COLD CALL: RILEY CRONIN

I heard you are currently rolling with two broken wrists. Is that true? How did they happen and what are you going to do about them?

Just one right now. Just over a year or so ago, I was skating Norton Park with some homies and slammed pretty hard. My wrist was dust. The next day I went to get it checked out and the doctor said I broke the scaphoid in my left wrist. I went and got X-rays done and the doctor wanted to X-ray my other wrist to compare them. It turns out that wrist was broken worse than my left one. They put a cast on my left wrist and told me I'd have surgery on my right wrist. I didn't want to have the surgery at the time so I waited. Now my wrist is as dust as ever.

You had a pretty harsh session on your birthday a few years ago. What happened?

Damn, yeah. The day after my 17th birthday, me and a few homies went to go skate this step-up spot; it’s like a rounded bank over rocks. Just warming up, I went for an Ollie and pogoed. Everything was chill at first but then something didn’t feel right. I dropped my pants and my white boxers were blood red. I was pissing blood and just trippin’. I got in my car and drove home. I got lucky because my mom works for a urologist so I just went right through the emergency room and saw the doctor immediately. He told me I tore my urethra and I had to have surgery right away. I woke up with a catheter in and had that for a few weeks. It was the worst feeling of my life.

Where are you from? Are you a country boy?

I can get down with some mellow country vibes. I was born in a town called Orangeville, where my dad’s from, but I moved to Mississauga when I was like three or something and lived here ever since. I don't really remember too much of living there besides having an empty barn. My grandparents, on both sides, are real into country music, so I grew up around it. My grandpa used to play music at these places, like this thing called the Fiddle Parade or the Huckabuck. That's as country as it gets. 

You were a pretty serious hockey player growing up, true?

Everyone in my family played hockey and I was super hyped on it growing up. I wasn’t the best but it was fun playing. When I was like 15, I made an A team and I was pumped, until I had hockey every day. It was hectic. I quit within a month and went to play house league again. It was a lot more fun and laid back. I think I played like two more years after that and was over it. Now we get a few homies together in the winter once in a while for some pond hockey and that’s about it.

Interview by Leif Wick

Photo by Michael Kazimierczuk