Watch: My Turn
My Turn season 2 is a five-part video interview series by Burton, hosted by Selema Masekela.
If you don’t know who Selema Masekela is, he is one of the world’s most prolific sports commentators, dipping his toes into all the sports we love - surf, skate and snow. This time, he’s back hosting My Turn, a second series exploring different perspectives to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the power of snowboarding. We’re all for something that will get us a bit of inspo, so luckily we got to chat with the man himself about stories from Burton’s community of riders and the new series.
The new season of My Turn series is launching soon. Can you take us back a little and talk to us about the inception of the series and how it all came together?
Initially, it was a conversation with George Carpenter about what the next iteration of My Turn could like as a short-form docuseries. Then I started working with Alex Adrian at Burton and Trevar Cushing, both incredible filmmaker/cinematographers, and we began to identify and map out the stories we wanted to tell. It was exciting because we were essentially spinning the globe to find the richest stories we could.
The series explores a lot of interesting personalities from such beautiful and varied cultures, how do you prepare for each of the episodes?
Research. Research. Research. You have to learn as much as you can about where you’re going and who you’re talking to. Then you throw it all away, try to ask good questions and listen.
Without giving too much away, can you share a couple of key moments from the series that you felt were particularly touching or unexpected?
I think sitting with young Ukrainian ride Dima Luchkin and his family was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve ever had on a series. Their firsthand account of escaping war, finding themselves displaced refugees in a country where they don’t speak the language, with a son who happens to be a prodigy snowboarding talent is something I’ll never forget.
If you had to pick a through-line from the series, what was a key learning you found as a recurring theme or message from your guests?
The connective power of snowboarding is infinite and can’t be bound by borders of any kind.
How have you grown from having these conversations?
Honestly, these conversations reinvigorate my belief in the overall power of humanity.
Where would you like to see snowboarding in the future?
I’d like to see snowboarding be that refuge where all peoples feel like they can be their whole and entire selves without judgement.
Where does grassroots snowboarding come into play with creating a more inclusive sport?
The more we can get young people of diverse backgrounds access into the sport, the more snowboarding will grow. Representation leads to growth in participation. Inclusivity benefits everyone.
What have been the biggest changes you’ve seen in snowboarding’s accessibility in the time that you’ve been involved with the sport?
I think Big Snow is the single most powerful access change I’ve seen in the sport. City kids accessing snowboarding 365 days a year at an affordable price, which then drives them to want to explore the possibilities of living a life in the mountains is pretty rad. We need more Big Snow type facilities in major cities. Municipal tow ropes on state lands also eliminate the barrier of resort costs for kids who want to build relationship with snowboarding. That’s accessibility.
Who are your favourite people to go riding with?
Jeff Pensiero, Kurt Wastell, Jamie Lynn and Zeb Powell.
What or who are you most excited about this upcoming season?
I’m most excited to ride a truly ignorant amount of powder this season.
Where is your favourite place to snowboard, surf and skate?
Favourite place to ride - British Columbia
Favourite place to surf - I’ve fallen in love with El Salvador
Favourite place to skate - adult nights at The Cove skatepark in Santa Monica.
Watch the full series now by hitting this link.
