It’s no secret that Brian Aragon took a hard bail a few weeks ago at Winterclash. Bladers take hard bails. It’s the nature of the biz. But the blading goes on. What makes this notable is that we’re talking about Brian, a skater known for his consistency and flawless execution above all else. As someone who has been to Area 51 in Eindhoven where Winterclash is held, I can say that the cold, harsh climate and unique atmosphere of the contest is just about the worst place on Earth you could land on the ground with your face. It could not have been a fun experience.

But this Q & A isn’t really about what happened in Eindhoven, it’s about getting back up from a setback and moving on to the next one. We asked Brian some questions about blading at BCSD XII and having to explain his black eye to everyone. Here’s what he had to say.

So, how many times did you have to explain your black eye, and what was the funniest thing anyone said about it?
I can honestly say that I explained my black eye more than anything I’ve ever explained in my skating career. The funniest thing that I saw having to do with my black eye was a Terminator photo that someone Photoshopped and posted on my Facebook page. It had the part of my face that was unaffected by the fall then on the side that I hit it showed all the machine parts that the Terminator had. Ha ha ha.

Third place at BCSD XII, but reading your Twitter leading up to the event it sounded like you might not even skate. When did you decide to blade the comp?
After my fall I had to take some time and let my body heal, and get back to a healthy mindset. About a week later I was able to put the blades back on and start skating a bit. Due to the fact the Winterclash and BCSD were only two weeks apart, I was only able to practice a couple times before the contest. Even before I was able to start skating again I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to skate in the BCSD.

Were there any lingering thoughts of what happened before while you were blading?
Definitely. Sometimes, after a serious slam or injury, you begin to over-analyze what you are doing and second guess things that in the past have been second nature. Once I knew my head was fine and the doctor said I was good to skate, it was more of a mental game than anything else. In my case, I found it beneficial to trust my body and focus on what I was doing rather then let my mind run through possible scenerios.

How hard would it have been NOT to skate in the contest?
Ha ha, great question. EXTREMELY hard. Being at one of the biggest blading events in the world and having to sit and watch would have been a nightmare for me. I love being out there with all my friends and feeding off the energy of the crowd — there is no feeling like it.