Bruno Sá is one of the most exciting skimboarders in the world. His technical abilities and power on a skimboard are truly special. Over the past 10 years Bruno's drive and passion to innovate and share media have taken him to the top of the skimboarding world. To kick off the new year we took a moment to check in with Bruno at home in Brazil and see what he has in store for 2021.
Zap: Hello Bruno, How are you? What is going on?
Bruno: Hello, I am good! At the moment I am recovering from an injury. I ended up hurting my leg a few days ago while I was skimboarding. I’m in treatment with a physical therapist and doing pilates. I will need a month off to strengthen and recover 100%.
Zap: Where are you right now? Do you live where you grew up?
Bruno: Yes I am home in Recife, Pernambuco.
Zap: What is the environment like there during these COVID times?
Bruno: Here in Brazil the number of people with COVID has grown a lot. At the moment everything is working normally with no lockdowns. I ended up getting COVID with my family in early December. It can really mess with your mind having it. No one in my family had severe symptoms. I had a fever for a day and sinusitis afterwards. Thank god nothing serious! Everybody is well recovered.
Zap: What was that experience like? How did you know you were sick?
Bruno: It was a bit frightening not knowing what was going to happen to me and the people around me. I found out because of my father-in-law who was sick tested positive. On my first day I had a fever and limp body. Then only sinusitis and a little loss of taste.
Zap: How old are you?
Bruno: I am 28 now.
Zap: What season is it there? Have you been skimming much?
Bruno: Now it's time for heat and small waves. Ha ha ha. The famous summer of the Northeast. Although the Northeast is hot all year round. The good waves come in the winter season that starts in June.
Zap: How do you stay motivated to skim so much and make content for the internet?
Bruno: That is a good question, I love this sport in an unusual way. I have practiced for 16 years and I’m always happy for any wave conditions. What helps me is the fact that I am always doing maneuvers and trying to learn new ones. My biggest dream is to be a world skimboard champion and that motivates me a lot! Despite competing only once, in a few events on the United Skim Tour in 2019, to get the 5th place made me believe even more.
Zap: Who are your sponsors?
Bruno: My sponsors are: Zap Skimboards, Goviloop, Spiceskate, Paka, Pilates Ja, Adson Morais, Castel, and Frisson. The family is big! Ha ha ha.
Zap: What are your goals for this year?
Bruno: I want a lot to happen this year. I have several projects like skimboarding classes, events, and a few trips planned. I believe that my biggest focus for this year will be the United Skim Tour. I want to compete in all the stages, which I didn't get to do in 2019. I have all the gas for that moment. I also want to take trips to Portugal, the United States and Mexico if everything goes well.
Zap: Any new tricks? What is your approach to learning new tricks?
Bruno: Ha ha ha. I like these questions. I've been training a lot to get a superman back on the wave, among other maneuvers that I've been taking notes on and practicing. I will record and send more videos for you to see.
Zap: Brazil has a lot of attention right now with a current world champion skimboarder and surfer. Also, tons of top skateboarders. Why do you think that is?
Bruno: Brazil is on fire! I am very happy for this moment that our country is going through, although isn’t easy being an athlete in Brazil. We have many athletes that are not praised and there is a lack of support. Here in Brazil there are incredible places to skimboard and surf. I believe that the talent comes from that combined with a lot of willpower and passion.
Zap: Are you friends with Brazilian word champions Lucas Fink and Italo Ferreira? Tell me about your relationship with those guys.
Bruno: Great athletes, I really admire their work. Italo is super nice and you can see he has a lot of willpower. I didn’t spend a lot of time with him but I could see he is a great guy. I have known Lucas for a long time. He's an incredible person with a lot of love for what he does, showing that the Brazilian skimboarding has a great potential!
Zap: What is your most memorable moments in skimboarding?
Bruno: This question is very difficult to answer, because I have had several remarkable moments! One that comes to mind was meeting the Zap Skimboard family. Seeing everyone together, getting to see the Zap Skimboard factory and the people who work there. Being able to take a trip with the Zap team and catching incredible waves in Delaware with everyone made me feel great! Ha ha ha.
Zap: How would you describe your style? Didn’t you just have your hair braided in cornrows?
Bruno: I believe that I don’t have a defined style. I always want to innovate and most importantly feel good. Ha ha ha, about the braids, it was funny, I had to go to a wedding. I did it 10 days before the party and I couldn't keep it in 5 days because I couldn’t sleep and train because of the weight of my hair. Ha ha ha! I’m letting my hair grow out again now.
Zap: What can we expect from you this year?
Bruno: I hope this year I’ll have a lot of achievements, like creating content for my Youtube channel. I want to start filming my travels, filming my training, my daily life as a person and athlete. And as I said above, my biggest focus will be on the United Skim Tour. So the focus is 100% on physical/mental preparation and a lot of skimboard training.
ZAP: Thank you for your time? Anything else you would like to share? Final words?
Bruno: Thank you for this incredible interview. I want to thank you very much for the opportunity that you are giving me. I am forever grateful! I also want to thank all the sponsors who are with me and everyone who is in the crowd. One thing I want to say is: never give up on your dreams!
Interview Credit: Jason Wilson