You know those days when you try to get something done, but for some reason or another, it just doesn't end up getting taken care of? That's pretty much how my interview experience has gone up until this point with Hugo Balek. After tracking Hugo down in person in Montreal during the Am Getting Paid contest, I was stoked to finally get this one wrapped up. In spite of all the exposure this guy's been getting over the past year, I can't really say that interviewing him was as easy as I'd originally planned. Needless to say, I picked a few random questions to get things going and the rest was history... and I'm sure I was a lot easier on him than Dave Carnie was when he interviewed Hugo for Kingshit.

Hugo rides for Element skateboards, footwear and clothing, Independent Trucks (S&Js), and Southparc. Read on, and get to know him a little better.

So Hugo, the last time I saw you was at AGP last year in Montreal. I never got to ask you: did you have a good time there?
Yeah, I did have some fun, but I blew it. I got over a hundred, but I'm just too stressed out now when I skate contests. I did however, get to see good people that I haven't seen in a while, so that parts' sick.

Are you much of a contest kid?
Not really... sometimes I do well and sometimes I don't. I think its all about whether you land your first trick in your run or not, ‘cause when you don't you get super bummed and lose motivation.

FS lipslide, bigspin out. Hutton sequence.

You've been featured in ads and interviewed in magazines... when's the video part dropping?
Right now I'm filming for the Dime Store video that's coming out this year, it's all the crew I skate with, and Philippe Lavoie is filming and editing the shit all himself. It's gnar... he's always filming with five people every day, so hopefully it will be sick.

When you're out there skating and filming with your friends, who impresses you?
[laughs] I don't know... I'm hyped when I see my homies skate. Landing some new tricks... just seeing all the crew enjoying the session.

Does having a team manager that's really good at skating motivate you to be a good skateboarder?
I don't know... it doesn't give me more pressure that Chad [Albert] skates; I just find it even doper ‘cause he's down too skate. He shreds and he knows what's up, so dealing with a skater [as my team manager] makes it sick.

I recently read in the first Kingshit mag that your family's originally from the Czech Republic.  How did you end up in Montreal?
Because my dad's first language that he learned was French, and I got sent to French school... That's pretty much it. My mom speaks English, so that's how I learned my English.

Nollie bigspin. Geoff Clifford sequence.

Do you speak a whole bunch of languages like all the other Euros I know?
What do you mean? [laughs] I only speak the one where I'm from, but I guess my parents learned Russian and something else when they were younger, but I didn't. Too lazy...

Do you think that you're ever going to get out to your home country?
Yeah, man... I really want to. I might be going next year, but it isn't sure at all yet. It would be amazing!

Are you a hockey fan like the rest of the people in Canada?
No, I don't watch hockey at all... It doesn't pump me up too much, so it's a hard one to get into.

What do you think of jocks?
I think that they are the worst people, because they all look alike and when you go to a club you will only up seeing popped collars, tanned v-necks and Ed Hardy dudes.

Hugo Balek in Lo-Def

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Related:
The Follow-Up: Lo-Def
Element Goes To Halifax
East Coast Canucks Hit Up Miami (video)