Enzo Cautela Interview

Enzo Intro 2 750pxHow long have you been flow for enjoi? 
I got on when I was 14, I think. So seven years, maybe eight? 

Do you think being on King of the Road cemented you in as a team rider?
I think so. I had gone on a few small trips before and met everyone but we definitely bro’d down the most on that trip.

Enzo 1 750pxBro’ing down with a varial heel on a seven-flat-six set—not even the banger     Photo: Brook

Let’s talk about the hardflip down the 20 stair. How did that come about?
Well, it’s about 45 minutes from my house and I’ve kinda had the idea to hardflip a 20 stair for awhile and the timing just worked out. I needed to get a banger for my part and that one was in the back of my head. 

Enzo PQ 1 750px
Did Louie really call Tommy Guns to see if it was cool for you to skate it?
Yeah, I wanted to get the blessing from Tommy. I have mad respect for that dude 
and he holds it down hard for SD and that’s his spot. 

Is it true you’d never seen the stairs in person before you went there to skate them?
Yeah, I’d never actually gone there to check them out, but I had the idea and I remember telling Louie about it at some point. Then before the Barcelona trip he hit me up, like, “You wanna try that 20-stair hardflip?” So I thought, Sure. I might as well go and at least try it.

Did Louie freak out when he found out that you’d never actually been there ?
Yeah. I mean, he was definitely hiding it but he was just, like, “What?! You’ve never been here before?” He knows it’s in my hood so I’d say it’s a fair assumption to think I’d been there hella times. 

Louie had big plans for you that day. Did he seemed stressed? 
He definitely did a good job of acting normal but I was the one stressing trying to hardflip the 20 so I was focusing on that. I wasn’t really thinking about what Louie was doing 

Enzo 2 Seq 2He didn’t get Tommy Guns approval for this 360 flip to lip, but we’re pretty sure he’d be cool with it     Sequence: Brook

How did it feel after you ollied them? 
I ollied it first try and kind of overshot it a bit, like it wasn’t as big as I thought a 20 stair would be, so that kind of gave me the confidence that I could hardflip it.

What happened when the cops showed up? 
I was at the bottom of the stairs and they rolled up to the fence. I was super bummed. 
I thought it was over but I looked at Rhino and he gave me the nod and pointed up to the top of the stairs. So I just ran up and tried one and I stuck that one and I guess Louie told the cops that if I landed it he was going to turn me pro so they let me skate it and they stayed and watched for awhile.

Was there a moment where you were about to give up? 
Yeah, I was definitely at my limit. I could feel my thigh starting to cramp on the roll up and I had the thought that it was going to be the last one so I was just, like, Fuck it. Stick this one no matter what.

Did Louie give you a speech about how situations like that separate ams from pros?
Yeah, he said that about halfway through and I remember thinking something like, Okay, this is how I show Louie I want to be pro. I gotta prove it by battling this trick!

Enzo 3 750pxBoosted backside flip over the bench—no cops, no problem     Photo: Brook

How did it feel to ride away from it? 
It was definitely the best feeling trick I’ve ever done. I completely maxed myself out trying it so I was so relieved to be done with the battle.  

How was it when you saw Louie holding up your board?
It was so crazy! I was kind of in complete shock because I was still thinking about landing the trick and all of a sudden I’m hugging Louie with my board, like, Damn, 
what just happened? it almost feels like a blur in my memory. 

What did you do after to celebrate? 
Went straight to Whole Foods, ate a fat plate of food and crushed some cold ones.

Was it weird not being able to tell anyone you were pro? 
For sure. I went home and couldn’t tell anyone so I just kept it mellow and went to bed like any other day. Louie texted me the next morning: “Yeah, that actually did just happen yesterday. You realize that.” 

Be honest. Did you tell anyone?
I mean, I told my family and my girl but I kept it low-key. I had talked about it with Louie and I wasn’t trying to piss him off. 

EnzoKf DZ 1 750pxYeah, this lengthy kickflip did happen, right? You realize that     Photo: Zaslavsky

Do you think random people commenting on enjoi’s Instagram account, asking why you weren’t pro, helped you out? 
I don’t know how much but I know enjoi definitely noticed it and that added fuel to 
the fire.

Were you also surprised that you were getting a Heads interview in this issue? 
Oh, for sure! Nobody told me any of this was going to happen. It’s all a shock to me. 

How was the enjoi trip to Spain we just went on.
Definitely the most fun I’ve had on a skate trip. And I got to skate all the spots I’ve been looking at pros skate since I was a kid, so that was rad. 

Did your teammates know you had turned pro? 
Yeah, I think most of them knew but I wasn’t sure at first until someone said something. 

enzo fs flip brook DZ DZ 1 750pxWe believe that children are our future. Show them massive frontside flips and let them lead the way     Photo: Brook

We didn’t have a van on that trip. Was is hard pushing all over Barci and then trying to skate spots?
It was definitely different from what I’m used to but it was so much fun that it outweighs the soreness you get from it.

Was this your first time in Barcelona? 
Yes, I’ve only left the US to go to Australia a bunch and Canada, so it was a totally new experience for me.

What did you like about Barcelona? 
Aside from the amazing skate spots, just being on a trip with the gang is the dopest thing. 

What didn’t you like about Barcelona? 
So much bread and way too many bocadillos.

Enzo 4 750pxThe hardflip that bumped Enzo from flow to pro. Congrats on that signature sled, Mr. C!!!     Photo: Rhino

Enzo PQ 2 750px
So what are you doing with your first pro check? 
Probably get a bunch of dank food with hella avocados. I spend, like, 80 percent of my money at grocery stores anyway. But I’m definitely gonna start trying to save some money up like an adult would do, I guess.
Enzo 5 750pxPhoto: Rhino