:10 With Fallon Heffernan


Fallon Heffernan, Fishy, BCSD 2009, Image by Jeremy Stephenson

SO, WHAT’S YOUR NAME AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Well, I’m Fallon Heffernan. I’m originally from Jacksonville Beach, Florida but I went to the University of San Francisco and so now I’m out in Cali.

SPONSORS?

Fenfanix, Rocket Dog Shoes, Eulogy Wheels, Crap Bearings, and Rollerwarehouse.com.

COOL! SO WE’RE OUT HERE AT WINTERCLASH; FENFANIX IS FROM ITALY, RIGHT? HOW’D YOU END UP HOOKING UP WITH THEM?

Yeah, well, I won the women’s comp at Winterclash last year and so they approached me afterwards. I didn’t have a clothing sponsor at the time. I’d had a lot of offers from different companies but no one was really making a women’s line specifically and I just hadn’t been satisfied with the fit, cut, etc. of other stuff I’d tried. And Fenfanix was different. After a month of working with them they had a whole women’s line out already, so they’ve been really supportive of me and of women’s skating!

And they’ve been so legit supporting me as well with a full line and also generously taking care of most of my costs for comps like the Chaz Sands Invitational and Winterclash, etc. I know a lot of their designs have been controversial, but they’re really like a family. They work hard and are very focused on promoting rollerblading.

So, yeah, we just started within the last year – with the”Fenfanix by Fallon” line – we came out with 5 new items for this event, we have a lot of great graphics. I didn’t do the designs myself, but they had me work very closely with their designer on all the details – the cut, colors, graphics – incorporated a lot of the symbols I like like handcuffs, hearts, etc. So the line really is mine and I’m really excited about it!

It’s really exciting right now because there haven’t always been very many women rollerbladers out there and it’s cool to see things changing. I’m hoping the new line will be carried widely by shops and guys will start buying these clothes for their girlfriends, etc…

SO, WHERE IS WOMEN’S ROLLERBLADING HEADED? WINTERCLASH IS ONE OF THE FEW EVENTS THAT ACTUALLY HAS A WOMEN’S COMPETITION…

Women’s skating is really so amazing right now and I hope to see it keep growing and progressing. Women in action sports overall right now is growing and the women who are rollerblading now are pushing things to such a high level today, especially here in Europe – their style is so innovative! I mean the tricks these ladies are throwing down now are just beastly; you don’t see women in other action sports doing things like this! And it’s cool too from my perspective, because a few years ago there were only a few of us women competing at the pro level but now I have to watch my back at comps because I have a lot of competition – which is so awesome!

SO WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE LINED UP FOR 2010?

Well, I’m planning on going to Bittercold, the Chaz Sands Invitational, and Barcelona Extreme. I’ll also go to any other WRS events that I can make it out to. If they have a women’s event than great! If they don’t than I’ll just compete with the men. I can hold my own, I had two top 10’s doing that in 2009!

THANKS, FALLON!