We love the fact that in many ways, the Olympics highlight athletes on a global stage so that you can know more about them and can continue to watch them throughout the year as they do a range of exhilarating and heroic competitions. The Summer Games in Tokyo introduced the debut of skateboarding with Team USA's Olympic Skateboarding Men's Park Team was comprised of Heimana Reynolds (our June cover), Zion Wright (this month's 9LIST STORI3S) and this month's cover, Cory Juneau who won the Bronze medal. These 3 represented the entire Park USA Skateboarding team!

We caught up with Cory to talk about his approach to the sport and how in addition to it being his job, it's a passion and something he truly enjoys! He talks about how the sport authentically creates a culture of positivity where they hype each other up. We also talk about his upcoming schedule which includes the Copenhagen Pro as well as the Venice International Film Festival with Golden Goose who he is sponsored by.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When was the moment that you fell in love with skateboarding?

CORY JUNEAU: Probably the first time that I got on my board. I saw my brother get a skateboard and he started skating and I kind of just got one right after and so that was it!

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to go pro and do it as a living?

CJ: That’s never really been a huge thought of mine! It’s just been about going out and having fun and skating with my friends, which has always been my motivator and I always just want to do whatever I can to be able to continue to skate for the rest of my life. I push myself to be able to do better and it’s not about being any type of typical thing that people would assume.

AM: How do you approach skating? Do you have a process when it comes to tricks that you want to incorporate into the runs that you want to do?

CJ: My process is kind of me getting there and just figuring it out when I’m skating and I want to be comfortable. I have been skating for awhile now and skating is 90% mental. If you’re confident and you know what you want to do, it will work out you know? I just like to take it slow.

AM: We love that you have a very chill and relaxed style!

CJ: Haha thank you, thank you!

AM: So what’s a day like with you when you’re practicing?

CJ: A typical day for me is pretty chill honestly! I kind of just wake up and see what the homies are doing and then make a plan to go skate somewhere – if it’s in the street or in the park or some spot. We’ll just figure it out at the time. We just kind of get a group together of all the homies and we just go, skate and vibe off of each other.

AM: When it comes to working out, what do you do that allows you to optimize you in your sport or do you simply skate?

CJ: I usually just skate, but I just started doing yoga and PT because I was battling an injury in Jan. So, I kind of got into a routine. So I have been doing yoga twice a week and PT twice a week for my ankle. My body is healthy, strong and flexible. I think its great to do this to just keep it that way and to prevent injuries.

AM: What’s a typical skateboarding season like for you? I know that pre-COVID it was probably different and now things may still be a bit different, but what’s a season like in terms of competitions and how many months out of the year are you doing this?

CJ: Honestly, the skate competition season is pretty hectic. There's a lot of travel and I'm probably gone 6-8 months out of the year normally. Like you said, it’s been pretty chill the last year and a half because of COVID, but before that, it was pretty hectic and I was always traveling, always doing stuff and trying to get there and to stay on top of it.

AM: Because you travel so much around the world, do you have a favorite series that you like to compete in?

CJ: My favorite series are the ones that are not so oriented around the contests, but it’s about having a good time. A lot of the skate events are set up on the beach and have that Venice type vibe. I’m a big fan of Australia, it’s one of my favorite places and it reminds me of home. I used to enjoy going out there a lot, but there hasn’t been a series out there for a few years! But I’m missing it and I’m itching to go back.

AM: When it’s game time for you, do you have a routine or series of things that you do before you go into a competition – are you doing extra yoga?

CJ: It’s pretty mellow honestly. I just like to get a visual of what I want to do and get my line down and then I like to get it all down in one run. I just want to make it happen, you know? Like I said before, skating is 90% mental. It’s just knowing that you can do it. I just like to stay relaxed because what’s going to happen is going to happen.

AM: It’s a great mindset to have!

CJ: Yeah! I think it works really well for me and it keeps me relaxed.

AM: Before we get into talking about you competing in the Olympics, just the idea that you were part of the inaugural group of people that had your sport on such a global stage – how big was it for you to be in that group and to also have your sport represented like that?

CJ: It was huge! It’s such a surreal feeling to having everybody around you being so supportive and having your back. For me, I didn’t realize how crazy it was going to be and how much backing there is. I mean, obviously, I have watched a few Olympic events, but it’s something you can’t take in until you’re there and you see it for yourself. To go out there to support my city, Southern California, California as a whole and the US is huge and super humbling. To go out there and do well, it was great!

AM: We were excited to watch skateboarding and to see the preliminaries as well as the finals! How did you feel winning the Bronze medal?

CJ: It was so surreal and honestly, it’s been 2 weeks and I’m still taking it in! Because, it’s been such a long build up, like such a long journey and road to just get there. I changed my diet, I started doing yoga, PT, I was battling an injury for 4 or 5 months and I’m just grateful that I was able to make it there and do well. Coming from the US, we have the largest skate scene in the world and the fact that I was able to make it there, I was blown away. I wasn’t so stressed about the results, I was just glad that I was there.

AM: Is there a difference between competing at the Olympics versus your other tournaments in terms of game play?

CJ: I don’t think that the judging is any different. What everyone is doing out there is so authentic and so original and themselves – you can only be judged against yourself.

AM: One of the things that struck us when we were watching especially in seeing the prelims and then the finals, as a community, to watch all of you hyping each other up – it was like a party that you wanted to be invited to. What is it about the skateboarding culture that creates this kind of camaraderie? What are you guys doing that fosters that feeling?

CJ: Yeah, the camaraderie between us is truly one of a kind! I think it’s just that we're all so passionate and we all love skateboarding so much and it’s so authentically ourselves. It’s not like anyone else out there is doing the exact same thing. So you get hyped up when someone does their run and does good. So we feed off that and we take that energy and we put it into our skating. It’s not like someone does a good run and it scares you! When you do it and love it, it’s a good session! You vibe off of that good energy in the air.

AM: Looking at the Summer Games in Paris 2024, do you anticipate adding that to your plans?

CJ: It’s something that I would like to do. It’s a few years away, but everything will come down again soon and when it starts up, I will definitely try to make the cut! I’d love to go back. The experience that I had was so surreal like I said and I’d love to go and do it again.

AM: What’s the next tournament that you’re going to be in?

CJ: Yeah, I’m actually leaving the 31st of this month to go to Copenhagen for the Copenhagen Pro. It’s not a serious competition but it’s where we can get together with tons of skaters who meet up and there’s spots all over the city where you can go from place to place to skate. It’s a lot of fun! I’ll be out there for a week and then I’m flying from there to Italy and I’m meeting up with a lot of the Golden Goose team as we have a little event out there that I’m excited for. It’s great to be able to start some traveling and to have some fun and to relax a little bit.

AM: How would you define your personal style? We heard that you like to collect gold chains – what do you look for when it comes to adding them into your assortment?

CJ: I wouldn’t say that it’s a collection, I would say that I have a style of chain that I wear and I lost a bunch ha! So when I lose them, I go find another one! My dad gave me his when I was a kid and then I lost it so I have always been attached to that style I guess. They don’t really make that style of chain anymore because it’s pretty fragile – when you bend it, it will break.

AM: How did the partnership between you and Golden Goose come together? You wore a custom style at the Olympics while you competed. What is it that you love about the brand and why did you partner with one another?

CJ: I’ve actually been a fan of Golden Goose for years. I love their sneaker brand and I used to ride for a couple of other shoe companies, but it was never the style that fit me the best. I just love the distressed and authentic look to them. There’s nothing like them and they’re good forever. They don’t get dirty in a way. My partnership came together all in good time! I spoke to my manager and asked him to reach out and we were in talks back and forth for about a year and a half and it’s been coming together for awhile.

It came down to timing. Skateboarding has a huge influence on the fashion community and now we’re getting a lot of recognition because of the Olympics and I think that these companies are putting more thought into it and seeing that they need to support this.

AM: It was interesting to hear that you designed the shoes that you got to compete in for the Olympics. There’s something about taking a brand that is known for their aesthetic and adding in elements that you like personally or that optimizes you for your sport. What was it like for you to do that?

CJ: Working with them has been super fun and everyone there is super family oriented. They are focused on making the best shoes that they can. They really care about it just like I do. It was great. I kind of pitched them ideas and they were cool with everything I had to say. I didn’t really design a new shoe, I recreated the Ball Star that they already had, for skateboarding.

We went through different materials and compounds for the rubber and suede on the side. We looked at the stitching so it wouldn’t rip and would be more durable for skateboarding. It was great and everyone there was so great to be with.

AM: Do you envision being able to do more with them whether it’s a collab line or something along those lines?

CJ: I hope so! I want to work on a collection with them! I always want to expand what I am doing to grow and this is the perfect place for me to do that. They obviously want to do that too which is really great. We’ll see what happens.

AM: Tell us about From Venice to Venice. You’ll be debuting this at the Venice Film Festival which sounds awesome and you will be performing. So what is the film and how excited are you to be part of this?

CJ: It’s huge and I’m super excited. From Venice to Venice is like a 3 part series that we’ve done where a lot of Golden Goose’s style is taken from Venice’s, Southern California style, vibes and community. They get a lot of inspiration from there. I’m from San Diego, but Venice has a huge impact on all of us. This is like a 3 video series that has an in the life kind of vibe from Venice, California, then on the road to the Olympics and then the final one in Venice, Italy. So it should be fun. I’m excited for everything that they have going on out there. It will be a video on it, but stay tuned!

AM: When you’re not skateboarding, are there additional sports that we would find you doing?

CJ: Yeah – I enjoy everything with my friends! We go out and play basketball, soccer, we go to the beach, we play some pool – you name it! We’re all just a hands on friend group. Whenever we’re doing something, we’re just having fun with it.

AM: How do you take time for yourself?

CJ: Skateboarding is my job, but it’s also what I love! I never think that I’m waking up going to work, I’m waking up doing what I want. We all need some me time. It’s all free time for me! Me talking with you right now was all that was on my list to do today.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be in terms of your impact on the sport?

CJ: That’s a great question and I’ve never thought about that. I’ve just gone out and had fun. I want people to know that when you’re going out, you need to make sure that you’re having fun. You need to take it one step at a time! The community of skateboarding is so small and there is so much love in it. You go to the park and you just start talking to people because everyone wants to mingle and talk to one another and support one another. It allows you to go to the park and to just try something. They’re rooting you on. It’s tough because it can be hard on your body and on your mind when you’re trying over and over again. But you just have to get back up, be patient and try again. But make sure you are enjoying it and everything will come.

AM: We always like to ask our trailblazers, people who are killing it who others look up to – who are 3 people whether you know them or don’t that have inspired you to be where you are today?

CJ: I grew up watching all of the Rocky movies and I know they’re not real – but I’m a fan of Rocky! Mike Tyson, Kobe Bryant - I have had a lot of influences from people that push hard and are determined. That’s what motivates me – people who push hard enough to get what they want.

IG @CoryJuneau

PHOTOGRAPHY | Andrew James Peters