How did growing up in Rhode Island effect the course of your coming up in the blade game? Did it help or hinder your ability to get exposure, clips in videos, photos in magazines, etc.

Growing up in RI was definitely to my disadvantage trying to come up in the blade game. Before there was the internet with online edits, it was kind of hard to get noticed if you didn’t live in Cali or NY. Now you can be from anywhere and get noticed.

Why do you still live in Rhode Island? I know you briefly moved to California, what pulled you back east?

I didn’t really move to Cali, I was there for like 3 weeks and had no where to stay soo I bounced back home. But I don’t know why I stay in RI..  its home for me, I feel like the rest of the country is weird haha. I love to visit places but i always like being back here, especially in the summer.

How did growing up skating with an older brother who skated and his crew of older friends effect your perspective on life and blading?

Skating with Eric and his friends growing probably push me a lot more then most kids were being pushed at the age of 9-14. I was trying whatever he was trying, even if meant I had to hand up on rails b/c I couldn’t jump that high yet. Also I was like 11 years old out partying with my brother and his crazy friends, who would make sure every girl would flash me. haha

When we were coming up in skating Boston and NYC skaters were all about switch ups on handicap rails, why didn’t’ you ever get into the handicap rail skater trend? What effect did this have on your skating?

I skate handicaps to warm up but I’m not a fan of all that switch up stuff. I was always known for skating bigger rails, so i just stuck with it.

Providence is run by crooked cops & the mob, what is the craziest run in you has ever had with either or both of these entities?

Well… when I was like 17 at a house party in downtown providence some girl got into an argument with a dude and made big scene which got the cops called on us. Leaving the party with two of my friends, a cop stops us in the street , says ” what’s going on here??” and we answer “nothing ” , then the cop takes out his flashlight and say “Oh yeah , nothing?’  and then wacks my friend right in the chest, throws him up against a wall, choking him. I’m thinking to myself “WTF, this cop is crazy”  so me and the my other friends just take off running, another cop catches us a few streets down, brings us back to the cop we just ran from. Sitting in the back of cop car, the cop we ran from opens the door and just straight punches me in my face, before I even had a chance to know it was coming. Then beats me and my friend in the back of the cop car for about a minute then lets us out and says stay the fuck out of providence. It was pretty confusing, I guess he thought one of us was the guy fucking with the girl?

Please share with us a wild Providence black-out story. Also please include at least one reference to Guido’s, fighting, or mo marzuq in your story.

Oh man there are way too many, I don’t even know what to say. I mean every time we went to club hell with mo, he was either passed out on the dance floor or spitting in someone’s face, or the time I punched a dude in the face for nick whitmore’s revenge, or the time I smashed a girls head into the arm of the futon on accident at my brothers apartment when i was trying to hit on her. I really can’t think of any right now haha ask nick whitmore I’m sure he’s got a few.

Have you ever felt any hate directed at you since you have come up to the level of a professional blader? What happened with team rollerblade? Didn’t you produce more edits than any other rider?

Yeah I feel the hate all the time, idk if people think I’m stepping on their toes or just don’t like me. It’s like people think I’m this super young kid who just came up, But I’m 23 and I’ve been blading since the bottom line (1995). I’m from RI, i don’t have too many ppl in the industry looking out for me, besides my boy Isaac from eulogy. I’m here b/c i put myself here, no one is hyping me up that’s for sure. But yeah that rollerblade thing was weird, not getting the contract re-sign was lame after all the edits I put out as required and the fact i was on the team the longest. But I have an idea why I got the boot and I’m pretty sure it didn’t actually have anything to do with skating.

How many drop kinks have you done without the camera? How important is filming to you past and present?

I’ve done a few, actually today we were at spot that I did almost 8 years ago and I was like “how the fuck did I not film that”. When i was younger I didn’t care if there was camera there or not. I’d do it just because I wanted to, now I make sure there’s a camera.

What is the deal with the new trend of hipster blading? You continue to stick to your guns. Is there anything wrong with focusing more on image than trick progression?

I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, whatever people want to wear is cool. It is annoying to see people doing the tight pants thing with really good quality filming, skating a curb. But whatever if it makes you happy, right?

How is USD treating you? Who else do you ride for? What is in store for Jeff Dalnas in 2010?

USD is good, I’m digging the carbons for sure. But yeah I ride for Eulogy, Aggressivemall, Kizer, and Con.Artist as well. 2010 should bring some good thing, but who knows…..

photos shot by Paul Yacovone.

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