The Empire skateboarding team has always been on point, but this year is something else. Our team is steadily growing and we’re not even done. A mix of OG’s, of young bloods who will become tomorrow’s Canadian skating icons, of street rats, of bowl beasts… Hell, there’s even an Olympic Athlete on the team. To put it simply, our 2021 skateboarding team is extra gnarly!
Photos: @ryanlebel / @danmathieu
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the members of our 2021 skate team and get ready for the first ever Empire Skate video, out Spring 2022.
ALEXIS LACROIX
You for sure already know Alexis! Mr. Oh Yeah himself. Alexis is a very unique human who loves to do things his way, and we do love his ways! He loves weird and crazy tricks, but can seriously do anything on a skateboard, on any terrain. Other than beings an awesome skater, Alexis is also a very talented musician and now a proud Daddy!
MORGAN DT
The new young gun on the Empire team, Morgan moved to Montreal from Quebec City about a year ago. It didn’t take long for us to notice how seriously he was destroying the city spots with style and grace. A tech god with a special power for flip tricks, stay tuned for Morgan’s part in the next Empire Video.
MITCH BARRETTE
Mitch Barrette skates the biggest rails and got the best nose manual/nosegrind balance in the game. The Ottawa local now Vancouver transplant has years of experience under his belt and is the best hypeman ever. Stoked he joined the squad!
BEN PATERSON
Ben Paterson is a skateboarding monster who can skate any type of terrain with incredible power and precision. Ben is a big guy and even if he can look all clumsy off the board, his precision is razor sharp when he steps on the wooden plank. At the end of the day, that’s what it takes to make history with a Switch FS Blunt down the Hollywood High 16 rail!
CHARLES DESCHAMPS
If you didn’t already know, Charles Deschamps is skatepark designer and even if a lot of his time is used for designing playgrounds for all of us, he still finds time to skate more than anyone else on the team and to get the gnarliest tricks on a daily basis. Charles can truly skate anything, but got a little something for propping up grates and use them as kickers. We love you Charles.
JS LAPIERRE
Although JS is now a Hawaii permanent resident, he’s still part of the Empire Family and always will be. Another example of an extremely talented skateboarder, JS is one of the most natural looking boarder we know. He can skate rails, gaps, transitions and ledges real good and apparently, he also became a real good surfer. Can’t wait to see you back home JS!
JOHNNY PURCELL
Johnny Purcell is the Canadian Switch God, period. Hailing from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, he’s one of the smartest kids we know. Even his tricks selection is smart! Johnny has got a good head on his shoulders, he’s one of the few Empire Team members who graduated University. The best part is that while finishing school, Johnny put out more skating than most of the team, Switch!
SOPHIE GRANT
When we saw her skate at the Empire Open in 2019, we instantly knew Sophie Grant was a force to be reckoned with and we're stoked she’s one of the new members of our team. Sophie’s from the Toronto area, is in the Canadian Olympic team, skates with the Zero guys every Winter and loves to get gnarly. She went through a leg injury recently, but is now back on the board and we can’t wait to finally skate with her.
PIERRE-YVES FRAPPIER
PIF is the ultimate example that age doesn’t really matter if your brain is set on precise goals. For him, the goal is to go down massive handrails and hubbas! And when we say massive, we mean it. PIF is almost 40 and still jumps on obstacles that 98% of the team wouldn’t even touch. After a few years off the board, his passion for skateboarding came back when he got sober almost 8 years ago. We’re proud to have him back on the team and we couldn’t be happier about his sober and positive lifestyle.
HÉLOÏSE WATHELET
The easiest way to tell how good someone is at skating is by looking at their kickflips. Well, the first time we saw Hélo skate and do a kickflip, we instantly knew she was a natural. Hélo is the coolest girl, she’s super relaxed and kind and it translates in her stylish and graceful skating. The Belgium native now Montreal resident has a lot of experience on the board and flip tricks for days. Can’t wait till you see more of her in the upcoming Empire video.
PHIL DULUDE
Dulude is the ultimate bowl/transition ripper, but can also skate street very well. Phil is a great kid who was raised in a skate family. Almost all of his siblings skate and his dad Pat introduced Phil to the board at a very, very young age, blessing Phil with the skate knowledge, history, and unwritten code that most kids don’t even know about until they get older. That explains why Phil is an old soul despite being so young. Also explains why he was already doing the biggest backside airs in bowls when he was 10 years old.
GAB GALIPEAU
Gab Galipeau, also known as Big Sexy is one big guy with great ideas, a dope skate style and a lot of energy. The guy eats as much as a family of 4 and is still one of the most ripped skaters we know. Big Sexy also skates very good after eating crazy amounts of food and he’s very passionate about Peace Park. Catch him there doing the craziest slappy noseslide combinations you can think of.
ZANDER MITCHELL
Zander is one of the best skaters in the world in our opinion. He's uber talented and got the style to match the tricks. He loves tech tricks on ledges, but he can basically skate whatever you put in front of him. Fun fact, Zander speaks French very well, but only after few drinks.
KYLE MACDONALD
Kyle is like the Gino Iannucci of the Empire Team. Clips of him are like golden nuggets you want to hold on to forever. Kyle is one of the most OG guys on the team, he’s tall and lanky and got one of the most pleasing to watch style. Hailing from Nova Scotia, he’s a solid dude, has endless tech tricks in his bag and a pop that makes you realize that your ollie is weak.
NIC CUSTEAU
Our favorite team rider/warehouse employee, Nic Custeau not only has the tricks, but also has one of the most positive outlook on life. Nic is part of the new breed of kids who are inspiring to us older guys. In any case, bring Nic wherever there’s a ledge and you are in for a treat. Check him out in the next Frosted Skateboards video!
JAKE CORMIER
Jake is a wizard at skating just as much as he is at life. He’s one of the coolest, most relaxed dude on the team. His positivity is contagious and his continuous stoke will definitely get everybody else around him stoked too. We’ve seen him take some of the heaviest slams and he was still smiling. We’ve seen him land the craziest tricks first try and he was smiling the same way. Make, slam or no skating at all, you can count on Jake to be hyped at all times, chilling alongside his buddies with a consistent smile on his face.
CODY CORMIER
Cody is Jake’s brother and just like him, he’s one happy fella. Cody is one of the funniest dude and always got the craziest stories. On our last trip to Colombia, he locked himself out of the airbnb while we were all gone and he got back in by a window that's way too small for any adult to be able to go through. Still to this day, nobody understands how he managed to do it. Out of the whole squad, Cody is probably the guy with the most air balance. Hi diet isn't as balanced as his flip tricks down huge drops, but it's getting there.
FRED LANTEIGNE
Fred Lanteigne is from New Brunswick and has become everybody’s new favorite skater as soon as he moved to the city a few years ago. Fred’s got a great style on and off the board and a relaxed attitude. Always cool to hang out with him. He’s the nollie hardflip master, but can pretty much do every trick in the book in just a few tries. Fred is a smart kid and a very talented skater, we’re stoked to have him on board.
FRANK GAGNON
The North Shore ripper! Frank Gagnon is one of the oldest members of our skate family. He unfortunately got injured a few times and had to go through multiple knee surgeries in the past few years, but now he’s fully back and we’re stoked. Bring Frank on a trip and he will skate more than everyone, party more than everyone and still be the first one up in the morning to clean out everybody else’s mess. Thanks Frank for being such a good team player.
