In this series of portraits, we introduce you to the best skaters in France who are or have been part of Old Skullz Skateboard in the framework of the Club and stays Skate Camps. Aujourd’hui c’est Victor Naves who tells us his story, his passion for skateboarding and the creation of SkateDaShit ! (Interview by Maxx)
Victor is hugely passionate about skateboarding and has built one of France's biggest online skateboard communities. If you're a skater, you must know SkateDashit. If you don't know the account, it's a page that has been finding and reposting skaters from across France, incredible tricks and unknown talent for nearly 10 years! It's the best at what it does and it's incredibly active!
Portrait
M. Hi Vic, I've been seeing you since you started skating. You live in Nîmes, if I'm not mistaken?
V. Hi, Max!
Well, I'm 30 and I live in a small village near Uzès in the Gard (30 minutes from Nîmes)
M. You’ve been all in since the first day you stepped on a skateboard. I used to see you at the Skate Party contests when the Nîmes skatepark was still brand new and the best in our region almost more than 10 years ago!
You haven’t stopped since! How long have you been skateboarding? Do you have sponsors?
V. So I've been skating for 18 years now and I'm supported by Ollieday skateshop at Nimes, Thrill skateboards and Polster trucks through Skate Crew
M. From being the skate rat hitting all the big street gaps and progressing incredibly fast to technical manuals and rails… You became a well-rounded skater so quickly. ! Have you achieved any results in contests?
V. For contest results, I think my best “placing”, although I don’t really like that word, was fifth at the French Championships in 2009. But I’ve won several smaller contests since, most recently a team contest at the Saint Marcel d’Ardèche skatepark last summer!
M. You’re still going at 30 — well done! Are you more into street, bowl, or both?
V. I'm much more into street than bowl, but the new bowl at Uzès skatepark made me want to try a few things, so I skate it from time to time.
M. Then you created the SkateDaShit page and community on social media, which has since become a go-to French skate account on Insta.
I think plenty of people would like to know who's behind SkateDaShit! How did you come up with the idea of creating SkateDaShit? How long ago was that?
V. The idea for my SkateDaShit account came when I realised I was gaining lots of followers on Facebook after the Kiabi rail video (a 20-stair rail I did a frontside boardslide on).
I thought it would be good to create a community where we could help each other, share videos and bring lesser-known skaters into the spotlight.
M. Sick! A proper big American rail. I remember you were doing huge stuff back then!
V. The name comes from a discussion I had with Lucas Beaufort, that name came out and I thought it was very catchy so I kept it.
M. Haha, sooo cool, man, I didn’t know that! Awesome!
I created Facebook account in 2013 and the insta account in 2017
M. For anyone who doesn’t know, what exactly is Skate Da Shit?
V. I partly answered that above, but basically it's a page where I mostly repost French skaters who don't get many views but have potential. I also post contest posters and results, announcements about new pros and new video releases (…)
M. Do you manage it spontaneously when you have time, or stick to a schedule, a bit like a job?
V. I manage the page, usually posting twice a day: at noon and in the evening between 6 and 7 p.m. But I’m not a robot either; there have been times when I couldn’t post because I was somewhere with no reception, though that’s pretty rare.
M. That's incredible consistency, mate! How much time does it take each day, for example?
V. Managing the account takes a lot of time, I admit. It depends on what’s happening. If there’s news, such as a pro changing sponsors, I try to run a Q&A asking which team they’ll join. I spend time watching the latest videos and posting them to stories, replying to messages people send me and reposting stories I’m tagged in…
I’d say it takes me an average of 2–3 hours a day, but sometimes much more, especially in summer and during contest periods like SLS and Tampa AM/PRO.
M. This photo is from when Vic jumped the length of the curb at the contest we organised in Monteux (Photo: Jeff)
M. I know social media well and I know how much time creating content takes. I'm really impressed by the time you put into producing content and staying active for your community!
Do you consider SkateDaShit a job or rather a passion?
V. I see my page as a passion because I don't earn money from it, though I'd love to make it my job because I enjoy it.
M. So you often livestream contests/competitions on Skate Da Shit, right? I think that's cool: it lets us be there from behind our screens, since not every contest is broadcast. How about taking us behind the scenes at the 2024 Olympics? haha
V. Yes, I often livestream contests because I believe skateboarding comes from the street and you shouldn't have to pay to watch it. I'm quite torn about broadcasting Olympic videos, especially with the scandal of a temporary skatepark costing 3 million euros only to be demolished 5 days later… We'll see when the time comes, if I'm asked and if they make more effort to tone down that bling-bling side.
M. Do you have a job alongside this community, or do you make a living from it?
V. As I said above, I earn €0 from SkateDaShit. I’ve just found a job at Arkaïk Concept assembling boards.
M. So cool! What I've seen of you over the years is that you're a huuuge fan of every part of skateboarding: videos, parts, pro and independent skaters, amateurs… As the Americans would put it, in the best sense, you're a real skateboard geek, nerd, freak. Is that a fair way to sum it up?
How would you describe yourself?
V. Yes, you can definitely call me a skate nerd. I think about skateboarding and live for it all day long!
When I'm out in the street, even while travelling, I'm always looking for skate spots, and I photograph them wherever I go. I know most tricks and try to teach them to young skaters whenever I get the chance.
M. I imagine you’re a walking encyclopedia. Alongside all that, have you made the pilgrimage to skateboarding’s mecca in California?
V. Yes, I’ve been to skateboarding’s mecca in California several times, since I met a wonderful family there in 2009. The atmosphere is wild; it can even be intimidating because, when you visit a spot, you know every unimaginable trick has already been done there. But there is always a way to find a trick that stands out.
The spots are incredible, but you have to drive between them, which is a real pain… Especially since the Los Angeles ring road is often jammed.
M. That is the other side of the American dream, haha. Where do you think the best spots in the world are?
14- For me, the best spots in the world are in Los Angeles, but I think we’re pretty well served in France too! What we don’t always realise is that all our spots are within driving distance: generally, in one or two hours, you can reach a big city with good spots. In the United States, by comparison, you can spend 3 or 4 hours driving in one day just to skate one or two spots. We’re lucky!
M. Totally, I agree with you. And our cities are modernising—places like Bordeaux, Marseille and Lyon have some wicked new spots. (here's Vic with a huge 180fs in Paris during the Redbull contest (Photo: Pal Photo)
Speaking of travel, we used to see you everywhere back then: contests, concerts and music festivals, even on the news, abroad—everywhere!
V. Yes, I've always gone to lots of concerts — more than 300. I love it and still go, even if I've slowed down a bit. I made 6 trips to the United States, in 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020, visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami and New York. This summer, I went to Angers, Besançon, Dijon, Toulouse, Barcelone…
M. Incredible, Vic! What are you doing now that you're older? Do you still have skate goals? (For now, for later? With Skate Da Shit? Without it?)
V. Yes, I still have goals in skateboarding. I'm putting together a part that I started filming after COVID. I've already got quite a few tricks, but I want to make something polished, even if it takes time. I'd love some support with shoes too, because I wear them out at an incredible rate! And why not turn pro for Thrill if the brand grows? We'll see…
M. Your favourite French skater? Your greatest skater of all time? Your favourite video part?
V. My favorite French skater is probably Matisse Banc, he is incredibly productive and lands his tricks in just a few tries—it is unreal.
My skateboarding GOAT has to be Joslin, but my favourite skater is still Corey Duffel!
My favourite part is Corey Duffel’s in Foundation’s That’s Life! A huge inspiration
M. I’m putting Matisse’s part here because I love it too! 🙂
M. What kind of spot(s) do you love skating?
V. Well, I really like manual pads and gaps, of course, but I also enjoy banks when there are some 🙂
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M. I remember you loved jumping huge gaps back when we posted our videos on Facebook! How did you get into jumping from such heights? Doesn't it hurt a lot?
V. I've always loved skating spots nobody else dares to skate. I love that feeling of flying and clearing a whole load of stairs. Honestly, when you land back on your board it's fine, but if you're unlucky enough to get thrown off, it's usually unforgiving!
I remember wrecking my heel on the 5 blocks at Bercy back then. I limped for a good month…
M. Oh Sh.T, haha! You were doing loads of big fs 180s back then, if I remember right. Was that your signature? Do you love that trick?
V. The frontside 180 and I have a real love story! I can even do it as a late 180 now. It’s my go-to trick, and I always try a frontside 180 rather than an ollie on big spots.
M. Are you currently working on any projects in or outside skateboarding? (contests, video parts, sponsors, studies, work…)
V. Yes, I'm planning to release a new part in 2023 (I've been filming it since 2020). And work-wise, I've just found a job in Lyon, so I'll be moving there soon!
M. Quickly, what does a typical day look like for you? Give us your day in the life :)
V. A typical day for me means waking up in my girlfriend's arms, having a big breakfast and watching the latest skateboard videos on YouTube. Around noon, I buy some good organic vegetables and cook something nice! Then I spend the afternoon skating and seeing friends, before having a drink at the beer bar in the evening!
M. Living the good life! If people want to follow you on Insta, what are your accounts:
V. So I have 5 different accounts:
My Skate Da Shit page is simply @skatedashit
Then I also have my personal account, where I only post skateboarding: @victor_naves__
Then I have my concert account: @lesconcertsdevic. Mon compte photo: @regardetreve et enfin mon compte veggie: @mes_trouvailles_veggie
M. Wow! You've been productive! I admire your passion! So, shall we organise this Old Skullz X Skate Da Shit contest? My sources tell me quite a few people would be up for it :)!
V. Go for it, I’d be so up for organizing that!
Let’s go, let’s do it then! Oh, and one last question: would you recommend that your friends or the kids do a Skate Camp with us? Why?
V. Of course I would recommend your stays !! First, because you've been skating for a long time and know what you're talking about, and second, because the idea of helping people discover street spots is brilliant! I think that was really missing, because skateparks aren't skateboarding's roots — street is its very essence.
Thanks for the interview—it was a pleasure to answer your thoughtful questions!
M. Thank you, Vic. I hope readers learned as much as I did from interviewing you. I see a deeply passionate guy who has been doing this humbly for more than a decade. You do it out of love for skateboarding, with your own resources, and I felt that deserved recognition! Well done, Vic. I really wish you the best with all your projects and life in general. See you very soon!
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