become so proficient both on street and transitions?
I skated for this shop, SUD Skates in St. Catharines, and they had a mini. So because of the snow and a lack of other options, I skated the mini-ramp all the time and it just became a big part of my skateboarding. The "quick-footed" thing I guess is just kind of my natural style. I've always hopped around and lately I've been trying more technical tricks, like manuals and stuff. I want my part in the Kitsch video to be a little more diverse and cover as many aspects of skateboarding as I can.

Cory Wilson's 10-page "A Canadian Gentleman" interview/photos, that appeared in SBC Skateboard magazine (#10.4, Fall '08), is available online right here.

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