In the recent past, the idea of a skateboarder openly advocating ‘being healthy’, let alone visiting the gym and working on fitness, was considered anathema within a culture that glorified drug and alcohol misuse and treated ‘trying’ with a degree of contempt.
Fast forward a few years and Korahn Gayle writes stretching and muscle-strength articles for Vague, Get Lesta mainstay Joe Marks mixes up twin passions of power-lifting and skateboarding, and one of our culture’s most prominent Instagram celebrities (namely Weckingball) regularly post viral Insta clips advocating gym training and healthy eating alongside banging technical street skating.
It turns out that being healthy isn’t actually that wack after all, and that treating your body with a degree of respect can actually assist you in not only skating at a higher level, but also in prolonging your ability to skate long into your mid-life.
With that contextual intro out of the way – onto the matter in hand.
If you were skating in and around Sheffield in the mid 00’s, or you regularly bought either Sidewalk or Document during that period, then you will recognise the name Alex Burrell.
Alex was a great skater in his own right and an equally talented photographer, racking up both a Kingpin and Sidewalk cover (both of Mark Baines) along with a ton of other published photographs before he embarked on a career as a Commando in the Royal Marines.
After leaving the Marines due to PTSD induced by his experiences working amidst the early days of the ‘migrant crisis’ on a deployment to the Aegean Sea, Alex moved to Coventry where he continued with his interest in power-lifting (as well as skateboarding) and currently co-owns a gym in the same city.
Our friend James Needham AKA Neddy, caught up with Alex recently to find out about his life’s journey and how he found himself in his current position.
Hit the image below to be taken to the full interview.
Alex Burrell – 5050 – Sheffield
Check the clip below for a taste of Alex Burrell the skater at an earlier stage in his life.
Hope you’re well mate!
