Skateboarders In Love


SL title NEWSkating can break your heart. It helps to have someone to share the stoke with. Here are interviews with six couples that have learned to grind through the good times and the bad. Featuring Nora Vasconcellos, Lizzie Armanto, Axel Cruysberghs, Franky Villani and more.
SL ports tall

SL2Photo: Burnett

SL15
How did you two meet?
Lizzie: We met at the Copenhagen Open.
Axel: Yep. What year was that, 2016 or ’17?
L: I think ’16 but I don’t know. I’d have to look it up. This year it’ll be four years.
A: Okay, so the summer of 2016, I guess.

But how did you meet meet?
L: We just happened to be at this ledge spot and Chris Russell, Kevin Bradley and you were there. Jordan from Monster was like, Hey, this is Axel and I knew Chris Russell and Kevin, obviously. Then they all just shotgunned beers and Jordan took a photo.
A: I was way cooler back then.

Had either of you gone out with another skateboarder before?
A: I hadn’t.
L: I have.

For you, Axel, there’s almost like an old-fashioned stigma of not wanting to date somebody who skates. Was that something you’d heard or thought about before?
A: I guess I never really thought I would date someone who skated, but then it didn’t really matter for me. I met Lizzie and it wasn’t like, Ooh, she skates. That’s not that cool, you know? Maybe up to that point I was like, Maybe that’s not that cool, but then when I met her I was like, This is the best thing ever. We can just go skate together. It probably never registered until I met Lizzie.
L: When we met each other I never really knew who he was. It was all very organic in that sense.

Because, Lizzie, you don’t follow skating or know the names of tricks, right?
L: Ha!
A: But I didn’t know who Lizzie was either. Because I only saw her at the King of the Road thing and I was like, Oh, she skates for Birdhouse. But I never even thought about it because we’re kind of on opposite sides of the skate world. So I guess it was just like meeting anybody. It was very normal. Like, funny in a lot of ways, I guess.

SL8Gnarly in pink, couples only in the backyard  /  Photo: Burnett

Is it different skating with a boyfriend/girlfriend than a regular friend? Is there anything different?
A: I don’t think so.
L: I think because we know each other super well I feel like I can read Axel really well. I can read my close friends well but—
A: I get scared. Like today when we were doing the rail thing, I just get scared for Lizzie.

I was gonna ask, what’s it like to see your special someone eat shit?
A: It hurts. I get worried, you know? It’s just different.
L: It’s funny ’cause a lot of the time if I see Axel slam or know he’s hurt, when it happens there in person it’s like, Oh, he’s good until I see his face and then I can tell what level it is. But in my head it’s like, Oh yeah, he’s fine. He’s kind of like a cat in that sense—whatever position he gets into he usually lands on his feet.
A: Let’s say if I’m trying something gnarly, I would rather not have Lizzie there. Just because I don’t want her to see me—not that I’m scared to fall or something in front of her but it’s more like, Yeah, that was terrible. You don’t have to see this. I don’t want to scare you.
L: I feel like that would be hard to do. I think the only thing I’d be really scared of is if Axel injured himself so bad that I knew it was gonna be long-term damage. But I feel that way about anyone.

What about you, Lizzie? You do all the contests. Is there ever a time where you’re like, I don’t want to look over and see Axel smiling at me in the heat of battle?
A: I think in the beginning that was a little tough.
L: In the beginning when we first met we went to X Games and we were both skating in it and it was really difficult ’cause we both have our own—like when you go to skate a contest you’re in a certain mindset and we have totally different—
A: Lizzie’s the person who won’t talk and doesn’t need any attention and just wants to be on their own and I’m like, I’m nervous here so I’m just trying to talk. And so that was the first time we had to do that and it was really tough.
L: I think we were both freaking out in our own way. It was like Axel needed more support and I was just like, You don’t exist right now. Please go help yourself. So it was really difficult.
A: So that was when we first met. I feel like now we’re that far that it’s like—
L: It’s not personal. Before I think we were taking it personal.
A: Now we know.

SLQ9
What do you do that you know bugs the shit out of Lizzie?
A: Sometimes I think if I want to skate all the time. ’Cause I feel like I can never stop skating and Lizzie is more like—Lizzie skates a lot but I’m probably double or triple the amount just because I need to skate and Lizzie’s like, “Oh, go skate.” I don’t know. What else? There is stuff. Can you name a couple of things?
L: I don’t think it’s just skating. It’s prioritizing and it’s like, I know you love skating and that’s your priority and it’s just learning how to balance it. But I think that’s everyone’s problem. Axel doesn’t know how to sit still. That’s what it is. So when we were in quarantine it’s like Axel’s freaking out.
A: I need to be able to get out for an hour and be able to get my energy out. Otherwise it’s probably hard to be around me in the house.
L: He needs something to exhaust him and then he’ll pass out.

What do you do that bugs the shit out of Axel?
L: This is a really recent one that comes to mind but I’ll see him on his phone and I’ll say, What are you doing? And then he’ll catch me doing the same thing.
A: Yeah, I’ll be on my phone probably looking at Instagram or something and Lizzie just goes, What are you doing? I’m just like, You already know what I’m doing. You think I’m working right now or something? Lizzie knows but she just wants to be like, You probably need to help me with something. Which is funny. So last night I did the same to you. I’m like, What are you doing?
L: It’s usually when one of us is working on something and it just isn’t fun and the other one’s just doing nothing.

What’s modern dating like in the digital age as minor celebrities?
A: I think for me, I get weird things on Instagram and Lizzie gets weird things, so I guess we both know it’s how it is. It’s okay to put stuff out there but you also want to keep stuff to yourself.
L: I don’t put my whole life out there. There’s some people who do, but to each their own.

SL7Flowers, boba tea, drop-in grinds—Axel and Lizzie aren’t afraid to share their passions  /  Photo: Burnett

What do you two love to do besides skate together? What are your things?
A: We like to just go places. Lizzie loves flowers. Last year when we were traveling a bunch we went to every botanical garden. We went to one in Monaco, one in Italy, in Paris, we went to so many different ones. That’s kind of our thing—we like to eat good and cruise around. We skate a lot even if there’s no one filming or anything. We went to Japan and it was like a mini skate trip of us just like cruising around, eating, drinking tea, having some drinks with friends and that was kind of it. We surfed and we went to skateparks and that’s just it. Did fun stuff, visiting museums and stuff like that.
L: Taking photos, going out. In Japan we went to camera stores and that was really cool because they have basically a closet with all the different who knows what in there. So it was just fun.

You guys are a very wholesome couple. What’s the closest you’ve come to breaking up?
L: I think in the beginning there were times where I was like, Axel, you’re being clingy.

You were clingy?
A: I guess.
L: But I don’t know, I think I’m very independent.
A: I had to really get used to this, but Lizzie, she’s the person who does everything on her own.
L: I used to always say the car is like my car even though it’s our car.
A: Yeah. She’s like, It’s my car. I’m like, Okay, but it’s my car, too. Stuff like that. In the beginning that was kind of hard for me. I was like, What does this mean? But then I got used to it and now I think it’s more funny.

SLQ10
That’s funny. You almost broke up because you’re too clingy and she’s not being sensitive enough.
A: But then in the beginning it’s just like you need to get used to each other. But I don’t think we’ve really been that close to breaking up.

So, you two just bought a house in possibly a bad neighborhood in Long Beach. How’s that going so far?
L: We did. Pretty good. there was one incident
A: Yeah, so this is the story. We had just moved here. We were here for what, two weeks maybe?
L: I pull up to the house. I didn’t even pull up, I’m going down the street—
A: I had just left that day, so it’s night time here by the time I make it to Paris where I had a connecting flight. So Lizzie texted me and she’s like, Oh my God, there was a shooting on our street! I was like, No way.
L: Our whole block is taped off and there’s the whole squad and I can’t even pull into our driveway. So I had to park the car and walk by myself.
A: I was like, Of course this happens as soon as I leave. I leave and then Lizzie’s by herself. But actually the guy who’s working on our backyard, he was here, so it was like, Okay, she’s not on her own. But I was worried.
L: I didn’t want to bother him because I don’t really know him that well. I was like, Oh my God, we live in a very interesting place.
A: Yep. So Lizzie called me freaking out and I had just landed in Europe and there’s nothing I can do, you know? So now it’s been kind of nice to have this quarantine right now so we get used to our house and neighborhood. It’s been nice to spend time here.

SL22Axel keeps his distance while Lizzie handles an Andrecht  /  Photo: Burnett

SL21Lizzie and Axel were married October 16th, 2020. Big love, y'all!  /  Photo: Burnett

Do you two have a song?
L: “Butterfly” by Crazy Train.

Do you ever talk about grown-up things like marriage and kids?
A: I think so, yeah. I feel like it’s a very normal relationship so it’s like I think everybody can relate. There’s just normal, boring stuff.

Does that sound right?
L: Yeah. I feel like we touch upon the subjects but we’re never like, Oh my God, I can’t wait ’til the day. I feel like Axel and I are very focused on the present and where we’re at with skating. I think we’re aware of our future and try to plan for it as best as we can. But I feel like I’m also happy just being here. Everything’s been going super well.
A: I’m happy to be here too.

What do you like most about Axel?
L: I think he’s just the kindest person I’ve ever met.
A: That feels good to hear.

What do you like most about Lizzie?
A: She’s a really good person. Lizzie is always down to help someone.
L: And I also really like that Axel’s really close to his family. I think when I first saw that it was almost foreign to me because I feel like in America there’s so many—not that I come from a broken family, but I don’t know. Our norm is like dysfunctional families, so it’s kind of cool to see that.
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