Skateboarding Olympic hopefuls shred at Montreal's Jackalope festival
Even though Montreal-born skateboarder JS Lapierre now lives in California, he says he never misses the annual Jackalope extreme sports festival back in his hometown.
"Every time I skate this contest, [there is] a lot of positive interaction with all the fans, and everyone here is so amazing," he said.
That positive energy is part of the reason Lapierre loves the sport so much — and when he comes back home, there's a lot of it to greet him.
"I love being out here to do this contest because there [are] a lot of Quebec fans that support me."
Extreme athletes, including Tony Hawk and Mat Hoffman, gathered this weekend to show off their skills at Jackalope's seventh edition, which took place on the Olympic Stadium grounds.
The festival includes skateboarding, BMX, BASE jumping, bouldering and fixed-gear events, as well as a 14-foot half pipe, smaller ramps and rails.
Tony Hawk weighs in
The skateboarding competitions and demonstrations could be a taste of what's to come, with skateboarding slated to make its Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Hawk, who popularized the sport in the 1980s, says he's happy the sport is finally getting recognition but adds that there are mixed feelings about skateboarding in the Olympics.
"There's obviously a hardcore factor that have been doing it for years and years, and they never wanted Olympic recognition," Hawk said.
There's also a group of people that compete and think the Olympic addition is a positive thing, he said.
"I think at one point there will be less controversy between those camps once it starts to happen," Hawk said.
The sport has already been validated and is popular, Hawk says, perhaps more popular than many Olympic sports — but he's excited to see people who have devoted their lives to the sport on an international stage.
Lapierre has been skating for 18 years and says there's a possibility he could qualify for the Olympics. He adds that he's just as thrilled that more people will get to experience the sport that shaped his life.
"In my own personal life, skateboarding has given me so much joy and love and passion that if more people could get to skateboard, and have fun, it's all positive," Lapierre said.
"I'm really excited with what's going to happen with that sport in the future."
